Breakfast is served

The day we've always talked about has finally arrived. Today was the day when, all on her own, Olivia got up at a reasonable time (6.45am), headed downstairs, got her and Luke breakfast, turned the TV on and, well, just got on with it really.

Luke especially is super-hungry in the mornings what with the ritual shunning of tea the night before (unless it's chips) and the usual for him is to appear in our bed anytime from 5.50am onwards. He wriggles a bit, pretends to sleep for a bit and then starts the relentless 'I'm hungry' mantra until one of us - usually Caryn, as I pretend to have died in my sleep - gets up and feeds him.

Needless to say, this morning was quite a morning. Now, if we could teach her to feed the cats too...

Twice in three days

Typically, from the moment half-term started at 3pm on Friday it seems to have been raining. It's always a tricky one entertaining when it's raining, but on Saturday morning we visited Planet Zoom for the first time.

Why we've not been there before is a mystery. We've got something along the same lines where we live, so I guess driving 10 miles seems a bit odd. Glad we did though because our two loved it. We paid for an hour and a half and the time just flashed by. In fact, they loved it so much they snubbed a swimming trip on Monday for a return visit.

Twice in three days was probably a bit much as the excitement wained after about an hour which isn't bad. Luke was super brave trying all sorts of things he wouldn't normally do, including going down the enormous swirly slide (pictured) on his own.

It's also weatherwatch week at Ebenezer Terrace. We've our first 'proper' camping trip this weekend. When we bought the tent the idea was we could just clear off when the weather was nice.

Seems it doesn't quite work like that - the good places get booked up early doors, so we've booked up a few places over the summer and will be at the mercy of the English weather. Should put us off camping sharpish... or we'll take up camping in the back garden.

A good party

Firstly, an apology - especially to Louise, whose own blog we're eagerly awaiting - for not posting anything since Monday. It's tricky fitting all this children, school, nursery, wife at college, earning a living, sleeping, eating thing into a week.

Every second seems to have been filled with something or other and I've even been going to bed late to fit it all in. yes, I know.


So anyway, a couple of emails popped in last night from James whose kitchen we really like. His daughter had quite the best birthday party last weekend - it was kind of an Edwardian fairground extravaganza, with games like splat the rat and lucky dip and popping balloons.

The children all had a bag each and ran around winning prizes and filling their bags with sweets. It was really different. I think children have come to expect certain things from parties - entertainer, bouncy castle etc, so this was a real curve ball and you could see the confusion on some faces to begin with. It was excellent though.

They also had one of these put your face through the holes things. And that's what the email was... pics of our children popping their heads through the holes. Thanks James.

Earth, Wind and... crack, crunch, snap

So, to cut a long story quite short, the wife decided we should throw caution to the wind on Friday and go on our inaugural camping trip. Turns out the wind wasn't very cautious by the time we arrived at a very pleasant North Norfolk campsite, so un-cautious in fact it broke our new tent as we tried to pitch it while Olivia and Luke hid in the car wisely sheltering from the weather and from some very choice language.

Saturday morning then and off I went in search a full refund. Halfords put up very little fight, which I have to admit was a little disappointing. They did offer an exchange at first which I politely turned down on the grounds we actually wanted a tent we could use for camping. Seemed to do the trick.

And so to a proper camping shop, refund in hand, to buy the above very lovely tent which we duly popped up in the garden and spent almost the entire day lounging around in today. We are now looking forward to our our first proper, proper camping trip in two weeks time and in an odd way are quite pleased our first proper trip was such an utter, total, absolute disaster...

buymeabeer.com

In the line of research, I found buymeabeer.com today. Shame it's for over-priced, posh people's Corney & Barrow bars and shame they're only in London, but a good idea all the same. I do like the idea that if you're meeting someone and they're running late they can still get their round in. Not sure that buying someone a drink, even if they do it remotely, is a revolutionary idea though.

Welcome to the world little one

Quite early on Sunday morning, my little sis had a baby girl, Molly Amelia. And here she is.

Went round to see her after school today for the first time and crikey, she's a little tiny lovely - all wrinkly skin that doesn't quite fit her yet, she didn't stir while we were there, just slumbered though the visit from her new auntie, uncle and cousins. Not been an uncle before, wonder if it's like being a dad but without the grumpy bits.

Olive was very taken with Molly which was lovely to see. In some ways it doesn't seem that long ago that she was a tiny little baby.

Luke, well, he knows where the box of soldiers is at Auntie Vicky's now so he wasn't much fussed.

The bit I really like how there's a new person around now - a brand-new member of the family.

So, just wanted to say welcome to the world little one, it's okay here you know. And, although it doesn't seem like it now, your parents will get the hang of it all eventually. Well, some of it at least. And some is better than none.

The oldest person in the world, ever.

One of the throwbacks from my time as a newspaper sub is, for some odd reason, I like to know who the oldest person in the world is and who's next up. It's not a great title as the holder seems to die soon after receiving the honour. Still, if you're going to be recognised in your life for doing something, I can think of few things better.

Anyway, just read a great story about the oldest person in the world, ever.

In French France it is possible to buy property for a snip if you're prepared to wait for the owner to snuff it. It's called en viager and involves you making a one-off payment to some aging crock and then paying them a monthly rent until they finally shuffle off and, voila, the property is all yours. Simple. Or not.

There is of course a slight gamble...

In 1965, 47-year-old Francois Raffery, signed a viager for an apartment in the centre of Arles. The owner was a drinking, smoking 90-year-old woman. Anyway, 30 years later Raffery wasn't rubbing his hands in so much glee as he died leaving his wife to continue paying rent to the by now 120-year-old Jeanne Calment.

A herione to French oldies everywhere, Ms Calment managed another two and a bit years before dropping off which made her not the oldest person in the world, ever, but the smartest oldest person in the world, ever. Her record still stands today at 122 years, 164 days if anyone fancies a crack at it.

There's a lesson to be had in there somewhere is there not?

Out of interest for anyone still awake, the current oldest person in the world is Yone Minagawa of Fukuoka, Japan who is 114 and a bit. She's been the oldest person since the end of Janaury so we're due a change of crown pretty soon I'd say.

Our new favourite place

Went round our friend's place for Sunday lunch today. Nice roast beef, etc. They live in the burbs where I went to school, which was a little unnerving when they first moved in a few years ago, kind of used to it now, although driving down the road to their house, past my old school never fails to feel a bit odd.

Anyway, they've just had a new kitchen extension built and, I never thought I'd catch myself saying things like this, but it really is rather fantastic. I am truly getting old.

We've not had the pleasure of a sitting around in a kitchen since we moved out of the School House last year so it was lovely just to leave the kids to their own devices and chew the fat round a big table again.

Simple pleasures eh?

Pedal! Pedal! Pedal!

Olivia, bless, has taken her time to learn to ride a bike. We got her a proper bike for her fourth birthday, but it has only been since we moved house last August that she's really shown an interest in riding it properly.

We live on a cul-de-sac which is prime bike riding real estate. So, with her new-found interest we gave the old me pretending to hold the seat thing a go. The first time went amazingly well - she rode the bike on her own almost straight away... and that was that. Once she'd done it, we were off inside, like it's something you tick off a list never to repeat again.

A while later, we went out again and this time, she couldn't ride a bike. She was in a panic and begging me not to let go. I had little intention of letting go this time because she was would have just heaped herself in pile in seconds. We went out a few more times, but it was the same story and we both just sort of gave up.

And then the driest April on record arrived and we spent most of our time in the garden. For some reason Olive decided she'd try ride her bike on the grass. A few failed tries and she was bombing up and down over and over again.

Could she do it on the open road we wondered? Course. Now it's the stopping that's the problem.

I'm wondering where the week has gone...

Last post was Sunday after a busy weekend and here we are again at another weekend, and looking equally as busy. I honestly don't know where time goes. Friday already, O'Riley.

So bank holiday weekend and it's off to Auntie Vicky's tomorrow because it's her birthday (Happy Birthday sis!), back over here for a party, possibly a beer festival for me (yah), then the big smoke calls on Sunday for an overnight stay at the brother's place with the children.

It does seem that we just pass him by when he's up this way and when I'm down that way I get to see him, but Olive and Lukey don't. So we've booked up, weeks in advance, and we're off.

I also got paid for a job this week, so promptly banked the cheque and bought another new toy. It would have been better spent admittedly on bills, but where's the fun in that I ask you? It arrived this morning - double screen DVD fun for the car (this one, cheap as chips if anyone else is interested, or we could rent it out when not in use!).

Thing is, we're wondering whether to roll it out for the London trip...

It will come in seriously handy, but not sure the nips deserve it just yet. Olive in particular has been especially defiant of late. She has to learn and it does look like she wants to do that learning the hard way, which makes us very sad.

If only she knew we had this little box of in-car TV heaven hidden under the bed... it must be tough being five.