Laura’s Life

As if the stress of the medical appointment was not challenge enough for one morning, I then took the kids for a wander through the woods that form the backdrop of the hospital.

They enjoyed finding all the objects made of native trees that were set to the side of the pathway.  This is Orin sitting in a chair carved from a tree stump:

Evan was grumping because he was confined to the buggy.  Look at that huffy pout:

Aidan sitting in a willow bower:

Aidan and Orin sitting together in the willow bower:

And Evan still grumping:

Aidan playing in an area filled with beach flotsum:

A view over the loch from the woods:

Me!

The boys sitting on a bench:

Orin beside a post decorated with a face:

And then it was all downhill from there - literally and metaphorically.  Aidan threw a tizzy because we could not ascend any further with the buggy and Orin went into tantrum meltdown because I refused to carry him.  Here is Orin in the midst of his tantrum:

And, at last, Evan was happy.  Schadenfreude!

We read a bunch of books about Antarctica and the people and animals of the Arctic circle.  We also read a book about icebergs which inspired us to make our very own iceberg by freezing a balloon full of water.  This is Aidan with the iceberg:

Orin playing with the iceberg.  (Apologies for the pants on display - we are potty training this week.)

And Evan sooking the icy water off of a Lego penguin:

Orin and Evan then proceeded to lick the iceberg:

We borrowed a Lego “Eskimo” set from the Toy Library so the boys played with that too:

They also watched ‘March of the Penguins’ (which we rented on DVD) while cuddling their penguins:

Yesterday morning was bright and sunny, though still a bit chilly by the loch, so I asked the kids where they wanted to go.  I guess they have been so overwhelmed by excitingly new places in the last week or so that all they wanted to do was go to the play park.  So off we trotted.  It was so early in the morning that there was not another single child in the park but my trio had fun all the same.

Aidan at the top of the slide …

… and Evan at the bottom:

“I’m the King of the Castle and you’re the Dirty Wee Rascal!”

Evan tunneling:

Riding on a chicken-parrot bouncy thing:

Orin and Aidan guddling in water - an omen of what was soon to happen!

Evan watching them and wishing his arms were long enough to do the same:

Orin on the bouncy chicken-parrot:

Orin and Evan bouncing together:

The boys climbing the conical rope ladder:

And then, while my back was turned, Aidan and Orin waded into the water in the paddling pool.  Aidan had common sense enough to take off his shoes and hitch up his trousers …

… while Orin did not!

Too little too late:

Evan spectating:

China and Japan week was actually spread out over a fortnight because we had so many fun interruptions.

I painted Aidan’s face so that he looked like he was in a Kabuki performance.  He thought he looked like Darth Maul:

Excuse the state of undress.  They were right out of the bath when I took these photos.  The boys built a Great Wall out of lego:

The kids eating chinese food in their grandparents’ backgarden:

Chris eating sushi.  The kids refused to try it so I had to take the photo of Chris instead:

Aidan made a panda.  Which obviously had to do Kung Fu.  We actually never made it to the cinema to see ‘Kung Fu Panda’ but they watched ‘Mulan’ during the long car journey to Kent instead:

Colouring in dragon pictures.  Aidan made a really good job of his and took his time over it.  Orin, on the other hand, was eager to draw Star Wars pictures so he just scribbled, cheeky wee thing:

Eating jelly babies with chopsticks.  Aidan was amazing with the chopsticks!  He did far better at it than I can manage.  Orin had the connected chopsticks to make things easier and Evan, well, he found his own unique way of eating food with chopsticks:

Then we played a memory game where the cards were animals from the Chinese zodiac:

Orin making his panda do dance moves:

While over in Fife, we took a trip to Cairnie Fruit Farm (near Cupar) to have some fun outdoors.  The rest of the family did some “Pick Your Own” as well as larking about but the boys were too hyper about all the activities to give raspberries and strawberries a second glance.  For once.

Aidan and Orin thought the giant strawberry looked delicious:

The farm constructs a huge maze made out of corn - a maize maze - geddit!   They plant a new design each year and this year it was in the shape of a Pharaoh’s head.  Chris took Aidan and Orin in and, though they were gone for almost an hour, they had still only completed half of it.

Meanwhile, Leanne took Evan on the giant bouncy pillow thing.  He was not impressed:

Jordan and Rhys then had a go on some “barrel bugs” - modified barrels being pulled behind a quad bike.  Here they are in their Formula 1 goggles and positioned right at the back for maximum effect:

Jordan sitting on a tractor’s wheel:

Evan in the sand box:

Aidan and Orin - having emerged from the maze - then had a go on the barrel bugs.  I was not sure how Orin in particular would cope but they both absolutely loved it:

Logan spectating:

Evan had a shot on a tractor:

Aimee took Orin onto the bouncy pillow thing.  Aidan looks like he is about to do a bull charge right into them:

Logan in his buggy.  Just chillaxin:

Chris with all three boys on the bouncy pillow.  Everyone loved that thing and it was much safer than regular bouncy castles:

There was a “climbing frame” made out of hay bales, with tunnels, hidey-holes and a slide as well as towers to climb.  This is Orin approaching the summit (with Evan in the background):

Orin in one of the hay holes:

Rhys disapproving of me taking his photo:

Aaron:

Evan eating a blackcurrant bear biscuit:

Leanne:

Orin digging in the sand:

Aidan burying himself in sand:

Aidan trampolining:

Orin driving a tractor:

Orin inside a tractor tyre:

And, to close, a couple of random photos of Logan and Aimee:

It not being such a glorious day, we decided to take a tour of the Cadbury’s Factory at Bourneville, Birmingham.  Chris had high expectations of it being a theme park akin to something Willy Wonka would conjure up; I expected it to be a pretty dry factory tour with a few kid-friendly snippets here and there.  It was somewhere in the middle.  What we both agreed on was that it was over-priced for what it offered.  But the kids seemed to enjoy themselves, we did learn some interesting facts about manufacturing chocolate and the kids got chocolate thrust into their hands often enough to keep them happy and high.

Aidan with a Creme Egg car:

The boys got to make their own concoctions by mixing liquid chocolate with a variety of other sweeties:

Orin’s face after his taste-testing:

After we had taken all the tours, the kids played in the playground.  Jessica and Orin on the scramble net:

Jon climbing up high:

Orin at the bottom of the tube slide:

On the Monday, we all trooped off to Warwick Castle.  The castle was remarkably well-preserved for being over 800 years old and it was bustling with all sorts of fun and interesting activities.

The exterior walls of the castle:

The first thing we did was go to see the Trebouchet being fired.  The boys in particular loved this event.  Just before closing, they even launched a flaming ball.  I love this photo of Aidan and Orin watching the trebouchet together:

The trebouchet launching its boulder missile:

A view of one of the more recent sections of the castle:

Evan scrabbling about in the dirt waiting for the jousting tournament to begin:

The jousting was fantastic fun and the performances were very skillful and entertaining.  That was the highlight of the day as far as the boys were concerned:

Chris and I took Jon and Aidan to an exhibit called “Ghosts Alive!” in one of the towers.  It was pitch black inside and actors told the tale of a grisly murder that took place in the castle while suddenly leaping out of the darkness at us or growling in our ears.  Aidan and Jon had to be taken back out into the safety of daylight after the first minute but Chris and I enjoyed the spooky fun.

Then, after a spot of lunch, Chris and I took Aidan and Orin around part of the castle that told the story of the castle during the era of War of the Roses through interactive displays and animatronics.  Aidan even got to make a grote!

Aidan in one of the kitchens:

Chris doing a good job of looking more like a freaky model than the minstrel in the corner:

Of course, the boys had to buy some more weapons for their growing arsenal.  Aidan chose a bow and arrows and Orin and Evan chose a sword and shield:

Then Chris, Aidan and I went into an exhibit showing all the guests of a particular dinner party in 1898 getting ready in various rooms of the castle.  Aidan was flagging in his interest at that point but he did like the waxwork of the singer named “Clara Butt”!

Aidan in the stocks:

Evan absolutely shattered at the end of a long, hot and busy day:

After the wedding, Heather and Jim took Jess and Jon to their narrowboat.  We booked into a Travelodge nearby, though ultimately Aidan spent every night on board the boat.

These photos are of the boys arriving at “Noonie” for the first time and getting used to their life jackets:

The following day, Jim and Heather took us for a leisurely meander down the canal to Braunston and back.  Aidan helped to work the locks:

Aidan back on board:

Captain Jim:

Heather reading to Evan:

I never noticed before that I married a man whose ears glow like beacons:

Orin and Aidan exhausted from a day in the sun:

Apparently these iron bridges spanning the canal are quite famous.  I just liked the composition:

Jessica relaxing on the boat:

Huge mushrooms growing on a tree in Braunston:

A view of the church in Braunston:

Jon steering the boat:

“Hello, Sailor!”  Chris on board the boat:

The day after we arrived in Tunbridge Wells, we all went ten pin bowling.  The boys enjoyed it but Orin in particular got a bit bored of doing the same thing over and over about half way through the game.  It was always going to be either Chris or Antony who won (the latter did) but Aidan got a pretty respectable score of 94 - far better than I could have achieved.

How cute are Orin’s tiny bowling shoes?

Aidan getting ready to bowl:

Watching the pins get knocked over:

Chris helping Orin to bowl:

Evan liked all the brightly coloured bowling balls:

After days of gloom, yesterday was sunny so - as early as possible - I packed the boys in the car and headed out for a walk.  We decided to go to Moine Mhor (which translates as “Great Moss”) because it is a flat, short, circular walk and I wanted to see if Evan could make it all the way around without being carried - which he almost did.

Of course, the boys had to take their skittles with them:

Close up of a foxglove:

I tried to get a good photo of all three boys on this bench, an impossible task:

Evan undressing as he walked:

Aidan insisted I take his photo beside this way marker because it was number five and he is, well, five:

Monkeys in a tree:

A view of the “Great Moss”.  It is a protected environment because it is a rare ecosystem.  But that did not stop Orin jumping in with both feet and having to be extracted - with a satisfying slurpy squelch sound - by me.  Tsk, tsk!

Orin having a rest in the sun:

We found a fat caterpillar:

Aidan and Evan inspecting the caterpillar:

Some kind of bog dwelling flower:

Evan trying to push his brothers off the boardwalk:

They loved running around on the boardwalk because it was springy and made clattering noises and also because they could pretend it was a set from Star Wars:

Aidan:

Evan being cheeky on a bench:

Climbing trees again:

Then we headed to Crinan, the beginning - or end, depending on your direction - of the Crinan Canal where it meets the sea.

Boats in the canal basin:

This is the best portrait I could get of Evan since he was attached to my back:

Aidan in front of one of the locks:

Aidan in front of an old red phone box and red post box:

I bought them a piece of cake each from the coffee shop - a startling £7 for three pieces of cake!  They did enjoy it though.

And some final shots of the canal: