2016 Our Year

Not one single blog post for 2016. I feel I must write one before the year is out.

What to write?

In 2016 we celebrated 10 years of marriage, one 6th and one 9th birthday. Lots and lots of little moments to treasure in between everything I've written down.

Early in the year the children and I paid a visit with friends to friends by Bassenthwaite Lake (the only Lake in the Lakes) Keswick, Cumbria. All our children have known each other since they were only a few weeks old. It was a lovely trip, one that we hope to make again soon.

 

Thinking back, my highlight of the year was our long weekend on a narrow boat. J's birthday treat in September. The children managed to get an early finish from school, we drove a couple of miles up the road and transferred all our bits and bobs over to the boat. The guy from the hire company told us all we needed to know (well he told J and I hoped he listened) and he travelled with us on the boat until we got under the first bridge...then he just jumped off, gave us a wave and said you'll be fine!!!

We spent the next few days on a small stretch of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal (starting at Bradley and East Marton being furthest point). Loving the sunshine, the locks, the making up of the double bed of an evening, the slow pace of life. I was chief lock keeper, which I really enjoyed. Doing this means you get to open and close all the locks, you don't have to be in the lock or steer the boat, and you get to meet all the other people travelling up and down the canal. It was nice to hear their stories, whether they were holidaying or living on their boat.

Fish and Chips for our first meal on the boat

Using their whistles to call in the cows. All before breakfast.

My husband's highlights of the year: 
The canal boat trip.
Taking our daughter to a festival to watch Noel Gallagher.
Taking our daughter for her first bike ride on his Vespa.
All the holidays and mini breaks we took this year.

Scotland: Seal spotting.

Cheesecake and wine on the beach (my favourite evening).

J bought a canoe (bucket list!).

Cornwall:

First on the beach, what a breathtaking view.

The girl's highlights of the year:

Watching Wicked at the Bradford Alhambra Theatre.

Going to the top of Blackpool Tower. 

Her beach hut birthday party with specially requested fairy cake.

And all of the above.

The boy's highlights of the year:
Visiting Knowsley Safari Park, and the monkeys eating the windscreen wipers!
We rescued a hedgehog from our garage and took it for a road trip to a rescue centre.
He lost his first tooth. He has since lost another 2...one down the sink and one in his tummy.
And all of the above.

and in December we went to visit Santa in a cave...

44/52

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2015"

Joining Jodi for the 52 Project

Half term week, with plans that didn't go to plan. We were in Blackpool to see the illuminations. M caught R's bug and completely lost her voice :-( we stayed over in the hotel as planned and then drove home the next morning. She spent the whole day curled up on the sofa watching films, sipping honey and lemon...whispering her every need.

J decided to paint the hallway...he can't sit still. M was feeling much better so I took the kids to see a movie (Hotel Transylvania 2) to try and get into the Halloween spirit. We had a couple of lovely walks, with Autumn leaves and a pumpkin trail. I found a few different recipes to try and tempt R to eat more...he's so fussy. Then pumpkin carving, dressing the house and children dressing up, trick or treat...that's our week.

Inside Wycoller's Panopticon atom

It's not often I like a photo of myself, but I like this one J took on his phone. I don't remember him taking it, I was watching the kids in the atom.

Nice hat

Autumn posy

Waiting for the film to start

Our pumpkins this year

Spotted feather on a post

Spellbound - checking his witches spell

41/52

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2015"

Joining Jodi for the 52 Project"

An overnight stay in Scarborough

North Yorkshire seaside resort

We stayed at the old Grand Hotel

in room number 448

All you can eat for a tenner

line up in a queue and you wait

Seagulls awake you at 5.45

But you can't get your breakfast 'til 8

We had a lovely time at the seaside, the sun was shining. We ate hot donuts and drank tea. Watched some runners doing a 10k race. The kids took off their shoes and played on the sand, while we sat and watched the world go by.

This photo was taken in the morning, in our hotel room. I liked the silhouette...

35/52

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2015"

Joining Jodi for the 52 Project

We went on our holidays last week, to bonny Scotland. Tried a different type of holiday, staying in a caravan on a holiday park.  We had a stopover hotel booked for the first night, not far from Glasgow, partly to break up the 5 hour drive.

We definitely had a room with a view...

The next morning, we carried on with our journey...we stopped a couple of times along the way. Once to see if we could find the spot where J proposed 10 years ago and another stop was here at these rather majestic mountains, named rest and be thankful...oh the irony!

Arriving at Loch Goilhead around lunchtime, we were still very early for our 4pm check in. We carried on towards Carrick Castle...a beautiful setting for our picnic lunch...

...all locked up...no admittance. We got caught in a rain shower and ended up eating our sandwiches in a bus shelter.  Carrick Castle: It looks like they are building a new building inside the old one to me...

A little further along the path we find an interesting driveway, with a notice board at the end reading...International Institute for Peace...

The boys turned around..M and I went for a nosey up the driveway and found this gorgeous building...

There was a car outside and we felt a bit like intruders so turned back and made our way to the boys...I took a couple of snaps along the driveway...

Fairy door

A mossy sausage dog among the undergrowth

Eventually we arrive at our site...Over the week to follow, we found lots of things to do on-site: indoor crown green bowling, J and M brought their in-line skates with them, swimming, I took my hooks and yarn, an indoor fun-house for the children with a soft play area.  But as we prefer days out adventuring, mostly we were off site and coming back for an evening swim.

  

A day trip to the Oban games, we had to go, whatever the weather, typically it was the wettest day of the week...still made the most of it...

Tartan Tales (for the children)

Practicing Piper

Bagpipe contest

Wet weather judges

Hammer throwing men taking a break

Scottish Highland Dancers

A day out to the beautiful town of Inverary...we went to an old disused jail and a castle. Both really interesting for all of us...the children decided it probably wouldn't have been much fun in jail...

 Testing out some of the punishments...

But living in the castle would be a different story... 

 The view to the bridge out of Inverary and the view from the bridge towards the castle.

We also walked a Gruffalo trail...

the book was written with a Scottish twang

there's no such thing as a Gruffalo you say

We found the tallest tree in Europe at over 600 metres tall (this wasn't it, though still made us feel small)

We took our bikes with us and spent time exploring the local area...

Crabbing is a must, as we were on a sea Loch it had to be. We also caught a couple of fish and a shrimp in our crab nets. This was far too easy, every haul had at least 3 crabs in. Beaches and shells feature in most of our favourite holidays and days out.

Local pirate

Beach combing

Sunny Jetty

A grey seal came to say hello a few times...how cool

Testing the water

Found a live one

Scottishness...

Scotland was good, we enjoyed our time there.  Where shall we go and explore next?