Ellie's Birthday Party

Today Ellie had her first birthday party at home since before she started school (we normally go somewhere you can just leave the mess for someone else to worry about). I survived the two hours by confining them to the playroom and conservatory. A plan that worked quite well. It was a Halloween themed party as you can no doubt tell. All Ellie's idea. She had a lovely time - which makes it all worth while - and most of my house is still tidy - which it almost never is - so maybe we'll do this again next year!

All the Fun of the Fair!

We did the Fair this evening. Now I know summer is definately over. It was a nice night, not many people there, although it seemed to be filling up a bit more as we left. Ellie wandered round with us, thinking carefully about which rides to go on. She like Bounce and the Big Wheel. We talked her out of Freddies Revenge. Her last ride was Energizer which she said she was not going to go on again until she was much bigger!

I did the Ghost Train with her. Its the only ride I go on. I screamed all the way round (just to get her in the mood, you understand). I'm not sure what she found worse - the men jumping out at her or my screaming!

This year we let Caitlin go round with her friends without us. We met her at the Leisure Centre when it was time to go home and found her with her arm in a sling. She got it squished on a ride (the same one that Ellie doesn't want to go on again), and Hannah's mum had whisked her off to the St John's Ambulence people. Fortunately it's not her writing hand. That didn't stop the goldfish guy feeling sorry for her and letting her have a fish even when she missed a card with a dart. How long before it's dead? Anyone want to take a bet?

Tour of Britain

This was my view of the Tour of Britain yesterday as it came through Barnstaple. We waited ages, having rushed down because we were told they were ahead of schedule, then they came through when we expected anyway. It was a blink and you miss it affair.

Adrienne at College

Adrienne got up at the crack of dawn today to do hair and make-up before she went off to her first day of college. This was just a Taster Day, but she's met all her teachers (which are now to be addressed by their first names), found out a bit about her lessons, and is ready to start for real on Monday. She a bit further than the end of the road before she realised she'd forgotten her exam results sheet and had to phone me up! I hope this doesn't set the tone for the next two years.

Blackberry Picking

I made the most of possibly the last (only) day of summer this August by ignoring the housework and sitting in the garden. Then Jo came round and we took Ellie and Kia blackberry picking. That's a proper traditional end of summer activity, the sort of thing real children did years ago, before they invented computers and DVDs. It was wonderful in the sunshine.

We walked right down the lane until we reached the back of the cricket club. Of course we were the wrong side to get in, but it was lovely catching glimpses of the cricketers in their whites, against emerald green grass and blue skies. If it's nice next Saturday we are going to walk the other way, with purses, and sit and watch the game with an ice cold beer. It's going to rain for the next five days though so I don't hold out much hope.

Ellie has so far refused to eat even one blackberry, but she had a great time picking them - fighting with the brambles and the stinging nettles.

Exam Success!

Adrienne went off to school yesterday morning all nervous. She met her friends at 11.00 and didn't come home til 11.40 to tell me what she got. She was smiling. She got a B in Maths and English Lit, 6 Cs, and a D for French. The latter she was a bit miffed about, but it doesn't matter cos she got enough to go to North Devon College to do her A levels. And she got more Bs than me when I was at school, so that makes her the cleverest in the family, doesn't it?

James May and the Tarka-Hornby Train

Today was the day James May had chosen to try and break the world record for the longest model railway with a Hornby train track running from Barnstaple to Bideford along the Tarka Trail - 10 miles. Adrienne managed to get onto a team and reported to Barnstaple train station at 7.30 this morning. It chucked it down with rain until about 10.30, then turned into drizzle on and off for about another hour. They carried on regardless! Caitlin, Ellie and I got there during the last downpour, which lasted only about five minutes, then the sun came out. We found Adrienne under the road bridge just outside the station having laid her 100 metre track and been up and down the Trail helping others. So this was the only photo I got of her involvement in the attempt.

We walked on down towards Fremington Quay and passed James May coming back the other way. This is him with a 'Why-is-that-stupid-woman-pointing-a-camera' look on his face.

Along the way there were lots of camera crews testing the track and filming fake-cut-in bits for the TV show. There were also lots of gaps in the track which was a bit worrying but a nice scout man told me there was a technical crew coming along cutting bits of track to fit in the gaps, which were inevitable when you had lots of teams of people starting and finishing thier bits in different places.

When we got to Fremington Quay it was 1.30 and time for lunch. They were due to set the first train off at 1.00, which, travelling at 3mph, should have reached us by 2.00. So we waited... and waited... and waited.

My friend Julie, arrived and the girls were distracted by playing with the dog, taking him for walking and accidentally feeding him ice cream. Every now and then some one from the TV company would come along and say things like, 'It'll be here in 30 mins' or 'Its only 10 mins away' Ha! Then we heard stories like: the power pack blew up, someone stole some of the track, the train broke.

Eventually James May appeared on his bike, then disappeared again behind the bike shed! What was that all about? The crowd moved onto the grass verge next to the concrete bit of the Tarka Trail and settled down to wait some more. James reappeared.

He looked... We looked... Surely its got to be here in a minute?

YES!!! There it is, at 6.30 in the evening, tiny little train chugging along its tiny little track. I have no idea if it made it all the way to Bideford. We went home shortly after this, but for all I know, its going still!