The Natural History Museum

Yesterday was a day spent with the kids.  Due to issues with childcare I had to spend time with them.  I guess that if I had really really tried, I could have arranged something, but yesterday was the last Wednesday before they return to school. Next week, my daughter will be in secondary school (which does mean more quality time with my son) and before long, she will have left home.

We had to visit the doctors and after that, it was a walk into town.  The kids enjoyed a milkshake, and until my son had a sulk, they also enjoyed Pokemon Go.  Of course, my daughter was a bit stressed when she was told about a few issues with her uniform but that did not last too long (and was amusing to watch).  After seeing the headmaster of my sons school we went to the Natural History Museum.  I have wanted to visit it for ages but the kids were not too keen.

But they liked it a lot more than they expected.  It was a great way to learn about the natural history of the local area, it had interactive exhibits that stimulated them.  I think that they were surprised at how much they enjoyed it.

After that it was a trip for food where they ended up eating my burger and then home.  Days like this will become fewer, especially when my daughter visits the town centre with her friends.

Bring me to life

Time for a quick post as I am hoping to get enough sleep to watch the series finale of Game Of Thrones.  Needless to say, last week I expected death, but not that death to occur.

Anyway, today we traveled to London to see my mother.  She appreciated this as she had not seen the kids in a while.  They were fed chocolate which they always love and gave her come fudge from our holiday in Devon.

After this it was a drive into town where my wife and daughter shopped for perfume and my son and I went on a Pokemon related walk, which he seemed to love.  His ban on my iPhone being used to run his Pokemon account ends soon, but he was able to use his iPhone, until I put a ban on it for this week as later he was using it in the car after he had been told to stop.

Anyway, Arsenal lost to Liverpool by four goals.  Not sure what to expect this season.  Hopefully we will win something and learn from this defeat.

Bank holiday Saturday

Once again it has been too long since I posted about the family.  Our holiday was so relaxing that the nightmare journey back did not leave any residual stress and I have been feeling a lot more relaxed since.  The children spent a few days with their grandparents which were cut short due to a death in the family (on the side of my wife).  We did get to have a night out together though.  

Anyway, today, it was a trip to Brightlingsea. My wife had taken the children there yesterday but we went as a family today. We were lucky enough to be able to use a beach hut of a friend (or rather, her mother). The view was amazing, the weather was ideal and I got to help the kids catch crabs, something I have never done before, but they excelled at.

Day eleven in Devon. Our fast car.

What a day.  We left Fingals to have breakfast on the coast, but this was in the opposite direction to our trip home.  Breakfast was great and we all loved it.  And it was just as well as my son had left his iPhone behind!  Travelling back was no great hardship as it was on our way home and we thought that was the end of our problems.  

But it was not.  We hit traffic on the way to the M5 and our car ended up breaking down due to an issue with electricity.  And just for dramatic effect in what was meant to be in the fast lane.  Fortunately, the traffic was going slow, and later an AA van stopped traffic allowing us to move to the grass verge.  The police who had been called came and checked us over and we waited for a nice man in a breakdown truck to collect us. By that time, the car started to work, and we drove onto a service station where our car was checked and no fault was found.

So we went on, and due to issues with traffic again decided on a diversion to take us back past Stonehenge.  But after hitting heavy traffic we broke down again. So here we are, in a lay by waiting for a pickup to come to take us home, the time of this being put back further and further.

What a memorable end to the holiday!

Day Nine in Devon

Today we were intending to try out some glass blowing but due to a problem with mobile phone connections, this was not to be.  So we went to Slapton Sands instead where the kids flew kites.  They had tried before, but the wind only allowed my son to fly his kite.  This time both were able to enjoy this, but the kite my son had bought earlier this holiday broke.

After this it was a trip to a sea food restaurant that my wife had her eyes on which served the best fish and chips I have ever had (the fish was only recently caught), and the trip also took in some World War Two history before we returned for swimming while my wife made some food with the freshly caught crab and scallops.

And the photo is to show how cold my son found lunch!

Day Eight in Devon. Walking.

Today we went to Totnes.  When we had driven through it before, we had seen that there was a place to paint pottery, so we went there.  The kids loved it.  My wife demonstrated her abilities with art by painting a skull, my daughter painted a penguin, my son painted a tea pot that he intends to store money in, and I painted a coaster.

After this, it was a trip into town for lunch and a stroll before my wife met up with someone from school.  While she was catching up on old times, the children and I walked from Pokestop to Pokestop and they walked over three and a half miles before my wife was ready to meet again.

After dinner, a trip back to our base, where I got us lost, but now the kids are in bed after watching the end of Spider-Man. 

Day seven in Devon.

First of all, I forgot to mention the Arsenal match from yesterday.  Like with the FA cup final, I had expected us to get beaten.  Unlike that match I did not get to watch this one, with being on holiday, though a friend of mine did despite being on the other side of the globe!

Today, we did not spend the morning swimming, much to the annoyance of the children but did travel to learn about Agatha Christie.  Her old home is close by to where we are staying, a ferry ride even.  The kids seemed to like the day and the lunch there, and later we went swimming.  We did get in trouble as we were in there for sometime so all in all, an educational day with fun afterwards.