There endeth the political angle. Back to the NHS.
It all started a few weeks ago with a visit to the GP...
]]> Who asked some questions. Who got straight answers. Who then asked if I would like to be referred. And got another straight answer. So ran through some information with me, risks etc etc, possible problems, what if I change my mind blah blah blah.That over, then came the envelope that I'd been waiting for. With some information, some of which the GP had covered already, was my appointment. Alas, I knew in advance it was another "chat", and both MOTS and I had to attend this one.
Watch this DVD, says the nurse. Half an hour watching what the GP had said and I had read in the information sent through. THREE times going over the same stuff. THREE.
And then the nurse comes back in asking questions (to fill in more forms) that the GP had already asked, that I had already filled in on one form. That's an hour of my life my employer will never get back!
All that aside, there was one question that hadn't actually been asked so bluntly before, so it was perhaps only 59 minutes wasted.
And that was "Why do you want a vasectomy?"
Errm, 'cos I just spent money on two number plates for the cars with all four initials on and I don't want to shell out for another pair? Is that a valid answer?
]]>If it's good enough for Lizzie, it's good enough for you to have two too. And as today is for having your pals rather than your parents' pals round, then enjoy it.
]]>Oh, enough of these inaccuracies, what's the real story?
]]> First isn't a first, he's had solids before. And solid isn't true either, have you seen Heinz baby rice?Yes, it has started. The wee fella has had foodstuffs other than baby milk. He had his first shot of Heinz baby rice yesterday afternoon, an experience that went down well. Three out of the four of us thinks the stuff is vile. Which is why we hope that the free sample we got is just enough to see us through the two "meals" that Annabel Karmel uses in her weaning regime. Who would buy that in vast quantities is a question that I cannot event begin to work out. It is gloopy horrible stuff akin with a very poor mix of wallpaper paste. But half as tasty.
"How come it's not his FIRST solids/gloop?", I hear you shout. Well, he has been tried with some other tasty stuff over the last week. I hope I have no social workers or health visitors reading this because his first non-baby milk taste was… Walls Cornetto. Just a little bit on the end of Mummy's little finger. Had a double effect, introduced him to another taste AND had a cooling effect on his swelling gums. Oh yeah, they are on their way.
So, here we have scientific proof that ice cream is multi functional. Who needs Calgel, or Bonjella, when Walls make a perfectly good substitute?
=======
A video of this episode is available on YouTube, but unlisted. For the link please email me!
But it is still listed in my favourites. And tonight, he revisited it. And during the titles told me the bird was coming up with its wings out. And that there were lots of planes, with different colours behind them. Nothing wrong with his memory, as if we needed further evidence of it. Anyway, we watched the video... [enjoy!]
As the planes near the end of their more genteel acrobatics I am informed that the big guy wants to go in that plane. Not any of them, the one second on the right. Want to fly that plane. Wear gloves. And glasses. Pull glasses down like this (using his sunglasses as a prop showing me how to do it).
Well, son, if you want to go in that plane you will need to join the RAF, learn how to fly, and be the best you can be. Sound advice I thought. It was taken on board with a simple "OK".
Crash the planes, Daddy, crash the planes.
We think you may be better suited to an alternative career, son.
]]>Well, we didn't know what to expect. And stop calling me Shirley.
]]> I said it was a holiday by numbers. So I'll go through each number in turn.1
Trip on a steam train.
Number of dogs nearly smuggled home in the car.
2
The number of stops we made on the way down. One for lunch, and one to visit the Bowes crew.
The number of boys we had in the back seat, also the multiplication factor of trouble I had expected on the way down. (1) Want a wee-wee. (2) Whhhaaaaaaaaa (need feeding). But not - everything was synchronised, all bar one lay-by toilet stop all went well.
The number of theme parks visited.
3
The number of visits to Witworth Hospital after the oldest stubbed his toe to the point of infection. Strictly speaking the first visit didn't count as I wasn't going to make him wait the 2 hours plus, but one visit for a clean up and dressing, the second at their request to see how it was going (it was going badly, so antibiotics given)
Also the number of different types of antibiotics MOTS has been on for a bladder infection. First two were useless as the infection she had was resistant to them, so third ones should do the trick.
The number of different NHS establishments visited.
The number of big projects Steve & Vicki have been working on since last time we were there. Drainage (forgot to ask Steve about that one), wind turbine and new access road.
4
The number of times round the Pirate Adventure ride at Drayton Manor Park. In succession.
The number of times on the Log Flume at Gulliver's Kingdom. Not in succession.
The number of people in the family portrait drawn by the big fella.
5
Number of stars Steve & Vicki proudly display. After 4 visits that's 20 we've had the pleasure of!
Number of hours (to the minute) the engine was running from pulling off our drive to going down the new road.
6
Total number of times I've been an ambulance driver for the big boy or for MOTS.
The number of times I can go on the Pirate Ship at Gulliver's Kingdom before feeling ill. Big fella was still going strong.
6.5
The number of hours the big fella can run around Drayton Manor Park / Thomas Land and not get bored. Only closing time called a halt to it.
8
The number of eggs left in the cupboard. Yum yum, breakfast sorted then!
12
The number of eggs we've brought home. I know the food miles for them is normally measured in feet, and this officially counts as an export, but they are fantastic on toast so it had to be done.
39
MOTS' peak temperature.
49
The number of weeks until the next visit.
60
Degree incline at Gullivers (Estimate). Feels more like 45 degrees, looks more like 90 degrees.
60.2
Average mpg in the Sunderwagon on the way home, door to door.
105
The number of minutes it took to get out of Smiths Island car park in Bakewell on Monday afternoon. Never, ever, EVER again...
600
The number of Airmiles it cost us to get into Gulliver's Kingdom. Cash equivalent zilch, nowt, nada, zip.
882
Miles driven this week.
As you may have gathered the week was centred around MOTS and the big fella both needing medical attention. MOTS for an infection she picked up before we left, and with that hitting her hard last weekend and her test results coming back to show the antibiotics she had been on were no good that meant a third lot for her. With the big fella stubbing his toe after already breaking his nail he got an infection there too, so I felt like an ambulance driver up to and including Tuesday. Vicki was superb though, almost insisting I took MOTS to the out of hours surgery without the boys, so poor Steve's tea was late because we took the offer up. Thanks, Vicki. Sorry, Steve.
But, it was a holiday nonetheless. Steve & Vicki's hospitality is second to none, so despite three days of the six being taken over with medical needs the three we did have made up for it. Well, almost. I had planned on a nice pub lunch (there's no shortage of proper pubs) and had made sure Vicki was under orders to make sure Steve lost his wallet. But, alas, as MOTS was well off anything other than water by that point we called off. I'm sure we'll do it next year though.
Drayton Manor Park was a first for us. The main attraction for a family of our age was Thomas Land. Hmm, mixed feelings on this one. Sure, the kids get excited. But to get on the main man himself is a one-way trip to the other end of the park which involves a lengthy wait. Most rides there involved a lengthy wait, and mainly down to lack of staff. Only one person seemed to be operating most rides, with the same person manning the controls, doing the safety checks, locking / unlocking the cars / safety belts. This greatly increases the turnaround time. Alton Towers it certainly is not, where the staffing levels are much higher with separation of duties being apparent. The whole thing was slowed down far too much, not ideal when you have kids that don't normally wait that long for anything. A tad disappointing, until we wandered into the "big boys" rides. Some shorter queues for bigger rides, and more thrills too. Looks like we have an adrenalin junkie on our hands, which is no surprise really.
Gulliver's Kingdom was a hit with the big guy too, although I think he may have outgrown it by next year. At his height he could do all but 2 rides, so in terms of accessibility it was spot on. Great value too, especially as we got tickets from Airmiles. But a little tired and dated in parts, but still a good day out. I can imagine the boardroom meeting when some senior manager walked in saying he'd bought a plot at Matlock Bath for a new park. I wonder what job he's doing now, because he would have been laughed out of the room. Whoever thought it would be a great idea to build a park on a hill that steep must have been seriously mentally ill. It defeats all logic just thinking how they got some of the kit in there without the use of military grade helicopters. And I'm talking about the food deliveries, not just the steel and timber. It was scary going up there in a car, so delivery wagons....?
I hope Peak Rail win in their bid to reopen the line between Rowsley and Bakewell, that would save us from that hell again! We will go back to Bakewell, it's a lovely town, but that car park is off limits. It was unbelievable how badly organised it was, lack of staff to direct, police only interested if there was any physical violence) it was brewing, one guy out of his car to kick the car behind him for being too close). My top tip is to avoid Bakewell during show week when the showground car park is closed. But don't avoid Bakewell, we found a great baker and have stuck with it. The lamb and leek pies are fantastic. Not 105 minutes trying to leave a car park fantastic, granted. Maybe 99 minutes though.
A holiday nonetheless. And a great one despite the inconveniences, as we can see the big fella growing into things, so we know we have many years left yet. Well, maybe one or two, depends on when our welcome is outstayed!
It is great, though, having some glimpse back to a time when the big fella used to be as happy to see us. We have learnt from some mistakes though, well one in particular. We didn't cheer and whoop when he (#2) managed to pull his musical bee on his bouncy chair (this made the big fella cry with fear - the whooping from his parents, not the bee). I think that was a turning point for the first born, so we're treading carefully with the second. If the wee one turns out OK we'll blame the fright of the musical bee on the outcome of all future misdemeanours of the big one. Any excuse.
So yes, at the moment the little one is all smiles, pretty much all the time. But, there is a fear this is not going to last. He's just started chewing multiple fingers at once, and drooling a bit. The nightmare that is teething is starting to cross our minds. Oh well, we can look forward to toothy smiles as we say goodbye to the gummies.
]]>Photos - haven't been updated in ages. I'll get on with these when I can.
Development - wee fella is coming along great, again few updates of late.
Health - first clue here in the new tagline.
Hmm, busy, very very busy.
]]>Maybe it's because exactly 10 years (almost to the minute too) after getting my freedom, I lost it again. Yes, this weekend marked 11 years of MOTS and I enduring tortuous togetherness in matrimonial hell. No wonder it's a damp and miserable weekend.
BTW, our favourite local restaurant is back on form, the food was excellent last night. Fantastic sunset as we walked along the prom, the most amazingly bright rainbow (with a slightly duller pal right to its left), and best of all one very tired 15 week old thanks to him keeping the babysitter up all night (did nothing but smile at her, apparently - what a boy!)
]]>There has been a small impact so far. The "nursery" has been mothballed so far, with the futon in there as a temporary guest room. However, the wee fella will be moving in there soon, very soon, so will become a nursery again.
So where to sleep for the wrinklies?
Well, therein lies the cost calculations. Purchase price of the house divided by square footage of public rooms, multiplied up by the real cost when mortgage interest is applied and we're looking at around fifty to sixty thousand pounds for a guest bedroom. Bugger me, that's lavish living. Maybe we should have got a smaller house and just paid for a top hotel every time the wrinklies were up, certainly would have cost less! The point is, it's expensive, and doesn't work for the family. That's what the previous post on this talked about, so that's why we need to make changes. We can't have the boys in together for the sake of a dedicated guest room.
But what to do? The temporary guest room is decommissioned as of this Saturday.
I have compiled a list of local hotels that the wrinklies will have access to, I will try to negotiate special rates for a guaranteed minimum number of visits per year and hope this will keep everybody sweet. A guest room is a luxury of space we can't afford any more. But, unfortunately for the local hoteliers, so is the dining room which could offer the wrinklies a less luxurious offering than the local 4 stars. We eat as a family at the breakfast bar, with the formal dining room used only at Christmas now. Which means the dining room gets used less than the temporary guest room that is facing imminent decommissioning. Easy answer, ditch the dining, guest room in there.
Doesn't that just mean we still have a dedicated guest room, but on the ground floor instead? Good point you made there.
We also lost our lounge 3 years ago. It's a maze of toys getting from the sofa to the TV. Where can we put all this? In the new guest room. And regain our lounge! But two rooms in one? Mezzanine level in there?
So there's the solution. The current temporary guest room gets decommissioned this weekend. The dining room gets converted into a combined play room / guest room, with or without mezzanine level. OK, no mezzanine level. The dining table moves into the kitchen with the breakfast bar removed. We eat in the same physical space, but on different furniture. The boys have somwhere to play during the day, we adults get somewhere to sit without walking through the toy equivalent of the M25, and the wrinklies get shifted downstairs when they take up short term lodgings. Is everybody happy?
The dining room conversion has started, some furniture has been re-homed in other rooms and a general clear-out of piles of post has begun. I hit IKEA this week to buy some tracks for blinds as we have glass on all 4 sides of this room, and curtains on only one at present. For it to work as a guest room some privacy is needed, so we're putting panel curtains in front of all the internal glass doors. The track I started to build last night, and in true IKEA style nothing has written instructions, they are all visual. The big fella said he wanted to help Daddy. He looked at the instructions, and told us we needed a pencil. Off he went, bringing back a pencil. Need ladders. How about using your small chairs instead? OK. Two chairs came in. Before Elfin gets involved they are rock solid, better than the ladders. Hmm, tape measure. That appeared too. Struggled with the spirit level though, work needed on that one. Tomorrow's lesson - how to use the keyless chuck on the power drill!!
That's the first time he's gone out of his way and asked to help, and he did a marvellous job of seeing what was needed and going for them, with no prompting or help at all (chair was a suggestion, spirit level a new concept). All the while his little brother was snoring away just happy to have this done for him.
The next help will be when the big guy gets to choose the colours for the 8 panels we need. I want him to be part of putting all this up, so he can see the changes happening, be part of implementing them, and more importantly be involved in the decisions too. After all, it's going to be mainly his (& brother's) room.
We're not knocking walls down or planning on taking part in Grand designs, but the changes we are making are still quite significant to how we use our space. The dynamics of the house are going through some changes with rooms losing old or acquiring new functions. The dynamics of the home are changing as we make the house work better for our family's current needs. The dynamics of the family changed last night with the big fella actively getting involved with the changes that will affect his use of our space.
* Sets the precedent for Mother's Day next March. Although it was kind of set anyway, I had two cards bought just in case the wee fella arrived before Mother's Day. As it was he was just after so MOTS has to wait almost a full year for her first card and pressie! Hmm, gives me plenty of time to save up for something special I guess.
]]>Peek-a-boo
And there he was, a few repetitions, hand movements and all. And there was the little 'un, happily smiling back at his big bruvver, clearly trying to say "thank you for playing with me".
]]>Yes, Squishy is being picked up as this post goes live. And any second now the timer will stop, and I'll remove it later.
]]>Apart from that, nothing changes, the opinions regarding vaccines for number one apply equally for number two. And as the last post was quite long compared to this one, is it a sign of things to come - all shiny and new for when milestones are hit the first time, and non-events when they are hit the second time? Hmm, hope not, for the little one's sake at least!
]]>Let's start comparing like for like to get a true picture shall we? I have looked at an advanced First Class single (and to be sure of a true comparison I have made sure the SAME ticket is being compared for the SAME train with the SAME restrictions) across the following outlets:
East Coast website - £20, no fees
CrossCountry website - £20, no fees
At the station - £20, no fees
ScotRail website - £20, no fees
thetrainline.com - £20 + £1 compulsory booking fee + £3.50 credit card fee = £24.50 (22.5% more, more not saving)
Hmm, pray tell why I would even contemplate thetrainline? Shame, I used to use them a lot when I travelled by train for more than commuting.
Just for the sake of it, let's do the comparison by their methods:
At the station, walk-on fare bought on the day - £37.50, no fees
thetrainline.com - £20 + £1 + £3.50 = £24.50 - £13 or 35% saving
thetrainline.com - £20 + £1 = £21.00 - £16.50 or 44% saving if not using a credit card, if not buying on the day, if not travelling with your back to the sun, if not travelling on a day ending in a "y"...
Dubious. Very dubious. I might lodge a note with the ASA just for the sport!
Ticket to be purchased at the station in advance, with a credit card, and the "saving" I make over not using thetrainline will go on fish & chips for lunch on the way home. And a valet when MOTS whines at me for ditching the wrapper in the passenger footwell!
When is 43% not forty three percent? When it's quoted by thetrainline.com
PS - New countdown going to expected delivery... seen it yet?