25 March 2011

Graham was at the trains again, but Pam and Kate joined us for our final day as we drove over to Buxton, half an hour away via the Cat and Fiddle pass. The moors looked quite bleak and remote, despite their proximity to civilisation. We had a very decent lunch at the restaurant housed in the old pavilion building, then Nick and Pam took Emily to the play area in the adjacent park, while Kate and I popped into the small town centre for a while.

After we rejoined them we went back to the same cafe for tea and cake; Emily chose a big cupcake with green icing and sparkles sprinkled on. I couldn't resist having a browse in the great gift shop attached, before heading back to the car. It was packed with the sort of trinkets that bleed money from fools like me whose heads are easily turned by smart designs and appealing packaging. In my defence, I rarely buy anything for myself in those places but stock up on gifts for friends and relatives.

24 March 2011

The weather continued to be kind to us for a trip to Lyme Park. As it was a weekday it was fairly quiet there, which was just as well, because they had opened a new wood-based adventure playground since last year and Emily got to try everything out without being put off by bigger kids or crowds. Nick and I also had plenty of fun on the equipment.

It was a very impressive facility and is sure to be well received by young visitors. For some reason, Emily was being a bit of a pain and we had many words but in retrospect I think a lot of it was down to hunger; as soon as she had eaten lunch she was a little angel again. We came away from the gift shop laden down - it is one of the most enticing I have been in, and I am in the mood to splash a lot of cash at the moment for some reason. It is an absolute pleasure to be able to use my debit card again and not worry if I am short of readies.

After the shop we walked up onto the grassy ridge and along to the folly. Emily is still obsessed by magic, thanks to Ben and Holly, so we imagined that the tower was a wizard's house and that he was having tea with a witch in one of the other odd buildings scattered around the country estate. We played in the grassy depressions along the hilltop and climbed the rocks.

In the evening I again went for a run with Graham and Nick. This time we ran up Brookledge Lane to the old railway track footpath and then back down Holehouse Lane. It took about 50 minutes and it was a struggle most of the way, though a lovely route, especially as the sun went down in an attractive orange sky while we were out.

23 March 2011

While Nick and I went off for a day's splurge in Manchester, Pam and Kate did an admirable job looking after Emily all day. We left them making gingerbread men;

on our return they met us at Adlington station. Nick and I both made many purchases so we were pleased with our shopping trip. It was a lovely spring day in the city and there were many vest tops and pastey legs in evidence. It will take a while to get used to tattooed women again! I did once see a young Japanese woman with one, but she was a surf chick. Body art is normally strictly limited to members of the yakuza and their associates.

22 March 2011

We were blessed with a pleasant day's weather for our trip to Tatton Park. Nick rode with Graham in the sports car while us womenfolk went in the hire car. Being a term-time weekday it was lovely and quiet at the country house, and the adventure playground (first port of call, naturally) was practically deserted. Last year when we went there, Emily had just sustained her wrist sprain and been unable to give it a go, so she made up for it this time. She tried out pretty much every piece of equipment before we carried on to the cafe for lunch. I felt a bit sorry to see one little girl attended by five adults and a pang came over me about being unable to provide her with a sibling - such sentiments are less frequent these days but none the less poignant when they surface.

Unlike the previous visit we were able to eat our delicious lunch in the courtyard without being plagued by wasps; Emily managed to tip over the chair she was standing on and yelled long and hard when she sustained a bump. With calm eventually restored, we continued straight on into the gardens. I think Emily was a bit disappointed at first as she clearly recalled eating big juicy raspberries from the canes last time and also seeing huge pumpkins and melons, but at least the scarecrows were still in the vegetable garden - she liked the ghostly one best. We moved on through the rose garden and past the clipped yew hedging. On the broad walk we discovered a very macabre scarecrow dressed like a tree surgeon and suspended from a large beech tree like one newly-hanged. Luckily Emily was not frightened by it but it was rather curious.

We strolled around the small lake past rhododendron bushes already bedecked with luxuriant flowers

and on to the Japanese garden, which made me a little homesick for some of my favourite Tokyo haunts. There were fine views from the end of the garden over the grassland and lake, with a large herd of deer grazing peacefully. Emily was flagging a bit and we stopped at the African bush hut for a snack.

The others went on ahead and we followed, but diverted to the maze on the way, since Emily really likes them. It took somewhat longer than I'd expected to complete, by which time Nick had gone in search of us, so he was a bit miffed with me for going off unplanned. After running the gauntlet of the gift shop's temptations more or less unscathed we went home.

21 March 2011

Nick, Emily and I had lunch in Macclesfield. It was a bit of a trial: first Nick's cappucino was made with rancid milk, then they brought me a potato instead of a baguette and were out of Emmenthal, my coffee tasted like third-rate instant and Emily couldn't have juice as it was sold out and then had to wait ages for a milkshake while they went to Iceland for some that had not gone off.

Anyway, we ate tolerably well despite all that. Nick and Emily went and played in the great playground next to Sainsbury's while I spent an hour in wide-eyed wonder scanning the shelves laden with wonders. We had been planning to go swimming but as the sun had come out and Emily was having such fun we just stayed there in the park a while longer then went home. There was one place in the park that was an absolute carpet of purple and white crocuses, which made me glad to be back. On the other hand a small group of teenagers was hanging around in the playground and I felt annoyed that none of the parents could feel safe to say anything to them. I am still referring to Tokyo as 'home' and wonder how long that will last. Once we have somewhere to live and our things around us maybe.

After Emily had her dinner I left her in Pam's tender care and went out for a run with Graham and Nick. We were gone for exactly an hour, and she was well asleep on my return. I was really pleased with my performance, starting strongly and managing to keep up with Graham for the whole 6.5 mile run.

20 March 2011

Our first day in Adlington was unfortunately damp and cold. We spent a lot of time in the kitchen watching all the birds visiting the feeder: various tits and finches, a robin and a wren.

In the morning Nick, Graham, Emily and I went for a walk along the nearby canal and fed mainly geese and a lone male duck. Emily did well on her feet but eventually complained of being cold - it really was very chilly and the light rain didn't help.

Gail and Dave came up for the day and we had a late lunch then took a trip to Brookside and its miniature railway. Emily also enjoyed poking around the garden playhouses and inspecting the many toys and books that are obligatory in garden centres these days.

18 March 2011

Amazingly, Emily woke at 2am and said she wasn't tired. I took her into bed with us and she napped until four but then was definitely awake. There was no way I was getting up then but I could only hold her off until 5am. We had a massive breakfast and played until the others stirred. As dawn approached it was lovely to hear the birdsong; they don't seem to have an equivalent of the blackbird in Japan. We had breakfast number two with the others. Later, as it was wet, Fi and I took the kids to Asda. In the coffee shop we were surrounded by obese people and I regretted the hasty purchase of a brownie. In the store, as expected, I was like a child in a toy shop, marvelling at the choice and low prices.

Emily and Fern went crazy in the aisles since the on-site creche was closed. It continued to rain until about 4pm, at which point we took them for a stroll round the local park and they burned off some of their pent-up energy. Despite her incredibly early rising, Emily made it through until about 7.30 before crashing to sleep.