30 May 2009

Our drive to the cottage near Whitby (a bit of a misnomer as it has five bedrooms and massive communal rooms) passed very smoothly. We didn't get held up on the M62, as is normal, or even on the notorious A64 near York (afterwards we realised that might be because we were travelling while the FA Cup was being played). Emily was very close to sleep when we arrived, but as soon as she saw Tom and Fern she went mental, running about and yelling. They both had doll buggies and she loved pushing her monkey around in one. I was really pleased with my choice of accommodation; the converted farm buildings were smart and modern and extremely spacious.


At seven we gave them a quick bath together, which caused even more excitement. I was amazed that Emily managed to go to sleep because Tom and Fern were haring up an down on the wooden floor of the lounge, right over our bedroom.

29 May 2009

We were blessed with lovely weather for our trip to Tatton Park. On arrival we tackled the garden. Last time I was there I was about 3 months pregnant and similar flowers were in bloom. Emily explored the gooseberries and blackcurrants then took off along the rows of apple trees with me in hot pursuit.

As it was already her lunchtime we had to keep the visit brief and go back to the restaurant. Given the buzz of activity in the large eatery and with all of us watching her, it wasn't that surprising that she barely ate any of her lunch. Perhaps she was already anticipating the luscious desserts on the table too: a mistake to put them there where they could tempt her.

Afterwards, Nick took Emily on the old-fashioned carousel in the courtyard

then we took the land-train for the five minute ride to the farm. We thought she would love it there, but she seemed quite peturbed by the large animals, saying 'no, no' if we took her too close to the cows, horses and goats. Eventually she came to enjoy the pigs, with their litters of piglets, and she liked chasing the free-ranging chickens.

After the return train ride she had fun in the large playground, and then she and I had a ride on the carousel.

After such a busy day I was afraid that she would nap in the car, and I was right. The knock-on effect was that come bedtime she was bright as a button, and kept trying to escape from the tent. I got a bit fed up with wrestling with her and had to hand over to Nick to sit with her until she gave in to sleep. Consequently, he missed dinner with Gail and Dave again. Afterwards we had a nostalgic time looking over old family photos.

28 May 2009

Despite going to bed late, Emily woke bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 5.20, and I spent more than half an hour trying in vain to persuade her to snooze between us. Nick and Pam took her out for a wet and muddy walk at Alderley Edge. After lunch, Nick and I went off on the train to Manchester on a shopping spree, while Pam and Kate looked after Emily. It was very liberating; I felt guilty afterwards that I had hardly spared her a thought. I couldn't help but dwell on the fact that if we lived in the UK we might be able to have more time together like that, with Pam or Mum's help.


When we got back Emily was very sparky, though obviously on her last legs after an early start and not much nap. Gail and Dave arrived in the evening, having travelled up to Cheshire in order to see Nick. Unfortunately he promptly had to absent himself as he was due to go out for a drink with Skid. It is hard to fit in all the family and friends you would like to see in such a short space of time.

27 May 2009

At last I got a decent sleep, as Emily woke at 5.30 but then dozed on until past seven, having come into bed with me. It was a very wet, cold morning, so we didn't venture far; I just took her for a walk into Adlington. She loved splashing in the puddles in her wellies, and was very excited to stand on the railway bridge and look up the lines, though we only saw one train. After lunch Pam and I took her to John Lewis. Pam sat in the car park with Emily as she napped and I spent a fantastic hour shopping. It's my favourite store so I was like a kid in a sweet shop. When Emily woke I met them in the toys area where she had fun testing out some of the push-along toys.


In the evening Graham and I went out for a run: just his usual 4 mile route but I was very pleased to be able to keep up with him (though I believe it was a couple of minutes slower than usual). My legs began to fail me just as we ran the last stretch to the house, but that is a little bit longer than I am used to doing these days. Afterwards I went into Macclesfield to collect Nick from the station.

26 May 2009

T-shirts gave way to fleeces as the temperature dropped significantly with a cold north wind.

Given Emily's obsession with trains, a trip to nearby Brookside, with its miniature railway, was in order. It was the kind that you sit astride rather than having covered carriages. Emily seemed a bit peturbed and stopped waving her Thomas flag when we set off. She seemed terrified of the dark tunnels but amazingly didn't cry, though she gripped Nick's arm like a vice, and emerged pale and wide-eyed. It was probably for the best that they were running a diesel not a steam engine, as the whistle would have likely caused tears. Well Nick, Kate and I enjoyed the five minute ride anyway!

After lunch I had to take Nick to Macclesfield to get a train to London for his overnight visit. The rest of us then went off to a lake near Congleton to feed the birds. It was a bit of a disaster-laden jaunt. First of all we were stuck in a traffic jam leaving Macclesfield as there was an accident on the road ahead, with multiple emergency vehicles attending. Taking a country road detour we hit another queue as a herd of cows made their very leisurely way into a farm. At the lake we found a host of waterfowl, including at least 20 swans. We gave Emily a piece of bread to throw but she had barely extended her hand when a swan shot out its neck and took it. I don't think it hurt her but the shock of it made her yell.

Walking along the waterside we were accosted by a strange man who addressed us from his car, banging on about the local MP's expenses (the hot topic in the UK right now, and very unfortunate timing given the economic situation, is the exorbitant costs that MPs charge to the taxpayer, and it has escalated to the point where the whole political system is near collapse as voters have lost what little trust they had in their representatives). After that the nutter, a middle-aged man who sported a frizzy mane of grey shoulder length hair, started expounding about his wife taking his son away. At that, Kate and I walked on and left Pam and Graham to extricate themselves as politely as possible, but not until they had been informed that he was an Iranian musician and his ex-wife an Austrian nun. Contrary to Graham's recollection, the land surrounding the lake was off limits so we took a little walk in a field, where Emily was in seventh heaven staggering around in the long grass.

25 May 2009

Emily was awake at 5.30, but how wonderful to hear birdsong - my favourite, a blackbird, I think. We spent a quiet morning pottering and Emily got to know Grannie, Grandad and Auntie Kate a bit better. Florence was very tolerant: Emily pursued her relentlessly and kept trying to poke her in the eye as she kept repeating 'eye' and making a passable attempt at her name.

Needing a few essentials, we popped out to Tesco's. It was like an Aladdin's cave for us (and so cheap too), and we both spent ages in there. It was tempting to go mad, but we have to think of the luggage space.

After lunch we all went to Lyme Park. Emily was ecstatic to have the open hillsides to roam about on, and I think she walked further than ever before, though it finally ended in tears as she grazed her hand falling on some stones near The Cage.

From the folly, we could see right across Manchester, though the cloud was thickening. Back at the estate buildings we stopped for tea and cake and Emily made a friend of an older girl who followed her around and chattered at her. We finished our visit in a play area in the woods, which was swarming with kids. Emily loved it, but it came on to rain and we made for home.

Again, she went down to sleep very easily, even though the room was still very light. I made it to about 10pm before I had to slip into bed. I must have still been quite jetlagged as my head was swimming and my eyes bleary.

24 May 2009

Emily woke at 1am and was really genki, babbling and wanting to play. I hauled myself out of bed and took her up to the living room, where we played for nearly three hours before I thought there might be a chance of her sleeping again. She lay between us and jabbered a while before dozing, but only until 5am. We traipsed back upstairs, and I tried my best, with limited success, to keep her quiet until Fi and Fern made an appearance.


At ten o'clock we were loaded back up and ready to set off for Macclesfield. Unusually for a bank holiday weekend, it was a gorgeous day. We had a clean run through and Emily slept the first hour. She did get fed up being confined for four hours or more in the car seat, but rather than cry she would just look really dejected and go quiet. At Stafford services we stopped for a long lunch break. I can hardly talk myself, but there seemed to be a very high proportion of overweight people around, but after being amongst the Japanese maybe my perception is skewed.


We made it to Pam and Graham's by early afternoon, where we were greeted by 'Welcome Home' balloons on the doorstep; Emily was soon out enjoying the garden, and hunting for the Night Garden figures that Pam had hidden for her to find. Everything looks so lush at this time of year - we definitely chose the right time to come back. The grass looks artificial, it is so vividly green. I'd seen some beautiful laburnums along the way, dripping with dangling yellow bunches of flowers, and it was lovely to see so many cows and sheep grazing in roadside fields.


After an afternoon of playing, coupled with such an early start to the day, I had no trouble in getting Emily down in her cot tent by 6pm. Straight after dinner a wave of weariness swept over me and I had to turn in as well, though it was barely dark.