Saturday 2 July 2011

Quarry Bank Mill Styal

We visited here on Wednesday:

Quarry Bank Mill 

It was a good job the site was large as there were at least four school visits going on at the same time!  We arrived just before lunch so bagged a table near the entrance and sat down to eat.  Benedict has been having daily multiple hypos the past ten days and true to form he was having a hypo as he was eating! He was totally unaware of what was happening, very worrying:-(

Once we'd stabilised his sugars we made our way around the mill.  The first room we entered was a private exhibition entitled " Losing The Thread" by this amazing artist:  

Louise Gardiner 

Her art work is second to none and all done with the help of a  Bernina sewing machine and a lot of creative flair.  She is actually running courses at the mill throughout the year and if my family circumstances were better I'd jump at the chance of attending.  Still I can drool at her website instead!

We then followed the prescribed route from the cotton plant to the finished article.  I was on Pip duty and all she wanted to do was run round the exhibitions and Benedict as a result of constant hypos was "away with the fairies" for most of the visit, grr!  Having dragged ourselves around the site Dad and I had afresh coffee fix in the cafe, whilst the children ate and drank their own snacks.  Dave then very kindly took the sproggles to the engine room and I sat on a bench listening to bird song and watching the world go by.  As usual give Benedict a steam powered engine and he's off, needless to say he learnt a lot in that part of the mill, maybe we should've visited there first?!!!


 Dave accosted a passerby to take a group shot!


 Multi-tasking eating and hypo -ing!

Examining a hand operated loom.


Pip running rings around Mummy!



 A spinning demonstration.

 Loading and unloading a wooden cargo ship.


 Pip was not keen on the noisy weaving machines!


Cotton, cotton everwhere.

 Changing tastes in fashion and design.

 A quiet moment.

 The engine in action.

 Benedict enthralled!

As for the rest of week we've kept up with our usual rhythm.  Benedict and I were at Shein's on Thursday, he worked incredibly hard despite having another hypo!  I worked incredibly hard writing our home education report for the year end.  As I write, it is finished and will be in the post by Monday.  On Friday Benedict worked with Simon designing and making a paper mache puppet.  He has taken over from Kamilla and will be working with us until September when the Art Therapy teacher will take over.
Today has been an appalling day regarding Benedict's behaviour, it was only towards the end of the chaos he was actually able to verbalise that, he's sick of the diabetes.  Dave and I are totally exhausted and our combined health is very poor at the moment, so we are truly being tested at the minute.  Despite the outbursts we did manage some productive moments:
Pip buttering her lunch time sandwich.

 Trying to help herself to a lick of Benedict's butter!

 Re-cycling broken crayons, from this...

 ... to this, cupcake crayon love!


1 comment:

Eva said...

This looks like a fun museum! I had to laugh at Pip: Flora always tries to get as much butter (also from other people) as she can.