October Half Term and Drainage Work

 It was mid term break last week and for most of it Mary came to stay as Kath was working in London.  As lovely as she is it wasn't an easy week as both Pip and I were below par.  Pip has experienced an exacerbation in PoTS symptoms which requires an additional lunchtime dose of Ivabradine.  I've been struggling with a multiplicity of symptoms including menopausal issues, which is weird since my last cycle was over seven years ago!  However we muddled between us and I think Mary enjoyed her stay.

The weather was particularly atrocious so in the main we were home based but we did manage a short jaunt to the park on the Tuesday followed by a trip to the beach on the Thursday.  Mary is a lively, funny and quirky kid with the propensity to flit from one thing to another and the kitchen timer came in very handy!  All activities were allocated a 45 minute time slot so she very quickly realised that she was expected to stick with the task for the allotted time.  I think her favourite activity was playing chess with Grandpa :-)

Making home made pizzas for lunch.

Playing chess with Grandpa.

Reading time, not her favourite activity I'll admit but she did stick to the 45 minute rule ;-)

Fifteen minutes peace and quiet for me whilst the girls worked on their own individual art projects.

Chinese chequers ...

... and a puzzle all with the help of Grandpa.

Ben was also quite busy at the start of the break.

  We have had ongoing issues with our drains and during the summer holidays paid for a drain scan engineer to ascertain the cause.  Apparently the drains at the side of the house had shifted whereby a slump had formed in the middle thus rendering it difficult for waste to clear efficiently.  As a result we paid for Harry (who has worked for our next door neighbour and helped Ben with reinforcing the under eaves in his bedroom) to remove the old pipework and replace with a new system, designed by Dave!

 Ben's role in all of this was to labour on the job, he worked ten hours straight on the Saturday, six on the Sunday and a further four on the Tuesday. Goodness me did he ache all over and it's the first time ever his insulin pump was suspended for an entire day!  He enjoyed the work and was pleased that Harry had also agreed to pay him and it was well above the minimum wage :-)

My mum thought that the ear defenders looked like bunny ears!!  

  

Our Week Away

Despite my being ill again with another flu type virus, swollen glands and sore throat, we managed to have a lovely time with our family in Cumbria.  We stayed with Kath and MG.  The house has two bedrooms but Kath's room is huge and easily accomodates a king size bed with floor space for two sleeping bags, plus other bedroom furniture.  We took over her room and she bunked in with MG in the smaller room.

We spent a morning at the cinema to see "How to Train Your Dragon 2", not really mine or Pip's cup of tea, too noisy and the computer generated images were over bearing.  It is a miracle that Pip did not suffer any nightmares!  Benedict, Dave and his mum however enjoyed the film and it did the job of killing time on a very wet Tuesday morning!  Pip did have her treat that afternoon when the gals spent an afternoon crafting:

On Wednesday we took Dave's mum to a hospital appointment in Kendal, followed by a visit to Holker Hall.   We had thought we might partake in a halloween craft but it was getting late, so after a quick mad dash around the playground we all enjoyed a treat in the cafe:

 Conversation time with Nanna.

Yesterday was an at "home" day.  I think the constant being on the go and the packing, shopping and cooking had taken its toll and I slept on and off throughout the day.  I did manage to rally after tea and Dave and I went to visit some family members that we haven't seen in a while, it was lovely to catch up.

Today we had lunch with Nanna and Grandad H, popped by to see my parents in the afternoon and then made the most of the dry weather and spent some time at the beach:

 A silly beach "selfie", goodness knows how anyone manages to take a sensible shot of themselves!  Also extra long arms are needed to get everyone in the shot!!

 Playing a game of getting around the course without touching the ground and he succeeded!

 Working out a climbing tactic.

By now it was nearing tea time, so a sandwich and bagel tea was the order of the day and we lit our halloween pumpkin.  Mary was of course delighted with the funny face and kept saying pumpkin, pumpkin!  We left the lantern with Kath, so I am hoping it will get another lighting before the weekend is through: