Tarrant & Andrews Family Diary

Maurice’s Surprise 70^th Birthday Party

Cindy’s dad, Maurice, was 70 on Friday and we all met up for a surprise meal. He knew he was going out with Mandy and David, but also there were Amy and Tom, Janyne, Steve, Christopher (who’s 20^th birthday it was), Matthew and Cindy and I. Maurice was very surpirsed and very pleased!

Jayne had organised a fantastic gift for him. It’s a voucher for him to be able to drive a F1 racing car. Maurice seemed pretty overwhelmed by this, and couldn’t wait to be able to do it. Photos to follow once he does it!

We had a nice meal in a pub near to where Pat and Maurice live – followed by coffee and more drinks back at their house. Didn’t get into bed intil almost 2! Then drove back home this morning.

A Doll’s House

Very good. Felt long and lots of talking, but the main actor – Tanya Moodie – who was on stage for almost all the play was absolutely spellbinding. I really found it difficult to look at anyone else. At the end of the play she suddenly appeared behind the scenery in a snowstorm – very bleak ending. The play is all about the position of women in 19^th/20^th century society and coincidently we’ve just been listening to A Room with a View in the car and it has lots of the same themes – independence, thinking for one’s self…

There’s a Guardian review of A Doll’s House here.

The Play What I Wrote

Cindy went to see The Play What I Wrote with Judy Emerick and came home saying it was absolutely hilarious.

So if you get a chance…

We’re off on Friday to see A Dolls House – I don’t expect it will be quite as funny!

Kitchen

The kitchen ripping out is really getting close now. We’ve got the new units in Lance and Mary’s cellar, the floor digging up people (damp) are booked, and a plumber is booked to move the gas for the new hob. Dave knows what we want and is coming up next week to start!!

We’ve still got to order new oven and hob, but I think we’ve decided what we want and it only has a week or so delivery time, so we’re waiting a little bit still.

What we have got to do is empty the kitchen of all its stuff – and most of the backroom too, so it doesn’t get too filthy.

Tobias’ Visit

Toby’s German exchange – Tobi – went home on Wednesday. I think that he had a good time. He didn’t eat very much, but according to Toby, his friends said that none of the visitors did! If that’s all they eat in general Toby is going to be ravenous when he goes over there in June.

At the weekend we went to watch Huddersfield Town play a match against Blackpool. It was very cold, but I think we all enjoyed ourselves. Toby normally goes with Keith Emerick, so this was the first time I had gone. The people around us in the crowd were what made it interesting. In the evening a load of Toby and Tobi’s friends came to our house for pasta and video.

On Sunday they went round to someone else’s and played football and XBox. Monday after school was ten pin bowling, then on Tuesday Tobi went home.

Busy few days.

School

A lot to catch up as I haven’t posted for a week.

My first week back at school was fine – lots of observation and group work. The children seemed pleased to see me and I enjoyed myself.

The second week was up and down. Monday was fine. Tuesday morning was good, but Tuesday afternoon was dreadful. I felt right back where I had been – then I stupidly stayed for a staff meeting and must have been obviously miserable. Wednesday though, was really good. I had an excellent science lesson that all the children enjoyed. Andrew, the deputy head asked me to think about what I had done to make it better, but really I don’t think I had done anything particularly different. I was as well prepared on Tuesday as I was on Wednesday, and in fact Wednesday’s lesson was what I’d tried to start on Tuesday. So – good that I had a good lesson and I must try and stay positive through the bad ones.

Next week I’m in school on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday – Thursday and Friday by myself.

Waiting for Tobias

John and Rose have gone to bed. Cindy is having a nap because she’s exhausted.

Toby is on a coach on his way home from Manchester Airport, where he’s gone with school to meet his German exchange, Tobias. They should be arriving in York in the next half an hour or so. They’ll probably both be hungry!

Tobias is staying until next Tuesday, and he’s got an action packed schedule lined up. They’re both going into school tomorrow, then off to Bradford to the National Museum of Film and Photography. Saturday, Toby, Tobias and I are off, with Keith, to watch Huddersfield Town play, then in the evening one of Toby’s friends and German visitor is coming to watch videos and eat pasta. Sunday we’re going to Whitby for fish and chips. Monday is school for Toby and a day out in York for Tobias, then bowling organised by the school in the evening. On Tuesday, Toby and Tobias go to school and Tobias goes home from there.

I’m off to pick up them up in ten minutes or so – oh,there’s the phone!!

Back to School

I’m back to school tomorrow. I’m in for two and a half days this week, and am helping out and planning rather than being in charge – that starts next week.

I am apprehensive, but I think that it will be one of those situations that will be alright once it starts. Definitely better to be getting stuck in than carrying on worrying.

Also – there are only five weeks till the end of term, and I’m not doing a full week till the last week of term. So I hope I’ll be sorted and settled by then. Huge summer term to slog through – but worrying about that can wait.

I probably won’t update this as often now I’ll have “proper” things to do – but will try to keep it at least weekly.

Mandy and Tom Here

Mandy and Tom have come to visit for a few days. Tom’s half term has just started – unlike ours, which is just finishing. Toby and Tom have spent ages on various computers, and have been to the park to drive Toby’s car (but a wheel fell off – not even my fault! – it’s only a screw.) Mandy, John, Rose and I went to a Viking Craft Trading Fair (!) full of people in chain mail buying drinking horns and so on.

Cindy hasn’t been out today as she’s getting a bit of a cold. Her next chemo is on Tuesday. Mandy and Tom also go home on Tuesday, taking a huge list of kitchen jobs for David – he’s ripping our kitchen out at the end of the month. Exciting.

Vikings vs Saxons

We went down to the Eye of York this afternoon to watch a battle between the Vikings and the Saxons. It was supposed to be 1066 and the Battle of Stamford Bridge, so the Vikings lost.

It was a bit dull to be honest, but John and Rose enjoyed it.

It made me think of something that had crossed my mind at the Chinese Parade earlier in the week. Lots of people there were taking photos, either with digital cameras or with camera phones. Most of the photos will have the top of the person in front’s head, and in the dark the action was too far away for the flash to have worked, so there must be an awful lot of fairly rubbish photos out there somewhere – what happens to them all? Do people save them, print them out, send them to other people with modern phones, or are there 500 photos of the Viking Festival out there on the net somewhere? An over documented world – with most of the information of poor quality?

Needlework, Truck Driving, Seaside and Chinese

Wednesday of half-term holiday -

Cindy and Rose went to the City of York Embroiderer’s Guild children’s session with Nok. All the children were making embroideries on the theme of sheep. Rose’s is an appliqué picture of sheep in a winter scene. Apparantly they had lots of bits of material and thread to choose from and Rose had a fantastic time. She couldn’t wait to go back for this morning’s session. Cindy said that Rose’s sewing skills were high compared to the other children there and was very proud of her.

Meanwhile, Toby, John and I took Toby’s car down to the Knavesmire – and managed not to crash it! Toby let John and I have a short go – thank you. It went really well up and down the slopes and bumps at the side of the ‘mire. See Toby’s post about it on his new website!

In the afternoon we went to Bridlington with Lance and Mary. John took his skimboard which we got him for Christmas, but even he wasn’t brave enough to go in the February North Sea. He did some backflips on the beach – I’ve uploaded a video from his digital camera, to compare with the photos of his backflips from a couple of years ago. We had fish and chips before we came home, as is traditional when you go to the seaside.

In the evening we went into town to see York’s Chinese New Year parade.

Wedding List

In a very sad, geeky way, I’m very proud of a new website I’ve set up for my sister Jane’s wedding list.

I’ve used the php web scripting language with a mysql database to make a site that makes presents disappear when someone has said that they will buy them, it’ll email Jane and Andy to tell them that someone has selected an item and you can add items to the list through the internet. It’s really something like an Amazon wishlist for whatever you want – even if it’s not on amazon (though most things are these days!)

If you’re feeling as geeky as me you can play with a diferent version that won’t affect Jane and Andy’s presents here.

Half Term

School has finished for a week. We’ve no major plans – seaside probably, some making no doubt.

John is out at a fancy dress party at the moment. Cindy spent a lot of yesterday and this morning making him a pharaoh costurme and he does look super in it. Just before we left to go to the party he had to check that he could cartwheel in his costume.

Rose got back a short time ago from her friend’s house, where she’d been for tea. When she’s out of the shower I’ll read her the next chapter in Anne of the Island – her current bedtime book.

Toby is out at Southlands Church Youth Club, where he is helping out as part of his Duke of Edinburgh award. He didn’t think there would be many people there, as a lot of them are at the same party that John has gone to.

Truck moved

Just to let you know that all updates about my truck have been moved, to a new website that I am making myself, I’ll probably post a few things about stuff going on, but not much. Mainly it will be about the truck. The website is set out the same way so it won’t be hard to use. For your updates go to

www.toby.aldreth.com

By the way the truck is going great!!!

Surprise for Cindy

As it is getting close to time for me to go back to school, I thought that Cindy and I should try and have a night away together. I arranged with mum for child care for a night, and set about booking somewhere.

On Monday night I told Cindy that we would be going out the next day to the Star Inn, in Harome near Helmsley. Initially, she thought that we would be going for an evening meal, but I was able to tell her that we were staying the night as well.

I decided to tell her that evening, rather than the next morning as I had planned, because she kept saying she had a sore throat, or a bit of a cough and she might be going down with something. I was starting to wonder who we could give the room to, as I would have to pay for it anyway!! Anyway, this bit of news seemed to give her some more energy, and determination not to get ill quite yet!

We went to the Star for lunch once last summer and had an absolutely superb meal – with the best summer pudding I’ve ever had, made even better by being served with a generous glass of home-made raspberry vodka. So our hopes were very high for an evening meal and B&B. I had had to reserve the largest room in the place, as I booked so late that that was the only one left, so we were expecting that to be quite nice as well.

We had a lovely morning in York doing some shopping – Cindy had bought a skirt (50p) and shoes (£3) in Age Concern at the weekend and wanted a blouse to go with them (£27 – not such a bargain). She was able to wander around all morning, which is a huge improvement on a few months ago. We went home for lunch, made a list of evening activities for my parents and set off.

When we arrived, after discovering that the accommodation was just over the road from the pub, behind the village shop (also owned by the Star, and selling lots of their goodies), we were shown to our room. It was huge, with an enormous bed, pool table, lovely bathroom with double size bath, home-made chocolate cookies and a view out over fields with huge-horned highland cattle in them. The stereo even had speakers in the bathroom, so you could put a CD on (luckily we had some of our own in the car) and listen to it in the bath.

We went downstairs to the sitting area, which had a raging open fire, super comfortable armchairs and sofas, lovely olives and nuts and a write your own bill honesty bar and drank sherry, read the paper and tried to do the crossword.

We went over to the pub at about 6:30, had more drinks while reading the menu, ordered and were taken into the restaurant. The bar is like an English country pub out of a film – just like the stereotype, except for the huge wine list and enormous bowl of olives out on the bar. The restaurant uncrowded, lovely old wooden tables and interesting cutlery.

The meal was superb. Cindy had wild mushrooms on bruschetta, followed by woodcock; and I had pheasant risotto and then beef steak. There was plenty to eat, so much in fact that neither of us had any room for dessert, much to my disappointment.

We had coffee upstairs in the loft, another charming space with lots of arm chairs, noise from the bar coming up, but seclusion from the bar. Up there, there was cheese and biscuits and grapes out on the side, nuts, raisins and other bits to pick at. This was one of the things that really struck me – things that you might expect to pay extra for, were just around for you to take – it seemed extremely jealous.

We went back to our room and played a few games of pool, before bedtime.

The next morning we didn’t get up till about half nine – to try and give our appetites a chance to build up again after the previous day’s huge meal.

Breakfast was equally lavish – a buffet of croissants, smoked salmon, ham, melon, parma ham, fruit salad, pineapple, freshly squeezed juices ans smoothies. You could ask for porridge, kippers, or full English, or any combination! Cindy had full English (super black pudding), I had mushrooms on toast and some bacon, then smoked salmon on toast, parma ham, fruit salad… didn’t want to starve.

A bit more sitting around digesting, enjoying the comfy chairs, pay our bill (!!!) and gently back home a pretty country route.

Superb, gorgeous, can’t recommend it highly enough. Repeat visit sometime.

And a huge thank you to Lance and Mary for looking after Toby, John and Rose.