Easter Holidays over …..

Easter holidays nearly over.
It was a pretty quiet holiday, full of great stuff.
Of course, Molly’s starting to realise that it’s a lot more fun to spend time with her friends than it is to spend time with me. We’re not yet at the stage where she wants nothing to do with me, but given a choice between a day out with me or a day with her friends, I’m under no illusions as to what she’d rather do.

So it’s back to school for us both tomorrow. Although at the time of writing we’re covered in a lovely blanket of snow, so it may be a long wintery drive. Molly’s not back till Tuesday so she gets to spend a day with me at school. Which is no bad thing since she enjoys it in much the same way I remember going into dad’s school for the occasional training day as well.

I have spent half term spectacularly failing to get around to doing much, which is, I suppose, the whole point behind a holiday.
But from tomorrow there are several resolutions I intend to try and get around to:
Things to be doing,
Reading more
relaxing more,
stressing less,
getting to bed at least a little earlier.

Although Sky Two sabotaged my plans to get round to going to bed early these past two weeks – they were showing the entire third season of Battlestar Galatica very late at night in advance of the new and final series premiering in a couple of weeks. So I just had to watch them all didn’t I? I don’t think 3am is too late really, is it?
But that was all over last week. And the new series is on at the very reasonable time of 9pm so I have no excuse for lateness from now on.

Bridlington

And after a busy day at Sewerby Hall, what better way than to end the day with chips on the seafront at Bridlington:

Sewerby Hall & Gardens

Molly and I spent a delightful day at Sewerby Hall in Bridlington today, there’s a lovely small zoo there and most importantly for Molly, a fantastic putting green and pitch and putt course. It would have made my grandpa very, very proud of his great-granddaughter to see her swinging a club with gusto and no small skill on the pitch and putt.
He was a great man, and loved his golf. When I was about Molly’s age he had a set of cut down clubs made for me to practice with. He was obviously hoping that I’d take up the sport and follow in his footsteps. (Particularly after my dad decided that jazz drumming was far better than golf.)

Unfortunately I never really took it up. Although we did develop a two hole course between our house and the next door neighbours. One hole in our garden and one in theirs, with the added fun of a 3rd and 4th hole being played over the fences.

Of course, what I remember most about that is smashing dear old Andrew in the face with a wood as he stood behind me on the tee. Ooops. There was much blood.

Anyway, I didn’t take it up and feel grandpa would have always held a little disappointment over that. But as I watched Molly get better and better over the 6 holes we played of the ten hole course, I thought he’d be smiling.

The walled gardenview to the pasture

into the zoo – molly’s favourite monkey of the day

she also loved the wallabys. very cute.

and the penguins were a hit as well. although I could only think of this as I watched them.

putting

pitching. much better than putting. more violence involved.

pose.

Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium

After picking Molly up after her sleepover last night we decided it was time to nip to the cinema. Away to Pocklington Arts Centre and Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium.

I just wasn’t looking forward to it. But it really wasn’t that bad. Nowhere near as good as Bridge To Terabithia (with which it shares the observations of and ruminations on death) or Charlie & The Chocolate Factory (either version with which it shared that glorious technicolour playground – just substitute toy shop for chocolate factory).

But it was shiny, sparkly and lovely.
With a couple of minor tear jerker moments.

However they just didn’t make the movie they could have made. It could have been glorious. It could have been a spectacular success. But all in all, it was just little flat, spectacular effects, gorgeous scenery, stunning toy shop backdrop do not excuse a plot that seems half formed and characters that exist as simple ciphers and nothing more.
Shame.

Easter holidays – a tale of sofas and bookcases

Today was one of those crappy holiday days that we have occasionally.
The “lets wait in for the delivery blokes” sort of day.

So nothing really was accomplished.
It was lovely for Molly though as she spent most of the morning decorating a lampshade (no, really. It’s one of those paper lantern things. They did it for Chinese New Year at school and she wanted to do another one). Then we got a phone call from a friend’s mom asking if she wanted to come round whilst I carried on waiting for the delivery folks.
So off she strolled and left me to my own devices.

And my own devices meant that I spent most of the afternoon before the delivery men came trying to reorganise my bookcases. Which is probably as pathetic as it sounds.

Easter Holidays – a day in Pocklington & a Dr Seuss movie…

After the Easter long weekend with all three of us around it was a Daddy and Molly day today. Still not feeling great physically so I’d planned a nice, easy day.
First up, round Pocklington, take in the market and get junior snapper to take some pictures. Must get her a camera for her birthday – I think she’s got a much better eye for it than I have for taking photos.

Then off for Horton Sees A Who at York pictures.
Now normally we’d go and see stuff at Pocklington Arts Centre, but it’s got the water Horse on this week for the kids and neither of us fancied it that much. But Horton seemed a safe couple of hours of entertainment.
And it was. Nothing spectacular, nothing mind-blowing, just a pretty decent version of a great Dr Seuss book which I’ve always loved. Of course the book is better, but it was always going to be.

Easter Holidays ……

Bruton mansions at easter has been a quiet place.
Primarily due to me being bloody horribly ill. Typical really, I stay lovely and healthy all term but then we get to holiday time and it’s time to hit the deathbed.

It’s been so bad these last couple of days that I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night and, unable to return to sleep, have settled down on the sofa and watched dvds until the rest of the family is awake. Then later on I’ll crashout and sleep when I can.

Molly, throughout all this, has been wonderful. This appeared on my desk yesterday:

Hopefully I’ll be better soon and Molly and I will be able to enjoy a proper holiday.