News Updates from Life

Filey August 2008

11th August

My first holiday alone with Helena, being a single mum.  Mum and Nan decided to follow us to Filey to spend part of the day with us.  This part of the plan was a BIG disaster.  Nan is getting quite doddery now and the proposition of moving about the hills in Filey, well it just wasn't a good one.  Car parking is a nightmare, obviously Filey council are not that bothered about their tourist trade being able to park near their beaches and town centre, in high season.  Eventually we found a car park miles from anywhere and it had a cafe attached to a shop and a crummy kids playground.  We stopped there for a little while and Helena was happy on the play area.  It was close to lunch time so decided to drive out towards Primrose Valley and get something to eat.  We found a pub called the Royal Oak, what a STATE.  It was like the hillbillies come to Yorkshire.  The food was expensive and when it arrived, Yikes the chips were swimming in grease and Helena's sausage was cold in the middle.  We left and got out money back.  So we drove to Primrose Valleyand the food there wasn't much better.  Mum and Nan left.

Helena and I availed ourselves of the fair ground entertainment area.  Helena was excited to try one of the trampolines with a wire attached harness.  This enables the person to jump really high.  Of course Helena at 3 years old should not be on such a contraption.  Her mind is so full of spiderman I blagged her onto it.  She loved it so much swinging and jumping about.  I then took her on the dodgems.  She then decided to go on one of those massive slides where you sit on a sack.  Before I could stop her she was up the tower and coming down without the sack.  I got her to take one up the next time and on the third go the man at the top realised she shouldn't be on the slide because she was too small.  Poor kid, she decided to throw a strop at the top and not come down.  Eventually I persuaded her to come down the steps. 

Came back to Filey to our little B+B Filey Grange.  41 pounds per night with breakfast, fridge, dvd, ensuite and free wifi.  Lovely little spot to spend a few nights.  Checked into the room and then walked down to the beach.  Helena went on the roundabout and perched herself inside a double decker boat.  Round and round she went at £1.50p a shot.  Very happy until it stopped.  Then I had to get her off and the damned boat was causing me a nightmare.  She just kept sliding from one end to the other and I couldn't get her.  Using subterfuge, 'Oh Helena what is this on the boat?', she comes over I grab her and drag her out.  Then its the bouncy castle, and following 30 minutes on there, 2 pony rides.  Helena hasn't been on a pony before and whilst going around the little track Helena decides to hit the poor thing on the arse.  Obviously she thinks she is a jockey and the countless hours of horseracing (her father has subjected her to since birth) are having an effect on her riding abilities.  Helena then played on the beach, jumping in large pools of water and thoroughly messing up her shoes and clothes..lol...  We came back to the b+b a bit late so settled on a cafe that only did light snacks and ordered two jacket potatoes with poached salmon. We came back to the room and within a couple of hours Helena was snorring away.

12th August

The torrential rain arrived.  Helena had a really good breakfast and was really polite to the young man who cooked for us.  I put her in the car and drove to the John Bull Rock Factory at Bridlington.  Their soft play area is amazingly good and Helena ran about for 2 hours.  She was shattered but wouldn't give in and wouldn't leave, so I had to remove her in the classic star fish position whilst she was screaming her head off.  Put her in the car and the rain was still horrendous.  Drove out of Bridlington up the coast road and the sky was amazing.  The clouds were so low as I looked across the moors they seemed to be touching the fields.  The rain was like a river coming out of the sky.  The whole scenery reminded me of a Turner painting.  Helena fell asleep in the back of the car and I decided to keep driving to Scarborough and try the Sealife centre.  Everybody seemed to be at the Sealife Centre and the car park was full, the rain was a torrential nightmare and a massive line of people stood in the rain waiting to get in.  No way was I going to stand outside in that.  So I took the road that goes along the sea front and we stopped at one of the ancient cafe's on the front.  We had our lunch and there was a poster about the Circus.  That seemed a good option.  Arrival at the circus, still in the rain and parked in a field.  Walked across to another field and tried to pay, 46 pounds for both of us and they didnt accept cards.  I only had 10 pounds on me and we couldn't go in, this was too much for Helena she threw herself on the floor and rolled around in the sawdust and wet grass.  Got her back in the car and spent a couple of hours back in the room.  We then drove to a pub with a children's play area and Helena played with the children for a few more hours.  Although it wasn't great we still had a good time.

Nearly the holiday

12th July 2008

Its been a busy term and I am looking forward to the holiday next week.  I will be buzzing off to Yorkshire next weekend and enjoying 2 weeks with mum.  Max (our new dog) will be having some vet work to correct his blind eye caused by cataract and also have the snip.  I haven't got a holiday booked, haven't had the time or energy to sort it out.  The flu bug I have had the past week has been pretty debilitating and just a few days of rest to refreshen the old brain cells will be the first thing to do.  Hopefully, I will catch up on some interesting reading over the holiday, some pleasure reading.  A few days away somewhere would also be good.  Have to see how it goes.

Helena's Birthday

Yorkshire

25th May - Helena's 3rd Birthday party.

Disney Fantasia