Pokémon Go - Level 39

In case you don't know Pokémon Go is a smartphone game that enables you to hunt down Pokémon in the real world and take part in virtual battles. Pokémon began as a video game on Game Boys in 1995. Since then trading cads, cartoons and films have made it the highest grossing media franchise of all time. It has been a while since I blogged about one of our Pokémon Go walks or raids. My son had lost interest over the last few years so I hadn't played quite so much. However, lockdown and daily walks got him back in and I have finally hit the 2nd highest level:

I started playing 3 years ago and it is amazing how far I have walked and places I have been to in that time:

The motto of the game is gotta catch 'em all and I have been doing my best to fill up my Pokédex. New regions get released which match up with the video games and cartoon series. I have also been making my Pokémon as powerful as possible to do better in battle and raids:

Looking back at 2018

At the start of the year I looked back at 2017 and wondered if I would achieve more in 2018... 

1) Family Fun

We have certainly had some fun this year including a prize winning holiday to France: 

And my daughter and I discovered the joys of wild swimming in the hot summer:

We also had 2 working holidays with Single with Kids making new friends and having lot of fun.

2) More Running

Heatherton World of Activities

The biggest day out on our trip to Pembrokeshire was to Heatherton World of Activities. We had enjoyed this trip last year and had wished that we could do more, we also needed to budget for going with both groups of holiday makers! It proved to be an incentive to get my son out of bed for 2 weeks on the trot to do car boot sales to raised enough money for our credits - you pay to play. We were able to buy a decent amount of shared credits and this is some of the fun that we had:

8 Track Slot Racing

This is so much more fun when you have a group to race against so perfect on our break. Even I got to have a go, although I swear I always get the slowest car!

Bumper Boats

I really need to have a go on these next year as my son and the other children had a wonderful time crashing into each other!

Mini Landrovers

Three Musketeers at Williamson Park

It is nearly 2 years since we went to see The Hobbit at Williamson Park. Last week my daughter and I went along to this year's promenade performance by The Dukes Theatre. This year's production is The Three Musketeers and we followed the signs to the first scene:

We were there in plenty of time for my daughter to get us front row seats:

We had eaten on the way but had time to eat our dessert whilst waiting for the play to start. It was a lovely sunny evening:

Reasons to be Cheerful: Family Fun #R2BC

A slightly belated reasons to be cheerful so its just as well its Michelle being host this month! Its just been such a full on week that I hadn't had time to blog really. Any way here are some of the things that have made us smile and kept me busy:
1) Summer Fete
For once I made it to the school fete, for some reason my son's school always does them straight after school. Not only that but I was early enough to actually win on the bottle stall. Not a bad haul for £2:

My son had fun on the water bomb throwing game and eating cakes!
2) Fell Race
On the final race of the junior championship my son had his best finish yet beating people who have beaten him in all the other races. Not sure on his final finish position yet but hopefully close to the middle of the table.

3) Langdale Gala

Kendal Fun Day #HappyKendal

Our local leisure centre and community groups laid on a free Family Fun Day this Sunday. There were all sorts of activities for both body and mind. Coincidentally there were some martial arts experts visiting from Switzerland so we got a nunchuck demonstration before my son had a go at table tennis:

He was at his happiest practising his football skills with some friends from school:

Then for a different challenge they tried some basketball (but using the football):

There were also crafting and music making activities but these didn't appeal to him... He nearly went on the bouncy slide but in the end decided against it.

Hopefully the event was such a success that it will be repeated next year. Then we hope that there won't be snow and there will be more taking place on the field outside too...

Weird Science Volcano Eruption

My son had asked Santa for a science kit in his stocking. He was very pleased to find a volcanic eruptions kit in his stocking. It was something he took when we went to visit the grandparents. He enlisted Gramps into helping him build the volcano once we had prepared the table:

They had to mix the plaster carefully to coat the volcano:

Then the mixture was spread over the plastic volcano:

Did I achieve more in 2017?

I went back to see what I had put as my resolutions for 2017 and realised that I hadn't gone down the traditional weight loss route! So how did I do?

1) More Family Fun

We certainly packed a lot in to 2017 including trips to Northumberland:

Hikes up the Old Man in the snow:

Several games of football golf:

We also continued our love of board games and added even more to our collection!

2) More Running

Well I may not have run the hoped for 1000 km but I did manage over 700 which is pretty good achievement. My son has carried on with his fell running and looking forward to the new winter series:

My running was plenty of parkruns (even getting my 50 shirt!) but also the Grasmere Gallop 10 km trail race:

My daughter even joined us the colour dash at the castle: 

I wonder if we will manage even more in 2018!

#CountryKids Fell Foot Halloween Parkrun

Today it was the annual Halloween parkrun at Fell Foot today and my son and I had volunteered to be tail walkers. So we really thought we had better dress for the occasion:

It was good to see that other folks had joined in the spirit of things too:

It was a big turn out with 276 finishers so it was a big briefing:

Then we had the award for parkrunner of the year which went to one of regular volunteers:

#CountryKids Wray Castle, National Trust

My son was asked which National Trust property he would like to be taken to by his aunt and uncle. It was no surprise to me that he chose Wray Castle:

We weren't the only ones who knew that this is the best place to visit with children on a wet, autumn Lakes day and it was very busy with a full car park. Luckily we managed to get in alright. There are plenty of things to occupy children indoors including building blocks in the Peter Rabbit rooms:

We also managed a short table tennis game before checking out the Steam Gondola room:

One of the most popular rooms (and now upstairs) was the castle blocks room. Lots of children building, balancing and having fun with the foam building blocks:

#CountryKids Dunmore Cave

After the fun of Foot Golf it was Gramp's turn to choose an activity and he opted for Dunmore Cave which wasn't too far away. Its almost a tradition now to visit an underground attraction on our holidays! After a video introduction we descended into the cave following our guide:

It looked rather creepy as we were about to go in especially after hearing the story of a massacre of women and children in the cave by Vikings in 928 AD:

Once we had reached the bottom of the main steps we could still see the daylight reassuringly at the top:

#CountryKids in Waterford

A change of scenery with a drive down to Waterford which is the oldest city in Ireland and the only one still bearing a Viking name. We parked on the waterfront and then walked down to Reginald's Tower, this is a medieval structure built on top of a Viking one:

Each floor of the tower had an exhibition about a different aspect of its history from Vikings to Medieval to a Georgian prison. It still very much felt medieval with the low arched doorways:

There were peep holes to act like a scary Viking through too:

#CountryKids Kilkenny Foot Golf

The thing my son was most looking forward to about our trip was the chance for another round of Foot Golf! He even packed his new football boots to give him a better chance against me and took his own football... did he beat me after all of that...

This time we went to Pococke Golf club where there was a choice of regular golf, foot golf or even rugby golf! Of course there was only one option for him so we paid up and kicked off:

With all the combinations of games there were plenty of signs to keep us going on the correct greens:

Each hole had its own par ranging from 3-5 and a football sized hole to score into:

Exploring Kilkenny

For our first full day in Ireland we didn't fancy going too far after travelling the whole day before. So we drove the short distance to Kilkenny to explore what the city has on offer. The first thing we spotted was our very own bar (but we didn't go in!):

The one thing Kilkenny isn't short off are pubs and bars! We wandered down to the River Nore with its colourful buildings:

Luckily for us there was space on the terrace for a late lunch with a view of Kilkenny Castle:

Holiday hit list

Well school is out for summer so its freedom until September 4th! For that reason I thought I would draw up a holiday hit list of things I want to do or need to do before the schools go back...

1) Family fun

I want to enjoy time with my family when we have no time pressure on us. Whether its a break away from home or days out in the Lakes this has to be top priority!

2) Fitness

The last half term has seen my health & fitness take a back seat to my challenge is to:

a) get back to running 4 times a week and increase to half marathon distance
b) lose a stone as I have gained some of what I had lost...

3) Home

A year of me teaching full time has meant a house going backwards and it becoming disorganised so I have a few hits to do at home:

a) sort out my bedroom so that all my teaching stuff has a home yet I have a place to relax
b) sort out kitchen so that I make best use of the storage and its easy to maintain
c) with my son get his room into a proper tween room so that he has his own space too
d) get the lounge back into proper usage instead of a bit of everything and chaotic!
e) rescue the garden and make it a better place to chill

4) Blogging

I have neglected this blog whilst working full time so I need to revive it and get it back to where it was...

Watch this space!

Reasons to be Cheerful: Schools Out For Summer #R2BC

We have had a pretty rubbish last half term as a family so I am so glad to be coming up for air now that the school holidays are here! Coming to the end of my NQT year made the light at the end of the tunnel turn back on... Here are my end of school year reasons to be cheerful:
1) Run on Scout Scar
My son and I joined his club for an extra training run up Scout Scar. It may have been drizzly but we had a lot of fun on a hilly run in a beautiful spot:

2) Blooming lovely
My roses are really coming into their own now and looking glorious:

3) Family Fun

Reasons to be Cheerful in the Merry Month of May #R2BC

In case you haven't noticed I have handed the reins back to Michelle for the month! Hopefully there will be lots of back sharing the happiness now Easter is over... Here are my reasons to be cheerful this week:

1) Holiday Homework

My son had one of those homeworks over Easter that requires adult assistance! Turned out it was not only myself but another teacher buddy who got his football stadium going. I then had to turn it into the Ghanian National Football stadium complete with shades for the stands:

2) Seven blipping years

My Blipfoto journal hit the 7 year mark this week which I am extremely proud of! Just a shame I didn't have a chance to celebrate with anything more exciting than our pebble collection:

3) Car Booting

I did back to back car boots this weekend which netted a decent amount of takings and reduced our surplus. These Barbie beauties were left over so I will donate them to my class doll's box as there are never enough to go round!