"Battle Spectacular (and Victorian Steam Fair) A Re-enactment, of the Battle of Malvern Hill, with Cannons, Infantry and Cavalry. Weston Park, Telford, Shropshire July 26-27th" Whooo-Hoo! This sounds like loads of fun. Though I'm worried that the kids may not like the noise.

1078 Also posted to: Home page . At: 12:08:45 AM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: American Civil War

"On Sunday 6 July Blists Hill Victorian Town in Shropshire's Ironbridge Gorge will stage a working horse event to demonstrate the important role played by equines in daily life over a hundred year's ago. Up to ten horses across a range of breeds and sizes will demonstrate their strength and grace while performing traditional tasks such as pulling historic trade vehicles and private carriages or hauling timber from the woods." Sounds OK, though life time (?) family entry of £40 is a bit steep, I see you can do day entry...

1077 Also posted to: Home page . At: 12:04:19 AM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Working Horses Event

9.30 am. So me and Bradley end up doing our usual football practice as Esme does her ballet. I'm not allowed to take pictures of this. I'd really like to get one of the changing area, parents and kids in ballet costumes everywhere, such pandemonium. But obviously, no chance. I may ask to get some of the class room. Esme keeps telling me how wonderful Miss Nichola is, maybe she'll let me, if she sees actuallly in the camera what shots I've got. Can but ask.

At the end of Ballet I say to Alison that I don't know what to do with the kids today, and she says there's a kite show in Shrewsbury. As it happens I was thinking of catching the train over there to go swimming. Nice view from the A5 at the end of the M54, looking toward Shrewsbury and Church Stretton, Welshpool and the Long Mynd. See map.	I have to fill up the Renualt with petrol. Get over the Shawbirch to pick up my cash card of Amanda who's cutting out baby sitter's hair, also swap cars, drop a map off to Alison, who now I find out is also going to the kite show. Fill up the Fiat, as that's empty too (grr) and get to a cash point, before I can drive over to Shrewsbury.

Kite Festival. We made it! A few specialist shops, one kites, one boomerangs, one frisbees, and one African art, dunno why. I'd love to get one of those huge kites, that look like parachutes, but at £108 I can't really justify it. Anyway, there's very little wind, most of the time there's no kites up, then a gust lasting maybe 10 minutes puts loads of kites up. I spend ages running with Esme and Bradley and our kite, trying to end the pouts re: who's turn is it now, with Alex, Francis but not polite Amy joining the melee. It's worth all the hastle to see Bradley running off with the kite high in the air, he runs right to the edge of the field, then turns around, thusly the kite falls, but I can hear him he he'ing to himself as he goes. Esme give it some too. I just wish there was enough wind to do without the running, then I could get another kite - one each - to stop the constant "my turns."		Aunty Alison, has a go with the kite for Bradley, while Alex, her son is giving it some with his in the background. His goes quite well, and he runs off to the edge of the field, Alison sets off after him fearing he won't stop. This is a common problem all day.
Of course, the ladies come prepared, with blanket, picnic, and all the trimmings. Me? Well, I only heard about it a few minutes before we set off, so that's my excuse. I supply the chips from the take-away stand. Sue (sunglasses) is sitting down giving instructions and disciplining the queue for the rocket machine. Just jump on the box, and it flies through the air. Bradley gets pissed off, because first time I pick him up and drop him on it. He wanted to do it himself, and in front of his peers I think this is too much - he wants to go home. Eventually he gets it, and can jump on the box just like the rest. He also pointed out that we'd got one of these pump boxes at home, for the swimming pool.
Esme's a bit mardy today. I think it's due to a small cold. She has a little cut on her finger nail - biting her nails - it takes me ages to bring her back to reality. We all have some crying troubles. I think it's the sun, as they're all wincing, even though it's not shining, it's very bright. She had this top for Xmas	Got no idea what he's got in his hand. But he does well again with the toilet. I say to Sue as I notice him pulling his willy, "very Italian." She laughs.	Pretty funny seeing Bradley with his hands behind his back. Amy, Sue's daughter, chases a frisbee in the background.
Sue, and Alison disappear off to the tent shops, and come back with a kite each for Alex, Francis and Amy. I sigh. Knowing that I'll be doing much more running about, more tangles, etc. It works to not so bad, but at one stage we'd got four kites trying to fly, kids running every direction trying to launch them, phew! All in all it's a good day. Pity about the wind, I think I'll come back with them again on Sunday, maybe windy then.	Francis, Alsison's middle daughter, she's turning out to be huge, not fat, just big and tall.	If you want to get a head, get a hat. Esme looks so cool in her Barbie base ball hat. Bradley looks a nob. Have to get him some more selection in hats. Esme gets a pick frisbee, green seems to be Bradley's favourite colour at the moment. I'll pack well if I end up going there again tomorrow.

		"Me go moon."

	I ditch Esme at Sue's. Bradley isn't allowed. He's too young and needs too much attention. Amanda's to cut Sue and Amy's hair. He's not amused and throws a tantrum. I have to man handle him into the car. I ask him where he wants to go as way of commiseration. "Gungle bungle." We stop out side as there's a bouncy castle. Bradley finds it hard to climb the first bit, as it's so steep and he's in socks, at the end he can, "do it, on mine own."	It maybe a blurry shot, but he looks ever so good in the Bart sunglasses watching telly with the curtains closed, I just had to add it here.
He enjoys himself inside, as there's hardly anybody else there. He even climbs all the way to the top, which is some height. Then we go to Matalan to buy some glasses and dishes. We also buy some sunglasses as they were by the till and I remembered them squinting at the sun at the kite festival. Bradley pulls the stand apart, but the youngsters at the till can hear but not see. I smile broadly and the think it's funny, I say to Bradley get ready to run, he says why? Another trantrum in the car, he wants to go to Alison's as "it's nice there." But we've got to go home for dinner. He's plonked in front of the telly, with sunglasses on and I get 10 mins of kip awaiting Amanda and a MacDonalds. End of a full day!

1076 Also posted to: Home page . At: 7:45:12 PM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Football, ballet, kites, bouncy castle, jungle bungle, Matalan, sunglasses

I pick them up from school. What to do? We go off to the big park as that seems to be to popular vote. But as it's rainy we visit the bowling for a while where they play on the video car racing games for a while, then watch the bowling.

And end up watching the skating, which today it ice hockey. It's so damn cold in there, and we're just in out shorts and tee-shirts, we don't last long. Just enough to play on the chairs upstairs as tradition would have it.

1075 Also posted to: Home page . At: 7:38:39 PM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Ice skating bowling after skool

"The position of those phones can now be displayed on a map. FleetOnline allows you to query the mobile phones used by the work force to see their whereabouts on a geographic map."

This is pretty good. 20p - 25p depending on operator. No All charges are on your mobile's bill, can be pre-paid or contract. 5/100 yards in cities to 5 Km in countryside... Also, SMS handlers. Can be friends or family as well as enmployees. Can specify 'off' hours too.

My partner, Amanda is a mobile hairdresser, always running late... Hmmm.

1073 Also posted to: Home page . At: 12:48:30 PM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Track your mobile work force

I don't know why he pulled his shy face, he's usually up for a picture.

We play golf in the garden. I must start putting Bradley's nappy on more often or at least some pants. Can't upload some of the nicer pix due to nudity. We then move on to football, and I must say Esme's starting to look the part. Bradley however, had the ball kicked into his face, as he was deciding whether to cry or not, Esme kicked him as she went for the ball. He went off inside more in a huff than crying. Sat down on at the little table, pulling a jib, demanded that we go outside, as he was tired, and he wanted his milk.

1071 Also posted to: Home page . At: 11:55:56 PM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Golf and football in the garden

I've been left in charge. Amanda's gone off on some beauty course, so I start with playing golf, but it's hard to keep to the rules, and with golf rules are everything. So, then I get bored and started tidying up the side path, with a little help from the little help. Here, they are playing with the lorries, pulling up weeds and putting them in the trucks. Esme's just poured some water on a patch of dirt, hoping it would soften up the hard ground, so she could dig deep for worms. She likes worms. Bradley's not so keen. Actually, that's a big understatement.

1069 Also posted to: Home page . At: 7:35:22 PM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Lorries, weeds and worms

Amanda was working, and wanted to get on with some house chores, so I disappear with the kids to Wales for the weekend. On the way down on Friday evening we pass the Telford Steam Museum and it was Bradley who spots... Thomas Tank. We turn around, because I forgot the camera, and all Bradley can say to his Mum, "Omas Ank in ed." I'll translate, "Thomas Tank in shed." We watch him get filled up with coal and we're back on the road for the 2 hour journey. During which neither of them stops talking!

Look at that mountain in the background!
	Saturday: we're at the Cwmaman Community Education Centre. So, the Lottery does do some good. As my old man says, better it spent here than a few nights of bloody opera in London. There's a cinema which doubles as a theatre, community rooms, and most importantly a bar. I'm sure there's a lot more there, but I didn't see it all, I had four kids in tow. There was a bouncy castle at this fate, I'm not sure of the good cause, but it was a nice place to visit, about a mile further up the valley from my Mum's house. I just couldn't get over the location. These mountains look wonderful, if only they were in reach of broadband, I'd move there in a... Mind I'd have to consider the travelling to clients, but then I don't do much of that, most biz is on the phone, through the 'net...

Saturday night: why do kids want to play in dirt? Here they are, in the 'den' an old garage in the lane at the bottom of my Mum's lane. Well, I used to play in exactly the same place. The game is cleaning up the den, which involves scraping up stones and throwing them into the lane. Why this is so much fun, I begin to ponder, it must be the group activity, the common cause/task. All pulling together in harmony? Anyway, the game develops, my sister appears with some buckets and spades, and a bins comes from somewhere. Now, they are gathering all the dust as well as the stones, plumes of dust are coming out of the bin, and the game is christened, 'making fire.' It is not enough to gather the small amounts of stones from the den, now they're in the lane scooping up dust, and piling it into the bin in an organised, "keep the fire going" hurried procession. I watch in certain knowledge that my sister, my Mum, Alex's mum would all play merry hell if they could see this, and settle down in my watching seat with my beer.

Sunday. Bradley and Esme insist on taking a photo of me. The one of me bending down is by Bradley. He finds it difficult to look through the screen at the back of the camera, so I bend down as he pans slowly to the floor. Esme took a decent one, if it wasn't for the back lighting. If I had enough time to pause and check it out she could have taken another one, but the game's afoot and they move off to another possibly destructive venture, so I have to move with them and the moment is lost. The stable pix is funny. I ask them to stand back near the horse for a pix, slowly they get close once more, but this time there is more fear in the air, and Bradley copies Esme by clenching up their finger just in case the horse may bite them off. Of course, there's no chance of this, but it's a big horse! So no matter what I say, this is the only pix I'm getting of them with this horse. I've been into the museum at the visitor centre so many times, and I've never enough time to look at the panels. Now, as I see that the pix have come out reasonably well, I'll snap them and read them at my leisure.
In the Cwmdare Visitor Centre, having a cup of tea and pop and an ice cream. Behind my Dad's back is a TV which is all fuzzy, like someone's pulled the aerial out. He reads the poster next to it. Apparently there's a falcon's nest, and this is supposed to be a live feed.			I pull up some ferns and tell Charlotte (my niece), Bradley and Esme that they're umbrellas. We heard some thunder, and before we set out, the weather man got it all wrong. Big claps of thunder send Bradley running inside onto my lap. Esme was wary but as Charlotte was there, she was braver than normal.
While the other two use the fern to sweep the road behind them as they walk, Bradley, I think is a little bit nervous of the thunder returning.			Fun feeding the rabbits at the stables. Nice of them to put this here, though as my Mum suspects, it doesn't get many visitors, and I worry that the rabbits are a little too hungry, but I spy plenty of dried rabbit food in their run, and they're definitely not skinny. Bradley squeals with delight. I warn him they may bite his fingers so he's extra cautious.

1065 Also posted to: Home page . At: 6:06:38 PM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Aberdare: Thomas Tank, Cwmdare Community Centre...

We take a walk up the mile and a half to the waterfall - all 16 foot of Shropshire's only waterfall! Bradley's not too keen on it, he gets splashed and won't go near it again. Esme thinks it's great and does a wibble wobble for the camera. Later we take the steps (behind Amanda) up to the top. A dumb move as I have to carry Bradley up (not so bad) and back down (very scary!)
We're there only a few minutes and unpacking, when I see Bradley disappearing up the stream, I shout to come back, he pauses, shrugs his shoulders and carries on. He's getting more and more independent these days. Have to keep our eye on him.	We're just starting off on our long, long, long trip. If I had realised that I'd have to carry Bradley all the way up! When we're nearly there, two women say to Bradley, "and you walked all the way by yourself?" "No! I carried the lazy bugger." By this time I'm panting and dripping in sweat.
Must get that hub cap replaced.	With the waterfall just in the background and Amanda disbelieving that we walked all this way for that tiny thing, we take a rest.

1057 Also posted to: Home page . At: 5:12:01 PM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Church Stretton

Amanda's taken them out to pick some strawberries from a local farm. We all pig out on them. A few days later I look in the fridge and see we really ought to pig out more on them. They go soggy too quick.

Flying like birds.

1056 Also posted to: Home page . At: 5:11:10 PM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Strawberries in the garden

I've more pix on the camera, but someone's doing the carpet on the stairs. These were from 1st June, when we had our first proper sunshine. I bought them a new swimming pool, more pix have Bradley naked in them so Manda doesn't want them blogged. Our garden is becoming more like lego-land, with kiddy-klutter everywhere. The rest are from the Telford Town Park. Esme's red hair looks wonderful in this light. And godknows what Bradley's shouting about, nothing in particular, I think he was just marching and shouting, he like doing that.

1055 Also posted to: Home page . At: 4:06:13 PM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Catching up