I woke up this morning early and then couldn't get back to sleep. (Huffle said I was too excited at the thought of Aunty A coming today).
We sat down for breakfast and Smallest spilled a whole jug of juice all over the table, it spilt through the gaps and all over the floor. Sticky table, sticky chairs, sticky floor. So once we had finished mopping all the mess and had breakfast, I mopped the kitchen floor, then the lounge and then the hall. Oh well it needed doing anyway.
We all had showers and then the boys played on the computer while I sorted the washing and made some sandwiches for the ride home. We didn't have a banner today but the boys both drew pictures for her onthe way in the car (which was great because they were occupied, quiet-ish and happy).
As we were driving along the highway we watched the planes coming in and wondered which one was Aunty A's. She landed two minutes early. The traffic was horrendous. Not sure why? Long Weekend? Anyway, we got to the airport on time, parked and went to find her. We waited in departure at first and then realised we were in the wrong place. Actually Small realised. We went downstairs and didn't have to wait too long.
Patiently waiting
She came out, we hugged her (well Smallest went all silly and ran away and hid under his hat - but not for long), and went and found our car. The drive home was uneventful. Lots of chattering and catching up.
It was about 34* today so when we got home and Aunty A emptied her treasures for us............
Three bras (for me! I ordere some and sent them to her address - useful!). Yorkshire Tea, Taylor's Coffee, four different lots of multipack Cadbury's chocolate, fudge and many many Angel Delights. When she emailed us to ask what we wanted Huffle and I couldn't think of anything (apart from the tea and coffee) so we requested an Angel Delight. Well she came up trumps and bought us lots, including an Ice Cream one. We made it up but it won't be ready till 12 midnight.
We made a pot of tea, the boys put on their swim shorts and then we went up to the pool. The boys swam and jumped in while we drank tea.
It wasn't long before we got too hot and got our stuff and went in too.
We had several whirlpools which really worked our thighs and knees, and then a nice relax onthe floaty things.
Then a pop out and a cup of tea before jumping back in again and starting all over again. The boys are loving having Aunty A here already.
We stayed here till it started getting cloudy and the dark clouds came.
The cloud formation was amazing
Then a big giant walked past.....
Ahhh there are those clouds again?
We came in, showered had dinner and then of course we had to play basketball and football, until the mosquitos drove us indoors where we played a couple of games of Deal Monopoly.
We said Football, not windmilling!
The boys went to bed. Aunty A had to read to Small, Huffle read to Smallest and I got ten minutes off.
Hello to Miss Frisky (Aunty A's mum) who we think will be reading while AA is here. The boys got their hugs, thank you x
Last night I left the boys a note pinned to the TV. It said "Small and Smallest, we are leaving at 9am, please get dressed". Bless them. I didn't hear or see Small get up but he did say to Huffle that he thought it was a good idea to leave a note on the TV where they would definitely see it. I saw Smallest get up and I heard small tell him to get dressed, he ran to his room and just put a tee-shirt on with his PJ bottoms (this is normal practice if I know there is a tradesman here or a visitor etc). I should, "no, proper get dressed, pants, shorts, top - we are going out early". Off he went and got dressed and they were both sitting watching TV when I came down not much later. We had breakfast, packed a small picnic and went and picked up Mrs Royal who was going to show us where the car park was for the Train.
We met up with Mr Royal, Little Spice and Little Spice's friend Kev and all got on the train after buying our tickets. The journey was uneventful but the kids were good. We passed lots of beaches that we haven't explored yet and followed the lake.
Kev, Little Spice, Mrs Royal and Small
Mr Royal had already bought our tickets online so we didn't have to queue. little Spice and Kev went off on their own to explore and we walked around to see what was what. Huge crowds of people (although not horribly so) were there. Lots of rides and old fashioned 'win a toy' games. The boys had a go at 'whac-a-Mole' - Small did very well but only scored half of what was needed to get a prize. To be fair the prizes were not worth the money it cost to play but I suppose it was the taking part that was more fun.
It was a huge place. Next to the football stadium where Small, Huffle and Grandad watched Toronto FC play. You could see the Toronto skyline in the distance.
Mr Royal and Smallest were best buddies for the day.
It was very hot.
Mr Royal took Small and Smallest on the 'Niagara Falls' log flume. It was funny to see their faces. mrs Royal and I managed to sit down and have a coffee and watch.
That's them at the top
Them, after the first fall.......
......and then coming down the big fall.............
Mr Royal's bottom was a little wet (and he assured us it had nothing to do with his age!). He did look funny though, especially as we were following behind him.
We met up with Little Spice and Kev in the food hall and all had lunch. Everyone wanted something different so I was darting across from one food stand to the next. Small had pizza, Smallest had Fish and Chips and I had Falafel. It was very nice and a lovely little Chinese woman offered the boys two satsumas, that they didn't want, but it was a nice gesture anyway.
Next, all of the boys went on the Roller Coaster (Mrs R and I managed to sit out of this one again!). Mr Royal said he was scared, he sat with Smallest who laughed all the way round.
Small sat in a car with Little Spice and Kev. He thought it was great but did hit his head.
They were so brave!
At one point today, I turned to Smallest and said "do you want to go on that high swing thing up there?". No he said "I don't want to waste my goes". Bless him, that just shows how undemanding they can be. He knew that the rides all cost 'tickets' and that the tickets cost money. I was really proud of him. In fact I was proud of them both today. The other boys were 13 and although Kev had his own money (and was being careful), Little Spice did ask his grandparents for quite a lot, whether it be money, food, drink etc. I told them I didn't want mine to be 13, it seems a tricky age! Saying that, the older boys were good too, apart from scooting off at strange moments - luckily I took Little Spice's mobile number first thing so we could keep track of each other.
We all went and watched the Flowrider demo. A simulated wave maker where professional surfers and bodyboarders were showcasing their skills. They were asking questions of the audience, one being "which city do you think we love the most?". (they travelled around the world with the simulater). Smallest put up his hand and shouted Toronto. "did you say Toronto? Come on down and bring your Mum". He had won a free go on the wave thing. I said "what on there? He's five!". He didn't want to, he didn't have his swimming stuff and I wasn't sure so we let someone else have a go. Seeing what the others who won did though, I think he could have done it, the professionals stayed with the ones that were too young and the worse that would have happened is that he would have been wet through. He said he will do it next year.
No-one we knew was on this but I wanted to show the rides.
This beer can sprayed a fine mist at you.
As it was really hot, we decided to go and watch the ice skating show for a while. It was fabulous. The Ice skating Olympic Champions were there, Acrobats and some of the most amazing trampolinists I have ever seen. There was a trampoline on the floor and a wall and windows up the side. They were jumping down from the top of the wall, onto the trampoline and in through the windows. Alomst juggling themselves through. WOW.
This isn't my video. It belongs to AppleC123. Thank you whoever you are.
This was skaters dressed as business men and women with briefcases.
The man in the middle up high was very good. He twirled and twirled. smallest said he would like to have a go. The kids loved it.
After we had a nice long sit down and a good cool off we went outside where it was still really hot. the kids wanted to go on a couple more rides so Mr Royal took all the boys off for an hour while Mrs Royal and I went to see the Garden Show. What a lovely thoughtful man he is. We saw some amazing sand sculptures...........
Yes, these were really made of sand. I did say that this was similar work to the stuff the boys and I do on holiday!!
We passed briefly through the battlefield section and while Mrs R visited the ladies, I was told to go and learn about Canadian History. I tried but it was hard to take in. I read about a battle of 1812 (I think), about a John Graves and how the CNE site was a battlefield. I can't remember much else - whoops.
We perused a lovely lavender stall and stopped and chatted with a wheat bag lady who tried out her wheat nags on us. They smelt beautiful. I could have gone to sleep.
Then we found a man who knew exactly what my foot problem (and yes ST, you were right, I have what you have). I bought some gel foot inserts for my shoes which made it feel a bit better. I just have to try them for a while and see how I get on. He said there was no point in seeing a doctor as they would tell me nothing new and probably charge $500 for some orthotics.
We met up with the rest of the crew. They had been on the dodgems (bumper cars) which they thought was very funny. They also had an ice cream. Mrs R was going to get us one while we were on our own but I said it wasn't fair and we should wait for the rest. HA. We got one later though. (WHAT DIET).
The boys found a foot massage machine
Off we went to the Super Dog show. We walked and walked and walked and walked and when we got there, the show had started, it was full and they wouldn't let us in. So we walked and walked and walked back again. Mrs R and I got our ice cream, checked out the British Stall while the older boys were playing the Piano somewhere and then slowly made our way out of the place and off to get the train.
It was a very busy day. It doesn't sound like we packed a lot in but we walked a long way. Everyone was very tired.
Kev (hiding at end), Little Spice, Small, Smallest and Mr Royal
On the platform, Smallest found he could lift the cover off the bollard and it made it look like he was lifting the whole thing off the ground. He was entertaining the crowd.
On the train, the boys all sat together and discussed English and Canadian differences in words. It was very funny to listen to.
We got to our car, parted and drove home. Huffle was home when we got there, tidying up the garden. The boys told him about our day, watched a bit of TV and went to bed. Don't think we will hear much from them tonight.
right I am off to soak my weary feet in some water. Aunty A is here tomorrow, we are due to pick her up midday. Yaaaaay.
I forgot to say yesterday, the umbrella people are sending me a cheque for the faulty goods. Wahooooo. Perseverance pays off. Actually since I wrote this, they have emailed me again and asked me to send them the original receipt, then they will send me a cheque in 10-15 days from when they receive the receipt. Oh well, at least they are refunding.
We had a visit from a man who came to quote for the Dry Wall in the loft. He looked at the whole house and we discussed various things that could be done. He will let us know how much soon. The other man who sorted the gutters also came round and brought some 'stuff' that he could put in our gutters to stop the leaves getting in. He told me to discuss it with Huffle and get back to him if we need a quote. He will also pop round tomorrow with the quote for the loft.
The boys behaved this morning so we went to the cinema after lunch. We watched Paranorman. It was about an eleven year old boy who could see dead people. He had to stop the curse of the witch on the zombies. I didn't know if it would be a bit scary but the boys loved it. There were about ten people in there. One woman had a baby that cried all the way through.
Pretending to be scared of the zombies
We left the cinema and went home. Another hot day. We cycled round to Mrs Royals. The wall looks very good. We talked about tomorrow. We are going to the CNE. The Canadian National Exhibition is Canada's largest annual fair held in Toronto. It marks the end of the Summer Holidays here. We think we are going on the train.
The boys killed lots of her strange red bugs. They sweep them into a pile and then spray them with soapy water. They are very good at it.
Sweeping and a spraying
On the way home, Smallest rode his bike all by himself without me holding him at all. He did fall off at the end into the Hosta but it was a fairly soft landing. He's done really well.
The boys and I tried to sort the pool. It is blue (of sorts) and about half way down clear. We filled it, tested it and added some chemicals. The kids played out for a while and then in the basement. Huffle came home just as I finished dinner and we sat and ate.
I got bitten yesterday, one on each leg. I now have deformed legs where they have swollen up. I have another bite on my face and one on my shoulder. The grass is too long again and a bit damp - perfect mosquito conditions. Still taking my B12 and B1 everyday - well that doesn't work then does it!
Huffle played football with the boys while I cut the grass on the front. Then he cut the grass at the back, while the boys blew bubbles at me and I raked and bagged the grass cuttings. They soon got bored and went and watched some TV before bed.
When I finished raking etc., my feet were green. Smallest said I was the Hulk!
Huffle put the kids to bed and I soaked my feet and blogged.
Here are two pictures from the garden.
A lovely Dahlia (maybe a bit eaten!)
Gorgeous Poppy (well it was before Huffle mowed next to it and splattered all over it).
Before 9am this morning, Small had pushed Smallest into the door and bruised and scraped his side. All because one of them had more ribbons from school than the other. seriously? I told them keep away from each other. Next thing I hear tiny squeals and screams. I creep upstairs and they are sitting on the bed in the loft. One had hit the others legs too much so the other was hitting the other one. "but we are wrestling!". NO, NO WRESTLING! What's the matter with them? I got myself ready and we went out. We went to the bank and the pharmacy.
When we got home I sent them out to play. They played with the bubbles. They then went in and finished their reading challenges from the library. Small finished his library book and then wrote his review and Smallest wrote about his favourite book this week.
Look how nice they can be
I told them if they could prove to me they could be nice to each other for the rest of the morning, then we could go to the cinema.
In the meantime, I checked the pool and added whatever needed to be added. I rang the Pool shop and asked their advice on the fitting that had lost its thread. They said we needed to keep the backwash pipe on constantly and not keep taking it off and on. WHY DIDN'T THEY TELL US THAT AT THE START OF THE SEASON. how much hassle has that bloomin' pipe caused Huffle and I (and Moo while she was here!). Oh well at least we know now. Ha, it's almost time to close the damn thing up for the winter.
I had a clear out of the tupperware cupboard today too. I threw away all those things that don't have lids or just lids and no bottoms. Brilliant. Now it doesn't spill out as soon as you open the door.
I finished reading all of Smallest's library books to him and then made their lunch. All they had to do was take their clothes upstairs and either put them away or sort them. They were upstairs together for five minutes. In that time, Small 'lied' to Smallest and Smallest hit Small. That was it. Cinema cancelled. Well done boys! Both sat in their rooms crying. I'm disappointed they couldn't even prove to me that they could be nice for five minutes. The sooner they get back to school and some proper routine, the better.
Mrs Royal popped by to see if we wanted a grass that she was digging up. I said I would get it later. The boys ate their lunch in silence and asked if they could get their cinema back but I said No.
We went round to the Royals. The boys played hide and seek after drinking the last of Mr Royals Ribena. We stayed for a cup of tea and a chat. I took some photos of the men working on their drive because Mrs Royal asked me to take some for her. I tried very hard not to look as if I was taking photos of the man with no top on!! Smallest practised his cycling on their drive and lawn. He can do it now but he can't stop and start, we will keep working on it.
Building a dry stone wall
Smallest working his way through some melon
Swing Seat and two quiet boys
We cycled/scooted to the library and the boys coloured in, chose some new books, got their stickers..........
Smallest colouring in
Small reading a new book
..........and then we went to the park.
Wheeeeee
Who's higher now?
C'mon Smallest, come down
We cycled/scooted home ..........................
Smallest got off his scooter, lay on the grass and said "I just can't do anymore!". I gave him a drink of water and he jumped up and off he went.
I made a start on dinner while the boys got Disney Monopoly out. We played. I lost. The game is still going on - maybe it will be finished tomorrow.
Huffle came home and we had dinner. Smallest showed Huffle his new cycling skills and made him run up and down the road after him. Small and I played basketball and then everyone stopped for football. We were driven inside by the mosquitoes whizzing through past our ears.
The boys watched some TV (not wrestling) and Huffle read them bedtime stories while I escaped to the sanctity of the loft and did a bit of sewing. I feel chilled now. Radio, fan, cotton and wool all around me. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
I tucked the boys in and came down to find Huffle fighting with the TV. Small dropped the remote earlier and now it doesn't work. Huffle to the rescuuuuuuuueeeeeeeeeee.
Please don't use my photos without asking first. Posted with Blogsy
