It has been super hot here so to get out of the heat and because the film looked good we went to the cinema today to see Toy Story 5. The film was really good and was emotional at times, but well worth a watch.
Today was the TNC Summer party. We had 2 hours of private access at the Roxy Ballroom, where you could bowl, play pool, etc and then there was food and free drink. We then went to the Forum Cafe & Bar where we had the outdoor area. There was burgers which were nice and they also had an ice cream truck which I went back for 2nds and 3rds to.
Grandma and I went to Kilworth House Theatre to see Anything Goes. I had no clue what it was about before going, but it was all set on a ship and was a fantastic performance!
Happy Fathers Day! Ethan got me the Shrek Lego Brickheadz which look really cool and I am looking forward to building them.
Rachel took part in the Loros Glow and Glitter Walk this evening. Ethan, Joy and I went to meet her and her colleagues from the school at the finish line. She raised a lot of money and we are really proud of her.
This evening we went to my Parents to have a games night with my Sister and Thomas. Mum and Dad cooked everyone fajitas and then we played on Mario Kart on the Switch, then played One Night Ultimate Werewolf, which is great fun with loads of people. We had a great night and the weather was lovely so we could also just spend some time in the garden together.
We were planning on going for a local bike ride this morning, but decided to look at where else we could go and decided to go to Hicks Lodge in Swadlincote. We went on the Shell Brook trail which was 5.5 miles down hill and through the forest which was great fun. We then had a play on the park before heading to McDonalds on the way home for some lunch.
For my Dads birthday I decided to organise a night out together. We went to KFC for some food which was lovely and then we went to Roller World Derby for a Hip Hop night. We got there at 7am when it started. We had a great few hours skating, there was quite a few people there but not overly packed which was good. We skating until 9:30 and then drove home. Had a great evening with my Dad.
I got Dad tickets to the The Pixel Bunker for Christmas and today we managed to organise going. We set off nice and early as we were booked in for the 10am - 1pm session. We had a great 3 hours, completing both the TMHT game as well as Time Crisis. We had some races against each other on some driving games and also played on the pinball machines. After we went to McDonalds for some lunch and then to the Lego shop to have a look around before heading home.
It was a lovely day out today, so we decided to go and do 9 holes of Pitch and Putt at Blaby Golf Centre. We are not that great at it, we didn't really keep score so no clue who won, but we had a great time.
I got offered the position of Staff Engineer at Learning Pool today. Really excited about the opportunity!
Today Ethan and I went to my parents to spend the day with them and Thomas. We played on the Switch, Lego and some board games. We had a great day.
Its Joys actual birthday today, so we took her bowling this morning at Hollywood bowl for 1 game and then we took her to Costa for a coffee and some lunch.
Today we went to Claires for a garden party to celebrate Joys birthday, all her friends came round to see her. Ethan and I built some Lego and ate some food before heading home.
Tonight Mum, Dad and I went to see Here and Now, which is the Steps musical. It was at the Curve in Leicester, so we went for a Nandos first and then walked across town to the Curve. The musical was great, playing all of the classic Steps songs. The cast had great voices and at the end, everyone was stood up singing. We had such a great night.
Today Dad, Ethan, Thomas and I went to Laser Quest. We had 2 games, the first one was everyone for themselves in which I won, which was great. The next game was a team game, with Ethan and I being on the same team and Thomas and Dad being on the other team. Ethan and I split up for most of the game and ended up winning. On the way home we went and got a McDonalds and ate that at my parents.
Rachel and I have been married 12 years now. We went to Wildwood for dinner and had a really nice evening and the food was lovely.
Ethan and I went to see the new Mario film today, we got in one of the bug screens at Vue, we thought it was really good.
This morning we went up early, packing everything away and loading the car up. Once that was done Ethan and I went swimming while Rachel took the car back to the carpark. We then had some lunch at Starbucks. Ethan and I then went on a nice bike ride going over all the bumps we could find and through the forest and around the lakes. We then had Family Karting booked which was great fun as we could all go on, we did time trials and just pedalled around. We started heading home about 4pm, got home at 6pm and had a Dominos pizza as we couldn't be bothered to cook.
Apr
02
This morning Ethan and started off the day with a swim followed by some lunch at Starbucks. We then went for a bike ride and went around the lake. We then went Roller Skating in the Sports Plaza, I had forgotten my skates, but the hired ones were ok and we all had great fun. After getting hot skating Ethan and I had an ice cream and a sit down. In the evening we went to Cafe Rouge for dinner and Rachel and I had the pie.
Apr
01
This morning Ethan and had Tree Trekking, which we really enjoy to do. Afterwards we went Starbucks for lunch and a donut. We then went swimming before heading back to the lodge for a rest. We then went out on the bikes trying to find jumps and hills to ride over, we found some and had a great time. In the evening we went to Bella Italia and I had a pizza.
Mar
31
This morning Rachel and Ethan went pottery painting and then we went t Starbucks for some lunch. Ethan and I then went swimming and then headed to the Sports Plaza to do some Curling which wasn't on ice, but it was really good fun. We then went for a bike ride before going for dinner at Hucks where I had the fajitas.
This morning we loaded up both cars and headed off to Center Parcs Elveden Forest, it tooks us a few hours to get there and we stopped for a Starbucks and some lunch on the way. We got there about 2pm and they let us go straight to the lodge with the car as we were so close to the carpark. We unloaded the car and then Ethan and I had a ride and then went to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise. It was great to be back in the pool going on the slides, rapids and the waves. We then had a ride back to the lodge and headed to Las Iguanas for dinner, which was lovely.
Happy Valentines Day. We all went out this morning to Congo River Crazy Golf in Blaby, it was quite quiet which was good as we could take our time on each hole. We then went for lunch and had a nice cake.
Dad and I have just come back from a week skiing in Nassfeld Austria. We stayed in the Franz Ferdinand Hotel which we had been to 8 years ago, in that time they have added a swimming pool which we made use of daily. We tried night skiing the first evening but the runs were just frozen slush, so we didn't go for a 2nd run. Over the week though we had great skiing with loads of snow which made some days like skiing off piste. Some days the visibility was really bad and we were skiing through feeling most of the time. We really liked the resort and would go back again.
Jan
25
The cars took a beating at the end of last season and needed some work. 3 of the batteries we originally bought had stopped working, so I ordered 2 new ones of a different make. We got new shells, new wheels and tyres and then replacement parts that had broken. Ethan and I went to my parents to spray the shells and Ethan did his himself which he wanted to look like Baymax and it turned out great.
It was Rachels uncles 70th birthday today and to celebrate they had booked an executive box at the Coventry Arena for the Coventry vs Leicester game. We got there at 10:30 and were shown to the box, we then had a 2 course dinner which was really good. We then sat outside and watched the game and Coventry won 2-1 which was great for them as both Howard and Robert support them.
It was Thomas 9th birthday party at Laser Quest today. We had never been to this one and it was really great. We played 3 games, the 1st one was just the Warners and I won with over 400 points. In the 2nd game we were on with a group of kids which made it more fun as there were more people to score point with and I ended up winning with over 900 points. In the last game we played as teams which was great fun. In the afternoon we went to my sisters for cake and some games.
We met up with Sam today at Sunnyside Adventure Softplay. We had great fun in the 5 floor soft play, playing hide and seek and just having fun. Sam and I managed to sit down and have a tea and a chat too.
Happy New Year! Today we drove down to Milton Keynes to go to the Lego store as new sets are being released today. When we got there we tried to join the queue but were told to come back at 11. By the time 11 came the queue was massive and we ended up queuing for 2 hours to get into the shop. They had lots of stock though and we managed to get everything we wanted. We had a drink, some lunch and looked around some other shops before driving home.
Today we went to Rebound Inflatable Park in Ashby-de-la-Zouch. It was busier than the last time we went, but we got on everything and were exhausted by the end of it.
Dec
29
Today Ethan and I went to Swadlincote Snowsports Centre with Sam, Thomas and Jenson. We started off with snow tubing which was a lot of fun and then we went on the toboggan. The first kart I had, number 20 did not want to go round the course properly, Sam had it on the 2nd go and he came off it! We had a great time though. On the way home we all went McDonalds for lunch and to warm up.
Happy Christmas! We started the day at 6:30am for stockings, before heading downstairs to open presents. We had Joy, my Parents and Richard for lunch and so we had setup a table in the garage so we could fit everyone in. We had a lovely day eating mainly, opening presents and playing games. I got some new Lego sets which I am looking forward to building.
It was the Pepper family yearly afternoon tea today. We went to Coombe Abbey and we all had the Kights tea, which had mini burgers, fish and chips and lots of cakes, etc. We had a great time and it was lovely to see everyone.
For my birthday Rachel got us tickets to see Whitney Houston at Leicester Cathedral, but due to bad weather it was cancelled. The rearranged date was tonight, so we went into town and had a Zizzis before heading to the concert. The singer was great and sang all of her hits, we were sat behind the stage so we could only see the band but they were really into it and great to watch.
Ethan wrote his letter to Santa and then we scooted to the post box in the village to post it in time for Christmas.
Today I was in Sheffield for the company assembly day. After that I got checked in to the hotel and got ready and Christmas party. We walked to the venue which was The Hide, which is like an old building with a cafe and the front and a space at the back. It was a good night, there wasn't as much food as last year but it was still nice. I had a great chat with the team and then spent some time with the HR team.
For Ethans birthday he wanted to go to the cinema and see Zootopia 2. We went to the Showcase in Coventry, which had some amazing Lazyboy style seats. The film was great! Afterwards we went to Costa for some lunch.
This evening I took my Grandma to see A Holly Dolly Christmas at Kilworth House. It was a black tie event, so I got my tux on and Granma got a new black dress which she looked lovely in. The food was really nice and we were stuffed afterwards. Dolly was a great singer and really engaged with the audience. Overall it was a fantastic evening.
Dad and I went to Roller World this evening for an 80s and 90s evening. On the way we stopped off for dinner at KFC, which was very nice. The skating was great, not too busy and the music was good. We didn't stay too late but we didn't stop skating from when we got there.
Ethan is 10 today! He got to open his presents from us in the morning before he had to go school. When he got home he started building one of his Lego sets until I had finished work. We then went over to Nanas house and ordered a Dominos which was what he wanted for his birthday dinner. Ruban and Dylan came round and we played 4 player Mario Kart which was great fun.
Dad, Ethan, Thomas and I went to Ninja Warrior today. We had great fun trying to get across all of the courses and then we spent quite a bit of time in the inflatable area playing hide and seek.
Today we went to Rebound Inflatable Park in Ashby-de-la-Zouch. We had great fun having races through a course of obstacles, sliding down the slides, climbing up walls and trying not to get knocked off by the rotating machine. We were there for an hour and were worn out after it.
We went out for dinner this evening with my parents and Grandma to Las Iguanas for a late birthday meal. It was great to see them and we had a really nice meal.
It is my 42nd birthday today. I had to work which was a bit of a shame, but in the evening I went to my mother in-laws for cake and then Rachel and I went out for a nice meal at Zizzis. I got lots of lovely cards, Lego and some money.
Ethan and I went with Scott and his wife to the Leicester Brick Festival today. We were expecting to see a lot of models that people had made, but it was 90% people selling Lego. It was good to have a look at some of the older sets, but that ended quite quickly. We spent less than an hour there which was disappointing.
Ethan and I tried a new Clip N Climb today in Northampton. When we arrived we were a bit surprised as it was in a shopping centre. There was quite a few new walls that we hadn't been on before and the session was really quiet so we got to go on everything more than once. We had a great time and would go back again.
Grandma Hayman was 80 today, so we went to the Golf Club to celebrate. We had a nice meal and spent some time with Grandma, ending the night with some cake which was nice.
It was Ethans first day in year 5 today.
Tonight Grandma and I went to see Grease at Kilworth House theatre. We got there early so we could have a picnic on the grounds. Granma had made egg cobs for us and some scones, I bought the drinks and tea. The show was amazing, great singing and dancing, we both had such a great time.
We had 2 new starters today at work, so I organised a night out for the Lovelace squad. We went to Golf Fang in Sheffield. The place was great, the themed rooms for each hole were great, the holes were not too difficult but were great fun. I came first out of our team which I was pleased about. We then decided to stay for food and I had a great fried chicken burger.
Ethan and I went to Cliff Lakes this afternoon as it was so warm to go on their inflatables. We got 80 mins on the lake and we had such a great time going over all the obstacles and sliding into the lake. We were quite worn out after 80 mins though.
Aug
03
After the cars took a beating in our first season racing, they needed a lot of work doing to them. I made a large order from BattCave and Kamtec, with all the parts that we had broken, new shells, paint and a few sets of wheels. I took the shells to my parents and sprayed them in the homemade spray booth. Ethans turned out amazing being all black.
Jul
24
It was our last day, so this morning we quickly packed before heading to Epcot, we managed to get on The Seas with Nemo & Friends and then took some photos, before heading back to the hotel and getting a tax to the airport. Ethan and I had a Burger King and then we had a direct flight back to Heathrow airport. We landed about 5am and then I drove home. What an amazing holiday!
Jul
23
It was a Magic Kingdom day today, we started off with photos at Meet Daring Disney Pals as Circus Stars at Pete's Silly Side Show, then went on Dumbo the Flying Elephant and Prince Charming Regal Carrousel. We stopped for lunch and a drink before I went on Tianas Bayou Adventure. We all then went on Walt Disneys Carousel of Progress and Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin. We headed back to the hotel and went to Disneys Port Orleans Resort - Riverside Arcade, which were free at the time because of the lightning. For dinner we went to Blaze Pizza at Disney springs before heading back to the hotel for a swim.
Jul
22
I was up and out at 7am to get to Epcot and was inline for the rope drop so I could go on Test Track presented by General Motors on its opening day, the ride was great, worth getting up early for. We then went on Spaceship Earth, Soarin Around the World and Living with the Land before heading for lunch and to get out of the sun for a bit. We then went back to the hotel and rented a Surrey Bike and had a ride round both hotels. For dinner we went D-Luxe Burger at Disney springs, then went back to the hotel and went swimming at Disneys Port Orleans Resort - Riverside. In the evening we sat down outside for Movies Under the Stars Camp Rock 2.
Jul
21
Back at Hollywood studios today, we had another go on Mickey & Minnies Runaway Railway before getting some photos at Meet Disney Stars at Red Carpet Dreams. We had lunch and a drink before a photo with BB-8 Astromech on Duty. We then watched the For the First Time In Forever A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, which was great. We then headed over to Animal Kingdom and I went on Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain and then Kali River Rapids. We then went back to the hotel for a swim before heading to Blaze Pizza in Disney springs for dinner.
Jul
20
We made an early start for Magic kingdom this morning. We started off with a photo at Meet Mickey at Town Square Theater, went then went on its a small world before stopping early for some lunch and a cold drink. We then went on the Jungle Cruise and then as the queue was short I went on TRON Lightcycle. As I met up with Ethan and Rachel again we see that people we queuing to meet Stitch, so we did that. We then headed back to the hotel and went for a swim to cool off. For dinner we went to D-Luxe Burger at Disney springs. We then decided to go back to Magic Kingdom, we started with the The Haunted Mansion, then Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin before watching the Happily Ever After show.
Jul
19
Today Ethan and I went to Disneys Blizzard Beach Water Park for the day, we enjoyed sliding on the mats. In the evening we went to Disney Springs and had Blaze pizza for dinner and then Everglazed Donuts for dessert.
Jul
18
It was Hollywood Studios today, we started off with a photo at Meet Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight, we then went on Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run as Ethan and I had been on before and really enjoyed it. We then went on Toy Story Mania! We stopped and had some lunch. We had a look round the shops before heading back to the hotel for a swim. In the evening we went back to Hollywood Studios, I went on the The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and then we had dinner in the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, which is where you sit in a 1950s car, have dinner while they play black and white sci-fi movie clips. I then went on Star Wars Rise of the Resistance, which was fantastic. It then started to rain and thunder so we headed back to the hotel.
Jul
17
Today we went to Epcot and started the day with some photos at Meet Beloved Disney Pals at Mickey & Friends. We then went on The Seas with Nemo & Friends before having some lunch. We then went on Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros as the queue is always short and we really like it. We then headed back to the hotel for a rest and a swim. For dinner we headed to Disney springs and we back to Blaze pizza.
Jul
16
After a late night yesterday, we decided to have an easier day at Animal kingdom today. We started with the Kilimanjaro Safari and then we went on the Navi River Journey as Rachel had been on it before and said it was good, we then went on Avatar Flight of Passage after many people recommended it, but we didn't enjoy it as much. We then went back to the hotel and headed to Disney springs for dinner at Blaze Pizza. We then had a look round the shops before heading back to the hotel for some late night swimming.
Jul
15
Today we went to Magic kingdom, first to Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin and then onto Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover, we then had a photo taken in Adventureland before going on the Pirates of the Caribbean. We then had a cold drink and some food for lunch before going back on Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin, we then went on Tomorrowland Speedway. We then headed back to the hotel and had dinner in the Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory. Ethan and I went to H2O Glow After Hours at Disneys Typhoon Lagoon which went on until 11pm, the queues were small and we had an amazing time.
Jul
14
We tried a different park today and went to Hollywood Studios. We went straight to Toy Story Mania! which is soo much fun. We then went on 1 of Ethans favourites Mickey & Minnies Runaway Railway. We then had lunch and a cold drink before going to watch the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! show, which was great. We then headed back to the hotel to go for a swim. We went back to Hollywood Studios for dinner at Backlot Express. The queues were shorter in the evening, so we went on Star Tours The Adventures Continue and then Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run and even Mickey & Minnies Runaway Railway before heading to watch the Fantasmic! show.
Jul
13
Today we headed to Magic Kingdom. We started the day with 1 of our favourite Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin. We then went on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover and then onto the Tomorrowland Speedway. We then went on Under the Sea Journey of the Little Mermaid and then its a small world. We got out of the sun for a bit and had a cold drink and some lunch. The queues were getting long at this point so we headed back to the hotel and went for a swim before heading to Disney Springs and having dinner at Terralina Crafted Italian followed by dessert at Everglazed Donuts.
Jul
12
Today we went back to Epcot and started the day with Spaceship Earth and then headed to Remys Ratatouille Adventure followed by Frozen Ever After. We then went for a cold drink and some lunch. I had seen that the queue for Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind had dropped to a reasonable level so I joined the queue and went on that, the ride was really good. We then headed back to the hotel and went for a swim, then had dinner at gSassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory. We then headed back to Epcot in the evening for the Luminous The Symphony of Us show.
Jul
11
We got up quite early given the long day we had yesterday, we had breakfast in the hotel before catching the bus to Epcot. We first went on Soarin Around the World, then onto Living with the Land. We then went for a cold drink and some lunch before heading to Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros and then took Rachel on Journey into Imagination with Figment as she hadn't been on that before. We then headed back to the hotel for a swim in the great pool. For dinner we went to Blaze Pizza at Disney Springs by boat and then had an earlyish night.
Today we started our Disney World Florida holiday by driving to Heathrow, we go stuck in traffic though and only just made it there with enough time to checkin and have a Starbucks. We then boarded a flight to New York. When we landed we got a McDonalds, then went to our gate, but the flight ended up being delayed for 5 hours. We finally got on the flight to Orlando at nearly midnight, once we landed we got a taxi to Disneys Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter and got to bed just after 4am, we were up nearly 29 hours in total.
Tonight I went to see 42nd Street with my Grandma at Kilworth House Theatre. We had such a great evening, the show was really good and was amazing what they did with a smallish cast.
Its fathers day today, Ethan got me some really cool Lego plants for my office. We then went to Go Ape at Coombe Abbey for Treetop Adventure Plus. Ethan and I had a great time, it was great being in the trees. We then went to Costa for lunch and in the afternoon we played Minecraft.
Dad, Ethan, Thomas and I went skating today at Midlands Roller Arena. It had been a while since I had been on my skates, but I had a great time skating around with Ethan. He has really improved and can now go round on his own without needing to hold onto me. After skating we had dinner at McDonalds.
We packed the cases this morning before heading for breakfast. We then went into the park and went on Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, then Le Pays des Contes de Fees before having a walk round La Cabane des Robinson. We then queued up for photos with Donald Duck. We had lunch at Starbucks before heading back into the park and going on Cars Road Trip. We then headed back to the hotel and picked up our cases and caught the Disney bus back to the airport. We had a McDonalds before going through to departures. Our flight was at 10pm and we ended up getting back home just after midnight.
May
29
This morning we had breakfast at the hotel before heading into the park. We then went on Star Tours: The Adventures Continue which was quite good as we didn't know what to expect. We then went on Le Carrousel de Lancelot before heading to Starbucks for lunch. We then reserved a slot for the photos with Stitch, in which he looked really cool dressed up as Elvis. We had an afternoon drink in the hotel and then photos with Goofy. Ethan and I then went for a swim before having dinner back at Hunters Grill. I then went off on my own to go on Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril, before meeting back up with everyone to go on Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast. We then stayed and watched Disney Tales of Magic show.
May
28
It is Rachels 40th Birthday today. We had breakfast at the hotel before heading into the park. We went straight for Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast before heading on Le Pays des Contes de Fees. We then went for lunch at Starbucks, had a look round the shops and then went to the hotel for an afternoon drink and had some photos with Mini Mouse. Ethan and I went swimming. We then headed back into the park for dinner at PYM Kitchen, which served lots of cool food. We then went on Ratatouille and then I went on Avengers Assemble: Flight Force and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror before we headed back to the hotel for a drink before bed.
May
27
This morning we had breakfast at the hotel before heading into the park. We went on Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure first as we really enjoyed it last time. We then to watch the new show, Alice & the Queen of Hearts: Back to Wonderland and it was great, they had fire, trampolines and bikes. We then had some Marvel photos taken before heading for lunch at Starbucks. In the afternoon we went on Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast before heading back to the hotel and had photos with Mickey Mouse and then had an afternoon drink and some food in the Compass Lounge. Ethan and I then went swimming before heading out for dinner at Hunters Grill. We then went in the park and Joy and I went on Pirates of the Caribbean before watching the Disney Tales of Magic show.
May
26
We were up at 3am this morning, drove to Birmingham airport for 5am. We then had breakfast in Starbucks before getting on a flight to Paris. Once we walked half way across the airport we got to the bus terminal and got on the Disney bus to take us to the Disney Newport Bay Club. We had upgraded to the Compass Club, so we had private check-in which went nice a quickly. We then headed to Starbucks for some lunch and a drink. The first ride Ethan wanted to go on was Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, which is our favourite ride. We then went on Autopia followed by its a small world. We then headed back o the hotel for an afternoon drink and some food in the Compass Lounge. In the evening we went to Hunters Grill for dinner and then had a look round the shops before heading back to the hotel and went bed after a long day.
It is Rachels 40th on Wednesday so her Auntie and Uncle had everyone over for a family lunch. It was great to see everyone, chat and eat some good food. We then went for a walk, went to a park and then had an ice cream.
Today Dad, Ethan, Thomas and I had a little trip out. We went to McDonalds for lunch and then went to Clip N Climb in Derby. The session was really full, so you had to wait to get on certain walls, but it was really good fun.
Both Claire and Tom are 40 and to celebrate they threw a birthday party at Ashorne Hill. We had a great evening eating food, catching up and paying on the Nintendo Switch.
Apr
25
We spent the morning packing up and then loading the car. Ethan and I went to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise for a few hours. We then went Starbucks for lunch. In the afternoon we did Family Ball Wall which is great and then Short Tennis which we were not the best at. Before we left we went to Dexters Kitchen for dinner. The drive home was quicker and only took 3 hours.
Apr
24
It was an early start again this morning, with our first activity being Family Karts, we had a time trial and I was 1 second off the lap record. We then went for lunch at Starbucks followed by a Scooter Ride and a trip to the park. Ethan and I then went to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise and then we all went to Café Rouge for dinner.
Apr
23
We were out early this morning for Boogie Bounce, which was doing dancing and trampolining at the same time, it was very hard work but good fun. We then went to Starbucks for lunch. Ethan and I then went on a Scooter Ride and to the Park before heading to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise until we had to leave to get to Hucks for dinner.
Apr
22
This morning Ethan an I went Aerial Tree Trekking which was great fun, then off to Subtropical Swimming Paradise for a few hours, going on the Canyon Ride many, many times. We then went to Starbucks for lunch. In the afternoon we played Pickleball as a family and then to The Lakeside Inn for a roast dinner.
This morning we had a 6 hour drive to Whinfell Forest Center Parcs, it should have took 3 hours but because it was a bank holiday there was a lot of traffic on the road and also lots of roadworks. We stopped what should have been half way for a KFC which was lovely. When we finally got there it was 4pm and Ethan and I went straight to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise for a few hours. When we got out we helped unpack before heading to Bella Italia for a lovely meal.
We decided to give a really large track a go this evening, leaving at 3:30 in the afternoon to get to Stafford Radio Controlled Model Car Club by 5:30, so we could have some food before racing started at 6:15. The track was huge and I got to try out my 23 pinion gear which gave it a lot of speed on the main straight. Ethan and I had a great evening. I also got the highest score out of everyone in bowling with 142 points.
We decided to have an evening out with everyone in the Tech team this evening. We went to Lane7 Sheffield for Pool, Bowling and then Burgers at Fat Hippo inside the venue. It was a great evening getting to talk to people face to face and with people I don't get to speak to much.
Apr
14
As Ethan is on half term we decided to try the Leamington Radio Controlled Car Club this evening, it is now in Coventry just off the M69 so it only took us about 20 mins to get there. The track is longer but not as deep as our normal track. We had good fun racing with some new people.
It has been 11 years since Rachel and I got married. We went to the Old Bulls Head Woodhouse Eaves for dinner to celebrate and had a lovely meal.
We havent had the old shells long, but we have crashed a lot learning to drive these cars. I got both Ethan and I new shells and new front bumpers. Ethan went for half grey and half green which turned out looking really good and I went for spearmint green which is nice and bright.
My old bike that Rachel got me 15 years ago has broken and I still want to be able to go out for bike rides with Ethan. I had been looking round at different bikes and I really liked the Scott Aspect 950, I found it at a good price and ordered it online. It arrived today, Ethan and I built it and it looks great. I went on a little ride on it and it is very smooth.
This evening was the Huncote Vipers Model Car Clubs 35th birthday this evening. We tried an easier track and we had 18 racers which is a lot more than normal. We still had a great night with vouchers being given away to winners and there was also cakes which were lovely.
Ethan and I gave Leicester Electric Car Club another go this evening as we heard it was going to be quiet. The track was fun and they put us in our own race with Scott. We had some great fun and it was some good close racing.
Scott mentioned trying a different venue, so we decided to give Hinckley Radio Control Car Club a go. The track was really large and the people were really friendly. The 6 hours we were there went by really quickly but we had such a great time.
Ethan and I have been going to the Huncote Vipers Model Car Club for a few weeks now and are really enjoying it. Tonight they were taking some photos ready for their 35 year birthday.
Tonight was the 1st race night for Ethan and I with our Minis. We got there early and helped setup, then got our cars ready. We had 5 races during the night with 4 Minis in each race. On the 1st race the rear wheel fell off on lap 6 and I couldn't get it fixed in time. In the next 2 races the car was really quick and I won both races. In the 1st final I won again which was great and finished 2nd in the 2nd final. It was a really great evening.
Today Ethan and I went to my parents house to spray the shells. My Dad had made a spray booth out of some cardboard boxes and a hover. We all had a go at spraying the shells, Ethan went for neon green and I went for neon blue. They both turned out great, with the spray booth working really well.
Now we have all the parts for the RC Minis, Ethan and I spent some time assembling them and then cutting the shells to fit. A member of the RC Club, Dave offered to do the soldering for us, which he made a great job of and then another member Roy offered to set the car up for us, which was very kind of both of them.
It has been a long time since Rachel and I went out on our own, so this evening Rachel booked Wildwood in Hinckley and we went out for a meal together. The food was lovely and we had a nice few hours together, while Ethan went to his Nanas and had Dominoes pizza.
Feb
11
Ethan had wanted to get into RC racing and we went to a few local clubs to see what cars people were running and how it all worked. The club at Huncote was really friendly and they have lots of people running Minis, we spoke to a few people about them and they recommended a company called BattCave. The owner Shaun kindly gave me a call and let me know everything I would need to buy to get racing. I ended up ordering 2 of the following, 1 for me and 1 for Ethan, BattCave JOK3R-R Competition Mini Racer Kit, Phat Bodies M.A.D. MINI Bodyshell, Surpass Rocket Supersonic 25.5t Brushless motor, Rocket RC ESC, Futaba 3PV transmitter, Core-RC 2S Lipo Battery and a SkyRC T100 charger. I also got some paint, accessories, carry case, etc
Dad and I have been skiing in Tignes France. It was a really nice resort with lots of pistes to ski. The apartment was lovely, it had its own swimming pool and the building we were staying in was ski in and ski out which was great for getting on the slopes quickly in the morning. We managed to ski from 1 side of the map to the top of the other in a day which was good fun, but was about 90km of skiing. We lost 1 day skiing at the start of the holiday as there was a landslide on the road between the airport and the resort which meant they cancelled out flight, when we did get out there we were on the coach for over 5 hours to get to the resort.
Jan
11
Today Ethan and I went to Swadlincote Snowsports Centre with my Dad, Sam, Thomas and Jenson. We started off with a 30 min Sno-Tubing session which was really good fun, walking back up the hill with the tube was hard work though! We then had 3 laps on the Toboggan track, the 1st go we all took it easy, but by the last one we were flying round. We had a great time and it was really good value.
It snowed last night, so Ethan and I got out there early this morning before it all melted away and had some fun in the snow.
It was Faiths 4th birthday party today, which had a princess themed bouncy castle and some craft activities. We got to have a go on the bouncy castle when the kids were eating which was fun.
Today we went to Leicester for the day, starting off with Treetop Golf for 1 round which Ethan won. We then went an had a look around the shops before going to Costa for lunch. In the afternoon we went to ReRoll Board Game Café, where we tried out some new games and each had a wonderful hot chocolate.
Today we spent the day at my Parents house with my Parents and both my Grandmas. We had a nice lunch and then played games for the rest of the afternoon.
Happy Christmas. We were up at 6am to open out stockings and then went downstairs for Ethan to open his gifts. My parents came over and then we went to Joys for lunch and for the rest of the day. I got some new Lego sets which I am excited to build.
I went to Sheffield today for the TNC company assembly, which involved different sessions throughout the day and then team building activities at the end of the day. In the evening we had a company party with food, music and bingo!
Nov
30
Today we went to Coombe Abbey Hotel for afternoon tea with Howard and Rosie, it was our Christmas Gift to us from last year. The place is lovely, I went for the hot version which was very nice with lots of fresh tea on hand to wash it down with. We had a great afternoon with everyone.
Ethan is 9 today! He was up really early to open his presents from Rachel and I, he had some time to play with them before he had to go school. When he was back, Nana came over and he opened more presents and then we played some games. We had a Dominos pizza for dinner followed by a slice of birthday cake.
Nov
24
This morning we had a nice breakfast in the hotel, then played some foosball before getting in the car and driving to Watford to go to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter. We had lunch at Starbucks which was great with all the music playing in the background. We then spent the next 3 hours going round the tour, which has more things than when Rachel and I went 10 years ago. On the way home we stopped at the services and had a KFC before going home.
Nov
23
Early this morning we drove to Milton Keynes, parked and checked into the Moxy Hotel. Ethan and I went to The Pixel Bunker, which is a retro arcade where all of the machines are on free to play. We had a 3 hour session where we got to play on lots of old games, the one we both really liked was Time Crisis II, we used a lot of continues but managed to complete the game. We then went for a look round the shops in MK1 before heading to Starbucks for lunch. We then went to Volcano Falls Adventure Golf for 2 rounds of crazy golf. On the 1st course I did really well, but on the 2nd all my luck ran out. We then went back to the hotel for a bit before going to Zizzis for dinner which was very nice.
On Bonfire eventing we went round to a neighbours and had a few fireworks and then this evening we went to Joys for hot dogs and then had some sparklers in the garden.
For our last day we loaded up the car and then went swimming and for a change Starbucks for lunch. In the afternoon we went on the Adventure Golf course, which is on its own island which is great. We then got in the car and headed home.
Ethan and I were up early to go Aerial Tree Trekking, followed by swimming and then Starbucks for lunch. In the afternoon we did the Family Ball Wall, which was so much fun and great exercise. As it was Sunday in the evening we went to the Foresters Inn for a roast dinner and a great chocolate cake for dessert.
Oct
19
This morning Ethan and I got up and went for a scooter ride and then swimming, followed by a Starbucks for lunch and then we went to Family Karts, which was so much fun having the track to ourselves and getting to have races, soo much fun. We then went Halloween Pottery Painting and to Hucks for dinner.
This morning we loaded the car to get to Elveden Center Parcs, someone had smashed into Rachels car a few days before so we had to fit 4 people and all of the luggage into my Mini, which was a very tight squeeze. We stopped on the way to have a Starbucks for lunch at the services. When we got there Ethan and I went straight swimming, then walked to the lodge to help unload the car before heading to Las Iguanas for a lovely dinner.
We have had our Samsung phones for about 5 years now and we were looking to get new ones. I had looked at the S24 but for the price I could go Apple, so we took the plunge and Rachel and I got an iPhone 16 Pro each and an Apple Watch 10 each, I went for the 46mm and Rachel went for the 42mm. So far they are nice, the camera is lovely on the phone.
41 today! I had to work for the first time in a while on my Birthday. I got some lovely gifts and some funny cards which I opened in the morning. Then once I had done work we ordered Dominos and played some games.
This weekend was Bens stag do. We stayed in Orchard Cottage, Caernarfon. The place was huge with 9 bedrooms, 2 hot tubs and a games room. I left just after 3pm and it took 4.5 hours to drive there. Once everyone else had arrived, we had Dominos pizza, a dip in the hot tub and then to bed. We were up early in the morning for breakfast before heading to Snowdon. We took the Llanberis Path, it was quite steep in places, but we made good time getting up, near the top it got very moist in the air as we got into the clouds and couldn't see anything. James and I queued up to get right to the top and have a photo, then we went in for a hot dog and a cup of tea to warm up. Walking down was a bit easier and also the weather had brightened up too, so we ended up having an ice cream at the bottom. In the evening we played games, had fajitas and went in the hot tub. On the Sunday we went to Zip World Quarry Karts in the morning which was great fun and then Zip World Underground Golf in the afternoon. Then it was a 3.5 hour drive home.
We took a trip to Hollywood Bowl Leicester today to have a game of bowling. We got put in the VIP area which was great. After bowling we went and had a game of air hockey.
When I left CitNow Group, the Vehicle Vison staff got me 4 tickets to go to Legoland for the day which was such ana amazing gift. Today we used these tickets, getting to Legoland at around 10am. We went on Laser Raiders which we all liked, then went on Lego Ninjargo The Ride which is such a great ride. We then headed back up to the top for an early lunch. In the afternoon we went in the Ferrari Build & Race area, Ethan built a car and had good fun testing it out. We then went on Sky Rider followed by a Ben and Jerrys ice cream. We then went on the Fairy Tale Brook ride and then Ethan went on the Castaway Camp play area. We ended the day watching a show at the Heartlake Harbour Arena before heading to the Lego Shop on the way out.
This morning we drove down to Windsor and headed to Legoland Adventure Golf first. There were 4 different courses indoor and we went on the Lego City course which was great fun. We then went and checked in at the Radisson RED Hotel London Heathrow, the room was super cool with bunk beds that folder out of the wall. Ethan and I then went swimming in the hotel while Rachel and Joy went for a walk. In the evening we went to Zizzis for dinner and then went for a walk around Windsor.
It was our last day and we asked Ethan where he would like to go and he decided Epcot. We went on Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros, Journey into Imagination with Figment which was weird and then Spaceship Earth before heading to Starbucks for 1 last time. We did some shopping before heading back to the hotel, getting our cases and then starting the journey home. It was a magical holiday!
Jul
23
We went to Magic Kingdom today, started off with getting some photos at Meet Daring Disney Pals as Circus Stars at Pete's Silly Sideshow. We went on quite a few rides Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and Ethan got to Meet Stitch which he loved. It then started to rain so Rachel, Ethan and Joy went back to the hotel. I stayed and had some dinner. As soon as the rain stopped I manager to get on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train quite quickly and then I headed for Space Mountain. I met up with the others and we watched the fireworks before my slot came up on the Tron Lightcycle and then I headed back as the park was closing.
Jul
22
We took it easy today and we went to Disney Springs, did some shopping, went to the PhotoPass Studio and had lots of pictures taken, went to Starbucks, before going back to the hotel for a swim and some dinner.
Jul
21
This morning we went to Meet Mickey at Town Square Theater, then on the Jungle Cruise, Tomorrowland Speedway and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin where I finally managed to get the top score of 999999, taking a photo of it so that I got a sticker on the way out. We then tried the PeopleMover which was good for seeing the park. We then headed back to the hotel for dinner and a swim. IN the evening we watched the Electrical Water Pageant which comes by the hotel.
Jul
20
We went back to Epcot, which is becoming Ethans favourite. We started off on the Spaceship Earth ride which we all enjoy, followed by Soarin and then Living with the Land. In the afternoon we went on The Seas with Nemo & Friends and then Ethan and I had a walk round the Journey of Water. We then headed back to the hotel for a swim. Ethan and I then headed to Disney Springs to watch the Dreams That Soar Drone Show, which was really good.
Jul
19
At Hollywood Studios today, we went to the For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration which was great fun and then to the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! which has been closed every time we have been before. Once we had had lunch at Starbucks, I went on the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run using the single person queue as the others didn't want to go on it. We then went on the Toy Story Mania! ride which was great fun. We then went back to the hotel for a swim and got changed. Then went back to Hollywood Studios for the Fantasmic! show.
Jul
18
We went to Epcot. We are starting to get used to where things are now which enables us to go on more things in the day. We went to have photo with Mickey and Friends first thing, then on the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros which Ethan likes. We then went to Meet and Greet Anna and Elsa from Frozen before going on the Frozen Ever After ride. We headed back to the hotel for a swim and to get changed for the evening. For a treat we went to Chef Mickeys where we got to eat and have the characters walking around, we then caught the Monorail back to Epcot so we could watch the Luminous The Symphony of Us Show.
Jul
17
We went back to Magic Kingdom today. Starting the day off with the Liberty Square Riverboat, before having a look round the Swiss Family Treehouse. We had some lunch at Starbucks before going on the Tomorrowland Speedway and then the Jungle Cruise. We then headed back to the hotel for a swim and to get changed before heading back to the park in the evening. We went on Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin before watching the Happily Ever After Fireworks. We then found out it was late night in the park for certain hotels, in which ours was one of them. Rachel, Ethan and Joy went back to the hotel but I stayed and went on Pirates of the Caribbean and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad before heading back to the hotel via the boat at 11:30pm.
Ethan and I went to Typhoon Lagoon Water Park and Rachel and Joy went back to Animal Kingdom. We got there before it opened so we could be right at the front of the queue. We headed straight for Keelhaul Falls and were the first people on it, we then went on Mayday Falls, Gangplank Falls, Castaway Creek and the Storm Slides. We had some lunch and then into the Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool before another go round on the Castaway Creek, before going on Miss Adventure Falls and Crush n Gusher. We had a great day.
Jul
15
We tried Hollywood Studios today. Getting predictable now we went for a Starbucks to start the day off. We then went to Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy and then on Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway. We had a good luck around seeing what other rides there were. It was really hot so we kept going into the shops to cool off. We then headed back on the bus to our hotel for a swim and dinner.
Jul
14
Today was our first day at Epcot, we started the day off with a Starbucks before walking round exploring everything there is to see. We went on a few rides including Frozen Ever After and Remys Ratatouille Adventure.
Jul
13
Today we went to Animal Kingdom, going Starbucks which was becoming a daily attraction. We then went on the Wildlife Express Train, Kilimanjaro Safaris and then the Dinosaur ride. We then went back to the hotel for a swim and dinner.
Jul
12
This morning we went back to Magic Kingdom, I had booked us on the Tianas Bayou Adventure ride, but only Rachel would go on with me. We then went to the Enchanted Tales with Belle before having lunch at Starbucks. In the afternoon we went on Under the Sea Journey of The Little Mermaid, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, Tomorrowland Speedway and another go on Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin.
Jul
11
Even though I had been up for over 24 hours the day before I was up really early this morning as I was really excited. Ethan and I got dressed and went down to get some breakfast, after that it started to rain a little so we decided to go to Disney Springs for a look around the shops. We had lunch at Starbucks before heading back to the hotel for a swim. We then caught the boat from the hotels dock to take us the 5 min journey to Magic Kingdom. We went on Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin, Its a Small World, Tomorrowland Speedway and a trip on the Walt Disney World Railroad before heading back to the hotel for some dinner and an early night.
This morning we started out on a 14 day holiday to Disney World in Florida. We managed to get 4 big suitcases in Rachels car, although it was very tight in the back. We then drove to Heathrow Airport and dropped off the car. We got checked in and had some food in the airport before getting on our Virgin Atlantic plane, which was very nice. After a long 10 hour flight with no sleep we arrived in Florida, we were 1 of the last people to get through customs which took ages before collecting our cases and getting a taxi to take us to the Disney Wilderness Lodge hotel. What an amazing hotel, walking into the lobby at night is breath taking.
We had our company summer party today. We had a presentation at a local cinema and then went to a rooftop party. It was good to see the team and get to chat about non work things.
Grandma and I went to the Kilworth House Theatre to watch Singing in the Rain. The show, singing, everything was amazing!
Happy fathers day. Ethan got me some really cool Mercedes Lego Speed Champions set, which came with 2 cars, so we each built one and got them done today. In the evening I went to see Bad Boys: Ride or Die with my Dad, it was a good film.
May
30
Today I started my new job as Head of Engineering at The National College.
Its Rachels birthday today. To celebrate we went bowling in the morning, then we went to Joys for cake. In the evening we to Zizzis for dinner.
I will be leaving VV (CitNOW) at the end of May and the team organised a leaving party for me. We went Axe Throwing at Caddyshackers, followed by pizza and chips. I had a great chocolate milkshake while I was there. I did really well at Axe throwing, it was great fun. The team got me a day pass to Lego Land for 4 people which I am really looking forward to.
Today we went bowling for Joys birthday. Ethan did really well and beat us all.
It was my Mums 60th birthday today and to celebrate we went to Whetstone Golf Club House. We had a nice meal and it was good to see everyone.
Rachel and I have been married 10 years today! We got each other a card and a little gift. I built my Lego camera which I will now have in my office.
Apr
06
After packing and checking out we went for breakfast at The Yew Tree Cafe, before heading back to Peasholm Park to go on the Boating Lake where Rachel and I had a workout going round the lake twice. We then caught an Opentop Bus to the South Bay where we went straight to Harbour Bar for an ice cream. We then went to Gillys Amusements to go on the 2p machines before Ethan and I went on South Bay Beach. We then went an looked round the RNLI Scarborough Lifeboat Station before going for dinner at The Anchor Fish & Chips. Once we were all full, we caught the opentop bus back to the hotel and drove home.
It is Claire and Lukes wedding today, so we left early and drove up to Scarborough. We went to where Claire was staying to get changed before heading to the registry office for the wedding. Once they were married everyone went to Peasholm Park for photos where we had a nice walk around and then Ethan and I had an ice cream. We checked into the Premier Inn had a little drink before heading back out to the Reception at The Plough, Scalby. The food was lovely and it was good to see family we hadnt seen in a while and catchup.
This morning we Packing the car before Ethan and I went Swimming. We then went for lunch at Starbucks. In the afternoon we did the Family Ball Wall, which was on a squash court and there was a projector on the wall that detected when balls had hit the wall so you could play games with balls, it was great fun. We then got in the cars and drove home.
Mar
24
Ethan and I started the day off with a Bike Ride before going Aerial Tree Trekking which was good fun. We then went Pottery Painting where Ethan painted a bowl to look like a water melon. For lunch we went to Starbucks and then Ethan and I went Swimming. We headed back to the lodge for a bit and then went for a Sunday roast at the Foresters Inn.
Mar
23
Today Ethan and I went for a Bike Ride and then we went Chocolate Egg Decorating which was great fun. After that we went to the Adventure Playground for a bit before heading to Starbucks for lunch. Ethan and I then went Swimming in the afternoon followed by Roller Skating which was a lot more busy than usual. In the evening we went to Hucks for dinner.
We were up early today to head off to Center Parcs Elveden Forest. We took both cars to fit everything in, but we had a nice easy drive. We had lunch on the way at Starbucks. When we arrived Ethan and I went swimming in the Subtropical Swimming Paradise. After that we took our bikes to the lodge and then unloaded the car into the lodge before heading our to Las Iguanas for dinner.
Feb
26
Dad and I have just spent 11 days skiing in Whistler, Canada. We stayed at The Listel Hotel, which was a nice place to be as it was only a few min walk to the main gondolas. We had 9 days in total skiing, we alternating between Blackcomb mountain and Whistler mountain. We enjoyed the Ridge Runner, Cloud Nine, Peak to Creak and Adagio Run and in the morning would try and get on these first while they were still good. After a long day skiing we would enjoy 30 mins in the hot tub at the hotel. In the evening we ate at Peaked Pies, Fat Tonys Pizza, Splitz Grill and La Cantina many times.
Happy valentines day! Rachel got me a Lego Mickey Mouse Brickheadz which I am looking forward to building.
This morning we went ice skating at Jubilee Square Ice Rink. It was really busy, but we all had a great time. Ethan was a bit wobbly at the start but got the hang of it by the end.
Happy Christmas. We had a lovely day seeing family and eating lots of food. I got a nice new coat, some Lego and some items for skiing.
We thought we would try somewhere different today, so we went for lunch at Pennbury Farm in Great Glen. I had a lovely sausage and egg cob and a hot chocolate. We will definitely be going back again.
We took Ethan to Woodlands Garden Centre so that he could meet Santa. We had a good look round before going to meet him and Ethan told him what he wanted for Christmas.
It is becoming a Christmas tradition for us to build the Cadbury house kit. So we got another one this year and Ethan built most of it on his own. We got some coloured icing so we could add some extra details to it.
It was Vehicle Visions Christmas party today. We all met in town at Frankie and Bennys and had some lunch. We then went to Lane 7 for a game of bowling, where I won. We then played pool which was good and i won 2 out of the 3 games which made it better. We then went for a drink at Juuice Bar, the cocktail I had as lovely. To finish off the day we went for dinner at Crafty burger.
Nov
26
Happy 8th birthday Ethan! Today we celebrated Ethans birthday. After opening his presents we went to Treetop Adventure Golf where we played both courses, we then went for lunch at Costa. In the afternoon we went to Hollywood Bowl for 2 games and we got upgraded to the VIP sections which was great. In the evening we went to Prezzo for dinner.
Today Ethan and I went to the Coventry Transport Museum with my Dad, Sam and Thomas. It was quite quiet in there which was good, there was lots of cars to look at. Ethans favourite part was looking at the land speed record vehicles.
We had a mini bonfire in our firepit this evening and then had some friends and family round for some fireworks. The fireworks were great, some really good ones this year.
We went pumpkin picking today at Malt Kiln Farm. The ground wasnt that wet this year which was good. Ethan got some nice pumpkins for a little display outside.
We went to Treetop mini golf today for a nice treat. We had 2 games, 1 on each course. Ethan did really well and won.
On our last day we loaded the car up in the morning and then Ethan and I went swimming while it was still quiet. We then went Starbucks for lunch. In the afternoon we did the long walk to the outdoor activity center so that Ethan could go on the Off Road Explorers for the last time, as he will be too old next time. We then walked back to the car and headed home.
Oct
15
Ethan and I started off the day on the Aerial Tree Trekking, where we got to do 2 loops round as the group was so small! We then had 30 mins on the electric boats which was good, Ethan got to drive it for a bit which he enjoyed. We then went to Starbucks for lunch before Ethan and I spend a few hours at the swimming pool. In the afternoon we went to the Park before heading back to the lodge. In the evening we went to Hucks American Bar and Grill for dinner.
Oct
14
This morning we started things off with Pottery Painting where Ethan painted a pumpkin jug which looked amazing. We then went to Starbucks for some lunch before Ethan and I went swimming for a few hours. In the afternoon Ethan and I went on a ride through the forest and then went back to the lodge for a rest. In the evening we went to Amalfi for dinner.
We were up early this morning getting the cars packed ready to head off to Center Parcs. We had to put the bikes in Rachels car this time as they didnt fit in the Mini and then I had all the cases in the back with the seats down and Ethan in the front. We had a nice drive there and headed straight for Starbucks for lunch and then Ethan and I went swimming. We then got our bikes and went to the lodge to help unload the car. In the evening we went to Las Iguanas for dinner which was great.
As Mum and Dad were away for my birthday, they took us out for a meal this evening to Las Iguanas, we had a lovely meal and a great evening.
Happy 40th birthday to Me. I had such a lovely day, I get the day off with work which is great. I opened some presents in the morning, then took Ethan school, did some jobs around the house, picked Ethan up from school and then went to Joys for some cake. Ethan got me the Lego 42114 Volvo Hauler which is amazing.
Oct
01
This morning we had a great breakfast in the hotel and then we went bowling at Hollywood Bowl, followed by lunch at Starbucks. In the afternoon Ethan and I went to The Hangout for 2 hours of playing on old and classic games. We had a great time, it was good to show Ethan some of the old games that I used to play on when I was younger. We then had a walk around MK One before heading to Zizzis for dinner. After dinner we got the car from the hotel and drove home.
Sep
30
For my birthday Rachel organised for us all to go to Milton Keynes for the weekend. We drove down early in the morning and Ethan and I started off the day at Treetop Extreme, which was great fun, you get 1.5 hours to go round the course as many times as you like and then you get to do The Drop. We then drove to MK One, had some lunch and then went into the Upsidedown House, which was really disorientating, but good to take some photos. We had a look round the Lego shop and then walked over to Volcano Falls mini golf. We then parked at the Moxy hotel where we were staying, got changed and then went out to dinner at Las Iguanas.
We took Ethan to Red Kangaroo trampoline park today. There was lots of great things to bounce on and climb. We had fun on the balance activities.
While i was at Red Kangaroo, 5 mins before the end I did a backflip which i failed at and landed on my head. I heard a crack, so i managed to roll onto my back next to the trampoline. I waited an hour for an ambulance and was taken to the hospital on a spinal board. After an MRI and being looking at by a doctor they told me that i had not broken anything but i was going to be very sore.
Aug
21
It was our final day at Center Parcs, so we packed up the car and dropped them off at the car park. Ethan and I then went swimming before meeting Rachel and Joy at Starbucks for lunch. Ethan and I then went Indoor Climbing Adventure. As it was so far to drive home we decided to have dinner at Bella Italia. Once we were full up we drove home.
Aug
20
We started the day with Pottery Painting where Ethan painted a boat. We then went for lunch at Starbucks before Ethan and I went swimming. We had a walk around and then we went Roller Skating which was great fun, Ethan has got a lot better. Ethan and I then went for a bike ride before going to the Foresters Inn for dinner.
Aug
19
This morning Ethan and I went Aerial Tree Trekking which was good fun trying out a new location. We then went to the beach for a bit before heading to Starbucks for lunch. After lunch Ethan and I went swimming. In the evening we went to Bella Italia for dinner.
We got up early this morning to get the cars packed and drove to Elveden Center Parcs which went well. When we got there we went for lunch at Starbucks, we then went Swimming, before riding to the lodge. After unpacking we went for a walk before having dinner at Las Iguanas.
Ethan and I had a day together today. He had his swimming lesson in the morning and then we went to Boost Trampoline Park Northampton , we arrived an hour early so we sat in the cafe and had a nice hot chocolate while we waited. We had a great time once we got on and managed to get on everything we wanted. I even had a go at a backflip which went quite well. We then headed to Costa for a drink and lunch before heading home to build some Lego and then play on Rocket League.
Jul
17
This morning we got up early and started packing our cases, we then loaded the car up. Ethan and I rode our bikes for a swim at the Subtropical Swimming Paradise, we met up with one of his friends from school which was nice for him. We went to Starbucks for a drink and some lunch. We then played 18 holes of Adventure Golf, they had redone the course and it was really good fun. Ethan and I then had a great time Indoor Climbing Adventure, i was set a few really hard challenges and I managed to do a few of them which was good. We then went for dinner at Bellia Italia before getting in the cars and driving home.
Jul
16
This morning Ethan and I went Aerial Tree Trekking, we had such a good time on the zip lines and all of the bridges. We went to Starbucks for a drink and some lunch. Ethan and I went to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise for a swim, having a great time on the rapids and in the hot tubs. We had a nice ride back to the lodge for a rest while the rain came down. In the evening we went for a roast at the Foresters Inn, the food was great.
Jul
15
This morning we went Pottery Painting, Ethan painted a nice house. It looked really good once done, looking forward to seeing it when it has been fired. We went to Starbucks for a drink and some lunch. In the afternoon Ethan and I went to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise for a swim, while we were in there, it started to rain and thunder, the rain came down really hard and it will really loud inside the dome. After getting wet again riding back to the lodge, we went Roller Skating which we had a great time doing. In the evening we went to Las Iguanas for dinner, such a great meal.
This morning we drove to Center Parcs Sherwood Forest for a 4 day holiday. The drive took a lot longer than we had planned at nearly 2 hours. Once we got there we parked the car up and went to Starbucks for a drink and some lunch. Ethan and I then went and got our bikes from the car and headed to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise for a few hours of swimming. We then biked back to the lodge to help unpack, but it was raining and we got soaked. We got changed and walked into the centre for dinner at Bella Italia.
It was Leos christening today where i was given the honour of being God Father. The service was nice and then we went to my sisters for food and some games.
For fathers day we went to Treetop Adventure Golf in the Highcross, which was great fun. We then had lunch at Costa.
Jun
02
After breakfast we had booked the Marvel Experience in the hotel, we got photos with Spiderman which was good. We then went into the park to Meet Mickey Mouse and had some more photos taken. We then went on Autopia, Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast and Phantom Manor. At 5pm we got the Magic Bus to the airport and after some food we had a 9pm flight back home. We had a slow drive home as the motorway was down to 1 lane and didnt get home until midnight.
Jun
01
This morning we went straight to the Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure, we didnt really know what to expect but it was a really good ride, but the queue was huge. We then went on the Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing, then to the La Cabane des Robinson and finally on Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast. We then went back to the hotel for a swim to cool down and then had dinner at Beaver Creek Tavern. After dinner we went back in the park and went on Autopia, I went on the The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Avengers Assemble Flight Force as the queue was short. Ethan and I went on Les Voyages de Pinocchio and Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains before watching the Fireworks and Lightshow again, but this time from Main Street.
May
31
After a great nights sleep we went down for breakfast and then headed straight to the Ratatouille The Adventure, which after queuing for a while closed, so we went on the Cars ROAD TRIP which was good and then we had been given a fast pass to get back on the Ratatouille The Adventure when it was fixed. We then went on Autopia which is really good fun. We went back to the hotel and enjoyed a nice swim outside in the sun before going to the Downtown Restaurant for dinner where they had these really cool mini burgers. After dinner we went back in the park and went on Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, Its a small world and i went on Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain on my own as there was a 5 min queue. We then stayed to watch the Fireworks and Lightshow which was amazing and they have now incorporated drones in the show, we got back to the hotel just after midnight and went straight bed.
May
30
Today was the start of our 4 day trip to Disney Land, we got up at 2am and had a 6am flight. Once we landed in Paris, we took the Magic Bus to Disney. Once we had dropped the bags off at the hotel we went for lunch at Starbucks before heading into the park. The first ride Ethan wanted to go on was Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, which is such a good ride. We then had a walk around the shops and went back to the hotel to checkin. We were staying in the The Art of Marvel hotel and the room was lovely. Ethan and I went down to the pool and had a swim. We then went to Hunters Grill for dinner before heading back into the park. We went on Pirates of the Caribbean and then another go on Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast before calling it a day and heading bed.
It is Rachels birthday today. We went for a drink and lunch at Jennos and then went for a walk around Everards Meadows. We then went to play crazy golf at Congo River Adventure in Blaby. Then we went back to Joys for cake.
It is my Dads 60th birthday today. We all went to the Whetstone Golf Club for Sunday lunch, then back to my parents house for a drink, followed by a trip to the park for the kids. We had a lovely day celebrating with everyone.
It was Joys birthday in the week, so we took her bowling at Hollywood Bowl this evening which was great fun, followed by a meal at Prezzo and the cake at her house. We had a lovely evening.
Apr
14
We had breakfast early and then headed back to Legoland for when it opened. We went straight on the Ninjago ride, then on the Laser Raiders ride, both of which we really like. We then had some lunch and then went to look round Mini Land and got an ice cream and a hot drink. We went to the 4D cinema and watched the Ninjago short film. We then went in the shop so that Ethan could get himself a little something before heading back to Windsor so that we could have dinner at Prezzo before driving back home.
Rachel and I have been married 9 years today.
Apr
13
We went to Legoland today, the drive down was ok and we arrive about 11am. We went stright for the Lego City Driving School, we then went for lunch in Duplo land. Ethan and I then went on the Coastguard HQ boat ride and Ethan enjoyed driving the boat and overtaking people. We went on the Atlantis Submarine Voyage ride, then had some ice cream and went on the Skyrider, before having a look round the shop and heading home. We were staying in a hotel right near Heathrow airport, so we drove there got changed and then drove to Windsor for dinner at Zizzis. We had a walk around the castle walls before heading back to the hotel.
For Easter we decided to go bowling at Hollywood Bowl. Ethan really enjoyed it and did really well.
Happy Mothers day. We went to Sapcote Garden Centre for breakfast and then went to Burbage Woods for a nice walk.
Feb
24
As it was our last day we loaded the car in the morning before Ethan and I went Swimming at Subtropical Swimming Paradise. As normal we had lunch at Starbucks and then in the afternoon Ethan and I went to the Indoor Climbing Adventure, we both had a really good time and Ethan managed to get quite high on some of the walls. After this we all got in our cars and drove home.
Feb
23
Ethan and I had an early morning to go Aerial Tree Trekking. We have done this before and loved it just as much, having a great time searching for the hidden ducks. We then headed to Crazy Golf which we had a great time but i did rubbish. For lunch we went to Starbucks. In the afternoon Ethan and I went Swimming at Subtropical Swimming Paradise. We had some chill time in the lodge and then went for dinner at Amalfi.
Feb
22
We started off the morning by going Swimming at Subtropical Swimming Paradise, followed by lunch at Starbucks. In the afternoon we went to Winter Lantern Workshop, which Ethan really enjoyed. We went Roller Skating after that which i enjoyed and could see Ethan improving the more he goes. In the evening we went for dinner at Huck's American Bar and Grill.
Feb
21
In the morning we went Pottery Painting and Ethan painted a cool house. For lunch we went to Starbucks before Ethan and I went Swimming at Subtropical Swimming Paradise, Ethan enjoyed the pirate area. In the afternoon we went walking though the Frosty Forest Discovery Trail. In the evening we went for dinner at Las Iguanas which was lovely.
This morning I drove to Center Parcs Woburn Forest for the start of our 5 day holiday. When we had parked up we went for lunch at Starbucks, Ethan and I then went Swimming at Subtropical Swimming Paradise, where we had great fun in the lazy river and the rapids. We then got our bikes and rode to our lodge and helped unload the car. We got changed and headed for dinner at Amalfi.
Happy Valentines day. Rachel and I didnt do a lot, but she did get me a nice set of Disney Brickheadz for me to build.
This morning we had Elizas 8th birthday part at Midlands Roller Arena, Ethan and I skated and we had a great time. In the afternoon we went to the sports hall at Countesthorpe Academy for Thomas football party. Ethan had a great time playing different football related games.
Today we kicked off the new year by going bowling at Hollywood Bowl Leicester. We had a great 2 games and Ethan is really improving with his bowling.
Happy Christmas! We had a quiet day, having my parents over in the morning to exchange gifts and then spent the rest of the day with just Ethan Rachel and I playing games and Lego which was nice. I got the Lego Cat D11 Bulldozer, some new Nike trainers and a Lego Christmas tree for my office.
We went to the Harvester in Rugby for breakfast this morning and to meet Santa. We had a nice breakfast and then Ethan got to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas.
For our work Christmas party we decided to go to Birmingham. I caught the 9:30 train and got to Birmingham about 10:20, I had never been to Birmingham on the train and it was quite painless. We had brunch at Bills which was lovely and then we spent the next few hours walking around the Christmas Market, before heading to a few bars before heading to Pure Craft Bar for an evening meal.
Dad and I went to Xscape for a day of snowboarding and skiing. We started off snowboarding, stepping into the board for the first time i was a little nervous, but after going down once it was all fine. For lunch we went to McDonalds and then went back to snowboarding, late afternoon we stopped and have a cup of tea and a muffin. We then swapped to our skis for the rest of the afternoon. In the evening we went to Nandos for dinner before heading home.
Ethan is 7 today! He got a new bike, which is bright green and he loves it. I cant believe he is 7, seems like it has gone by so quickly.
Nov
26
Today we had a busy day planned for Ethans birthday celerbrations. We drove to Milton Keynes in the morning and started off with 2 games of bowling at Hollywood Bowl. We then went for lunch at Starbucks. In the afternoon we started with Gravity Rocks Urban Climbing, which was really fun. We then went to Gravity Trampoline Park. We went for a look around the shops at MK1 and got some Lego in the sale. In the evening we went for dinner at Zizzi.
I spent an evening in London at Grosvenor House for the Motor Trader Industry Awards. It nice was nice to meet some our our clients in person. The food was amazing and we had a lovely evening.
This evening we had Joy, Richard and our neighbours around for a mini bonfire in my fire pit and we also had some fireworks. We had a great night and it stayed dry.
It is our last day and we went Subtropical Swimming Paradise for a few hours, before Starbucks for lunch. In the afternoon Ethan and I went on the Indoor Climbing Adventure, we both had lots of fun and I tried to get on each wall in the time we had. We then played Badminton as a family switching teams every so often. After all this we then drove home.
Ethan and I went for a bike ride through the forest and I ended up getting covered in mud, but it was great fun. We then went Pottery Painting and Ethan painted a train to be like the Hogwarts Express. We then went to our normal lunch spot at Starbucks. We went back to the lodge and had takeaway fajitas which were great. Ethan and I then went evening swimming at the Subtropical Swimming Paradise, they had lights on in the water on the lazy river and the rapids and we had a great time.
Oct
19
Ethan and I went for a ride and then went to Aerial Tree Trekking, while we were going round we were spotting yellow rubber ducks with peoples initials on them in really hard to reach places. We then had lunch at Starbucks before Ethan and I went to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise. We had fun on the rapids and lazy river. We then went to Halloween Spooky Science and Ethan got put inside a bubble. In the evening we went to Huck's American Bar and Grill.
Oct
18
We were up early for a round of Adventure Golf, after which we went in the Electric Boats around the lake which was good fun, Ethan enjoyed driving. We then went to Starbucks for lunch before heading to the Halloween Pumpkin Carving Workshop, which was smelly and messy, but great fun. Ethan and I then went to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise for a few hours before going back to the lodge for a bit and then heading to Amalfi for a nice dinner.
We started driving to to Center Parcs at 10:30am and it was an uneventful drive taking about an hour. Once we got there we parked the car up and headed to The Plaza to have lunch at Starbucks. Ethan and I went and got our bikes from the card and rode to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise where we spent about 3 hours going back and forth between the lazy river and the rapids, such a great time. We then got our bikes and went to the lodge to help unpack before heading off out again for dinner at Las Iguanas.
Its my birthday today, i got some Spice Girls and Harry Potter Lego Brickheadz which i am really looking forward to building.
For my birthday, Rachel booked Ethan and I to go on the Treetop Adventure at Go Ape Coombe Abbey. We were on the first session of the day so there was no queue for anything. After our induction we got 1 hour to go on the different routes. We managed to do 3 of the 4 routes and at the end of each route you get to go on a zip line which was great fun. Ethan and I had such a great time in the trees and cant wait to go again.
Sep
25
Today we went to the Cars at the Spa show in Leamington Spa. Ethan had a nice time looking round all of the cars. We had a nice lunch at Costa and then went to try out the newly updated park which was great.
Ethan went back to school today, his first day in year 2.
Today we went to Malt Kiln Farm Shop to get some green beans and some blackberries. We had great fun picking the green beans and then went to the cafe for some lunch and a play on the
We had the rest of the Pepper family come and visit today and we went to Blaby gold course and played 9 holes of pitch and putt
Today we went to Conkers, we had heard about the place for a while so thought it would be good to check it out. We started off with the Activity Trail which Ethan and I had great fun climbing over. We then went on the CONKERCHOO Train so that we could go to the Waterside Centre for lunch. After lunch we went to the Wobbly Bridges, after that we spent some time at the Adventure Play area. We then headed back on the train to go on the Climbing Wall which was great fun and then Ethan and I went on the Lo Ropes Course. We had a great day at Conkers and will be going back.
Its 10 years since Vehicle Visions AudiCam went live, so today a lot of us went into the office and had cup cakes.
Grandma and I went back to Kilworth House Theatre this evening to watch Half a Sixpence. I had not seen the play before or know what it was about but the singing and dancing was amazing. We had a nice cup of tea at the interval and some chocolate.
Aug
15
We had an early start so we could go to Costa for breakfast, we then took the Underground to the Lyric Theatre to see the Room on the Broom play, it was a really good show. We then walked to the Lego Store, had a look round the life size DB5 which Ethan got a small model of. We then walked to Covent Garden, had a look around and then went Starbucks for lunch. Ethan wanted to go to Hamleys, so we walked there next, it was really warm in there but nice to look around. After that we went back to the hotel, collected our cases and headed to the station. On the way home we had booked First Class train tickets which Ethan loved, he had a hot chocolate and some biscuits.
Aug
14
We decided to take Ethan to London for 2 days, we caught an early Train from Leicester, then headed on the Underground to Dorsett City Hotel to drop our cases off. We went to South Kensington and had Pret for lunch before heading to the National History Museum. We had a look at Dippy the dinosaur first before exploring the rest of the museum. It was nice to look round everything, Ethan enjoyed looking at the crystals and rocks. We went back to the hotel to checkin and then went to look at Tower Bridge before going to Zizzis for dinner.
Today we went to Hicks Lodge with Claire and Tom for a bike ride around the Shell Brook Trail. We had such a great time going over jumps and around tight bends. We ended up going round it twice before heading back to the Cycle Centre for a well earned ice cream.
We had breakfast at the hotel this morning before packing up the car and heading back into the centre. We headed straight for the beach, had a paddle in the sea and went looking for interesting shells and stones. We went to Costa for lunch and then walked to Whitstable Castle & Gardens, where we went on the park and had a walk around the gardens. We went back to the beach for a bit but it started to rain, so we decided to call it a day and start heading home. We decided to stop off at Bluewater Shopping Centre for dinner at Nandos as it was going to be late by the time we got home.
Ethan wanted to go to the beach, so we had a look around for places to go and decided to go to Whitstable. It was quite a long drive down but Rachel had booked parking near the beach so that took the stress away. We had a look round the shops, got a bucket and spade, went to Costa for lunch and then headed to the beach. Ethan and I got our swimming clothes on and we out quite far into the sea as the tide was out, he had not been in the sea before but we had great fun. When we got back to the beach we had an ice cream. We headed to the hotel to get checked in and changed. It was a really hot day and the hotel didnt have aircon so the room was at 28 degrees. We headed back into the centre for dinner at Zizzis which was lovely before having a look round the Harbour before heading back and trying to get some sleep.
We went to Howard and Rosies today to see Matty, Robert and Tracey. Ethan took his golf clubs so that he could get some tips off Matty, they had a great time in the garden, putting and practicing hitting the ball.
It has been soo hot recently, getting up to 40 degrees. So out came the turtle padding pool so we could cool off and have some fun with the water balloons.
Jul
09
We got up early and had breakfast in the hotel, loaded up the car and then at 10 we got stright into the park and went on Coastguard HQ with Ethan driving, then Ethan went on the LEGO® City Driving School. We then queued for an hour and went on the Viking River Splash, on the way back we went to Model Making Studio and built some cool little models. Ethan wanted to go on the LEGO® NINJAGO® The Ride again so that was next, followed by the Return to Skeleton Bay show. We went on the Sky Rider before heading to the Lego Store and Ethan got himself the The Llama Village set. We took The Hill Train back to Miniland before walking back to the car and heading home. What a great but busy 2 days.
Jul
08
Ethan finished at school for the summer yesterday so we went to Legoland today, so that it would hopefully not be too busy. We set off nice and early and have a good drive down. When we arrived we parked up and then entered the park through the Legoland hotel which gets you into the park really quickly. We went on the Laser Raiders, then onto the LEGO® NINJAGO® The Ride, then to play on the Castaway Camp. We had lunch in Miniland and then went in Drench Towers which was great to get wet with how hot it was out. We had ice cream at Ben and Jerrys before going on Sky Rider followed by LEGO® Studios 4D. We then headed to the LEGOLAND® Castle Hotel which is where we were staying for the night in a Knight themed room. The room was great and we had a lovely view of the park.
Ethan and I went to Sunnyside Adventure softplay today. It is huge with 5 floors in the softplay. Ethan and I played hide and seek and went on everything. It was great fun, but was super hot, so getting under the aircon for a rest was nice.
Happy Fathers Day! Ethan got me some matching PJs which we look really cool in.
Ethan and I went to Clip and Climb in Derby this afternoon. We had such a great time going up all of the different themed walls on the big green pipes, etc. On the way home we decided to go to Nandos for dinner which was very nice.
We had a team day in the office today and went out for lunch which was lovely. It was great seeing everyone in the office.
Dad and I went to the outdoor water park at Cliff Lakes in Tamworth. The water park is huge, with multiple areas. The water was a little cold at first, but it soon warmed up as we were climbing over the obstacles.
Ethan and I love Lego and he is interested in Scratch, so i looked to see what could combine both of these so i could start teaching him some coding skills. I got an old Lego Mindstorms set, set up a virtual machine running Windows XP, so i could install the supplied software and get the USB IR tower working. We started by making the Lego robot we built drive forward and then we worked on making the bump stops work, so the car reverses and then turn round and goes in the other direction. The last thing we worked on was getting the robot to stop when it detected the black line.
It was Richards 60th birthday today and Joy had a gathering around her house to celebrate. A lot of people came and it was lovely to see and speak to everyone.
Tonight Grandma and I went to Kilworth House Theatre to see Carousel. The play was really good, i didnt know what it was about before going but i really enjoyed it. It was nice to spend the evening with my Grandma.
It is our last day and we packed up the lodge into the cars, then Ethan and I went to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise for another long swim. We then went for lunch at Starbucks. In the afternoon we played Badminton which was great, Ethan really enjoyed it. After this we took a nice drive back home.
May
29
This morning we had a 10am session in the Subtropical Swimming Paradise we had a great 3 hours and spent a lot of time in the rapids. We then headed to Starbucks for lunch. Ethan and I then went to the Indoor Climbing Adventure, we really enjoyed it and muscles that i didnt know i had started hurting. We then went Roller Skating, i didnt have my own skates but still had a lot of fun. For dinner we went to the Foresters Inn.
Its Rachels birthday today! I got her a bag she wanted. We had a cake in the lodge as well as built some Lego cakes.
May
28
In the morning we Ethan and I went to Robin Hood and Little Johns Archery, Ethan had not done archery before, but he did really well and as a bonus i got a bulls eye. We then did a bit more Pottery Painting before going to Crazy Science, where we made volcanoes and a lava lamp. We then went to Starbucks for lunch. In the afternoon we went Off-Road Explorers where Ethan drove a mini land rover. In the evening we ordered a takeaway pizza which was lovely.
Today we started our 4 day holiday to Center Parcs. We had a nice easy drive there and arrived about 12. We went for lunch at Starbucks, then went to Pottery Painting where Ethan wanted to paint a candy house. After we managed to paint a few coats we put it to dry. Ethan and I then went to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise for 3 hours which we really enjoyed. We went and collected the bikes from the car and then headed to the lodge. In the evening we went for dinner at Hucks.
I went to the AM Awards this evening at the Park Plaza in London. The food was great and had a great time chatting to various people. We stayed in the Mercure London Bridge which was nice.
It is my Dads birthday today and we thought it would be nice to all get together and do something, so we decided to go to The Wave Coventry, which is an indoor waterpark. We had a great 2 hours, going on flumes, in the lazy river and the wave machine. In the evening we met up again at Nandos and had a lovely meal followed by going to the arcade for some games of air hockey.
For my Mums birthday the family got together and went to Whetstone Golf Club House for dinner, i had a lovely burger and was stuffed afterwards.
This morning Ethan and I went over to my sisters and went for a ride with her, Thomas and Sam. It was a nice ride and we stopped off for a drink and to play tag. The weather was lovely and it was nice to be out on the bike.
Rachel and I have been married 8 years today. I got us a bride and groom Lego Brickheadz, which we will enjoy building together.
I booked the day off today to spend with Ethan. We started off by going to Boost Trampoline Park in Northampton, we had been to the one in Leicester quite a lot, but this one is a lot bigger and has a lot more things to bounce on. We had a great time and it wasnt too busy. After this we went to Costa for lunch, then we headed over to Market Harborough for a swim at the leisure centre, they had the floats out and we got to have lots of fun. On the way home we went to Kibworth and had our hairs cut. We had such a great day together.
Ethan has been learning about Hedgehogs at school and he really wanted to build a hedgehog house. We looked online for inspiration and then drew up a plan. We looked in our wood store and got lots of old bits of wood and also some spare slate tiles and started building. Ethan sanded it all with the orbital sander and it turned out great.
Our Christmas party got canceled and was then rebooked for today. We went to Caddyshackers. We started with Axe throwing, which is soo much fun, once we got the hang of it we played some games and our team won. We then played 18 holes of crazy golf, some of the holes had changed since the last time i went but it was great fun. We finished the evening with a Nandos.
Feb
14
Happy Valentines Day. Rachel and I didnt do anything to celebrate, but she did buy me some nice Lego to build, which i am looking forward to.
Thomas is 5 and to celebrate my Sister organised us all to go to Boost trampoline park. We had a great hour on the trampolines, in the foam pit and Dad and I even tried out the gladiator bar in which i won. After the trampolining we went back to my Sisters and had food, played Lego and had a nice chat.
Faith is 1 today and Claire and Luke had a little part for family at their house. It was great to see everyone and celebrate Faith being 1.
Raj and Nindi flew back from Texas to Leicester to celebrate Mikas 1st birthday. Their family had thrown a big party at the King Power Stadium. It was great to see them both after not seeing them for so long and we had a great catchup with Raj.
Happy New Year. We decided to do something different today and went to Hollywood Bowl for 2 games of bowling. Ethan started off using the ramp to bowl his ball, but in the 2nd game found it easier to bowl the ball himself. We had a great times and I won both games.
We followed tradition and went to Rachels Auntie and Uncles for boxing day. We had some great food, got to see the rest of the Pepper family and then went for a nice long walk around Burbage.
Happy Christmas. Ethan was up at 6 and we opened our stockings before heading downstairs for Ethan to open his presents. He got lots of lovely presents and enough Lego to keep him busy for the next few months. I got a Lego Landrover Defender and a new cooking wok. My parents came over for a bt in the afternoon and then we had Claire and Luke over for dinner which was lovely.
Dec
23
It is our last day and once we had packed up the car, Ethan and I went swimming at the Subtropical Swimming Paradise. We then went for lunch at Starbucks and then onto Design a Giant Christmas Stocking which Ethan really enjoyed. Ethan and I then went Roller Skating which we hadnt been to in ages but we had great fun and it was good to get back on the skates. Before heading home we went to Las Iguanas for dinner.
Dec
22
When we woke up it was very frosty out, so once we were all dressed we went outside and took some family photos, we then lit the fire and watched the new Home Alone film. We then went to Starbucks for lunch and then went to Festive Cupcakes for Little ones, Ethan made some great looking cupcakes. We then went on the Festive Treasure Trail which involved a lot of riding on the bikes but we had good fun. In the evening we went to Santa's Workshop which looked magical with all of the fake snow over the trees. In the evening we went for dinner at Amalfi.
We started the day with a nice bike ride and then for a 3 hour swim in the Subtropical Swimming Paradise, Ethan loved the lazy river so we spent a long time in there, he also started to enjoy the wave machine so when we heard it was going to be on we raced to the pool. We had lunch at Starbucks and then headed to the Off-Road Explorers, it was a difference course than last time and Ethan had fun driving through the water. In the afternoon we went to Festive Pottery Painting and painted a toadstool house which turned out great. In the evening we went to Hucks American Bar and Grill for dinner.
We have been looking forward to this for ages and today we went to Center Parcs at Woburn Forest. We drove over about 11 to get there for 12. We had to take 2 cars so we could fit both bikes in as well as all the luggage. We started off with a Starbucks for lunch before Ethan and I headed off to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise for 3 hours of swimming. Once we had finished we went to the car and picked up our bikes and rode to the lodge. We were one of the furthest lodges away but the lodge was nice. In the evening we went to Amalfi for dinner.
We bought Ethan a make your own Christmas Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate cottage. It contained full bars of chocolate that you joined together with melted chocolate and then added flakes for the wood roof. It was great to build, smelt amazing and is going to be amazing to eat.
Dad and I didnt get to go skiing this year, so we decided that as we both have the day off we would go to Milton Keynes Snozone. We booked for 3 hours, we spent the first 1.5 hours skiing which was great and then spent 1 hour snowboarding, which considering we have not been on a snowboard for 8 years we did really well and didnt fall over once. After we went to Nandos for a nice chicken wrap.
The Vehicle Vision Assist product was nominated for an award at the Motor Trader 2021 Awards, so this evening we went to London to the Grosvenor House London on Park Lane. It is such a lovely venue. The dress code was Black Tie and it was nice to get dressed up again. We didnt win the award, but we had some great food and a great evening.
Nov
28
We started early this morning with breakfast at Costa, before catching the River Bus to Greenwich. I had never been on the river boat and it was amazing, when it speeds up it really knocks you back. We then went on the Emirates Air Line cable car over the River Thames, which gave us great views. We then got the tube back to the hotel to pick up our cases, had lunch at Starbucks and then headed to the Lego store in Leicester Square. We had to queue to get in, but once in there its great. We then headed to Euston and caught the train back home. When arriving back into Ruby there was snow everywhere, not what we were expecting.
Nov
27
Ethan wanted to go to London for his birthday, so we caught an early train from Rugby to Euston. We caught the tube to the Tower Suites by Blue Orchid, which was where we were staying. We dropped our cases off and then went Costa for breakfast. We then caught the tube again to Hamleys as Ethan wanted to have a look round, it was really busy but he enjoyed looking round. We then had a slot booked at the Science Museum so we headed over there. We had a great look round, Ethan enjoyed looking at the cars, planes and space section. We then had some lunch before heading into the Wonderlab, we got to try experiments in friction, sound, light and pullys. Before we left we went to a live session where things got exploded, Ethan loved it. We then headed back to the hotel to check in, as it was Ethans birthday they upgraded his room to one with a view of The Shard, Tower of London and Tower Bridge, it was an amazing room. To finish off the evening we went for a meal at Strada, they gave us a great evening and the food was lovely.
Nov
26
It is Ethans 6th birthday today. It was an early start so that he could open his presents. He had wanted the Lego Lamborghini Sian (42115) for over a year, so we decided we would get him that which he was so excited about. He had a good day at school and then when he had finished he said he would like some crusty cobs for dinner.
Nov
22
I have been working on the final bag for a while. I have been working on the digger for 11 months and really wanted to get it finished by Christmas, so i had a big push to get it all complete. Once i had finished it all, i put some batteries in it and tested it out. It is great fun to play with, Ethan really enjoyed it to making it climb up things and scooping up the Lego bits.
Once we had finished with our pumpkins we decided that we would take ours to Burbage Woods so that the animals could eat them. Once we had found a nice place to leave them we had a nice walk around.
Tonight we had bonfire night in our garden. We had a hotdog dinner with chocolate puddings for dessert. We then headed in the garden to enjoy the mini fire, have some sparklers and then set off some fireworks. They looked really good and we all had a great evening.
Now we are going to start going into the office, so I wanted to get my desk setup. I got 2 1080p Dell monitors, webcam, etc. I went into the office early and got it all setup, i tried to make the cabling as neat as i could to keep the clean desk look.
Oct
31
This afternoon we went to the Totally Spooky walk at Rufford Abbey. We first had lunch in the Old Coachhouse, before heading to the adventure playground, we had fun there until it closed at 3pm. It was then our time to go on the spooky walk, it was good reading about all of the potions and seeing all of the models that had been made.
The Cosby people have been busy again knitting a wonderful Halloween display. We went and had a look this evening and it looks fantastic. With the lights on the tree, it looks nice and spooky.
Ethan carved his pumpkins this evening. He scooped all of the insides out of them, Rachel then drew a happy face and then a screaming face. Ethan then cut them out using some little tools. They look really cool! We are going to plant some of the pumpkin seeds and see if we get anything from them.
We had a Halloween party this evening, we had Claire, Luke and Faith over for some party games and pizza. We had fun playing pass the parcel, a treasure hunt and chatting. We had a 40 min powercut which normally would be annoying but we got out the candles out and it made it nice and spooky, the pizza also got delivered which helped cheer everyone up.
The weather wasnt great today, but we still wanted to get out so we decided to go to Burbage Woods for a walk. We had a nice time, such a lovely place to walk around and its nice and relaxing.
We went pumpkin picking today at Malt Kiln Farmshop. They had improved it since the last time i went, adding mats where people walk. Rachel wanted to get a selection of different pumpkins for a display outside our house. It was quite quiet and we had lots of fun.
We packed all of the bags this morning and got the car loaded up by 10am. Ethan and I then took a ride to the main car park to drop our bikes off before going swimming in the Subtropical Swimming Paradise for a few hours. We went to Starbucks for lunch and then went to the Adventure Golf for 18 Holes of crazy golf. We headed to the park afterwards and had a treat on the beach. It started to rain so we decided to head home as it was after 4pm at this point.
Oct
17
This morning Ethan and I went for a swim at the Subtropical Swimming Paradise, we spent quite a bit of time in the outside pool which was lovely. We then met Rachel and Joy to have lunch at Starbucks before going to the Country Club for Tots Go Wild, which was walking around looking for bugs and animals that live in the forest. We then went to Family Putting. We then went to Halloween Broomstick Making which Rachel really enjoyed, Ethan had fun decorating it, named it Greeny and had fun. In the evening we went back to Bella Italia and I had a lovely lasagne.
Oct
16
We had a nice nights sleep and after some breakfast we headed to the trees for Ethan to do Mini Trek, he is at the height limit for it, but he really enjoyed it. We then headed to Mini Crossbows, in which Ethan got to shoot a mini cross bow with suction darts at different targets. After he got used to it he really enjoyed it. We had lunch at Starbucks and then went to the Treasure Trail meeting point. Ethan and I did the Treasure Trail on our bikes and Rachel and Joy did it walking. Ethan and I beat them and did it within 1 hour 30 mins. In the evening we had dinner at Café Rouge which was nice. We then played Football Pool, which we had never tried before but it was really good fun.
Oct
15
We set off about 11am this morning and drove to Center Parcs Sherwood Forest, we had to take 2 cars so we could take mine and Ethans bikes, so i was in my car alone. It only took 1 hour 15 mins to get there and once we had parked the car we went for a Starbucks. After that we went to do some Pottery Painting, Ethan decided he wanted to paint a truck with a tree in the back, so we all got involved. Ethan and I went swimming at the Subtropical Swimming Paradise for a few hours which was great. After walking to find the lodge, we dropped our swimming kit off and went for dinner at Bella Italia. I had an early night as the day had took it our of me.
Its my birthday! 38 today, that sounds old. Ethan made me a great cake, which is covered in all my favourite Cadburys chocolate. I got some great gifts including a painting by Ethan, a Lego set of London and a Lego Porsche 911 RSR, set 42096 which i am looking forward to building.
Rachel took me to Cadburys World for a birthday treat today. We went to Costa for brunch on the way and i had a cheese and beans toastie which was lovely. When we got to Cadburys World the smell of the chocolate hits you as soon as you get out the car, it smells amazing. We had a nice time touring the factory, we had been before but hearing all about the history was still interesting. Ethan and I had fun on the outdoor play area and we also ate quite a bit of chocolate.
Sep
14
This evening we attended the LeicestershireLive Innovation Awards at the National Space Centre. The Assist product was nominated in the Innovation in Technology category. There was some great products being showcased, but sadly we didnt win but it was a great evening out.
Tonight we went to the International Convention Centre for the AM Online Awards. Assist was nominated in the Best New Product and Service category. It was a black tie event and it was nice to get dressed up for the evening. We didnt win the award, but we were really happy to have made it through to the final. We had a great evening, the food was amazing and we also enjoyed the entertainment. It was a late evening, but the Jurys Inn hotel was only a few mins walk away.
Rachel used to go to St Nicholas Park in Warwick as a child and we decided to take Ethan today. We were really lucky with the weather, so we stopped off at M&S on the way to get food for a picnic. When we arrived, we managed to get a parking space after driving around for a while. We first sat down for a picnic and then we went and played mini golf at the Golden Putter. The course was really good and we had lots of fun playing. After this we went to the outdoor pool which Ethan had a great time in. Ethan and I then walked along the stream which was nice to cool us down. We played on the park before getting an ice cream and heading home.
We went to Chatsworth House in Derbyshire today, we didnt look round the house itself but we did look around the farmyard and then had a great time in the adventure playground. We could have sent the whole day in the playground but we were time limited. After the playground we went and had a scone and tea before having a walk round the outside grounds.
The yarn bomb came back to Cosby and it was better than ever before. We had a nice walk round looking at all of the knitting. We also had an ice cream which was lovely.
Its been 11 years since Rachel and I went on our first date and to celebrate we got each other a little gift. Rachel got me a Lego Brickheadz.
Aug
22
Today we went to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park to see Rachels friend Katie as it has been over a year and a half since they have seen each other. The wildlife park was lovely, so much open space for the animals to roam around. We got to get close up with some little monkeys and even see 2 polar bears. We had fun on the many play areas around the park.
Aug
20
We got into the part early the next day and went straight onto the Adventure Tree Carousel and then onto The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure again as we enjoyed it so much yesterday. I then went on the Vampire ride which was great, it lasted quite a while and was a good feeling having your legs dangling. We then went on the Zufari Ride Into Africa and got to see a giraffe really close up. On the way out of that ride we went on the Tomb Blaster, which was my favourite ride of the 2 days. I went on the Kobra and then onto Tiger Rock which was a really good log flume and i didnt get as wet as the day before. Ethan then went on Elmers Flying Jumbos twice before we went on the Tiny Truckers. We then went to the gift shop before heading home, which given it was a Friday evening took us 4.5 hours.
Aug
19
It was our first day at Chessington World of Adventures today and after a bit of a drive we arrived about 11. We headed into the park and picked a direction to go in. We 1st had a quick play on the Amazu Treetop Adventure. Ethan then wanted to go on The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure, so we queued up for that. The ride was really fun, we didnt expect to get wet but it was enjoyable. Ethan and I then went on the Tuk Tuk Turmoil bumper cars which was good before heading over to go on the Jungle Rangers. Ethan then wanted to go on the log flume, so we got in the 80 min queue for the River Rafts. The ride was good but was over really quickly and we got soaked! On the way out of the park we went into the Sea Life Centre. We stayed in the resort hotel which was really nice, we had a monkey themed room which Ethan loved.
Today we went to Rufford Abbey to go on the Totally Roarsome walk. We got there early and had a picnic in the grounds. We then went to the adventure park within Rufford Abbey which was great. The walk was great, they had a dinosaur, superheros and an animal sections. We did a quiz while walking around and it lasted about an hour.
Aug
09
We made it to Legoland just after 10 and then headed straight for The Dragon, I enjoyed the ride but Ethan wasnt a fan. Next we went to the LEGO City Driving School. Ethan had fun driving the car around the mini road system. We went on the Haunted House Monster Party ride afterwards which was not what we were expecting at all! We had lunch at the Castaway Camp and played for a while before heading to the Fairy Tale Brook ride. We had a look around Miniland before the rain came down hard and we decided to call it a day. We had a look around the shop and Ethan got some new Lego before heading home.
Aug
08
My parents took the Warner family to Legoland. As we had been before we knew what rides we wanted to go on and how best to navigate to them. We started with the LEGO NINJAGO The Ride as this is something we didnt get to go on last time. The ride was so much fun! We then went on the Coastguard HQ which was fun, having Ethan steering the boat. After some lunch we went on the LEGO City Deep Sea Adventure ride and then onto the Laser Raiders, which is one of my favourites. Before we left for the day we went on the Viking River Splash which Ethan really liked. In the evening we had a McDonalds for dinner and then went back to the hotel for a rest.
We went to Wistow maze today with Tom and Claire. I had never been before and really enjoyed it. While we were going round we did the quiz which involved answering questions. After the maze we played on the lawn games which everyone really enjoyed.
I had never been to Croft hill and we live quite close. Rachel, Ethan, Joy and I decided we would walk up and around. There was a great view of the quarry and the area around. We walked all the way round the quarry, had a climb on the rocks and took in the view.
I have been working at Vehicle Vision for over a year now and i had only met 2 members of the team in person. Today the company decided it would be nice if we all went to Bradgate Park. We spent the afternoon walking and talking to the coffee shop, had a hot drink and then walked and talked back. It was lovely to meet everyone.
We had a great day at Ryton Pools today, we took a picnic and sat under some trees on a picnic blanket. We played on the park, had lots of fun on the zip line, we had an ice lolly and then went and fed the ducks before finishing off at another park.
It was soo hot today, so we decided that we would spend the day in the paddling pool. It was lovely, we had lots of fun playing.
I have now finished bag 4 of the Lego digger and up to step 767. Its been really interesting building up the detail.
Rachel seen a sign advertising strawberry picking at Whetstone Pastures Farm, so as it was a nice day we thought we would go and pick some strawberries. There was quite a lot of rows of strawberry plants, so we hunted for the best ones and ended up collecting a punnet full of them. They were very tasty.
When we came out of swimming we normally have a play on the park before heading home. Today after we had finished on the park they were setting up some old army vehicles. Ethan had a sit in a nice Land Rover and then on a bike.
Happy Fathers day! Today Ethan woke me up early as he was excited about giving me my present. He got me a top banana monkey, a Lego clock and then a Ducktails Brickheadz Lego set. Ethan and I went into the loft and started building that which was fun.
It was really warm out today and Joy had got Ethan a new paddling pool, so we went over to see her and Ethan and I had fun in the paddling pool and with some water balloons.
With the weather being so lovely, we decided to go to the park, so Ethan and I went on our bikes and Rachel walked. We went over the fields to Cosby. We had great fun on the park and it was quite quiet considering how nice it was outside. It was nice getting back out on the bike and lovely to be out in the nice weather.
Ethans class was asked to dress up as Knights and Princesses, Ethan wanted to be a Minecraft knight, so Rachel and I made him a sword, shield, chestplate and also a cape. He looked great and was really excited to be wearing it.
Rachel got Ethan a rainbow lab science kit, which has lots of experiments with coloured dyes and crystals. He had lots of fun playing with the coloured water, mixing the primary colours to see what colours he could make and then he added some crystals which absorbed the colours.
It will be Joys birthday tomorrow, so we went out for a walk with her and then had her over for pizza and birthday cake.
Rachel and I have been married 7 years today. She got me some new Superdry t-shirts and i got her a frame containing memories from our first dance.
Ethan got another Audi Quattro Lego model for Christmas and so we decided we would get him the Briksmax light kit for it and that he could use it as a bedside lamp. The lights are great and really bright and it looks amazing.
Rachel, Ethan and I went out on the scooters today and went to the park. Ethan and I had lots of fun playing on the slide, i even got stuck once.
It was a really nice day, so Ethan and I went on our bikes over the fields today to Cosby park. Rachel walked and met us there. We went on the outdoor gym for a while, Ethan really had fun at the gym and so did i to. After that we went to the park for some playing.
Ethan and I worked on the Lego digger again today. We managed to finish bag 3, taking us up to step 692 out of 1000. At the end we got to test that everything we had built worked which was great.
Happy Mothers Day. This morning my Grandma and Mum came over and Ethan and I went out for a walk with them, it was nice to see them and have a chat. In the afternoon we had Joy over for lunch, we had an afternoon tea with scones which were lovely.
Ethan and I have been out on our scooters and bikes quite a bit and they are very dirty, so this afternoon we decided to get them out and give them a good wash. While Ethan was washing the scooters and bikes, i washed and hovered my car. The bikes and scooters look great, hopefully they wont get dirty to quickly.
Rachel got Ethan some new bath toys that are animals split into head, body and legs which you can then put together in different combinations to create all sorts of animals. Ethan and I had great fun with them, i even tried one of the hats on which was funny.
Its starting to get a lot nicer outside, so the 3 of us played football in the garden, dug up some plants that didnt last the winter and then Ethan and I washed and cleaned out Rachels car.
Ethan still has Lego models from Christmas that he hadnt built and today we built the pull back getaway truck. Ethan built nearly all of it himself, only having to ask me for a little bit of help. After it was built we got some of the other pull back cars and had some races in the kitchen.
Feb
22
Ethan and I have been working on bag 3 of the Lego digger, the model is getting quite large now and i have had to take out shelves to fit it in the cupboard when we are not building it. Bag 3 is starting to build the arm, which is getting quite complicated.
Rachel, Ethan and I went to the park this morning, we went on the swings, played hide and seek and then scootered back. In the afternoon we did some gardening, pulling up any weeds that have taken hold over the winter.
Happy Valentines day. I got some nice socks and pants from Rachel. We got Ethan a Lego Brick Headz Valentines Bear, which he couldnt wait to build. In the afternoon we all made some cakes which were lovely.
I have been working on the digger on and off with Ethan, we have been progressing well and have now finished bag 2. When we had finished bag 2 we got to test the motors using the app. It was cool to see things working.
Ethan had a task for school to create a hand which contained your favourite things. I had a go at creating mine which included Lego, programming, bike riding, skiing and swimming. Ethan created his which included swimming, cars, Lego, monkeys, Disney, chocolate and family.
Jan
30
Rachel got some gingerbread bunny biscuits and then the 3 of us decorated them. I had a lot of fun doing it and so did Rachel and Ethan.
After thinking that yesterday was going to be the only snow day, today it snowed for multiple hours, everywhere was white. We drove to Burbage Woods to have a walk, something we had planned on doing anyway, but made more enjoyable with the fresh snow. When we got back home we went into the back garden and made a big snowman, we put a hat on it as well as a scalf. We had a little snowball fight and then walked up to the fields and had a nice walk around the fields. It was a great snowday.
We had a little bit of snow over night, so we went out before it could all melt and Ethan made a little snowman, we threw a few snowballs and then went on a bike ride. It was nice to be out in the snow.
It had been raining but we wanted to get out of the house for some fresh air, so Ethan and I went on our bikes for a ride around the village. Its a nice 2 mile ride and Ethan had great fun going through the puddles.
I am making progress on bag 2 of the Lego Liebherr Digger, i am now up to step 339. I have been doing little bits in the evening but i am really enjoying building it and seeing it all coming together.
Claire and Luke gave birth to Faith at the start of the month and today we nipped over to meet her, take her a present and see how Claire was. We didnt stay long but it was lovely to see them all.
I have completed 233 steps and have finished bag 1 of the Lego Liebherr Digger. It has been really fun to build so far and i enjoyed the little test that the app does when you get to the end of bag 1. Ethan helped me with the tracks and other bits while i have been building it.
Ethan and I went out on our bikes, with Rachel walking. We did a big loop around the village and then stopped at the park for a bit. It was cold and wet out but we managed to play on a few things.
Ethan got some new wooden cooking tools and wanted to make some gingerbread men, but he doesnt like gingerbread, so we made vanilla men. Once they were baked we decorated them which was a lot of fun.
I finally got started on the Lego Liebherr Digger (42100) this evening. Looking in the box there is a lot of pieces and looking through the instructions there are 2 books with 1000 steps total. I spent about 1 hour 30 mins and got to step 74 and i am realising how large this is going to be when built.
I havent seen Sam since his wedding, so we decided to meet up for a walk somewhere. We went to Watermead Country Park as that was about half way between the 2 of us. We had a lovely walk, the paths were quite flooded but we just walked through it, we were having to tip the water out of Ethans wellies as he wanted to go deeper in the water.
Dad got a new bike for Christmas, so today Ethan and I went for a ride with him. We went to Whetstone, then to Cosby and then over the field back to home. It was very muddy on the field, but it was fun.
Dec
25
Happy Christmas. We got up at 6am and opened our stockings before heading downstairs to open our presents. I got a new scooter from Rachel, some Lego from Ethan and a hoodie from Joy. My parents then came over and we opened some presents in the garage, they got me the Lego Liebherr R 9800 Excavator, set 42100, cant wait to build it. We went out for a walk and Ethan and I went on our scooters. We had a light lunch, watched Home Alone and built some Lego. In the evening we had a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, we were so full we couldnt fit in dessert.
This evening we went to Broughton Astley to watch the Lutterworth Tractor Parade. It was a really cold evening but load of people turned out to see them all drive by. There was over 200 tractors all with Christmas lights on them. Ethan loved watching them.
We got Ethan Mr and Mrs Claus Lego Brickheadz as a little treat before Christmas, so today we built them. They were fun to build and they look really good.
Dec
13
This afternoon we decorated some gingerbread elves, we all had a go at decorating them and had lots of fun doing it.
I had the day off so i picked Ethan up from school. When we got home we put the fire on and built some Minecraft Lego with some Christmas music on. We had a great time and got it all finished.
Rachel, Ethan, Joy and I went to look at the Cosby Christmas knitting bomb today. They have done such a great job making trees, decorations and even decorating a postbox. Ethan really enjoyed looking at what had been done with knitting.
Work got me a Cadburys Heroes advent calendar which i thought was nice of them, today i got a mini Wispa. Rachel and I got Ethan a Mr Men advent calendar which contains 24 mini books, we will be reading 1 each evening before bed. He also got an Elf called Edward, who will be giving him stickers everyday if he is good.
We took a walk this evening to look at all of the lights on peoples houses and while we were out Ethan posted his hand written letter to Santa.
We went for a walk and scooter ride with my sister this morning. The boys were on their scooters and had a great time following each other round. We did try to go on the park but it was raining and too wet to go on anything.
This afternoon we got the tree and decorations down from the loft and put up the tree. This year we only put up white baubles and it looks really effective. Ethan loved helping and could do a lot more this year, although he did eat a few of the chocolates for the tree as he was putting them up.
Ethan is 5 today. 5 years have really flown by and he has grown up so much in the last year. He got up really early this morning and he opened up the presents from us. He asked for the Lego Cargo Train (60198), there is a lot of things to build with it but he was really excited about getting it. After school he got his new Scooter from his Nana and started to build some of the Lego. We got him a monkey cake as he loves monkeys.
This morning we went to Burbage Common to have a walk. It was quite muddy, but we had boots and wellies on so we could still enjoy the walk. Ethan and my Dad had huge sticks which they were playing with, Ethan was having lots of fun.
Today Ethan, Rachel and I used coloured rice to make rangoli patterns. Ethan did most of the work and it was great fun sprinkling the rice over the paper with glue where you wanted it to stick and then shaking all of the excess rice of to leave a rice picture. In the evening we lit the diva lamps we made yesterday.
Ethan and Rachel made Pudsey biscuits in the morning and then when they were cool enough we all decorated them, Ethan really enjoyed it and did the most. In the afternoon we used clay and made some diva lamps, decorating them with glitter and beads. Rachel then found some plain glass candle holders which we decorated with stickers.
Tonight to mark bonfire night we had a little bonfire at home in the fire pit. Ethan and I built the fire and let it calm down while we went and had dinner. Rachel cooked a chilli con carne and rice which was a lovely winter warmer. We went outside, enjoyed the fire, roasted some marshmallows and then had some sparklers which was great fun. We then went inside, put the fire on and had some bonfire cake which Rachel made.
We went out for a walk this morning and met my parents at Burbage Woods. We walked round the big loop, had a chance to chat to everyone and catch up.
Ethan and I played with the Lego and made some of our own creations. I built a tree and Ethan built an island and sea.
They have been building a new park in Broughton Astley for ages and they finally opened it up earlier in the week, so we decided to go and check it out. The park was really good and Ethan really enjoyed trying everything out. The park was a little boggy, but it didnt stop him playing.
Ethan wanted to do something for Halloween, so tonight we had little party. We started with a sweetie hunt around the house with clues to let Ethan know where the next one was, we then played musical statues which was great fun, we then played stick the spider on the web and then finished off the games with pass the parcel. We had hot dogs for dinner and then a tray bake dessert. We took Ethan out for a walk to see the decorated houses around us, there was a great display round the corner which had a projector onto 3 pumpkins.
Oct
22
Today we had a really busy day! Ethan and I started off by washing both of the cars and then hovering out the Mokka, while Rachel did the gardening on the front of the house. After lunch we carved a pumpkin, decorated gingerbread skulls and then finished off the afternoon by going on a walk to the park.
Oct
20
Today we went pumpkin picking at West Lodge Farm Park. I had never been before and the place was really nice with lots to do. We started off playing out the outdoor park, which Ethan had great fun on. We then went to our time slot to pick a pumpkin, i was thinking we would be walking round a field to find the perfect one, but they were all laid out on display for you to pick. Once we had picked it, we had to get all of the insides out and then draw what we liked to be cut out and then handed it over the the staff who would carve the pumpkin for us. We had lunch outside on some benches which was nice before heading on a spooky tractor ride, which was really good. We finished off the day looking round the animals and then another go on the park before picking our pumpkin up and heading home.
We hadnt been to Ryton Pools Country Park since before lockdown, so today we took the drive over. Everyone else must have had the same idea as it was packed. We took a walk around the other lake which we dont normally do, it was a nice walk, Ethan went on his bike and the paths were good for him to ride on. We went to the park, had a go on the zipline and Ethan had a hulk ice cream.
We went to Burbage Common And Woods today, we first played on the park and afterwards went into the woods for a nice long walk. Its such a lovely place to go as the woods are nice and large and you dont see many people.
We went for a nice walk this afternoon round Broughton Astley, we went to the park where Ethan took me hat and made me chase him for it, we then went to the church to see the fishes, it was quite chilly out but was a nice walk.
Its my 37th birthday today. I got some great gifts, money, trousers, Tommy Hilfiger perfume, Clinique Happy perfume, a Lego pen pot and a Samsung Active2 watch. I had a lovely day, having bacon cobs for lunch, built the Lego with Ethan and then having a Nandos takeaway with my parents in the evening.
It was raining, but we wanted to get out of the house, so we went to Burbage Common for a walk. We all wrapped up and it wasnt too cold and we had a really nice walk.
Today was a park day, we went to Hinckley park this morning after Ethans swimming lesson and then in the afternoon we went to Broughton park. Ethan and I had fun on the outdoor gym.
With the weather being so nice we decided to get out and go somewhere for the afternoon, we settled on going to Burbage Common. When we arrived we got an ice cream and then Ethan played on the park, it was quite busy so we didnt get too long. We then walked into the forest and spent a few hours going down the little trails off the main paths. It was great being out in the fresh air and in the woods. We finished the evening off by heading to McDonalds, getting a takeaway and heading back to Burbage Common to eat it, very nice picnic.
We had want to meet up with my Mum and Grandma as it was her birthday so we decided to go to Everards Meadows for a nice walk outside. I hadnt been there before and it was such a nice walk, lots to see and there wasnt a lot of people round. It was good to see everyone and have a nice walk.
We took a walk to Broughton Astley Park this afternoon, Ethan and I went on the swings, slides, climbing frames and had lots of fun in the sun.
Sam and Debbie finally got married today. They got married at Stapleford Park in Melton Mowbray, which is a beautiful venue. Sam asked me to be best man which was a real honour, to which i accepted. Rachel and I got there early to help setup. We attached cans and a sign to a golf kart, which Sam and Debbie would be driving later. They got married at 12 and then everyone went out for photos, there was then a nice sit down meal. I did my speech after the food, i thought it went well but it was good to have done it. I had created a quiz on Debbie and Sam which everyone took part in. Afterwards they had a disco and some more food, it was nice to get round and speak to some of Sam and Debbies family. We got home at midnight, but it was a great day and loved being apart of their special day.
Aug
31
The Lego build was initially going to be for me to build in the evenings, but Ethan really wanted to build it with me. Over the last week Ethan and I have been working on building the model after dinner each evening. He really enjoyed building it and the model itself is amazing. I have now got it on display in my office so it can be seen when i am on video calls.
We decided to go out and do something today, so we went to the crazy golf course in Blaby. We havent been for quite a while and really enjoyed it. Ethan had got a lot better, i think in part to him being a little taller. Ethan and I both got a hole in 1 which was great. Afterwards we ordered a pizza from Pizza Hut and ate that at home which was lovely.
It was really cold and wet, but we wanted to get out of the house, so we drove to Burbage Common and went for a walk through the forest which was lovely as it gave a bit of shelter from the rain.
Ethan had a 1 hour play session at school today as he is starting school in a few weeks. We arrived at the school a little early, it was chucking down with rain and we had been told that we would be playing outside. Just as we got to the gates, we got a call to say that it was cancelled because the rain was too heavy. Ethan was really disappointed.
It has been 10 years since Rachel and I went on our 1st date (Last year we thought it was 10 years, but added up wrong). Rachel surprised me and got me the Fast and Furious Lego Technic Charger which is great and I am looking forward to building it.
We went out on a bike ride over the fields today and they were baling the hay. We had a lovely ride around the fields and the weather was lovely.
Aug
23
Rachel, Ethan and I went out for a ride today through the fields and we were lucky enough to get there as the farmer started to harvest the field with his combine harvester. We stayed for quite a while watching the process as it is something i had never seen being done.
Aug
09
Claire and Luke got engaged and Joy wanted to get close family together for a celebration of this. The weather was great and we were all outside/ It was lovely to see everyone and congratulations to Claire and Luke.
Aug
08
Ethan loves Lamborghinis and he has wanted the lego set for a while. The set contains 2 vehicles and he built the Huracan with Rachel and he built the Urus with me. They were quite complicated to build but he really enjoyed building them and has been having great fun racing them.
It was a lovely day and Ethan wanted to play with water balloons, which then turned into playing with the water pistols. We had great fun and got soaked but it was so hot that we got dry really quickly.
Rachel was cooking dinner and Ethan wanted to help. He grated the cheese and then made some yorkshire pudding mix. After making them he also wanted to try a yorkshire and he really liked it.
Rachel got Ethan a mini rocket which is shot in the air with a little pump. It is really cool and does fire the little rockets really high, after not very long we had already got 1 stuck on the roof.
Ethan and I have been out riding a lot and we thought it would be nice to invite my Dad out for a ride. In the day i ordered some chips from the Cosby chip shop. We then took a ride over the fields, sat on the bench opposite the chip shop and ate chips and sausages. We had a lovely ride and was out for 1.5 hours, Ethan loved it.
We had a busy day today being outside as the weather was nice. We went out for a big ride in the morning, we then worked on the garden for the afternoon, getting the lawn mowed and garden weeded and pruned.
After i finished work this evening, Ethan and I went out for a long bike ride. We did our normal route and then decided to go and explore. We ended up going under the M1 motorway and was some distance away from home. We did have a great time though.
Ethan and Rachel made their own playdough, Ethan got to do the stirring on the hob and then he added green dye. When it had cooled down they went outside and cut out shapes and made things with it. Ethan had lots of fun.
Rachel, Joy and Ethan went out mini beast hunting in the woods. Ethan loves to find them with his magnifying glass and his check list that he uses to mark off which bugs he has found.
It was Ethan's last day of nursery today, he hasnt actually been going for the last few months, but we have still been doing the work that has been sent to him. One of the Mums put together a lovely class photo from separate photos.
I had Ethan for the day today. We played with the Hotwheels in the morning and then the rain let up a bit so we went out for a bike ride. We went off the normal path and went though the forest and bushes. We had a great time out, but on the way back it started raining again. In the afternoon we played on the Wii and with the Hotwheels again.
A farmer had let us know that they were going to be baling up the hay today, so on my lunch break Ethan, Rachel and I took a ride to the fields and stood and watched the tractors bale the hay and then wrap it in polythene. It was such a great process to watch and i had never seen it done before.
Ethan and I went out on our bikes, with Rachel following on foot. We went around Narborough and then out onto the fields. It was such a lovely day to be out.
Rachel, Ethan and I went walking in the local wheat fields looking for stones. It was nice to get out of the house as it had been raining most of the day.
It is Fathers Day today . Ethan couldnt wait to come in and give me my card and present. He got me some lovely new Adidas trainers. In the day my parents came over and it was nice to chat to them both and catch up. Ethan and I went on our bikes, i hadnt been on my bike in over 4 years, but it was very nice to get back on it.
Ethan is currently learning about space and planets at pre school, so this morning we all made different planets out of Play-Doh. I made Neptune and Ethan made Uranus.
Ethan has been getting into the TV show Gold Rush as I have been watching it for years. He started going in the garden, collecting rocks and soil and washing them to see if he could get any gold. Grandad built him a mini wash plant, similar to one in the TV show. He has been playing with it all weekend and really loves it. We now have a lot of clean rocks and stones!
Rachel, Ethan and I, clap for the NHS on a Thursday evening and have hung rainbows on the tree, but wanted to show our support for the Bin Men, so we each created a rainbow, which we then laminated and stuck to the bin with a messaged saying thank you.
I received a lovely package in the post today from Lego! It was leaving gifts from my old colleagues at effect. I have built them with Ethan and they look great in my office.
Apr
20
I started my new job today as Head of Development for Vehicle Vision. My new laptop, a Microsoft Surface 7 and accessories were delivered to me. I have got it all setup and it is now connected to my 3 screens. I am really excited about the new challenges this role will bring.
After we got put on lockdown i decided to grow a beard as i have always fancied growing one but never wanted to go through the messy state. I left it for 30 days and ended up with an ok beard. It itched a lot and i wasnt a fan of it so i have now shaved it off.
Rachel and I have been married 6 years today, Rachel made me a card which was nice and we just cooked a nice dinner given that we are in lockdown.
Happy Easter! We had an easter egg hunt around the house in the morning and then in the afternoon we did a hunt in the garden. We had good fun and ate lots and lots of chocolate.
We are all working from home now after Coronavirus (COVID-19). As i have worked from home before this wasnt hard for me to transition back into it. I have enjoyed being able to use my office again.
Sam is getting married and he asked me to be his best man. This left organising the stag party up to me. I had a few ideas, some worked out too expensive and then some would not be to everyones taste. In the end the best idea would be to go to Center Parcs Nottingham for a long weekend. We had 12 people attending and over the weekend we did laser tag, crazy golf, aerial adventure and lots of swimming as the activities. We also cooked and ate so much food! In the evenings we played on the Nintendo Wii, with some old school Goldeneye and Mario Kart. Everyone had a great weekend.
We had been talking about taken Ethan ice skating for a while. We booked the 3 of us to go for the junior session at Tamworth snow dome. Ethan had a penguin to help him round. He struggled at start but by the end he was skating round with the penguin. Rachel and I really enjoyed it, as we both hadnt been ice skating together for a while.
Ethan wanted to do some planting, so we went to Sapcote Garden Centre, got some pots, tray and some seeds for Peppers, Broad Beans and Parsley. We planted them all, gave them some water and then we have left them in the garage in front of the window to give it some light.
Feb
14
I booked the day off work and we all went to the Lego Discovery Centre in Birmingham. We had our photo taken, then went on the Kingdom Quest ride which was good fun. We then had a look round Miniland, which was great, having lots of Birmingham landmarks in Lego. We all went for lunch, having a nice Costa. We then built some cars for the Lego Racers, Build and Test. Ethan and I went in the Lego City Soft Play and then on the Merlins Apprentice Ride, followed by 4D cinema. It was a great day and i had lots of fun.
Happy Valentines Day. We had an early start opening cards and presents from each other and are planning on spending the whole day together.
Feb
01
Dad and I have been to Les Arcs in France skiing for a week.When we arrived, there was no rep on the coach, so we just got dropped off in Arc 2000, we wandered around looking for our hotel and finally found it. When we got checked in, which wasnt until 6pm, we managed to unpack and then head down for dinner. The room was small but had everything needed. Skiing was great all week, we had 2 days where the wind was nearly 90kmph, but we still managed to do some skiing. We tried out the toboggan run, which was great fun, this year Dad beat me. On the last day we skied over to La Plagne and did over 70km of skiing in a day. Getting home was a disaster, taking over 16 hours, going to multiple airports and multiple coach journeys.
Thomas wanted to go bowling for his 3rd birthday, which was good because we had wanted to take Ethan and just never got round to it. Ethan had a great time. He had a go with the metal ball roller, but then gave up with it and just bowled the ball himself. He came 2nd over all with a score of 89.
We wanted let Ethan ride his bike with some open space, so we decided to go for a walk at Bradgate Park. He did really well, managing to ride halfway and then back again. On the way we stopped and looked at the stream, climbed on the rocks and Ethan had a look at a plaque.
Today we went to Tamworth Snow Dome for some snow play with Ethans friend Esme from swimming lessons. They had a great time playing in the show and going on the sledges and tubes. The adults also had fun running round after them. After the snow play we had a nice lunch and hot drink in Starbucks.
Happy new year. We had a busy day. We started off the day by going to see my parents and Grandma for the morning which was lovely. We then picked up Joy and went for lunch at Costa, followed by a walk around Ryton Pools Country Park.
After days of being at home and seeing family we thought it would be great to get out. Ethan hadnt been on his new bike yet, so I put the pedals on it and then we took him out and let him ride round the street. He had never rode a bike with pedals before and on his 1st go he did great, managing to ride all round the street. In the afternoon we went for a walk around Burbage Common and Woods, Ethan got very muddy splashing in the puddles.
As is tradition now, we went to see the Peppers today. We drove up to Derby and spent the day with Rachels Aunties, Uncles and Grandad. We had a nice time and it was good to see everyone again.
Dec
25
Happy Christmas. Ethan was up at 3:52am this morning, but we asked him to go back bed and he could open his presents at 6am. He did wait and we started with the stockings, we all got new socks, some chocolate and i even got some wireless headphones. We then headed downstairs, got a drink and Ethan started opening the rest of his presents. He was really interested in them this year and it took a few hours to open everything. We then got dressed and Nana gave Ethan his present from her which was a new bike and with pedals. My parents then came over for a few hours, we exchanged gifts and played with Ethan. They left about 12 and then 15mins later Claire, Luke and Richard arrived. We had a lovely Christmas roast that Rachel had cooked, which with eating dessert took us a few hours. In the afternoon we played some more with Ethan and he gifts. I got some new skates, clothes and new PJs.
After a really busy day, Claire and Luke invited us over for a mini family gathering and some food. It was good seeing Lukes family and Rachels cousins. We were there a few hours, but all so tired so left about 7pm.
For Christmas Eve, Rachel had booked for Ethan to meet Santa at Palmers Garden Centre. We got there early, had some lunch and a look around before going to meet him. Ethan had a great time and got to choose his own toy to take with him.
Ethan wanted to bake some cookies for Santa, so him and Rachel made some lovely triple chocolate chip ones. He then put them in the lounge with a drink of orange for Santa, he also left some carrots for the reindeers.
Rachel, Ethan and I went to Boost again today. Ethan loves it and as i had the day off we thought we would treat him. We had a great time and so did he.
Dec
13
It was effects Christmas party. We started with with secret Santa in the office and i got a nice Mickey Mouse mug with a cuddly inside. We then headed for dinner to the Middletons Steakhouse And Grill, where i had a lovely burger. We then ended the night by going to play bowling at the East Street Lanes bowling alley. I had a great milkshake made with ice cream and then won the bowling!
Dec
05
I had some holiday to use up before the end of the year, so i took a day off and spent it with Ethan. In the morning we got up and he made me a cup of tea, then once we were dressed we had booked to go to Boost trampoline park. We had a great time, spending 3 hours bouncing around. In the afternoon we went to Nanas.
Dec
01
We have had many people tell us about Gates garden center in Oakham, so we decided to see what it was like. We managed to get there before 11 and went straight to the cafe as we had heard that it gets filled up quickly. Ethan picked a nice table right by the fire and we had a nice brunch. We then had a look round the shops and at the Christmas display before heading home.
Dad and I took Ethan skating at Hinckley leisure center tonight. He is getting quite good now, going round the main rink and able to skate on his own.
Today Ethan, Rachel and I put up the Christmas Tree. This year we removed any decorations with colour and went for a white theme, we also removed the bright white lights and went for more of a yellow tint lights. The tree looks great and we had fun.
Happy 4th Birthday Ethan. We got up at 5am, so that he could open some of his presents. He got some lovely gifts and was super happy with his roller skates and also a remote controlled excavator. He had school in the morning and then went out for lunch with Luke, Claire, Richard and Joy. In the evening we played with his new toys and all had dinner together.
Nov
24
We asked Ethan what he wanted to do for his birthday and straight the way he said go to Boost. So we booked him a party for him and 9 of his friends. They had such a great time and it was great to see them all play together even though most of them hadnt met before.
For bonfire night we had a mini bonfire in the fire pit in our back garden. We had sparklers and marshmallows. We then had hotdogs and wedges, nice traditional bonfire dinner.
Ruby was 4 today and she had a party at Sapcote Pavilion. Ethan had a great time playing with cars and jumping on the bouncy castle. Rachel had time to catch up with some of the mums that she met when Ethan was at a toddler group.
For the 2nd year, effect has organised a company social to Xtreme Scream Park, Twinlakes. It was super cold this year, but we had a great time and managed to go to every attraction.
Today we went pumpkin picking with the VanAllens at Malt Kiln , Rugby. There was quite a walk to get to the pumpkin field and it was like a swamp with some parts flooded, but we braved it all and got to the pumpkin field. Ethan found a few pumpkins he liked and we carried them back. Once we got to the car we all had to change our footwear as they were covered in mud.
Rachel and I finally got new phones. We had been looking for ages and didnt know what to get. In the end we both agreed on the Samsung Note 10. Its a great phone with such a great screen.
Oct
16
It is our last day and we wanted to make the most of it, so we started with getting a photo with Mickey. We then packed our cases and headed into the park. The good thing about the Compass Club, is that you can just leave the cases in the room and they are taken down for you and are ready when you leave. We went on Dumbo the Flying Elephant first, it was a little wet, but still fun. We then went on Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains as it had a short queue, then onto Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast. On the way back to the hotel we got a photo with Golf Goofy. Our flight was at 9pm, so we caught the Disney bus and headed to the airport and got our flight home.
Oct
15
After breakfast we had a photo with Pluto in the hotel, then headed into the park and went on Le Carrousel de Lancelot, then Ethan wanted to go back on the Frontierland Playground for a bit. It was getting near lunch so we walked back to the village and had a Starbucks. We went back to the park and went on Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing, then on the way back we had photos with Max. After walking back to the hotel and having a swim, we went back to the park to see Disney Stars on Parade and then on the way back we went to Annette’s Diner for dinner. In the evening we went to see the Disney Illuminations show and then back to the hotel.
Oct
14
We got up early, went and had breakfast in the compass club lounge and then our way back to the room we seen Donald Duck, so we decided to queue up and get a photo with him. We then headed into the park, on the way booking a photo op with Mini Mouse, but before that we queued up and had a photo with Goofy. Once we had some photos we went to Ethans favourite ride the Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop, after that we went and watched the Moteurs… Action! Stunt Show Spectacular which is another ride that Ethan loves. We walked back to the hotel, had a swim and then went to Hunters Grill at Disney's Sequoia Lodge for dinner.We then walked into the park, went on Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast and then to see the Disney Illuminations show. We walked back to the hotel and had a drink in the compass club lounge before heading bed.
Oct
13
Getting up at 2am to leave the house at 3am, we headed to Birmingham airport to fly to Paris. At the airport we had a Costa for breakfast and then boarded the plane at 6am. The flight was quick, with Ethan and I just watching things on the tablet. We collected our cases and got on the Disney bus to take us to Disney Land Paris. We arrived at the Disney's Newport Bay Club and as we had booked the Compass Club, we got private check in and had a hot drink in the club lounge. Once we had checked in, we headed straight into the park to go on some rides. With our package we had a fast past each per day, so we headed straight to Thunder Mountain and used the fast pass to get straight on, the ride was great, I dont think Joy knew what she was letting herself in for. We then went on the park and had a good walk around to show Joy the sights. We headed back to the hotel to get into our room, went for a swim and the headed back into the park to have dinner at Chez Remy. When we came out of the restaurant, Ratatouille The Adventure's ride had a tiny queue, so we went on that which Ethan loved.
its my 36th birthday today. I got some lovely gifts including new Converse shoes, boxer shorts and socks. I had a nice relaxing evening with Ethan and Rachel.
It is Grandmas 74th birthday today, so i booked a meal for the family at The Old Bulls Head in Woodhouse Eaves. We had a lovely evening, the food was great and Grandma had a really nice time. I was absolutely stuffed when i left.
Today we went to Lollipops Pottery Painting Studio in Oadby to paint a birthday present for my Grandma. We went for a tea for one, which included a bug, teapot and lid. We each took 1 item each and painted it. I did the mug, painted in duck egg blue inside with spots on the outside, Rachel did the tea pot and painted flowers, grass and a Monkey on it, Ethan did the lid and used his thumb print to make the sun.
This morning we got up early and went for breakfast at Starbucks, after which we went back to the hotel to pack. We then headed out to get on the Big Bus Tours bus, we got on a bus and luckily it was on the Red route, which is the one we wanted. After seeing all of the sites around London we got off and headed to Costa for some lunch. We then went to Hamleys, as Ethan wanted a look round and we got him a Bus and Taxi. We then had a look down Oxford street before getting the underground back to the hotel to pick up our cases and headed to Euston to get the train home.
Rachel and I have been together for 10 years and we wanted to do something nice to celebrate and decided that i would be good to go to London, Ethan has mentioned a few times wanting to go so we booked for Rachel, Ethan, Joy and I to go for the weekend. We started off early on Saturday morning catching the Virgin train from Rugby to Euston, then got on the underground to the Park Plaza at Westminster Bridge to drop our cases off. We then went on the London Eye, the weather was great and so we had great views over London. We then had a walk along the river. We went and checked in at the hotel and Ethan and I went swimming, before heading out for dinner at Las Iguanas. We had a great meal and was stuffed afterwards. Rachel and I bathed Ethan and Joy stayed with him while we went for a night walk around the eye and along the river.
Effect had its away day today at College Court in Oadby. It was a day of updating the company on what has been happening over the past year and then discussing what is going to be happening over the next 6 months.
We got up and packed everything and loaded the cars up before heading to the beach and then we hired a boat to go round the lake, it was electric and quite quick. We headed for lunch at Starbucks and then walked to the sports center for Ethan to do Roller Tots, it is amazing how much he has improved over the year, he didnt need me to hold him up and got round the rink on his own. We went swimming once a lot of people had headed home so it was quiet in there. We then picked up the painted VW Camper van before driving home.
Aug
18
We had another early start to go out to the forest behind our lodge and take some photos before playing 18 holes of Adventure Golf. We had brunch at Starbucks before having a long walk to the Off-Road Explorers, which was where Ethan got to drive a mini Land Rover around a course. He loved it and drove it really well. We went swimming before walking back to the lodge to get changed for dinner. We walked back to the village and went to Bella Italia again after the great meal we had the first night.
Aug
17
We were up early this morning to do some Forest Walking and take some photos, we then went to Starbucks for brunch before heading to Mini Trek, where Ethan got to see what it would be like to do Go-Ape, he loved it. We then went swimming before heading back to the lodge for a rest and to get changed before walking back to the village for a meal at Café Rouge.
Aug
16
We hadnt been on holiday all summer so we decided to go to Center Parcs, we hadnt been to the Nottingham one yet so we decided to give that a go. We loaded the UP! with the cases, bikes, food, etc and then Rachel, Joy and Ethan went in the Mokka and set off early to make the most of the day. When we got there we headed straight to Starbucks for a drink and a bacon cob. We had booked to do Pottery Painting so we headed there and Ethan wanted to paint a VW Camper van. Ethan and I went swimming afterwards for a few hours before getting the essentials from the shop. We then unloaded the cars into the lodge and after getting freshened up we walked back to the village to go for dinner at Bella Italia, where we had a really good meal.
We had been looking for somewhere to meet Katie, Antony and Josh in the holidays which is about half way and will have something for the children to do. Katie suggested going to Wheelgate Park in Nottingham. We had a really great time, everything is aimed at children around Ethans age. He played in a huge playground, on bouncy floor, in a water park and we also went on some rides. We spent the most amount of time on the slide racing Antony and Josh.
Jul
28
We woke up early so that we could make the most of the day. Dad, Ethan and I went for a swim in the onsite pool which was nice and then we all went for breakfast. We got to Legoland about 10:30 and headed straight for Laser Raiders as there was a big queue yesterday. The ride was really fun and we all got photos. We then went directly opposite and went on Aero Nomad. We then queued for 60 mins to go on the Legoland Express, it was ok, but i dont think it was worth the wait. We headed back to the entrance for lunch and afterwards i managed to grab a photographer and he took some family photos. We then took Ethan on Raft Racers which was really fun but over really quickly. We finished the day by going to the Splash Safari, it had warmed up so the water was refreshing. We had a look round the shop and then took a nice slow drive home.
We all met at Fosse Park this morning, ended up leaving a little later than planned, but took a gentle drive down to Windsor to go to Legoland. We arrived about 10:30, parked up and headed into the park. We picked a direction to go in and the first attraction we came to was the Lego Reef, we had fun creating Batman fish and them adding them to the reef. From there we headed to Miniland to look at all of the places recreated in Lego, it had changed a bit since i last went and it was amazing to see the level of detail with just Lego. Our first ride of the day was Fire Academy which was fun, then we had aspot of lunch and went on L-Drivers. From there we went on Coastguard HQ, in which Ethan was in control of a boat and took us round a water course, getting Rachel wet in the process. We then went on Atlantis Submarine Voyage in which we got to see sharks swimming by the windows. To finish the day off we went on Viking River Splash. The 9 of us stayed a few miles away in the Holiday Inn Maidenhead. We all met for dinner in the hotel which was nice and then had an early night as it had been a long day.
Rachel took Ethan and Joy to the Lego Discovery Center in Birmingham today. He had fun on the rides, looking at all of the amazing things made out of Lego and then getting to play with Lego.
Rachel took Joy and Ethan to Thomas Land today. He had a great time going on the rides and looking at everything they had there.
James booked an outing to Rutland Water Aqua Park for anyone from Effect who wanted to go. We had a great time, with an extended session. We went on the big 30ft jump many times, did some front and back flips, but was exhausted by the end.
We thought we would do something different today, so we went to Rachels favourite place, Leamington Spa. We had a look round the shops, fed the ducks at the park, went on the swings, went in the outdoor paddling pool and finally had a nice ice cream.
It was really warm out today and it wasnt fun being outside in the heat, so we decided to go to the cinema as it would be nice and cool. We went to see Toy Story 4 and had some nice seats in the middle, so the view was good. We had ice cream, which is mandatory for the cinema.
It was a lovely day out, so we decided to go to Blaby Crazy Golf. It is the 2nd time Ethan had been, so he was a lot better this time. It was close all of the way round, but in the end Joy won!
I never know what to get my Dad for his birthday, so this year i got him tickets to go to Caddyshackers crazy golf. We made a night of it by going to Nandos first and then playing golf. We had a great night and Dad won.
Happy Fathers Day! Ethan got me a new 18v Bosch cordless sander, a painted giraffe which he did himself and 2 mugs with Daddysaurus and Diddysaurus on. My Dad came over and Ethan gave him his present and we all sat and had a drink together.
We wanted to go somewhere different for Fathers day and it be fun for Ethan, so we decided to go Cadburys World. We booked an 11am entry to give us time to get there. There was lots of chocolate handed to us as we walked round, Ethan really enjoyed himself looking how chocolate was made and the history of Cadburys. By the time we had walked round and went to the live show, seen the 4d cinema and went on the outdoor play area we didnt leave until 4pm.
Happy Mothers Day! We woke up early this morning and gave Rachel her presents and then we went to Joys house, where she opened her presents. We had then booked a meal at Thurlaston Garden Centre & Tea Room, where we had a roast dinner and cake for dessert. We got Ethan a lego plane to keep him occupied.
We tried Boost Trampoline Park, we were on the 10am session, there was a lot more people than i thought there would be. It was really bright inside and there was lots of different things to do. Ethan and Rachel had fun on the slam dunk trampoline and Ethan and I went on the high dive jump.
Rachel has been looking for other places to take Ethan and found Ryton Pools Country Park. It is a great place with trails for him to ride round and multiple parks. We went into the woods and you can build dens, which Ethan loved. Before we went home we took a ride on the miniature railway, he was super happy about it.
Ethan and I went skating again tonight, he is doing really well now. We can go up and down the learner section only holding 1 of his hands. Tonight we even managed a few laps of the main rink.
It is Joys 60th birthday and Claire threw a party at her house for everyone, lots of Joys family and friends were invited. The rain held off and there was lots of lovely food.
Dad and I were doing some building work at Rachels sisters house and Ethan came over to check out what we were doing and have a look at the digger. He loved playing with the digger!
Apr
22
Rachel had been looking at cool things to do for Easter and found that the Snowdome in Tamworth had an easter egg hunt. Ethan loves going to the snow dome, so we booked a ticket. There wasnt many people in there so we got to play on the diggers and do tubing without queuing. We had good fun with a snow ball fight and trying to find all of the letters inside eggs.
We thought we would make a day of being in Tamworth, so Rachel had a look at what else there was to do and came across Tamworth Castle. They had an easter egg hunt on, so while we were looking round we also had to find the hidden eggs. It was nice to look round, seeing how it was expanded on over the years.
Apr
21
Tom and I had been discussing for a while taking our children camping as they had both expressed interest in it. We had a look at a few places and we ended up booking Billing Aquadrome for 1 night. In the day the sun was out and it was really hot! We went on the little train, soft play and did lots of walking before cooking sausages on the hob. It was hard to get sleep given how hot it was, but over night the temperature dropped and the fog came in and it got that code that we were up at 4am! On the Sunday we went swimming and then had an ice cream and then headed home. It was good to try camping with the children but wont be rushing back.
While Rachel and I went away for our anniversary, Ethan went to stay at his Nanas. She put Paw Patrol bed sheets on the spare bed for him. He had a great time in a double bed.
Apr
13
Rachel and I have been married for 4 years today! I booked us a trip to Leeds, which is where Rachel went to university. We stayed in a really nice hotel in which we got upgraded to a room with a balcony. I had booked us a meal at Zizzis and then we went to the theatre. The play was a 3 man show and was great.
Ethan really enjoys the trampoline at soft plays, so i had a look at what trampoline parks we had in Leicester and found Flip Out. It was only 30 mins away, so we booked for the 10am session. We got there and there wasnt many people there which was great as Ethan and I could go on everything without having to wait. We had fun bouncing off the trampolines on the walls and then jumping into the foam pit.
Apr
06
Today we had a super busy day! We started the day with Ethan going to swimming lesson at Hinckley leisure centre. We then went to Costa for some lunch and they had a white hot chocolate on special, i had one and it was lovely. We then went to get some camping supplies and Ethan had great fun running around and getting in the tents. For dinner we went to McDonalds and then to finish the day we went back to Hinckley leisure centre to go roller skating. Ethan is getting on really well with it.
Our lawn was getting really long, so Ethan and I got our lawn mowers and went and cut the grass. We filled the whole of our green bin and didnt even get to do the front lawn, but it looks so much better.
Mar
23
When Joy was cleaning out the garage she found a box of mini Skalextric. We set it up in the lounge and had a few races. We were getting in the way a bit, so we took it upstairs and set it up in Ethans play room. We had great fun sitting in the tee-pee racing.
Ethan made me some cakes and also a card to go along with them. He gave them to me when i got home from work and were a nice treat after a day at work.
This afternoon we met up with Mel, Dylan and Ilisa at Parklands leisure centre. We had a great time playing in the soft play as its so large!
Today Ethan, Rachel and I went to Hinckley leisure centre and went to the soft play. It was quite empty so we had most of the place to ourself.
Today was a really busy, but great day. In the morning Ethan had his swimming lesson at Hinckley Leisure Centre, we then drove over to Costa Drive Through at Warwickshire Shopping Park, had lunch and then went to Coombe Abbey,so that Ethan could go on his scooter, while we were there we went into the woods and climbed over some fallen trees. In the afternoon we went to McDonalds in Hinckley for dinner and then back to Hinckley Leisure Centre for Skating at Sk8House. It has been a while since Ethan has been skating, but he got on really well.
Happy Valentines Day. Ethan made me some heart shaped biscuits, Rachel got me a new shirt and i got Rachel some vouchers.
Dad and I have been on our yearly skiing trip. This year we stayed at the Neilson Chalet Hotel Edelweiss, Sauze dOulx. We had a view of the chair lift from our room, which was great. When we got there, everywhere but the runs didnt have any snow on them, but half way through the week they had a big downpour which was really needed. We had a great time skiing, we had a mountain expert most days for 2 hours at a time, which we made the most of. He showed us round the resort and even taught us to ski backwards. The chalet was good, everyone was really friendly with a great atmosphere.
It was Ethans first day of pre school today. He is going to a pre school attached to the school he will be going to and it is ran a lot like when they will be at school, he even has to wear a cute uniform.
Ethan got a balance bike for Christmas from Nana and today was the first time he had been out on it. He has had lessons before so once he got used to the new bike he was speeding round Blaby park, we ended up doing 2 full loops round.
Today we had our annual trip to Derby to see Rachels uncle and auntie. They had moved house last year, so this was the first time we had seen the new house and it had a lovely kitchen - dining area. We had a nice lunch and dessert and then went out for a walk.
Happy Christmas! We had a normal time start this morning which was nice, we then opened our stockings in bed, we all got a new car from Santa as well as a pair of socks and chocolate. We then went downstairs and opened our presents. Ethan got lots of lovely presents, he got a tablet from us as his main present. I got some nice clothes, tools and some new skiing gloves. We had my parents over in the morning to see us and then in the afternoon we went to Claires for a Pepper family dinner.It was a lovely day spending it with family.
With Santa coming this evening, Ethan wanted to bake him some cookies, so with Rachels help he made some chocolate chip ones. They made a few too many and i did have one and they were lovely. Ethan left Santa some milk and some carrots for the reindeer.
We went for breakfast with Santa at Mini Mischiefs, as we had done the same last year. The Santa wasnt great this year, but we did get a free entry pass for next time we go to make up for it. Ethan had a nice time and then went in the soft play for a few hours which really wore him out.
Dec
21
Ethan went to the Active Play and Bounce Christmas Party at Hinckley Leisure Centre today. They had a lot more equipment out that normal and he loved playing on the gymnastics equipment. He got a little book too which he liked.
Dec
14
Ethan went to the Mumstop Christmas Party today. He had fun with the arts and crafts and also got to meet Santa.
Dec
08
It was the Little Movers Christmas Party today. It was an extended session, with party games, arts and crafts, food and dancing. Ethan had a great time.
Tonight we went to see the Broughton Astley Christmas Lights get switched on. They had a fair with some rides, Ethan wanted to go on the train roundabout, so we let him and he enjoyed it.
To make the most of the Christmas tree, we put it up this morning. Ethan was a big help putting all of the baubles on the lower part of the tree. We added some chocolates that we can eat thought the month on there to.
Ethan had a little Birthday party with his friends at Manic Minors today. Teddy and Oakley went and they had fun in the soft play, on the bouncy castle and then had lunch.
Ethans is 3 today. Happy Birthday Ethan. I cant believe 3 years have gone by already! We had an early start so he could open a few presents. His Nana got in a scooter which he was really excited about and then in the evening Dylan came over and had dinner with him.
Nov
25
We had a family Birthday Party for Ethans 3rd birthday today. We had an indoor picnic, cake, balloons and we let him open a few presents. He had a great time with every one and got some lovely presents.
Tonight was effects Christmas party. It is a little early as its not even December yet, but it was hard to find a date where everyone would be free. We went to the The Parcel Yard on London road for drinks and dinner and then went to Caddyshackers Crazy Crazy Golf for 18 holes of fun. I didnt win, but I had a great time.
It was The Wizard of Oz show at Little Movers this week, Ethan was dressed up as a Munchkin and had a few dances to do with the other children.
Lukes mum works at Roots Garden Center and said we should come and have a look round. So we went over today, had a hot drink and a cake and then had a look around at the little stalls.
It was Children In Need themed session at Little Movers today. Ethan got dressed up in a Pudsey bear tshirt, socks and ears. I got involved balancing a bean bag on my head for one of the races.
We didnt want to do anything big for bonfire night, so we decided to light the fire-pit and have some sparklers. We didnt stay out too long as it was quite cold. We then went inside and had hot dogs and wedges.
This morning we went to Thurlaston Garden Centre & Tea Room to do Halloween cake decorating. Ethan got to decorate 2 biscuits and a cake in Halloween theme. After we had done that we went on the park and went pumpkin picking.
Little Movers d a Halloween theme today. Ethan dressed up as Micky from Fantasia. We played a few games and i got wrapped in toilet paper like a mummy.
Oct
18
We made sure that we were all packed in the morning and checked our bags in and headed to the park, still within the early Disney hours. We went on the Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast again as i love the ride, we then headed on Autopia after the fun we had the day before. Ethan and Rachel then went on a ride while i went on the Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain, we then queued up to Meet Pluto. Ethan then wanted to go back to Pocahontas Indian Village and Pirates Beach, so we did that for a while and finished with Swiss Family Robinson a Tree with a View. We then headed back to the hotel to catch the Disney bus back to the airport. We were delayed flying home, but the flight was ok.
Oct
17
Even though we had a late night, we managed to get up early and into the part and started with the Orbitron as Ethan really enjoyed it yesterday, the Autopia ride opened early, so we got on that before the queue got to big. We then headed over to Its a Small World as Rachel and I didnt get to go on it last time we were here. We then headed to Pirates of the Caribbean as we had tried to get on it the day before but they closed it before we got to the front. We then queued up to Meet Goofy and then headed to Walt Disney Studio Park to Meet Minnie, he loved seeing her and got quite shy in front of her. We then went on the Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin ride, after which Ethan fell sleep. I took this opportunity to go on Rockin Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. We then headed back to the main park to watch the Stars on Parade. We ate in the park that evening and then got in a good spot for The spectacularly sparkly Disney Illuminations show.
Oct
16
We had such a busy day today. We got in the park early and went straight onto Dumbo the Flying Elephant, followed by Peter Pans Flight, we then went on the Horses. There was a staff member who came and spoke to Ethan, he had a giggle with her, when the ride was over she gave us a fast pass ticket to Voyage of Pinocchio, this was really sweet of her. We then went on Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs before heading off to Meet Mickey. Once we had done that we went to find the outdoor play area at Pocahontas Indian Village, Ethan had fun running around, climbing and sliding before we headed to Pirates Beach for more playing. We then went on Pirate Galleon before walking up the Swiss Family Robinson a Tree with a View, which Ethan had a great time walking up and the height didnt bother him at all. We then walked across the park to The Land of Fairy Tales which was a nice relaxing boat ride and then onto the Casey Jr. The Little Circus Train, which is like a mini run away train. After we had been on the ride we queued up for a photo with Winnie the Poohs friends. We headed back to the hotel, had a swim and went out for some food and then went to see The spectacularly sparkly Disney Illuminations show, by which time we were all exhausted and we went back to the hotel and straight bed.
Oct
15
We made sure we were up early to make the most of the extra time in Disneyland before it opens to people not staying in a Disney hotel. We went straight to the Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast ride as it was my favourite from last time i was there, Ethan had fun on the ride. We then went on Orbitron. We then headed over to the Walt Disney Studio Park to have a meet and greet with Buzz. Once we had done that we went on the Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop, which Ethan loved. We then went to watch the Moteurs...Action! Stunt Show Spectacular, even though Rachel and I had both seen it before, it was still just as good. We then heading back to the main Disney park to watch the parade. We headed back to the hotel, had a swim and then out for some dinner.
Oct
14
We had an early start this morning to drive to Birmingham airport, so that we could fly to Paris to go Disneyland. It is the first time Ethan has been on plane so we didnt know what to expect, but he was really good. We caught the Disney bus from the airport in Paris to Disneyland. We are staying at the Newport Bay hotel, check in was easy and once we had got rid of the bags we went and took a look round the park.
For my birthday Rachel got me (well Ethan) a session at the Snow Play in Tamworth Snow Dome. We have been a few times and Ethan loves it, we had great fun on the sledge, creating snow balls and on the tubes.
Happy birthday Me. I am 35 today! I had a nice day at work, they got me a card, some amazing donuts and a remote controlled car. When i got home we had my Grandma over for dinner. Ethan got me a model VW Up!, Rachel got me a nice shirt and Joy got me some new shoes.
Nana needed new door handles and latches fitting to all of the doors in her house. Ethan, Rachel and I went to B&Q to get the materials and then i started to fit them. Ethan went and got his toy drill and gave me a hand.
It is Grandma Warners 80th birthday, so Mum and Dad had the family round for tea. It was nice for the family to get together as we dont do it often enough.
It was a rainy, miserable day out, so we thought we would nip over to the Space Center. We had a go at building a rocket and also spending more time talking about the different things around. We had a coffee and a cake to warm us up too, as Ethan likes to see the smoke come out of the bottom of the rocket.
Ethan, Rachel, Claire and I went to the Sea Life Center in Birmingham today. We took Ethan when he was little and he enjoyed it so we thought it would be nice to go back again. He loved looking at the Penguins and spent quite a while looking at them. He still likes the turtles, especially the large one in the big tank near the end.
Its been 8 Years since Rachel and I went on our first date. We bought each other a card to mark the occasion.
Aug
22
Ethan wanted to get some new clothes for Big Ooh Ooh, so i met Ethan and Rachel in town on my lunch break so that we could go to the Build a Bear Workshop and choose some. Ethan gave him a wash and then we got him changed in to his new outfit. After that we went to Costa for a drink.
Dad, Ethan, Uncle John, Paul, Jake, Riley and I went to see the Monster Trucks at Santa Pod today. It started quite early on in the morning, but the actual monster truckers were not coming on until lunch so we got there about 11am, as Ethan would have been bored waiting. They raced around, smashed cars and they also had a stunt driver there. Ethan loved it all.
I have had an upgrade to my desk at work, I now have a 2nd 27inch Apple cinema display. I did miss having multiple screens and given the size and the resolution its more than enough. I also got a 128gb iPhone 7 for work, nice to have emails and slack on the go when at meetings in London.
We had the afternoon free and as we have an annual pass to the Space Center, we decided to go there for a few hours. We had a coffee and a cake in the cafeteria and then went to have a look round. As it was in the afternoon it was quite quiet.
Rachel, Ethan and I went to Centre Parcs Woburn Forest for 5 days. Over the week we did swimming every day, had lunch in Starbucks, went on the park, Ethan learnt to roller skate, he also had a lesson on a balance bike and we all did pottery painting. The room was nice, if not a bit far out of the way. We rented a bike with a seat on the back so that i could ride Ethan around to make things easier for us. I really enjoyed the pool, with Ethan and I spending up to 2 hours a day in there.
Ethan and I had matching outfits on today after he requested i wear a shirt that was very similar to his.
Ethan went to Little Movers today and we had a great time with the games and activities and also went to play on the park.
Went dont get a huge amount of time to spend in the garden, but today we made some time to enjoying the garden. Having a drink on the railway sleeper seats and then running round the garden.
I started my new job at Effect today. My new job title is Head of Technical Delivery. I am really excited about the challenge and cant wait to get stuck in. I have all Apple equipment again, with a 27 inch cinema display and a Macbook Pro.
Rachel, Ethan and I went to Leamington Spa today. We had a nice walk around the park and then went to the outdoor pool, which is a shallow pool of water for the children to play in. Ethan loved it, he had his swimming clothes on and we took a ball in with us to make it even more fun.
I wanted to get Dad something different for his borthday, so i got him 2 tickets to go to Ghetto Golf in Birmingham. He asked me to go with him so tonight we went. The place is great, covered in graffiti which glows under the UV light. We ate at the BBQ place and had a drink while we waited to be called.There were 18 holes and they were all themed differently and very creative. We had a great time and would definitely go again.
I have been looking for a new job for the last couple of months, i have had quite a few final interviews and today i got offered 2 roles. I have thought long and hard about which one i am going to accept and i start this new role at the beginning of July.
Ethan, Rachel and I went to Coffee Cosmo for lunch, i had a nice brownie and white hot chocolate.
It was Dillans birthday on Monday and so today they had a BBQ for the family. Ethan had a great time playing with Dillan in the garden.
Its Fathers day today. I have had a really busy day. In the morning Ethan, Rachel and I went to see my parents, then my Grandma came to see us and brought her Fiat 500 round, Ethan talks about it all the time but he had never been in it, so we let him have a play inside and he loved it. We then went over to Rachels parents and took her Dad and Joy to Palmers garden center, where we had lunch and Dave got a new plant. We then went back to Joys for a bit.
Ethan, Joy, Rachel and I went to Hinckley leisure centre today. We had lunch in the cafe, then Ethan and I went swimming and we were in there well over an hour playing with the floats and a beach ball. The weather was nice outside, so we then went to the park afterwards and had an ice cream.
Rachel and I took Ethan to the little movers teddy bear picnic. He normally goes to the little movers group every week, but this was a special one where we had a picnic and they got to bring a teddy. Ethan took his big ooh ooh.
It is Rachels 33rd birthday today. We were planning on going to Leamington Spa, but the weather didnt look great in the morning so we decided to take Joy and Dave out for lunch. We went to Palmers garden center, had some lunch and a hot drink and then a look round. We then spent some time in the garden with Ethan.
May
20
We took Ethan to the Emergency Services Day at Bradgate Park. They had old police cars and fire engines on show, with some of them letting children sit in them. We ended up parking over a mile away and the walk to get there was fine as it was all down hill, but on the way back it was hard work pushing the pushchair up hill all the way to the car park. We had a great day and the weather was lovely.
Ethan is into rockets atm, so when we seen that the Space Centre in Leicester had a toddler day, we thought it would be great to take him. There was lots to see and they even had a big rocket that he was fascinated with. I think he might have been a little young to get the most of the day, but he id have fun looking round.
Ethan had been saying he wanted to go back swimming, so this morning we took him to Hinckley Leisure Centre for a swim, we had a great time and the pool is at a depth where he can touch the bottom, so he loves that. We then had lunch there and finally went on the park.
We went to the Dorman-Matthews house to see Claire, Tom and Olivia this afternoon. Ethan and Olivia played with the water in the back garden while us parents chatted. It was great to spend time with them again.
It is my Dads 55th Birthday today and to celebrate he took the whole family out for dinner. It was great to spend time with everyone and see my Sister who i dont see too often. Ethan and Thomas played out in the garden, running round kicking the ball with my Dad. We even got a family photo which just recently we havent taken many of.
As the weather was so lovely, Rachel, Joy, Ethan and I went for a walk at Burbage Woods. Ethan loves being in the woods, running around and playing with sticks.
While the blue bells were out, we had a photoshoot of Ethan in the forest with the blue bells. He had a great time in the forest, wondering about and then was really good when it came to posing for the pictures.
Ethan goes to Little Movers every week on a Saturday morning and this week they had a flying theme. Rachel made Ethan a rocket to wear on his back and got him a shirt with rockets and planets on. He had a great time running round and making rocket noises.
We got Ethan an all in one waterproof suit today, so we decided to try it out washing Rachels car. He had great fun cleaning it and it looks nice and shiny now.
Apr
13
Rachel and I celebrated our 4 Year Anniversary today, we went out for dinner in town to Pizza Express which was really nice, it had been a long time since we had got dressed up and went out.
For Sports Relief 2018, Hinkley Leisure Center held a Gymnastics and Trampolining Taster Session. We took Ethan along as they had lots of things for him to play on including 2 bouncy castles. He had a great time running round. There was also a tiger mascot walking around which he loved to follow and high 5.
Its Mothers Day today, this morning i went to see my Mum and we spent a few hours there. In the afternoon we took Joy to Woodlands garden centre for a coffee and a cake.
I had wanted a Microsoft Band since they first got released, but i didnt want to pay the £200+ for it, so i waited and they released the Microsoft Band 2 which was even more expensive, but after waiting a while they finally dropped to £70, so i got myself one. First impressions are really positive, it tracks all the data that i need and still has the time on it.
I had been waiting to take Ethan skating for ages, i wanted him to be able to walk properly before i took him, so finally Dad and I decided to take him. We went to Midlands Roller Arena, it is a nice place not far from where we live, the floor used to be a roller hockey rink so it is made up of plastic tiles connected together so a little bumpy. Ethan had a few laps round holding mine and Dads hand, but then he got upset and refused to go back on the rink. We are going to leave it a while and try again another time.
Jan
27
Dad and I have just been skiing in Nassfeld, Austria. We stayed in the hotel Franz Ferdinand, which is a great concrete and glass box that sits at the bottom of the number 80 run. Nassfeld has not really been accessable to the English before as there is no direct flight, but we were on the 1st flight out of the UK direct. We got a really good deal on the hotel because of this. At the start of the week the temperature was +12 degrees, which was lovely at lunch to sit and sunbathe. Towards the end of the week the weather turned and we had over a meter of snow fall, this totally changes the skiing, we were now skiing down runs, with snow over our knees, which with our all mountain skies is really nice. We had a great holiday and would go back to the hotel and resort again.
Dave, Joy, Rachel, Ethan and I went to The Peppers in Derby today for our yearly boxing day lunch. Ethan had a great time exploring the house and playing with his wooden train set that Howard and Rosie bought him. It was great to see everyone again.
Happy Christmas. Ethan understood a bit more of whats going on this year, so we opened presents from a stocking in bed when he woke up and then we went down stairs where we had a sack with presents in. He loved opening the presents and wanted to play with each one as he opened them. We managed to get him to sleep in the morning so he wouldnt be too tired later on. My parents then came over to see us which was nice. For lunch we had Joy, Dave, Richard, Claire and Luke. We were full after dinner, so moved dessert to mid afternoon. We played with Ethan most of the afternoon and then had an early night.
Dec
23
My parents wanted to see Melissa, myself and our families all together before Christmas so we all got together at my parents today. We had a buffet lunch and played with Ethan and Thomas. We had a great time and it was lovely to get together with everyone.
We drove to Joy and Daves this morning so we could enjoy the snow with them. They had a sledge so we took Ethan out on it and then went across to the green to build a snowman and throw some snowballs. Ethan loved it in the snow.
Today we went on a steam train on the Great Central Railway at Loughborough. Ethan has never been on a train, so we thought we would take him on one and they did a special one for Christmas that had Santa on it. The carriage was still original and was really cold, but we were wrapped up warm so we didnt mind. It was great to get up close with a steam engine and be pulled along by one. Dave and Joy came with us and we all had a great time.
Dec
02
Tonight we put our Christmas tree up,i think every year we say we should buy more lights and never do and this year was no exception. We put the tree in the corner out of the way. Ethan and I also went outside and hammered the Santa stop here sign into the ground.
Nov
26
It is Ethans 2nd birthday today. I cant believe how fast the time has gone. He has grown up so fast this year, looking at the photos from a year ago. He got up quite early and after his milk we went downstairs so he could open his presents. We booked Woodlands Garden Centre soft play for his birthday, with 14 of his little friends. He had a good time playing, but the day really wore him out.
Nov
24
After the great time we had last time at the Tamworth Snowdome we booked again to go to Santas Wonderland, where they turn the outside of the skating rink into a snow covered wonderland. There was more places to do tubing, sledges to get pulled round on and lots of things to take photos with. We were in there for 30 mins and then onto a show for 30 mins and then finally there were some animals that you could go and see.
Ethan cant stay up late enough to go to a bonfire party so we thought we would have one at home. We got some sparklers and lit the firepit and had a little gathering at our house. The Peppers came over which was nice. Ethan enjoyed playing with the sparklers and seeing the fireworks in the sky.
We finally got round to carving the pumpkin. Rachel drew on the pumpkin and then left it to me to cut within the lines. I think between us we made a great job. Ethan enjoyed playing with it.
Raj, Nindi and Remi were back from Texas, so we decided to go out for the day. We went to Tamwoth Snowdome as they have a snow play session where you can play in the snow and go tubing. It was colder in there than we had thought, but Ethan had such a great time running round, playing with the snow and tubing. It was the 1st time he had seen snow.
Rachel, Joy and I took Ethan pumpkin picking today. We went looking for a little pumpkin for him and a larger one for us that we could carve. He had fun walking around the field trying to pick up pumpkins that were far too large.
Happy Birthday to Me. 34 today. I have had a lovely day and got some great presents.
The bushes on the front of the house were getting quite large and we had wanted them gone for quite a while so today Ethan and I went out and dug them out. While we were out we planted some plants we had bought a while ago. Ethan loved helping out with his little spade and bucket.
We went to Woodlands Garden Centre today so Ethan could have a play in the soft play, we could go to the cafe and we could have a look round. The soft play is great, its not normally too busy and Ethan can get round it on his own, not that stops us going in with him.
Sep
24
Rachel loves Royal Leamington Spa, so today we drove over as the weather looked great.We had a lovely walk round the parks, did a little shopping and then had a lovely ice cream.
For the Deeson tech chapter away day, we all we karting. We had a great time, with lots of time in the karts. I started at the back of the field, but over the course of the race i managed to get all the way into 1st position. I didnt get the fastest lap of the race but i was close to the top.
My parents thought it would be nice to do something for the bank holiday, so after a few options we decided on Bosworth Water Trust. The queue to get in was huge and we were in it for over an hour, when we finally got in we had to park on an overflow carpark in a field. When we all finally got in, we managed to find a spot with some shade for Thomas, Ethan and Grandma. Ethan had great fun with a kite that my Mum and Dad got him.
We met up with Claire and Tom with Olivia today at Coombe Abbey. We took a picnic with us, so after playing on the swings and the climbing frames we walked though the trees and setup camp for some food. It was great to be able to meet up with them and we had a great time.
It was a lovely day so Rachel and I took Ethan to Coombe Abbey. He loves running round through the trees and feeding the ducks, so we did those and had a nice walk too.
Melissa and Thomas came round today, it was lovely to see Ethan and Thomas playing together.
Jul
19
Today Rachel, Joy and I took Ethan to Hatton Country World. It has a huge indoor soft play, lots of outdoor play things including a JCB play area and a huge sand pit as well as lots of animals. Ethan loved the soft play and the animals. Joy and I did some gold panning and had a game of bowling.
Rachel and I took Ethan to Butlins in Bognor Regis for a long weekend. We booked an apartment which had 2 bedrooms a kitchen, lounge, a wrap around balcony and a sea view. The apartment was lovely. We had a great time going to the pool, outdoor play areas, sand park and then soft plays. Rachel and I treated our self one evening and had pizza delivered to the room which was good. We had a great holiday and it was nice to get away for a few days.
Jul
05
I attended Agile on the Beach, a 2 day conference in Cornwall covering the themes of software delivery, business, products and teams. It was a great opportunity to meet people from other companies, and a few of us formed a quiz team, calling our self the INVESTables – a combination of the INVEST mnemonic and the The Incredibles film. We did quite well in the quiz, but sadly didn’t win. We did have a great night though, talking about how the companies we work for do agile. On Thursday evening I attended the beach party at Gyllyngvase Beach. Friday evening was the retrospective boat trip from Prince of Wales Pier.
Its Fathers Day today, so I seen my Dad in the morning and then Rachel, Ethan and I took Dave and Joy out to the garden center for lunch and a look around.
My Mum and Sister came over with Thomas to look after Ethan for the morning today, they had great fun and Ethan was really good with Thomas.
Rachel, Joy, Ethan and I went to the Emergency Vehicle Day at Bradgate Park. Ethan got to have a look at some old police cars, but he loved looking at the fire engines the best. We had a nice walk as it was in the middle of the park and the weather stayed nice.
My Sister asked me to be God father for Thomas, which i was honored to accept. We had a lovely day with the family and seeing some people we had not seen in a while.
Rachel and I took Ethan for a walk and and it had been raining just before we let, when we got back from the walk there was a nice rainbow over the house.
It is our anniversary today, we decided we wouldnt get any gifts for each other, but we were going to go for cream tea at Coombe Abbey.
Ethan has been playing with kitchens at all of the play groups he goes to so we decided to get him his own for his room. We got it from John Lewis and then Dad and I assembled it while Ethan was at Joys and then when we bought him home and took him to his room his face was amazing, he loves it.
Jan
28
Dad and i have been on our annual skiing trip, this year we went to Borovets in Bulgaria. We have been there 2 times before and we stayed in the Rila which is where we stayed last time. They had a lot of snow before we got there so the conditions we great. We had a nice easy first day and then on the second day, we decided to ski every run in the resort and we managed to do them all in 5 hours which we didn't think was to bad. We then hired snowboards for 3 days and did some snowboarding. We improved a lot at the boarding. We had a great time and got lots of skiing in.
Ethans hair was getting really long at the back, so we took him to the hair dresses i go to and had Emma cut his hair. He did really well in the chair and kept still for the whole time.
Jan
03
Today i started my new job at Deeson as a Solutions Architect. I had a 5 hour journey to get there, but i am there for the whole week so it was ok. On my 1st day i was given the new Macbook Pro 13 inch model, lots of cables to get it working with my home setup and an iPhone SE for work.
Rachels Grandad was 90, so we all went to Derby to have a family meal and some cake.
Today my parents came over in the morning and Ethan opened a few more presents. In the afternoon Rachel and I took him for a walk at Bradgate Park, it was nice to get out the house even if it was a little cold.
Happy Christmas! We had an early start to the day, Ethan was up at 5am. We took him downstairs and opened some presents. We then had 10 plus Ethan for Christmas dinner. Dad and I ended up building an 8 foot by 8 foot table in the garage so we could fit everyone in 1 room. We all had a great dinner and opened more presents in the afternoon. It was a great day spending it with all the family.
Tonight a few of us from MMT went skating at Roller World Derby. We went to Pizza Hut on the way and then had a good few hours skating to some great music.
Its Ethans 1st birthday today! Cant believe it has been a whole year. The day didnt start great, as we spent it at the walk in center, as he had a temperature and spots on his face. They said there was nothing they could do after queuing for over 2 hours. We were going to have a party for him, but we ended up canceling and just having our parents over to see him. He perked up a bit in the afternoon and went on his new swing and opened his presents.
Its Ethans 1st bonfire night, but as he goes bed quite early we didnt take him to a display. We got some sparklers and went out in the garden, he loved seeing them. We had him wrapped up in his snow suit and he looked really cute.
MMT organised a bowling night. We were split into 4 teams. I was in the Nice Pins team. We won both games and got the highest score, so overall winners.
Today Rachel and I took Ethan to Woodlands Garden Center. While we were there we took him into the soft play area. He had such a great time, climbing the stairs, going through the tunnel and then sliding down the slide. Rachel and I were in there to, trying to keep up with him.
Well another year has passed and its my Birthday, 33 today. I have had a lovely evening having my family over. I got some lovely gifts and ate way to much cake.
To celerbrate my Birthday Rachel took me to Chiquitos for dinner. The food was great as usual and it was nice to be out together.
Rachel and i took Ethan to Blaby park today as we had heard they have a baby sensory area. The weather wasnt the nicest, but he had a great time on the swings, trampoline and in the sensory area.
Rachel and I went to Chris and Katherines wedding this afternoon. The wedding was at Normanton Church on Rutland Water. We had seen the church many times, but never actually got to go inside. The wedding reception was at the Normanton Park Hotel, the food was great. We had a lovely time celebrating with Chris and Katherine.
Rachel, Joy, Ethan and I went to a garden center in Loughborough and on the way back we nipped into Rothly Park so that Ethan could have some fun. When we got home he played in the garden with a mini shopping cart, helping him to learn to walk.
Today Rachel and I took Ethan to Manic Minors in Lutterworth. It was a good soft play place, that also had a sensory room. He enjoyed the soft play area, laughing loads, holding on to the netting while standing. We stayed about an hour and then he was getting a bit tired.
Today Rachel, Joy, Ethan and I went to Leamington Spa for the day. We had a look round the shops in the morning and then in the afternoon we went to the outside pool. The weather was lovely, so he really enjoyed being in the water to cool him down.
Ethan and I went to Leicester Leys Leisure Centre today for the parent and toddler swim. He had a great time, it was the 3rd time we had been to that pool and the 1st time he was quite scared. At the end of the session they have a sing song in the pool which he loved.
Aug
10
Work got me a supercar experience over a year and a half ago and i hadnt had time to use it, so i managed to get today booked off so my Dad and I headed to Prestwold Hall for the early session. We got there early and had a cup of tea before the drivers briefing. I drove a Lamborghini Gallardo, Porsche 911 Turbo, Audi R8, Nissan GTR and an Aston Martin DBS. The Lamborghini was my favourite car of the day, the noise and speed were amazing. For the money the Nissan GTR was great, the acceleration was awesome.
Today we went to Sapcote Park to take Ethan on the swings. We are trying to take him to different parks so that he doesnt get bored of them. He enjoyed himself and we took him on the slide and some of the other things at the park to.
Rachel, Raj, Nindi and I took Ethan and Remi to Twycross Zoo today. Raj and Nindi are back in the country for a few weeks, so we wanted to meet up with them and do something that both boys would enjoy, so we decided on the zoo. The weather stayed great all day and we had a lovely walk round. Ethan enjoyed looking at some of the Animals and Rachel and I enjoyed seeing them.
Rachel, Joy and I took Ethan for a walk to Bradgate Park today as the weather was really nice. Half way through the walk when we had walked from one side to the other we stopped at the cafe for a cup of tea and a cake.
After we went to the garden center last week and Ethan really liked the fish, we decided to take him to the Sea Life Center in Birmingham. We pre booked online, but we didnt need to as there was hardly any queue to get in. He really liked the penguins, they made him smile, he found the jellyfish fascinating, but his favourite part was the tunnel. He loved seeing the fish, sharks and turtle swimming over and under him, we stayed in there quite a while. I am really glad we took him, seeing his face all lit up was great.
Jul
14
Ethan and I went to his normal play group today, i didnt want him to miss it. We had a nice time, he was playing with some different toys and interacting with the other children. At the end we had a sing song which he really liked. In the afternoon i took Ethan to see my Mum as she had been on holiday for the last week and i thought it would be nice if she got to see him. We took him for a walk and then we went to the park.
Today Ethan and I went to Nottingham. We first went to the Escape soft play, where Ethan had a lot of fun in the ball pool and on the slides. We then had a look round the shops and finished off by looking in Ikea for a chair for his bedroom.
Today Ethan and I went to Narborough park in the morning and then I took Ethan to my work to see everyone. We went for a walk with some of them and then had lunch with them.
This week i have to look after Ethan as Rachel is going back to work for 4 days. I thought i would try and do something fun, so i took him swimming at Beaumont Leys leisure centre. He didnt like being in the water for a start, but once i got him in a blow up ring he started to enjoy it, I then put him on a float and pushed him round which he really liked. In the afternoon i took him to a local park for him to go on the swings as his face lights up when he sees the swing.
We went to Coventry today to do a bit of shopping and had to stop off at Costa for a drink and a cake.
Today Rachel, Joy, Ethan and I went to have a look round the garden center and have a hot drink and a cake. While we were there we took Ethan to look at the fish, which he loved and it made him smile so much.
This morning we walked down the 45 degree incline from where we were staying to see Durdle Door, it looked amazing in the sea, having been carved out over thousands of years. We took a few photos and then went back to the barn to pack up and head home. It took us another 6 hours go get home as we had to keep stopping but we got home ok.
Jun
23
We went to Weymouth again today, but the start of the day was not great. When we got there we started walking and the buggy was leaning to one side, so looking at the wheel you cold see that it had gone flat, so we found a Halfords and took it in to buy a pump, they offered to pump it up which was nice of them. After leaving the sotre and walking for about 1 min, it had gone flat again, so we took the buggy back to the car, took the bare essentials with us and carried Ethan into town. We looked in a few shops and managed to get a front baby strap, which means i could carry Ethan around on my front. We went to the beach and the harbor before heading back to the barn. When we got back we took Ethan to the park which he really liked.
Today Rachel, Ethan and I went to Poole. We took Ethan to a soft play place, he hadnt been to one before and he was really unsure of the ball pit, but he did like the lights and the slide.
Jun
21
Today we went to Weymouth to take Ethan to the beach. We parked up and went straight to the beach. Ethan loved the sand, he didnt know what to do with it at the start, then he tried to eat it. We had chips and sausages on the beach which were nice. We then headed back to the barn and took Ethan into the swimming pool, he didnt like it as it was quite cold, so we didnt stay in long.
Rachel, Ethan and I headed off this morning for a drive down to Durdle Door in Lulworth, Dorset. We had to stop a few times to feed/change Ethan, so a 3 hour drive took us 6 hours. When we were 15 mins away, Ethan had enough and was crying so we had to stop in a lay by and comfort him before we could finish the journey off. We were staying in a converted barn, with an outdoor heated swimming pool, which was really close to the beach.
Happy Fathers Day. Ethan got me a lovely top to match his and then we spent the day together with Rachel.
Ethan was growing out of his current bath, so Rachel got him a giant duck bath, its so cute. We had the duck floating in a little bit of water and he loved it.
Rachel, Joy and I took Ethan for a walk to the park today. We thought it would be nice for him to go on the swings. Rachel and I both had a swing with him sitting on our laps and he really enjoyed it.
Rachel, Joy and I went to Leamington Spa today. We had a lovely picnic on the park, Ethan enjoyed watching the leaves on the trees and looking at the ducks on the water. We then went looking round the shops afterwards. The weather stayed great all day which was nice.
The playgroup that Joy works for, had a photographer in today to take some photos of the children, so Rachel took Ethan in to have some photos taken. They had him sitting in a suitcase and also laying on his front.
Rachel, Joy and I wanted to take Ethan out for the day, so we decided to take him to Coombe Abbey Park. We went to M&S on the way and got some picnic food. When we got there we had a walk round and then set up our picnic blankets and pillows in a nice shaded area. It was still really warm even though we were not in directly in the sun. We had a nice afternoon sat on the grass, Ethan enjoying looking at the trees blowing in the wind.
Tim at work organised a picnic at lunch, there was a good turn out and lots of food.
It is Joys birthday so Rachel had everyone over to our house for an afternoon tea. We had a lovely afternoon, eating mini sandwiches and eating scones and cakes.
It was Mums 52nd Birthday tonight so we went to the Lime Tree for a family meal.
It was the last time that James and I would be going down to Oxford as the project is going to be developed in India. So to say by to the team, we all went out for lunch, we were joined by some old faces from the teams history. I had been on ActiveTeach for the whole of my 4 years at MMT Digital, so it was sad to leave but it came at a good time.
Dad and I have been skiing in Passo Tonale, Italy. We stayed in the Hotel Cielo Blu, it was a nice small hotel with 29 rooms, it was only a 2 min walk to the ski lifts. The food was nice and all the staff were really friendly. We had a great week skiing, we managed to ski every run on the piste map by the end of the week. Some of the days it was foggy and there wasnt much visibility, so we ended up skiing the same 2 runs over and over but that was fine. On the Wednesday we had a great day skiing, it was quite warm and the snow was great, we skied blacks and reds all day.
It is Howard and Roberts 60th birthday today, so we went to The Old Bulls Head in Woodhouse Eaves. We had a lovely Sunday roast and a great cookies and ice cream dessert.
It was my sisters wedding today. She got married to Sam at The Woodlands @ Hothorpe Hall. It was a lovely venue. I was master of ceremonies for the day which was a honour to have that part at their wedding. We had a great day spending time with family and friends and seeing my sister get married, who looks beautiful in her dress.
Today we went to Rachels Auntie and Uncles in Derby, I have been for the past few years. We had lunch and they got to meet Ethan as they hadnt seen him yet. We had a lovely afternoon seeing them all.
Happy Christmas! We had my parents round this morning, they stayed for a few hours. In the afternoon we went to Rachels parents for lunch. We had a great day, Ethan got lots of toys and clothes. I got lots of lovely gifts, Rachel got me some new gym gear and a teapot for work.
We went shopping in Nottingham today,having a look at Next Home, Ikea and Laura Ashley. We needed a break so we went to Costa for a nice hot chocolate.
This morning we registered Ethans birth, it didnt take long at all, so we had a hot chocolate at The Bru which was really nice.
I have been waiting for ages for the Windows 10 phone to be released, this week Microsoft finally released their flagship Lumia 950. I signed up for an upgrade on EE, so i now have 4G too. So far it is a great phone, missing some of the features that my Windows 8.1 phone had, but hopefully they will get there soon.
Rachel and I went for our first walk with Ethan and our new Joolz Day Tailor edition. We only went for a quick walk around the block but it was nice to get out after being inside for so long. I got him a personalised bar with his name on, it looks really cool.
Ethan got to meet his immediate family, we had Rachels parents, sister and my parents and sister.
We were able to come home today and we had lots of lovely cards and gifts from people.
Nov
27
When we were at the hospital today a lady came round to take photos of all the babies on the ward, so she took some photos of Ethan, we were not planning on buying them, but they are soo cute, so we just had to have them.
Rachel has been in hospital for the past 5 days as she had reduced fetal movement, she was monitored all day Monday, then on Tuesday morning she was induced, we then waited until Thursday until there was a spare room available for her to give birth. I was called at 3am to get back to the hospital. Rachels waters were broken at 4am and she was in labor for 6 hours and then baby Ethan was born. When he was born, i cut the cord and then got to give him his first feed. What a magical experience.
It was Sams Stag Do today, we started off leaving the house at 9am and headed to Nottingham to go to Frankie and Bennys for breakfast, i had a lovely beans and egg on toast. After there we headed to Go Ape at Sherwood Pines. We had a great time climbing around in the trees, some bits were quite challenging, but most of it was quite easy. It took us about 3 hours to get round the 5 sections. We then headed home to get change before heading straight out again to go to The Man at Arms for dinner. I had a lovely double chicken burger and a minstrel sundae for dessert. It was a great day getting to know some of Sams friends.
Rachel, Joy and I went to Matlock Bath for the boat display and the fire works tonight. We went for sausage and chips, had a walk down the river and then walked back to where the boat display was. We got quite a good spot to stand in and some of the boats were really good. We then walked back towards the car to watch the fireworks before heading home.
Raj and Nindi were back for a few weeks, so Rachel and I went over there to see them and meet their son Remy for the first time. We had a nice evening chatting and eating pizza, going to miss them again.
It is my birthday today, 32 years young. I got some nice clothes and lots of lovely cards. Rachel and I went for lunch and shopping in town.
For my birthday 25 of my friends and family went to Chiquitos. We had a great night. It was lovely to see so many of my friends turn up to share the evening with me.
Sep
26
I have been in Barcelona for Drupalcon. On Monday we worked from the Hotel and in the evening we went out for some drinks, didnt end up eating until after 11pm, but it was good to get out. Tuesday was the first day of the conference and then in the evening we went out for a pizza and ice cream which was good. On Wednesday i was at the conference and in the evening we had a quiet night just going for some BBQ food, more ice cream and then sat in the room watching a film and ordered tea via room service. On the Thursday it was the last day of the conference and in the evening we went to La Rambla, had a nice walk, some dinner and then went to watch a visual display on the side of a building. On Friday we worked from the hotel and then went home. I learnt a lot at the conference, now excited about Drupal 8 and PHP 7.
Today Rachel and I met up with Ben, Fiona, Mike, Helen, Kelvin and Colette. Kelvin had just moved to Warwick, so we first went to see his flat and then we went to Warwick Castle. I had never been before, but the place was great, we seen a bird show and went into the dungeons. We tried to have lunch in the conservatory but they didnt have any food left. It was good to see everyone.
My Grandma is 70 on Saturday, so we all went out for a meal to the The Old Bulls Head for a meal. I had a lovely steak and the cookie and ice cream dessert. We had a lovely evening, no one would believe is that she was 70.
Rachel, Joy and I went to Coombe Abbey for a walk as the weather was so nice. We had a lovely walk round and a nice ice cream.
Rachel and I went to Paul and Beckys wedding today at Beaumanor Hall. The weather stayed nice for them which was great. We had a great day, was good to see them get married and also to see our friends.
It was Pauls stag do today. We went karting, followed by paintballing and then finished the day off with a meal. The karting was great, we split up in to teams of 2 for an hour endurance race. I was pleased with my lap times and we came 6th overall. Paintballing was good, got some good shots and got hit a few times.
Rachel, Joy and I went to Bradgate park for a nice walk today. The weather was lovely outside, so we had a nice tea and cake and then a walk through the park.
Rachel and I went to Kilworth House open air theater to see Legally Blonde tonight. The play was great, the singers and dancers were really good. We had a lovely hot chocolate at the interval.
It has been 5 years since our first date, now we are married we didnt do anything special to celebrate but we did get each other a little gift. Rachel made me some cookies and got me some great cuff-links.
MMT provided ice creams for everyone today for our hard work. I made the most of it having 2 cones with 3 scoops of ice cream and then a tub with 2 scoops.
It was MMTs Summer BBQ tonight, it wasnt very summery though. The BBQ was done inside because of the rain, we managed to play a bit of football before we were rained off, luckily the food wasnt much longer so we ate that, the desserts were great! After food we played rounders which our team won at.
Rachel and I went for the 20 week scan today. It was amazing to see how much the baby had grown! The midwife went though all of the parts of the baby.
Dad got a new BBQ and new garden furniture, so he decided to have a BBQ for the family.
A few MMT employees did the 25 Miles Great Notts Bike Ride 2015 today. We had a start time of 10am, but by the time we had queued ended up being more like 10:30. The ride was good, not boring, there was some really steep hills to get up but work had hired us a road bike each, so that made it a lot easier. I managed to do the ride in just over 2 hours which i was pleased with.
It was Gregs last sprint demo today as he is leaving Pearson. We went out for lunch at The Turnpike which was good.
MMT Digital had a social event today. We went to the Leicester Outdoor Pursuits Center to play Archery. We had 1 hour 30 mins and there was 4 people shooting at one time. I managed to hit gold on one of my attempts which i was really pleased with. Everyone else seemed to have fun too.
May
30
It was our last day in Dorset, so we decided to Portland. It was the furthest we have had to drive all week, but the traffic wasnt as bad so it didnt take us to long to get there. We went to Portland Castle first, which was an old fort by the sea. We had a good look round, reading all about the history and then we had lunch there. We then went to the other side of the island to Portland Bill, which is a lighthouse. We went on a guided tour up to the top, from there was some great views of the sea and island. I then did a bit of rock climbing. On our way home we stopped off at Chesil Beach for some food and a walk on the beach.
May
29
Today we went back to Weymouth to visit some more places. We started off by going to the Sea Life Center, it was good fun to look at all the sea creatures, we didnt realise there was that many different types of turtles. I went on the crocodile flume ride which was a bad mistake as I got soaked and as it wasnt that warm I struggled to dry off. After we had looked round we were going to play mini golf next door, but it started raining. We decided to go to Dorchester to the Teddy Bear Museum. We took at drive to Dorchester, parked up and had a look around the town and had lunch. After this we went and had a look round the museum, it was good to see all the different teddies and how much some of them are worth.
Rachel and I decided to give the beach a miss today and so we went to Athelhampton House and Gardens. We didnt get there until lunch time, so we started with some lunch, Rachel had some nice soup and I had a pot of tea for one and a scone, jam and cream, which was lovely. We then had a look round the gardens, they had some great trees shaped like pyramids. After we had walked round the gardens we went and had a look round the house, there was some nice features to the house and it was interesting to see how it once was. On the way home we went to West Bay, we had a walk along the beach and had a look round the harbor, we didnt stay to long as it was getting late.
As it is Rachels 30th birthday today, we booked a meal at The Seaside Boarding House to celebrate. The restaurant is at the top of a cliff overlooking the sea. We both had the chicken breast, with chips and veg for dinner and then we had chocolate brownie and ice cream for dessert. The food was lovely and so was the place.
Today we went to Weymouth. It was a bit further than yesterday and the queue to get in to the town was huge, we ended up parking quite a distance from the beach and still parking was expensive at £8. We started off by walking along the beach and then setup the blanket to lay in the sun. We then got hungry so carried on walking until we found a fish and chip shop and for lunch we had chips again. We then went and had a look round the harbor and then the shops. We talk a walk over the bridge in the afternoon and had lunch in a cafe by the harbor.
Today we went to Lyme Regis. It was only about a 30 min drive from where we were staying. We parked right at the top of the town as there was a big queue to get in to the center. It was only £2 to park, but I only had £1.80. So Rachel stayed with the car and I walked in to the center to get some change and then had to walk all the way back to the car up the hill. We went for a walk along the beach, found a nice spot and setup the blanket. We laid in the sun for a while before packing up and heading off to find some food. Rachel got a bench near the beach and I went and got some chips and we sat watching the sea while eating. In the afternoon we went for a walk along the pier and then up in to the hills. We then found a little tea shop and stopped for some afternoon tea and scones.
Rachel and I started our week long holiday in Dorset today. We drove for 4 hours to get here, Rachel drove for the first half and I drove for the last half. We are staying in a Cocachhouse in Bridport. The house was on 40 acers of land, it was well build and had some great views. We had a BBQ outside in the evening which was great.
My old phone just wouldnt turn on this morning, so I thought I had better get a new phone. I am due an upgrade on my current contract, but I want to wait until the new Windows 10 phones come out. I went to the EE shop and managed to get a Nokia Lumia 635 in cyan for £59 on pay as you go. There is not much difference from my old phone, but it was cheap and it works so I am happy.
Today Rachel and I went for the 12 week baby scan. It was amazing to see, the baby had a heart beat and even waved to us. We could have sat there all day looking at the monitor. Its all getting very real now.
Rachel and I had a date night tonight. For Christmas Rachel got me tickets to see Disney on Ice in Nottingham. So we went out for a meal at Wildwood first, which was good, had a lovely chocolate ice cream sundae. After the meal we went to the Capital FM Arena for the show. We had a great view and the show was great. Lots of great skaters.
It is my Dads birthday today and to celebrate we went to the Golf Club in Whetstone. Dad opened his presents and then we had a nice meal. I had a chili bowl which was really nice. We had a great night and it was lovely to see everyone.
Rachel and I went to a christening today. It was for Sophias baby. We went to a catholic church in Oadby. The service was nice. Afterwards we went to Whetstone for some food.
It is my Mums birthday today, so we went out for dinner to Zizzis. We had a nice meal and my Mum got some nice gifts.
Tonight Ross, Adrian and myself went to Bounce in Milton Keynes. We went for dinner at Pizza Express first and then we had a 2 hour session booked 8 - 10. Bounce has 22,000 square feet of interconnected trampolines including a dodgeball court, slam dunk hoops, a free bounce arena. We started off getting used to it in the free bounce area, i managed a few front flips, we then moved onto the foam pit, where we were trying different jumps into the pit, i attempted a double front flip which i landed the 1st time, but the 2nd time i ended up landing on my neck which wasnt great. We then moved on to the slam dunk area, had fun trying to do a proper slam dunk. After a quick slush puppy, we then spent the rest of the time between the free bounce area and the foam pit. It was a great evening and cant wait to go again.
Today is Mine and Rachels 1st wedding anniversary. I cant believe how fast this year has gone! We have had such a great year and i am looking forward to many more.
Rachel and I went to London this weekend. We had a nice walk around London in the day. We then went to Bills for dinner which was lovely and then on to see the Lion King. The show was amazing, there was actors coming through the audience and the music and singing was great. We stayed in the Bloomsbury Hotel, the room was nice and we had quite a nice view of London.
Rachel and I have been trying for a baby the last few months and today we took a pregnancy teat and it was positive! We are really excited.
2 weeks ago i ordered a new camera and today it arrived. I went for a Canon EOS 70D, with the BG-E14 grip, 270EXII flash and a EF-S 18-135mm IS STM lense. The camera is great, looking forward to putting it to use on holidays.
ActiveTeach has been in development for 3 years today, i have been on the project from day 1 and from the start Pearson has said we were going to have guest mugs and we still hadnt got them. So today we all got together for our demo and MMT Digital had got everyone a branded t-shirt in the ActiveTeach colours and a mug. Everyone loved them and they look great. We had cake and balloons to celebrate and then we went to Nandos for a team lunch. We had a great day and looking forward to many more years with the team and Pearson.
It is Mothers Day today and to celebrate we all went to the Golf Club for a Sunday roast. It was good to see my Mum, Sister and Grandma as i dont get to see them as much i would like to. We had a great meal and it was good to catch up.
It was the Central Sk8 Crew (CSC) 5th Birthday skate tonight. We all met at Rollerworld Derby and had a great skate. There wasnt as many as we have had in previous years, but the music was great and we all had a good time. We had new tshirts and there was cake.
Today i went to the PHP UK Conference 2015. It was over 2 days, there was sooo much food! Over the 2 days it reinforced alot of what we are doing at work, there was an interesting talk on PHP versions and the improvements of moving to the latest version. It was the 10th year the conference has been on so on the Thursday night they hired out a bowling alley, there was more food and free drinks. It was a great conference and looking forward to next year.
For Valentines Day, Rachel took me to London. We went to the Shard which was great, the views over London was really nice. There was a bit of cloud but you could still see the planes getting very close. After that we went shopping for a bit. We then went to Beas of Bloomsbury for tea and cakes. There was sooo much food! We had such a great day.
Dad and I have been skiing in Val Thorens, France. We stayed in the Hotel Koh-I Nor, which was amazing, the staff could not do enough for you. In the morning they had our snow board out ready and in the afternoon they had our skis ready for us. After skiing everyday we went into the sauna, steam room and then in the jacuzzi. We had a 5 course evening meal. The resort was really good, lots of runs. We did snowboarding in the morning each day and in the afternoon we did skiing. On Wednesday and Thursday we went tobogganing, the course was 6km long and was really good.
The ActiveTeach team went to Exiting Game. We played The Mad Scientist game. You are locked in a room for 60 mins and you have to solve clues to save the planet. Some of the tasks were quite difficult, but we managed to complete the game with 10:38 to spare. Afterwards we went to Nandos and then to a cake shop for desserts.
The ActiveTeach team went to the Bett Show 2015 today. We went to see what competitors were doing and what was coming up in the education sector. We took the Emirates Air Line to get there which was really cool. In the evening a few of us went out to Wahaca for dinner.
Rachel and I went to Bradgate Park today, we had a nice walk through the park and then had a cake and hot drink at the cafe at the end and then walked back through the park. It was quite cold out but we were wrapped up so it was nice walking.
Jan
02
For 1 of my Christmas presents, Rachel got me tickets to go to Harry Potter Land. We set off at 7am and arrived at 8:30, 1.5 hours early for our slot, but we went inside, had a look round the gift shop and then sat down for a Starbucks. The tour was great, seeing how they made the film and some of the props and sets used. We liked going on the broom. The scale model of Hogwarts at the end was amazing, really good detail and with the lighting looked real.
For New Years Eve this year we went to The Old Bulls Head in Woodhouse Eves. We had a nice meal and they had some entertainment on which was good. On the way home we nipped in to see my family at my Sisters.
Today Rachel and I went to Derby to spend the afternoon with her family. We had a nice meal and then we chatted and watched a film in front of the fire. We then looked out the window and everywhere was white, it had been snowing and we hadnt noticed. It took us 3 hours to get home in the end.
Happy Christmas. I have had a lovely day, went to see my parents this morning and then have spent the rest of the day with Rachels parents. I got some great gifts including clothes, snowboard boots, tickets to Harry Potter Land, tickets to the Shard and Tickets to Disney on Ice.
Rachel and I went to Emma Greys wedding reception at Hothorpe Hall. My Mum had been there for the whole day and my Dad was there in the evening. It was lovely to see Emma in her dress and Rachel got to catch up with some old M&S employees.
Rachel and I went to the Winter Wonderland in Nottingham tonight. We had dinner at Zizzis first and then went on to go outdoor ice skating. It was cold and raining a little but it was good fun. We skated for about 45 mins which was enough as the rink is quite small. We then ended the night at Starbucks to warm us up.
We got up early, had breakfast at 9 and then walked to the bus stop to go on the tour bus We went on the red route which lasted 2 hours. We got to see most of the things we wanted to, it would have been nice to have got off the bus to have a look around, but we didnt have the time. We had lunch and then were going to go ice skating, but after seeing the queue we realized that we wouldn't have enough time so we caught the bus back to the hotel. We then caught the train to the station, again for our flight at 6:40pm.
MMT had their work Christmas Party in Barcelona, we were up at 3am, left the house at 4am and got to Stansted Airport at 6am. The flight was at 8 and we got to Barcelona at 10am. We caught a Taxi to the hotel and after checking in went for lunch and then went to La Sagrada Familia. Walking through the door, the views are amazing. We then caught a tube across the city and had a look round the Les Rambles. We had a nice ice cream and then caught the train back to the hotel.
In the evening we had a company meal planned, so we all headed over the the marina to go to the Marina Bay by Monchos. We caught the underground on a 10 trip ticket. We had a great night, the food was great and we had a nice private room for us all. We left about 12:30am and alot of the others went to a night club.
My parents organised a Christmas Meal for the family. We went to the golf club in Whetstone. We had a lovely meal and a great night.
After the success of Jetpack Santa last year, over the past 12 weeks, a few of us at MMT Digital have been staying late on a Thursday night and have been writing the sequel "The Rise of Dark Santa". We created a Mario style platform game, it has 6 levels plus a secret and boss level. We created all of the graphics and music in house. For fun we added tweets when Dark Santa defeats Good Santa and vice versa, we also have a lot of tracking using Google Analytics and New Relic.
Rachel and I went to see the Christmas lights in Leicester. We started with a meal at Zizzis and then went to see the display. It was quite nice, i remember it seeming a lot better when i was younger. We then went for Ice Cream and a hot chocolate.
The ActiveTeach team had a co-location day in London at the MMT offices. We had a day of backlog refinements and meetings. For lunch we went to The Clerkenwell Kitchen, the place was nice, but the menu was quite limited. In the evening we went out for dinner as we have a few new team members, we went to Wahaca, it served Mexican tapas, i had lots of different dishes and all of them were great. It was a good team building day.
James and Claire had a Halloween party at their house. Everyone made a real effort with their costumes. Rachel went as Alice and i went as the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland. We all carved pumpkin and we had them in the garden. We had food and we played a few games which was good.
Rachel and I had a nice day out in Nottingham today. We went ice skating in the morning and then we went shopping in the afternoon, we also had a drink in Starbucks. In the evening we went back home and went out for a meal at Zizzis in Market Harborough.
We made a weekend of seeing Katie by going to the National Media Museum in Bradford today. There was so much to see and it was free to get in. We paid to see a documentary in the iMax theater as i had never been to an iMax before, the image is amazing as the screen fills the whole wall. We then had a meal before heading back home.
Rachels best friend Katie is 30 on Monday and to celebrate she had a 1920s themed murder mystery fancy dress party at the Midland Hotel in Bradford. We had such a great night, trying to follow all of the clues and work out who the murderer was, in the end getting it wrong. The meal was good and everyone made an effort with the costumes and looked great.
Rachel and I went to Laura and Waynes Wedding in Nottingham today. We were there for the whole day which was nice. It was at an old manor house, the grounds were really nice. The ceremony had people in tears as they said there own vowels. We then went for reception drinks, where they served hot chocolate, which i went back for 2nds. The sit down meal was good, we were sat with some of Lauras work friends, we had lamb for main and a trio of cakes for dessert. In the evening we danced a lot and then had more food in the form of a hog roast.
Its my 31st Birthday today. I went to work and Rachel got me a cool badge to wear. In the evening i went with 30 of my friends and family to Wildwood in Market Harborough. We had the whole of the top floor, Rachel had gone earlier in the day and decorated everywhere with balloons. The meal was really nice and it was great to see all my friends.
Rachel and I have been talking about going to the Matlock Bath Illuminations since we first got together, but something has always come up, so we put the date in the diary earlier in the year to make sure we could go. We got there early so that we could get a parking space. We had a walk around Matlock and then went for some chips, which were lovely. We then went to find a space to stand along the river. There was a parade along the river of rowing boats with models on them, which were all lit up, they told you some history of the illuminations and about the models that were created. We then headed back to the car park to watch the firework display.
It is my Grandmas 69th Birthday birthday tomorrow, so we went to the Golf Cub in Whetstone for a meal.
I had pre-ordered a new Surface Pro 3 and today i got everything i had ordered. I got the i7 with 8gb Ram and a 256gb SSD, i got the light blue keyboard and i also ordered the docking station so i could replace my home desktop computer with the Surface. My initial impressions is that the Surface is amazing, its really quick, the screen is crisp and is so compact. When it is plugged into the docking station, i have the Surface screen turn off and it powers my 3 external 1080p screens.
It has been 4 years since Rachel and I went on our first date. We went to Leamington Spa. We had a nice coffee and then went for a walk in the park. In the evening we went to The Old Bulls Head in Woodhouse Eaves and had a lovely meal. I got Rachel some perfume and she got me some nice rose gold cuff links to match my wedding ring.
For our last morning, we went to The Orsay Museum. There was some nice sculptures and Rachel enjoyed looking at the paintings she studied at University. We had a walk round some shops and then headed back to the hotel to collect our cases to head back to the airport. The plane was delayed but we were not home too late.
Aug
13
Today was an early start to avoid a big queue, we went to the Louvre Museum, we spend a good 3 hours looking round, asking some funny photos high fiving statues, etc. We then had a walk along the river and went to the Museum of the Sewers of Paris, this was really interesting. We then went to the Opera Garnier Guided Tour, the building is amazing, the architecture is great. In the evening we went for dinner at 58 Tour Eiffel on the 1st floor of the Eiffel Tower. The views were great and the meal was lovely.
Aug
12
We started the day off with the Big Bus Paris Tour, this was a great way to see all of the highlights of Paris. After a round trip we went to Notre Dame Cathedral and had a look inside, we were going to go up the tower, but the line was very long and not moving. We then went to the Sainte-Chapelle as it was right near, the stain glass windows are really impressive. We then walked to the Centre Pompidou whihc is very cool from the outside, unfortunately it was close so we didn't get to go inside. In the evening we went to the Montparnasse Tower for a great view of Paris at night.
Aug
11
Rachel and I had an early start this morning getting up at 3am, as we were flying to Paris at 6am. The flight was only 50 mins. When took the Roissy Bus to Paris from the airport, which only took about 40mins. We then walked through Paris to the Hotel Pnt Royal. The hotel was lovely, we got a balcony and a nice view of Paris. After dropping our bags off we went for a walk and started the day with a Starbucks. We then took at walk to the Obélisque and then up the Avenue des Champs-Elysées to the Arc De Triomphe. We used our Paris Pass to go up to the top of the arc and have a good look at Paris. On the way back to the hotel we went to Jeff De Bruges for a lovely ice cream. In the evening we went to Flams which was nice.
MMT threw a party to celebrate their 15th anniversary. They hired out the Grand Hall at Uppingham School. It was a great night, they had a live band, a DJ a 4 course meal and a free bar. All employees and partners were invited as well as select customers, so it was good to meet some of the clients face to face. The party went on until well after 12.
Rachel and I went to Stanford to have burgers with James and Leonie. We had never been there before, but it was a really nice place. I went for a chicken burger with bacon and then for dessert we went for a huge sharing brownie, we were sooo full afterwards.
For Christmas my parents got me tickets to see Elton John. So today my Mum and I went to Nottingham to see him in concert. We didn't have the best seats, we were sat at the back, but the show was amazing, he played constantly for the few hours and it sounded soo good, his band were really good. Im so glad i got to see him and his band play.
Rachel and I went to Star City Birmingham tonight. We went to Adventure Island Mini Golf, we played 36 holes which was alot of fun, we then had a nice meal at Bella Italia and finished with ice cream from Ben and Jerrys.
For Rachels birthday we went to The Old Bulls Head in Woodhouse Eaves. We had a lovely meal, most of us had the chicken pie, for dessert i had cookies and ice cream. It was a lovely way to celebrate Rachels birthday.
Today is Rachels 29th Birthday. We were going to go Punting in Oxford, but the rain is really bad, so we decided not to go. We went to Meadow Hall in Sheffield as it was undercover and Rachel wanted to do some shopping. We had a nice day looking round, we then went to Zizzis for dinner which was lovely and then i got Rachel a cake from Millies Cookies which was amazing. On the way home we nipped in to see Rachels parents and share the cake with them.
My parents took the family to Tattershall Lakes to stay in a Log Cabin for a long weekend. The country park was really nice and the log cabin we stayed in was really cool. It slept 8 people and had a nice big lounge and dining area, with a jetty going out on to the jet ski lake. We spent the 3 days doing a lot of walking and eating, the weather stayed nice until the last day so we got to enjoy 2 days of lovely sunshine. We did go and see a castle which was good. I would go back to the country park as it was nice and relaxing.
It is my Dads birthday today, so we went for a meal at Zizzis in the Highcross. We had a great meal and it was nice spending time with the family.
Rachel and I got some lovely gifts on the actual day of the wedding and today we received the rest of the gifts in a delivery from John Lewis. We got 68 cards, which was great of people, Thank You.
It is Joys birthday today, so to celebrate we went to Bella Italia for dinner, i tried their chicken burger which was really nice.
It is my sister Melissas birthday today. We had a family get together round my parents house, we ate fajitas and played on the Wii.
While Raj is back from Texas he decided to celebrate his birthday a day early with his friends at the Wildwood restaurant in Market Harbough. It was great to spend the evening with Nindi and Himself. He had a cake made to look like boobs which was really funny.
MMT had a company social event last night to the Greyhound Stadium in Peterborough. We had a 3 course meal which was nice when it finally arrived and then i placed a few bets on the dogs and lost £3.
Apr
19
Rachel and I started our honeymoon today. We were at Manchester airport at 6:15am ready for our flight to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. After an 8 hour flight, we landed and got taken to the Royalton hotel. The hotel is a 5*, all inclusive hotel. Rachel and I had an upgrade to the Diamond Club, which gave us a nicer room and access to a private beach area and bar. The hotel was really nice, the room was spacious, the hotel had its own private water park which was amazing, there was multiple restaurants serving steak, Teppanyaki, Italian and Mediterranean. We spent most of the day sun bathing and walking along the beach. On the last day we had a photoshoot on the beach at sunset which was great.
Rachel and I went to Manchester today, we went shopping in the city center and then went for a nice meal at Zizzis. We then stopped at the Plaza for the evening. When we got there, we got upgraded to a club class room and given access to a free bar between 6 and 8. It is a great start to our honeymoon.
It is my Mums 50th birthday on the 20th of April, but because Rachel and I are off on honeymoon, we took her our for dinner to The Old Bulls Head in Woodhouse Eaves. We had such a great meal, they gave my Mum champagne and strawberries and we got her cake and balloons.
At 8:15 this morning we had breakfast at the barn with my parents and some close friends. We had a nice fried breakfast and it was nice to see everyone again and reflect on the wedding the day before.
Its the day of my wedding! Rachel and I are getting married at Mythe Barn at 1pm. I slept well last night and got up at 8, had a shower and a shave. I sat in the lounge with some classic dance music on as my neighbors were out and i had the house to myself. The photographer Johnny, Ben, Dad and the Hairdresser Emma turned up at 10am. The photographer took photos of the rings, me getting my hair done and everyone getting ready. Emma cut and styled my hair. Dad cooked us all sausage and egg cobs which were lovely. Ben left at 11 and Dad and I left at 11:30. On the way my Mum called and the person she had gotten a lift with had got lost, so we had to go and find them and let them follow us to the venue, this was a little bit stressful. We arrived at 12:30 and then i had to meet with the registrar and then i managed to say hi to a few people.
Apr
13
I was stood at the front of the barn, waiting for Rachel to come in. We had a harpist playing, which was nice and relaxing. They then stated playing Rachels entrance music, the bridesmaids came down the isle first and then Rachel followed, this went by so fast that i didnt have time to turn round and see Rachel. She looked so beautiful when i she was stood next to me. I had to fight to stop myself tearing up. We both managed to say our vowels, even if they were a bit quiet. After we had said our "I Will"s we then sat down to sign the register. Rachel had her cousin Ben as her witness and i had Sam.
After the ceremony, we went straight out and started the getting the group photos done. We started off with a huge group shot, then Rachels family and then my family followed by friends. Rachel and I then got taken round the outskirts of the barn with our photographer Ed to have photos of the two of us taken.
We had a receiving line to welcome everyone into the wedding breakfast. We started off with the speeches as we were all nervous about it. David went first and gave a lovely speech about Rachel, it was my turn next, my speech was about 2 pages long and it was more soppy than funny. I had to miss out a few parts of the speech as i wouldnt have been able to get through it otherwise, i was pleased that i managed to complete it though. Ben was last and he gave a fantastic speech, it contained humor as well as embarrassing me just enough. For the meal we had tomato soup for starters, shepherds pie for main and then apple and berry crumble for dessert. All of the food was great and i managed to eat most of it. After the meal there was tea and coffee in the reception area, which gave Rachel and I to get round and chat to people and also get some of the 30kg of sweets from the sweetie cart that my Dad make for us.
Apr
13
At 7pm the evening guests were starting to arrive and the band started playing. Through the whole night the band where amazing, the played all good songs and they had everyone dancing all night. We had a lot of guests in the evening and it was good for them to turn up. We did our first dance at 8, which was too "Glen Lewis - Fall Again", we were so both nervous and not great at dancing but we had everyone up to dance with us after a minute. We did the cutting of the cake at 8:30 and then they bought the cake out for everyone to eat, it was lovely. The hog roast came out after the cake cutting, it was cooked to perfection and all our guest managed to eat it all. The rest of the right went well, chatting to friends and dancing. I cant believe how fast the day went by, we got there at 11:30am and before we knew it, it was midnight. Thank you to everyone who came, it was the best day of my life.
It is Mothers Day today. To celebrate we went out for dinner to The Yews in Great Glen. We had a lovely meal and an even better dessert, a nice chocolate chip cookie covered in 3 scoops of icecream. Mum and Grandma had a good time.
It was another early start to get the breakfast cooked before heading to the final activity. Just before i was about to get into the minibus Ben said that i needed to get changed and the outfit was in the bathroom. I walked in and it was a pink camo onesie, i put it on and it fitted great. We arrived at a forest at 11am. We were shown the laser guns we would be using and everyone but me got a camo suit to wear. Laser tag in the forest was one of the best things i have ever done, it was soo much fun, it was a shame when after 2 hours we had to stop. To finish off the weekend we had jacket potatoes, cheese and beans at the laser tag place before heading home. I couldnt have imagined a better weekend with my friend and i am so pleased that they all made the effort.
It was an early morning start, i was up at 7 to help get our full English breakfast cooked before we had to head out at 8:30. We had to drive an hour to get to the 1st event of the weekend, which i didnt know what it was. We got to a car park at the bottom of a hill. Here we had Adam, Sam and Leon who were instructors from Teamplay Outdoor Activities. They asked us to get into 3 teams and then they handed each team a map, backpack and a container with 2 handles. We had to navigate to the points on the map in the quickest time, with 2 people in the team keeping hold of the container at all times. My team got a bit lost but we made it to the checkpoint, where i was blindfolded while trying to walk. We then did some weaseling, which is open air caving, this was great fun fitting between the rocks. We then had a race to the next checkpoint down hill, when we arrived we had a team race across a stream and back which we won. They then put me in the steam, got me to lay down and then dragged me through it. We were half way round at this point, so i was running back soaking wet. It didnt take us long to get back to the mini bus where i could get changed into some dry clothes. The morning was soo much fun.
After a bit of lunch, we headed to the next location with the instructors from Teamplay, which was a gorge. We were handed wellington boots and some waterproof overalls to put on. Once in them, we walked down near the bottom of the stream. I was told we were doing gorge walking, which involved following the water course up the hill, scrambling up small waterfalls, crossing deep pools and walking in water. While walking up the stream, the instructors would put obstacles in the way so we would have to go underwater to get by them. On the waterfalls, i would have to go last after they had got the rest of the stag party to block the waterfall and they would all let the water go at once. The walk was really good and everyone had a great time. We then headed back to the barn. In the evening we had a BBQ outside of the barn, which was a great way to end a great day.
It is the start of my stag weekend. We all met near my house at 6:30 and got in the mini bus and headed off to Derbyshire. The roads were clear and we were there just before 8. Ben had organised us to stay in a converted barn. The barn was in the middle of no where, sat nav got us to the area and then we had to find the barn from there. It was a lovely place, with 6 bedrooms to sleep up to 18 people. There was a big dinning room with a pool table, a big lounge with a nice big TV and outside there was a BBQ. We all got takeaway and everyone got to know each other.
It was the Central Sk8 Crew (CSC) 4th Birthday skate tonight. We all met at Rollerworld Derby and had a great skate. It was the 1st time i had been back there since they have added a ceiling and sanded the floor. There was loads of people there and the atmosphere was great.
Feb
14
Happy Valentines Day. Rachel and I just stayed in and had a nice meal. I got her a safety chain for her Pandora and she got me a book with our pre-wedding shoot pictures in it, a mug and some underware for my wedding day.
We had Helen from Ripplerock come and lead our retro, which was Topgun themed. After a great day we then went out in the evening to Gourmet Burger Kitchen for dinner and then onto Thirsty Meeples to play board games. We had a great night and was a great team building exercise.
Dad and I have just got back from our annual skiing trip. We went to Borovets in Bulgaria. We stayed in the Rila hotel, which you can ski right to the door. There was a nice jacuzzi in the hotel which we went in every day after a long day on the slopes. There wasnt a lot of snow, so we only managed to go on about 5 different runs as these had snow cannons on them. We met some people on the plane who we ended up skiing with everyday and then on the last day we skied with another group of people we met which was good fun.
I went to the Bett Show with work. We went to see the Pearson stand and see how ActiveTeach was being marketed. While I was there i gave a demo to a potential customer who seemed to like the product. On the way back we went on the Emirates Air-Line which went across the river with nice views of London.
I have been waiting a long time, but today i got a promotion to Senior Developer. Rachel got me a lovely card and cake to celebrate.
It was Rachels Dads 60th Birthday today. We all went out to the Yews in Great Glen, we had a lovely meal and Rachel got him a cake which was good.
Rachel and I went to the barn today to have a pre wedding photoshoot with our photographer Ed. We had lots of photos taken all round the barn and in the gardens. The photos look great, we like Eds style of photos.
Rachel and I went to my parents this evening for a little get together with my Sister, Grandma, and Rachels Mum. We played on the Wii and chatted loads, time went by soo quickly and before we knew it, it was midnight.
Happy Christmas. I have had a lovely day. I opened my presents with Rachel at home this morning, she got me a jumper, shoes, perfume, belt and underwear. We then went to our parents, where i got to open more presents. My parents got me some clothes and a ticket to see Elton John in concert. My Grandma got me a Dualit kettle which will go really nicely in the kitchen. We then had a lovely Christmas Dinner and spent the afternoon watching TV and eating chocolate. Rachel came over in the evening to see my parents before we went back home.
Rachel took me to the Hilton tonight for her works Christmas Party. We had a nice 3 course meal and then there was a disco. It was good to meet some of her work colleagues.
Over the past 8 weeks, a few of us at MMT Digital have been staying late on a Thursday night and have been writing a game. Fueled by takeaway provided by the company we created Jet Pack Santa, a scroller game, where Santa has to collect presents that the Elves have stolen and get them to the orphanige. The game turned out well, all written in javascript using canvas to render everything.
Rachel and I got invited to the Round Table Ladies Evening. We got to dress up in black tie wear. The food was great, we caught up with our friends and then danced to the band until late in the evening.
The ActiveTeach team went for an Oxford Castle Tour at night this evening. They take you around the old prison on a spooky tour and then we went out for dinner afterwards. We had our own booth and the food was great.
Rachel and I went to the Oadby Racecourse for the fireworks display tonight for Bonfire Night. It was cold, but once the fireworks started it was fine. The show was great, well worth the money.
While we were in Leeds it was Katies 29th birthday so we had stayed for the weekend and today we went to her birthday meal in Brighouse. We had been there the year before and we had a great time. It was lovel to see her family again.
Rachel and I traveled up to Leeds for Katie and Antonys Wedding Reception, we got stuck in loads of traffic getting up there, but managed to get to the recpetion about 9 after nipping to the hotel to get changed first. It was great to see them and Katie looked lovely in her dress. They had a fun photo booth which Rachel and I tried out.
I had my Birthday party tonight, i had it at Chiquitos. It was really great to see so many people turn up aswell. We had a grat night, got to chat to loads of people, ate some great food and even got my meal for free.
It was our last day and we wanted to make the most of it. We tried a different restaurant for breakfast which was nice and then went to the park. We went on the Disney Railroad which was good, to see the whole park and go on a train. When we came off the train there was a parade in mid swing so we stood and watched that. We then went and had a look round The Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse which was really cool, it has a stream running though it. For lunch we went and had hotdogs at Caseys Corner, they tasted good. We then went in Alice Curious Labyrinth, which is a maze with a mini castle in the middle of it. We then went on the Roverboat Landing and then onto the Haunted Mansion, we didnt know what it was going to be like, but it was just a boring ride and there was nothing scary about it. We then ended the day with a drink and a cake in Disney before heading back to the Hotel and heading home.
Today we went into the park early again and went on the Buzz Lightyear ride as i liked it so much the 1st time. We then went over the the Disney Studio and went on the Rock n Roll Coaster, it was very fast and didnt last very long but it was fun. We then queued up for the Motors Action Stunt Show, it was 45 mins of cars and bikes acting our a scene from a fake film. The stunts were really good and it was really entertaining. After the show we went to the Art of Disney Animation, Rachel did some drawing and we looked at some of the prototype characters. For lunch we went to Starbucks for a drink and a cake. We went back to the park to watch the parade, which was really good to see all of the Disney characters. After that we went and did some shopping in the many Disney stores. In the evening we went to the Wild Wild West show, even though i had a bit of a cold, am illergic to horses and am asmatic. The show was really good, had some fun with one of the clowns and the food was ok.
We booked a coach tour of Paris when we arrived so we went on that today. We got picked up at 9:30 and had an hour bus tour around Paris shwoing us some of the sites. We then parked up and we had 2 hours to explore. We had a good luck round and then had a quick bite to eat before meeting the rest of the group at the coach. We then went on a river cruise, seeing all of the bridges going over the river, that lasted for an hour and then we had pre booked tickets for going up the Eifel tower, we went to the 2nd floor, the views of Paris were really good and we managed to get some nice photos. We then headed back to the coach to be taken back to the hotel, we got back about 6:30. We then got changed and went out for dinner at The Rainforest Cafe. Inside was amazing, they had trees everywhere and lots of fish tanks. Rachel and I both had Fajitas which were very nice, we did fancy the volcano dessert, but after the main course we couldnt fit it in.
Oct
03
We were up at 6 today, had breakfast at 7 and then were in the park for 8 as you can get in 2 hours early when you stay in a Disney hotel. While the park was quiet we took a few photos of the Castle in the sun. We started with the Peter Pans Flight, it was quite fun seeing scenes from the film in miniture, there was no queue after the ride and they asked if we wanted to just stay on the ride. We then went to Dumbo, where Dumbo was spun round and you can use a leaver to move it up and down, it was quite fun and we got to see a good view of the park. We then went on Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, this ride was great fun, you had a gun and you have to shoot targets on the way round, your score is displayed in front of you. We then left the park and went to the Disney Studios and started with Aladins Flying Carpets, they were much like the Dumbo ride. We then went on the Toy Story Mission Parachute, which takes you up high and then drops you a few times, great feeling of weightlessness and also great views of Disney. We then went on RC Racer which goes from horizontal to past vertical and then the same in reverse, didnt think this ride was going to be that good, but it was great. We then went on The Tower of Terror, the queue on this ride was the biggest we had seen so far, it is a lift that goes up 13 stories really quickly and then the doors open for you to look over the park, then it drops back down 13 stories. We then went on Crush Coaster which was a roller coaster which spins 360 degrees as it goes round the track. We ended the afternoon on the Armageddon Special Effects Show, which put you on the space ship as things hit it, there were real flames and water used. We then headed to Starbucks for a drink and a cake before heading back to the room.
In the evening we went to the Silver Spur Steak House inside Disneyland for dinner, the restaurant was really nice, felt very rustic inside. I ordered a steak and Rachel had a bufferlo burger, the 1st time her food arrived it was cold and had to be sent back which was a shame. I really enjoyed my steak and when her food came back she really enjoyed the burger. Rachel had organised a cake for me which was nice, so we had a piece of that for dessert. After dinner we went and watched the Light show on the castle, it was amazing, they lit the whole castle up with projected images telling a story, there was fireworks going off and flames coming out of the castle.
Its my birthday today! I got alot of nice cards and i got some lovely presents. Rachel got me a shirt and took me to Disneyland, my parents are sending me skiing next year and my Grandma bought me some new pots and pans, which are really nice. Ben got me an Apple Keyboard and Tim got me an Apple mouse.
Oct
02
Rachel took me to Disney Land Paris for my 30th Birthday. We got up at 2am, got ready and drove to East Midlands Airport, we got checked in and then had a nice breakfast. The flight was really short, just over 1 hour. We landed in Paris and got on a Disney coach. We stayed in the New York Hotel, which was lovely. We arrived about midday and dropped our cases off and then went into the park. On the way we had a drink and a cake in Starbucks. The weather was great and the Castle looked amazing in the sun, we had a look around and then decided to go on some rides. We started off going on the Pirates of the Caribbean, which was fun, then onto Indiana Jones which we didnt realise had a loop in it, but we enjoyed it, we then went on Autopia, where you get to drive cars round a track, the stearing wheel is not very responsive and they dont go very quick but it was good, we then went on Space Mountain 2, having been on the one in America, i didnt think this was as good. As it was mid week and in term time, the pack was quite quiet, we queued for no more than 5 mins per ride. We had a walk round the rest of the park before heading back through the village, where we had a look inside some shops. In the evening we went out for an all you can eat buffet which was nice but very expensive and then finsihed the night by going on the Glice Skating rink which had just opened, it took at little getting used to but i soon got the hang out the skates. Rachel had decorated the room with bunting and ballons which was really sweet.
It was Grandmas birthday today and we all went to the Golf Club to celebrate, we had a lovely meal.
MMT wanted to raise some money for The Mango Tree, so they organised some of us to try and race the train up Snowdon. I decided to try and run it, so the walkers set off 1st and then on the hour the runners went off. I didnt beat the train but managed Lianberis Path in 1 hour 28 minutes, which i am really pleased with. We then took a different way down which took us straight to our hostel. It was a great experience.
Rachel and I have been together 3 years today. I got her some perfume and she got me some cuff links for the wedding with my name on it and the date we are getting married.
Aug
15
At lunch today, the whole company split into 4 teams and we played an Agile game called the Marshmallow Challenge, in which each team had a marshmallow, some spaghetti and some string. The task was to have the marshmallow as high off the floor as you can within the 20 mins, the structure had to be freestanding. The point was to start simple and then build on it. Our team was doing well, but then it all fell apart as our time ran out. It did reinforce the agile principals though.
It was James and Leonies Wedding today, Rachel and I were invited to the evening party. There was a great sweetie bar when we got there, i did some dancing and played on giant jenga which was fun. We had a lovely evening and it was great to spend it with them on their special day.
Rachel and I went to Blaby and played crazy golf tonight which was nice, i won but not by much.
MMT organised a day out at Alton Towers for all employees and family. We got there about 9 and queued until 12 to get tickets and get in. We then went on Smiler after queuing for 2.5 hours, it was a great ride but waiting that long was soo boring. We then went on the Runaway Train followed by the Rapids, we then finished the day going on Air, which was really good but over so quick. The day was really nice, not a cloud in the sky.
Rachel and I went for a picnic at Saddington Reservoir, it was only 10 mins from the house and was really quiet. The weather was lovely, we played catch, did some sunbathing and ate before heading home a few hours later.
Rachel and I went to Alton Towers Water Park today. We arrived at about 10:30, there was quite a few people there even though the schools havent broken up yet. There was only 3 flumes, which were not very big and the lazy river was tiny. It looked a lot bigger in the pictures on the website. We left about 2 as we had been on everything.
Rachel and I went to Rutland Water today. We rented Rachel a bike and then started the 17 mile circuit around. After 13 miles at the church we had a break and had some cobs, crisps and a drink before finishing the last 4 miles. It took us about 4 hours with the 30 min break for lunch which we thought was good.
Rachel and I went for a coffee and a cake in Market Harbough and then on the way back we went to Foxton Locks for a walk and have a sit in the sun shine. We watched the boats go up the lock and then had a walk down the canal, before heading back to the car and then home.
Rachel and I had our 1st BBQ of the year on my new brick BBQ. We had sausages and burgers which were really nice, we then sat in the sun on our picnic blanket to eat the food.
Rachel and I had an engagement meal at Chiquitos. We invited all of our family, so there was 21 of us, it was really nice for everyone to meet and discuss wedding plans. The food was great and time flew by.
The AT2 team went out for lunch in Oxford to celebrate AT2 going live! We had a nice meal and then went back to the office to plan the next set of work.
We had to leave the tree house today and head home. We decided to spend the morning looking round Canterbury. We had a coffee to start and then looked round the shops and old buildings.
We woke up to another lovely day. We went for a walk around Druidstone Park, which we overlooked from our balcony. We had a nice look round, there was hardly anyone else there as it had only just opened when we got there. We then decided to go back to Whitstable. It was only a 10 min drive away. We had a look round the shops, went for a drink at Costa. We then bought a bucket and spade and got lunch from a local cob shop. We went to the beach put down our blanket and ate lunch. I then decided to build a sand castle with a moat. We headed back about 4 and had another soak in the hot tub.
I took Rachel to Deesons in Canterbury for dinner. The restaurant was really nice, the food was great and everyone was really friendly. After the meal we went back to the tree house and while we were on the balcony i proposed to Rachel. She said YES, which was great news. We both rang our parents and then went for a last soak in the hot tub.
I took Rachel away for her birthday. I took her to Whitstable to go to the beach. It was lovely and sunny out. We had chips on the beach and then had an ice cream while we were walking around looking at the beach huts. We left about 3:30 and went to the Tree House i had booked in Blean, Kent. It was amazing, there is a full kitchen, a 70inch projector in the lounge, a walk in shower and a nice bed. Under the tree house there is a hot tub. We unpacked our cases and then went for a soak in the hot tub. We finished off the evening watching a film and then a last soak in the hot tub.
It is Rachels birthday today. We were going to go for a picnic but it was raining all day so we decided to go to Leamington Spa. We had a coffee in Starbucks and then had a look round the shops. In the evening we went to Zizzis with Rachels family and then had some birthday cake.
It was end of Phase 6 for the project i am working on, so we decided to have a bake off. Quite a few of the team entered and in the end Jim won, I came 2nd and Shehzad came 3rd. We all ate way too much cake during the day, but it was soo good!
Sam has a Eurovision party at his house tonight, everyone who was there went into a sweepstake and picked a country out of a hat, they then had the flag of that country painted on their face, the winner then received the money paid in. Rachel won! We had a good night, ate lots of pizza and food and the show was good.
It is Bens birthday tomorrow, so to celebrate Fiona organised us going out for a meal. We went to Sakura in Northampton which serve the food teppanyaki style. It took 1 hour and 30 mins for the food to even be start cooking in front of us, but when it was cooked it was really good.
It is Dads 50th birthday today. To celebrate we went to his favorite restaurant Nandos for a meal and then we went bowling at Hollywood Bowl. He won and I came 2nd. We had a great night though.
It was lovely out today so Rachel and I decided to have a picnic in the back garden, we had fresh bread, ham, egg and pringles and for dessert we had scones and jam. After lunch we played badminton for a while and then had a walk to the shops for an ice cream. It was a lovely day.
Paul, Chris, Heather, Claire, Becky, Gary and I went to Zombie Earth Leicester tonight. We didnt know what to expect and arrived in a carpark, got given a map and a start coordinate, we then had to get across town to that coordinate to get the next coordinate. When we got to the 1st location it was a multi story car park, we had to get up to the top floor without getting tagged by the zombies which are around, some of them walk slowly but other will run and chase you. We managed to get the next coordinate and make it back out with out anyone getting infected. We then had a long walk to the other side of town to Regenets college where we had to get a cone from the middle of tennis courts, which was filled with zombies. After this we went to DMU to run the gauntlet between 2 arch ways along a cobbled street filled with zombies. Finally we ended up back near the start having to run again from more zombies to the finishing point at Megazone. There was an after party, but we only had a quick drink and then left a
It is my sisters birthday today and to celebrate we went to Pizza Express in Market Harborough. We had a lovely meal and had a good chat.
Today we had a photographer come in to work to take photos of everyone for use on the website, Google+, etc. We each had a few individual shots and then a few company shots. The photos came out really well.
Apr
25
It was MMTs annual quiz night at the Falcon Uppingham. I was in a team with Ben, Dan, James and Irfan, we called our team The Recursives. We did ok and didnt come last which we were pleased with. There was free drinks at the bar and there was loads of pizza delivered half way through the night.
It is my Mums birthday today and to celebrate we went out for dinner at the Golf Club. We had a lovely meal and it was great to get together as a family.
Happy Easter. I got lots of eggs including a lovely one from Thorntons.
Tonight James and I went to the Oxford Geek Night #30 with Marc from the AT2 team. It was a night on the Raspberry Pi, it was good to see what people are doing with the Pi and also about its History.
The AT2 team had a successful sprint and so after we had finished our planning day we went out for dinner at Mamma Mia Pizzeria in Oxford, we had a great meal and then we went Ice Skating at the Oxford Ice Rink, there was some of the group that had never skated before but everyone had a go and we had a really good night.
Today Ben and I went to the PHP UK Conference 2013 in London. It was an early start, but the journey down was good, we got there early and had a nice breakfast. The opening key note was really good, i could not be sure if he was being serious or joking about some of the point but was a great start to the day. I really enjoyed the talks, but in the morning the best talk was on HipHop. I had a nice lunch and spoke to a few other developers at the conference. In the afternoon i enjoyed the final Q and A session and it was a great discussion to finish the day on.
It was the Central Sk8 Crew (CSC) 3nd Birthday skate tonight. We all met at Rollerworld Derby and had a great skate. We all had new T-Shirts which glowed in the dark made to mark the event, there was also cake. The music was great and there was loads of people there. Roll on another year.
Rachel and I had a nice dinner in for Valentines this year as we had gone cinema at the weekend to see Les Miserables. She got me some nice His and Hers mugs and some Clinique Happy aftershave.
Mini Me is 6 today. Rachel baked some cakes and got him some balloons.
Rachels sister Claire is 25 today and to celebrate we went out for dinner to the Harvester. I had never been before, the main was good but the dessert was great.
Rachel and I decided to make a Snowman in the garden, we used a broom for arms, carrot for a nose, put a hard had on it and Rachel wrapped a scarf round it. Rachel then went in and I made her a Snowdog with paint brushes for ears.
It was Petes 65th birthday and the family went to the Golf Club for dinner, I had a lovely lasagne. We got him a nice photo frame and a picture of us all in it.
There was some snow fall over night, so at lunch we decided we would build a snow man and then put an MMT branded hat and umbrella on it.
I was due an upgrade for my phone and after looking round Phones4U a while back, they phoned me to say they could do me a good deal on a new phone. I decided to go for the HTC 8X. I got it in bright green which looks really cool. I got a free set of Beats headphones with it too.
Rachel and I had a gathering tonight to celebrate New Years Eve 2012. We had my parents, Rachels Mum, my Sister, Sam, Ben and Fiona. We played on the Wii a lot which was great fun and then played on Cranium. It was great to end the year with my Friends and Family.
Happy Christmas! I have had a lovely day with my Family, we got up at 8, opened our stockings and then moved downstairs to the main presents. I got a pair of jeans, shirt, t-shirts and socks. We then had Christmas lunch which was great. In the afternoon i went to see Rachel. She got me a t-shirt and shirt and then some slate table mats which are really nice, i had hinted i wanted them earlier in the year, she then got me a surprise which was a bike, its really nice.
Work had a Christmas themed dress code today, a lot of people wore Christmassy jumpers and James and I had some cool ties which played music.
Tonight was the MMT Christmas Party in Edinburgh. They flew all of the employees and partners out and put us up in a nice city center hotel. The flight was really short but the plane was tiny. Some of us managed to go for a walk to Edinburgh Castle, but it was closing so we couldnt look inside. We then went for a great meal at Whighams Wine Cellars, the whole evening was lovely, getting to meet everyones partners and chatting.
Troy was leaving the team to go back to America, so MMT took us all out for dinner in a nice Pizza place in Oxford. We had a great meal and we are all going to miss him.
Rachel and I went to the Round Table Ladies evening at the Mercure Hotel in town. We had a lovely evening with Claire and Tom who also bought along some old friends of Rachel from school. There was a brass band while we were having dinner and then a live band on later. The food was great.
Rachel and I went to Abbey Park to see the fireworks and the bonfire tonight. The display was great and we had a good view of them over a lake.
Rachel took me to Milton Keynes as part of my birthday present. We stopped at the Holiday Inn which was nice. We had dinner at Jamies Italian, the restaurant and food were great. We then went to the theater to see Phantom of the Opera, it was shorter than the London version but still really good.
I have been in France for a week with work. They took a team there for a #codecamp2012. We stayed in a house in Saint-Sauveur which was great, we worked most days coding away while sat on the sofa in front of the open fire. We traveled there in the car and then caught the overnight ferry from Portsmouth and then drove from there, we did this so we didnt loose any days of work. While we were there we went to Utah Beach and to a museum on Word War 2. We also had a nice walk in the forest one lunch time. Over the weekend we went to a french style Go Ape place, which was soo much fun. The trip was really good and we got alot of work done including some cool features for the current project we were working on.
It was my birthday party tonight, 18 of my friends and I went to Wagamamas for a meal. The food was really nice, we didnt have the best table layout, but we still had a good time. We then went to a cocktail bar for some drinks and to catch up with everyone. I had a great night and it was great that everyone made the effort.
Its my 29th birthday today, wooo. Work bought everyone in the company cakes and i got a card from them. In the evening I went out for dinner at Chiquitos with my Family and Rachels parents, we had a lovely meal, I had a hot brownie for dessert which was lovely! Rachel got me a Hugo Boss wallet, a shirt and tickets to see Phantom of the Opera in November, I also got some new shoes, shirts and some money.
Rachel and I went to see Darren Hayes in concert in Birmingham. He sang some of his new songs, alot of his old songs and even some Savage Garden songs. It was one of the best concerts i have been to, would definatly go again.
Rachel and I went to her friends Hollys birthday party at Zucchero World Buffet in town. It was a suprise party and she looked very suprise, it was a nice evening and the food was ok.
It was my Grandmas birthday today so we all went to the Golf club for dinner. We had a great meal and it was lovely to spend the evening with my Grandma and Family.
I got Mini a New York Yankees outfit and accessories from New York, thought it would be a really nice reminder of the trip.
We got up and had breakfast in our normal place, we then went back to the hotel and packed. It started to rain rather heavy so we decided to wait until it stopped raining. We then went to the Trump tower and had a look at the bike that was built for him by OCC. We then went to the New York Zoo, it was cool to see a polar bear and also the snow leapard, what was also good was that in the back ground was the New York skyline, hard to believe while in the zoo that you were actually in the middle of a city. We then took a bike taxi around Central Park. On the way back to the hotel we went to Crumbs for a cupcake which was very nice, i had a cookies and cream one. We got a town car from the hotel to the airport and after trouble with checking in we finally got through to departures where we had a lovely pizza before bording the plane. When we got on the plane we had got upgraded and ended up having business class seats which were lovely, i slept for most of the flight and missed both meals. We landed on time and a
Today Rachel and I had breakfast at the same pastry shop that we went yesterday as it was so nice. We then walked to Bloomingdales to have a look around, they had a very nice Chanel section which Rachel liked. We then headed to Macys, had a look round there. We then had lunch in one of their restaurants, i had chicken and pasta soup and a nice cookie for dessert. We then headed to Times Square and went to Toys R Us, the Disney store and then the M&M store. In the evening we went for a lovely meal at Vero, we had roasted chicken, mash and carrots. We then went to the Rockefeller to see the sights of New York at night, the views were great, with a lovely clear sky.
Sep
06
We had breakfast at a nice organic pastry shop which was lovely, i had an orange juice, a chocolate quasont and some yougart with fruit in it. We then went to the Empire State Building, it took us up to the 86th floor and went on to the viewing area outside, the views were amazing! After that we went on the New York Skyride, which was a badly filmed simulated fly through new york, it just made you feel sick as nothing was in focus and the movements were not what was happening on the screen. We then went to the Library which was an amazing building. We then finished the day off with an uptown tour on the bus. We then went back got changed and went to see Spiderman the Musicical, the show was soo good, how they used the stage and also flying into the audience really made it. We then had a mexican takeaway on the roof.
Sep
05
Today we got up early, walked across town to the bus station where we got our tickets, we then had a starbucks for breakfast and then walked back to our hotel to get our New York passes. We caught the downtown tour bus to the port to catch the boat to the Liberty Island. On the way it rained quite a bit but they had yellow macs for us to put on. The statue was amazing, we had an audio tour as we walked round it. We then went to Ellis Island and had a look round there, the main room had amazing celings. We then caught the boat back to the main land and got back on the bus to finish the downtown tour. We then got changed and went back out for a night bus tour of the city, it looks amazing in the evening with everything lit up. We then had takeaway pasta and then ice cream for dessert on the roof.
Today i woke up about 2am thinking i had to get up and then seen the time, managed to get back sleep which was good. We got up early and had a McDonalds breakfast, we then caught the subway to the 911 Memorial area and had a starbucks as we were early. We had a good look round the memorial which was amazing to see, it was a great tribute to what happend. I got to see the bike that Paul Jr designed and built which was really cool. We then went for a nice walk, had lunch at subway and then at 4pm we went on a helicopter ride which was amazing, the views were great and we got to see the everything from another perspective. We then caught the subway back. We had a takeaway rectangle Pizza which we ate on the roof overlooking the city, the pizza was great and so was the view.
Rachel and I started our New York holiday today. We had a nice flight, watched 2 films and slept a bit. We are staying at the Pod Hotel which was lovely, the view from the roof is amazing!! We went for a walk to get our bearings and we are in a nice spot.
It has been 2 years since Rachel and I had our 1st date. We went to The Old Bulls Head for dinner to celerbrate. We had a lovely meal and a great evening. Rachel made me a scrapbook of our 2012 together which was lovely aswell as a t-shirt.
Ben and I went to Bristol for another Magic The Gathering weekend with Kelvin, Mike and Helen. We had a great weekend, had some long magic games but they were all really fun! We had a little trip to Ikea aswell while we were there which was nice.
Rachel and I went to The Nottingham Riviera today the sun was shining which was nice, we had a walk along the beach, then went for a look round the shops, we had a nice white hot chocolate in Starbucks and then headed home.
We have Spotify Friday every week but we were playing the music through 2 little PC speakers, so we decided we would mount 4 speakers in the ceiling and put an external amp in the server room to power them. Tonight Dan, Mark and I fitted everything, took a while to route all the cables through the ceiling but it was well worth it when we heard what it sounded like. Next we will be doing downstairs.
Rachel and I went to Leeds for the weekend to see Katie and Anthony, we met in town in Saturday and went for a hot drink and cake, had a look round the shops and then in the evening we went for a stirfry dinner, then to a cocktail bar for drinks. On Sunday we went out for Katies mums birthday to a Greek restaurant which was nice. We had a great weekend and it was lovely to see them both again.
We didnt quite meet all out goals for the sprint, so the team wore Epic Fail tshirts and a nice Fail tie for me. We wore them all day.
For Chrissies birthday, the CSC went to Skaterz Roller Rink in Wisbech. We we skating for 5 hours and had lots of fun catching up with people. We had a go at the limbo and did quite well.
I was in Oxford for work today and for team building we all went Punting along the river. I was a passenger up the river and then i was pushing on the way back. It was a lovely day for it and it was a good way to spend some time together as a team.
We started the day at 9am after having a nice breakfast at the hotel, day 2 consisted of Oxford Street, Bond Street, Fleet Street, Bow Street, Strand, Northumberland Avenue, Whitehall, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Coventry Street, Pall Mall Piccadilly Circus, Mayfair, Vine Street and Regent Street. We managed to visit all of the streets by 12 after having a nice hot chocolate on The Strand. We then went to Covent Garden for ice cream and a muffin, then had a nice look around the shops on the way back to the Hotel.
Rachel and I decided to visit all 22 streets and 4 station on the Monopoly board, we spilt the locations up onto 2 days, the 1st day consisting of Park Lane, Marlborough Street, Marylebone Station, Euston Road, Kings Cross, Pentonville Road, Angel, Whitechapel Road, Liverpool Street Station, Fenchurch Street station and Old Kent Road. The whole route was over 11 miles. We started off at 10am from the hotel on Oxford street. We visted a few shops on the way round and stopped for a drink. We finshed at 6:30 back at the hotel. Our feet were killing and Rachel went and bought some flat shoes to tackle the next day with. In the evening we went to Zizzis for dinner, which was really nice, we had 5 mini dishes to share and then had a dessert each.
It was Rachels birthday today, so we went to Coombe Abbey for a picnic, the weather stayed great for the day, we played a few games and went for a nice long walk.
Rachel and I went to London for the weekend, on Saturday we went to see Les Miserables, which was amazing, we then went for dinner at Pizza Express. On Sunday we went on the open bus tour which was really informative. The weather was really good for the whole weekend.
Build a Bear had a reunion today as they celerbrated 100 million bears. My Mum took Mini Me into town and he got given a free T-Shirt. He also got a new summer beach outfit.
The AT2 team came to Uppingham for a meeting and we all went out for lunch.
Rachel and I went to Cadburys World today, we had a good tour round the factory and ate soo much chocolate! We had a really good day though learning how chocolate is made and how the how production process works. The weather was great too.
It was Jessicas birthday and we went out in Melton for the night, we had a nice meal and The Eating House and then went for cockails.
For Bens birthday we went to The Dirty Duck in Stratford-upon-Avon. The place was lovely and the food great, it just took quite a bit of time for the food to come out, it did give us chance to have a chat though.
Heather threw Chris a suprise birthday party today, we all went to the Outdoor Pursuits Center in Leicester. We did create stacking in which Paul, Gary and I won reaching 23 levels, it was so much fun. We then did canoeing, We climbed from boat to boat, tried some challenges, had a race in which Paul and I won and then in the end most of us ended up falling in the river. It was a really good way to spend the day with Chris.
It is my Dads birthday today and we went to Chiquitos for dinner, we had a great meal and a good night.
It is Rachels Mums birthday today and we all went to the new Pizza Express in the Highcross for dinner, the food took ages to arrive but we all had a great night.
It is my sisters birthday today and to celerbrate we went to the golf club for dinner, we had a great meal and a good night.
Claire and James had a fancy dress themed leaving party today. The theme was home made. I went as a transformer, Dad and I had made the costume yesterday using corrigated plastic and then sprayed it with red line marking paint. It turned out really well. I won best costume which was good. We had a really good night, everyone went to alot of effort and looked great.
It is my Mums birthday today and to celerbrate we went out for dinner at Bella Italia and then went bowling at Hollywood Bowl. We had a great night, bowling was really good and so was the meal.
Happy Easter. I got 2 mini egg eggs and 1 flake egg. Rachel made got me a lovely basket of eggs.
Rachel and I went to Calke Abbey today. We had a lovely walk around the grounds and then went for coffee and a cake. The weather stayed nice while we were there, but as we left it started to rain.
Ben, Fiona, Rachel and I went to Bella Italia for dinner tonight, we then went out in town for some drinks and dancing. We went to Fat Cats and Terrace, the music was good in Fat Cats, but the rest prefered the music in Terrace.
I started at MMT Digital today. The people are nice, the work place is great, i am back to having 2 screens again which is nice. The project that i am working on sounds interesting so i am looking forward to getting into it.
Mar
25
For an early birtday present Nindi organised a paintballing day for Raj and his friends. We went to Skirmish Paintball Games Leicester. We had such a great day, played lots of games in different arenas. I have some good bruises now, but it was well worth it.
I finished at Service Birmingham today, i have been there just over 2 years and have really enjoyed the work there and have met some great people but with the traveling time, i felt it was time to try a new challenge. The team and I went out for drinks and some food at a local pub on Tuesday, they got me a card and Martin got me a nice cook book.
Happy Mothers Day. My family and I went out for dinner at the Gold Club tonight. We had a lovely 3 course dinner consisting of Vegetable Soup, Beef and Yorkshire Pudding and then Oreo Cookie Sunday for dessert. It was a lovely evening.
Today Laura, Wayne, Sam and I went to Beacon Hill Park for a picnic and a walk. The sun was out and the views were great. We had some lovely food and scones for dessert.
This weekend, Ben and I went to Evesham for the weekend to play Magic The Gathering with some of his friends. We had a fun weekend playing with our own decks and then a booster draft. It was good to see what deck ideas people had come up with and looking forward to trying out some new ideas next time.
I went for an interview as a Developer at MMT Digital and i got offered the job. I finish at Service Birmingham on the 22nd March and then i start work at MMT on the 26th March. Rachel got me a nice card, a balloon and some sweets.
It was the Central Sk8 Crew (CSC) 2nd Birthday skate tonight. We all met at Rollerworld Derby and had a great skate. We all had new T-Shirts made to mark the event, there was also cake. I cant believe it is 2 years since we all started skating together, looking forward to many more.
Feb
14
Happy Valentines Day. Rachel and I had a nice dinner and exchanged gifts, she got me some lovely cuffinks, sweets, red dice and baked me some biscuits which were lovely.
Dad and I have just got back from a great week skiing in Soll Austria. We had such a great time! On the 1st day the Crystal rep met us and took us on a guided ski for the day, there was 6 of us and it was a good introduction to the pistes. On the 2nd day we skiied with a diffent rep but did alot more of the pistes. On day 3 we did the home run challenge, which involved skiing 6 of the 8 homeruns, Soll, Scheffau, Ellmau, Brixen, Hopfgarten and Itter, we made great time and ended up skiing over 50km. For the rest of the week we skiied with the people we had met the 1st 3 days. On the Wednesday we did night skiing which was amazing as it was quite empty. On Thursday we did sledging which was soo much fun, Dad and I had a race and I won. On Friday we went to the freestyle park and tried some jumps which was really good.
Mini Me is 5 today! He got a new outfit, new shoes and a nice hoodie. He is one very lucky bear.
The CSC went to Chelseas 15th Birthday skate at Daventry. The place was packed and lots of the CSC turned up. We played games, skated loads and then ate cake!
Rachel and I went to her Sisters 24th Birthday dinner at The Almanack in town. She had got the private room upstairs, the food was lovely, but it did take along time for it to come out.
My family and I went to the Sketchley Grange Hotel to celebrate new years eve. We spent the day in the spa, in the evening we went to a 4 course, black tie evening. The food was lovely, we then had a live band and then a disco. We stayed the night in an amazing room, it was huge, had a sofa area and a huge TV a bath and a shower. We had such a great night and it was a great way to see in 2012.
Happy Christmas! Today i have spent the day with my family, i had a lay in and then we started opening presents at 8:30. I got a new suit, shirts, 2 pairs of shoes, jeans. Rachel got me a lovely Hugo Boss watch and matching cuflinks. We spent the day playing on the Wii and thenwatching films, i ate way too much though.
I went to Derby Rollerworld today for the CSC Chritmas Eve Skate. It was a good skate, it was full of people, lots from the Quad Squad were also there. A few of us got dressed up, i wore my Elf outfit again.
Today i went to Laura and Waynes for our fake Christmas day with Sam. I woke up to snow on the ground and then drove to Nottingham. We had a turkey roast dinner, wtached Home Alone and then gave each other presents. We then played on cranium and jenga before heading home.
Rachel and I went to the Knowland Christmas party tonight. As useual it was fancy dress, so i dressed up as an Elf, it was rather cold with tights on and felt shoes. We had a really good night, James cooked some great foos and we played a card game called President, which was great fun.
Today i went to the SNO!zone at Xscape Milton Keynes to learn to snowboard in a day, it was a present from Rachel for my birthday. I had a great day! I learnt to use my heal and toe edges and then linked the turns, finally at the end i managed to land a 180 switch to normal jump. I cant wait to have another lesson.
Tonight my Family and I went to see 42nd Street at the Curve in Leicester. We 1st went to Bella Italia for dinner which was really nice, then onto the theatre. The musical was really good, i didn't really know what it was about when we booked it but the story was good. Our seats were right near the front and we had a great view of the whole show.
Rachel and I went shopping in Nottingham today, had a nice look at the Christmas lights and then a look round the shops. We then went over to Derby to go ice skating on the outdoor rink, we got there at 5pm so there was hardly anyone on the rink, it was rather cold but really good fun.
Rachel and I went to the Christmas Lights switch on in Leicester tonight, we had a look at all the lights, a look round town and then had a hot chocolate.
My family, Rachel and I went to the Freemason Ladies evening tonight. The food was amazing and so was the entertainment. It was another chance to get dressed up and wear my new dinner suit.
Rachel and I went to the Round Table Ladies Evening tonight with her friends Tom and Claire. It was at the Grand Hotel. We had a great evening, the food was great, we danced on the chairs and sang along to the brass band.
Rachel and I went to James and Claires wedding in Nottingham today. It was a lovely day, Claire looked lovely. It was great to celerbrate their special day with them.
Happy Halloween. Today at work we dressed up for charity, i went as Dracula and so did my boss, we looked amusing walking around the building together.
Sam and I went to Ikea tonight, we had dinner in the cafe and then had a fun shop.
Its my 28th Birthday today! I have had a lovely day. I got lots of new clothes, money, sweets and Rachel got me snowboarding lessons which is going to be cool. Tonight i went out for dinner with my family and friends to the Black Rock Grill in Leicester. We had a lovely meal and it was great for everyone to make the effort to make my birthday special.
Ben had arranged to meet up with his friend Becks, so we had lunch with her and did some shopping. On Saturday we went for a walk, we went to the brewery district and then we went up the CN tower, which gave great views of Toronto, standing on the glass floor was cool, seeing down below, we then headed back to the hotel to get a town car to the airport.
After flying from Yellowknife to Toronto yesterday which took the whole day, this morning we caught a bus to Niagara Falls, the bus only took 3 hours, we checked into our hotel, dropped our bags off and then took some photos of the falls. We then went on the Maid of the Mist boat to the bottom of the falls. They provided us with a lovely one size fits all rain coat, which was needed as when the boat gets close to the falls you get soaked. We had dinner and then went back out to take pictures of the falls at night as they light them up in different colours.
We went from Vancouver to Yellowknife today, the flight was only 3 hours with a stop off in Edgminton. We got to the hotel dropped of our bags and went for a little explore. That evening was out 1st night of the Aurora viewing, the sky had cleared up and we had an amazing evening watching the sky change colour and dance. After getting in at 3am, we decided to sleep in, we got up about 12 and went for a walk round one of the trails as there wasnt a lot else to do, the walk was ok. That evening we went for our second night with the Aurora, it was a lot colder and when we got there the sky was lit up, but as the night went on the clouds came in and there wasnt.
Today was a sea day, we didnt really do a lot, and we slept in and then spent a lot of time in the hot tub. In the evening we went out for dinner with Ken and Dori, to the steak house. The steak was perfect, when we were finished i was stuffed. We then went to the final night party in one of the ships bars.
The ship docked at Ketchikan today, we had a look round the town but there was not really a lot there, we went to the Library as they were offering free internet so we could check our emails, etc. In the evening after dinner we went and watched a comedy act which was really good.
The ship went into Glacier Bay today, we got close to a few different Glaciers, they didnt look that big but they were as tall as a 19 story building. In the evening we had dinner with Ken and Dori in the Restaurant looking out of the back of the ship, the food was great and we had a lovely evening, which was topped off with a soak in the hot tub.
The ship docked at Skagway today and Ben and I went on a hike up the mountain. We followed the path that lead us up to a lake, from there we carried on walking and the path disappeared and we were just following the sounds of a waterfall, the falls were nice, we decided to carry on walking a bit further but after a while we couldnt go any further. We turned back and headed back to the ship, the whole walk took us about 4 hours, it had not stopped raining the whole time, we were soaked but it was well worth it, we warmed up with a soak in the hot tub. In the evening we went to the Teriyaki restaurant where the food was cooked in front of you, it was lovely.
The ship docked at Juneau today, Ben and I had booked a tour to see the Glacier, they took us on a coach ride through the town, through the national forest to the glacier. When we got there we had a nice walk along a trail to get to the glacier, there was also a waterfall next to it. The views were lovely and was a worth wile trip. In the evening we had dinner with Ken and Dori who we had met in the queue getting on the ship.
Today was a sea day while we sailed through the Alaska passage. We explored the ship, spent some time in the hot tub and booked in to the Italian restaurant for dinner which was nice.
Today Ben and I caught a Greyhound bus from Vancouver to Seattle where we boarded the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship. The coach trip took 4 hours and we got on the boat about 2pm. We went and had lunch at the back of the boat and took in the sites of Seattle. We found a giant chess set, so we decided to have a game, which was good. I then went on the climbing wall, i had never tried it before but loved it.
Ben and I have started our 16 day trip around Canada. We went from Manchester Airport to Vancouver. We had a nice look round in the day and then we went to a BBQ with some of Bens friends in the evening. On the Saturday we spent the morning looking round again and then at 5pm we went to the wedding on Matt and Chris, who are Bens friends. The wedding was at a boat house and was lovely, the food was great and everyone was so friendly. To top the night off we went back to the hotel in a stretch limo. Ben and I also spent the day with Libby, she took us to see the sights and then we went shopping in Roots, that evening we went to see an ice hockey game, i had never been to one before but it was such a great game.
I have needed a new laptop for a while and today i found one i really liked, it is an 11.6 Inch Lenovo Laptop, running Windows 7 64bit with a dual core processor and 3GB Ram. Its a really nice quick laptop and really portable.
Tonight Rachel and I went to Claire and James fancy dress party in Melton. Everyone had made a real effort and looked great. We had a good night eating lots of food and playing card games.
Rachel and I went to London for the weekend. We went out for dinner, then on to see Phantom of the Opera, What an amazing performance, i really enjoyed the whole show couldnt help but sing along at points aswell. We then stayed at the M&S hotel on Oxford street, the rooms are lovely and are a very good price. On Sunday we had a nice walk around London before heading back to Leicester.
It has been a year since Rachel and I had our 1st date, we celebrated this by having a nice evening in with a film, i got Rachel a chrm for her Pandora bracelet and she made me a cake and also got me some cufflinks.
Rachel and I went to Nottingham tonight for dinner and to have a look round the Nottingham Riviera. We went to Chiquitos for dinner which was lovely and then went for a walk around, but they were closing the fair rides which was a shame.
With the CSC, Ben and I took part in the Goodwood Roller Marathon today. It was a long day with having to drive down to Chichester in the morning. We had to do 11 laps of the race circuit to total the 26 miles. The race was really hard, with the 1st big hill really taking alot of energy, but we kept each other going with the help of a few sweets and managed to finish. We managed to complete it in 2 hours and minutes which we were really pleased with.
I went to Michael and Victoria Varney's wedding reception tonight, it was on the top floor of the Hotel Maiyango, the place was lovely and they had BBQ food which was great. It was nice to see some old faces again. Congratulations to them both and i had a great evening.
Raj, Nindi, Rachel and I went out tonight and played crazy golf as Blaby golf course. It was an 18 hole course and was lots of fun, Raj did the course in the least shots with me coming last after taking 11 shots on the 1st hole. We then went out for dinner at Chiquitos, we ordered way too much food and walked out of there stuffed.
Rachel and I went to Brighouse for her friend Katies engagement party. The party was at her parents house where there was a BBQ, we had a great night and it was lovely to finally meet them. On the Sunday we went to Casa for lunch, the restaurant was lovely, we had views over the lake while we were eating. I had a steak that you cook yourself on volcanic rock, it was the best steak i have ever had. The weekend was great, looking forward to seeing them again.
The CSC went to the all night skate at Roller World Derby tonight. We went out for dinner first and then went skating at 9. It was a really good night, there was lots of skaters there and the music was really good. I stayed until 2am.
Rachel and I went with the CSC to the Godiva festival in Coventry today. There was live music and lots of stalls, but the main reason we went was that there was a roller rink. The rink was a little small but we had lots of fun practicing moves while the rink was quiet. The weather was great and we had a lovely picnic. It was a great day out.
I went with Rachel and Mum to a suprise birthday party tonight. Sharon looked really suprised when she walked through the doors to see everyone. We had a nice evening.
The CSC went to Hyde Park today. We met the London skaters there. There was soo much traffic that i had to park the car 2.5 miles away and skate through London, it was a really nice skate though. Hyde Park was packed, there was lots of skaters where we were. The weather was lovely which made the day even better.
The CSC went to Sk8ters at Madison Heights, Maldon tonight. We were joined by some of the London skaters. We had a great night, trying lots of new things, cone jumping, cone weaving, etc.
Tonight Raj, Nindi, Rachel and I went Ice Skating in Tamworth. There is a rink and also a track round the outside, so we had lots of run trying to race round the track. I fell over a few times and it was freezing in there, but we had a really good evening.
Tonight the CSC went to the Nottigham Arena for the Roxy Roller Disco. Most of the CSC were marshals for the evening, so there was lots of familiar faces. There was thought to be 900 people skating. The rink was big but the floor that was put down for us to skate on was really bumpy. Overall it was a good night.
It was Rachels birthday today and to celebrate my family and her family went out for dinner at Zizzis. We had a lovely night, food was great and it was lovely seeing everyone.
Ben and I had a long evening, working through the night to get 2 websites live. 1 for our company and the other for Rachel for her Birthday. We got finished around 5am, but the sites came out really well.
Rachel and I went out for dinner with all her friends to celebrate her birthday tonight. We went to San Carlos, we had a lovely time and the food was great.
The CSC went to Madison Heights skating rink in Chelmsford. The rink is new and has a lot of grip, the music was great and we had loads of fun trying new things and basicly having a good skate. It was a 3 hour drive to get there but well worth it.
Rachel and I went to Amandas wedding. We had a great day, the church service was lovely, the Bride and Groom got taken to the reception in a stretched Ferrari. We had lunch at the reception and then had photos taken, in the evening there was a disco. It was great to meet Rachels work colleagues.
It was Annes birthday party at Bistro Live, we had a really good night, the food was lovely and then we were dancing on the tables for the rest of the night.
Rachel and I went to Liverpool for the weekend, we had a lovely meal in Preso on the Saturday evening and then went shopping on Sunday, it rained in the morning but the rest of the day was lovely.
It is my Sisters 24th birthday today. To celebrate we went to Frankie and Bennys for dinner and then we went bowling. Melissa did really well winning both games with the girls, i managed to win the last game with the men. We had a lovely evening.
For the Royal Wedding, my Parents street had a party, the council closed off the street for a day and we put tables and flags in the street. We had 4 BBQs cooking the food and we had home made cakes. It was lovely that all the street got together.
For Jays 40th, the CSC went to Derby Rollerworld. Jay turned up in a stretch Hummer which was cool. The music was good and loads of people were there, we had cakes too.
It was my Mums birthday on Wednesday and tonight we went out to celebrate. We had a lovely meal in town at Carluccios.
The CSC went to Skate Central in Sheffield for the Roller Gospel night. The rink is huge, the music was great and we had a really good night. Learnt a few new tricks in the middle of the rink.
Happy Mothers Day. Today we went out for dinner as a family to the Yews to celebrate mothers day. We had a lovely meal and dessert. We then went back to my parents and watched a film.
Last night I went to sk8DV8 Roller Disco at iHost in Birmingham. The rink was a little small but we had good fun doing a huge chain through the bar area and back round the rink and then practicing tricks when the CSC took over the rink.
Tonight Vanessa and I put the finishing touches to and made live the Central Sk8 Crew website. We celebrated with champagne!
It was the CSC 1st Birthday today. We all went to Derby. There was alot of us there, we all had new CSC T-Shirts with all the events that we had been to to over the past year. We unvailed the new CSC website and i think everyone liked it. It was a great night!
Feb
14
Happy Valentines day! Tonight Rachel came over for dinner. She made me some lovely cakes, a card and then she gave me a picture frame with photos from when we went London.
Dad and I have been skiing in Saas Fee, Switzerland for a week. We had a lovely time, the skiing was great, there was some lovely runs. We met a good group of people who we skiied with. We went sledging 1 night which was sooo much fun, I havent laughed that much in years. We visited the ice caves which were 10 meters under the ice at the top of the mountain. On the last night we went out and played pool with some people from our hotel, we were all useless but it was a good night.
The CSC went to Roller World Derby today for a group skate. We had a great time playing games and skating. We then all invaded Pizza Hut and had a lovely meal there, all 30+ of us.
It was Claires 23rd Birthday tonight, we all went out in town to Las Iguanas for dinner and then off to a few bars. It was a really good night, the food was lovely.
Mini Me was 4 today! Cant believe i have had him that long... I thought i would treat him and got him some cool Gamer PJs.
Happy New Year! Paul, Chris, Ben, Rachel and I went to Claire and James for New Years Eve. We had a lovely time playing on lots of multipler games, eating food and chatting.
The CSC crew and the Quad Squad went skating at Derby today, it was 3 peoples birthday. There was alot of us there, the skating and the music were good.
For Christmas my Dad got the family tickets to go and see Abba Mania in Nottingham. We went to Strada for a lovely meal 1st and then we went to the Nottingham Royal Theatre and watched the group play. It was a really good night with lots of singing and dancing.
Tonight Paul, Chris and Ben came over for a Call of Duty Black Ops night, playing on 4 player Zombie Mode. We had 2 big TVs and 2 PS3s with 2 players on each. We had a good few games, we only managed up to level 14 but we were quite pleased with it. We also had a nice pizza and lots of sweets and chocolate.
Happy Boxing Day! Today my family and I went to my Grand Parents for the day. We had a lovely roast dinner and then we watched 2 films. It was a lovely day.
Happy Christmas! I have had such a lovely day with my family. We woke up at 7:30, had a cup of tea and then unwrapped our presents. We then got dressed and then my Grandma came over, we had more presents to unwrap and then we had a lovely Christmas roast with turkey, mash, yorkshires, etc. In the afternoon we watched a film and pigged out on sweets and chocolate. I got some lovely presents including a new camera, clothes, cufflinks, aftershave, sweets and a food mixer. Dad and I have now got matching ski and work wear, we tried on the ski outfit and it looks great.
It was Service Birminghams Christmas party tonight. We went to the ICC in Birmingham. There was over 700 people from all of the offices. The food was great and there was a live band and a DJ for the night. After the party finished at 1 we went to another bar to the after party, got home about 3am, but had a really good night.
Today i went to Sam's for our fake Christmas day, with Laura and Wayne. We had a lovely lunch and then watched a Muppet Christmas Carol. We then did presents giving, Sam got me a cool mug filled with sweets and Laura got me a jumper, days of the week socks and chocolate. In the afternoon we played Monopoly, in which Laura won by a clear margin. We then sat down to a lovely Christmas Dinner with Turkey and all the trimmings. It has been a lovely day.
The Central Skate Crew went out for a Christmas meal tonight. We went to The Real China in Leicester. It was great to see so many of us turn up. The food was lovely and i had a great night.
Rachel and I went to Leeds today. We had a walk round the shops and Rachel showed me where she went to university. It was really cold but we had a lovely day.
I have had such a great weekend. Rachel took me to London. We met up with Chris on Saturday and watched some street performers. We stopped in the M&S apartments which were lovely. We got dressed up and went out for dinner and then to the theatre to see Legally Blonde the Musical. It was really good. On the Sunday we had a lovely walk to Buckingham Palace, then we went on the London Eye, the views were amazing of London from the top. We then walked to Millenium Bridge and then finally back to collect our cases.
My phone had been playing up for a while, there was condensation behind the screen and it was running really slowly. I decided that i would get a new phone, after alot of looking at different phones i decided on the HTC Mozart. It is running the Windows Phone 7 OS. The phone is really well built and the OS is really fast and responsive. Im very happy with it.
Happy Halloween. I dressed up as dracula and went skating, i then went to a house party with Rachel. It was definitely an experience...
Oct
23
The Warner family went to Wakefield for the weekend for Claire and Daves wedding. The location they got married was lovely, the hotel was surrounded by a moat and you crossed a bridge to get in. The whole day was great, there was soo much food. It was good to see people i had not seen in a long time to.
I got Mini Me a nice new outfit, he has some skinny jeans, a checked shirt with a hud and some converse style shoes.
My family and I took my Grandma to Liverpool for the weekend for her 65th Birthday. We went to see The Sound of Music on Saturday night and then on Sunday we went to the Docks and shopping. We had a lovely weekend walking around seeing the sites.
It was the Derby all night skate today, there was so many good skaters there, the CSC were there and so were the London Skaters. I had a really good night.
Rachel and I went to Twycross Zoo for a day out today. We had a nice walk round looking at all the animals. We had a nice drink of hot chocolate and ate cake on the way round too.
Its my Birthday today! I have had a lovely day, been out for lunch with my Grandma and then in the evening i had my friends over for a get together. We played on Just Dance on the Wii, chatted and ate lots of pizza. I have had a great day and got lots of lovely presents.
Tonight the CSC went to Vauxhall to skate. The place was packed, but we still had a great time.
Mini Me has joined the CSC, he now has his own skates and also a CSC t-Shirt.
Ben and I have just got back from a week in Tenerife. We had such a great time! We did nothing but eat, sleep and sunbathe for the week. We went to the water park on Monday, went on all the rides atleast twice. I am nice and relaxed now i am back.
The CSC went to Wigan to see what their re-opened rink was like. It started at 7pm and driving there was horrid, nothing bt traffic all the way. The rink waas really grippy and fun to skate on. THe place was packed but we still had a great night.
Today i have been to the Wedding of Raj and Nindi. I went to the Temple and the Reception. I had a great day, it was a different experience to a normal wedding, but was really good. The meal and music was lovely.
Tonight the CSC went to Liverpool for a School themed skate. Again we all got really dressed up and looked great. I went for a blazer, shorts, shirt and tie all to match my blue and white skates.
Aug
30
I went flowriding in Bedford with Rach, Andrew, Helen and Alan today. I had never tried it before but it was such great fun. I learnt a few things on the bodyboard before progressing to standing up on a flow board. I managed it holding onto a rope but once i let go i couldnt stay up for long. Had such a great day and looking forward to going again.
I decided to try skating at Daventry with the CSC. I had never been before but the atmosphere was really good and i had lots of fun. After skating we decided to see if we could fit more people in Simons Saab than we had got in the Passat, we managed to squeeze 5 in the boot, but the back seats had to be down. I had the van with me so it was time to see if we could fit everyone in the back of that... We Did! 11 of us then went to Pizza Hut for dinner, such a great night.
Today the CSC went to Hyde Park. Some drove all the way into london, but I parked on the outskirts, caught the tube in and then skated through London. Some skaters from Sk8 London joined us for the day to, we had some fun doing tricks and thenlearning some new moves.
Ben, Sam, Becky, Megan and I went to London for the day. We had a wander round London in the morning before going to Madame Tussauds. The wax works looked really realistic, we also watched the Marvel 4D film while we were in there. After that we went for dinner at TGI Fridays. Ben and I went to see Wicked at the Apollo, it was such an amazing play! It was a long but great day.
I have been wanting some unique Bauer Turbos for a while and i found some on ebay, they are white and blue Bauer 33 Turbos, i have never seen a pair this colour before. They were ice skates, so i needed to get some playmaker plates, white laces, white stoppers and some white SFR wheels. They look sooo cool and skate lovely. I Have also got some Reds ceramic bearings and white bushings.
It was the Derby all night skate tonight. There was a lot of other skate groups there, time went by so quickly, didnt leave until about 3:30am. Had a really good night with the CSC.
Jul
15
Stuart created Natalie, Vanessa and myself a caricature of our skates. We had them printed on tshirts and they look amazing. I had mine with my website on the back to.
The CSC and I went to the Superfunk Roller Disco in Liverpool. There was a beach theme in place, so i decided to go all out and went a scuba diver, i had a wetsuit, mask and snorkle and then made some flippers fit over my skates. Ther were really hard to skate in and the wetsuit was roasting, but i had soo much fun.
Today my family and I went to Bosworth Water Trust for a picnic. The weather was lovely, we just sat by 1 of the lakes taking in the sun. We had some lovely food, it was a great day out.
Last night the CSC got there PJs on for the Superfunk Roller Disco in Liverpool. We had another great night with a speed session and chariot races, we all looked good dressed up in our PJs. It was good to see some old faces and meet some new ones and was well worth the trip there.
The CSC had a Picnic-Skate day today in Nottingham. We setup camp, ate loads of food and then went for a big skate along the river. The weather stayed good all day. A very enjoyable day.
The CSC took a drive down to the Renaissance Rooms in London tonight. The place is great, there are 2 rooms with different music on. We met up with some of the London skaters and had a great skate. It was well worth the trip down.
Russ and I went skiing at Tamworth today. The slope is a little small but it was good to be back on the skis again.
My Family and I went to Chris and Lauras engagement party in Oadby, we had a really good night.
Work had an event on and as part of it there was an artist who was doing peoples Caricatures, i had mine done and it is now on my desk at work.
Its the 1st Friday of the month and the CSC went to the Tower Ballroom. It was another good turn out and we had a good night practicing chariots and tricks.
It was my sisters 23rd birthday today and to celebrate our family went bowling at Hollywood Bowl.
The Central Skate Crew took a trip to Superfunk Roller Disco in Liverpool. We all got dressed up in our best day-glow wear. The music was great and we had loads of run trying diggerent chariots out and trying to learn new moves. It was well worth the drive up.
Apr
24
Today the Central Skate Crew took a trip to RollerWorld Colchester. There was about 35 of us that went, all with our matching t-shirts. We had a great night, the music was really good and the rink is soo smooth.
All of the people i skate with got together and we have formed a group called the Central Skate Crew, we have had t-shirts made to wear to all of the skating events we go to, we tried them out tonight and we all look really good in them.
I am going to be doing alot of outdoor skating now, so i thought i would revamp my old skates. I bought some 2 tone black and white SFR wheels, some ABEC 5 bearings and some white laces. I still need to fix the inner socks but i have tried the skates out and they feel great.
It was Jays wedding tonight. I was invited to the reception and I too Rachael with me. All of the lads from the stag do. It was a lovely night seeeing everyone.
I was Skating at the Tower Ballroom again tonight. I was trying a few new tricks and fell over a few times but it was still a great night. I think they might have polished the floor before we got there as it was so slippery.
It was the first all night skate at Roller World tonight. There was lots of us there and we had a really great night, didnt get home until 5am, was well worth it though.
Tonight i went to Jays stag night at the comedy club in town. We had a great night, Jay dressed up as a woman and we all had t-shirts with jay as a child printed on them. The comedians were really funny.
I have started a new job working at Service Birmingham for Capita. My job title is Documentum Consultant. I got myself a new suit for my 1st day, looking forward to having a new challenge.
I was Skating at the Tower Ballroom again tonight. Another great night, the place was packed and the music was great. The useual Leicester skaters were there and we had some good fun skating.
I have been in Scotland for the week with work. I am leaving the company next week and they got me a card and a box of chocolate as a leaving present. It has been a good experiance working for them but it is time to move on.
Dad and I have just come back from a week skiing in Sauze D`Oulx Italy. We had such a great week, went skiing with Mike, Andy and Dan everyday and did some great runs. We did night skiing with just a flare for light, bum boarding, played football in skiboots and we also won the Quiz.
I went skating at the Tower Ballroom in Birmingham tonight. There was alot of the Leicester skate people there aswell as London skaters. We had a really good night practicing tricks and having a good sakte.
Charlotte, Greg, Melissa and Myself went Ice Skating in Nottingham tonight. We had a really good time, only my 3rd time on ice skates but it was just like rollerskating, the skates were quite painful but it was a really fun night.
Mini Me is 3 today. I got him the England Football kit ready to support England in the world cup.
Went skating in Birmingham for Darrens Birthday. The rink was not a bad size and there was loads of people there. I fell over a few times, but it was a great night.
Paul, Chris and I decided to enjoy the snow so we went out bum boarding. We had such a good laugh with some great falls.
Happy New Year! I spent the evening with Ben and his family. We watched a film and they had a team game on Smarty Pants, with Ben and I winning.
Today my family and I went to my Grandparents for lunch and dinner. We watched a film and played on the Wii again. We also ate loads more food!
Happy Christmas! I hae had such a great day, i didnt know what i would be getting at all and i got a Wii fit board and an electric shaver. My sister got Guitar Hero for the Wii and we had such a great day playing on that and skiing and snowboarding on the Wii. We ate so much food over the day though.
Sam, Laura, Wayne and I has a turkey christmas dinner with all the trimmings at my house today, for a pre Christmas dinner. It was snowing in the afternoon so we went and had some fun in the snow. We invented our own sport called Snow Skidding, we had soo much fun. We then had a present opening round the tree before watching a film.
Dad and I thought we would try out Xscape in Milton Keynes to get a bit of practice skiing before February. We had a really good night and got to try the freestyle park.
The quiz team got together and went for a meal at the Hand Made Burger Company. We had christmas burgers, they were good.
It was Janes 40th Birthday Party at Roller World Derby. There was loads of skaters from Grandby Halls, Old School Derby and even London. We had a great night with good music and it was even open an hour later than normal for Janes party members.
It was Carolines 25th Birthday Party at Bistro Live. We had a great meal and night, dancing on the tables and singing along.
I went to Petes Haloween Party tonight. I got dressed up as Dracula. It was good to see Pete again and catch up. The party was good, with some interesting games.
Nigel and I went to Superfunk Roller Disco at Nottingham Trent Student Union tonight. The place was quite big and it was packed. The music was great and we had great fun weaving in and out of everyone on the rink.
Nigel, Levi, Katie and I went to Roller Boogie at Kasbah in Coventry tonight. We had such a great night, the place is quite small but the music and skating was good.
It is my Birthday today! I have had such a great day. I have been shopping with my Mum and Sister for new clothes today, i got lots of lovely presents. Tonight i have been to Chiquitos with 15 of my friends and family and then we all went to Hollywood Bowl for 2 games of bowling. I ended up getting the highest score of the night.
Sep
08
Sara came back for her Graduation, so we all decided to meet up and go out for dinner. We went to Nandoes and had a great meal and it was good to see Sara and everyone again.
Ben and Sam had a bbq tonight. I got to meet Bens gf Kelly for the first time which was nice. I had such a great night, nice to meet some new people to.
Ben and I went to a Beach party at skating tonight. It was packed but we had a really great night, it was fun getting dressed up in beach wear.
Last night it was Marias 19th and with tradition it was a fancy dress party. We went out in Nottingham, went to a few bars and had a really great night.
I had a BBQ for my family and friends. We had loads of food and had a really goo night. My sister was beeting everyone at bowls...
My contract is coming up to an end so i thought i would drop down to a Sim only contract and then buy myself a new phone. I have been debaiting for a while getting a nice looking phone or a phone with functionality. I went for the latter with a HTC Touch Diamond 2. I got myself a really nice desktop charger aswell.
Sam and I did some baking tonight. We made Cornflake Cakes, Iced Buns and Fruit Buns. They were good.
Greg had a BBQ at his house on Saturday night. He had lots of his old friends and new uni friends round. After eating all the good food we all decended on the Hot Tub.
For Sams 23rd Birthday he had a moustache themed party... We all went out in town with fancy stick on moustaches. It was a really good night.
For Claires 22nd Birthday she had a Gangster and Moulin Rouge themed party. We all got dressed up, had a meal and then went out on the town in Melton. We had a great night, got to meet new people which was good.
Sam, Laura, Wayne and I went skating in Derby tonight. Sam said he was not going to skate but he had a go in the end and was not that bad. Laura went round really well. It was a good laugh.
Its Mothers Day so we all went out for Sunday Lunch. We have had a great day watching films and restng.
I organised a little get together for Paul as it was his Birthday. We all went Nandos, we had a good night with some good food to..
I went Dirt Biking with Kerry today. We went over to Nottingham and had a ride round some of the fields near her friends house. It rained and we go soaked but it was really good fun.
It was Saras 22nd Birthday today and we all went out for a meal in town. It was all you can eat with foods from round the world. We went for a quick drink after aswell. Was a good night.
Tonight Paul and I went over to luff to go out with Sara and Chris to a little house party.
Dad and I have just got back from our annual skking trip. This year we went to Austria. We had such a great week, the weather was great, perfect fro skiing. The food in the hotel was the best we have had on any skiing holiday. We met some great people who we skid with on the last day which was great.
Mini Me is 2 today. I got him some High School Musical PJs and Slippers.
Today Paul, Chris and I tried out Urban Exploration. We went to RAF Newton, which is an abandand RAF base. There was 9 of us looking round. We had a great day even though it was freezing. It was great to meet everyone and hope to meet up again.
Mum, Dad and Myself went to Sarahs fancy dress party tonight. Everyone made a really big effor in getting dressed up and we had a great evening.
Gary, Paul, Chris and I went out tonight for dinner in town, we then decided it would be a good idea to go ice skating at 9pm at night, it was freezing cold but we had such a good laugh. We went for a few drinks afterwards to get defrosted.
Happy New Year!! I hope everyone had a great night. I had a some friends over for a games night and food. I had such a great night, playing on the xbox and wii, eating and chatting til 3am...
Today i have been to my Grandparents for Lunch and Tea. We watched a film and played on the wii.
Happy Christmas!! Its been a great day. I had lots of new clothes including an official OCC tshirt from America. I got a Jelly Bean machine and Mug, a Wii game, Board game and more clothes... I have spent the day in the house with my parents just relaxing.
It was BRD Computer Services Christmas Meal. I had booked in for us in to the restaurant we went last year, only to find on arrival that it has been changed to a tapas bar. We decided we didnt want to eat there so we managed to get a table at the Three Swans Hotel. We had a black tie dress code for the evening and we all looked great. We had such a great meal and a great night. Brian bought Roger and I a lovely present full of cakes and chocolate.
I got a nice gift in the post today at work... 2 x 24inch Dell widescreen monitors. They fill the whole of my desk. Very nice to work on.
The quiz was not on tonight so the quiz team decided to go bownling. Not everyone could make it, but we had a great night anyway and what made it even better was that i won both games.
We went to Sheffield today to my Sisters graduation. She now has a BA Hons Early Years Education with QTS. We had a great day with the ceremony and then going out for a meal afterwards.
I went to a Ladys Evening at the Lodge with Rogers daughter. We had a 6 course meal and then there was dancing afterwards. I got a tour round the lodge which was really interesting.
Happy Halloween... Sara had a house party, everyone got dressed up and we all looked great.
Claire and James have just moved to Melton and they invited us all round for a bit of a house warming. We ate pizza and chips and played on the Wii. It was a bit of a tight squeeze to get 8 of us in the lounge but we fitted.
Emma at work was leaving so we went to Nandos for lunch. It was rather funny and the food was great.
Dad and I went to Mark and Sandra`s 25th wedding anniversary in Skipton. We didnt get the updated invitation and only just made the meal... We all went back to Marks sister for tea afterwards. We ended up driving home at 3am as i couldnt breathe and forgot my inhaler...
Its my Birthday today and i am 25. I have had such a great day, i got lots of new clothes and some new shoes. I have been out for a meal tonight with Emma and my Family, my sister came home from Sheffield to see me aswell.
On Saturday Emma and I went to Sheffield to see my Sister and meet her Boyfiend Matt. We went out for a lovely Italian mean and then went for a drink. On the Sunday we went to Medowhall to have a look round the shops.
Went round Bens parents tonight for a party as Ben and Sam are going to Canada for a year. They had a bouncy castle, food and drinks. We had such a good laugh on the Bouncy Castle, trying to do as many stupid things as we could. What a great night it was.
It was Claires 21st birthday party. She had a Disney themed fancy dress party. Everyone made a real effort. After a BBQ at her house, we all went out in our costumes into Melton, we got a few looks off people, but it was a great night.
I wnet to see Pendulum tonight with the Paul, Chris and his luff friends. It was quite a good night, music in there was not great though and they didnt come on til nearly 2am.
As the weather was nice I went over to Luff to see Chris. We sat down the park and rested. We then had ab bit of fun with park gymnastics.
It is Chris`s 21st today and Sara and I organised a BBQ at my house for him. She invited alot of his friends from uni. We hid them in the backgarden and then suprised him with them all. It was a really good night, we ate loads and had a good chat.
My contract had been up with T-Mobile for a few months and i had been looking for a new phone. I got a good deal on an Orange contract with a Nokia 8600 Luna. The phone is really nice and the battery seems to be lasting alot longer than the 8800. I still have the same number btw.
It was Saras birthday today and for the people who couldnt make it to the meal, Chris and his house mates organised another suprise house party for her. It was another good night, nice to see some old faces.
Chris organised a suprise meal for Sara at ShimLa Pink in town. We were told it was formal dress so it was smart suits for the lads and nice dresses for the ladys. Was a great night and the food was good aswell. Chris, Gary and I did eat a whole chili which was not the best idea ever, mouths were bearning for ages!
Dad and I went on our Annual ski trip, we went to Colorado Springs in America. We skiied in Breckenridge, which was about 150 miles away from where we were stopping so there was a bit of a drive everyday. We stopped with my Dads cousin. We had such a good week, the skiing was really good, we had a great time at night and we also got to try dirt and quad biking.
Mini Me is 1 today. I got him a new top, some jeans and some boots. he looks soo cute..
Ben was back from uni, so i had a few friends over to play on the Wii. Was a good nite, lots of pizza and donuts, lol.
I ordered Mini Me some new things for Christmas and after 2 weeks they have finally arrived! He does look cute in the Golf outfit.
Jan
01
Happy New Year! I had a great night last night, Paul and I went round my neighbours with the Wii and played on that til about 2:30 am.
Happy Christmas :) I have had a great day with my family. I got some great presents, a watch, suit, shirt, tops. Chris got Mini Me a Batman suit, he looks soo cute, lol.
It was our BRD Christmas meal this evening, we went to a nice place in Market Harbough. We had a really good night, the food was great and was nice to talk to everyone outside of work.
Its my Birthday today! I got lots ofcards and some good presents. Got some new hoes off my Parents a top of my Sister. I have been out with my Parent for a meal tonight which was really nice.
My dad was best man at his friends wedding today. We went along with him to the wedding and the party. It was a really good day. The party was at the Grand Hotel in town. Was such a nice meal and Dad did great with his speech.
I have just got back from a very relaxing week in Tenerife with my Parents and Sister. We didnt really do alot, just sun bathed and relaxed. The hotel was really nice and i had such a great week.
I have brought Mini Me some more clothes. I got him some new PJs and slippers for when we move to my new house and a new top and shorts.
Tonight was Chris art exhibition called Phobia. There was lots of work about different types of phobias. Some of the pieces were interactive which was good.
Sara organised a meal for Chris birtchday, so we all went to the Tobby Carvery in Loughborough. It was a nice meal. We then went back to Saras for a drink and to eat Chris birthday cake.
After planning to go out the night before which didnt happen, Chris, Paul, Prital, Lucy, Nat and I ended up just going round Saras and watching a DVD, which was a great night. So today we decided to go to Bradgate park for a nice walk.Had some fun at the top playing a few games. We then went for food at a pub down the road.
I have brought Mini Me some more clothes, i got him a school outfit, with a cool backpack, a new T-Shirt and some swim shorts. I also got him a passport, lol.
I thought i would treat myself, so i brought an 80gb Ipod, i plugged it up to my PC on friday night and it took til late Saturday night for all the music to be copied accross!.
It was Charlottes birthday party and she decided she wanted a fancy dress party. The theme of the evening was Pirates! We had a really good nite going out in Market Harbough, we got some funny looks in the pub but it was worth it.
Mar
07
I still had my P4 Itx board just sat there doing nothing and i needed something to store all my movies and tv programs on so i needed to build a case for it. I thought Lego wold be a good idea, so i got my Lego down from the loft and sorted through all the bits and got a pile of yellow bits and started to build the case. I managed to get it to all fit into a quite small space. I still would like to add a graphics card to it and a screen in the front so it can be used standalone.
I have been wanting to get some photos with multiple versions of myself in it, so we went out and took some photos of Paul, Chris and Myself in an industrial state. We had such a good night going for a nice walk afterwards.
I have a mini version of myself in teddy form. He has multiple outfits and even boxer shorts. He is from the Build a Bear factory in sheffield. He is sooo cute.
Dad and I went on our Annual ski trip, we went to Borovets in Bulgaria. It was such a really nice resort. The group we had was the best group we have ever been with, we all got on really well and were all at the same level. By the end of the week we were doing Red runs with ease and having fun on Black runs. This has to have been the best skiing holiday we have had.
I have wanted duel monitors for ages and as i spend 8.5 hours a day at work i thought there is no point in buying any for home so i wanted to get 2 for work. I had a look round and in the end i got a great deal on 2 19 inch LG Widescreen TFTs. I also had to buy another graphics card for the 2nd screen. They are so nice and are making work alot easier.
I had been going into Roller Snakes in town for days trying to get some new Bauer skates and they had reserved me some size 6s. They are really nice, even have the white inners, i am well happy with them.
Ben came home from Uni this weekend and he had brought some new skates, so we went skating. We went to Derby, was a good night, music was good.
Happy New Year!!! It was good night, Got in bed about 4am.
Happy Christmas!!! I have had a great day, i have been to my parents house, Annes mums house and then to Annes Dads house. I got loads of new clothes and loads of chocolate.
I have been working in Athens, Greece with BRD for the past 2 weeks, i have been staying in a lovely 5 star hotel and have spent the weekend exploring the city.
Oct
13
After the last Scalextric night round Beckys, i thought it was my turn, Keith had just got a whole new set, so we had plenty of track to build a huge circuit. We tried to create the biggest track we could and we still had bits left over. We also went for a TJs which was rather nice. I didnt win tonight Keiths car was rather quick even though i had brought a new faster motor for mine
I went out for a meal with my friends tto celerbrate my birthday. We had a lovely meal and a great night.
Its my Birthday, I am 23 day. I got a new suit, shirt, tie, shoes, 2 tops, aftershave, ps2 game and money. When i got in from wok there was a birthday cake with candles. We then went out for a meal as a family at night.
Last night we went skating at Colchester, was a great night, good to see lots of skaters out. Today we went to the beach at Clackton, had some fish and chips on the beach.
Ben was home from uni so i went round to have a chat then we watched a DVD on his brothers new 42inch LCD TV. After the film was done i went to Annes BBQ. Had a massive piece of chocolate cake which was nice. Anne had a drive in my car, it was wierd seeing someone else driving my car but she took good care of it. Was a really good nite.
Becky held a scalextric night round her house. I took round some of my old track so that we could make a good track to race on. I had been out shopping in the week and brought myself a new car so i had a chance of winning. Keith had made a leader chart so we could have a proper tournament. There was 6 of us, so we decided to have a qualifiying round where the 4 fastest laps would take you through. I qualified in 4th place with a time of 5.7 seconds. I then went on to win the tournament and also got the fastest lap time of 5.1 seconds!
It was about time i went on contract, so i went round looking for the best deal i could get. I wanted the Nokia 8800, but just needed to find a good contract where the phone wouldnt cost me to much. I went with T-Mobile in the end on there Flex35 plan.
I had my graduation today at De Montfort Hall, i graduated with a 2.1 in BSc Software Engineering. I had such a great day, it was great to get the reward for 4 hard yhears at university. My Mum, Dad, Sister and Grandma came with me. Well done to all the Software Engineers, its been great to work with you all
I have just got back from a week away in tenerife with my parents and sister. I had a really nice rest, the weather was soo nice. The hotel was a 5* and was the best hotel i have ever been
I went skating tonight with Ben and his brother Sam. It wasnt very busy, but it was good to practice. I normally go skating in Enderby, but im glad i gave this place a try as it is alot bigger.
Me and Dad went skiing for a week in Bulgaria to a resort called Bansko. We stopped in a really nice 4 star hotel. The ski instructer was really good. The slopes were alot bigger than we were used to but after a few days we had mastered them well. We met some really nice people as well. In all it was a really good holiday.
Jan
01
Happy New Year!
Happy Christmas! Ive had a really nice day. I got lots and lots of new clothes and a new pair of shoes. We had my Grandma round for Christmas luch and dinner.
Im 22 today, yay. My parents got me a new phone, i got some clothes and some money. I am going to go shopping in the week to buy some more clothes with the money i got. I have had a really nice day. I also brought myself a Dell laptop, the screen is a 15.4 inch widescreen and does 1920x1200! I start back uni tomorrow which should be good.
Sep
09
I have finished my job with Westleigh, i am just going to have a rest for a few weeks til i start uni again on the 3rd October.
Aug
12
I have finished at BRD today, i have been there for about 1 year and 4 months. I have had a really good time there and learnt alot. Will really miss everyone. I have got another job starting on Monday working as a labourer for Westleigh Construction.
I have just got back from a holiday in Tenerife with my parents. I had a really nice relaxing week, didnt really do much apart from sunbathe. The hotel was really nice.
I went on a Rally Experience day. Was so good. I got to drive a 140bhp rally car. I was a bit slow the 1st time round, but once i got back in the car i put my foot down. They are soo quick. Really loved it.
I went to Charlottes 21st birthday party at The Three Swans. It was a really nice night, we had a nice meal and then there was a slideshow of Charlotte from when she was born to today. There was about 35 people there and it was nice to meet some of Charlottes friends.
I got an email today off 1 of the women that was in the ski group on holiday, she sent me a few pictures of the group.
Have been skiing with my Dad for a week in Andorra. Had a really good time, i learn how to parallel ski, went on some really steep red runs. Our instructor was called clive and he was really good, we had a good group as well.
Happy Christmas !!! I got up at 8 this morning, opened all my presents. Grandma came round for dinner. I got a new dell wireless PDA and a DAB radio for work and lots of new clothes.
It was BRDs christmas meal, we went to the regency hotel on london road. It was a murder mistery night. Was a really good nite, the food was really nice. It was good to meet everyones partner to. Darren was so funny when he got drunk!
I am 21 today =) I had a lan party last nite, had Ben, Nick, Mark and Grant round. We went out for a pizza and then played games all nite. Was a good lan, went really well. Grant bought a nice linux box, which displayed Counter Strike stats, Mark brought his PDA, with wifi on so we could access the Stats page while playing the games which was cool. This is the 1st lan i have had with an internet connection which was nice. I went out for a meal tonight with my family. I got lots of clothes and money =) I also got 21 cards, which is quite funny as its my 21st. Hannah got me a day in a rally car which should be cool. =) YAY!
Been to Tenerife for 2 weeks with my Parents and my Sister. Didnt really do alot, just sun bathed most of the time. I met a load of people with 3 days to go, would have been nice to have met them earlier. The weather was really nice and so was the hotel.
Its my Birthday 2day. I am now no longer a teenager, now 20 years old. I got Lots of money, Chicago on DVD, Trance Nation Harder, A zip up and some CK One soap. Went out for a meal to the navigation. It was really nice. Hannah bought me a really nice storm watch 2.
What a weekend! Me & Mark went to Essex on Saturday night, we left at about 6, got to Essex about 10. That's after going the wrong way down every motorway... We didn't actually do much on the holiday apart from drive, which we did a lot of 525 miles in total.
Went to the lan party in Sheffield, it was a really good day. We had a counter strike tournament, played on a half-life mod called natural selection, it was ok, but it was not easy to learn the controls. We played some unreal tournament 4 a bit as well. Thanks to the bloke with the 25th anniversary Golf GTTDi, it was so fast, i have never seen a diesel car go like that, ever! Also thanks to stormseaker 4 inviting me. All in all it was a good day, met some good people as well, so thanks to everyone who was there.
Tonight we had a Lan party at my Grandmas with Alex, Nick, Rick, Ben, Mark.
Oct
25
Started making this website.
Oct
25
Hope everyone had a great Christmas and got what they wanted. I got a Nokia 7210, which is rather nice.