So the boy is four and keen to play games such as Jenga. This is a Paw Patrol version which is tricky to use as the lack of weight in the pieces means that it is tricky to get the pieces out. It looks like this stack has twisted a little already.
We adults can generally beat the youngsters at games, as long as it doesn't involve getting off the sofa within a requisite time. But games that rely heavily on short-term memory pray upon the weakness of parents, which is the lack of ability to remember what you did in the previous week. This extends to playing matching pairs, which is a game which sees the keen-eyed victorious over the tired-minded. Gregory seems to be doing very well in this game.
Which is more that can be said for his Harry Houdini efforts here. I think this is actually meant to be a tunnel that connects two other outdoor, er, shapes, but Gregory has clearly decided to restrict his own movement just because.
This is more like it: outdoors, munching on Wotsits as an accompaniment to the sandwiches, olives and pork pie. It must be nice weather because (a) we are sat outside on the lawn and (b) the hose pipe is visible in the background - that only comes out if the sun is shining with abandon.
Ah yes, here is the definitive evidence of that good weather: the paddling pool. As we can only fill it with cold water from the outside tap, albeit boosted with a few shuttle runs from the kettle, this situation only arises when the temperature rises above, say, 20 degrees. Gregory goes with an unconventional filling up method as Daisy watches on.
Once filled, much hilarity ensued, with Daisy pushing Gregory in...
...and Gregory returning the favour moments later.
They ended up looking somewhat bedraggled after all that tomfoolery.
It was not long since Easter and one of the presents they got was a "decorate your own egg", which they eagerly tucked into (both decorating and, later, eating). On the right is Gregory's effort.
On the Sunday, with Grandad Graham staying over, we went out for a meal at Zizzi, where Gregory did his first crossword, which he was keen to point out.
Look, here was his effort, with some backwards letters to prove it was him. The crossword involved figuring out what the foodstuffs were from the pictures.
The next weekend, we headed to the Arc Centre for some clay modelling action...
...and dreamcatcher making. The poses used to demonstrate their handiwork are in stark contrast: Daisy looking sheepish and shy; Gregory in some kind of strutting rock pose.
The next day, we took a trip to Reddish Vale Farm, where Gregory managed to get himself a bucket of carrots...
...which he fed to the Alpaca.
In the adventure playground, it's time to go on an adventure up a fairly poorly-constructed ladder.
Perhaps it's time for safer surroundings, where Gregory appears to have made a friend.
After all that excitement, it's only fair that you a big ice-cream to tuck into.
Shuffling into May, the kids have taken advantage of the drier weather and decorated the steps outside the kitchen doors with chalk daubings.
More glorious weather, prompting yet more paddling pool action, not to mention some large, cold drinks with fancy straws.
There followed outdoor brunch: a bacon & egg barm for me, mini bacon sandwiches for Gregory and sausage & beans for Daisy. What a luxury on the Saturday of a bank holiday (May Day) weekend.
On the Sunday, we went to a restaurant called Kingfisher in Saddleworth for a joint Allen (Matt and I - it makes things simpler) birthday meal. Food looks fancy, as does dress code. Daisy, true to form, appears to have gone for pasta, whilst Gregory has opted for sausage, chips and sweetcorn.
Back at Uncle Matt's, Aunty Katie shows some ancient child-charming techniques in the glorious sunshine.
One can only speculate as to what is going on here, with Gregory and Aunty Katie scrambling up the slope one way as Daisy legs it down, hair cascading behind her.
The sun was beating down and so Matt set up some impromptu shade to shield the young boy and the old lady from the burning rays.
As the shadows lengthened, Jonathan did his best zombie impression which had Gregory very much unperturbed.
On the Bank Holiday Monday, we did what seemingly most of the North West of England did, and headed to Formby. We tried but failed miserably to beat the rush and got stuck in horrendous, unmoving traffic, seemingly all queuing for a one-in-one-out system with the small National Trust Car Park and its overspill car park, and getting nowhere. We had the bright idea of finding a spot in the nearby estate, with Lynne having gone for a wander to find it. It was difficult because there were lots of no parking areas, but we found one where the line was faint enough to give us the benefit of the doubt. We took photographs just in case! Anyway, before we set off upon the next stage of our journey, walking to the beach, we got some refreshments. In Gregory's case, this was a very blue ice lolly.
Suitably refreshed, we set off on our trail...
...and before long ended up at the beach for a game of footie. It was worth it!
We further trekked to the sea's edge, as Gregory gazed down at the corrugated-looking sand...
...before we went for a wade and a wander.
Back on dry land, this appears to have been the scene of considerable sandcastle destruction.
There were no facilities on the beach, so our time there was necessarily limited and we soon ran out of provisions. In the shot above, it was half past one, so we'd done well to stay that long. We finally wandered back to find the car, free from parking tickets thankfully, then headed away from Formby where there weren't quite so many people, expecting everywhere to be rammed and, in any case, the traffic remained horrendous. We found a pub on the drive home and that suited us down to the ground.
That will do for now.
And we're back. Who let the balls out? Who, who, who, who? It's all good fun, until you've got to clear them up. Only one bag of balls was released, however, so it hopefully won't take that long.
For my birthday (can't remember which one; I lose track), we went ten-pin bowling at Parrs Wood. The kids seemed on board with that.
Gregory needed a bit of assistance - help with lifting the the ball to the ramp, the ramp itself and the side bars up to stop gutter balls - but nevertheless he did well, as demonstrated here.
He was in his element when seated at one of the driving games. I doubt I put any money in for him, unless he was sat on the lap, mainly because his legs could not reach the pedals.
Birthday perks include choosing the venue for food, and naturally I selected a curry house. As you can see, we went to the Heaton's Tandoori Restaurant (pretty much the only choice now that Kushoom Koly has shut, although it closed (sadly) in 2019 so would have been an option at that point). Gregory looked keen to get in there.
We kept it simple for him (and in fact still do as I write this in 2020) - cut up pieces of chicken tikka, chips and bits of poppadom.
For some reason, we purchased a carnation, which had Gregory both moving and grooving.
He's looking a bit peaky here. Whilst his arms look celebratory, his eyes betray his weariness and, ultimately, illness (this may have been when he had scarlet fever).
We switch now to Manchester Road Park, with Gregory taking on the obstacle course, with balancing support from his dad.
He is just a little chuffed with himself to be balancing on the rope thing.
And positive ecstatic to be attacking the wooden plank bridge.
Who's this huge, scary monster plodding across this enormous rope bridge? Oh wait, it's Gregory and this is perspective. Bah.
A regular feature of me taking the kids to the park is not quite making it back past the Hinds Head pub at the end of the road. It's also a convenient pitstop when they need the toilet (although in some cases with Gregory we just have to go in the bushes). The requisite order is crisps and soft drinks for the children and the inevitable beer for me.
Later that day, with the weather set fair and 568ml of lager beer coursing through my bloodstream, I get the BBQ fired up for some al fresco dining.
The next day (the Sunday of the Whitsun bank holiday weekend) appears to be equally sunny and warm, given the outdoor set-up, including the paddling pool (in a much better state that I can get it now given the small punctures that have gradually appeared). It's early days, though, as Gregory hasn't even got his cossie on.
With more warm weather, what more is there to do but get the BBQ out again, especially if you have got leftover food to cook. Lynne was out in the evening, so for extra mouths I invited the Allen girls round. Aunty Katie was well happy to be having BBQ food.
Bank holiday Monday now: more nice weather, more eating outside. It doesn't get much better than bagel for breakfast in the garden.
More soon (possibly).
And we go again, two months later (I write this in November 2020), looking back to late May 2018. We headed to Alderley Edge, where there are a number of scenic walks to do. I think we did one of the shorter walks: The Wizard Wander.
It was a sunny day and l'il G was ready with his Cookie Monster cap and cheeky chops.
It wasn't long before we were given some splendid views across the green fields of Cheshire. The children looked on, barely able to take in the inspirational majesty of this country's terrain (I expect).
Of course, no walk in the woods is complete without finding a ruddy great stick to hold, swing around and utilise.
We found a tunnel to explore, with Gregory in particular giving that look of someone who has recently been haunted. Daisy fixes a grin somewhat unconvincingly.
After our walk, we refuelled at the Wizard Tea Room. Gregory ordered some cheese on toast, which was chunky and rustic, necessitating it to be chopped up for him. Looks very appetising, though.
Later that day, still in the sunshine, Gregory practices his quarterback skills, throwing me a small New Zealand rugby ball.
And still on the same day, Gregory seems to be slightly surprised to be caught planting flowers in a hanging basket.
The start of the half-term school holidays was celebrated by taking a trip to John Lewis, which featured a gigantic G sat upon by a little G.
Skipping forward after a trip to Center Parcs in Longleat, we find our intrepid creative spirits painting outdoors.
On the Sunday morning at 8.30, we find ourselves outdoors, and I'm not entirely sure why. The vest and shorts combination suggests that they have maybe just thrown on some clothes.
Well, who is this cool dude not managing to quite use his scooter in the correct manner?
Ah, that's better. We headed to Manchester Road Park in the morning for the obligatory scoot around, and Gregory seems to have figured it out. He's still rocking the shades, too.
With Lynne out for lunch with Claire, I took the kids to Whitehill Fire Station, where they were hosting some kind of open day or fundraiser.
It was possible to venture aboard a fire engine, much to Gregory's delight. He is ready for action next to the hose retrieval unit.
I set them free on a bouncy castle slide and they did not disappoint. Gregory looks a bit apprehensive as he hurtles down, but it didn't ultimately concern him and he was soon back for more.
Nothing particularly of note here but just to say that everything is OK.
This was Father's Day and I felt sufficiently compelled to prepare them both a lunchbox which they could enjoy in the comforts of the small living room sofa.
For the evening meal, we headed to Pizza Hut for a Father's Day treat. I had probably not been to a Pizza Hut for something like 20 years, but I had nostalgic memories of deep pan pizzas and the salad buffet rekindled. Those were the days. I no longer have the ability to put away a large pizza, however.
We must have been at Parrs Wood, as we followed up the trip to Pizza Hut with some glowing ten-pin bowling action. There was some blurry enthusiasm from the juniors.
Always disappointing not to break the ton, but the children (Dais and, er, Greg)
And that will do for the time being.
I have realised that this is quite a long page now. That could be a combination of Gregory's photogenic nature, the nice weather and lots of fun activities! Or it could be my camera-happy nature allied with the difficulty I have in filtering out photos (I have only managed to get over 200 pictures down to about 100 for this whole page).
Anyway, we find ourselves at this stage of the page towards the end of June, round at Aunty Katie's for an afternoon in the sunshine. Katie had sorted out her back garden, setting up a BBQ and a table tennis table, and the natural conclusion to this was to have a party, inviting everyone round. First up, we have Gregory, barely tall enough to see over the table and still learning the ropes in terms of technique, up against Nana Sue, who possesses an unparalleled depth of experience sadly not matched by skill.
That's enough exertion for the time being, though. Time to chill on the bean bag and read a book.
And then it was time for food, so we all transferred to the outdoor dining table to eat, with Uncle Matt inevitably on cooking duties.
Hopefully once the food had time to substantially digest, Uncle Matt switched to carrying a barely-clinging-on Gregory round the garden at pace. Whilst barefoot.
That was probably too tiring (for Matt) to continue for too long, hence the move to table tennis. Properly played, it can of course be quite energetic, but I imagine that Uncle Matt didn't have to do too much in this instance.
Gregory consoled himself for his (probable) defeat by slapping his uncle across his chops.
The next day, we decided to make an occasion of England's World Cup game against Panama, featuring various vegetables, strawberries, onion rings, sandwiches, French bread, cheeses, meats, nibbles and sweets. We were all set to prepare the children for a lifetime of disappointment and underperformance when England promptly put five past Panama in the first half, something which we were at pains to point out was extremely unusual. With the lack of match tension that inevitably results from such a lead, the kids got a bit bored in the second half; seemingly so did England as the game finished at 6-1.
At the height of midsummer, the vegetable patch is inevitably overgrown. Daisy and Gregory get right into the thick of it, searching out ripe raspberries for immediate consumption.
For as long as I can meaningfully remember, PwC annually awarded its staff an extra day off at Christmas. In 2018, perhaps reflecting a successful year, we were also given a day off at the end of the financial year, i.e. the end of June. With Daisy at school and Lynne having a spa day at Hale Country Club (swiftly taking advantage of my spare time, it seems), it was left to me and the boy to head to Dunham Massey on another day of glorious weather. We hadn't got that far in before we stopped for a snack, despite Gregory travelling via scooter. Quavers were his snack of choice at this point in his life.
The young boy scooted towards the large house, looking resplendent against the backdrop of a faultless blue sky.
Exploring the grounds, we stopped by a large owl which has its intestines replaced by pictures of animals hanging on lines. I don't know either.
The gloriously-garnished gardens in the stunning sunshine provided many excellent photo opportunities. Hopefully I had jettisoned the scooter at the entrance to the gardens, but I may well have been carrying it around.
Caution: live bees at work.
Dare the brave adventurer navigate his way across the narrow bridge of doom? Well, yes. Just holding on to the railing, young man.
I mean, you just can't resist taking photos of this sort of stuff, can you? Gregory doesn't need to feature in all of the pictures on this page, does he?
Amyway, he's back, shuffling around in his own style with his massive Cookie Monster cap.
Well that all seemed pretty exhausting, no doubt involving lots of energy consumption. Thus, energy levels need to be replenished. Gregory chose a massive fruit salad and what looks to be a cheese sandwich. A fine choice.
For the final picture at Dunham Massey, we find Gregory atop a tree stump. Just 'cos.
With more lovely weather, we have the inevitable luncheon al fresco, shielding from the sun's rays in the much-used frog tent.
The next day, we had a visit from Mamaa and Grandad, who were staying over for a couple of days. Avis was soon grabbing hold of her favourite (only) grandson.
The temperature was sufficiently high to warrant paddling pool usage. There's nothing like a bit of rolled-up trouser action if you haven't dressed appropriately for a water feature.
On the Friday, Daisy has a school assembly where the class talked about their favourite author (I think). Young G was looking very mischievous.
The next day - the Saturday - we had an open day at work so that families of employees could check out our new offices (well, almost new - we had been there for over six months). They laid on a magic show for the kids. This was before it had properly started, but Daisy & Gregory had got prime positions.
After a fun show, they had the opportunity to doodle on the whiteboard. Daisy left some positive feedback whilst Gregory drew a person with a floppy hat.
We had thought about going to San Carlos for lunch but instead decided to get something from M&S and eat it in the nearby park (St John's Gardens), whilst dodging lots of pigeons. We later went to Charles & Sally's to watch the England vs Sweden game (which we surprisingly won fairly convincingly, not that Charles, a Welshman, was that happy with proceedings).
Later that day, it looks like Gregory has been helping me with the cooking of some chorizo, onion and tomato sauce, no doubt to accompany pasta. He has often been keen to help in the kitchen, and this was no exception.
We finish with Gregory looking tired in the kitchen on a Tuesday evening, perhaps reflecting how you feel after scrolling down this very long page.
And that's it for this page... For the next phase of Gregory's life, go here.
Or go back to the Secret Portal.