I am again going to go for highlights. Workwise I have been busy struggling with my computer which is struggling with the size of data set I am expecting it to analyse. But that is hardly news. Somebody has asked for stats and I don't think she is aware of how much there actually is in what she has asked for.
On Wednesday Cathy brought Sam and Hannah over. There is now a set pattern for what we are to do. So I went down to the station, I was early so got a soya latte while I waited for the train. I was slightly confused as it was only running as far as Doncaster and normally it goes to Cleethorpes but after Doncaster you were on the bus. Met them at the station, then walked via the tram route around to Ponds Forge and went swimming. Sam was probably the strongest swimmer in the pool and it was very frustrating for him as he could not swim for more than two strokes. Hannah was much to her frustration still too small to go in on the slides and decided that she did not like the waves the first time, and when Mum was not playing ball she said that she wanted the toilet. Sam and I went on the slides a couple of times and we swam around the edge with floats a couple of times as well with Hannah in the float. Actually one time we went around with just a float for Hannah and my hand in contact with her so she knew if she got into difficulties I would be there.
Then it was onto a Chinese Buffet for lunch. The kids thoroughly enjoy being at a buffet and being able to choose what they want to eat. Hannah discovered chicken and sweetcorn soup and ate one and a half small bowls of it. Prawn crackers were still fun. Also Cathy, Sam and Hannah had ice cream and Cathy came back to inform me it was non-dairy but I was so full by that stage I could not have eaten it if I wanted to. We then got the tram up to the University Stop and Hannah decided she wanted to see where I worked. Well as we were right next door, I took them up. Cathy was surprised at the untidiness of my desk. I don't know why, my desks have always been untidy.
Then off to the play park by my flats. They played quite happily for about half an hour, but then Sam and Hannah started to irritate each other the way only brothers and sisters can. We probably kept them playing for another quarter of an hour. Towards the end Cathy suggested they bounced on a trampoline and the one up the hill, so they both charged off. Unsurprisingly Sam got there first, and Hannah dutifully burst into tears at what she saw as unfair so I went to bounce with her at the set that was lower down. Unfortunately I got too cocky and tried bouncing from one to the other, the second time I did it, I did not watch my landing and landed solely on my left leg which decided this was totally unfair and gave under me sending me crashing down. This time hurting my knee. Actually I had already hurt the other knee just bruised from the see-saw which is a multi-person one and to balance things out Cathy sits with Sam while I sit with Hannah. Hannah asked why this was, and I explained I was heavier than Cath and she was lighter than Sam so it sort of evened things out.
Then we went to my flat and this time I remembered where I kept the box of games. Cathy and Hannah played pick up sticks while Sam and I had goes at trying to make up foam pieces into boxes. I eventually got a couple of them out but they are still tricky. Then it was back on to the tram to go to the station, where I handed them their journey bags and a pound each for sweets. Hannah chose a big box of tic tacs and Sam went looking for the best deal he could find and in the end decided that a bag of marshmallows from Mark and Spencers for 99p was it. Cathy meanwhile bought a ham sandwich, a loaf of bread and they had crisps and such for the journey back.
Saturday my parents came over and we went to Potteric Carr Nature Reserve just on the edge of Doncaster. It is a large reserve, if you look on the maps on the website we walked around the green path, which must be about a mile and a half long. There are a number of hides on route. Most of the birds around seemed to be coots or moorhens but I am pretty sure we saw a little grebe and chick as well although there is an outside possibility that it was actually a black necked Grebe. There must have been about fifty to sixty people at the nature reserve but there was lots of space and most of the time it was just us. The restaurant sells fresh food but once out of it, you are back to cafe fare, so we ended up with bacon and egg butties which was dad's suggestion (I know Cathy!). When they came the bacon rashes were more the size of bacon chops and the rolls were large. Mum and Dad started using an knofe and fork, I looked at it for about thirty seconds and decided these had to be eaten as a sandwhich which worked, both Mum and Dad joining me in that approach. After lunch we went to the nearest hide where there was a feeding station. While we were watching a Jay, a colourful member of the crow familly came down, and also a Great Spotted Woodpecker. We then carried on walking around. There may have been some interesting ducks on Decoy Marsh but my binoculars were not good enough to get identification detail from them, ducks yes and appeared to have a lot of white for a mallard, but other than that I could not say.
So to today, and nothing much happening basically as I needed down time after the last seven days and was realising I was getting migrainy sleepy last night. So I cancelled the car and have stayed in today.
This coming week should be quieter. I need to spend some time on greek just to get myself thinking back in that way. Then next weekend I actually have nothing planned and no essay to write so I am looking forward to having a study weekend. I may go to Rotherham on Friday or Saturday to do a recce, well to find the local history library and Tourist information so as to get background to Herringthorpe.
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