A Boy, His Dad And The Viking Long Boat

School projects are great but can be hard work. Recently Tom has been inundated with homework. He has had reading, spelling, memorize a poem to recite to the class and his Viking topic work all to do over a short period. Sometimes it does feel like too much for a child of eight. However, Tom has been a trouper and with the help of his parents he has managed to complete it all with excellent results.

The recent Viking topic has been fun and we have the opportunity to do something creative that is a bit different. Tom was given a choice of subjects to choose from and had to complete several over a period of a few weeks. They varied in how difficult they were but luckily for us Tom is up for a challenge therefore does not always take the easy option.

On this occasion he chose to make a Viking long boat model. We all picked our brains on how we could make a model that stood out from the crowd. Eureka!!! I gave Tom an idea that we could engrave a piece of perspex, mount it on wood and illuminate it. He loved the idea. Between Tom and myself we created a totally different take on a model long boat. I did most the prep work, ie. drilling, cutting and set up the picture for tracing. Tom expertly traced his picture of a Viking boat with a Dremel etching tool onto a thick piece of pvc. He then painted the wooden mount and assembled the pieces together, with a little help from me. The final product was great. It gave us some great bonding time.

Well done Tom keep up the hard work and thanks for making this a fun project!!!

A Boy And His Idol - DanTDM

We all have heroes, people we look up to and idols. This is a fact. As we get older we may not react as excited or our idols may change over time. This past twelve months Tom has been lucky enough to meet/see some of his.

Late last year we went to a Sci-Fi convention and had the luck to meet Doctor Who 5, Peter Davidson, who also is the real life father in law David Tennant, Doctor Who 9. Tom was impressed but not as much as me. In actual fact I think I freaked Mr Davidson out a bit. Will have to develop my composure.

We then met Stephen Calcutt who is an actor and has been in quite a lot . He was stand in as Darth Vader on many of the long shots. Tom and I were in awe of him. He was polite and gave Tom some great advice. At the end Tom shook his hand and walked away whispering,"I shook Darth Vader's hand." He loved it.

Tom looked up to these two fellas and to tell the truth I was probably more in awe of them than Tom. There are a few people Tom has grown to idolise, people Tom would like to be like in his mind.  In the past it was through a specific talent, singing, dancing, acting or being a comedian for example. As a fan we would have got our fix through TV, films, shows or magazines. Unlike when I was a kid, now there are extra avenues for people to get into your life. Since the advent of the internet you can now become famous for being you or doing things you like in addition to the old routes.

Tom has been a big fan of Minecraft and video games for sometime now and he has also been a fan of the people that play them for a living on Youtube. There are many Youtube vloggers that specialise in all manner of things. The list is endless. Two of the biggest vloggers in Tom's favoured category are Stampylonghead and DanTDM (The Diamond Minecart). These two fellas play these games but also vlog about their lives. Tom sits there engrossed now as if he was watching a major movie. This past weekend Rachel and myself took him to see the DanTDM show on tour in Ipswich.

I cannot say much about it as he has asked us not to, in order to keep it a surprise for future audiences. What I can say is that he interacted with the audience and had the audience interact with him on stage throughout, almost like panto with technology added and it worked well. Rachel and I actually really enjoyed the show. As did all the kids. My ears were literally hurting by the end of it, it was that noisy, but great fun. To top the show Dan came to the stage door and gave high 5s to all the kids there. He then took a photo for his Facebook page. I can honestly say he seems like a great young fella.

As you can imagine Tom was thrilled throughout and felt ecstatic by the end of it. Glad you had a great time Tom,you deserve it!!!

School's Out For Summer!!!

It is the day of the year most school kids count down to, apart from Christmas and birthdays. The end of the summer term and the start of the summer holidays.. Tom is like all school kids and has been counting down for several weeks. As the day got closer the conversation regarding it became more frequent and the excitement increased. I love how excited and enthusiastic he gets. It is times like these that take me back to my childhood. Great memories. Hope Tom enjoys and remembers these times fondly when he is my age.

For Tom the last day was yesterday and the school hols officially start today. For some kids at Tom's school it was their final year, before moving up to secondary school, and he had the honour to sign some shirts. As Rachel and Tom left the school grounds they stepped over the line that separates the school playground from the outside path in unison and thus it was official. Woo!!! Hoo!!!

Starting today Rachel has taken him to see a film he has been longing to see for a while, The Secret Life Of Pets. He is going to have a fun packed time off. Visiting Nanny O, Nanny Pam and Grandad. Also getting to see his cousins and aunts and uncles a lot more. In addition Rachel and I will be doing fun things, seaside holiday and days out with him.

Let's hope we have good weather. On the off chance that we do I have invested in a jumbo paddling pool for some beach fun but at home.

Happy days!!!

Enjoy Tom, like the song goes, Schools out for summer!!!!

A boy, his dad and Father's Day

The time has come for Tom to celebrate his Father. Like most children Tom looks up to me as a dad, a roll model, a hero and a friend. When I perform each of these tasks I find it a pleasure. Consequently when I find out that he knew what gift he wanted to buy me for Father's day, I felt moved and honoured. Rachel and I really have brought up such a kind and thoughtful young man.

These type of operations take weeks to plan from Tom and Rachel's perspective. They go shopping, he knows what gift he wants to buy and can then barely contain himself when the big day arrives. The card is written in only his style and the presents, with the help of Rachel, are wrapped in style. It would not matter what the present was I would love it, but on this occasion I was well happy.

Rachel made a cracking tea, her speciality cottage pie and we all had a chilled out day.

Remember, dads out there that the mums of your children work as hard to make it a special day as the children, so show thanks to them too.

Thank you Tom and Rachel for making it a great day. xx

(Addition to this post)  Today I had the pleasure of joining my son for the school Father's day lunch. It is always great to go into the school and to see the routine Tom and his friends have. Today made it extra special because dads that were available were invited to attend the lunch. Your choice is pre-booked so they can estimate the amount of food necessary. I had a roast chicken lunch with yorkshire pudding and vegetables, followed by chocolate brownie. It was tip top and all the better for having it with Tom and two of his best friends at school.

A Boy And His Dad Creating - The Beginning

Tom and I love making up stories. Our subject matters are quite diverse but border on what boys like. We have had stories of horror, science fiction, heroes, fairy tales, fantasy and adventure. We normally start with a subject matter or character name and it's characteristics. We may even play with subject matter that has already been created, for example Frankenstein meets vampires or Little Red Riding Hood or the Three Little Pigs.

The stories nearly always take place at bath time. Our stories tend to touch on legends and I try to inject the enthusiasm legends or old tales into our stories. I will say to Tom what shall we have a story about. He will then give me the subject and I will start. After I start we then bounce ideas off each other throughout the story but with me leading. Although some of the stories may be influenced by other sources they inevitably end up our own creations and twists.

This week we have had my work mate, Shiraz, as a link to King Arthur's legacy and his relationship with Ash from the Army Of Darkness. We have also had a tale about the Invisible Man starting off as a burglar and then becoming a crime fighter.

I love these times we have together. I have audio recorded some and plan to put some into this blog. These will come soon, although I am not sure what media format.

Tom's St. George's Day Parade With Cubs

Last Sunday saw the Peterborough full scouting movement celebrate St. George's Day with a parade and service.

For the past two months Tom has been a cub and prior to that he was a Beaver. He is gradually creeping up the through the ranks of the scouting movement and he is thoroughly enjoying it. Sunday saw the Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, , Explorers, Sea Cadets, Rainbows, Brownies and Girl Guides culminate in the square behind St. John's church in the city centre.

Tom was initially a bit nervous, but over came this and with the scouts of differing ages marched from the square into Peterborough Cathedral for a St. George's day service. The cathedral was packed full with 600+ scouts. Parents and friends were encouraged to join in the service but had to sit or stand to the side of the cathedral. Being proud parents, Rachel and myself followed the parade and joined the service.

The service was attended by local leading dignitaries of the scouting movement and Peterborough Mayor. The service was upbeat and finished with our national anthem, God Save The Queen. At the end of the service all of  the scouts and there leaders were thanked in a speech in the grounds of the cathedral.

This type of event will stick with Tom. He is growing up quickly. Rachel and myself were very proud of Tom and also very proud to be included in such an event.

Well done Tom, keep up the good work!!!

Easter School Holidays 2016

As you can imagine Tom is like all children, school holidays arrived and it is party time. This year Easter was early and therefore the Easter break was early. School holidays do not come early enough for children though. They count down the weeks and then as it gets closer the days. Tom was no different. Tom knew that the holidays meant he would get time to spend with his cousins, grandparents, late nights and constant chilling or playing as he felt fit. As an added bonus it also meant the Easter bunny delivered a fair bit of chocolate.

When it comes to child care in the school holidays Rachel and I take some time off where we can  but Tom is lucky enough to have fantastic grandparents to help and thus giving him the opportunity to spend time with them. They are Nanny O, Nanny Pam and Grandad. By visiting the GPs Tom got to see his cousins Leah, Ronnie and Sophie.

The school holidays are drawing to a close and like all school children Tom will be interested in seeing his school mates, but also a bit deflated the break has not been longer.