Sunday 10 March 2013

A day of treasures

Mother's Day started with a lie in as I heard the sound of a million stampeding wildebeest rampaging round the house preparing things. Or actually one very lovely 10 year old boy.

I can downstairs to find he'd created a treasure hunt for me:

This clue took me to the attic:


This clue to the kitchen:



Then to the sideboard



And finally to the dining table where I found






And two very special treasures:

I sobbed my heart out at:


And:



Then we went into town to do some shopping for the three day school outward bound residential he is going on tomorrow. As it's a special day we treated ourselves with our first ever trip to Harvey Nichols and Yo Sushi for lunch:











My son declared it the best restaurant he's been to this year.

Afterwards we went up on the Leeds Observation wheel which shows just how brave about heights that I've become













Then finally we came home for afternoon tea: made by him at Cubs on Friday. Delicious.




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Saturday 9 March 2013

If you want to be a record breaker

Today I took my son to the Guinness World of Records Live show in Bradford. The show is a mixture of actual record attempts, record recreations and video clips. It's pretty entertaining, particularly if you are 10.

First we stopped off at the legendary Bradford restaurant Mumtaz which is always delicious and so different from dreadful indifferent orange gloop that so many Indian restaurants serve for a drunk British clientele. I really admire Mumtaz for staying dry. Also, for the food which is fabulous.





Afterwards we headed to St George's Hall for the show. There were some great surreal moments such as a race to duct tape someone to a wall and make them hang there for a minute or a record attempt to do the most turns in an office chair in a minute (the record is 40, the kids did 17).

Then there was a moment when a pair of tandem bikes came out of the wings, the compere asked for teams of one parent and one child and we got picked, much to my son's excitement.

The challenge was to cycle hard enough on the tandem in order to generate sufficient electricity to explode three balloons wired up to the tandems. It was a race between my son & I and a healthy looking chap & his son. I was doomed from the moment I noticed his trainers versus my woolly suede boots.

Sure enough, the official adjudicator counted down and we started pedalling. The other team's first balloon exploded almost immediately and it was a while before ours did. I thought we might be the team that never burst one but it did go, then the second. My heart was thudding and I felt sick (having eaten curry beforehand) and it was a relief when the final red balloon went and the other team got the accolade. I arranged my face into my best Oscar nominee expression as the winner was announced. And it was us. My son and I had won. He was overjoyed and I was thoroughly shocked.

Of course we didn't get the World Record; that stands at 22 seconds and we took 56, but the best outcome I could ask for would be a boy that looked this happy to win.







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