When I was a Global IT consultant I was never really in a position to enjoy the weekends. I was either
1) Exhausted from the week's intense work effort and travelling.
2) Needing to spend a good portion of the weekend preparing for the next week's work, as well as having to travel out on the Sunday to wherever I would be working.
3) Both of the above.
Now, since my ex wife divorced me due to various faults in my character, the arrangement is that I have my two girls, 7 and 12 every second week from Saturday morning till Sunday evening. Looking back I now realise that this was not quality time at all. My working situation meant I had to sit the girls in front of a TV or computer while I carried out my work duties, or I was simply too exhausted and tightly wound to appreciate the joys of fatherhood.
Now things are greatly different and since I am now a real nomad, I like to make every weekend stay with the kids a nice little nomadic adventure. I like to ensure that the time spent with the children is good time indeed.
Thus on the Friday morning I drive to Brighton to pick the girls up and then drive all the way to a place called Milton Ernest near Bedford. This is a journey of around 130 miles and it was to spend a few days with my sister, her boyfriend and her seven year old son.
The journey was not too bad, and as usual the M25 was stop and start much of the way.
I was very impressed by the beauty of this place, and so we took a walk along a nice river.
This was followed by a frolic in a very nice park nearby and then we had a great BBQ cooked by my sister's boyfriend. This was the first time I had met my sisters new boyfriend and he is a bit of an eccentric and a fine fellow indeed.
My sister also is a bit of an eccentric - and so she decided she should show me her telescope and how the rings of Saturn can be seen through it. Luckily it was a cloudless night so many hours were spent looking into the universe at the glittering stars. I do enjoy this sort of thing and it always leaves me in a philosophical frame of mind. And so we watched Monty Python's Life of Brian afterwards.
On the Saturday we drive to a place called Ringstead. We take the bicycles with us and cycle a very enjoyable route in the countryside. I was particularly interested in the many canal boats.
It would be a dream of mine, to live in one of these fine boats. I am sure they are quite expensive both to buy and to pay for a mooring spot but it would be a grand life to be sure.
We encountered a very nice play park and the sun was out and there were many people out enjoying this good weather. As I sat down with my sister and watched the many families rejoicing in this great life, I felt a sense of connectivity which was rather an alien experience to me. For too many years I have been the loner touring here there and everywhere. Always on the move and always alone, even when with my family - always on the outside looking in. So this felt good, to feel part of a social space for once.
In the afternoon we go to a massive camping store called Go Outdoors. I just love these sort of stores, and the kids were able to do some indoor rock climbing while us adults had a look at the wares on display. The evening was spent at an American themed diner and the food was very filling and very tasty.
On the Sunday morning we take the kids to a swimming complex in Bedford.
http://www.oasispool.bedford.gov.uk/
This was the first time I had been to a pool with a wave that was created every ten or fifteen minutes. Great fun, and there was also a very fast water slide. I felt like a kid again myself, as I swished around this tubed slide. In the afternoon the kids were treated to the usual chocolate egg hunt and then it was back into the old van and a longish drive to a hotel in Horsham. Unusually the M25 was free of traffic in the afternoon. Very unusual indeed so I asked my daughter to take a photo with the phone camera.
The hotel was very nice and situated right next to a great park
So we have an enjoyable few hours playing on the swings and taking in the sounds and sights of a delightful English park.
The next morning I took the kids for another play in the park and we had a game of 10 pin bowling before heading back to Brighton to drop the children off with their mother. And so this too, is something I am thankful about - to be able to enjoy a little nomadic adventure with my kids and family. To be, the father as I want to be to my kids - I feel very fine about this.
1) Exhausted from the week's intense work effort and travelling.
2) Needing to spend a good portion of the weekend preparing for the next week's work, as well as having to travel out on the Sunday to wherever I would be working.
3) Both of the above.
Now, since my ex wife divorced me due to various faults in my character, the arrangement is that I have my two girls, 7 and 12 every second week from Saturday morning till Sunday evening. Looking back I now realise that this was not quality time at all. My working situation meant I had to sit the girls in front of a TV or computer while I carried out my work duties, or I was simply too exhausted and tightly wound to appreciate the joys of fatherhood.
Now things are greatly different and since I am now a real nomad, I like to make every weekend stay with the kids a nice little nomadic adventure. I like to ensure that the time spent with the children is good time indeed.
Thus on the Friday morning I drive to Brighton to pick the girls up and then drive all the way to a place called Milton Ernest near Bedford. This is a journey of around 130 miles and it was to spend a few days with my sister, her boyfriend and her seven year old son.
The journey was not too bad, and as usual the M25 was stop and start much of the way.
I was very impressed by the beauty of this place, and so we took a walk along a nice river.
This was followed by a frolic in a very nice park nearby and then we had a great BBQ cooked by my sister's boyfriend. This was the first time I had met my sisters new boyfriend and he is a bit of an eccentric and a fine fellow indeed.
My sister also is a bit of an eccentric - and so she decided she should show me her telescope and how the rings of Saturn can be seen through it. Luckily it was a cloudless night so many hours were spent looking into the universe at the glittering stars. I do enjoy this sort of thing and it always leaves me in a philosophical frame of mind. And so we watched Monty Python's Life of Brian afterwards.
On the Saturday we drive to a place called Ringstead. We take the bicycles with us and cycle a very enjoyable route in the countryside. I was particularly interested in the many canal boats.
It would be a dream of mine, to live in one of these fine boats. I am sure they are quite expensive both to buy and to pay for a mooring spot but it would be a grand life to be sure.
We encountered a very nice play park and the sun was out and there were many people out enjoying this good weather. As I sat down with my sister and watched the many families rejoicing in this great life, I felt a sense of connectivity which was rather an alien experience to me. For too many years I have been the loner touring here there and everywhere. Always on the move and always alone, even when with my family - always on the outside looking in. So this felt good, to feel part of a social space for once.
In the afternoon we go to a massive camping store called Go Outdoors. I just love these sort of stores, and the kids were able to do some indoor rock climbing while us adults had a look at the wares on display. The evening was spent at an American themed diner and the food was very filling and very tasty.
On the Sunday morning we take the kids to a swimming complex in Bedford.
http://www.oasispool.bedford.gov.uk/
This was the first time I had been to a pool with a wave that was created every ten or fifteen minutes. Great fun, and there was also a very fast water slide. I felt like a kid again myself, as I swished around this tubed slide. In the afternoon the kids were treated to the usual chocolate egg hunt and then it was back into the old van and a longish drive to a hotel in Horsham. Unusually the M25 was free of traffic in the afternoon. Very unusual indeed so I asked my daughter to take a photo with the phone camera.
The hotel was very nice and situated right next to a great park
So we have an enjoyable few hours playing on the swings and taking in the sounds and sights of a delightful English park.
The next morning I took the kids for another play in the park and we had a game of 10 pin bowling before heading back to Brighton to drop the children off with their mother. And so this too, is something I am thankful about - to be able to enjoy a little nomadic adventure with my kids and family. To be, the father as I want to be to my kids - I feel very fine about this.
By all accounts you had a very pleasant family weekend, just the thing for quality family time. After reading about your sister's telescope, you may be interested in reading about our visit to the Carter Observatory yesterday, half way around the world way down here in New Zealand. Robin and Jenny at
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That Carter Observatory experience must have been great. New Zealand is definitely one of those places on my future nomadic adventures list.
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