And he came too

We have been so active ver the past few months that I even contemplated finishing this but it’s a record of our growth, my son in age and character, and me in age and parenthood, it’s also a spiritual route as well and that is important. So, apologies for not reporting or journaling for a while, over the coming days we will get back to normal, and Christmas is just around the corner.

At the airport

One of the treasures of being immersed in travel and all that goes with it is going by train to watch the planes land and take off, and dreaming. Seeing my son in awe of these majestic ships of the sky on route to faraway places, and his twinkling eyes watching their every movement is a joy to behold. He already loves engines and motors, and wants to know how things work, however, that’s the beauty ‘of getting there’, but what about the destination.

When I talk to people I am always surprised and sometimes saddened that people think you have to travel thousands of miles or kilometres to reach the destination, they don’t realise that all destinations are at our doorstep. Life is always about finding yourself and your passions.

My son and I enjoy ‘getting there’, as we enjoy all modes of transport. What we find or do when we are there will change with time. He is potty trained and now, even though he wears a nappy when we travel, he will demand we go home so he can go to the restroom, so we have to limit ourselves to a couple of hours out or he will complain, and rightfully so.

My son will be starting a new nursery from September. He has enjoy the present one which he has been at for the past two years, but as the new nursery is attached to a primary school it seemed the best option to take. It s a Catholic school literally 400 metes from our home and 400 metres from my wife’s place of work. It’s ideal.

One of the most common phrases people say about raising a kid is ‘don’t they grow up so fast’ and they do. So much is noticeable, their language, their clothing, their ability, and inability to communicate, they all move on. It’s so often said that life is like a book with chapters, scenes, happenings and endings, and as I am a firm believer in living life how you want it to be, Shakespeare’s ‘all of life is a stage’, I like to think it is a novel, but sometimes we have to be involved in other people’s novels, too.

My son’s novel is about rescuing, fighting crime, fires, monsters and mum and dad, at present he likes fighting the teacher at the nursery and I think he is winning.

This weekend I hope, we will be going to watch the planes come into the airport and visit a small farm. Weather, time and location do not allow us to go out as much as we desire, but maybe that’s an excuse. As I said, we should help to write other people’s novels and we should make the effort.

This is a relatively newish word in the sense of ‘getting to know each other’ or ‘getting on’ and it really is about communicating. My father, God bless his soul, and I had a respect and manly love for each other but it was built in the 60s and 70s before bromance and awareness of mental health issues were known. My dad had dyslexia but no one knew it existed those days, so open ridicule, and bullying and poking fun at misuse of words or sentences was a norm in those days and brings a tear to my eyes at how my dad must have suffered.

I think nowadays we are more conscious of people’s feelings and that is a good thing. I want to be close to my son and although I love to work, I now work for the family as previously one worked for the company and the company’s prosperity.

So, bonding is the order of the day, and taking trips is my way of getting to bond. i have been in education all my working life but my son doesn’t see me as a teacher. Obviously for me that is an issue, but I should be pleased that he doesn’t see me in that light. In time we will study together but let it evolve, don’t go chasing it. Be who he wants you to be. Don’t be what you want as it can destroy a relationship.

Birmingham Children’s Hospital

Since our son has been born he regularly attend the hospital, with their amazing staff and the place full of love and hope. I have learnt so much about life from going there and meeting people. From the bottom of our hearts THANK YOU for all you do.

Everything and more!

As we left the mainline station at Kidderminster and crossed the road to enter the SVR station it’s like stepping back in time. The place was awash with people of all ages and backgrounds and as we queued to get our tickets the excitement of all present was fever pitched.

The smell whiffing from the engines, as they completed one tour, was rustic and reminiscent of bygone day, and the heat of the water pipe of the old girl felt like being in a country of a sultry climate.

I won’t lie, at that moment we were all kids and that was evident by the selfish bliss we all wanted to experience. You do not often encounter these tender emotions much in life but when you do, they stay with you a lifetime.

My son and I boarded the train and made our way to our seat which happen to be at the front of the train, our excitement mirrored each others and as the engines boomed into action and we slowly moved out of the station, the hoot of the whistle and the cries of ‘all aboard’ rang out like being on a movie set. We were off on the adventure of a lifetime, and the next five hours of adoration and fluctuations of emotions that the world cares to throw at us floated from our bones. This was ecstasy.

This was our first bucket list moment and this is what life is about. We work to enable us to experience these moments. The journey was local and familiar as we have travelled this route countlessly although we have never done it on a dame so grand and regal as the Flying Scotsman.

10/10 for the day and 11/10 for my son’s appreciation for entertaining an old timer. We were made for each other and we will definitely have a life full of surprises and wonders.

So we are literally two days away from the auspicious occasion of boarding the Flying Scotsman. The waiting for tickets to become available. The choosing the day of excursion and then the long wait for the day to materialise. Many problems and solutions, occasions and incidents have taken part between the day of purchase and the day of travel, but we are nearly there.

And what do we anticipate? The weather is immaterial come rain or shine we will still enjoy the day. The SVR are putting on their 40s bash as well so there will be a lot to take in. We have our new bag to pack and ready with snacks and treats. We won’t dress for the occasion as clothing is the last thing on our minds.

We get up and have our breakfasts, get clothed and off we go from New Street or Mor Street station. The ride is around 43 minutes and the Kidderminster station is literally next door to the SVR. Last year we experience a torrential downpour which had my son completely perplexed as he had never got so wet i his short life and his face was something to behold.

We don’t need much in the way of food, a few bananas, sausage rolls, crisps, juice, chocolate bread and cookies and we are good for the day.

He is used to seeing steam trains and will not appreciate the occasion as much as his dad, but through photos and journal we will remember the day and make it a treasured memory

This Sunday will be a bucket list moment for me as my son and I will take the Flying Scotsman in Kidderminster. The train is legendary and iconic and will hold a memory for the rest of our lives.

Nana lives nearby but our trips to Warwick castle are always enjoyable. This time we had the whole garden to ourselves and got chased by some hungry peacocks, never seen him run so fast., and jumped into my arms, God knows why, a fat load of help I am in such a situation.

It’s not such a straightforward question, because he is a life in himself, he has his wants, his needs, his dreams and I suppose my duty is to guide him? My answer has changed over the years when I was a non-father, over the weeks since his birth, and daily as the world constantly changes around us. For me ‘life is simple’ don’t complicate it, don’t direct him to be something you do not want to be yourself. Just love him, friend him, play with him, the conclusion I am drawn towards is; don’t try to get him to be what you expect, just be the person, or dad, who you want to be.