An open letter to Pam Isbell

To Pam Isbell \ Mamma \ Grandma \ Mom in law

We as adults choose how to live our lives and we do our best to make ourselves happy in whatever we choose to do with that life. I have always felt slightly guilty for being the reason that you and your daughter live so far apart.
I made you a promise when you first heard that Jamie had decided to move to England that I would take care of your baby and make sure she is happy and up to now I think I have achieved that and will carry on carrying out my promise, forever.
We were so looking forward to your visit to England and to share our home before you arrived but I for one could never have imagined just how fantastic and fulfilling it would be for us all.
Your visit gave Jamie something she really wanted to have but she would never have actually asked for, but on a number of occasions without prompting she heard you give your blessing to her choice of life and where she chose to live it. Thank you for that, it made me happy too!
I would like to make another promise to you that even when we are all apart I will make sure that we involve you in the raising of your granddaughter using all the communication channels and technology we have at our disposal and travel to see you whenever possible.
Your favourite son in law
Al
P.S. Unfortunately I can’t promise we will win the lottery (by gum we’ll keep trying, though!) but “when” …..alright “if” we win the distance won’t seem so far!
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With my little stick of Blackpool rock

Today was to be the pinnacle of Pam’s whole trip to “the Vegas” of England. Yes that’s right Colorado has Black Hawk but that will just pale into insignificance when they see…


“Blackpool”

So I set the Tom Tom to take us to Blackpool Tower via the Pleasure Beach and along the promenade, (I have to say its one of the best gadgets we own) so the expectation was electric as we drove nearer because I know Pam loves to go to the mountain to gamble and my ‘Vegasesque’ description of what to expect had conjured up images of her perfect utopia to fulfil her need to win lots of english funny money, to take back to the homeland!
Anyway when we got there she soon realised her adorable son in-law is actually completely full of $h!T both Jamie and Pam described it as a run down Coney Island lol but here were and they loved it for what it was. We parked at the Tower and walked around the corner and into Corel Island to play the Penny Slots, top prize ‘nowhere near a fortune’ the look of disappointment was very well concealed Pam lol! We did have fun though with a pot of two pence pieces each and the slots that slide back and forth and you try to knock of the piles of money hanging over the edge…we all failed but it was fun trying!
We then walked along sea front to central pier with me giving them a rendition of
Oh! I do like to be beside the seaside
I do like to be beside the sea!
I do like to stroll upon the Prom, Prom, Prom!
Where the brass bands play:
“Tiddely-om-pom-pom!”
So just let me be beside the seaside
I’ll be beside myself with glee
And there’s lots of girls beside,
I should like to be beside
Beside the seaside!
Beside the sea!
whilst taking in all the stalls selling tat! I had to get Pam to buy ‘a little stick of Blackpool Rock’ and when we got home showed her George Formby singing the song on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KQ6Wmbi5ig so now there’s some Blackpool Rock in Denver now!

On Central Pier we saw all the stalls had furry animals to win but thought £3 a go was a little expensive but a little negotiation from the girls and the pressure was on for me to throw 4 darts
but alas I threw ones and he decided Reagan would most like…a tennis ball? Douche!

Some classic photos at the end of the pier and then we decided Fish, Chips & mushy Peas so we carried on down the promenade breathing in the bracing sea air and stopped at a chippy where we had the chance to reminisce a little on what Pam had experienced and to say how much we’d enjoyed her visit! We took our time and walked back to the car to drive home where we had invited a few people to spend Pam’s last night with us!
Unfortunately we didn’t take any photo’s in the evening but we had such a good time with the wine flowing and a pizza or three bought in we had John call round but he had to leave then my mum Karl and Karen came round and we got some old photos out and chatted and generally just had a nice time to conclude a great two weeks.
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It’s all so tiring!

Stretching out on the patio!
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…sample a slower life!

It was raining but the day was planned out completely the opposite from yesterday in London where we were on a schedule and only had a certain amount of time and thousands of people working against us pushing and shoving us today was a ‘we do it at our pace when we want to do it’ kind of day so we loaded up and set off for Peckforten Castle when we arrived we got out the pram and rain cover and umbrella’s and Gortex jackets and set off to explore the castle only to find that it had been turned into a hotel and there were no attractions so we asked at reception if we could look around and found the most beautiful rooms and imagined what they would be if we lived there (my games room with pool table snooker table casino tables and bar would spectacular)

I had stopped raining when we got to Beeston Castle but we decided not to pay to go in, instead continuing on to our next destination which was Crewe Hall where Jamie and I spent the evening after getting married. On the way there we stopped off at Snugbury Ice Cream factory (www.snugburys.co.uk) where we chose from huge range of flavours trying a couple first then buying a cornet each Jamie had Cappuccino Coffee flavour, I had mint choc chip and Pam went for Amaretto I think (she might tell me I’m wrong here?) but we sat in the sun and enjoyed our chosen ice creams.

We then went to Crewe Hall where Pam was absolutely smitten with the whole place and said she could see why we had chosen this as our venue to celebrate our wedding! It was built in 1636 and truly is a beautiful building we spent ages walking around inside and showing her where we did this and where we did that but most of all just showing her the grandeur of the place. We then showed her the complete contrast of the new brasserie building and spa centre which I think just shouldn’t be attached to a grade 1 listed building but it is so they must have got permission? After there we walked around to the rear of the Hall to see the gardens and we took lots and lots of great photo which I know some will be framed here and in America.

After Crewe Hall we went to Sandbach and saw the cobbled streets, which Pam has in her garden but has plans to redo (maybe) now she has seen them here? The Saxon Crosses in the main square were finished in 9th century ad (although destroyed by iconoclasts but restored in 1816 We went to our favourite little shop Godfrey C Williams and Sons delicatessen that sells all manor of fancy fodder lol then we went for a drink outside the Black Bear Pub built 1634 Pam is getting a taste for the blue wicked’s she was clanging ’em back like they were going out of fashion! We had to drag her away or she would have stayed there all night! lol (I jest of coarse)
We finished off the day by making some tea and while it cooked we got Pam to plant a creeping plant so that when we look at it we can think of this trip and the fun we had we all went to bed tired again but happy…

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London

Where do I start on today? We were all early risers as planned knowing were being picked up to go to the station at 07:30 I knew as soon as I woke my stress levels were slightly high because we had to catch the 08:33 London-Midland to Euston and I know how much can go wrong! So I got ready and left the girls to get ready themselves while I made us all coffee bacon and eggs. I should point out that Jamie does so well at getting herself ready and then getting Reagan ready too I am not sure I could organise myself and Reagan even half as well.
I shouldn’t of worried because we were in the car and on our way to Crewe station in plenty of time but I was still stressed because we were not on the train yet! Once at the station we found our train and got on at a Disabled area which has loads of room to stow the pram, and set up camp a little way down from there at a table with four seats we all breathed a sigh of relief and settled in Jamie then pointed out that we should have brought our Yahtzee! game DOH! What a fantastic idea, just an hour too late 🙁 Then she said …and we forgot snacks DOH! and at this point I’m sure Reagan open one eye glanced at Jamie’s boobs smiled and and thought “I didn’t!” closed her eye again and went back to sleep.
A three hour train journey can be long but the excitement of seeing London made the journey go faster for most, I just caught up on Sundays and Mondays newspapers and all the hype about the world cup which begins on Friday and the game against the USA on Saturday “Come on England!”
We got a text from Patty as we were passing Watford Junction but I was more interested in the guy I had just spotted sitting across the carriage from us. It was non other than Edward Tenpole of Tenpole Tudor fame and could resist engaging him in a chat as we arrived into Euston station. Patty had said in her text to make our way on the tube to Westminster station and use Exit 4 Not only is it where they were waiting for us but also right under the clock tower containing Big Ben (but for now we will just go with Big Ben for this blog!)
THE TUBE and BABIES IN PRAMS let me tell you if my stress levels were high before FMD they were through the roof when we tackled this challenge. First we get off the train and make our way off the platform and realise straight away that elevators are no as popular as stairs in fact there are so many stairs in the tube I may never tackle it again with a pram. The only way you can possibly cope with them is to carry it between two of you. Escalators are easier but still quite technical and then coupled with the idiots that have to run up and down them and are annoyed when they can’t get past you
We eventually made it to exit 4 Westminster Station and saw Patty and Ian, our friends who had also made their way to London to spend the day with us, it was fantastic to see our friends again but alas with Big Ben standing right behind them Pam was off taking pictures as soon as she’d met them It was their first time meeting Reagan so we caused quite an obstruction on a very busy pavement for a while until we set off to cross the Thames to get the best photos we could of the houses of parliament. We crossed Westminster bridge on one side and walked back on the other side taking photo’s all the way then went over to Westminster Abbey which I think may just have aced Chester Cathedral you’ll have to ask Pam?
We then walked from there down Parliament Street and Whitehall past Downing Street towards Trafalgar Square we took photos of the cenotaph and all the political buildings but the picture on the right here outside Horse Guards was my personal favourite LOL!
Trafalgar Square was a stop of point for feeding Reagan primarily and change her too so Jamie and me sat under the ‘4th plinth’ (Nelsons Ship in a bottle) everyone else went of to do their own thing for while we got a chance to calm down too because it is so stressful to take Reagan around such a busy city!
After Trafalgar Square it was off to The Mall to see Buckingham Palace we walked through Admiralty Arch and past Horse Guards Parade where the military bands were practising for Saturdays Trooping of the Colour After a leisurely walk down the Mall we arrived at Buck House and spent half an hour or so soaking up the whole thing and getting as many photos we could!
It was just a perfect day and when I stood outside the Palace watching Jamie and her mom enjoying it together made it for me too.
We then retraced our steps back towards Westminster taking our time and taking another look at all the things we’d seen and catching a few we didn’t, one of which was the changing of the guard at Kensington palace which everyone enjoyed especially when one of the guards tripped we all got a kick out of that a bit like the woman and horse guard when she got hold of the horses bridle and he gave her a love tap with his size 10 boot lol!
Back at the tube station (in rush hour) we travelled with Ian and Patty to Victoria where we said our goodbyes and a big thank you to Ian who was an excellent tour guide two true friends indeed! We then battled our way across London to Euston where out train was just arriving so once it emptied we had choice of seats so a table was ours again. Now this proved a little difficult to hold onto when Reagan was lifted out of the pram smelling non too sweet lets just say, so mommy and Daddy sorted her out while Pam organised the seats Once back at the seats all clean and refreshed Pam told of her own little battle with the commuters of London and the fact that the seats were her family’s and there’d be trouble if anyone sat down! SHE WON!
The Journey home was long because we were all tired and made slightly more stressful by firstly the amount of people travelling out of London and the fact that we were on the back of the train and our bit wasn’t going to Crewe but terminating at Northampton? It was ok though because a bit of organisation when the crowds thinned out and we were again on a table on right part of the train all the way back to Crewe where me mum was waiting with the car! Once home everyone especially Pam said what a superb day it was and that how tired we all were and that it was time for bed….
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The last 4 days

Not had time to blog for a while, with our visitor here but what I will say is we are loving having her and I think Pam is loving being here too!

Thursday I had to go to work again for my last but one day before a week off, the girls on the other hand were off to the garden centre to buy flowers for our garden and then spend the rest of the day in the garden. The arrangement was though that at 12:30 I would meet them all at the “chippy” for Pam’s first authentic fish chips and mushy peas served and eaten out of newspaper! We then took it back to the house and ate it in the sun on the patio, and we all devoured then but Pam REALLY enjoyed hers and when she was full put the rest aside and warned me not to touch them as she would finish them later! Yes ma’am?

Having planted out all the flowers they had bought and tidied up the garden so it looks beautiful they were all getting ready to visit my dad’s house to meet him and Liz for the first time, when I got home So after taking Jack for a walk and then getting ready myself we went to dads for tea which was an excellent roast beef dinner and as always dad and Liz were great hosts. End of a good day actually and time to sleep before the next one begins
Friday and my last day before I break up for a week and the big event for Jamie and me was the night out we were going to have because Pam had offered to babysit Now this was our first night out without Reagan which made Jamie a little nervous but even when she started coming up with excuses not to go out at all or go on my own but eventually the time came to go and I think Pam was easily the most excited to be babysitting her granddaughter. So off we went to the Narrowboat for a meal first and then the White Horse and Cheese to finish off, having left Pam to it completely and didn’t call at all to check how things were.

When we returned to the house we found Pam and Reagan asleep on the sofa after a long night of bathing and pampering and full on Grandma time!!! In my opinion out of all the things we will and already have done while she is in England this was the best thing we could have done and Pam really did have THEE biggest smile on her face when we woke her!
Saturday was the day we’d built up quite a lot because we knew it was one of the best days when Jamie first came in 2008
We were going to Chester to walk the wall and visit the Cathedral. When we got there it was so hot I knew it would be a tough day if we were to see everything but we got off to a good start when the town crier was good enough to let us have a photo, we also saw the returning troops walk through the city centre and it was nice to shout thank you and clap them as they went by!
Then we had lunch in the Cathedral gardens to give us energy to walk It was a fantastic walk around the cathedral first and Pam agreed that Manchester was good but Chester Cathedral knocked it into a cocked hat! I think the walk around the wall is great for visitors to Chester to do but as an American looking for history and architecture in a small space then its spectacular.

As english as they come…not!

The gardens around the cathedral


An atristic photo of mommy and ooooo mommy too in the cloister garden

We decided today as it was pissing down with rain to abandon the BBQ idea and just invite my mum to an all American Sunday dinner where Jamie and her mom enjoyed cooking together and creating a meal of salad starter fried chicken vegetables & seacekraut (and potato & Cabbage dish) home-made gravy and cheesecake to finish and OMG it was all delicious!

We are all off to London tomorrow very early and getting back quite late so I may be late with the next blog too but rest assured it will be here as soon as I can write it!
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Ooooh Man I’m loving life!

Just feed me, love me and keep me clean and warm and I’m good!

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Manchester


Off we went to Manchester yesterday and it didn’t get off quite as we planned… We were just about to get to the station to catch the train when a nagging feeling in the back of me mind said I hadn’t turned off the coffee pot so it was decided that Pam Jamie, Reagan my mum Karl and Karen would go on ahead and I would catch the next train after going home to switch it off. When we finally all met up again we walked into Manchester city centre.

It was a lovely day and the city was pretty busy and both Pam who was there for the first time and Jamie to be there with her mom loved it seeing all the architecture and heritage. The Cathedral was amazing I personally love stained glass windows but Pam loved the whole thing and the Town Hall is such a beautiful building too.

Time for diner and the printworks seemed a good idea so we chose Henry J Bean’s bar grill and when we were seated brought drinks and given menus it looked like the right choice…but then it all went wrong we eventually got the chance to order after prompting one of the two waiters to take the order? Then they returned five minutes later saying our starter could be 15 minutes because they were busy but we could have some drinks on the house those drinks never materialised we decided to order more drinks when the starter eventually arrived but when they were left on the bar for ten minutes we had to prompt them to bring the drinks but while we started to drink them we decided to leave. It is not the English thing to do but after an hour there was still no sign of our main coarses it was a bridge too far. They took off £20 of the bill after prompting and we settled up and left! We didn’t get to meet the management as he refused to come out of the kitchen…his loss not ours Marks out of 10 I think -1 would be generous?

Off then to the Arndale shopping centre and a bit off window shopping at the Apple store hoping grandma and Nannie would fight over who was going to buy me a 27″ iMac but unfortunately they just went in to a baby shop and bought Reagan a sun hat 🙁

We all ate in the food court where service was tip top Sub Way rocks!!!

The train journey home was spent explaining some of things Pam had seen during the day and also a lot of thing passing her out the train window jodrell bank to name one! All in all we a had a great day but everyone was tired when we got home!

…but the winner is definately, this one!!!

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Sunday at the Cheese!

When I got up Pam had been up since 04:30 and had allowed Jamie to go back bed while she looked after Reagan but it was only jetlag and mid morning was back in bed and out like a light!

We all went to me Mums for lunch and Pam got to try Yorkshire puddings for the first time and also Custard which were both a success but get ready America “Birds Custard” is on its way to you!

Then we all went to the Cheshire Cheese to show Pam what she’d heard so much about, now the thing with the Cheese on a Sunday is apart from the “sunday crowd” I sit with,

Ben, Brian, Liz, John & Reagan Dave, Barry and Pam

everyone else in there can create quite a circus and for a newby it can be a bit intimidating It was fine for an hour but as time went on it was clear to Jamie and Pam that it was time to leave…lets just say that!
Yahtzee finished of the night as I’m sure a lot more night will be while Pam’s here!

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Grandma meets Nannie

We all went to the Big Lock for lunch yesterday to celebrate me mums birthday and it was also a great opportunity for Pam to meet the rest of my family too. We had a great meal and everyone got on really well and we got a great photo of nannie and grandma momma and Reagan

The first meeting of nannie and grandma

Pam and Jamie enjoying a moment!
Afterwards Jamie although absolutely loved it needed to sleep which meant Pam got to look after Reagan for a couple of hours while I went to take Jack for his first walk of the day (he had all four legs crossed when we got home)
To end the day we played Yatzee which I won both games and they just gave up because I was so good 😉
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