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Spalding Flower Parade 2007

Blog: Norfolk Single Dad
Posted by: Eddie2sox Sunday 6th May 2007, 7:47pm
Last edited 06/05/2007 7:47pm by Eddie2sox

We headed off together to the flower parade, it's a tradition now. And we had a GREAT time. Including Auntie Kay, Cousin Emma, timetable abberations, ice cream and despair....

Friday Night

Picked Sam up from Twinkletots and headed home via the Post Office. Wow, another three-wheeler! You see, but please don't tell Sam, I am buying 3-wheeler toy cars off the interweb, which we are going to repaint in team colours. Sam wants his team to be orange.

So home, and play and we watched a couple of telly programmes, lovely, relaxed, I just treasure my limited time with Sam! And then we went out to buy chips for chip butty night, and also got a couple of things for the next day's picker-nicker. Chicken drumsticks included. Sam scoffed a huge tea, bathtime was fun, then we snuggled down for bedtime. I won't go into our Friday bedtime because Sam's mummy will go off on one. But it's the only night we watch The Simpsons, at her request. I just think that giving way here and there, if Sarah demands it, is not too difficult. The test will come when I demand something from her. I am pretty sure she won't be so obliging.

Anyway, bedtime went well and Sam zzzzzzzzzzz-ed off to dreamland.

Then I had a GREAT MSN chat with a fab young lady. It makes me smile, telling these young uns how to live their lives.

Went to bed early.....half ten.......woken up by Sam at midnight climbing in with me. Lovely. Sam slept VERY well from then til the morning. I know, because I was awake, as usual, most of the time. Last night though was super-special, Sam was so lovely asleep.....

Flower Parade

Saturday morning, and we played and watched TV as usual. Prank Patrol is a favourite!

Kitted up with THE biggest ever picnic we set off to the bus station, successfully boarded our bus (one of the extra ones laid on for the day, as described on the bus company's website) and made our way to Spalding. Once there we made our way to the train station to meet Auntie Kay and Cousin Emma. via a burger van (for me) and an ice cream van (Sam). We got onto the platform as THE BIGGEST excursion train (eleven carriages, two engines) arrived, and had fun watching the excursees (word??) disembarking. And Then Auntie Kay and Emma Appeared. Stayed on the platform for a while so I could finish off my "dinner", then we headed off into town. Sam bit the end off his ice cream - DISASTER! The melting ice cream went everywhere, on Sam's leg and shoes, and on Daddy's hands (and as I found later, my jeans).

We made our way through the crowds to our (me and Sam) regular place. It's a good spot, as you can hire chairs off the Scouts, and it early in the parade so the paradees are still enthusiatic. On the way Auntie Kay and Emma stocked up on food for the day, then we found our spot and stuck to it.

I think there must have been a HUGE delay to the start of the parade. It SHOULD have arrived at half past two but didn't. To their immense credit, Emma and Sam were good as gold, Emma mopping up spilt juice with wipes and Sam "looking after" Emma.

The parade arrived and it was just as noisy, beautiful, fantastic as ever. Sam really hates it when the clowns tickle him though. But we all had a great time, Emma and Sam had a disposable camera each and snapped away like mad, which is great for them. Sam has his own photo album already which he seems to be a little bit proud of. There were loads of great floats, which we all loved, and as usual the dancing schoolkids at the end. They put soooooooooooooo much effort in, it's a lovely way to end the parade. And they added a nodding dinosaur too.

Going Home

It was advertised that buses would be leaving from the bus station every 10 minutes after 4 o'clock, so we all headed homeward at about four o'clock, Clever Auntie Kay spotted a shortcut to the railway station, so we headed off that way. Worked a treat, clever Auntie Kay. Me and Sam, who was wilting by the minute, headed to the bus station to catch one of the "up to 10 minutes" buses back to KL. What we found was huge, confused piles of people who had no idea what was going on. We waited there for a long time. I texted Sam's mum to let her know the plan had gone pete tong. Now I am looking like a mickey-taker for keeping Sam longer than agreed.

The parade was still going past the bus station. NO chance of buses surely? Sam was in TOP form though, dancing around like a teeny Tim Burgess and attracting loads of oooohs and aaaaahs from the waiting masses.

No buses. I texted Sam's mum at 1630 to tell her things weren't going to plan. We had been waiting 20 minutes by then. Sam was quite happy as the back end of the parade was going past us again, but there was complete confusion at the bus station, many people had expected buses to be running from four o'clock, like us.

We eventually heard a whisper that buses were running from "round there" (terrible information from the bus companies) and we got on a 505. It was over-crowded and stifling. Me and Sam had to stand (thank you to everyone else for not giving up your seat for a 3 year old) and it was like the black hole of Calcutta. I was carrying Sam as he was so tired, but he was very hot too....took off his shoes and socks and was wiping him with cold wipes. Sam fell asleep on the way to Springfields (where the day trippers board their coaches). But he still kept getting hotter.

The day trippers departed the bus, which meant me and Sampants finally got our own seats, fantastic. I was so worried when I had to stand up holding Sam as the bus crawled out of town. The other passengers were good though, and helped me when I was reaching and failing for this and that. But at last we had our own double....

I planted the sleeping Sam on my chest. Texted mum that we were at Moulton. Sam was sleeping now, but I kept talking to him quietly, might have looked weird "I love you stinky face...............have a nice dream about Lego............................love you Sam........".........etc.

While Sam was asleep, me and Sam's mum had a chat. We agreed that me and Sam would get off the bus at Southgates roundabout, then Sam (because he was late home) would go straight back to mummy's. It seemed s good idea at the time. We got off. Sam was tearful that he couldn't come to our flat but I managed joke him out of it.

We walked round the Southgates roundabout and met mummy. Sam was unhappy. We headed in our own ways and Sam pushed the one-off camera he had been taking photos with to me, crying "This belongs at yours". So sad.

As I started to walk home down Vancouver I heard Sam yelling "Daddy! I want you daddy". And I looked back and Sam was looking over mummy's shoulder, and when he saw me turn back he waved. I waved too. Absolutely devastating. That was very, very tough.

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