Monday cookery club

I wake at six and lie, still and warm, for a few minutes, before getting up and letting Norman into the yard. It is a bright, clear but chilly morning and I have just made myself a cup of tea before Louis appears, about half past six and then sits and chats to me whilst I prepare breakfast for everyone. The full English, for the final time before Norman and I pass back parental duties to Sarah. She phoned last night to say that their flight leaves Portugal at one and that they should be back in Beverley for half past six. Alice appears around seven and the three of us eat breakfast together, and then feed Normy the scraps. He has become so used to his fry up now, that he is declining his Baker's. After breakfast, I bath and dress Louis and then send him to watch TV with Alice while I get myself ready. We leave the house at eight thirty on the dot and walk our usual route down New Walk and Bleach Yard to Saint Mary's primary school. It is a lovely morning, with just a touch of cold in the wind, I kiss Louis goodbye at the school gate and tell him that I will see him again for cookery class at noon, before turning around and walking back to Sarah's house. Where I pack all my things away, wash the breakfast pots and then leave a note for Alice to remind her to tidy up after school, Louis comes to Tickton with me for tea on Mondays. I put my bag in the boot of my car, then Normy and I drive to Cherry Burton to collect the terriers for their walk on the common. It is lovely and warm in the woods, but cold in the open as we approach Black Mill, where I meet Angela Semple and her dog Sophie. Angela tells me that Father Roy is moving on and that we are to have a new priest from Hull, she says she hopes it is not due to Roy's health, he had radiotherapy for bowel cancer last year. I like father Roy, he is a conviction priest, who doesn't care much whether people like what he has to say or not. As far as he is concerned right is right and wrong is wrong, and he won't tack to suit the wind. Consequently he is not popular with a number of parishioners, who would prefer someone less strong in his convictions. I deliver the dogs back to Pip and warn her that I won't be able to take them out tomorrow, as I have to be at Castle Hill hospital for ten. After driving home, I just have time for a cup of tea and to collect my swimming gear, before it is time for Louis' cookery class. There are four of us this week to assist, another mum has come along to help and we are making chocolate crunch cake for dessert. I supervise Louis and a boy called Ashton, and after washing our hands, we are given a block of chocolate, that the children are told to break into squares and put into a plastic bowl, when this is done, Mrs Wildbore, their teacher, collects the bowls and takes them to the microwave, where the chocolate will be melted later. Then they are given another plastic mixing bowl containing half a dozen digestive biscuits, and a rolling pin and told to pound the biscuits into crumbs. The boys take it in turns, ten thumps each and then swap over. Eventually the biscuits are crushed and Mrs Wildbore brings a cup of mixed fruit and tells them to stir it into the mixture and then wait for her to bring the hot chocolate, which has to be poured into the mixture, stirred and then quickly spread on a baking tray before it sets. Between Louis, Ashton and myself, we manage to accomplish this and then slips of paper with the boys names are added and the cake set to cool in the refrigerator. After washing up and folding the aprons, we are finished by half past twelve, the children are asked to thank us and then we leave. It is the last class and it has been fun. Mrs Wildbore gives us a slab of chocolate coconut cake, that another class made last week, by way of a thank you. I drive to the Leisure Centre and am in the water by one o'clock able to simply enjoy my swim today, now that the Swimathon is out of the way. For the last two months I have been practising endless individual medleys and swimming quite slowly, in order to build endurance, so today I swim some hundred metre sprints. A couple in each stroke except butterfly and I even do a couple of fifty metre sprints in that, finishing off with a lazy swim on crawl and backstroke. In the cafe Danny and Sarah, the cooks, give me their sponsorship money and I now have over the hundred pounds that I set out to raise, largely due to the generosity of my brother and sister. I am better at swimming than fund raising. I eat my chocolate coconut cake along with a cup of tea in the cafe and then it is time to drive back to school to collect Louis. He emerges clutching his cake, which is wrapped in silver foil, but without his jumper and, as usual, I have to take him back to the classroom to complete his dressing. We then drive to Tickton, where we stop at the playing fields for a kick about. There are two little boys there with their mums, one about two and the other four, Tickton School finishes half an hour later than Saint Mary's, as they have a longer lunch break, and consequently the older children haven't arrived yet. Louis wants to be in goal, so me and the four year old, who is called Alfie, practise taking penalties for him to save. A couple of older boys join in when the school comes out and we kick the ball about until five, before returning home. Louis wants burgers for tea, but I spring a surprise on him, they are lamb burgers, that I serve with tossed salad, mint yogurt, pitta bread and chips. Louis loves them and clears his plate, as well as the spare salad in the bowl and the mint yogurt in a little ramekin. After tea we walk Normy down to the little bridge and then play "praise and pat", all the way back to my house. I take him home at a quarter to seven, expecting to see Sarah, but she hasn't arrived yet, so I leave Louis with Alice and drive to Morrison's for more shopping. While I am parking up, Sarah texts to say she will be home in five minutes. I do a weekly shop and buy quite a lot of frozen food, as it is quite economical when you live alone, but when I load the shopping into the car, I find Louis lunch box and book bag still in the boot, so drive back to Sarah's to drop it off. Sarah is back, looking tanned and healthy and her friend Linda has called in to see her as well, I tell her that I have frozen food in the car and can't stop, drop off Louis gear and then drive home. I have lived in this house for two years now and it feels like home, and I am happy to get back. Norman hangs around wagging his tail while I unpack the shopping, no doubt hoping for food, but he is out of luck, as I fed him before I left. Before turning in, I knock together a casserole, using mince, onions, frozen vegetables and dried pulses and leave this to cook overnight in the slow cooker. To bed for ten.