April 2016

On Sunday 3rd April, I attended Ramsey Ward for the first time! Church is from 2-5pm, and I like afternoon church!

Messing around beforehand with the camera self-timer!

Scott, Lucy, Jack and Harry went to Leeds on Monday 4th, and came back the next day. They sorted out more stuff on the Harold View house, and also spent some time in Otley with John and Hannah.

On the Chevin.

Playing with cousins.

Also on the 4th, Tom and I went to McDonalds for breakfast (ended up going all the way to the one near Brampton because Huntingdon was being refurbished), I did some calligraphy, including a saying I'd agreed to do for Christine Goodwin for her son's wedding anniversary, and I went to the osteopath in the evening.

After that I went to fire training (which is every Monday night), and we were down at the local river doing water training when we got my first ever call-out! We had to madly get all the equipment back on the pump and pull off people's dry suits, then drove on blue lights to a car crash. No one was too seriously injured and there was no cutting to do, but I helped the ambulance crew get a casualty onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. There was also lots of waiting around, and I got to chat to quite a few different people. It felt really good to be there and part of the emergency services.

The next morning I went down to the fire station again to help clean the pump (we clean it after every call-out) and I had my second call-out (which was a false alarm from a fire alarm at an old people's home). Later that afternoon, I had my third call-out, to a fire at the nearby abandoned RAF base. Some garages had been set on fire by kids, and I got to put it out with the hose reel, and use the thermal imaging camera!

Me looking a bit sooty on my return!

On Thursday 7th, Adam Flinn came to stay for a few days. Niki was visiting Anna Conway, and dropped him off. We got Harry's room nice and organised!

On Saturday 9th, Keely and some of her kids stopped by unexpectedly! Checking out Lucy's cabin...

On Saturday 9th, I took Adam, Harry and Lucy to Hinchingbrooke Park for a walk and play on the park, then we went to Frankie and Benny's for lunch. We had waffles for pudding, and decided that it would be cool to have our own waffle maker, so then we drove to Argos and bought one!

Playing chess on Sunday 10th.

On Monday 11th, Mum and Dad came to visit, and took Adam home with them.

Harry and the others went back to school on the 12th. I'd said previously that for the last term of Year 5, Harry could start walking to school on his own. He reminded me of this, and so on 13th April he walked to school on his own for the first time! I felt really nervous, and had talked through with him where to cross roads etc. He's been walking to school on his own ever since, though I still collected him from school during Year 5.

One of Jack's enormous sandwiches! Jack is permanently hungry and makes himself huge amounts of food!

On Wednesday 13th, I drove Donna to Peterborough for a shopping trip! I enjoy my Wednesdays not on-call and always plan something out and about. I spent Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at the fire station doing work on the computer.

15th April. Cheese and potato adventures with the new waffle maker!

Sunday 17th. Harry's wondrous minecraft creature!
Also on the 17th, Scott and I held our first Young Single Adult Family Home Evening, for Huntingdon and Ramsey Wards. We planned to hold them every Sunday evening from 6-9pm, for people to just come and hang out really.

In the middle of April 2016, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service changed their uniform provider, and so we got all new kit. Instead of the navy tunic and leggings, we got an orange high vis tunic for RTCs (Road Traffic Collisions) and a black tunic and leggings for building fires.
Our station collected ours on 18th April, and also did a First Aid class, in preparation for us becoming Co-responders with the Ambulance service. Our station and March's will be called out to cases of people not breathing due to heart attacks, and have CPR and defibrillator training.

On 19th, I went to Rachel Lamin's new house for a bit, then went to the fire station. Later on, I burnt my hand quite painfully, when the lid of the Vitamix came off (I was in too much of a rush) and boiling soup flew everywhere!! Total mess which the guys kindly cleared up for me.

On 20th, it was really lovely weather, and I looked after Cecily Conway for a bit.

On 21st I had a meeting with Giles Granger the Station Manager, at the fire station. He made sure I knew what I was doing with IPDS (the personal development system on the computer). In the evening I went to a Stake YSA Committee Meeting where we tried to get the new structure sorted out.

Scott had to work on Saturday 23rd, and Jack and Lucy went to a Stake Youth Convention in Northampton which they really enjoyed.

Harry with the Minecraft characters he's been making with my Stampin' Up box maker.

Also on 23rd, I made three curry's for tea! I got a new vegetable cook book, which two of the curry's were from.

Harry and Tom playing with corn flour goo, on 24th.

Harry and his K'nex model.

At YSA FHE on 24th, we wrote letters to the missionaries serving from our Wards.

On 25th April, I went to the osteopath again, and in the evening went to March fire station for training, where they have a bungalow which can be filled with smoke for Breathing Apparatus training.

Saturday 30th April. Minecraft potions made by Harry.

Harry also said that if you're in a bad mood (which he was for most the day), and you draw a picture of a cupcake, it will cheer you up by 20%! I told him to do it then, and he drew this chocolate cupcake with Maltesers on, and then said he wasn't just 20%, but 200% more cheerful!!

In the evening, Lucy and I picked up Jo Blackhurst and went to Anna Conway's house for a girls' get together, partly to celebrate mine and Clare Garrick's birthdays. I took my nail polishes too, and we had a lovely evening, chatting, eating, doing nails and taking daft photos!