Finn's first outing in this was dancing, and he did very well as a part of the group:
He's easy enough to spot here, as he's the only boy in the group here. There are other boys in the whole group, but the other ones have moved up to learn new dances and the like. You'll see from Finn's dancing here that he's still very much watching what everyone else is doing, so it's unclear that he'll ever get further than this.
However, he enjoys being a part of it, and we enjoy him doing something like this, especially when he feels like he's really achieved something:
As per last year, Finn was also called to enter the recitation in English, and also the poetry composition class. The recitation was something he got a lot from last year, so we were always intending to have him in it, but we were called to do so anyway when it came to it, as no one else entered (but for one of the organisers' nephews). The poetry Finn was in alone.
But it didn't matter - Finn went and did a wonderful job of it, and he and we were very proud of how well he did:
Apologies for its not being audible there throughout - especially as this is his poem, which was a lovely thing. The people in charge of the Folk Awards ideally wanted poems in Manx dialect, so we made out a list of dialect terms and then thought up rhymes for them, and then wrote a poem with them. I forget the poem now, but it was about going to Spooyt Vane and leaving our rubbish everywhere, before thinking better of it and going back to pick it up. With words like 'skeet', 'futhey killey', 'jesh' and the like in there, it was a great hit with the judges, and Finn was delighted.
Although he was competing in a competition of one, it was still a lovely thing to see, especially as the day was mostly given over to Manx language things, which meant that so many of Finn's school were in and out all day winning things. It was lovely that the class in before Finn's competition were given the option of staying to listen to him, which they all did. It was lovely to have all those older children listening well and clapping him for his job well done. He was delighted!
As is the norm, hot on the heels of the Folk Awards was Shennaghys Jiu. Like last year, I went along with Finn alone, with granny, to the young performers' night, which was good fun. It would have been even more fun if they hadn't organised it so that the ceili was Irish or otherwise until Finn was dropping asleep on the dance floor at 9 o'clock or so, so we never got anything of a Manx ceili at all. I was very disappointed, but it was still fun:
After that were a couple of trips south. One was disappointed by finding that the coastal footpath beyond Pooilvaaish was closed, but we stumbled across some off-road motorbike doings, so we were happy enough, and then we added on a quick trip to Castle Rushen:
More unusual, and lovely, was a trip from Fistard (just south of Port St. Mary) along the coast to the Cregneash and back along the road, taking in our first ever trip down the lovely Glen Chass:
The advantage of starting and finishing at Fistard is that our friends live there, so we invited ourselves in for coffee, which was lovely after so long out and about.
It seems that the next time to come in the month (in terms of pictures anyway) is another walk, so instead, to break it up, here's three odd pictures of nothing that really needs explanation (except to say that granny is fun and Orry is a dude)...
The walk was a lovely one down the Cornaa valley from Ballaglass Glen to the shore:
Well, it was actually a little painful, as Orry decided that he needed to gather pine cones. There were a lot of them:
Things were getting very fretful as he couldn't leave any behind, and he couldn't carry them all. So it was than he eventually agree to have them all photographed. This took a very long time, but at least we could then get on with the walk!
When we got back to the car I was horrified to find that I didn't have my car keys. So we had to drive back to Ramsey in granny's car, which was a bit silly where Oshin was concerned!
However, I did find my keys eventually - in a pocket of my coat, in my bag. Very frustrating, but at least we could get home!
The next bit of April's story is rather exciting - a trip in an ambulance!
It was dinner time and Orry was standing on his chair as usual. (Not the seat of his chair - there is a foot-rest, which he will frequently stand up on to get higher to get this or that or emphasise a point). In sitting back down, he got it wrong and fell off backwards off the seat. His chin hit the table, throwing his head back, to then hit the back of his head on the bottom shelf of the bookcase.
Cori leapt to him and found his head bleeding, so the ambulance was called and they were on their way.
Unlike the times we'd done this before, when in London, the ambulance had a long way to come and it took a very long time. It gave us time to get ready though, with Finn rushing round being helpful in gathering things in for the bag etc. But then he was still rushing, so we suggested he make a sign for the ambulance, so that they knew where to go. And here he is with his lovely sign on the look-out for help...
However, of course, a young boy at a window with a sign saying 'Help!' is obviously going to draw attention - we soon had a knock on the door from concerned strangers!
It was a good thing I was holding Oshin as well as I tried to convince them that Finn was not in danger and that we were just waiting for an ambulance. They seemed doubtful but tentatively edged away eventually!
Then Cori and Orry were off in the ambulance, and we followed on behind to find them thus:
In the end, Orry had it glued up and was ok. Nothing too amiss.
He seemed very concerned the next day when we told him off for standing at the table again, but only for a few minutes and then he was back to his usual naughty self.
After that came Good Friday and the traditional flitters on the beach. We didn't manage to get there until the afternoon, but it was gorgeous weather to be hanging out with friends, collecting flitters and enduring eating one (though we were amazed that Finn's friend happily ate the first one without complaint) and then moving on to eat marshmallows:
If you're wondering about that rock in Oshin's hand - yes, he's eating it. It's a horrible thing to see, but he's adamant that that's what he wants to do. At least it's a big rock, & not a choke hazard!
Cute pictures of Oshin are probably a good place to leave this half of the month's blog.
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