School holidays begin

The school holidays began with an end-of-term party back at Chez Wallace, with a few of Sean's pals, their siblings and mothers coming round for a runaround in the back garden and house.

Sharon took Sean and Finn (and Phoebe) to SwimEasy lessons for the first week of the holidays in an attempt to fast-track Finn towards greater confidence in the water. Despite him crying most of the way through the five lessons, it seems to have done the trick as he has really come on leaps and dives. From howling and leaving the pool to dry his face every time water went in his eyes last October in Spain, he is now happily wearing goggles and diving under the water and seems to be really enjoying playing in the pool.

Sean is still working hard at his swimming but needs to get over the hurdles of breathing to the side and using his arms before he can advance to his yellow cap. He can swim a fair distance face down just using his legs but he has to stop to breathe and can't really tread water for any length of time. Maybe Finn's advances will spur him on.

The boys enjoyed a trip to Active Kids Adventure Park up at Stanley near Perth, with Phoebe and Holly, her sister. It's a relatively new attraction and Sharon rated it ahead of East Links Farm Park. Sean felt (and was) sick on the way back which was the first of another round of bugs which seems to have affected all of us. Having missed his scheduled appointment atthe eye pavilion, Sean managed to get a cancellation just before we headed off to Cumbria. Not surprisingly, he has been given patches and has to wear one over his weak eye for six hours a day. The late diagnosis of the amblyopia is a concern: the opthamologist reckons that if the weak eye doesn't pick up by the age of six then it may never do so. So, it's Sean's turn to endure the one-eye treatment. At least he can settle into wearing the patch over the holidays rather than have to go to school straight off wearing it.