So it’s the summer holidays and the time of year that parents of children with Autism dread. We’ve had an up and down first week. I’ve been kicked and punched and scratched and I’ve been hugged and kissed and loved. It really is a roller-coaster and you really can’t get off and even though it’s hard you kind of get used to all the twists and turns and try your best to prepare for them (if that makes any sense at all).
So we went to York, we got up and dressed and in the car and no hiccups, everyone was excited for the trip. We picked up Grandma (I wasn’t going alone!!), we stopped at the Carlisle United Club Shop along the way and bought Joe the New Strip – it was all going smooth. It was a long journey but it was strangely okay. We headed to the hotel, the Sat Nav got us lost, the kids found it highly amusing and we found it amusing that they were amused. We got to the hotel, Express by Holiday Inn and put our stuff in the room and Jamie tried to log onto the Wifi … password required and meltdown #1. I booked the hotel through money supermarket and specifically this hotel as it had Wifi included and air conditioning in the rooms and breakfast. So we went to reception to find Wifi was available at a cost, £3 per hour per device … OMG she had 3 devices with her that she likes to use simultaneously and I could see her being on the Wifi for the full 24 hours if possible (I will let you do the maths). So while I tried to negotiate something with the hotel she is beating her brother up in the air conditioned bar (rooms were not air conditioned). We decide enough is enough, lets just get a taxi into York (as apparently they don’t advise you drive cos it’s so busy) and find Wetherspoons. Meltdown #2 Joe wants an Icecream and Jamie doesn’t like Icecream, I don’t get this but it happens lots, she doesn’t have to have an Icecream, she doesn’t even have to be near the Icecream, but the fact that her brother wants an Icecream still causes major distress? Phew we see a Game and leave Joe and Grandma to get an Icecream. There are a couple of Game shops together so we go in 3 and she gets a Sims 2 expansion pack that she has been after for ages (so now were happy). We see loads of cool shops, their faves being a Christmas Shop, a Witch shop and Armour and Weapons shop!! 
This is Jamie in a shop called Christmas Angels – amazing shop, if you ever go to York you need to go here!!
So we headed to Wetherspoons for our tea and free Wifi and everyone was happy, including me and Grandma who had a glass of wine (well we deserved it!).
Back at the hotel and I was still trying to negotiate some deal with the Wifi, I explained that Jamie doesn’t sleep well and may be up most of the night and “needs” the internet (more for my sanity than her need). Anyway the manager was nice and gave us 24 hours of Wifi for £5 for one device, so we decided to put it on the laptop. So we sat in the bar area creating Bitstrips (thanks Stacey Borradaile) all night. When we decided to go to bed the next meltdown came. I hadn’t taken the cool spray as it said the rooms were air conditioned. Jamie decided she was going to crawl under the Sofa bed and sleep there 😦 I managed to coax her out and then there were 3 in the bed and grandma snoring on the sofa bed. She actually got up and used the toiler in the night (which is something she would never do at home) I need to look into that more.
Breakfast at the hotel was brilliant, I had brought bread and Flora for Jamie just in case, but she liked their bread and we used her butter, she even had seconds of her toast!!
Then day 2 and the journey to Malton and Eden Camp …
Part 2 to follow 🙂
Chewigem 