During the October half term, I attempted to fulfil a promise – made to my fae in August by her childminder – of taking her on a train. I hoped to make it an exciting day out, as my mother, who was recently widowed, was up to see us for the first time since the funeral. As it turned out, a heavy rain storm prevented the train from getting to the station, so we spent an hour being rained on standing on the platform before I had to explain to her:
The train isn’t going to come
To get on said train we will need to get on a bus for 30 mins (this was after a 40 min car journey) – or –
We could go get hot chocolate.
As she was as cold and put out as we were, she negotiated for hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows (as if there is a different kind!) We abandoned the whole operation, and alighted to the nearest cafe. I also threw in chips and chocolate cake, to sweeten the deal. It was, in all, a miserable trip, salvaged only by the application of copious sweets, praise and a new jacket.
Last weekend, with a sense of foreboding, I upped the ante. Not only did I book train tickets: these tickets were for a steam train; on which she would also meet Santa! To prevent her from getting too excited, NONE of this was mentioned to anyone who may spill the beans until the day of travel. She only found out in the morning, when she saw the train logo on my email when I was checking the address. Unsurprisingly, she was vibrating rather than stimming, and her version of ‘are we nearly there yet?’wWas asked on multiple occasions on the car ride over. A car ride that she insisted we started 30 mins before we needed to.
As it turned out, the extra time was useful, as it allowed us to find tickets: in what is an elegant system, the toy that Santa gives out is differentiated by age. This is indicated by the colour of ticket on the table. Every carriage has at least one elf in it, that encourages singing, dancing and – whilst the train is stationary – games with the children. Our elf noticed that I was using hand gestures to help my fae follow countdowns, and started to do the same.
I can’t praise the service enough. If anyone is in North England then the North Yorkshire Moors Railway is wonderful. It is run by volunteers, and the whole thing has really started the season with a lovely feeling for our fae and us. I would say that ear defenders are a must. The tannoy is too loud for sensitive ears, and by the end of the hour our daughter just wanted to go home. But she had a lovely stuffed dog (who is now named Wish) and had an excellent time. The enthusiasm of the volunteers really shows, and the train was lovely and warm even though it was 5 degrees C out.
Now all I need to do is encourage her to stop wearing Christmas jumpers to school between now and the end of term. Wish me luck.
The railway:
Have a look
Raising the Modern Fae 