For Joshua today marked the end of six weeks off on summer holidays and it was time to return to school today. For him it meant an early start – to be dressed by 8am has been unheard of in the school holidays. He did not object too much, even though he tried to snuggle back to sleep after breakfast. He looked smart in his school uniform and hopefully that reminded Joshua where he was heading, as well as my verbal prompts since last weekend.

Joshua has not changed classes or teacher so I like to think that it felt familiar returning for a new school year. I liked to think that a return to school meant getting reacquainted with his classmates and the staff that he is so fond of. But I fear that instead he may have played the sulky teenager. 

Even though I have not been with him throughout the school holidays, I really missed him today and was eager to see his smiling face on my return from work. I was keen to read all about his day in his diary, to feel back in touch with the events of his day.

I have high hopes for Joshua’s new school year – for the fun that he will have and hopefully the new skills he will acquire. Bring it on!

Joshua is making the most of the last couple of days of his school holidays and he spent today with Yorkshire grandma. Judging by his giddiness when he got back, I can tell that they had fun. He was shouting  out to tell me about his day . He repeated that he had been in the ‘beach’ and that he had enjoyed some ‘cake’ , which were both exciting highlights. He kept calling Yorkshire grandma and me both monkeys and he was even mentioned ‘Santa’ which seems  a little premature. 

I love to hear Joshua’s voice , except perhaps in the early hours of the morning! He seemed happy to share his joy and sense of fun and it felt as though he was trying to tell me about his day. 

Now he is nagging me for his next favourite thing – ‘bath’. Once he has luxuriated in bubbles he will have enjoyed some real pleasures – bath, beach and cake- what more could a boy need? Such simple pleasures make my lad happy .

When we were out shopping in the rain today, we sheltered in the dry for refreshments. We sat in armchairs next to the door and he was like the welcoming committee for the cafe. He smiled at everyone who entered so he was pleased with our position. He reached out for selected customers and insisted on a greeting and he was always rewarded with a positive response. One older lady must have particularly caught his eye as not only did he reach for her but he would not let go, he pulled her towards him and gave her a kiss! She took it all in her stride, as though it happened all of the time.

As we were leaving the cafe she called Joshua and me over. She said that Joshua had made her day as ‘ it’s not everyday that I am kissed by a handsome young man’ . It was a friendly reaction as she made it feel like the most natural thing in the world and so I did not feel the need to apologise for his over- familiarity. 

I like the fact that Joshua did brighten this lady’s damp morning, but he is not always as fortunate in his choices. But mostly he is a good judge of character so I wonder what he sees in people that equips him to choose who he is drawn to. It would be such an eye opener to see people , and the world for that matter, through Joshua’s eyes.

Yorkshire Grandma put Joshua to bed last night as we were both out and so he was all tucked up asleep when we got home late. He must have missed me as his voice woke me up at 5 this morning when he called out ‘Mummy!’. I went into his room to be greeted by a very lively boy who would not be persuaded to snuggle back down to sleep. I warned him that he was due back at school next week and so then he would be glad of a lie in and so he should grab his chances while he could. But , as ever, he ignored my sensible advice and knelt up in bed to look at books.

It was later when I came to get him dressed that Joshua suddenly became very weary and tried to hide under his duvet from me. So I feel that he was really just playing a game with me and he enjoyed being contrary. We often play a game on school days in that once he is dressed in uniform, he will climb into bed next to his dad and pretend to be asleep. I  come back into the bedroom and pretend to be cross with my husband for allowing Joshua to go back to sleep. This really tickles Joshua and he giggles away from under the covers waiting for me to uncover him and chivvy him along. 

I love Joshua’s sense of fun, even if his timing can be off. His smiling face makes it very difficult to even pretend to be mad with him and I am convinced that he knows precisely what he is doing. 

After being thrilled to join in with the ‘party’ on Monday night, Joshua refused to join in with yesterday’s planned activity. Five of us went to a large agricultural show where there were stalls, livestock, displays as well as local food to enjoy. But it was not Joshua’s idea of a fun day out at all and he objected in a passive but deliberate way. My husband pushed Joshua in his wheelchair across the soft fields, frequently getting stuck in ruts, but Joshua did not appreciate his effort. Instead, he lay his head in his lap, refusing to look at the sights that he was presented with, and he went to sleep in protest.

I thought that he would be woken by the brass band music but he did not even rear his head! He was unimpressed by the sheep dog trials but he did sit up briefly to share my cheese and onion pasty. I then encouraged him to walk for a while, which he tolerated but he was soon reaching back for his muddy wheelchair. Joshua was unimpressed by the fell runners taking on the crag above us and was not even interested in the horses racing passed us around the track. In fact the biggest smile we saw from Joshua all day was when we took him back home, he seemed relieved that his countryside ordeal was over.
Unfortunately  for Joshua, he did not have any choice yesterday, he had to come along to his parents’choice of entertainment, whereas other 15 year olds could have chosen to stay at home or to spend the day with friends. Sadly, he does not have that option, but luckily he usually approves of our activity choices. He was able to show us his disapproval, by opting out, but despite it , the show went on and he used the day to catch up on some sleep.

We were invited to friends for tea last night and Joshua was clearly thrilled to be there. He tucked into the bowl of crisps as soon as he arrived, as though they were only out there for his pleasure! When we sat around the table for our evening meal he beamed at everyone sharing his rough high 5s around the table. He was either too giddy or too full of crisps but he didn’t eat much chilli, but that didn’t spoil his fun.

We cleAred the table and five of us played cards, surrounding Joshua in shouts and shrieks and energy. He loved being amongst the fun even though he could not follow the game. So he began to blow raspberries to join in with the buzz and he responded happily to the laughter that greeted him by making more rude noises as it clearly entertained the group. He was a happy performer.

As we left he was high as a kite and I feared that he wouldn’t sleep, but he was worn out by the fun and games and sociable time. So we both flopped into bed and were soon dreaming away.