Alive, Alive Oh!

The kids have just done their bit as Guiseley joined the rest of the country in marking the centenary of Armistice Day.

As I was delivering them to their respective meeting points, we talked about their granda who I am delighted to report is not dead.

I say this because it appears that half of Coleraine thought he was.   He doesn't know how the rumour started but it certainly spread quickly.

So much so that, as he walked through the town centre yesterday morning, he was met by many startled faces who thought they'd seen a ghost. Literally.

At one point he bumped into my cousin who was both shocked and delighted to see him.  Then her phone beeped.  It was a text from a friend expressing their condolences at my father's "passing."

So, just to make clear, James Edmund Barcroft White Snr is alive and well and will hopefully be walking through  the streets of Coleraine for many more years to come.

Cheers Dad. 

Learning to fly

Is it a bird?  Is it a plane? No it's me - and yes I am flying.

I always knew we were a family blessed with superpowers.

And it turns out that we all have them.

Here's Vanessa, looking even scarier than usual.

 
This is Charlotte, being particularly brave.

And here's Jamie doing a midair tango with Brain, our very patient instructor.

If you're still confused, indoor skydiving was our game.  None of us knew what to expect and we didn't leave disappointed. In fact, I think we're still in giddy shock. 

The best bit was what they call the "hi-fly" where our man Brian took us up to space and back again.

You'll understand it better when you see Jamie in action in the video below.  They're performing the "hi-fly" when they momentarily disappear from view. 

It's quite an experience if you're ever near the Trafford Centre in Manchester and fancy ticking something off your bucket list - or adding it to the end.

If only our superhero costumes were just a little more......er......heroic.