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See-also: http://www.wmc.care4free.net/diary/.
Sunny today. Up a touch earlier - 8.30 ish. Rnlt are off. Group photo(s). Others swim: D wants to do crazy golf, & so we do after adventure p'g'd.
Find others at 10-pin bowling (after long detour to other sort) & D has a go (the sides are up, & there is a frame). I get a strike & an 8 out of 3 goes much to C's disgust.
Pedaloes (hard work for 1/2 hour, & D wasn't keen).
Gradually realise that although its child friendly etc, we are (both) spending all our time looking after D.
Soir: tired. All eat bits together chez J.
Muse on status
Mon 2nd
Sitting outside in sun while Ma & M finish off w'g up. I have done none all w'end, success! Took bike back & put Ma's s'cases in car. Found ours, brought back, now packed. Cdma off; others off to swim but we shall p'g'd for a while at D's req.
Go to bed early, tired. Deal with plague of flies :-(. Open window & listen to frogs & rain.
Tues 3rd
Sun is back, but cooler. Up with D & tidy a little without enthusiasm. Slow. Unnoticed, sun now rises well to l of big pine: geometry & the hour change, perhaps.
Appear to have irritation in r eye. Swim (20 only) 27.5, 29. Cb1. Arjuna. W/s: who are planning to shut at 5.30, it seems. Hmm.
Home: I am published, in bga journal!
With D at home all pm - seem to spend most of it reading TtTE.
Soir: civ & early bed. M has bought 'bromolene' eyedrops & we dose each other: reddish irritation near tear ducts.
More o'night rain: a wet winter & spring.
Wed 4th
Up lateish & D cycles to p'g'p on his bike with M while I sneak 10 mins reading paper.
Oh for camera! D is sitting at start of bmx track telling 3 enthralled teenagers that he can hear a train. We are on Coldam's C, by Abbey Pool, which we didn't know is shut for lessons 4-6 :-( but maybe I should enroll D? Who is still watching the bikers, who have rather a good track carved out of the earth hills: good jumps.
Prev: picked D up. Toast & tea. He plays henry cat & I civ.
V windy, in gusts, & that chill, so came by car, though sun warm & Cu benign but huge. 3/4 moon in sky. D now happy to leave so to parkside where we have fun, despite their best efforts to annoy us by pretending that D is under 1m (he is about 1.05) & insisting on no armbands on the flumes. Bozos. S'p'l cafe then home: more inspiring weather. T'poles have hatched. Soir: civ & gp web.
Thurs 5th
[oh dear: sun: & I'm writing thurs. I blame civ]
Rains lunchtime so listen to Russ on his season a while then get wet anyway. W/s (tC) then fr with M.
Fri 6th
More sun-then-rain. Set off a t3e job: first for ages. Back to slow.
Pm with D: to Abbey pool, then arj & cb1. Home. M has looked at house in sjr: 270k, 4 lg bds.
Sat 7th
Great Green Jumble pm upsets normal routine. With D around house, plant broad b's, then meet M for lunch german cafe then rapidly cycle off to hardwick (not toft). I do books, ok, but don't sell enough.
Soir: tidy & civ.
Sun 8th
Pot a broad b for D in his room.
Bum around a.m. Nearly finish civ. Sun bright to tempt us out then cloud. Read start of Southeys life of Nelson, which I bought y'day. Extraordinary interest.
Nearly 1: M lead by D watching the Fen Causeway r'w'ks: more fun than lammas land which is why we came. Bella P for lunch, finally to p'g'd (2 new 'musical' 'trees'), home.
Soir: finish deity civ: 279%, magnificent.
Mon 9th
Beowulf delivered. Yaala looks good.
Tues 10th
Swim 28, 29, 30x2: 1 sec off passable. Cb1. Arj. Station re corsica. Can't tell re ferries but trains get in at 6:44 (tgv no couchettes) 7:44 (train bleu) or 10.00 (phonecian?). W/s. Home (rain).
With D pm in l'room mostly: both of us quiet.
Soir: mostly S's Nelson, plus a little bit of model-watching.
Wed 11th
Yaala still doing well. Good. Beowulf not running yet. Hey ho.
pm: pick up D and we both cycle back. Read some of his awful bbc toytime magazine, then off to s'pool: abbey at hiis request, though its an extra 10 mins by bike. But, abbey are rather annoying: no elephants and few armbands "because its not funsplash time". Bozos. Cb1, briefly, home. Diary 2001/04 #2 (12-17)
Thurs 12th
My b'day! Downstairs unwrap present: a lava lamp (D has been dropping hints, or bricks, for days about a rocket lamp), in imperial purple (not the feared pink, which D had said). Turn it on, but it takes a while to warm up.
Work, as ever. Few people around. No yoga, so meet M for lunch. After to little garden shop for potatoes (etc) the W/s. Home.
Sit for a while, then rouse myself for mighty matters: the lawn. Sharpen the blade, which was utterly blunt. Make various futile attempts to start the mower, then the cord gives way, so it has to be dismantled. Now it starts. M and D back. spend hour cuttting grass, including the long grass. Bath.
Just time for a short b'day party, with cake (chosen by D, its a disguised earter cake) and candles, and D (and M) sing happy b'day. Lara (and Rob) phone up and sing too, less convincingly. Open other presents: lego kit plus book, Revolution book, etc. Then rush off to GP business, via picking up Jane.
[ps: Ma has sent a hammock seat, which arrived monday, and D and I played in it]
Fri 13th
Get a lie in, as pleasant as it is unusual (except disturbed by some thoughts of cycling to Go in the summer: must think on this more), and M does D till 11:30, while I lounge and drink coffee.
Make lego things with D (from my new pouch and book) and realise that we are rather short of, eg, 2x4 plain blocks. Perhaps we should buy some tomorrow.
Tempt D out into garden to plant plants, but in fact I just dig round another bed, with his "help" which is at least partially helpful (takes weeds to wheelbarrow) and when he digs, not harmful.
This takes quite some time. Then in for luch, then off to H's, and get there about 3ish. She has another H there, very large, and her Adam. And so the 3 play, somewhat together, and its a warm day to be sitting in the conservatory with the door open. Fold some leaflets, and then eventually drag D away. Back via Rick (Jo off at NUT conference) where E is now 1, just, and walks. Rick has a Pasqueflower in bloom.
Home. "Cook" baked potatoes and wash up and do long-overdue hoovering. M home. Play a "lite" Civ some of pm.
Sat 14th
Norwegian for weasel is snomus, & for stoat royskatt. OE weasel = wesle, we(o)sule. ME stoat = stote.
Soir: out to India house. K b'sits.
Sun 15th
Jklr over for lunch & tea. Get into garden briefly pre lunch but extensive rain pm. They bring a 'white lamb' traditional italian easter panetone-ish thing. R is strapped into chair with our climbing slings - only use they get nowadays :-(.
Mon 16th
Lie in. Then to Duxford with D, he keenly & incongruously clutching a spade & flower pot since he remembers the sandpit fondly. Now in US hanger (since car parking further off) waiting for cafe & admiring the 'gigantic' aeroplane (b52).
To p'g'd for a while & D runs around - he is full of bounce today - then we go inside h1 'cos its cold. Into the big tall plane - concorde, which D really wanted to do - enough to stand in a 10 min q - but when inside he seems barely interested. Odd.
Lose D for some time in h1, when he ran all along the upper gallery & down before I could catch up. Then stop to photo blackbird. Find him in cut-out cockpit - he was looking for me too.
Cafe. Long q - or rather slow till - & they have no proper juice. Baked pot & long-promised lolly for D, another ploughmans & orange & coffee for me [hello future generations! Are you interested in what I eat?]
Do h2 & h3 too then home. Managed to leave car open & keys in ignition, oops.
Home. Coffee & paper. Civ.
Tues 17th
Play 'hunt the ferry to corsica' by phone & web, & decide we will have to go via marseilles.
Swim: 27 (just), 29, (30.75) - yes I decided to do a 20 at last. Cb1. Arjuna. Now to station to try to book trains.
R783.225
ME: fulmard = polecat, & polcate/pulcatte
SJ says saxon: perel (funny p & r)
Home. Pm: read ttte, btb. Plant peas & dig. Cook pots &, gasp, aubergines sliced & grilled.
M back. D: "I'm really pleased to see you. I love you". Cute but sounded false (it *is* true of course, but sounds f). Diary 2001/04 #3 (18-26)
Wed 18th
Pick up D: chill. He becomes sad with cold hands. Stay in & read till 4.30, then (drive, its cold & raining) to p'side. Cb1, then give M a lift home.
Thurs 19th
To fr instead of yoga: bad W: but I'm not in mood. Danger of 1pm lunch: cafe nearly full.
Garden shop for pots (& asp), Gts for toby, arj, then back to bas for ra's intro talk, more model, home.
Soir: civ: down to just zulus.
Fri 20th
Huddled in the bike shed waiting for the w*nky weather to stop: strong wind & stronger rain & cold. Ugh. It seems positively malicious. Vexed to the rescue.
Quick 1/2 in plough for nm's leaving. Get D & return to pub, he's happy. Now quiet: nick, wife & katie (1), val+s. D wants to slot machine but plays with k's rattle instead. Home. M'a said D would sleep but though he goes to bed happily he gets up after 5 mins. Read a book or 2. Wx improves so go out & plant asparagus, & pot up pyr iris & eucalypts.
Bath D. Cook pots (& noodles for D) then M home.
Civ: zulus down to one city: just tidying now. Finish vexed. Palm on/off button barely works. End civ at 1.15. 249%.
Sat 21st
Swim 27, 28, 29, 29.5?29. At last back to respectability. Cb1, arj. Home.
To allot: about time to put in pots. Dig & pots 12.30-3. M brings D along & he stays with me, mostly digging happily in neighbours earthpile. Meanwhile its so warm I take off top, in contrast y'day. Black plastic cover has done a good job. Get 1/2 bag pots in. Tired.
Orchard with D - no real food left so unhealthy cakes. Play briefly then home, cycling slowly. To ma's.
Watch news: see Gito Harri, who was doing the 'racial pledge' thing. Astonished to find he is welsh...
Reading v6.
Sun 22nd
Jen arrives first, then henners, then lots. Talk to H re ancestry. Lunch. R's cake for his promo. T's cake. Walk up to church. 'Sermon' v. Roger: offbeat, jokey, tense. Pictures. Back, tea, etc.
Back via jj, with D bouncy.
Mon 23rd
Work: vdb meeting a.m. Yaalc has confused itself & needs restart. Get 1-proc mpp running here.
Eve is lovely as D & I walk back.
Soir: M yoga. I try bg but decide its too complex ui.
Tues 24th
D comes in early but then sleeps till 8.30. Swim 28, 28.5, 28, 28.5. Cb1. There is a payphone outside pool from which I send an email!
Playing hide+seek with D is strange. D: hey, this is fun. Lets play again. I'll hide in the same place.
Read rupert annual from alice to D. He is v keen on it.
Rain most pm but get out 6ish to plant peas.
Soir: put piccies into march & upload. Comment on H's letter. Watch M play bg. Ahem: then (having learnt) have a game with her watching & helping. Fun till 12.15... damage my reputation by killing innocent...
Wed 24th
Sitting out with D in warm sun on bench having picnic: another downpour-then-sun day.
Soir: met curry (except since we have owen, hugh & rob we're only missing a bio) with sergei too. Good food: by a small margin the best I've had in Cambridge. Pub after (prince regent) & lose money on val-inspired who-w-t-b-a-m.
Home: 'help' m with bg.
Thurs 25th
Yoga. Pick up ff, cb1. Sun. Hols tomorrow!
Home. Bg. Then to allot: 3 rows pots; 1 carrot (nantes); peas.
Home. Bg. D to bed. 1 1/2 h clearing l'room. Pack till 1. Rhubarb from allot: astringent but better than sugared.
Fri 27th
Tidy up at work & hurridly complete appraisal form with install of word half way through. Hope its ok & pass on to jck.
Home via pick up D, who runs-rushes back to see m+j. Quick lunch, finish pack, deal with plants. Off. 2.15 train with 5 mins to spare which confuses D: he insists we go sit down. Off! We've begun! Excitement, happiness. Get to kc on time: 50 mins. Are trains returning to sanity? U'ground minor fun due to b'loo fire but w'loo in good time: coffee. Now on e's.
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