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See-also: http://www.wmc.care4free.net/diary/.
Mon 1st
M'a phones (or rather Colin does): she has hurt her back. Oh dear for her, and us. OK, I get E till 2 then M. So... M might as well take D to school, and does (another cold overnight buring away in the sun). E and I play; she plays BtB (and sings the song quite well as it starts up); we do puzzles. To smoko (since this is ritual) (jck: is it wednesday? did I miss 2 days...) and end up at Chris Doakes farewell. Thence to pool where E jumps with gusto. She is also bossy: I must stay (she points). I must sit in the corner while she goes up into the next pool. OK by me.
Cb1. E sings: 'stable story' to herself, mostly just the first 2 lines repeated.
Then its time to go home, or rather BAS, where we swap E, and I go to work just past 2. Go to CD's unofficial drinks and do drink a little but still manage to work somewhat after. File NERC fellowship review.
Home. D sad because no-one would play with him at school, poor D. M says (later) it made her sad. Me too. But what to do? Cannot live his life (much as I might like to). D chooses playing lego "beltz" new lego-club game he has found. But its hard! I have to play for him past the first few levels and I struggle.
M yoga; I misc/compute. There doesn't seem to be too much that really needs to be done. How odd.
Tues 2nd
M'a still sick. D to sch, then W till 1.
Sit in sun with coffee & E. Toast!
With E to get D & S. Its a lovely afternoon so we go early. E plays & I talk. Steph re BS's village spring clean.
Play in garden a while. Tree house (trap door won't shut) while I spade around compost heap. Rat! But runs away before I can bop it, partly because I had internal dialogue first re can-I? Yes. Inside: SD on stunt rally & E fights to watch.
D: I've got a hundred... a million... infinity guns. That means they go on for ever.
Cook: leek & pot soup: not appreciated by infants.
P early so comes in with K who plays with E. Talk: m'a.
Wed 3rd
A usual wed: d sch; back with e; smoko a bit late; Swim (E: hurrah! S'pool (repeats)). Arj/cb1.
Allot: 1 clove (bought from Arj today) planted while E watches. Her first intro to allotment life I think.
Bonfire with D: old shed doors etc that have been hanging around for far too long, doing little but provide cover for The Rat.
D one TW tablet after he provides proof. Also poss impetigo? Start creaming him and pay a bit more attention to face washing. We'll lapse again no doubt.
Make phpwiki work rather quickly. Will anyone use it? Probably not.
Thurs 4th
M'a back, but careful lifting E.
12:30 to town for Cred working lunch Sue Woodford, John & Charles. Michaelhouse - nice but dear. Somewhat odd... we have before us the beauteous Norwich/UEA flyers, and are talking of doing similar. Well, its a self-belief and organising thing, it might work. HKR got me into this.
Cb1, since I'm in town. Test pp-wiki but it fails on cb1's ie. Argh.
Soir: pp. And after: fix wiki (remove compression; found on web).
Fri 5th
DAN back from multi-sports and all is well. They go upstairs with some buscuits and D is v careful about sharing them out equitably.
5: S & Cory knock. This is a touch odd - S is visiting C, but should they be wandering the streets? They say C's mother knows, and this is likely to be true. OTOH I do (in theory) rather approve of kids wandering the streets. Let them in with misgivings. But 10 mins later D is in tears on the stairs (sad about failure of sharing, probably down to S; plus minor physical violence) so throw them out (S hides under bed and is totally unrepentant, indeed doesn't even acknowledge any guilt): C says "but it wasn't me" but they are together. Sorry C.
Later: E (after something): "I'm going to sorry you daniel." (pause) "Sorry, D". But D is ungracious.
Pack up and off to Marcham: occaision is Ernie being over here for conf.
Talk: Johns Iwon has been bought out & J has done well. E has pics of Ruthie - first I've seen (or M, I think). She runs a pre-school. Internet dating is popular in the states.
M+J have (of course) a copy of Leviathan so I can keep reading. Discuss, somewhat. Mfd has of course read it; J too I think; Ernie did a long time ago. Mfd says, he is not sure why Hobbes is so popular. I am only on book 1 (or whatever) so would rather not commit too much at this point. I like it but don't agree with all. I can see how powerful it could be. I've added some quotes to my wiki page.
Sat 6th
Long lie-in, for some reason yesterday was tiring. 11:46 to ox, on about 5 mins notice because we suddenly realise there is a bus (Mfd+J had sort-of assumed we were likely to be going anyway). Borders (read PC games mag); then M and I split; Oxfam bookshop (find copy of "Baldurs Gate" book which is, oddly enough, rubbish but sort-of fun if you;ve played the game), wander. Gt St M coffeehouse at Mfd's rec. Good. Sit outside because its full in. Its just about warm enough to do this. Then have 1/2 hour so walk round Chr ch meadows quickly. Crowds - more than one might expect, even though (from a few gowns) its a degree day. But the cause turns out to be: Torpids! Sadly (or happily: not sure) I don't want to wait an extra hour just to see a race or two... probably would have if on my own. How times change.
Back. Others are out - they went kite flying on White Horse Hill where I've never been (Mfd surprised I've not. Must go next time). We go in: the burg alarm goes off. Argh. Fortunately Margery is available and rememebrs her code. We mocj Mfd/J when they come back.
Quiet. Ernie reads bedtime to E on lap - this was one of his goals for the weekend, and E is happy.
Long dinner, as usual.
Swap Lev for bg, the argument is rather less dense, though also less rewarding.
Sun 7th
Piano: D struggles but submits. Pain. He is currently within the band of acceptable behaviour but can't be considered enthusiastic, and occaisionally gets threatened with having lessons withdrawn. But this is a gratifyingly effective threat so he does want to continue. Also to catch N and A.
Brunch. Er off pre-1 for flight back.
I take DE to p'g'd. Sun/clouds. E walks, under protest, but I am firm. D as usual plays helicopter mechanic.
Draughts: D versus J. J is good at letting him win.
In the car back home, D fantasizes: draughts-as-war: elephants shoot snakes out of their trunks, which are not afraid. They practice: first 1 mile, then 10, then 100.
Mon 8th
W / self-Y / W:
Diags meeting:
Renwick & revell mwr '99: rws. S & Hoskins. Chen & Br: cem/cmm diags.
Gwd in aquaplanet?
Tues 9th
Work, then (having carried boots in):
Allot (dig back & plant 1 row transpl garlic, 1r b beans; dig under b'currants) 1+ h, then to school. E has a new hat courtesy M'a. Talk H. Had hoped to get O but he is elsewhere engaged & D out late. D v sad. H takes pity & invites him so that works out OK.
Home with E, who is cute. She 'cooks' some lego & I must 'eat' it carefully 'cos its hot but she takes care that I don't really eat it.
M is annoyed/angry re housework. But we make up. I tink we both know we ought to keep the house rather tidier but somehow this rarely rtanslates into action, more often into frustration.
Soir: PC/Rec. Swings: we agree to send off N's letter so presumably we agree with it. Hard to get the discussion focussed. GK chairing: why? (and: GD sore tooth). Things move more briskly but I don't think the chair should be proposing motions. But I dont say that.
Wed 10th
A few fat flakes. Then sun. D sch. Put up BS's spring clean poster.
Home, little break (I get my b'fast). We're a touch late so skip smko: Town: swim, E a little under the weather and over-concerned by a tidy cut; arj (who have stopped stocking E's favourite Jap rice crackers; she accepts crisps as substitute); cb1.
Nwn / morroww.
E sleeps on the bike back so I put her to bed and after rather little complaint she is zonked.
M makes tortillas (from flour) and this works well when I roll them out avoiding the clingfilm theory. They are nicer than bought ones, we all (inc D) agree.
M out at book club till late.
Talk with Dot re grant pp est and look at her PC re virus: get her AVG cd.
M and I both end up on line late: till 12. Bad!
Thurs 11th
W, then home 2. Sit with well desered pot of coffee and browse wiki, as is my wont; but my score is 48 (should I get another point for bothering to compute my score...?). Then do something useful: drag the 2 temp noticebaords to the shed and sand them and paint them blue. I've been leaving this too long.
Pick up D then E.
N v concerned by the swings placement and I agree with her. Argh.
Soir: yet more wiki.
Fri 12th
Roused out of bed cos Dot needs to talk re the Evil Swings Problem. Argh. I wish GD/GK would see sense. D to school, where I sign N's letter. But anyway Dot has called a site meeting for tomorrow 10 am.
Work: frustration as I'm not at my best and the machines are close to their worst.
back in time for nice long coffee over lunch before going for happy E. D is off to O's party (argh: I've forgotten the present!).
M back past 4. After a while she takes E to w/rose which suits as she then takes the present with her and overs my mistake.
D back past 6 with party bag. Reads one of this school books to M, then plays on lego web site, then piano. I bed E and M does D.
Dinner: w/rose curry (not as good as Nasreem Dah of course...) but *we sit at the dining table* which is pleasant.
Sat 13th
10: to hastily-arranged site meeting at rec swings which is a disaster.
Off 10:45 to station. Only virtue of privitisation - trains at :15 & :45 - is now thrown away, & end up on semi-fast at :20 odd. Tube crowded! Sci mus a bit before our time of 1.30 & Datew arrive a bit later. Then drove.
& so we (look around, eat/drink) rpt. & some time to talk too. Most time in play: garden, & launch pad. Den looks at time & I met, briefly. Leave 6 (after shop: D spends £11.50 of c/mas money on glow-in-dark chalk & straws). Home 8:15, tube & train crowded.
Baths: me then M. Shower drips... needs fix.
Flies :-(
Sun 14th
Windy. 1:30 to B's to pick up D (A has to drive back from Rocking Horse specially :-(). D doesn't want to go to smelly concert but submits. Drop off MD then take E to b+q (in which I'm now a shareholder!) for:
100x60; knobs? 114 glass? Mirror tiles
Fail on tiles (for D) so with time in hand go to xxOct who have some.
Pick up MD (D did enjoy it; for 1h) & home. 3:30-5: shed. Wind moderates to nice a'noon. Put up front lhs t+g up to shelf (add).
M cooks aub-with-sesame seeds: excellent.
Flies!
Mon 15th
Honey sale via internet: 3 jars at £2.50, bod comes to collect.
Tues 16th
School: arrange K for tomorrow with M'a.
Feels like first day of spring. Coffee.
Shed. Windowfr from t+g.
'borrow' O, happy to come.
Home. DO sandpit with E nearby. They don't need me so I shed - finish lhs window.
Cory comes round & joins in. Treehouse. O less agile & at disadvantage. But inside DO play legu R & C is left.
Warm out. Sit with book.
Cook: pots, sos, brocolli. D doesn't like veg sos but O & E do.
Wed 17th
E: Baby, shall we gallop? D does his homework in the morning & is pleased to save eve time.
E takes baby to school. Talk to pre-school re E: they are nearly full.
BW. E 'walks' baby there, pushes her on the swing & the bouncer. Sun. Loud birds. E thinks baby is a he.
To smoko, then Orchard: seeds.
E to N to play with P. Me to allot, till 3:30: 5 rows pots, 2 onion, 2 carrot, 1 chard.
Soir: gp in univ arms. Simon £15 for honey! Then pub ASCM & me.
Thurs 18th
I drunk too much y'day.
Rs: flyspray & toilet descaler. Cb1. Cycle back: skip directors talk. Nuke flies: seems to work. Do loft too: what a lot! Leave them to die in peace.
Cut frame for n'board & glue/screw lower bit.
Fri 19th
Windy!
W till 3:15 on poisson_solver. Pick up E & D to A after cake sale.
E arranges her tea set for us. Will little lamb have tea? I ask. No, says E, he can't open his mouth.
Pick up D & off: easy drive but I'm tired.
Read hp till too late.
Sat 20th
I lie in late.
Hell of Whitgift again. We should think about this a bit more carefully before our next visit
D new lunch box & lego car (c'mas money).
F buys E a horse balloon. SOmehow the horse escapes - I leap too late. D on shoulders - no. R/bin: ok, helpful cleaner lends broom. But after that E takes against it and tries to put it in the bin when we get home.
Cafe at m&s generates an enormous amount of used packaging from 5 of us. I'm getting v grumpy by this stage.
I am thoroughly disenchanted with all this, which comprises waiting for people; pushing through crowds; & gazing at acres of tat.
FMED head back; I get a pass for Books etc for 1h+. New (old) Vance: Makse: Theary. OK.
Soir: it was StW demo day today, and I completely forgot. I could probably have gone. But realistically, that is now Too Late.
Sun 21st
D v keen to bring M b'fast on mothers day, so I help him and we take up tea, juice, shreddies, etc; and he takes it into our room on a tray for M. Also, he had made her a card in school.
D and E watch Tv, from far too close, till when F gets up around 9:30 she forces them to sit further back. F appears to be slipping backwards through the day, staying up dozing from 10 pm watching 24 hour news or whatever, and finally going to bed at 3 am, then rising late. If it keeps up, she will end up nocturnal!
Drag DE outside. It *looks* like its quite calm from inside but at the top its windy. Play H+seek for a while. D knocks on ?kareems? door but no answer. E gets a bit chill so we go back, to a rather slow lunch, with frustration as usual becauseF won't sit down to eat with us.
E is talking on phone to m+j: look, popadoms! she says, as F brings some. D plays the game and gives her a horse, but she disappoints him and doesn't say look at horse!
At the end, F as usual tries to press too much food on us, but somewhat less usually we resist more forcefully. F as usual just gives an irritating little laugh and tries to press the food again, but when M ends up shouting at her in frustration and holding her (M's) head in her hands, even F has to admit that she has made a mistake. And so M drives us back, and we discuss what on earth we might do, I at least conscious that D is awake in the back (E sleeps) and wondering what he is making of it all. D: why brdige one way and tunnel the other. Me: because it was 2-way tunnels, and when they needed more cap they built a bridge. D: so why not another tunnel? Indeed: good question.
Leave 3+; back 5+.
D: just before going to bed: Happy Mothers Day again. Sweet.
Mon
M skips work, I discoer when I get home. She says she started cycling out twice, buy came back. Poor M. Apart from all else, the weekend, and the ending of it with F, was not as restful as it might have been.
Work all day on sfvp but end frustrated :-(
Soir: M yoga.
Tues 23rd
To see Img, who is designing a spiral staircase! CP is having a solar panel fitted - have a look. Also note that access to *her* back garden is blocked except for an (internal) door.
Down the garden... frogspawn in the pond. The frogs were copulating about 1 week ago. Various hailstorms during the day, about 3, quite hard.
Pick up happy E and less happy D from school (am I not going to play with someone :-( says D). Home. E corners computer, D says: OK, I'll do homework + piano *then* computer, but ends up doing lego.
I cook jarts/post/aubergine which proves so unpopular with D that he gets sent upstairs for not even trying it. And then E gets sent up for carefully and deliberately pouring water over her dinner. Oh dear.
7: rec then pc meeting. Rec is about the swings, of course. This is the worst ever (rec/pc) meeting I've attended, in terms of the sheer stupidity shown, and the stupidity of the resultant decision: to ask rospa. Arggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. After rec is pc, planning for rectory farm, which gets a nod. Ian McG and John there.
Wed 24th
11: cred meeting in guildhall is good & E behaves well.
Swim, then briefly arj/cb1, to get to N by 2 in time, so she can take P & E to dance class.
3:30: shedwards to close up top front. Then cut one perspex panel.
5: M takes de to w/rose & comes back with pizza & lots of cereal.
Bed late again :-(. D in s'bag on floor.
Thurs 25th
E comes in early screaming 'monsters'. A nightmare, poor her, so she comes into our bed. But is restless.
Work: sfvp1 :-(.
Allot: break fork after 5 mins as rain starts :-(. Home.
M back early so we sit by fire together. Nice.
Walk to get D & take him to M'a for E, who has been sulky says M'a but is ok now.
Gov 7.30. Slow. Up to 2h now. Admissions: our 17 limit: grr!
Fri 26th
I'm less snuffly o'night. Work: sfvp works with spherepack. Has been for a while but I didn't realise.
Home 2. M at home, off sick, sleepy & snuffly. I finish HP&tGoF.
Bees busy. Rat seen :-(.
School for E & to collect keys for early pumping. Bw with E. Home, M still flopped. 4:45: go rubbish-collecting at end of fp & get a bin-liner full. Kids playing on bikes. Pick up D for anomalous friday lesson: he gets to go back for dins if he is 'perfect'. But since I have to keep reminding him, he isn't... close enough I suppose, sigh. He is playing quite well.
Sat 27th
Up 6.45 to set up pump in school pond. This will pump steadily but rather slowly for the next 3 hours. Then back to bed. D is playing 'buggy' when I leave and when I return and barely notices me. Is buggy educational? Probably. It allows him to think. Get up "poperly" at 9:30 and have brief b'fast before going off to help with pond at 10. Ian from wildlife trusts is first to arrive. We have no really strong lead - Ian knows wildlife but not ponds; because I relined mine I'm about the most knowledegable there. So we dump water into whatever containers we have (several bins; a wheelie bin; several sandpints; and a paddling pool), remove frogspawn (and less toadspawn - first I've ever seen) and obvious frogs (which hop out of the paddling pools) and newts and etc. And dump lots of muck in to paddling pool. And throw the rest out painfully by bucket by bucket, pausing for tea then lunch.
Home about 1:30. MED has been to w/rose as every sat. D has done a get-well card for M.
M half-asleep.
To Katies party. E was invited, and I invited D, since I need to be looking after both of them this pm, especially with M sick. Slightly surprisingly, D joins in enthusiastically (I had expected him and S to retreat upstairs to S's room). perhaps because S and Chloe do. After the magician (Mr E, good) its getting v bouncy. Outside for duck-duck-goose; whats-the-time-mr-crocodile (I don't understand). Etc. So it all goes well and E loves it, though she is v tiny.
M goes up to sleep and D gives her one of his cuddlys - a bear, to help her get well.
pm: I feel somewhat sick-in-stomach. Have a rest, which turns into a sleep by fire. Night: M whimpers with pain :-(
Sun 28th
DE let me lie long enough that M gets up instead so I get a lie in, how nice. Take D to sunday club 11 and then go to help pond: phase 2: reshaping the interior. The existing edges are far too abrupt and we create ledges about 1' down and a boggy bit - effectively by throwing back in a lot of earth that must have been painfully dug out about 20 years ago. At 12, collect D, who is happy to watch, so we stay till about 1:15, which is when it finishes, with the grand unrolling of the liner-underlay package, the laying out thereof, and finding a hose so we can (slowly) fill it. The hose goes at about the rate my pump was emptying it, so it will be left o'night.
Home 1:30 just in time as M has appt with Dr in Chesterton to look at her ear. So DE and I stay home while she goes off (and gets given painkillers and antibiotics).
3:30 to comm room for tea-and-biscuits as part of the village spring clean, I did my bit before on fri by the M11. Take DE who behave; there arent many people there, most probably did their bit quietly. Thence to pond to see how full its got (v little). BW talk to mother-of-jesse and both agree they should play together mroe. Knock at B's but he is off for the weekend.
Mon 29th
So back to work with my cricked neck. Excitement of the day #1: Amna Jrrar starts for us. #2 is that the network collapses as does the power in the afternoon, doubtless greatly impressing her with BAS. Leave early.
M downstairs for a bit feeling somewhat better, but then retreats up.
I fetch D then E, and due to the hour shift its light. We stay outside till 7, inspecting the seedlings in the shed, checking for the rat (no sight of live one, but find a dead one, which is good, though I don't know what it died of), and planting a row of onions, one of carrots, and one of chard: E greatly interested and D somewhat.
Soir: misc. Leaf through old papers and throw out a lot that is now clearly redundant. Hurrah!
Tues 30th
Work: find replacement p/supply for one blown y'day by Jarvis-induced power cuts.
Leave 3. Sun! Warm! Look round allot. All well (apart from undug). Dig up garlic clove for school garden.
E capable of flawless sentences: 'we have to sellotape it back together'.
Kelly gives me letter from preschool we have been expecting: E is rejected for next term: they are full.
Wed 31st
Sun again. M still off but improving: can fully close jaw. But can't leave house because she has a tissue in her ear & looks silly.
Smoko / swim (take boat) / arj / cb1. Chemists (c/wool balls) and Amnesty cos I've lost Intellectual Impostures but they don't have it either. Library (Wibbly pig goes back in exchange for 2 spot) but they have no II either. Back: to school past 3, E nearly asleep. Stop to help with the pond: it sparkles in the sunshine and Alison and Barbara and a few kids are putting plants back. So I help by pouring in buckets of black mud and E says she's going to fly off into the sky (? what is she on?). Now you can't see down to the frogs in the deeps but probably this will change when it settles.
Shopping list:
-cotton wool balls -p'mint tea • -bread • -yog •
DE run around after school with N etc and have fun: its a lovely warm afternoon. Despite DE attempting to spoil this by fighting over who gets to ride on the bike pedal I am still happy and relaxed. Back home: D in sandpit; E and I go and plant some various seeds in the shed: leave peas in water overnight. Meanwhile M is in bed doing more recovering as she should. I dig over D's patch of garden and we plant broad beans with D putting some in. E is very keen too but accepts she can't do it just yet. Take D to piano leaving E with M. D is pretty good though won't sit straight. Dinner mostly felafels (sp?).
DE to bed somewhat late. Then plan easter break: D to Ma pre-easter and Mfd+J post; with us all to Ma for easter. Is that about right? OK by Ma, prob with Mfd+J. Good. When am I going to fit in taking him to the seaside?
Till late wiki etc.
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