That fecking Ocean!

Jamie and I met on MySpace when the world seemed to big to ever meet in person advances in technology that we all take for granted has made it seem so much smaller now that we can communicate in real time with video. That ocean we once hated does not seem so huge when we can talk to loved ones almost as though they are in the same room even though they are 4500 miles away.

A family tragedy just flicks that switch and at 4am through a mistake by myself leaving a computer logged in meant WhatsApp rang out loud, something we normally do not allow our tech to do. The reason is there is nothing we can do especially if the emergency is stateside in the middle of the night so we silence everything but last night I forgot and we got the news in the middle of the night missed out on 4 hours sleep even though there was nothing gained by hearing before 8am.

Unfortunately it was a tragedy and very upsetting, a man I had the pleasure of spending some great time in his company and was always made to feel very welcome but it was Jamie’s most favourite uncle Jack and someone she really held in such high regard for her whole life which made it a very difficult to do or say anything I gad to just leave her to process that news and neither of us got much sleep after that…

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Easy

I didn’t realise until tonight how much I need an easy chair in my shed ASAP I have barely set eyes on Lincoln since getting in from work as he spends his time gaming with his mates, Mommy needed space to discuss family matters pertaining to last night’s tragic news and Reagan had her mate staying for a sleepover acting like she owns the place

I sat in the kitchen after washing the pots up after tea watching a video on me phone finally with a chance to just sit down with a glass of wine, when in waltzes my daughter and her mate to make popcorn. Disturbed, went up to my room to chill and drink the wine when in waltzes Reagan alone this time, where’s my water bottle?

If I had and easy chair in my shed I could kick back against the world close the door and just be….

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Take two

Jamie had arranged to spend the afternoon at the Kinderton with the Craggs people who I really like to spend time with but apart from Friday nights at cricket when both of us are there we never get chance. The weather was great so all 5 kids played in the garden allowing Matt Hazel Jamie and me to drink and chat, the meal was really good, it is such a shame the place is due to close its doors 8th September.

We had spent many afternoons and evenings there over the years and Hazel suggested that we create a photo from years ago where Albie and Reagan were pictured. Surprisingly they both agreed and the result was so good, especially because I was in it too…

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Busy Saturday

I had a job to do in Lymm at 9am so left after a coffee with Jamie, it was and easy install of an Access Point and UPS so I was back home by 11am with a pack of bacon. With Jamie at horse riding with Reagan I made Lincoln an me a butty each while I washed up and cleaned the kitchen, hung the washing and folded the dry clothes too.

James briefly came home but disappeared to a birthday party so sith both kids in their rooms playing with their mates (the new way to socialise) so on a sunny afternoon I just went out in the garden and sorted me shed out trying to use up some of the wood that is piling up in there

I spent a good few hours cutting drawer parts and shelves for my bench and the router table too by five though I’d had enough so treated meself to  Guinness outside King’s Lock after taking Billy around the canal walk.

We met as a family at the dinner table at 7:30 for Mexican after Jamie and me cooked nachos for everyone. I am now laid on the bed with a trapped nerve in my shoulder which is painful but more annoying than anything that I would just like to relax I have the chance to and my arm is numb…

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The cricket set

Could the reason I have never fitted in with the cricket set is because I just am not like them? People who like cricket seem different to me. When I was young I loved cricket but I never really fitted in and I can’t really explain why, whether it be elitist parents or my working class tendencies I just always felt like and outsider?

Now as a parent I can see the same things happening with Lincoln how he is on the periphery of his ream and I find it very hard to “socialise” with other parents maybe it’s just me I don’t know, what I hope is that I pass on my love of cricket to Lincoln and he enjoys playing it as long as he wants to!

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Reagans first job

It’s still a privilege to work from home and it was great to be able to do so all this week

I had the opportunity to take Reagan to the library where she has a summer job which I am so proud of her to have gotten. She volunteered to work 2 hour shifts throughout the summer and just thought she would feel good about getting her first job but she should get paid so I offered to pay her £3 per hour

I just thought how I would have felt working and seeing no benefit and just thought it was the right thing to do

How did we get to the point where I am taking my daughter to work and paying her to do so…

Just finished a 2 hour shift
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Strolling not Scrolling

I went for a walk this morning and took a different route from the norm over Poppity John’s to see if they’d made a start on the promised “Cledford Lagoons Habitat Restoration” had begun, and apparently it has!

Billy was perplexed when confronted by a fence blocking his usual pathway (that he had not seen for 12 months) and looked at me as if to say WTF do we do dad. As we got closer, there was a diversion over the lagoon to the left and all was well. 

My mantre going forward will be “Less Scrolling and more Strolling” it was easy this morning because it was sunny but laying in bed scrolling ain’t the way…?

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Why I should carry on

I discussed the blog with Jamie over the weekend and said that I am not sure me writing what I do everyday is very interesting and there doesn’t seem much point if no-one ever reads it only me and occasionally you. It helps me in a lot of ways to get things of my chest and just put the feelings and experiences down but recently I have not felt the needs to do that so it seemed pointless.

Until she reminded me, I had forgotten that this will be theirs one day and that is why I should just push through this lull in inspiration and will to put down my world in my blog and why I should keep doing it for as long as I can!

So since the 30 March 2010 you can read how my life changing affected me, mostly for the good but also the not so good too, I do try to add how I feel more over the last few years

She said that one day Reagan and Lincoln will be desperate to read every word and that is who you should be writing it for, even if you think you don’t need it they will love to read it one day and be able to find out who their dad was in the minutest detail!

14 years on this us today…

Still going strong, just trying to negotiate life as best we can doing our best to be happy every day because that’s what life is about at the end of the day.

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Uninspired

Why bother if you have nothing to say, I walkedI went to work I drank I went to bed.

I was frightened today when I heard that Graham Thorpe took his own life after fighting depression for years, and it made me realise how close I came and how hard it is rise above those feelings when it would have been so much easier not to!

It’s a wonderful life

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Home sweet home

Loved being away in Patty and Ians company in Warwick and today in Stratford but when they said they had to leave we decided to go home too. 30? heat was lovely walking around Stratford but it eventually took its toll on us and we ended up sat in the shade of a tree by the Avon

…but its good to be back home!

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