My children are about to leave on an adventure that will be in their memories for ever, at the moment the unknown but in a week they will have the experience and knowledge of something special

Denver have never won a Superbowl with a quarterback they drafted they traded for Elway and picked up Manning from free agency there has been a procession of QBs that showed promise but either didn’t make the grade or were just not given time to develop.

Head coach Sean Payton is someone who has coached at a high level and won a ring and has just taken control of the organisation since arriving, which is what we needed after the shambles that was the Hacket experiment.

Tonight he announced that Bo Nix will start under centre this season a rookie handpicked I  the draft and has shone in pre season so far.

I just hope both the coach and especially the rookie are given time to develop, mistakes will be made its part of the process but this guy looks like he could succeed in a Payton offense if expectations can be tempered while he learns his trade at this level

In Bo Nix we trust #nixforsix

Some things should really be done at the weekend one of those is a beer and curry night but tonight I found myself in Middlewich with a few friends for a couple of pints and a curry at Blue Ginger…?

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…

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….

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…

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…

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!

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

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…?