Archive for April, 2007

A day with the youngest

Published at Thursday, April 19, 2007 in Diary. 0 Comments

On Tuesday Gina had to go back to wor, but the nursery where Gabby goes was closed. I happily took a day’s holiday to look after her and we had a really nice day. She is a joy to look after really.

After taking the others to school (when Gabby is the most organised and actually got the others their shoes; oops Daddy forgot the PE kit) we had a quick drink (water/tea) and then went off to the playground where Gabby enjoyed the swing and slide.

Then we simply chilled in the garden until lunch. I might go on about the weather but it does mean that you can get out of the house a lot.[1] Gabby really loves the garden and potters about in it far more than the others. She’ll stay out all day if you’d let her.

Then lunch and a nap. A two hour nap. Daddy got a lot done in those two hours — two episodes of Heroes and one Battlestar Galactia :)

Finally we picked up the others and headed off to another park where we had more swinging and more slides (Ryan was doing “power” slide - is that Power Ranger thing?).

Mummy came home and then it was dinner, followed by bed time.

Then I got to watch the football.

[1] Can’t say that will be the case in July when it really will be too hot to leave the house.

Hot Damn Hot

Published at Sunday, April 15, 2007 in Diary. 0 Comments

It’s only April, yet it is already about as hot as I can take it. I thinking of moving to Iceland. As a result, it was a lovely couple of days in the sunshine.

Saturday was football day, and I took Ryan to the Reading Fulham game. Good first half with Reading taking the lead through Hunt. Second half was quite scrappy and got a bit boring. Fulham were not the best team, and Reading were taking it easy.

Gina picked us up in the nearby B&Q car park as I wanted to get home quick to watch the United semi final on TV. However we then spent the next hour in the queue to get out of the car park. Obviously, not the place to be after Reading matches. I missed the first three goals as United comfortably beat Watford. In the evening I watched the new Doctor Who episode suitably called Gridlock and about a massive traffic jam under New New York.

Sunday was a day in the garden, sorting things out, cleaning the decking that sort of thing.  The kids loved the hot weather and we ate outside.  My parents came over shortly before heading over to Winchester for a short holiday.

Find the easter egg

Published at Wednesday, April 11, 2007 in Diary. 0 Comments

We visited Gina’s gran this weekend which, despite managing three children in a child unfriendly house, was really rather relaxing.

Highlights including visiting a castle, getting chilly on the beach, 4 hour car journeys, admiring the cheapness of the large houses for sale, going on an easter bunny hunt and having a garden easter egg hunt.

Unfortunately, Gina’s dad isn’t very well, so this has been in our thoughts this weekend.

recycling

Published at Wednesday, April 4, 2007 in Diary. 1 Comment

Now we are in British Summer I’ve just started cycling to work again. And nearly killed myself (and the cyclist behind me) in the process.

I’d had to leave the bike in the garden (under cover) over winter due the extension work. I had checked my bike over but obviously not well enough as whilst I was cycling along (at admittedly quite a slow weight) part of the panniers fell over and wedged itself between the frame and the wheel.

I ground to a halt, and just avoided going over onto the gravel. The cyclist behind me just avoided me too, although it would have been his old fault as he was slipstreaming me.

Then when I got to work, the key wouldn’t turn in my bike lock. I gave it a really hard turn and broke the key off in the lock. Luckily, the bike wasn’t stolen during the day.

Gina is spring cleaning and now Gabby is in her room, we are starting to sort out the new playroom and the children’s bedrooms. What a mess they have become over the last year.

Backlog

Published at Monday, April 2, 2007 in Diary. 5 Comments

Stuff that has been done recently :-

Jethro Tull at the Hexagon (Wednesday)

They may be gloriously uncool and far too old to rock and roll, but that has never stopped me in the past. Also, going to see a group with your parents and going first to the coffee bar instead of a proper bar is also rather uncool, although far preferable to going with your son/daughter to the latest boy band (S-Club Blue 5ive). But Jethro Tull were never “cool” and thank god for that.

This was Acoustic Tull but still was fairly electric as well as usually eclectic. Mandolins and voilins electrically amplified instead of electric guitars. Ian Anderson’s voice has long gone; it had long gone ten years ago as well, this does not stop the band being musically excellent and very funny as well.

Playing 6-string and acoustic violins, Anna Phoebe joined to provide an interesting female addition to usual sound. However, I was particularly impressed by John O’Hara on the piano and James Duncan on drums and percussion (the drumming on one of the songs has to be seen to be believed.

Best moment was a (mostly) instrumental version of Aqualung. I hadn’t realised there wasn’t a flute in the song, so the addition made for an excellent new version.

Personally, whilst they never quite excite me as much as seeing one of my favourite (modern?) groups live, it is always an enjoyable experience, and if you like folky instrumental and different music try them out live once.

Doctor Who (Saturday)

Excellent. Liked the New Rose (well that is what Ryan calls her and if you can get a new Doctor …) and I think David Tennant was much better without the best mates with Rose routine.

Hoo Farm (Sunday)

A long day. We visited Gina’s sister in Telford and her three children. We spent the day at Hoo Farm; 6 hours in total. Add in the 5 hour round trip from Reading to Telford and you get an Official Long Day. We needed to get there quite early to help feed the lambs (the children hold the bottle of milk and the lamb tries to both drink the milk and wrench the bottle of the child’s hand with as much force as possible).

Other attractions were the lambing (not a patch on Rushall Farm but then Hoo Farm is more an activity farm than a real farm), the fairy wood, the Pony Ride and the Galloping Goats. Gaby was now walking and it was an interesting experience coping with three moving children out and about. There didn’t seem to be too much at the farm that the children would like, yet we managed to spend 6 hours at the farm without the children complaining (except for when we wanted to leave and they didn’t).