Abi & Izzy - the next 5 years

It doesn't seem to matter how long (or short) the term is, by the time you get to the holidays everyone is limping to the finish. We are no different, with the slight exception that this time we were also winding up to Glenn heading out to Spain for a few days 'pre-season testing'. This is not a holiday you understand, despite the warm weather, beer and motorbikes, it's a crucial part of a race season! So with him heading off on the Thursday evening and the girls finishing school on Friday lunchtime, I decided to take Friday off and make a long week of it. Sort of worked although I've remembered that one of the downsides of practice versus corporate life is the lack of clear accountability / delegations. In BP when I went on leave I handed my delegations to my colleague and as long as everything in train was in hand, all would be fine. Here I'm back to the strange matrix world of a highly competitive partnership where it's very hard to switch off, and the ...

Phew, just 1 week to go and then the kids get to break up for Easter and I get to collapse in a heap having had a run over the last 4 weeks of a couple of big work projects which have kept me just a bit busy. I can't wait - not only do I have a week off but with the Easter weekend tagged on it has the added bonus of a short week to follow!! I saw a lovely cartoon last week which sums up why holidays are an added bonus. It showed 2 little kids and one is saying to the over "do you know, I think Mummy likes it even more than me when we don't have homework..." That's certainly true on a Sunday evening in our house. Monday to Thursday Glenn is super-diligent at getting Abi to do her homework as she comes through the door. Of course this doesn't happen on a Friday which means we end up doing it after a busy weekend on a Sunday - too late! The face above is a very common expression while we stagger through whatever has been set with tears and challenges. Why whe...

How lovely is a few hours of sunshine on your face, particulary when its the first rays of Spring beckoning. This weekend has been exactly this, and both days this weekend we have been out in the garden making the most of the fact that Spring is in the air. Bertie and Scooby are also enjoying the fresh air and freedom and have been roaring around the garden having a great time. I'm reconciling myself to the fact that Bertie has a little more learning to do in the category of muddy paws in the kitchen... Oh, and the fact that my garden is covered in sticks as Scooby introduces Bertie to the great pleasure that is 'chewing a stick and leaving the debris everywhere'. Hmmm. On the plus side while Scooby has never willingly shared his ball with any of us, if Bertie bounces up and asks for it he gives it to him - how can than be?!? This week has been world book day and every parent of primary school aged children has had to drum up a costume appropriate for their selected cat...

This week has mainly been one of everyone asking the question "has Bertie been out?", with the odd scream from one of the girls "Er, Bertie's done a wee". In truth, it's not been too bad. We've only had one major disaster when Glenn forgot to state the obvious to the cleaner - the large cage like thing in the kitchen that wasn't there before the puppy arrived - yep, puppy needs to go in that before you happily leave knowing you've cleaned the house from top to bottom. If you forget, then we get home to devestation, after all, when left alone of course you'll check out what's at the top of those stairs everyone keeps disappearing to. And when you get caught short, where better than our bedroom floor and the spare room bed??? Thank goodness Glenn got home first and all I had to listen to how bad it had been.... In fact Bertie is already a fully signed up member of Team Drinkwater. He has slotted right in and is a lovely dog, even Scooby...