Skip to main content

Nearly there....

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 when it's so straightforward the rest of the time?!

This weekend has mainly been about sport. Riding in Saturday morning, Glenn off to see England France on Saturday afternoon, Kerrie arriving Saturday afternoon as well to run her first half marathon on Sunday morning while Glenn cycled a 70 mike sportive with Simon (his first), then me popping out to make the most of a glorious spring afternoon to do a quick 30 miler so I didn't feel completely left out. Then we wonder why everyone is a bit tired by Sunday evening! Abi, Izzy and I took Kerrie into Reading to give her some support and after seeing her off (all felt a bit chaotic despite us being there in plenty of time) we had a coffee (me) and sausage bap (girls) before heading to the stadium to wait for her to come in. We saw all sorts of sights and cheered everyone over the line (including various superheroes, a minion and a camel) until Kerrie arrived having run a time of 2 hours and 3 minutes - pretty damn good given the fact that she started right at the back and there were 16500 people running. It took her 30 mins o get over the start line! It was perfect weather for it and we had a lovely time despite a few "I'm bored Mummy" after the first 10 minutes. I'd did laugh, I wasn't the only one who'd brought sweets to keep them happy....

Bertie has been settling in even more over the week. We've changed his food which seems to be a positive move and he has got over his limp - I suspect a combination of a bit of rest and getting a bit wiser to some of the games he and Scooby play. They look like they are playing rough as they race along with mouths and feet flying but they are incredibly well suited and generally know when enough is enough. So far they've managed to avoid trees and ditches when at full pelt but It's no doubt just a matter of time. Scooby continues his love affair with his new best friend, even sharing sticks with him. The only sign of any grumpiness is when Scoobs has been playing too much and is stiff and just needs to be left alone.

So one more week and then pause - we are planning a week of rest and relaxation at home - day visitors welcome but to answer Abi's question earlier today - we are most definitely staying put!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Welcome Albert James!

So this week has been full of new things - Jess and Chris have welcomed Albert James Wilkinson Rayner to the family, a tad early but all doing well apparently (and so cute!!), I started my new job, Abi has her new shed and Dad got sorted on a phone that wasn't invented before the kids were born!! I always knew this week was going to be full on and it certainly has been. The first thing I had to do was try and sort out my diary which had been filled from dawn to dusk by my predecessor with meetings. I decided to set out as I mean to go on and immediately took out those that started before 9am. While I can get into  the office for 8am , it's a pain and requires me to be on the 6:30am train which is just a bit much every day (stating the obvious). I then made it clear that we don't need to be joined at the hip for the next 4 weeks which is a sensitive process - even though he is retiring it's hard to let go and he is understandably keen that the team are looked after. ...

Diary management!

This part of the summer is definitely typified by me trying to remember who is supposed to be where and when. Abi likes to be off doing something with someone while Izzy is happier to know she's close to home and so for the last week they've gone their separate ways. Abi has been down in Somerset making the most of Ben and Laurie being about. From what I can tell she's having a lovely time. Apart from the covert phone call one evening to tell me she was 'starving'  (Mum was cooking for the hordes and so it had been delayed), I've barely heard from her. The few calls I have had have very quickly ended in "can I go now" like I'm making her speak to me! Today she switches from Mum and Dads to a night or two with Kerrie - not sure who is more excited! Izzy didn't want to be away for that long so she opted not to go. She's very conscious that Abi and Laurie are joined at the hip when together and Ben has his own things he wants to do so she ...

All about Izzy

This weekend has mainly been about Izzy, mostly because Abi has been off riding again and so we've hardly seen her. This has its pros and cons - on the one hand Izzy gets lots of attention and the choice of what to do. On the other she misses Abi and when big sister arrives home we have the inevitable few hours of resettling which seems to involve tears as a matter of course. I did have a moment of despair this evening when I looked across to the table just before Sunday dinner - normally a happy time - to see both of them, heads on arms, holding back tears. Luckily a bit of food and a game of 20 questions to share what everybody had enjoyed about their weekend and we kind of managed to get back on track by dessert. When asked what she wanted to do, Izzy immediately shouted "Jo Jo" so my task was to sort out a visit with Jo, the boys and Ellie. No matter how much time passes they still love to see each other and the first task is always the same. Edward and Izzy have t...