The last three weeks seem to have flown by; this is as I remember it:

She has been very busy at school.

Enviously, she had a flight in a Cessna aircraft at RAF Wittering with the air cadets. She also attended the annual air cadet’s dinner, and the Air Commodore made an appearance. It was a very formal affair and a great many awards were given out. Afterwards, when we arrived to pick Sarah up, the Commodore made a beeline to talk to us, he seemed a very pleasant chap and was very impressed by our daughter.

Charlotte, Lucas and Claire (friend) arrived on a Friday night and with Sarah the following morning caught the 6.30am train to London. They left Lucas for Sue to look after as Suraj was fitting a wood burner at home, which they had bought off eBay. The girls took the trip as an excuse for a huge amount of retail therapy and returned at 6pm. They stayed with us at Willow Bank until Sunday evening. Coincidentally, I was also in London that day to watch England play the All Blacks.

Sarah had a couple of days off school with a chest bug that is ravaging the local schools, however, at the weekend she is supposed to be going to Edale with the Air Cadets, I expect a miraculous recovery!

Sue has been busy secretly shopping for Christmas presents and also packing in as many days in school as possible to pay for it all.

On a Sunday, we travelled to Newark to celebrate Lucas’s 2nd birthday. Sue shouldn’t have gone as she was feeling far too ill, but she insisted. Despite looking like death warmed up, she also went to school on the following Monday morning.

On Tuesday morning I took her to the doctor and then to the Cottage Hospital for an x-ray of her chest. It was discussed as to whether she should be admitted into Leicester Hospital as she had fluid in the lungs, but in the end, it was decided to give her a massive dose of antibiotics (I think she pressurised them).  She slept at home until around 5pm when I decided to take her back to the doctor. Once there she said she felt better and made an appointment to see the doctor again on Friday morning.

She was supposed to be in school on Wednesday and wanted to go, but I rang the school and told them she wouldn’t be in this week. She looks terrible but says she is feeling better, but I couldn’t stop her from tidying up around the house!

He seems fine and is back with Harriet (officially just friends).

Over a couple of evenings, he helped lay a floor at a friend’s house, for which he surprisingly got paid.

The following day he parked his car at work, forgetting to put the handbrake on, it rolled down a slope and through a wooden fence. The following Sunday, it took him and a friend, seven hours to replace the fence his car had destroyed. Surprisingly, there wasn’t much damage to his car.

Instead of coming with Sue and me, he chose to drive in his own car to Newark (with Sarah) for Lucas’s birthday.

During the week, he had a few days working on exhibitions, in London and Birmingham. I think he enjoys working away from Harborough, but he doesn’t speak much of it.

At present, I am decorating his bedroom and there is a vast difference of opinion as to what it should look like. Apparently, I am a rubbish carpenter, and he is better, I already knew that! I do wonder why he isn’t doing it himself, but then I suppose he would want paying for it?

I have at last finished decorating Sarah’s room and am now working on Jamie’s, though the occasional workday in school is slowing things down. The chest bug going hitting Harborough seems to be targeting teachers and they are dropping like flies.

I continue to referee at the weekends. Memorably, a couple of weeks ago I refereed in a prison and had to stop the game early to protect the opposition from being beaten up. It was an interesting game.

As previously mentioned, I had a pleasant day in London watching the All Blacks beat England at Twickenham with Paul. We also rode the London Eye and as it was so cold, I bought a thermal vest from M&S.

The new wood burner we had installed has proved to be a wise purchase as the house is now much warmer. We have had a survey done to install cavity wall insulation, hopefully, to be put in after Christmas.

She went into the hospital for an injection in her eye (ouch) last week. The Botox ejection is supposed to correct her vision which is now quite skewed. The injections work for a while but it keeps returning.

She has been out and about as usual, even though the weather has been very cold, having her hair done and going out for lunch with a friend. She is looking forward to coming to Harborough for Christmas.

Charlotte got over her fright with the flaming wheely bin and successfully managed to entertain the family at Lucas’s birthday party (I liked the chilli). The new wood burner they have is excellent, it is the same one we wanted, but unfortunately, it wouldn’t fit into our fireplace.

For once they all seem in reasonable health. Lucas started his new Nursery and appeared to enjoy it.