5th July 2009

Summer has well and truly arrived in the UK, with temperatures soaring to 32.2°C in the garden, warmer even than Majorca, according to Charlotte, Sarah, and Claire, who were enjoying a girlie week at an all-inclusive hotel in Cala de Majorca. Judging by their constant excursions into town for meals, I suspect they weren’t quite grasping the “all-inclusive” concept! Sarah, in particular, sounded very bubbly and full of life every time we spoke. She managed to get through three books poolside, yet when I picked them up from East Midlands Airport, I was still browner than she was!

The fine weather prompted me to tackle the monster Leylandii hedge that borders the alleyway. I hired scaffolding and spent days chopping a metre off the top. It was hot, hard, and monotonous work. In between chainsawing duties, I managed to sort the electrics on Nan’s batmobile, which had recently failed her. Unfortunately, after a short-lived second outing, it broke down again and is now sulking in the garage, waiting for another fix.

Earlier in the week, I took Nan back to Thurcroft. She’d been keen to return home, and it wasn’t until later that I realised why. The Ashes were starting on Wednesday. With no Sky Sports at Willow Bank and only Radio 5 for company, it turns out even Wimbledon wasn’t enough to keep her content!

In sporting news, the British Lions beat the Springboks on Saturday, a well-earned victory for the good guys (mostly Welsh and Irish, admittedly).

Jamie had a job interview for a warehouse position, but it was almost a comedy of errors. The interviewer failed to turn up, so the meeting was rescheduled for the next day. When she eventually appeared, Jamie got the job, only to be met with another bout of disorganisation. He was sent home on his induction day after waiting for over an hour in the office; no one knew who he was! He was then allocated a late-night shift starting at 10 pm, but again, due to the same woman’s forgetfulness, no details had been passed on, and when he arrived, the staff had to send him home. It could only happen to Jamie.

Sue is working whenever she can and is busy as always. I’ve also been called into school to cover for absent staff a few times. I helped out at Farndon Fields Sports Day last Wednesday, announcing the races and manning the scoring table. Tanya had everything organised beautifully, and I thoroughly enjoyed not being in charge for once. The adult sack race was the highlight, especially watching the staff pull various muscles trying to relive their youth.

The swimming pool has been a real saviour during the heatwave. Sarah and Jamie have had a steady stream of friends around to cool off. The sound of laughter and splashing in the garden makes it feel like we’re on holiday ourselves.

While Charlotte was away in Majorca, Suraj was solely in charge of Lucas. I’ve not had a full report yet, but I believe there were lots of “boyish” activities planned. I’m not sure Charlotte would be thrilled at the idea of Lucas down the pub playing poker just yet, but boys will be boys!