13th December 2009

There has been a fair bit of news since my last instalment in November. As always, life has a way of keeping us on our toes (or on ladders, in my case, wielding a paintbrush).

Sue has been hard at work at the local Catholic school, managing to miss just one day in the last fortnight, and that was to dash up to Newark for Lucas’s 3rd birthday celebrations. She’s been looking rather worn out, though she insists she’s enjoying herself, and that the wages will help fund Christmas, possibly via wine and wrapping paper. She also made her annual pilgrimage to Worcester for a chinwag and gift exchange with her sister Philippa, who’d ventured from Buckfastleigh. After a long lunch and a spot of window shopping, they both headed back home, satisfied and probably slightly poorer.

Meanwhile, Jamie decided to flog his car on eBay, with all the optimism of a man who’s never met eBay before. Sadly, no bids emerged. Undeterred, he went and bought himself a new (older) car from Derbyshire, a Peugeot 106 GTi. He re-listed the original car, and this time managed to secure the grand sum of £500. The buyer collected it on the Saturday, much to Jamie’s relief.

However, within days, the new GTi developed an ominous squeak. I took it round to a mechanically-minded friend, who sorted it out, hopefully not with duct tape and good intentions. It looks the part, and the mileage is similar to the old one, although it’s a year older. Naturally, Jamie hasn’t yet insured it, so he can’t drive it. He really does have a remarkable talent for making simple things needlessly complicated.

While Sue was in Worcester, Jamie cooked Sunday lunch for Sarah and me, a full spread: turkey steaks, mash, roasties, carrots, peas, and sprouts. We were genuinely surprised. He’s never attempted anything like this before, and it was very tasty! We’re now patiently waiting to see if this is a one-off miracle or the beginning of a new era in cuisine.

Sarah received glowing comments at Parents’ Evening and is now buried in revision for her post-Christmas exams. I can’t help but reflect on how different things were in my day; we had a single set of A-Level exams at the end of two years. These days, the poor souls seem to live under a constant barrage of assessments. Still, she did take a day off revising to visit Lee in Nottingham, where they supposedly managed to get all their Christmas shopping done. The next day, she joined Jamie and me on our annual pilgrimage to the garden centre to select a suitably bushy Christmas tree.

On the DIY front, I’ve just finished painting one of the bedrooms, easily one of the dullest tasks known to man, and I’m rather pleased it’s behind me. On a more festive note, I was invited to the nativity play at Farndon Fields school this week. It was charming and unintentionally hilarious in places. Mercifully, I wasn’t required to make a speech, a small Christmas miracle.

At the weekend, I officiated at a match at Harborough RUFC, the first time in two years that I’ve been assigned to my home club. Sadly, they lost, though I promise it wasn’t my fault (probably).

Last Thursday saw us back in Newark and then Lincoln for Lucas’s birthday celebration. Sarah, tied up with school, couldn’t join us. We took Lucas to a play barn at Lincoln City Football Club, a deceptively innocent-sounding place that turned out to be great fun for adults too. We launched ourselves down vertical slides, contorted through improbably narrow gaps, and engaged in sponge-ball warfare via air cannons. Lucas showed no interest whatsoever in the “children’s section” and instead tackled every adult obstacle with glee. Clearly, he’s one of us. On the way back, we stopped in Newark to sing “Happy Birthday” and ceremonially cut the cake.

David and Genya flew out to Bulgaria on Tuesday. I just hope Genya likes what we’ve done with her house; otherwise, our Christmas might be spent dodging icy glares. They’re due back on the 21st, just in time for mince pies. I sent them an email earlier this week… silence so far. Not exactly reassuring.

With Christmas fast approaching, I’ll soon be heading up to Thurcroft to collect Nan, who’ll be spending the festive period and New Year with us. That, at least, is tradition, and one tradition that doesn’t squeak, need painting, or have to be listed on eBay.