29th April 2012 While Jamie has been basking abroad and celebrating his birthday, we’ve had relentless rain. My morning bike rides have been more “cyclo-cross” than cycling, and even when I’ve tried to find dry routes, I’ve returned looking as if I’d wrestled a hippo in a swamp. Sue and I had planned to join… Continue Reading

23rd April 2012 The moment the faceless bureaucrats at the water boards announced a hosepipe ban due to a so-called water shortage, I knew summer was doomed. True to form, the heavens have been open ever since, even today, as if the ban had summoned the clouds in a fit of bureaucratic spite. In the… Continue Reading

2nd April 2012 A few days before Mother’s Day, I set off for Thurcroft with a mission: convince Nan to move back to Harborough. Sue and I had spotted a rather charming apartment on Welland Park Road and decided it was worth showing her. House-hunting and family visiting, a two-for-one deal. Things went a bit… Continue Reading

13th March 2012 The past few weeks have been swallowed up by a special project: creating personalised video tributes for each family member. I began with Jamie, thinking it would be a quick win given his legendary aversion to cameras. Oh, the optimism. There may be hundreds of photos of him, but finding one where… Continue Reading

15th February 2012 Some rugby friends and I recently joined Frank Johnson in Manchester to celebrate his upcoming wedding (stag do). Having played, coached, toured, and socialised with Frank for over a decade (despite him hailing from Lancashire), I couldn’t possibly refuse his invitation, especially when Jeremy and Robin swore blind they’d only go if… Continue Reading

22nd January 2012 It’s been a full three weeks since I last put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). A dangerous delay, the longer I leave it, the more my memory becomes like Swiss cheese: full of holes. Still, here’s what has managed to cling on. Sue managed to work a day at Church… Continue Reading

2nd January 2012 On 14th December, while Nan was at her hair appointment. I travelled to Sheffield to collect Sarah.  After a pleasant lunch in Whiston, we returned to Thurcroft to load Nan’s belongings into the car, before hitting the M1 south to Leicestershire. The following week was bitterly cold. Even with the central heating on… Continue Reading

18th December 2011 As expected, Jamie received official notice that his contract at Disney would end on 7th January. The warehouse had been strangely quiet for months, a far cry from last year’s frantic pace. The much-discussed recession was making its presence felt, tightening purse strings across the country. Even the roads seemed to confirm… Continue Reading

11th December 2011 After a decidedly nippy week, our central heating boiler finally spluttered back into action on Friday. Sue and I had been bundled up like Arctic explorers, sleeping under hot water bottles and thermals. In my quest to trim energy bills, I replaced one of the outdoor security lights with a more efficient… Continue Reading

  6th November 2011 Sadly, Murphy passed away in tragic circumstances. She had been Charlotte’s cat for twelve years, loved by all the family, all the more so since, a few years back, she tangled with a car and lost a hind leg. From then on, she became our cheerful little tripod, hopping about with… Continue Reading