7th August 2010 As Suraj predicted, Charlotte and baby Ellis David left Lincoln Hospital on Thursday afternoon. It wasn’t long before the phone rang with a polite but unmistakable request for the return of Lucas. We reluctantly promised to deliver him the following day. When Lucas heard we were taking him home to see the… Continue Reading

4th August Yesterday, Sue, Lucas, Sarah, and I travelled to Newark. The week’s forecast looked promising, though with rain predicted towards the weekend, it seemed wise to seize the sunshine and paint the outside of Charlotte’s house while we had the chance. We left early, stopping at Jewson’s Tool Hire in Balderton to order a… Continue Reading

1st August 2010 Charlotte is still in the hospital. Giving birth has certainly taken its toll; her lower back and legs are excruciating, making walking a real challenge. She managed to get out of bed twice today, but her legs keep going into spasms and refuse to do as they’re told. Suraj has been with… Continue Reading

31st July 2010 (Evening Update) This afternoon, Sue and I drove to Lincoln with Lucas to meet the newest member of the family,  baby Ellis David, and spend a couple of precious hours with the proud (and thoroughly exhausted) parents. Despite the gruelling ordeal of childbirth, Charlotte looked radiant, a far cry from how we remember her… Continue Reading

31st July 2010 At long last, Ellis has arrived! Charlotte was rushed into Lincoln Hospital late yesterday afternoon, once her contractions had become reliably punctual, every five minutes, like clockwork. Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite to plan. It turns out Ellis was facing the wrong way, described as “back-to-back,” which I believe is medical shorthand… Continue Reading

26th July 2010 As the title suggests, we’re still in baby limbo, no sign yet of young Ellis, who appears to be treating Charlotte’s womb like a long-term holiday let. The weather’s been as indecisive as Ellis himself: no recent dips in the pool to report, just rain, clouds, and enough garden moisture to keep… Continue Reading

12th July 2010 It was drizzling the last time I wrote, and, true to form, it’s drizzling again today. That said, in between the two soggy bookends, we’ve basked in glorious sunshine and sweltered in 30°C heat. For the first time since moving to Willow Bank, the pool has proved its worth. There’s nothing quite… Continue Reading

2nd July 2010 As often expected, for a British summer, the last few weeks have been peppered with drizzly showers, not that I’m complaining. It’s given me plenty of excuses to avoid the garden, abandon the washing line mid-spin cycle, and sit down to write this blog with a smug cup of coffee in hand… Continue Reading

20th June 2010 Much to my great relief, Sarah has finally completed her AS Level exams. Over the past month, she’s been diligently sifting through notes, revision guides, and colour-coded cue cards, and firmly insisted I take up a permanent seat in the study to test her. I’ve lost count of how many hours we… Continue Reading

1st June 2010 A few days before Sarah’s 17th birthday, the sun finally decided to come out from behind its thick curtain of gloom and grace us with its presence. By the time the 23rd of May rolled around, we were basking in the hottest day of the year so far, almost as if Mother… Continue Reading