20th April 2009 This week, the family vanished in all directions like confetti in a gust of wind. Sue headed off to the West Country to stay with her sister, Philippa. I, exercising what I believed to be sound judgement, consulted the weather forecast and was reassured (foolishly) that the Midlands would be basking in… Continue Reading

9th April 2009 The weather has been kind since the last entry, with some lovely sunny days and the occasional chilly night. I managed a few days at school, including an afternoon compering a children’s talent show. Seeing things from a different perspective was certainly eye-opening, especially when the teaching support assistants performed Mamma Mia,… Continue Reading

30th March 2009 Fresh from recovering from a pulled hamstring, I pulled a calf muscle in the very next match I refereed. Then, in the one after that, I twisted my knee. I was starting to wonder if my body’s warranty had expired. Thankfully, by the following Saturday, I made it through a full game… Continue Reading

March 13th 2009″ The hamstring I pulled has kept me off refereeing duty for a few weeks, so I’ve been reduced to the role of sideline spectator, watching Harborough’s 1st team when they play at home. Thankfully, the enforced rest worked, and I was able to return to the pitch for a mid-week fixture, albeit… Continue Reading

March 1st 2009 Sarah’s current boyfriend, Matt, an airman in the RAF (precise location: unknown, possibly classified or just never mentioned), came to visit over the weekend. He seemed like a decent chap: firm handshake, polite chat, said all the right things. She met him on our last family holiday, though Sue and I were… Continue Reading

 February 5th 2009 It snowed on Monday, and by Tuesday, I was driving Nan back to Thurcroft, where I stayed with her for a few days. Midweek, she had a hospital appointment to get her eye checked. As it turns out, since her accident, her vision has changed, meaning the treatment they had planned was… Continue Reading

29th January 2009 Not much in the way of headline news to report this time, other than Sue has finally shaken off the pleurisy for a second time and the mysterious allergic reaction that had her looking like a character from a medical textbook. It’s down to my superior nursing skills, Florence Nightingale, eat your… Continue Reading

19th January 2009 The weather has continued its icy vendetta against us all, with bone-numbing cold and hard overnight frosts. The wood burner has officially earned its place as Best Purchase of the Decade, and I’m quietly smug about having stacked enough logs to see us through until the next Ice Age or, failing that, spring. Frozen… Continue Reading

4th January 2008 As is traditional at the start of a new year, friends and family gathered together to celebrate. This year, we attended a party at a friend, Jeremy Brown’s, house in town. It turned out to be a comfortable, relaxed, and laid-back affair. Unfortunately, guests were rather thin on the ground, as winter… Continue Reading

31st December 2008 And just like that, another Christmas has come and gone in a flurry of wrapping paper, roast potatoes, and highly competitive ten-pin bowling. Here’s how the festive period unfolded at Willow Bank… Christmas Eve Charlotte and Lucas rolled up mid-afternoon in their new black Freelander, adding a certain 4×4 swagger to proceedings.… Continue Reading