21st December 2008 With Christmas fast approaching, it’s been another eventful week of last-minute wrapping, minor disasters, and the occasional starry-eyed gesture gone slightly awry… After a slow and slightly wheezy recovery from a bout of pleurisy, Sue is at last almost back to her usual self. She even managed a solo expedition to Worcester… Continue Reading

10th December 2008  The past three weeks have whizzed by in a blur of colds, cadets, carpentry and chaos. Here’s how it all unfolded, or at least, how I remember it… Sarah Sarah has been keeping herself heroically busy at school and in the skies. Much to our envy, she had a flight in a… Continue Reading

18th November 2008 Ah, the tangled webs of teenage romance. Sadly, Jamie and Harriet had a dramatic fallout last week, complete with shouting, tears, and cinematic walkouts. The cause of the dispute? A film Jamie found so boring that he abandoned Harriet mid-screening, wandered off to buy himself something to eat, and then casually strolled… Continue Reading

9th November 2008 What? Another blog post so soon? Yes indeed! When your daughter marches through town looking as smart as a Guardsman on parade, it demands immediate attention. Sarah took part in Harborough’s Remembrance Sunday Parade, and Sue and I were bursting with pride. Honestly, if we’d been any prouder, we’d have exploded in… Continue Reading

6th November 2008 Charlotte has rightly pointed out (via email, with subtlety only an eldest daughter can master) that I’ve not written a family blog in some time. The irony isn’t lost on me; retirement, I’d once imagined, would be filled with ample free time to sit back, reflect, and write. Instead, my days are… Continue Reading

Mid-October 2008 Sadly, during the week, Suraj’s father passed away in Coventry Hospital. Suraj stayed at his side until the very end, a difficult and emotional time for the whole family. An understandably exhausted Suraj, along with Charlotte and Lucas, arrived to stay with us on Wednesday. We looked after Lucas the following day while… Continue Reading

12th October 2008 The whole world appears to be in meltdown. Stock markets are plummeting, banks are collapsing, and financial pundits are flapping like pigeons in a fire drill. Frankly, I’m rather relieved not to have a mortgage or a retirement fund hanging in the balance; if I did, things would be decidedly sticky. That… Continue Reading

20th October 2008 It’s been a while since I’ve had time to sit down and add to this ever-expanding family blog, mostly because I’ve been chasing a two-year-old around like a contestant on Gladiators: Toddler Edition. As planned, the day after our return from Zanzibar (still sand in my sandals), Sarah and I met the… Continue Reading

6th September 2008 Following the spectacular high of Charlotte and Suraj’s utterly fabulous wedding, everything else inevitably felt a little… well, flat. Not unlike a balloon two days after a party, still colourful, but lacking lift. Nonetheless, we rallied and managed a full day of shopping in Stone Town. Sue didn’t join Sarah, Jamie and… Continue Reading

4th September 2008 Two days ago, Charlotte, Suraj, and Lucas travelled to see us. It took them over an hour by minibus; roads here are mostly dusty tracks, with numerous police checks that delay any journey. It was lovely to see them, and as it was Charlotte’s birthday, she had cards and presents to open.… Continue Reading