26th April 2008 Lucas spent the week in the hospital, but thankfully, they didn’t need to graft any skin. Thanks to the morphine, he seemed to cope remarkably well. Charlotte and Suraj stayed on the ward with him, though Suraj had to return to work midweek, and on Saturday afternoon, Lucas was finally allowed home.… Continue Reading

13th April 2008 Nan had been staying with us since Easter, but as ever, she soon grew restless and was itching to return to Thurcroft. So, on Friday night, I made the late-night trek north to take her home. Earlier that day, Sarah had been off yomping across the wilds of Leicestershire as part of… Continue Reading

3rd April 2008 On Wednesday, Sue and Sarah headed off to Devon for a short break to visit Philippa. The weather, for once, played nicely, and by all accounts, they had a lovely time. The only blot on the otherwise sunny landscape came during a seaside outing, where Sarah somehow managed to annihilate her mobile… Continue Reading

24th March 2008 It’s the end of term at last, and right on cue, the weather has turned bitterly cold. One morning, we woke to several centimetres of snow, a rare and magical sight, prompting Sarah to build a rather impressive snowman. I took some photos for posterity (and evidence), but that marked the end… Continue Reading

16th March 2008 I’ve not added to this blog in a couple of weeks. The truth is, we’ve all been buried under the avalanche of school, work, and general life admin. Time flies when you’re too exhausted to notice. Last weekend, Sue and I ventured out to a friend’s 21st birthday party. The band was… Continue Reading

2nd March 2008 At precisely 12:57 am on Tuesday, we were rudely awakened, along with the rest of the country, by the violent shaking and rumbling of an earthquake. It was genuinely frightening, especially considering our bed sits directly beneath the chimney. I suspect we’d have been even more alarmed had it been daylight and… Continue Reading

24th February 2008 It’s been back to the grindstone this week, and the glorious freedom of half-term already feels like a distant, rose-tinted dream. Sue managed three full days in school before collapsing (figuratively, not literally) into the weekend. Jamie, still on college half-term, spent the entire week at the Joinery, presumably building something marvellous,… Continue Reading

12th February 2008 We’ve somehow limped our way to half-term intact, relatively healthy and, miraculously, without any major mishaps. The weather has been surprisingly cooperative, too, which meant I could get cracking in the garden without having to dodge showers or postpone everything “until tomorrow.” I even managed to plant several rows of shallots and… Continue Reading

3rd February 2008 Once again, this week, the entire family seems to be in full working order, no coughs, colds, or car calamities to report. Even the Peugeot remains dent-free. Remarkable. Despite the rest of the country being buried under snowdrifts and forced to rediscover the whereabouts of their gloves, we managed a total of… Continue Reading

27th January 2007 We’ve just completed an entire week without anyone in the family being ill, a rare triumph and certainly worthy of celebration. No sniffles, stomach bugs, or suspicious coughs. Long may it last (though I probably shouldn’t have said that out loud…). In other news, I’ve been dabbling on eBay, and after many… Continue Reading