15th July 2008 In 1958, aged five, my mother took me by the hand to Thurcroft Infants School for my very first school day. Fifty years later, having never quite escaped the gravitational pull of education, I walked out of Farndon Fields Primary School for what may be the final time. With all the farewells… Continue Reading

15th June 2008 This Saturday saw the family converging on Thurcroft to celebrate a truly special milestone, Nan’s 80th birthday! Jamie chauffeured Sarah in his new car (still shiny, still slightly alarming), while Sue and I made our way north. Charlotte, Suraj, and Lucas arrived from Newark, completing the familial jigsaw puzzle. We had booked… Continue Reading

31st May 2008 As is traditional, half term arrived hand-in-hand with foul weather. In a desperate attempt to escape the relentless drizzle of Harborough, Sarah and I set off for sunny Yorkshire, where, naturally, it was also raining. Honestly, if Noah had shown up in a dinghy offering us space for two, I’d have packed… Continue Reading

25th May 2008 This week, the search began in earnest to find my replacement at school. Out of the original seven applications, only two made it to the interview stage, one of whom was already on the payroll. Unsurprisingly (to everyone but HR, I imagine), the internal candidate landed the job. Well, better the devil… Continue Reading

13th May 2008 Today, Sue and I treated ourselves to lunch at the Shoulder of Mutton in Great Bowden, a quiet celebration of simply being well. A couple of months ago, Sue had (gently but firmly) persuaded me to visit the doctor, as I was losing sleep from a persistent and painful ache in both… Continue Reading

11th May 2008 What a scorching week it’s been! I managed to play tennis twice on the Welland Park courts with a few ex-rugby chums, though now we all move at a noticeably slower pace and conserve energy with the enthusiasm of seasoned professionals. At school, I administered the Year 4 optional SATs. This always… Continue Reading

5th May 2008 On Friday night, Sarah and I went to see 10cc in concert, a long-time ambition of mine, finally fulfilled. They didn’t disappoint. It was Sarah’s first-ever concert, and she loved it. We’ll be booking more, though I may draw the line at anything requiring glow sticks or earplugs. Afterwards, I popped into… Continue Reading

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