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

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