24th December 2007 Monday found the rest of the family mysteriously occupied in various corners of the house, study, dining room, and bedrooms, all engaged in their top-secret missions. There was the tell-tale rustle of wrapping paper, the unmistakable zip of Sellotape, and the furtive scribble of tags. I, on the other hand, had bought,… Continue Reading

16th December 2007 Big news on the family front: Philippa and Paul managed to snag tickets to the Led Zeppelin reunion concert this week, and not just any tickets. Oh no, they ended up right at the front, rubbing shoulders with the stage (and probably a few ageing rockers). Not only did they bag VIP… Continue Reading

9th December 2007  Monday night saw Sarah and me off to De Montfort Hall in Leicester for the ‘Chairman’s Concert’. Our school choir performed, and once again, they were brilliant. It’s just a shame they can’t see or hear themselves in action; if they could, they’d realise just how good they are. Sue, still nobly… Continue Reading

2nd December 2007Another thoroughly unremarkable week, livened only by the weather doing its best impression of a hormonal teenager, sunny one moment, sulking the next. Friday saw Sarah and me teaming up for the School Christmas Fayre, where we manned the Christmas hamper stall with all the charm and persuasion of market traders. Miraculously, we… Continue Reading

26th November 2007The Palmer family had a fairly uneventful week, all things considered, the usual relentless grind for all of us. Sue clocked up yet another full week, Sarah was run ragged at school, Jamie was juggling college and the carpentry workshop, and I made it my mission to fell half a forest in the… Continue Reading

18th November 2007 Poor little Lucas ended up in the hospital this week with a nasty urinary infection. He was put on a drip and kept in overnight; he must’ve been feeling truly rotten. Charlotte stayed with him, of course, but understandably didn’t get much shut-eye. She and Lucas had originally planned to stay the… Continue Reading

11th November 2007 This week, I managed to waste a considerable amount of taxpayers’ money by attending a full-day course to recertify as a Residential Leader. (Lunch was the most beneficial aspect.) I already had a perfectly valid certificate from five years ago, but County Hall got in touch midweek to inform me, rather alarmingly,… Continue Reading

11th November 20It’s felt like a very long week. Monday night saw me at a referees’ meeting in Leicester, followed by a PTA meeting on Tuesday, and then a governors’ meeting on Wednesday. Thursday night I trained the Colts, and on Friday I helped officiate at the Rugby Club’s Fireworks Display. Just for good measure,… Continue Reading

28th October 2007 At Willow Bank, we had Lucas to stay for the week while Mum and Dad jetted off for a well-earned break in Majorca. I’ve often thought about getting another dog, someone to walk with, play with, and offer unwavering loyalty. Lucas ticks all the same boxes, with the bonus that he doesn’t… Continue Reading

21st October 2007 This week, I came down with a stinker of a sore throat, almost certainly picked up while rummaging through mountains of dusty old school records. We’re required to keep some of them for ten years, though judging by the cobwebs, a few have been with us since the Norman Conquest. Jamie began… Continue Reading