Monthly Archives: June 2001

Well – the decorators were supposed to be here between 9 & 9:30 – now I start to type at 10:25 – they arrive…
17:25 now. Tea time soon. They stripped & papered the ceiling & return tomorrow to paint & put the border up that we diligently chose last Saturday. They’ve taken a sample of the border as a reference of the paint we’d like them to get. I hope it s not interpreted too dark. We’re hoping for an off white yellow thing – not a full blown muddy yellow.

Wheee – last day at work for a little while! Holiday starts tomorrow!
Did not play on the mac at home – did not collect my eMails (not that I had any – I checked this morning) – did not web page messing about. Jack simply could not get off to sleep… It was not as if he was not tired; on his was home from school Louise said that he was saying that he wanted to close his eyes & go to sleep. He would have if she let him, she thinks… But he could not ‘switch off’. I read him stories until I fell asleep a couple of times. He said that he wanted to move to our bed, so I indulged him. Interestingly he then said he wanted to be left alone to sleep – so I popped down stairs (ooh – 9:40 already). Now then, the windows are open, as it’s so hot at the moment. It took a couple of minutes before Jack trotted to the top of the stairs to report that he heard a strange noise, so I went up & stayed with him a bit. He muttered about this ‘strange noise’ – wondering & wondering – so I tried to tell him that as the windows were open it must have been outside… Which made no difference. So I eventually realised I would have to be more reassuring, & explained that he was OK now as he was in mummy & daddy’s bed.
Dozed off myself again, as I was woken at 10:15 by Louise. Took Jack back to his bed & went… to bed (after a bit of tidying up outside). It did not feel productive, but it did rest me well – all that dozing as I was trying to get Jack to follow into slumber & not staying up late messing about on the computer.
(train home) On the way home – I am on Holiday now! Just a little chore of sorting a staff web page tonight & that be all – my time be my own… I can… um… decorate to my hearts content (hey ho). I would imagine I will be writing less, as I will have less ‘idle time’. My daily train journeys are wonderful for this little bit of free time. Tweaked my web page while at work (oooh – naughty – company time!) to include an old photo of me. Was taken (ahem) some years back by a lad I was doing an “Enterprise Awareness” course with. Created especially for arts orientated individuals as a year’s prep before going on the old “Enterprise Allowance” scheme. Read as: a year’s nonsense course learning about tax & marketing oneself. The reward? No hassle from the Job Centre for a year & no obligation to take up the old Enterprise Allowance. I recall it quickly became clear that the Enterprise Allowance, although a little more than Income Support, was not really something I could maintain, as you would need to show a semblance of being able to make something tangible… not really possible with small press comics.
“So then Mr. Schroeder, lets have a look at your accounts…Hmmm… I see that you have spent the majority of your monies on photocopying…”
“Yes, well, that’s for the printing of my comics which I’m selling.”
“Selling — oh, good. So what are the returns on these?”
“Um… Well… There’s a couple of Central London comic shops that have taken 5 copies Sale or Return… & I’ve given away about half of them”
“Given Away? OK, so how much money have you made this month Mr. Schroeder”
“I was supposed to make money?”

6:30 in the evening. Outside again, Jack is helping our neighbour Caroline again. She’s trimming a bit of privet hedge & he is helping to clear up by looks of things. Eve has just popped inside… oh hang on… i can hear her up to something in the porch… Ah – she’s only trying to put one of Jack’s sandals on. Too big, but it nearly stays on. She’s got a real thing for shoes. She was putting on her boots just now… then kicking them of… then I’d put them on… then she’d kick them off… & so on.
Ah – she has another of his old shoes on now.

Her language is coming on – she plainly misuses words. “Hamish Ball” is one of those things that can mean a lot of things. Neighbouring lad Hamish has left a ball here, so that’s where the word has come from. She is starting to use “where?” a fair bit – asking for things – & she even says “why?”. She loves chattering. “oh dear” is when something has gone wrong. Another general exclamation is, “Ee-aye, ee-aye, oh” (as in ‘Old Macdonald had a farm….’).

Hmm yes well – all this box in room juggling feels a bit like a perpetual motion machine. We got the back room sorted. We thanked Caroline for helping out keeping an eye on Jack. It was not something that was intended – Jack just slipped off – but she said it was a pleasure & she enjoyed it. Jack enjoys the idea of gardening. He has a little area in our garden where he digs & plants things – like – um – twigs & plants he & Hamish have uprooted, & paintbrushes… Hamish even buried some money in there once! Buried treasure. Jack & Hamish sometimes go off searching for treasures, & come back with all sorts of things – like – um – wood & um – bits of metal – shiny things. They had a horde of it once in a little area where someone parks their car (at the front of their house) at the bottom of the street. I have even (horror of horrors) thrown away a pile of treasure that they left on the back street just outside our gate. Meany daddy.
Yes, anyway – a good start has been made on clearing out the back room. Perhaps it is a good thing that we are forced to do this every so often as it makes us throw away a lot of accumulated, but possibly useful – um, things … ok – rubbish. Perhaps adult treasures, then.
I worry that I still have not heard in regard to my taking a holiday. It is supposed to start this week & it would be… a tad frustrating (GRRRR) if it was lost due to me not having been got back to on the matter.

A few moment before bathtime.
The kids are playing on bikes on the back street one more.
Eve has just passed by on Amber’s tricycle saying, “Hiya dadi, hiya dadi, hiya dadi”. Amber is Hamish’s younger sister. She is a couple of months older than Eve – can’t remember how many. She had foolishly left her tricycle in our yard, & Eve has not removed her bottom from it in about an hour. Heh – she is now telling off Jack for sitting on the wall at the top of the street.
Our excursion to Bradford yesterday was exhausting. We walked many miles in search of a border, & miraculously we found one in the end. At the noted tacky home improvement emporium; Fads. A terracotta coloured border textured, with a spiraling yellow stitch motif. It should work well. Not over decorative, not twee, & hopefully the right sort of colour so that it doesn’t make the rest of the paintwork seem grubby. Phew.
Today I started off inexplicably tetchy. No real reason. Still, got on with getting Eve breakfast & Jack on the Internet while Louise had her shower. Slobbed it a bit when Louise came downstairs, & then Louise got tetchy & started fretting about the fact that we needed to get the back room cleared as the decorators are due this week, so we had to move some things upstairs, but to do that we needed to move some of the things that are in the bedroom at the moment (that used to be in the attic) back up to the attic, but the floor has not been completely cleaned in the attic as yet – so not that much can go back up…
Kids are bathed & bed.
Frayed nerves are I guess understandable. I got on with moving some boxes. Louise started tidying & sorting in the back room, Jack wet off to watch & help Caroline, our very good next door neighbour do some planting in her garden & Eve – well – she pottered about amusing herself. It’s amazing that she manages that… Jack used to demand your attention, but then I guess, he being the 1st, we indulged him in that.

A few moment before bathtime.
The kids are playing on bikes on the back street one more.
Eve has just passed by on Amber’s tricycle saying, “Hiya dadi, hiya dadi, hiya dadi”. Amber is Hamish’s younger sister. She is a couple of months older than Eve – can’t remember how many. She had foolishly left her tricycle in our yard, & Eve has not removed her bottom from it in about an hour. Heh – she is now telling off Jack for sitting on the wall at the top of the street.
Our excursion to Bradford yesterday was exhausting. We walked many miles in search of a border, & miraculously we found one in the end. At the noted tacky home improvement emporium; Fads. A terracotta coloured border textured, with a spiraling yellow stitch motif. It should work well. Not over decorative, not twee, & hopefully the right sort of colour so that it doesn’t make the rest of the paintwork seem grubby. Phew.
Today I started off inexplicably tetchy. No real reason. Still, got on with getting Eve breakfast & Jack on the Internet while Louise had her shower. Slobbed it a bit when Louise came downstairs, & then Louise got tetchy & started fretting about the fact that we needed to get the back room cleared as the decorators are due this week, so we had to move some things upstairs, but to do that we needed to move some of the things that are in the bedroom at the moment (that used to be in the attic) back up to the attic, but the floor has not been completely cleaned in the attic as yet – so not that much can go back up…
Kids are bathed & bed.
Frayed nerves are I guess understandable. I got on with moving some boxes. Louise started tidying & sorting in the back room, Jack went off to watch & help Caroline, our very good next door neighbour do some planting in her garden & Eve – well – she pottered about amusing herself. It’s amazing that she manages that… Jack used to demand your attention, but then I guess, he being the 1st, we indulged him in that.

(Morning) Yeah – all went well on Thursday (prev entry) – Louise was already home when I got home, so my rushing & fretting were thankfully for naught – thankfully. Louise got of fine to have the scan in Burnley (bussing it). She said it was very weird not having a child with her. Able to get on & off buses, go us escalators, that sort of thing. The scan went well – the little, little one was moving about. The size correlated to the expected age of development – it waved its arms & flexed its hands. I will try to scan it into the computer so that I can put the picture with the note. Louise’s mum was just coming up the hill home from the park when Louise caught up with her – having returned on the bus. Eve had not done a nappy that Louise’s mum had to change.
We are off to Bradford now to try to find some wallpaper border that does not insult our aesthetic. It is needed, as when they come to do the ceiling they will need to remove the present border that abuts the meeting of the ceiling & wall; thus a replacement is required. Hopefully a nice day out as the weather seems thoroughly pleasant at the moment. Eve was a bit mischievous & messy with her breakfast this morning & Jack is seeming just a touch rebellious, so we shall see how their behaviour holds.

Buggerartion!
Damnation!!
I was rather hoping to get home early from work today – but here I am on the train after the one I normally get!! AUG!
The transition of shifts did not really occur as it usually does today – it was in fact just a little later than usual – just a few minutes (although it would have been nice at the usual 2:30 instead of the official 3:00) if that were not bad enough, I was the only one able to accept a call past 3:00 when I would normally not have my phone on the hook, even (preparing to get away). Consequently I missed the chance of even getting my normal train. GAH!
I have to hope that everything is going well at home & that Louise’s mum has not had any problems – like nappy changing – to contend with while Louise has had to go for her scan….
Oh great – the more I fret the slower the train goes… ah – good – it moves again.
Hope all is going well…