Monthly Archives: December 2001

Home again, home again, jiggetty-jig.
Been Xmas shopping in the way home this evening.
Can I be trusted? heh
Got a few stocking fillers – & sneaked a present for Louise in there as well… She doesn’t really read all this what I writes- so I’m basically safe writing this. She is starting to get to the final stages of pregnancy now – makes me feel a little more jumpy (AAA Baby! AAA) & it is tiring her out a fair bit. Sitting down when you have to corral small kids (& one big one) is a bit of a luxury, but when she does she finds it a lot harder to get going again. Gotta watch out for the, “oh, I feel a lot better – everything’s suddenly easy again” day as that may mean it’s immanent!
Must make sure there are no lose ends at work either. May have to take time off in a hurry!
Jack is no longer the ‘angry Jack’ of the end of last week. He’s reverted to ‘normal’ giving & sweet Jack.

Train home – I usually write in the mornings, but it was a boneshaker this morning – with no tables nor nuffink & well crowded – so that was no good.
Had fun over the weekend with the camera. Managed to get some rechargeable batteries – but they still get the life sucked out of them in no time. Anyway – as suspected – there will be a lot more pictures up on site. All I have to do now is clear all the stuff off the scanner & I might start getting some of those pictures that Jack (& Eve) have been doing.

Actually drew a comic strip the other day (this would be the 1st one in uh… far too long to think about!). Did it on the computer – altho it is a scrappy affair I’ve proved to myself that it can be done – so that’s a good thing. Perhaps with a bit more farting about I may become proficient, but it will have to wait. I want/need to get the attic sorted. Hattie has hopefully been around today putting a radiator up there & they should also be coming round to fix the flushing round the chimney breast to see off that annoying leak we have somewhere. We really do need to get it sorted & usable as a bedroom for ourselves as we cannot cope with the new baby in a cot in our present room as well our bed – as there just isn’t the room!
Still got walls & skirting to paint & paint & strip, respectively. Then some carpet to buy & all sorts of bits like that.
Hmm
Lots.
Still – I think I can get it all done before the new baby moves to a cot.
Went to Leeds on Saturday & spent my parent’s birthday money on a bunch of comics. Glad to see that Hicksville has been reprinted. I was short a copy of this comic/graphic novel/whatever you wish to call it. I’m not sure how Joe Public would go for this truly excellent story’s the ideas in there are so comics orientated in spirit. The ideal of the comics library in there is such a beautiful idea for anyone who has struggled with their comics creation… <sigh>.
The idea of creating my own ‘Kupe’s lighthouse’ online swims round my head for a while… another dream to dream.

I had an underlying rage at work yesterday – not really sure why. Can’t really put my finger on it, but an over abundance of malevolent energy. I wonder what that’s about? Calmed down well enough for the evening – the influence of Louise & the kids is enough to appease any giant. Entirely forgot to get new batteries for the camera… hey ho. Also forgot to get a new light strip for the bathroom (fiddley dee). Did get a present for Xmas for Eve off the market, but not for Ralphie’s birthday (same day as me). Mum & dad’s birthday card arrived & they (mum & dad) sung ‘happy birthday’ from it when it was opened – the wonders of trivial technology, eh?

Blimey – that digital camera doesn’t half eat batteries! Jack went bonkers with it for a bit & took pictures of absolutely everything he could & poof – no batteries left. I shall have to get a charger & some decent rechargeable batteries.
hmmmm… I wonder if I can sneak off after work to get something…
Ah, whatever.

He’s being a little wild in general at the moment is Jack. Two nights running there’s been an air of rebellion again. He did not have bath last night & when I followed him upstairs to put the plug back in & turn the tap on I received a few shin kicks. I responded by picking him up & holding him sitting on my knee on the stairs. He could do me no damage there & was forced to try to calm down (which didn’t work). It all started because we would not let him decorate Louise’s teacup with cellotape & suchlike… sigh

#Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me!
Underlying I feel grotty this morning, stiff neck, headache & cough with sore throat, but hey – it’s me birthday & nowt is gonna dampen that lightness of step this has imbued.
My Digital Camera did arrive yesterday & aside from a good bit of scratching of brain to try to get it working & then putting the batteries in correctly (duh) it was sorted. Only had time to do a couple of ‘test’ snaps – which had to be deleted (boo – well – Louise does not like her picture taken at the moment). I also got myself the Massive Attack videos dvd yesterday – which after a spell of refusing to work (on the mac) as well – suddenly sprang into life – joy – it all works!
I opened my (albeit few) cards last night – which was nice… The really good surprise was a card from Jack that he had made himself though. I was very very happy about that. Apparently he was having trouble doing it as he wanted to do it straight away – but was told that he had to do some sentences 1st. Very nicely coloured in as well – even though I say so myself.
Jack has reading books to bring home & he goes through them with us – as we are supposed to – he reading them to us. He does it in an ‘I’m reading’ voice, “Look – at – me – Mum.” but I’ve noticed that this is a voice he uses to designate the fact that he is ‘reading’ the book to us… he is really remembering the book & running his fingers over the words. Sometimes his ‘tracking’ is off – the finger whizzes past the words before he had ‘read’ them & sometimes he gets things a little wrong… but still… Louise says she thinks that this is all part of the learning process. Whether he is supposed to be setting in the ‘glue’ words like ‘go’ ‘at’ & so forth I’m not entirely sure, but it seems likely from what Louise was saying. She also mentioned (she’s been talking with another mother) that in a lot of cases reading these books they can ‘get’ (surmise) some of the longer words from the pictorial cues, but it’s these ‘glue’ words that can often have trouble sinking in. It just amuses me the way he’s faking us out.

Standing about, waiting for an age in Littlewoods Index Shop to get some silly storage boxes. Well we need them, but I’ve just been told that they do not have in stock – counter to stock systems… So I thought I’d do a bit of typing while the look for the 2nd choice… Joy.
I was going to head off for Halifax again after work, to go to good ol Woolworths again – pricked by the mild panic of a need to get something for Xmas for the kids, there were a couple of items that might have been thought good. I was supposed to get a couple of things sorted in Manchester & head home. Plans not gone well – trains have left & I’m still here – hey ho.
Need to get back to sort out the attic a little. We’ve got Hattie coming round to fit a radiator up there now – yeay! I have to do a little rearranging to ensure that access under the floorboards is good… Still – having a radiator up there should help the damp on the walls that has developed due to the rain getting in by the chimney again – darn – last months fix has proved not to :( They are coming back again this week to reassess & see if some of the leading does in fact need to be repaired due to a hole somewhere. Bah.
My birthday t’morra &I’m hoping that the digital camera I’ve ordered may have arrived in the post. Would be exceptionally pleasant if it has. A great toy to play with, methinks. More immediate than film based medium – & thus a lot more throwaway as well.

On Train

Well that went well… They in fact did not have anything in the way of storage crates whatsoever -so I missed 2 trains for nothing. Called in to Louise to report abject failure & to tell her where I was. She was not impressed hat I was not home yet, as she seems to have Hamish & Amber around as well -full – stressful – house. Bum. Ok – I’ll not even mention the fact that I could have tried Argos – but the queues wer even worse there – heh. Maybe next time, maybe never.

Eve was ill last night – she’d gone off to bed reasonably well for the excitable little thing she was. We were downstairs & I heard a little wail – nothing much, but a bit early for her to be stirring. She looked fine but had knocked her covers off, so I went to put them back on, but her bedclothes were wet. Uh, oh. Looked a bit closer & she had been sick. It really does baffle me the way she can vomit in her sleep & not be especially disturbed by it. It’s a bit worrying to.
We set about cleaning up a messy girl. Fortunately it was not much on her. She protested loudly when I took her pyjama top off over her head. The confusion of the situation must have been something. Took her to our room & she slipped into sleep while lying on me. Louise came in a few moments later to report that her bed was not too bad. Normally I get to clear up sick – so that was the wrong way round. We then needed to get some more bedclothes on her – again something to go over her head & again she was upset – but enough so to be sick again. Fortunately a handy towel prevented it our bed becoming victim as well. She was a bit more awake now – enough to be able to have a little medicine for her cough – which was most likely what caused the problem in the 1st place – coughing too hard – & get another change of pyjamas on her. That done she pleaded “Sleep” & she went to our bed for the night.
All in all a good weekend. Jack did go to on the Santa railway special on Saturday. A stream train & all – he seems to have enjoyed himself. Eve was most put out when Jack got on the coach without her. We had been in his classroom at school for some time before departing & Eve had been having a good time pottering about & exploring. She had started to put things in the toy oven & was enjoying that activity when an older boy (from Jack’s class) thought that it might be fair game to try to stop her. She was undaunted & faced up to his without any notion of respect for his size. She slapped him on the arm ineffectually a couple of time giving him her ‘how dare you’ glare. He persisted & tried glaring back to no avail. He got bored a bit, but she remained focussed. Whenever he left enough room she would sneak something else in the ‘oven’. When it came time to leave, she was the last out of the room before locking up (she discovered the dollies – eek). Protested as much as she was able at being put in the pushchair & was just calming down when we spotted Jack on the coach to wave bye-bye to. Jack was happy with a friend of his (Jessie) & Eve erupted in howls of protest again. She realised that Jack was doing something that she was not & was mad at not being able to be with him. We whisked her away & went to a cafe. That was about all we did with our free from Jack time as well. I could have done something constructive around the house or something, but no. When we got home Eve was tired, she was just about asleep & as I was carrying her laid down on the sofa with her – the intention vaguely to shift her off me, but I failed miserably & fell asleep with her on me for half an hour.
Sunday we went out on a short jaunt to Halifax. A rather uneasy realisation that we will have to be buying Xmas pressies soon.

Unprepared for Xmas. Cards not sent – presents not wrapped.
We did get Jack sat down after tea last night to write his cards to his school friends. He was back at school yesterday for the Xmas dinner (veggie substitute for turkey seems to have been cheese… how imaginative… )
He seemed jolly happy when he came out of school. I was there to meet him out of school with Eve as Louise was at ante-natal with the midwife. Weekly check-ups at this stage, & it seems that the baby is now ‘engaged’ – eep! Neither Jack nor Eve had the chance to be observed as being engaged. Immanent is definitely the status. If it is 2 weeks early, like Jack, it is tonight!
Eve has got obsessive about scissors at home today. She apparently had a pair as she followed Louise round the house yesterday – the evidence being snipped bits of card all over the house.

Jack fell asleep early last night – before tea was ready – so I guess he’ll be hungry this morning (he’s not normally that bothered about breakfast). Eve greatly enjoyed the evening without Jack & was quite delirious before she fell asleep – shouty happy & completely & utterly bonkers. Louise was a bit worried about Jack but he was fine (I went up & checked & he was dreaming away. I showed her the ‘friends reunited‘ website as it’s something I’ve recently been looking at. I think it’s just middle-aged morbidity, but it’s also dead weird how people’s lives diverge. As my parents moved every 3 to 5 years or so I went to a few schools & my memory, although pretty good is not a precise tool – faces rather than names – that sort of thing – so a lot of names mean nothing to me… Louise obviously has a better memory for this sort of thing & amused herself for a few minutes – before Jack woke up & we had to call a halt.
It took him a little while to settle off again & I suspect that he may have been awake a little in the night as well as I remember him managing to wake me at some undisclosed hour asking whether it was morning yet? It’s pitch black – the World Service is on the radio… “No, not it’s still night time”.
Jack & Eve were both awake before I left yesterday morning, so they had both have had a long day – especially as they had not really been out because it was miserable (weather). Jack was more his usual self & he & Eve played together very well. They do as a rule – for instance Eve will quite happily pass Jack logo bricks for building – sharing & teamwork.