Written by: paul

We got to my parents at about 1 or 2 in the morning (I forget). We’ve never been to this house before as they moved last year. When we went in, dad said that our bedroom was to the back. It’s one of these houses that keep going back, & so it gave a good impression of space going to the back bedroom. We got the kids into bed OK. Jack was on the top bunk of a bunk bed. He was up the latest, so he was hardly disturbed by being transported in. Eve woke up & was quite pleased to be put into bed. She had been laying sideways on the back seat & thus pushing into Jack & kicking at Louise. She lay there for quite a while, probably wondering what the heck was gong on, & seemingly quite pleased to have the top bunk above her for some reason.

Up early the next day as usual. Jack claimed he got up in the night to go to the toilet – which is most likely true. He did well; in that case, as he would not have been aware he was in a “bunker bed” (as he called it) or where on earth the toilet might be in a strange new house. He did know that he would be at grandma & grandpa’s tho – so he could not have been unduly worried. Heck he would have let us know if he was worried.

UM… I will continue in less detailed mode about the holiday. Two reasons really; it would take too long, & my brain gets blury about such things anyway.

Arriva Trains Northern strike morning, so the ‘turnaround’ run by First Northwestern is here. No table to type on, so I am doing a little typing on my lap before we start to move – whence I will just have to read. I don’t wanna be feeling rubbish through typing on my lap on the move.

Holidays. Yes – they were very good holidays.
My parents have a new house.
We set off Monday night in the car & Jude & Eve were already out for the count. Placed in the car already in slumber. Jack on the other hand was rather excited. After all – Grandpa was here & we were going on holiday & we were going in the car & we were going on the motorway. How glamorous!
He sat upright in the car for a good long while. He was behind dad who was driving, & managed to position himself eventually to a point where he was looking over dad’s shoulder. It was a pleasant sunset & the light lingered on the horizon long after the sun had gone, showing us where the small clouds were stranded in the sky. Stars eventually came out, & Jack eventually gave up trying to look at everything at about 10, or was it 11:50?
Oh well – this train starts to move.

Traveling to work on the train as usual. Back to working again after my holidays.
“…oh, …good”

I would like to chat about my holidays, but an image of a girl being hit by a van keeps plaguing my mind.
I was returning from shopping yesterday with the pushchair. Louise & the kids had taken the bus as it was raining & we had not expected this, so were unprepared. I was just turning up a back cut to the hill up to our house when there was the sort of sound you hope to never hear behind me; the screech of brakes & a thud. Span round to see a girl being knocked over by a van. A flat fronted open backed mini-truck type thing. She was about 7 or 8. The van knocked her down then kept going by momentum. Fortunately the wheels did not touch her. I surmise she was following her mum across the road as she was headed toward me at the time. Again I surmise that the mother may have been getting a younger (4 or 5) boy who was on my side of the road. I spotted him dithering a little later & took him back across the road to his other bothers & sisters while the mother crouched protectively over the girl who was screaming for her. The mother was reassuring her daughter & trying to get the emergency services to her at the same time.
I dwell on this a lot.
I left as I saw what I think was the dr’s/paramedic’s emergency car arriving. Now I wonder if it was a police car, & feel guilt at assuring the mother that there was something arriving. I thought I had a clear picture of what was happening, but I’m not really that sure now.
I think, as the van could not have been going too fast (things would could have been a lot worse) that she will be OK, in that she will survive with bruises, scrapes & possibly broken bones. It was something I never want to see again. It’s something that I would rather not think about, but I keep seeing it.
I will try to write bout my holidays. I thought that writing the above may help set my mind at rest, but it seems to make no difference.
It’s funny, I kind of remain emotionally detached from it all, but it’s never far from my thoughts. Sometimes think of each of the people involved & wonder how they are coping.

Oh well – so much for writing bout the holidays. Manchester is here again, I must to work (work might ‘help’).

We’re traveling back up north.
Late night motorway driving with my dad.
Trying a little typing & realising continuing would make me travel sick.

Tipsy
Glass of beer.

This is not really like a diary is it? I hardly keep a daily routine. It’s a journal, I guess. Yeh, I try to think of it more like that…
Itchy ears from sunburn.

Been fun these days.

The comic convention in Bristol was a bit of a let down. Saw some familiar faces, (and was good to see them) but it was more like a glorified comics mart rather than a convention. For a convention that last year prided itself on being family friendly – this was a big hot hall full of traders selling comics.
There were a bunch of small pressers there, but the lack of any real social areas was the missing ingredient that made the whole thing fail.
Shame really.

Been on holiday since Monday, but not really had a chance to do much typing. I’m supposed to be relaxing, but as usual, where’s the time for that? Still, I am enjoying myself.
I’m typing at the moment as I’ve got up too early. Jack & I are off to Bristol this morning with my dad. He’s off to the Veg market in Bristol & we’ve decided to hitch a ride with him. He sets off early, but I’m up too early; I kinda set the alarm a bit too soon. Hey ho. Off to Bristol as we’re off to the Comics convention there, today. This is one of the reasons we decided to actually take a holiday at this time; so that I could go. I’m going to be talking on the small press comics panel discussion – but I doubt that means I’ll be getting in gratis.
Have quite a sun burnt neck & arms today. We spent some time down at the beach yesterday as it was the 1st day of unadulterated sunshine (it’s been showery). Jack & I made quite a magnificent sand castle. Well, a big pile of sand with moat around it. It also had a bridge, as there was a flat bit of stone/concrete that I could place over the moat. Jack was decorating it with stones when he lost interest. There were some other boys playing in the water nearby & that was more fun. We then peeled off to get some ice cream & said boys started the demolition. Sandcastles are transient, so I don’t worry. I was tempted to have a rave at the older boy (7 years?) as he was the one who started it, but I could not be sure who the parents were. Turned out to be the ones who were sleeping nearby, so perhaps I should have & it would have lasted longer. Still – It was a large edifice & there was still evidence of it sometime later. Some other kids were playing with it then & looked to be trying to reinstate the moat.

Holiday starts today! I’m still going to work; mind. It was supposed to start tomorrow (& I would still have been working) but my dad, who is giving us a lift down to Somerset (for it is with my parents we are staying) opted for today. Uh, OK then.
Had a good ‘clear out’ day yesterday. I gave the council a big list of the junk with which time has encumbered us & they are going to come & collect it. I guess if we had a car I would have been rid of most of it already – but we don’t – so we have to get them to come & collect it occasionally. Has to be strictly ‘household’ though – so the 2 bit of chipboard & a bag of plaster that got left behind when they did the attic will have to stay… I don’t quite get the ‘chipboard’ denial… hey – we used it as… um… why the hell did we have that chipboard anyway?!
I got all the lugging of junk done while Jack was off playing with Hamish. They were apparently drawing animals together; I got as a passing report from Hamish’s dad – Andy. He had taken Jack off that morning to a big aquarium shop quite a few miles away. I think they’ve bought a new fish tank. I was junking a couple of very redundant PCs & mentioned that I’d whipped the hard drive out. Andy had recently replaced a wonky hard drive for someone, so he had the faulty model. He came over, & like a couple of wee kids we opened it up. Nice shiny platter therein. One of the computers I was junking had a very old hard drive in, so we whipped that out & pried that one open too. It was a full bay size hard drive with an inspection date from 1989. Cor antique! Nicely brutish in it’s internal mechanics compared to a modern day one

Missing a couple of days again. Easy to do – why? Trains without tables & an inclination to read, not write. What’s been going on? …I forget as usual.
My parents (my dad) has a mobile phone!! Of all things?! They are more ‘techno’ than I! It seems it might be my brother’s old one, so at least they didn’t have to fight their way through the sales fog of a shop to get one. If I were to get a mobile, it would have to be one that I cannot afford, so really – there’s very little point.
So, anyway – we’d gone to bed on Thursday night & I get up & it’s me dad on his mobile… He’s telling me that he’s coming to pick me up on the Monday, not the Tuesday… & that he’s thinking he’ll get here in the evening & we’ll set off back for Somerset at 03:00. The kids should sleep through that. Me having just been falling asleep upstairs before the call can’t really muster the thought to disagree. It seems an insane fait accompli. When I totter back to bed Louise also agrees that this is barmy. We eventually decide that we have little choice but to catch the train Tuesday evening. The expense of the train & the expense of having to buy stuff (nappies, soap powder etc) will have to be burdened. I call & leave a message at the restaurant the next day.
Louise & I talk it over again after I get home from work & well…. we conclude that barmy as it is, we will have to go by the car (we can’t really afford the train & the carrying & the etc etc etc. I call dad again in the evening, & that plan he outlined the other day was only a suggestion really. Ah. Cool. Still – Monday is the day & I need to negotiate another day off work.
Jude had his 1st ‘solids’ last night. Some ‘baby rice’. He was fine with it. Ate from the spoon without any trouble & had no trouble with the whole thing.
Jack fell off his bike yesterday. He tore his trousers really badly, but it seems he had not hurt his leg (relief) but he hit his face on the floor. Bashed his lip & grazed his chin – & that’s what was hurting him. Poor lad. We were not watching for him at the time & a couple of the older boys escorted him home. A few more minutes & we were going to collect him, as it was bath time.

Another torturous journey back home from picking Jack up. A lot of, “No, don’t do that!” & “Stop that!” He refuses to listen to instruction at the moment & the last straw was his messing about with the rock-salt/grit in the salt bin at the top of the stairs from Harley to Ryod Street. I grabbed him by the back collar & frog marched him home. He was forced to sit inside for 10 minutes. Eve pottered along behind us like there was nothing unusual about me forcing a crying older brother home.
He gets over things very quickly. Oh, & we had another run in later on. He drew on Eve’s hand with a felt tip pen & then denied it. It was plainly obvious that he had. He looked me in the eye & said that he had not, but he was lying, he smirked & leant forward as he looked me in the eye. I took the pen off him for lying, not for drawing on Eve’s hand… He burst into tears. Louise was a bit mad at me for that as she says she would have let that slip, as she thinks he knows that we know he is lying. I do not like lying at all (probably because I’ve never been any good at it). I am not completely convinced this level of complicity exists, but it is the first time he has lied to me like that, & I wanted to ensure that I make it clear that I do not accept such things. I guess I’m much more absolute than Louise. He got the pen back quite quickly as he said that he would be good. He managed to write a nice list of names of name of people to invite to his birthday party.
The kids went off to sleep at a proper time. It’s funny how when they do that you feel so much more enthusiastic about the evening. I managed to get a bit of painting done in the attic & some important clearing up. Small but useful progress.