Archives: jack

Sunday evening after tea – the kids are playing out on the backstreet. Jack on his ‘new’ bike & Eve with a pushchair that Georgina has given her. Hm – the kids have done well this weekend for neighbourly hand-me-downs. Mum & dad got her a pram a while back – but this is a buggy design – she has become instantly attached to it – & as it makes a noise you can here her wheels rattling up & down the street. It has the dolly that she got yesterday from Sophie in it – & she likes that a lot as it has a hat that comes off… & she can take it off & exclaim “Hat! ….HAT!” etc. Jack is jolly interested in what I am doing & breaks off from riding his bike up & down so that he can look at the screen at which I write & try to press a few buttons.
We got Jack the bike yesterday. It’s a second hand one from the local bike shop – but it works better for him than any other bike he had had. An early birthday present. It is sort of obvious it is second hand, but Jack is very pleased & was referring to it yesterday as “new & posh”. Too “new & posh” to allow Kirsten to ride on it initially. She got a look in eventually though through sheer persistence of sneaking up to it whenever Jack was not actually riding it.
Both Jack & Eve have been in a really lovely mood all weekend. Jack especially. Sweet & no grumpyness (in any quantity) what so ever.j yfcderh9iop[;

Jack is playing out on the back street with Kristen, (neighbour’s granddaughter & about 6 months to a year older than Jack) & Eve is pottering between in & out holding a boy dolly that she has been given by Sophie (another neighbour – she won a few dolls & teddies at the school fair). Saturday afternoon after the school fair (fiesta). I got involved at the fiesta – roped into a session of face painting. Did a few – including Jack – who still sports a tiger face. Was surprised at how easy it all was really – was worr

ied about it a little, as it was something I have never done before (I explained this as I was roped in). I was also determined not to fret about it – I would just see how it goes – after all I can hold a brush confidently enough.

The people running the face painting were told I was a cartoonist – so I obliged with a few cartoons on some girls faces to start with

– then Jack wanted to be a tiger – so I did that. – then 2 or 3 other tigers as well. Was getting into the swing of things when it was time to pack up. Hmmm – well… I didn’t make a hash of it – so, you never know – I might get asked again. Nice to wield a brush again – even if the circumstances were a little odd.

Spent last Friday night knocking up a new page on my website that would host all my mental meanderings I type on my morning commute. I did actually finish it as well (this is what you are reading!). Was the last of my BBEdit demo application tho. Back to the basics of the ‘lite’ free version… sigh…
Oh, & the pipes sprung a new leak for us… joy. This time’s where the pipes used to go to the old boiler – the stopped end of that bit of piping. Fortunately it’s an easy spot to get to, so a margarine tub has been strategically placed so that any drips can be caught. There is further damage to the ceiling, but as they are coming to repaper it at the end of the month because of the previous damage (work to be paid for by the insurance) then… who cares… I have been turning the water on & off at the stop tap all weekend to minimise the emptying of the margarine tub. Hattie comes today to fix again.
Jack was a ‘coiled spring’ yesterday – ready to go off… He was playing on the computer for the most part, but any provocation & he resorted to slapping. I think I only have myself to blame as he was hitting me earlier in the day as I had told him not to do something (probably as it was either dangerous or silly – I forget now what) & he hit me, so I said don’t (as is annoying) or I’ll have to hit you back. He did not, so I did – & thus the ‘game’ starts there. Sigh.
–Train stops at just past Walsden today – evident why as I look out at some dumb sheep who have got out of the field & are on the line. The driver has to get out of the train to report them. (Bad sheep-naughty sheep – we’ll tell your farmer on you.) Off we go – bye-bye sheep–
Jack & I had a good days work in general though. He woke well, & was in a good mood. He played some kiddie stuff on the Internet (roaming the BBC ‘small kids’ section).
Oog – this is an old train & I don’t think I can type anymore as aside from all the movement making it difficult, it’s making me queasy.
Train home – ‘1st class’ section – nice table to put the eMate on. Yes, well – Jack broke off from the Internet without to any probs so we could go for the seemingly traditional excursion for the supermarket. No histrionics at the cafe :) The afternoon was spent up in the attic – tidying up. It’s still rather a mess. Dust everywhere. The Dyson hoover got a good workout & Both Jack & I got splinters cleaning the floorboards with a damp cloth; he somehow in his leg, me, more normally, in my finger.
Jack like cleaning up – it’s a good game to him.. who are we to argue – heh. He kept going for a good while – essentially as long as I did, & did nothing really untoward or foolish. There was that point when we butted heads re hitting me, but that was out of the attic, & we managed to calm down & get on with things. It was only later, after tea, that the ‘coiled spring’ arose.
Eve spent a lot of the afternoon asleep. She slipped into slumber in the pushchair on the way home. Louise was not feeling great either – sleepy & raging headache – so she took the chance to have a little snooze – leaving Jack & i to get on with things… As I said, a good afternoon’s work. Got a lot cleaned up, but a frightening amount still to clean…
Then cometh the decorating…
After work today I set out for B&Q to get a new set of taps for the bathroom as one of the bath taps is falling to bits (the one I tried to stop dripping last month or so & made matters worse). So, got a chrome set instead of a gold set, as before. Gold bathroom fittings – yuk… They look ‘dirty’ to start with – what a dead (tasteless) loss. All I have to do now is worry about fitting these new ones, dither, put off & call Hattie to ask her nicely if she can fit us in some time to do it.

•