Archives: paul

Train home. The kids actually went off to sleep OK yesterday…well… ok perhaps that’s an exaggeration. Jack wanted to play downstairs with his Lego rather than consider coming upstairs to bed & screamed & shouted & accused me of trying to make him unhappy when I carried him up. I had made him cry & scream earlier in the evening as well. He wanted some crisps just before tea, & was refused. We endured a good ten minutes of howling & harrying on the subject. We did settle on the compromise of letting them (as Jack wants, Eve wants) have a bowl of rice crisp things in a bowl with tea.
Louise is still worried about Eve, so I think she is going to ask the health visitor’s advice, as she doesn’t feel confident with much else. Essentially Eve seems OK, she seems a little pale, & she does have a cough at the moment to compound things. She does not seem quite her usual self though. She is more often than not having a sleep through the day & seems listless. She does not sleep so well in general. It’s difficult to put your finger on precisely, but after being ill the other week, she seems to still be drained. The Health Visitor is due to see Jude, I think, but Louise is alerting her to the fact that she’d like to have a word about Eve.
Occurs to me I’m tired now… might sleep.

Jack was late off to sleep again last night. Hopefully he will sleep in a bit thins morning…
Perhaps “A Comet in Moominland” is just too stimulating for him… I dunno. He seems to be enjoying it as his bedtime read, as do I, but he got alarmed that Momintroll fell off a cliff pushing a boulder over with Snufkin. They were roped together though – so he didn’t fall, but I had to explain twice that the boulder was not going to fall on then as they had pushed it. Then he wanted to root down further into his bed, so I had to move Jude, who was sleeping on Jack’s bed after falling asleep with Louise (Louise subsequently having gone to do sandwiches for lunches & ironing & suchlike). Jude did not go into the cot without waking up, so Jack did not get more stories, but had to try to get off to sleep on his own while I went through the process of trying to calm Jude down & then put him back in his cot. Jude was not for being put down, & Jack had a struggle to get asleep. He did sleep eventually, but time probably drifted past 10:00 – which was even later than yesterday… Poor boy will be tired at school.
Oh, & I’m tired as well as it was past 11:00 again before I managed to get to bed, what with having a bath & all. At least Hattie is coming over to day to look t the shower & see what needs to be done.
Oh, talking of work to be done on the house. The roof. I’m not sure what it is, as Louise was discussing it& I only got the end of the conversation… & have not got round to getting it clear in my head what is going on. Anyway – they are coming back to put some ventilation on the roof. I’m not really sure what this entails. I think Louise says ventilating ridge tiles – which should be interesting as imagine that they will change the profile of the roof. May have completely the wrong end of the stick, though.

Groggy morning, but feeling more alive than usual in these circumstances. I was up late, so I’m tired. Triumph though ~ Nick’s mac plays ball again. It took a while of messing about with his old DVD drive plugged into the open computer, but we got there (phew). Nice to help someone.

Jack was not for settling down last night (which is why I was late to Nick’s, which is why I was late home & late into the bath & late into bed – aug!). Not really sure why – he was just a bit hyper. We’d had a pleasant evening out after tea kicking the ball about & it didn’t really seem like it was bedtime, but he was OK about it. It was after his bath that he seemed not to want to settle. At the moment Eve goes off to sleep in Jack’s bed & although she was very tired she was still just hovering around wakefulness, so I couldn’t move her. I lie next to the bed when reading & Eve manages to grab the spot by the edge of the bed next to me (as she is out of the bath before Jack gets in). Jack seemed to take offence at her being in this coveted position & she would not settle into a deeper sleep while there was the threat of him messing about. I got fed up & went to get the washing in at one stage, which was not really a good thing to do; as Louise pointed out, it didn’t really occur to Jack that I went out of the room because I was mad at him – it was just an excuse to follow me down the stairs… I told him to go up, but he took that as a challenge & a laff as well. Apparently he was sitting at the top of the stairs making noise & Louise said something in passing about the fact that he’ll have to go to sleep in our room if he cannot settle down in their bedroom – which immediately reduced him to a tearful wreck. I came back upstairs to find him very upset. It seems he wants to challenge & play up against the norm, but when faced with the actuality of a break in his usual routine, he cracks. It also seems that even if I am stern, I am not serious <sigh>.

Went to the park after picking up Jack from school yesterday. Lovely sunny afternoon that migrated into a lovely sunny evening (with a chilly breeze). We also took Jack’s scooter & Eve’s trike. Jack has become quite proficient with the scooter, so he’s allowed this sort of thing; fair zooms, he does. Eve enjoyed herself too. They both love playing in the park, but we had to go home eventually & have some tea.
This morning though, I am not refreshed. Up too late. Had to have a bath before bed (as I’ll be damned if I’m getting up earlier still to have one). The shower is broke at the moment. I suspect that there has been an underlying problem for a little while – it being hot – possibly not having the cold part of the ‘mixer’ um… mixing. Still Saturday morning the whole from fascia came off in my hand with a nasty exaggerated ‘click’, which means that something somewhere looks broke. It also refuses to turn on any more. Our plumber has been alerted, but we have yet to hear from her. I suspect a part may be needed, so it would be good if she could come ASAP to at least verify that. Problem is, we are very poor at chasing this sort of thing. We are not well organised & adept to problems probably all to well. Anyway – the other reason why I was late to bed was that I’ve been trying to help another neighbour called Nick. He’s a designer, & his G3 blue/white mac is giving the dreaded flashing mac face & ‘?’ folder when starting up. Outlooks Express crashed badly. Not just badly, but really badly. Eesh. His CD refuses to start up either… Could not solve yesterday, so hopefully today.

We worry about Eve. She does not seem well at the moment. She has a rash, she has a sore at the corner of her mouth, she is snuffly, she is delicate & she is crying at night. She does not want comforting either… but then she is different to Jack, in that if she feels offended she will not be comforted. Jack is happy for a cuddle anytime. Louise thinks she may take her to doctors today (assuming that she can get an appointment past the obfuscatious & demeaning receptionists, “Is it an emergency?” One would think if you said yes they would advise going to hospital Casualty Unit, as that is what they are for. “OK – we have a booking Thursday week” etc etc. <sigh>. I hope she gets on OK.
Got a good bit of sanding done in the attic yesterday. I’m getting to the point where I can start painting the skirting board… Once that is done we can think about a carpet & once we have that we can actually think about moving up there!! Of course there’s still the chimney. That has yet to be sorted out. We have not had rain for a good long while now, but unfortunately the walls that have got damp seem to be taking forever to dry out. March was quite dry, but it seems that the tide of dampness on the wall has hardly retreated. This cannot be good. Our neigbour Andy went onto the roof the other day & had a look at the chimney to see if he could see anything damp, or any indication where water may be getting in. He did find a bit of damp mortar, so I guess that it’s possible that is where water has got in, but could it also just be water trying to get out? Hmm – well that seems plausible… I worry that they have put silicone sealant on the stone & mortar, & if they have how will any water fixed in there dry out?
Nagging worries like this are not good. I can blank them out quite well, as I find it hard to see the point in worry, but it chips at Louise’s well being.

Nightime – watching telly – there’s a novelty.
Shagged today – up late last night prattling about getting a bit of ZUM! sorted out that no one will look at anyway – but that’s not the point.
Up early as Eve wanted to see me (I had been shuffled out of our bed by the numbers therein, & retired to Jack’s bed. Woke too early to “Want Daddy” shouting down the hall holding Louise’s hand. Really unwilling to rouse, but did. Tried to leave Louise & Eve in Jack’s bed & sneak back to our own, but no, it won’t really do – just a delay – a respite before giving in to waking up.

Started the shower & it broke. The fascia literally broke off in my hand. So, I’m left holding the control cover. ARSE! This is a disaster; it really is – I mean – I rely on my shower for non-committal waking up before breakfast. Let it all run over me. After reporting the catastrophe to Louise she advises my confused morning time brain to have a bath. Oh yes – we do have a bath. We at least have a combi-boiler, so that we can have a bath full, not a piddling puddle from the time when it was in a tank.
Anyway – although Louise & I were both grumpy, we managed to break the cycle of grumpy & get out to Hebden Bridge. Jack & Eve had a good play in the playground & had a picnic & some ice cream. We dragged them away & had a little charity shop trawl. A first – we got videos from a charity shop. Louise found the weddingpresent video collection *punk & I found the ‘Absolutely Vido’ . A bizarre ‘Letterland’ tape measure thing on wheels, a tape & a couple of books for the kids. Ah, charity shop booty…
Jack has been uncommonly good today. He has been helpful & listened to us. Guided Eve as well.
Right – it’s too late again – I’m off to bad. My brain has suffered all day from a lack of sleep. Left hand sinuses ache. I whine when I’m tired.

Work is too too busy. I don’t wanna play. Lots of grumpy people seeking voice to go on & on about the mail server not working proper the other day.
Still I travel to Manchester.

Eve was very difficult to get off to sleep last night & also seems to have had a poor night of it as well. She’s probably teething as she was chewing on a soft toy duck & my t-shirt shoulder as she was being read to for sleep. I think it was past 9:30 before I got both her & Jack off. I’m sure Eve being so fidgety helped Jack fight sleep. Most kids, if they get read to get a couple of Arnold Lobels’ Frog & Toad stories. They got 2 books worth & were still fighting on with drowsy heads. Once I’d separated them into their own beds they were asleep within 10 minutes.

Fuggy brain no wanna wake up 3 snooze rings before rising shower (at least didn’t drop soap & wake everyone).
Not really in the mood for typing. Not because I don’t want to, but i can’t think. Details of yesterday seem unattainable, like dreams after waking. There’s something there – what was it?

Louise is feeling better. Eve is coughing – but seems to be keeping food & drink in her stomach, at least. Jack was not so wild yesterday, so perhaps it was the boiled sweet he had, rather than he feeling ill. Loud shout from his room of “Mummy or Daddy!!!” this morning. A demand that one of us sleep with him. Louise had gone earlier, so as he managed to rouse me from slumber I dithered off down the hall.

OK – I missed yesterday. I was at home. I was not ill, but I don’t feel so bright today. Louise was ill. She would have coped, but for the fact that the cold she has probably is in her sinuses & getting at her inner ear – making it all rather painful for her. She had a good portion of sleeping done in the morning & was feeling a tad better. She was due a doctor’s appointment, but she cancelled. I stretched my credulity by pouring a drop of warm olive oil in her ear. Louise says that her mum used to do this when she was young, but I’m still not really sure on that. Jack’s behavior was not great yesterday. He did not get a good night’s sleep the night before (So neither did I) possibly because he was fretting over the fact that he was going to school in the morning -1st day back after the holidays. On the whole though he’s being annoying & provoking. Last time he was like this he was ill – so, I think we can take it that he is not feeling grand either. Eve is warm – she probably has a temperature, but is coping quite well with it all. She gets the occasional dose of paracetamol to keep her temp in check. She is not wailing as much as she would usually when ill though, or are we getting used to it? Jude is… Well – he’s a baby – there’s no particular trait that would indicate he is ill. His nose runs when he gets upset – there you go.

I was feeling a bit guilty for not going into work, as I know it’s mad busy. We have people phoning up to complain a lot as one of the 3 mail servers we run was down. I should bear in mind that there were 3 on & not just me on the phone as the day before though.

Well, at least I had Monday off.

A very low-key day yesterday. Carolyn (Louise’s chum) Paul & baby Katie came a visiting yesterday. We nearly said ‘don’t’ as Eve was ill the night before. She threw up her pasta from tea in the early hours & was running a temperature. She was quite a mess, but somehow Louise managed to prevent her making a mess of our bed & everything as well. In the morning she was pallid & gray 1st thing & Louise was ready to call off the visit, as if she was ill – then it would not be good to have Eve spreading such a thing to a younger babe. She perked up considerably after having some breakfast though – so the visit was still on. Jack had been looking forward to it their visit for some time – so was rather relieved. They enjoyed it, & seeing a 6-month babe made you realise that Jude is not that big after all. We were starting to think that he was starting to get big, but he looked all small again. Katie was 6 months that day. A happy little soul who can roll about. She rolls rather than crawls much as a method of propulsion. Jack & Eve were crawlers… well – actually, Eve spent little time crawling from what I recall – so determined was she to be on 2 feet that she was never truly proficient. Jack could crawl at one hell of a pace.

Heh… a piece of nice abstract understanding from Eve. I was changing her nappy & she noticed that she had the same design nappy as Jude (Same make) & she decided that I was putting on one of Jude’s nappies onto her. So, I play along a little & after the nappy was fitted, I asked her, “Is that comfortable Jude?”. She paused to think a minute… “Yes!” says she in a slightly squeakier voice (pretending to be Jude).

Playing cars yesterday afternoon with Jack. There’s a lot of crashing of goodie cars into baddie cars. This with the occasional looks at the television that had a compilation of MGM musical numbers on. We were hoping that there would be some ‘wizard of oz’ as that’s what was on the telly when I turned it on. He likes the tune “if ever and ever a Wiz there was the Wizard of Oz is one because, because, because… etc” – but he’s never really seen any of the film… It’s staring to take on mythic qualities… I hope he’s not disappointed when he does get to see it.