Was going to do some attic painting last night – but it was 9:30 before I surfaced from the kids room (urg). They were not for sleeping last night. Eve ended up in Jack’s bed & Jack ended up in Eve’s bed. It might have been a coming storm that did it. As I Louise nudged me awake (I’d fallen asleep with them as usual) it was bucketing down outside. You could hear the water sloshing down the back street. It’s difficult to be really certain, but it seems like the attic wall is not getting any wetter – the leak may be cured! I just wish it would actually dry out – then we’d be sure.
Jack called just the once in the night, but I think that was more because he had kicked off the cover & needed it back. He went straight back to sleep.
A week today we’ll hopefully be headed off on holiday.

I forgot to mention last week how well Jack has been sleeping of recent. He went 4 days last week without waking in the night; 5, if you count Saturday. Unfortunately he was reluctant to go to sleep on Saturday night. Not really sure why. He might have rested on the train back from Elaine’s… or something, I dunno. I read to him until I had to take a crying Jude from the room. Jude calmed down, but Jack protested as I calmed him, so Louise came up & read to Jack for a bit. Louise left him just about asleep, but he was not, so he called out again. I went up & stayed with him a bit. He drowsed, & then checked to see if I was there, drowsed some more etc. I eventually fell asleep, so he found there was no need to check on me. I think it was after 10 before I returned from my doze. I often do this falling asleep with him thing. Next day Jack was … challenging. He gave me such a stare when I told him not to do something. A real, ‘how dare you?’ look, to which I replied, “how dare you?”
He was in for playing up, being silly & antagonistic when he was with us. He spent a great deal of the morning out & about playing with Jessie & his big brother Frank. Plants & ants & bikes & trucks. Eve was tagging along merrily as well. On the way back from the supermarket Jack managed to antagonise us enough to get himself ‘grounded’. You are not playing out for the rest of the day – you have to stay inside. And thus the conversation ran, most of the way home:
“Am not.”
“You are.”
“Am not.”
“You are.”
“Am not.”
“You are.”
“Am not.”
“You are.”
etc.
Eventually he realised it was not a game & started crying.
You then feel like a heel, but he would not be in this position if he paid attention to what we said. Due warning was given many times. He asked later in the evening “Why was I grounded?”

Jude is very nearly rolling himself over. He’s rolling himself onto his side, so it’s only a matter of time now. He’s quite a happy vocal boy. He will smile at anyone who smiles at him, usually letting out a little ‘James Brown’ squeal/scream of delight. Another slightly odd thing is that he has on just a couple occasions seemed to ‘parrot’ a word or sound. It’s a bit early for this sort of thing, but Louise & I have noticed it on different occasions, in that you say something & he repeats it. Probably just coincidence, but they are different noises to his usual squeals.

Off to the park after school yesterday. The weather was doing a good imitation of a hot summer’s day & I my skin tingles this morning to let me know I caught the sun. My head also pulses to let me know I’m probably still a bit dehydrated… ug. Eve was in a happy little pottering mood & was playing quite well on her own. Jack had his bike, but hung around as school pals Harvey & Flo (twins) were about. Jack partook of a little tree climbing with Harvey – got stuck once & got told ‘not to’ quite frequently as we were concerned that they would damage the (young) trees.
Right, well, I have a ‘thinking’ problem this morning. I’m stuck in mental 1st gear…. although, some might argue…

Everyone was out when I got home yesterday. They’d all gone to Safeway & the park (or both?). I ran about getting a few jobs done – moving stuff about in the attic so that I could get to more skirting board & paint it… Sanding the wall I had put varnish on so that it could be painted, clearing up the mud around Jack’s excavation in the front garden – stuff like that.
Also nipped off with a requested chat with neighbour Nick as he was thinking of buying some new stuff for his mac. Waffled a bit, but I don’t think I gave him any misinformation.
Was Jack any better behaved yesterday? Well… not out & out aiming to be naughty when he was around me, but he was being cheeky & giving some back chat. It was just as well I was not at Safeway cafe with them as he apparently was pinching all the milk portions (for coffee & tea) & drinking them. Louise said that he got through quite a lot That would have wound me up terribly – it annoys me when he does that. Having said that… I have to admit that if I have a plate of chips there I will have an obscene amount of mayonnaise with them. I get through quite a pile of little sachets, so that’s me abusing the system as well.

Mud
Jack was in a ‘naughty mood’ yesterday. He seemed to concede such later in the evening. I’m not sure why he was, but the admission indicated a definite awareness that he was being so. Getting home from school did not go well again. He wanted to be carried again, & for a near 5 year old, it seems a tad daft.
I have to carry Eve to a certain extent, as I do not usually take her reigns with me when I set off. She often would rather not be carried. Jack sees this as all grossly unfair, I’m sure, & acts accordingly. I refuse & he shouts & bawls. [note from next day: – there was more to say, but I ran out of time.]

The shouty drunk leaves the train when it’s pointed out to him that this is the train to Manchester, not the train to Bradford. He railed for a while at the bald bearded suit who may work for Manchester council as an accountant, so I looked round & watched him, & he railed at me a little while, then when he realisd that I was not particularly bother by this he railed at the door behind me (surely he meant the door all along). The shrewy blond business lady noted him muttering about Bradford & when we pulled into Rochdale negotiated him off the train & pointed him in the right direction. He dropped his crusty woolly hat, so amazed that he was being helped, I guess, so I darted to pick it up for him. He ambled off the train & we left him there. Cooo an ‘incident’ in the train.

Missed yesterday typing, as it was one of those crappy trains without tables. It is again this morning, but I thought I’d try to dodge travel sickness & type on my knee. Now I can’t even remember much of the weekend. Ah – I remember… It was not that much of a weekend as I was working on Saturday. I did manage to sort out a lot of the diary pages though. Over a month behind, I was. It’s still not completely up to date. Pictures & that sort of malarkey still needs to be done, but on the whole, It’s now actually as up to date as it gets.
Jack was digging his hole agian yesterday evening. He has started to dig at the bottom of the garden by the front gate. It’s a spot where there’s nothing really growing. I worry he will hit the rose roots, but as he has not yet, I don’t really see it happening to any great extent now. It’s not, by any means a big hole (well – it might be to him) & there’s no a lot of scope for making it larger. But he’s happy in his pursuit. I remember my brother having similar ambitions & digging what seemed an enormous hole. I know there’s a photo somewhere of him digging it, & for the young boy he was, it was truly huge. He’s standing in the hole in his photo, which is up to his waist. He has room to swing his spade in it as well.

I got Jack home from school quite quickly yesterday. William was there (his friend who moved to Spain). Don’t know if he had been there for the day, but I think Jack was pleased he was there. It’s always so difficult to judge Jack’s mood as he leaves school with how his day went, as he’s onto the next angle already – how to get me to pick him up & carry him, or something like that. Anyway – I told him that I had already taken the stabalisers off his bike. That got him home in a good mood. He was off as soon as he got home. The street full of kids : Hamish & Amber, Jill’s Tara & Maraid. & Kristen – who had just had stabalisers taken off her bike by looks of things. Hamish got his bike out as well – he’s been off stabalisers for a good while, but his transition was a little shakey. I think because Jack has got so adept with the scooter he’s got good balance & he made the transition quite easily really. Pedaling along with ease after a while.

Have proper bags under my eyes again this morning. Up to late doing a spot of decorating with Louise.
Well – Jude does not have a cough in his chest – although he sounds wheezy, it’s all ‘in the head’. Eve does not have a heart murmur, but there is no diagnosis as yet as to why she seems to go a little blue-lipped occasionally. The Dr commented that she had dark rings on her eyes – which is something we hadn’t really noticed. She wants to give her a blood test, but being new to the practice (apparently) she wants to check with the health visitor & a pediatrician 1st (I think that’s what Louise said). She took Louise seriously, which was good – Louise did not feel that she was facing skepticism over what we were saying, perhaps because the Health Visitor had assured the Dr that we were not wastrels? We’ve also been given direction if Eve seems to do the same again. All in all a positive step forward.
Everyone was in the park when I got home – which was a bit weird. I didn’t know where anyone was, but I suspected, & went looking. When we got back Jack pestered & pestered to have the stabalisers taken off his bike. I wonder what put it in his head? I was not willing to start with as the brake is in an awful position for him to be able to effectively use it. Andy – our good neighbour adjusted it for us (so now I know how to). Now all I need is a spanner that fits that bolt. Jack woke before I left for work again this morning. The 1st thing he asked was whether I would take the stabalisers off today…

Joy – bank holidays! A little extra time at home.
We (Louise & I) made progress in the attic Sunday night. We both did some painting. I’m getting on quite well with the skirting boards & she did a little wall painting where the underside of the arch where the chimney flues meet. Can’t really continue on that wall now, as we have to wait for the plaster to dry out. On the plus side – it does – very gradually – seem to be drying out. We had some bad rain last week & there seems to be no darkening in tone of the plaster – so we rather hope that leaks have been sealed. As Louise has had a taste of painting now, I think that she’ll be more up for helping me on an evening. Having said that we did no work. I wanted to got to bed early as I was irritable at some points yesterday, which is a sure sign that I’m fraying my edges too much.
We went to Leeds on Sunday & bought some clothes for the kids & Louise got some wool & I got some comics (our ‘habits’ satiated). We then discovered that we did not have as much money in the bank as anticipated… bum… Wishing our ‘habits’ were still craving. I got a whole bunch of small press comics to remind myself how badly I am progressing with ZUM!. Very nice to see a comic shop bothering to stock them though. I also got James Kochalka’s ‘comic book diary #2. Delightful & trying not to read it too fast.