Archives: jude

Construct thoughts. Adhere ideas to page.

As usual I’m over tired & therefore a vacuum exists where coherence is supposed to exist. I just skitter at the periphery of my thinking teasing out something that appears to be here.

Jack suffered a little last night. He’s a stoic sort, but the travel & all the homework got to him a little yesterday. He’s under the weather & he had quite a bit of homework to do yesterday. He so wants to do it well. Still – he did pull it together & he did finish all there was to finish & he did fall asleep jolly quickly. Sleep, for him, has not been so good this week – it may be contributory.

We managed to get Jude a bike – it’s green & blue, it has gears & it has a suspension! Crikey! He’s jolly pleased with it, but he wants a stand. OK – I need to get a stand…. Louise is going to book him into the dentists with his teeth – he’s starting to get teeth growing through – but his milk teeth are still hanging in there – so that can’t be comfortable. Jude has also been good, & reasonable & less apt to lash out this week – which has been noted & appreciated. He’s making an effort again.

Esme has chicken pox – this is not a surprise because Lilly over the road had them. Just got some first spots appearing yesterday. It was doubtful in the morning, but was mote obvious by the afternoon.

I must try to remember to leave work a little early to pop into town & pick up the 9th ‘Series of Unfortunate Events’ books for Eve. She is starting to read these herself a bit, which is encouraging. Reading to herself is not something she especially wants to have time for though – she’d rather be playing. The man game they play at the moment is ‘schools’ – where they are teachers behind desks & so forth. It involves a lot of books in bags & moving things about – but – they did actually tidy up after themselves yesterday – which is nearly a first as tidying up rarely is allowed to impinge on the time that they consider to be time that they play.

Bikes…

Jude needs a new bike, so we were hopeful that the Chopper down at the shop at Patmos would do for him. It was also reduced! So, we took his old bike & Eve’s bike down (her bike needs repairing) on Thursday evening… only to find that the Chopper was too big. He couldn’t ride it comfortably. Eve could, but that was not the point really. So Jude needs another – he didn’t have one in the shop, but said he’d try at his garage & over at a couple of other shops he’s friendly with. Jude didn’t accept that well – the ‘now’ thing was praying on him. He cried & needed carrying home (such was his misery).

Friday I bumped into Jack on the way home, just past the newsagents, he having parted company with Thomas & finishing of some chocolate (guiltily). Thomas gave it to him (he doth protest too much) as I pointed out (grinning) that I wasn’t telling him off, was I? Popped in at the bike shop & nothing doing – no bike for Jude at the garage or shops in Nelson or Burnley. Ooooh dear…. Eve’s bike not fixed either because no ‘little chain thing that attaches to the gears’ (can’t recall the name). But I make a mental note it’s an 18 inch wheel that we’re after (as well as one with gears, obviously) when he tells me there’s a couple of other chances he’s going to check. He saw that Jude was upset & he was a little affected – he doesn’t like to disappoint.

Saturday morning I pop to get the paper & dib in… nope – no fix, no bike. I remember that Eve’s front tyre needs replacing as well, so point this out. I suspect he’s basically out of leads, so I say not to worry too much – we’ll look if he keeps his eyes open & what will be will be. Jude is disappointed. Eve is disappointed her bike is not fixed as well – she spends a good deal of her play with Amber over the road playing on bikes. Amber looks to have an 18 inch wheel bike with gears, but this also has pinkness & flowery decals.

It’s a low key weekend. Jack has history homework; they have to do a historical figure. Choose anyone from history & write about them – someone who changed the world also seems to be an important criteria. Jack has chosen Dr Barnados; he’s not sure why, but Louise & I kinda suspect it’s the helping the downtrodden, education & equality which (given his Thursday night dream of converting buses into off road vehicles & driving them to Africa to be used as classrooms seems to chime with his general thinking at the moment). He gets upset that we criticise his lifting of phrases & paragraphs from the Internet wholesale & decides that he’ll do Henry VIII instead as he has his own source material (studies from juniors) on the subject. Digs this stuff out (making a mess of his room in the process) and then complains that Henry VIII is boring (and also one of the suggested characters from discussion in class).

Leave it a bit Jack.

We go to the supermarket (him & me) via the library (no books on on Henry of Thomas Barnado) but there’s a DVD he likes the look of & a couple of books I wouldn’t have minded if I had time for reading at the moment). We chat about things on the way into town & he points out that kids his age would hardly ever have seen a dead body, but in Bernado’s time.. I point out that this is a darn good way of opening his history essay were he doing Thomas Barnodo & we chat some more along these lines & let him mull it over.

At home he’s doing Barnado again & Louise & I outline an approach for him to tackle writing it (research on the internet – print things out – read these & highlight the salient points & then write up in the structure plan he has (he had a structural plan all along he wasn’t sticking to it). He makes some good progress.

Sunday, Eve has borrowed Jack’s bike (against his wishes) & is plying with Amber when Amber’s next door neighbours offer Eve a bike. She comes to tell us, I pop over & it’s clear that the bike is somewhat big for her (it’s bigger than Jack’s) but we tend to not look a gift horse in the mouth, we say thank you very much & she’s off (somewhat shakily) on it taking it back round to the back street.

…continuing…

16/09/08@06:51:55

So, we’re all on the back street checking over the ‘new’ bike – Louise has had a go & Jack has had a go & Jude is a bit upset because he hasn’t got his bike yet… He knows my earlier enquiries have come to nothing because I checked when I was getting the newspaper that morning.

So we’re there chatting away & Brenda over the road pops out for something & overhears us. We tell her of our surprise acquisition & the says she has a new bike. Nice ladies bike – folder. John get it out to show us. John says he’s supposed to be riding a bike for his knee, but the one he has isn’t so good – he can’t get it in the car & he can’t get his leg over (queue gag re asking the man at the bike shop as to whether he could do anything with his bike because he can’t get his leg over, “It comes to us all” is the response from the older bike shop owner.) It’s useless to him & it’s apparently offered to me. I’m not paying attention – Louise graciously accepts & I have a bike as well! How did that happen? ” bikes in one day? Not one for Jude though. Poor Jude is upset.

A little later Jack & I set off to Morrisons on the bikes – zooming there in no time (although I have to say I do not like going down Fernley Lee Road – it is just that bit too steep: both brakes on & concentrating on the misshapen road (lots of roadworks) conscious of cars behind & needing to signal direction & you can’t really turn to check the car behind you & you can’t take your hands off the brake to signal. After that the roundabout in the centre of town seemed a breeze.

Coming back we went up Park Rd – less right turns & not so steep an incline (although longer). I was struggling getting a lower gear so really had to push quite hard. As I reached the point of giving up & reached the top of the hill (well – as far as we were going) & turned round to see how Jack was getting on – his bike slips into some delightfully low gears that I’m sure would be easy for even getting up Fernley Lee. I was a little disappointed to see that he was pushing – he’d got off & was pushing! I would have shouted some chastisement but I was somewhat out of breath.

Yesterday – off to the the other bike shop in town – see if he has anything there. Looks to be – 23 inch frame. I call Louise to measure Jude’s inside leg to see if this would be good for him? He has a 21inch inside leg! Ooh. Well – this bike is green & blue, it has suspension& it has gears & it’s £30? OK, yes tiptoes will do fine! I go back to the shop to get it. Ah, but he’s not checked the bike over since it came in… Ah… He checks over the gears & the do not work quite as well as one would expect… hurumph. He’s not going to let me take it away just yet… he wants to ensure all is well (he brakes seem OK). So – now that we have got Jude’s hopes up we have them dashed once more… Bah.

Tuesdays Todmorden closes… It’ll be Wednesday, then…

Jack got homework worry last night… It was Religious studies what done it… They had to write up what Religious Studies was for which is a little bit of a nebulous question, really. It may have been the case that they took notes on the subject class & were supposed to write this up, but it was the last lesson on a Friday & Jack’s notes seem to be a little threadbare on substance. Also: he’s never had to do anything like this before, so he had some troubles with the idea of how to approach the whole thing. It being a tricky question he needed to do more preparation for the writing of this than he was used to doing, but Louise guided him through it well, & by the end of the evening (it took a while settling nerves & discussing things) he had a few good paragraphs which made up a pretty good little essay. Jack’s thought processes always have a tendency to go flying off in the many possible directions he sees… this might not be such a good thing for buttoning down an argument (at the moment) but it is one of his strengths. We decided (as an aid to writing) he could do it on his laptop – the theory being that it would stop him having to worry about having to rewrite things as he was restructuring them & that seemed to help as well. He still wrote everything out long hand before committing it to type & has oddly kept all his notes as well (hoarding instinct?)

Jude’s temper upon leaving school is as bad as ever. I’m not sure what causes all this pent up aggression… probably being ‘good’ at school, as he is good there as he can be at home if his pettiness doesn’t get the better of him. He was up early again this morning as Louise called just before seven to ask where the little camera he was playing with yesterday had gone? Just on the floor by the computer – I saw it there this morning (thinking that he never looks after anything). No doubt that will just have been his first demand of the day.

Eve is doing a lot better. She seems to have pulled herself together a lot following a rocky end to the holidays & start of the new school year. She’s even started reading her books herself, rather than rely on just my reading at bed time to traverse a story. It’s good; her approach to things is generally a lot more stable & certainly a lot better appreciated.

Esme (as usual) is full of life. Her over enthusiasm causes her problems at times – like a sore head she got when she saw me arriving at the playground yesterday & ran across the playground to open the gate, pushed open the gate too hard & when it stopped swinging open she couldn’t stop & bashed her head on the bars of the gate. Tears & screeching ensue so I give her a cuddle & plonk her in the swings (which seemed sufficient distraction). After a few moments all I had left was Jude & Esme but Jude was cross because I refused to push him on the see saw roundabout contraption (no one to balance him out – Esme is not doing it because he’ll be bored with the slow pace) . Jude remains super grumped up all the way home, but he doesn’t attempt to biff me… I wonder why?

Got home at school leaving time – well – a little later because the train was late – caught up with the family heading home. Broke a grump about something or other just by turning up, but then Jude regrumped as I wasn’t taking him directly to the park (want to drop off my bag at home first) . And there lies a pattern… Jude had a bit of a grumpy evening & didn’t get what he wanted because of it. Louise got the worst of it though. We have to leave the park sometime & Jude didn’t want to – sat himself atop the climbing frame & scowled. I left (Esme claiming that she wanted to go to the toilet forced us to take the action of leaving (but she then forgot this ‘need’ straight away). We left the park & he followed (calling us stupid). Once across the road Eve & Esme dash into 72 (cafe) – they were getting ahead because Jude was reluctantly trailing. When Jude & Louise trail in they are wanting something to eat & a treat is deemed OK. 3 chocolate nest cakes with smarties on top are chosen because they are sufficiently treat -worthy & there are 3 – one for each. Jude suddenly procrastinates after the choice is made & then settles on wanting a chocolate bar… But the choice has been made. He protests (the choice has been made) & he starts to kick off as we leave (the choice has been made). He starts biffing Louise & his choice & his chosen treat is lost to him & he’s in a foul mood. Louise is also somewhat unhappy because he’s been an embarrassing little brat. I eat the cake that was intended for Jude as Jack (who is at home by now) has had his treats for the day (treacle sponge & pudding for school dinner). Jude is in a proper foul mood, but stroking the rabbit a bit before coming in seems t calm him a bit. He pops off to ‘Jack down the road’s on the understanding that it is only for half an hour. Louise & I wonder what to do about his ferocious temper…. After the half hour has passed I get him & he’s somewhat perplexed that tea is not ready of The Simpsons are not on… “We said half an hour”. He refuses to read his school book, so has to sit on the sofa with me & listen to me being boring & lecturing him about what is & is not acceptable, while he punctuates things with declarations of my stupidity & reminding me that I’m an idiot. He’s also reminded that such words are not what we want. Goodness knows if he’s taking any of it in… I try to see it as a ‘sea the shore’ effect: I will keep on like this until something gets through. The rest of the evening is basically OK with Jude, I guess – he has a bath early because he can have one without fuss & with fresh water. He likes that; he’s usually the last I the bath (by his choice).. He plays rather than sitting down to a story (as usual)

Other things

Eve was reading the Lemony Snicket book on her own after coming back from the park.  She must have wanted to get out of the way & she was able to get a bit of peace & actually read. This is good because she is often reluctant to do this or she cannot concentrate because there’s too much a-doing. So – she was able to sit & read & enjoy sitting & reading – a good thing.

Jack worked on Homework for quite a bit of the evening. Design Technology was Food Technology & sorting a collage of differing food types. There was writing up lab rules, there was an online Maths thing. The collage took quite a while as he hunted online for images – printed them out & collaged them.

Big Empty train (strike day – limited service). Hey – my brain is the same!
It would rather be sleeping, but that could not be the case even without work to attend, as Eve was awake before I left this morning.

I shall attempt to recount a little of the holidays again. If Boxing Day was Thursday (I think it was) then Neil & Jess arrived in the afternoon. This pleased Jack no end, as he really likes them. They all had a good time. Eve tuckered out again & so did Jude (later), but Jack kept going. He would have kept on & on. He was starting to tire, even with his buoyant mood & excitement he was getting clumsy, so rather than he be upset by upsetting someone, we upset him; by taking him to bed. He howled & protested for a while, but calmed down with the reading of a new book; Ivor (the Engine) & The Foxes – which has a mounting sense of excitement as Mrs Fox gets chased.

The next day we went to this open farm. The really good thing that the kids enjoy is the barn which has one of those inside play areas – all slides & climbing & …well- adventuring for the young ‘uns.
They stayed there a good while & bounced on the trampolines & Eve had a go on the tractors (push along & pedal). Was not so mild that day tho – so the adults (Louise & I, me mum & Neil & Jess) did a lot of standing/sitting around being cold. Jack befriended some other boys in one of the climbing frames & then went off to play on the slides. The boys all then started shouting, “Jack! ….Jack! JACK!” etc. Like he gets an instant cult… weird.

Saturday was pottering around & packing. Not so interesting for the kids, but Jack & Eve did get a little walk on the beach with Neil & Jess.

Traveled back that night & home. Only Eve worried us on the journey. After we left the motorway & were ‘on the final straight’ metaphorically, she stirred & was upset. She cried & was almost to the ‘distressed enough to be sick’ point. She did one of those magnificent pre puke belches she does – forced out by a cough… but she managed to keep it together.

Jack awoke the next morning & announced to Louise, “That was the best holiday I’ve ever had” (as already mentioned).
They’ve settled down quite well. Jack still has a slightly frantic edge, but nothing compared to pre Xmas.

We have Caroline from London visiting now – so I was up far too late last night. My body has not yet adjusted to the early morning wake up that I have to do to get to work – so I was already a bit of a wreck by the time I was coming home. Actually – I’ve been clumsy as well – which is more than tired… Aha! I can happily blame this cold, then.

This being New Years Eve, it looks a lot like I will be up late again tonight. Bonus point is that I do not have to go to work tomorrow – yeay!

Hmmm… Could well be my last bit of ‘regular diary’ this year. Holidays start tomorrow & we’re off down to Somerset to spend Xmas with my mum & dad. Are we ready? Are we hell as like! At least, I think we’ve got all those present things now.

Jude hasn’t really got anything much in the way of presents, but he’s not 1 yet (actually… it’s not that long until he is!) so I’m sure he’ll get by on wrapping paper & such like. Must remember to pack a few of the things he likes to play with. I can predict that Louise & I will be spending a considerable amount of time going up & down the stairs with him. The stairs at maw & paws are nice, straight, wide, not too deep & ‘a good run’ up. I wonder about ornaments & alike, as he’s well into climbing up the furniture…. We will see.

Train home.

Cut short on typing yesterday due to the crowded train & this morning I had someone hogging the table with an enormous laptop. Blimey them things are big – I’m glad for this little eMate.

Anyway – to cut the chase – (continuing from yesterday) Jude’s rash got a whole lot worse. Worse than anything the health visitor had seen when we popped in on Wednesday, but it did not bother him & it got better. You’d not know it had been there now.

Jack has been a shepherd in the school nativity – which has meant going to school the last couple of evenings to perform. We took him Monday – the whole brood, but we didn’t get to see the play itself, as there were no tickets. We also had Eve & Jude – so it really was not that practical to stand at the back. We stayed in the classroom & both kiddies enjoyed roaming around a while before the classes filed back in. Louise’s mum took him last night. Eve konked out asleep in bed just before they got in the house. She was tired. Louise’s mum got to see the play by sneaking in at the back – but didn’t really say that much about it all. The ‘inkeeper’ was a comic role as he kept having to get out of bed & they sang a lot. Well – they would sing. Jack enjoys his singing & often sings his latest hymns to us at home. A favourite with Jack & Eve at the moment is ‘Jingle Bells’ – which through Jacks reading goes, “On that farm it is to ride on a one horse oaken sleigh, HEY!, Jingle bells etc…”
Got all of Jack’s Xmas cards done. Have to do all of Eve’s yet & our cards… welll… I’ve done one or 2… I used to do LOADS. Time time time time.

Not a lot of typing this week as not very well.
Going to work today against common logic.
I believe I have what Louise probably had the other week.
It’s kinda odd to have aches & pains & a fever without the snot of flu, which is a relief in a way though.

Jude gave us a bad scare on Monday night as well. Louise was undressing him for the bath when an alarming rash was revealed. Lots of raised areas with red centres. On the phone to NHS direct. Then on the phone to a local GP service. Many calls later, it was decided that as Jude was not seeming to suffer any ill effect he was probably all right. Keep an eye on him & take him to the doctors the next day. In general he was much more his usual self unlike last week with the rubella like rash; quite chirpy & playful.
I’m not quite sure how the Dr.’s visit went on Tuesday, but the rash was calming down then. The red spots had developed into little purple areas that looked a bit like bruises. The swelling had died down. There were no new ‘welts’. They were explained as an allergic reaction to a virus… Which kinda makes sense… Hives.
Unfortunately by evening he had a fresh crop again. Oh & by this time I was feeling shite as well…
We took him to ‘health clinic’ yesterday (I took the day off work as I had little sleep & a raging temperature). Jude’s ‘hives’ looked most alarming. They are confined on the whole to his legs, bum & elbows… He was happy enough & scurrying off with delight down the corridor of the health centre at every opportunity.
Further explanation is that it’s a way of fighting the virus rather than a fever. They do not itch & they do not seem to disturb him that much… but as said; it all looks rather alarming.

Right – I’m still not ‘good’ but travelling – so I’ll stop this typing & rest – as that’s what I really most want to do.

hmm – ok – I was going to write this morning, but I don’t feel much in the way of what I’m supposed to write. I managed to sleep in all beds last night… sigh.
Eve did well at one point – she got out of bed to go to the toilet. She’d decided she needed to go & was off. No protest about the situation – no fuss no bother… that was nice. Back to bed & asleep… wow.
I scampered back to our own bed – only to go downstairs for some medicine for Jude who was running a temperature. Next thing I know Jack’s crying out – so It’s down to him. He’s had a ‘sad dream’ – which he actually tells me about – that Eve had broken her forearm – right hand side from the way he pointed at his. Drifting off to sleep & then he announces he needs a wee as well. Heck, for some reason does not like the cupboard in the bathroom, & thus does not like to go to the bathroom unaccompanied sometimes. He did go to sleep again with little bother & I retired to the futon in the back room as I noticed by my alarm clock that I only had as much sleep as I could grab in half an hour.
Hmmm – well – I’ve slept better.

Happy birthday to me!

What did I get? I dunno – I ain’t seed no post yet. I have bought myself various bits & bats – glasses OSX & all that – so I can hardly feel neglected. I got Louise a card as it is our anniversary as well.
I failed to get Ralphie’s present off to him. Going around in a daze these past few days has not been conducive to remembering to do anything past responding to what’s in front of me; will try to do that today.

Eve slept better last night – in that she did wake up & she did howl – but she stooped howling & went to sleep. Jack slept through again. Bed time was a little less stressful as although Jack was in a hyper mood again (had an enormous tea – completely into food at the moment – his body is up to something to demand this) he was also in a very sweet mood & he played very well with Eve. His play has changed a lot this year. He is much more into initiating ‘imaginative play’ whereas he used to want you to take the lead, he now takes it with Eve, & Eve is well into it (she’s always been good at pretend play).

Jude is still not well. He is better, but not well & apt to getting a little bit of a temperature still.

Jack was a little disappointed to have only the one chapter of Pinocchio read to him. He is very into this rendition of the story (which is good) as he was really rooting for Pinocchio to be a ‘good boy’ when the ass drawn coach drew up & tempted him to go to Boobyland. He voiced his disappointment at Pinocchio’s decision to jump aboard.