familymatters

Heatwave

2009-06-02T14:40:00.000-07:00

The last day of the heatwave.
Ben is still on holiday so we took a few friends and headed down to the beach where they built a wrestling ring from driftwood.

Walk On The Not So Wild Side

2009-05-28T12:14:00.000-07:00

School holidays and another ensemble day out.
We caught the train to Hoylake and walked along the beach to West Kirby and back through the Wirral Way.

Anyone For Tennis?

2009-05-02T10:27:00.001-07:00

Finally...Ben Gets His Hair Cut!

2009-04-30T04:03:00.001-07:00

Family Matters - The Lost Pic

2009-04-27T02:53:00.001-07:00

I have just found this picture which was taken for my Southport Visiter column which ran over three years from August 2005 until the Trinity Mirror Freelance cull in June 2008.

Mini Cup Final Day

2009-04-25T08:38:00.000-07:00

GREENS 3 BLUES 2

Easter 2009

2009-04-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

Climbing Trees

2009-02-16T00:46:00.001-08:00

A rare winter weekend with no football - time to have some fun in the woods.

Hair Today (for £6 from BHS)

2009-01-26T02:04:00.000-08:00

Drastic times call for drastic measures.
My (almost) hairless husband transforms himself into Brian May with the help of a £6 sheepskin scarf from BHS.

Things We Argue About: The Remote Control

2009-01-26T02:01:00.001-08:00

Always on duty - Harvey, the hound takes control!

One Day I will Miss All This

2009-01-16T01:35:00.000-08:00

I need to tidy the house.
It is in this state most of the time.
Usually I have a heavy heart when I have to pick up clothes, tidy and hoover.
Today I looked at it all through fresh eyes and remembered that one day I will miss all this.

Getting Closer

2008-12-12T03:26:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Play

2008-12-12T03:20:00.000-08:00

As usual I couldn't get a front row seat so this was the best view of my son, Ben.
It was a wonderful performance with an international feel.
There Christmas songs in English, Spanish and German as well as a pantomime, a rendition of "Do They Know It's Christmas" and my son's class play about the traditions of Christmas Past.
His outfit was supposed to be that of a Victorian boy but he refused to wear a hat.

It Was On A Starry Night

2008-12-04T01:01:00.000-08:00

December Will be Magic Again

2008-12-01T02:41:00.000-08:00

Advent
I love December, the nativity, the Christmas countdown, the carols, the presents, the food, the gatherings and everything.
However, I have always tried to avoid those chocolate advent calendars.
I bought this Advent Calendar about ten years ago from a CAFOD sale.
There are 24 pegs which create the nativity scene. Each day one of my four children takes it in turn to put another peg on.
They are 8, 11, 13 and 17 now and still enjoy taking part.

Guess Who Got New Hats?

2008-12-01T02:35:00.001-08:00

Let's Play Libraries

2008-09-07T22:50:00.000-07:00

When I was a child there were three jobs I wanted. In no particular order they were:

1. Stationery shop owner
2. Shoe shop owner
3. Librarian

AS it turns out in some mis-matched jumbled way, a journalist who has a weakness for shoes sort of hits the spot.

It also meant that as a child I spent most of my spare time doing the following:

1. Writing stories
2. Dressing up in my mum's shoes
3. Playing libraries

My youngest son has inherited just one of those spare-time activities. Thankfully it's not the dressing up in mum's shoes. No, it's playing libraries.
After church the stall was set.
I had to keep going out of one door and through another with my pile of books.
We play the old fashioned way (can't you see my influence) we have a ticket in each book. No (boring) fast swipe card for us.

Happy Days.

Mamma Mia

2008-09-04T06:11:00.000-07:00

Slipping Through My Fingers

Schoolbag in hand
She leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye
With an absent-minded smile
I watch her go
With a surge of that well-known sadness
And I have to sit down for a while
The feeling that I'm losing her forever
And without really entering her world
I'm glad whenever I can share her laughter
That funny little girl

Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see what's in her mind
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time

Sleep in our eyes
Her and me at the breakfast table
Barely awake
I let precious time go by
Then when she's gone
There's that odd melancholy feeling
And a sense of guilt
I can't deny
What happened to the wonderful adventures
The places I had planned for us to go
Well some of that we did
But most we didn't
And why I just don't know

Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see what's in her mind
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time

Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture
And save it from the funny tricks of time
Slipping through my fingers -

Schoolbag in hand
She leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile