Little break

Sorry I’ve not been posting much recently. All that WC action and I’ve hardly said a word about it (and wasn’t that a great match last night between unfancied Algeria and ruthlessly bloody effective Germany?). And I’ve been working quite hard on some proposals for some new clients on some meaty website opportunities. Actually I have been blogging but I’ve started a new site to diarise events looking after our youngest grandson, as our daughter, S, has recently returned to work. And C and I are having a ball being very hands-on, very special aged carers. It’s good practice for C for when I turn incapable. I’ve set up the diary as if it was written by our grandson so I can be cheekily rude about his mum and dad, his Nana and most especially his Grandad, who deserves special mentions for being so hopeless at almost everything. I think I’ve found my calling, writing as a 7½ month old. It’s my natural intellectual level ha! It’s a private site so cannot share it with you but it’s got the makings of a good book (and let’s face it a lot more fun than ‘a year on the chemo ward’ or the riotous ‘the day my heart stopped’ or the solemn ‘thinking about the day I was told my Hickman Line was infected and I was getting sepsis’) so one day maybe. I’ll be back to the blog with cutting sarcasm and biting wit ever so shortly.

pp

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Nelly and the elephant

Remember this image because it’s absolutely perfect for this piece. It’s about my nan, affectionately known as Nelly, who was indisputably the kindest, warmest, most decent person I’ve ever known and I loved her utterly. She’s no longer with us of course – she died just before Carol and I got married almost 40 years ago. But I think of her often and this evening I had a fond smile at her memory sparked by a clip from tonight’s TV.

friends and sir cliff richard

We’re having a friendly and frenzied final week here in the UK before heading back out to Italy. On Friday night we went to see M and G for dinner and had a fine old time. We went down the local pub which does some super food and G and M were generous as ever. Staying over is always an excuse for G and I to stay up very late but we were chatting mostly and G in particular was being quite careful with the wine. He wanted to be fresh for the prospective new gardeners turning up early the next morning for interviews etc. One cancelled and one was running late and G was not impressed despite M’s lovely breakfast. Then last night M and J invited us round for a meal. M called me in the week; his dad gene had kicked in in the last few months and he’s gotten the cooking bug too. He made us a belting italiano-anglo fusion of lasagna followed by traditional trifle. The kids (ha!) J and H joined us for dinner which was lovely – they are all grown up and doing grown up stuff which is surprising and delighting in equal measure. That little lad who came to play 5 a-side footie with us at 10 years of age now dwarfs me physically and socially. Both he and H told tales of their recent experiences which made ours seem positively trappist. Life eh…

quiet house

Tonight E and S came to pick up the boys from us after a super weekend with our wonderful grandsons. C slept with baby G in his travel cot bed in our room; I slept with S in his old room – it was something that happened often when I crashed out reading his bedtime stories when he lived with us. Of course we had disturbed sleep a little; that’s the lot of the parent/gp and it’s amazing how it catches you out after a couple of nights. Plus of course the kids are pretty demanding of your attention and time. We’re feeling pretty jaded but elated to have had some quality time with the boys. The weather was lovely and clear but so very cold this week-end that we couldn’t take the boys out for longer than half an hour or so. So it’s been largely indoors entertainment. We got v close to seeing G take his first crawling steps(?) but he wouldn’t do it. Next time we see him we’re sure he’ll be on the move.