May 2008 Archives

5.23am - Shaken awake by the alarm clock - jump out of bed aching after playing football last night.
6.30am - In at the office to ger today's paper out.
1pm - A hard earned pint with colleagues in the pub
4pm - Finally get away from work.
4.30pm - Back home. Fall asleep at the kitchen table.
6pm - Over to a friend's house with the children and my wife. Nice evening meal at a pub.
7pm - Jess complains of earache.
7.01pm - Wife finds 'something like paper' in her ear. Decide to whip it out with tweezers when we get back to friend's house.
8.30pm - Something like paper turns out to be something rather bigger, possibly the rubber from the end of a pencil. Questions including 'why?' and 'how?' spring to mind.
9.30pm - A&E before the Friday night rush with a seven-year-old girl...shoul be fairly quick.
12 midnight - Have taken to shifts with my wife still waiting for Jess to be seen...why do I pay Income Tax?
Midnight to zzzzzzzzzz - still waiting.
Ahhh, the joys of parenthood.

AROUND two or three months ago I defiantly proclaimed in the office that "I'll never pay more than a quid for a litre of diesel".

Now, just 12 short weeks later, I'm thinking back fondly to the days when I could fill up for single figures.

I've started driving slowly, have told the lads to get on their bikes and have even taken the mountain of footballs out of the boot to cut down on drag.

But what exactly is Gordon Brown doing to help parents like me? Nothing it would seem.

MY second uncle is over from Australia at the moment so the family organised a get together yesterday.

"On Cup Final Day?" my two moaned as I insisted they come with me to meet "someone none of us even know" at a pub on the outskirts of London.

But five hours after getting there my lads didn't want to leave as the magic of "family" cast its spell on them.

WHEN New Labour romped to power all those years ago they did so on a banner of education, education, education.

I say tosh, tosh, tosh.

Is the sleepover a modern phnomenon because if it is then it's another new idea that I think should be outlawed.

While our three trot happily off to their pals' houses to be as nice as pie to their friends' parents, we get them back the next morning...and it's as if they've had their brains removed.

I don't tolerate swearing in the house but gradually the boys have starting phasing in the odd expletive here and there.

Nothing X-rated you understand - just the kind of stuff they bandy about in the playground among mates.

But the other day Nick decided to take things to a new level during a row with me.

Well, it looks like we're going to make it through SATS week without any bloodshed...although we have come close.

Nick's laid back approach to his year nine exams has been alarming to say the least, but he assures me everything is in hand.

He hasn't exactly helped his cause though.

CRISP packets (eight!!), sweet wrappers (countless), bits of plastic which once belonged to games, 'must-have' warhammer figures painstakingly painted (one or two anyway until the novelty wore off), boxer shorts.

I'VE spent the last couple of days on a visit up north to see my uncle, who is bravely battling cancer.

We timed it to coincide with a visit of the family's traditional football team Brentford, who were playing Stockport close to his home.

He used to watch the Bees as a lad but now has a pal who has connections at Stockport and arranged for my uncle, aunt, cousin, his little lad and me to enjoy a pre-match meal and watch the game as guests of County.

And for any Blues fan terrified of leaving the Premiership, fear not - football outside the top flight is proper football and it's alive and well thank you very much.

IT'S been a pretty hectic week one way or another - hence the reason my blog hasn't been updated.

When I haven't been at work preparing for the exciting launch of the new Mail Extra which hits the city on Thursday, I've had the tail end of the boys football season to contend with.

By the time I've sat down each night,blogging is the last thing on my mind - but now the interminable footie season is over, I should be back on track.