Silence is golden, unless you have kids. Then it's just suspicious.

This picture was published in 1992 in the Dilbert comic strip. 

I have knackered the kids out I think.  Today is my paperwork day and so I went into work early to do my paperwork and got home to take them out.  The original plan was to take them to Walton-on-the-Naze where the kids wanted to spend time on the pier, but it rained, loads in the morning.  The forecast was one were more rain was a possiblity.  I wanted the kids to go to London to see the Tower, but they were not interested in that.  It was hard for them to make a choice, as I game them the choice to go to various places, but in the end they decided to go to Castle Park.  So we walked into town, they played there for about two and a bit hours, they bumped into friends there, had ice lollies and of course, had a few playground inflicted injuries (one caused by me)!  Anyway, after some lunch and some down time for me, we went back out, this time in their bikes.  A few screams as they thought that it was a race, but a trip to the local shops and back, the kids are tired and are now relaxing watching Scooby Doo.

Fortunately this gives me the time to do this while I ache from running to keep up with them, but I am very overdue exercise.  In fact, my wife and I were invited to the 3 PARA ball on the weekend.  It was a TOWIE theme and my wife had to get some clothes for me, and that meant that I had to buy my first ever 36 waist trousers!  So, the exercise I got today was great, but I really need to do more.  Spending time with my wife is always great, more so when she is on the other side of the country which is where she has been during the week for the past month or two.  The kids miss her, as do I, but we get to see her every day thanks to the wonders of the internet!  Her mother has been up looking after the kids, and has just come down after having a nap (the kids do take a lot out of us).

The media is full of shock over Britain's recent heatwave. Or as we used to call it, 'Summer'

Today I have come to the realisation that my children seem not to be good at the same time.  One will be good, and in general, the other will play up.  This has only happened since my wife has started working, on the other side of the country.  There are times that I envy her, but when they are asleep, and therefore quiet, I remember how much I love them.  They are coping well, thanks to the input of my mother and my mother-in-law.  My Mum was up for the first week of my wife working, and then since then my mother-in-law has been up during the week to look after the kids.  The kids have adapted to this quite well really, they miss their mother loads, but it should not be for much longer.  They great weather helps as they love being in the garden.  My wife on the weekend was getting concerned about the climing frame that I put up a few years ago and is tempted to get someone in to repair it!

Jim Apple finds introducing himself very problematic when holidaying in France

Knackered, in a good way though. Have been out today with the kids. A trip to my mothers where the kids got to spend time with my Mum who does not get to see them as much as she would like. We went shopping in the meantime and then later off to Lakeside so that we could get some clothes for next weekend. While my wife and I were doing this, the kids, who were being kindly looked after by my Mother-in-law were watching a magic show. A quick trip back home and some friends came roudn from their trip to London for some drinks and general relaxation. It is only a shame that I will miss my wonderful wife again who is to travel away to work, almost to Wales. But, thanks to the wonders of the internet, I will get to speak and see her every day.   Anyway, I hope that you like the videos above, one being a true news broadcast about the air accident in the US recently.

A

"You haven't listened to a word I've said, have you?" Always seems like a strange way for my wife to start a conversation with me.

Well, it has been a while since my last proper post.  I made two short ones last month, but they did not really go into the things that we did last month.

So last month, we went to Legoland with some friends, had my wife's birthday, had our street party, went to Cadbury World and have had both my mother and my mother-in-law up to help look after the kids while my wife works.  And in that time, I managed to mow the lawn!

Legoland was as before, a really enjoyable day.  Going with some friends of ours was a great idea, but there was a downside, which was that we left before our friends, and if we had stayed, we would have bumped into two others who we did not know were there.  But, hopefully, we will get to meet up with them sometime.  As for the birthday of my darling wife, I think that she was tempted to ask me to get her a present of my own choice, but the times that I have done so in the past have tended to be nightmares.  So, she got to chose something that she actually wanted.  The Street Party was a great day as well, my mother being up then to help with childcare during the week.  I think she liked it, I know that the kids did.  And of course, the trip to Cadbury World.  My wife and I have been there in the past, but this was before kids.  We decided to take them there last month, an experience that they were not expecting as I did not think that they expected it at all.  I am not sure if they were sad that there as no glass lift, but there was a lot to the factory that we did not get to look into.

Anyway, I am typing while I wait for the kids to get to sleep.  I think that they might have done so, which is great as I am knackered after a hard days work and a hard and taxing weekend.