Today we went to see my mother who has had her knee operated on. However, after a late breakfast, I went with my daughter for another ride on our bikes, and considering that I was wearing my Arsenal backpack, it turned out to be a possible nightmare. The reason for this was the football team that was coming to town for the FA cup match. Cycling towards the station, there was a huge line of traffic, but when we got near the station, the reason for this was made clear. I remembered that Colchester were hosting the scum (or Spurs, or Tottenham for those who are not aware of my bias) when I saw loads of fans leaving the station in football tops and scarves. And remembering that my backpack has the (old) Arsenal crest, I realised what a huge mistake I had made. Most fans would have been fine, but with my daughter, I did not feel that it would be a good idea to risk it. Which considering it was raining and was windy at the time was probably a very good idea.
Once warm at home and fed by my amazing wife, we went to London, first a trip to her parents house, and then to see my mother for the kids to see how she has been and more importantly, for her to see them. One of my brothers has been amazing and has taken time off work to help look after her, and my other brother has taken his turn starting today. It was good to see him as well, but I do feel guilty that I have not been able to help in the way that they have. The trip back was uneventful, though I did not get the chance to spend with a cousin who had come to visit my mother as we were leaving. The kids were tired though and had relaxed by the time we had got home to watch the voice. We all still think it is amazing, and it is great to hear the judges offer constructive comments to those that they do not pick, a big difference compared to the X-Factor. Another good thing was that Arsenal won, though the errors that Laurent Koscielny made concerned me especially with the way he almost gave a penalty away in our defeat against Chelski as well as leaving Per Mertesacker exposed that resulted in an early red card. A shame that Colchester lost, but few expected otherwise. But we could only hope for the magic of the cup to strike around lunchtime...
