I want to ride my bicycle

Since my last post about the family, we have been to Bluewater twice.  And I still forgot to buy a replacement coat!  Last week, on Sunday, we took my son to watch How To Train your Dragon, the hird instalment.  We had promised him this for some time and had to keep the promise while it was in a cinema. My daughter wanted to watch Bohemian Rhapsody and we needed to get a few things.  I got a Valentines present for my wife, my daughter got some clothes and then my wife and I took one child each to watch the film.  I got to listen to loads of Queen covers and enjoyed a very moving film about Freddie Mercury in a theatre that my daughter agreed was very dusty (our reasons for tears coming to our eyes).  My son loved watching his film and I think my wife enjoyed it was well.

Valentines was a day early for my wife and me as I was working on Thursday so was not able to meet for dinner.  Instead we went to a local steak restaurant which we had meant to go to for a while.  While the meal was okay, for the price, I doubt that we will be going back.  We did not get to go out on Friday as my wife went out with some friends.  They came round afterwards and I dropped her friends home in the early hours of the morning.

And today we went back to Bluewater.  It was another Pokémon community day and my son and I had decided to take time out to catch Pokémon, but my wife asked if we could do this in Bluewater instead today.  So I drove them down and while my wife and daughter shopped, my son and I bonded over PokémonGO and junk food.  

And after getting back this afternoon, my son and I went for a short bike ride.  He needed the practice and quickly picked up most of his skills.  But he has grown a lot since I last adjusted his seat.  So much so that we can get some mudguards for his bike now.

I love my NHS

I love my NHS, not just because it saved my life, but because of the care it has given to my family as well.  Like me, my youngest brother owes his life to them.  My brother has had much needed treatment from the NHS, my mother has had two of her joints replaced by it and my father has had treatment as well.

Homophobia and my daughter

My daughter has been offended by homophobia.  We were watching something on the television and she was convinced that what we were watching was not set now.  The reason for this was the level of homophobia which was present towards one of the characters.  Both children are against such discrimination and accept that people are different.

I felt it important that she was made aware that homophobia still exists, not just locally but internationally.  When we discussed this, the recent controversy over education about sexuality had not occurred.  So I showed her some of the actions of the Westbro Baptist Church, which understandably disgusted her. However, the actions of students when concerns over educating pupils about homosexuality were raised by some appear to have warmed her heart. 

Cooking with the kids

One of my aims this year is to cook more.  I used to make Sunday lunch but have not done so in a while.  My wife understandably has reminded me of this and my aim has been to cook on a Wednesday.  For one reason or another I have not done so, but today was different.  My wife had to leave and asked me to make fajitas today.  Instead of making them, I got the children to help me, and we made them.  We prepared the peppers, I cut the onions and diced the chicken and the two cooked. And they made great food, far nicer than I would have made myself.  

This is something that I think that we should do again, and I think that the kids, for now, agree.

400 days

A quick PokémonGO post. On Christmas Day 2017, I was I Sri Lanka and placed a Pokémon in a gym there. Today, after 400 days, it was knocked out. The gym appeared to have been malfunctioning for a month (as you can see from the picture).  But I hope to travel back later this year to put myself in it again.

Happy New Year 2019

We have celebrated New Year 2018/19 in Bury St Edmunds.  Last night, after work, I raced here as my work had run on too late.  I drove my last patient home rather than leaving them in the cold outside the surgery waiting for a taxi on New Years Eve which would take forever to arrive.  That meant that I was much later than had been planned and my wife was understandably annoyed but calmed down later.  The kids had eaten earlier and went to sleep while the two of us had an amazing meal.

Come the morning, we woke late and after breakfast I went for a walk and later went out walking with my wife and son.  Lunch was okay, breakfast for me was cold, and dinner tonight for me was also disappointing.  Before dinner, we met up with a friend from a while ago, it being great to see Karoline. So overall, we have all enjoyed the day and that is what matters.

Our last 2018 trip to London

So this weekend, my wife and I decided that we needed to relax.  And I know it sounds bizarre, but we travelled down to London.  Our aim was to have breakfast in Maltby Street and when we got there, we were surprised to find it empty. It was just missing tumbleweed really. Almost every place was closed, but one place at one end was open and we had a great breakfast there.  We went into central London where I bought a CD for my wife, a book for my daughter and my wife got a few things. My son wanted a particular book which we were not able to get, and naturally he was a bit disappointed.

Do not get me wrong, it was great to have my mother up for Christmas and seeing my Brother, his partner and his two new dogs on Boxing Day was brilliant, but it was tiring.  I cannot just ‘blame’ my family as having friends round in the evening on Christmas Day probably helped to exhaust us.  So as enjoyable the two days were, when I returned to work on Thursday, I honestly felt that I would have got more rest had I been in work for those two days!


After that it was a trip to Canary Wharf where we had drinks and lunch before heading home.  While I felt guilty at not seeing my mother, we were tired by then and doing so would have been too much.

It was brilliant to spend time with each other, though tomorrow I am going to have to catch up on work.