White Tuesday

The cold weather continues and there was more snow overnight to add to that which had already fallen. Even more is forecast for the coming days which is making life a little harder than normal in terms of getting about. All the same life goes on and things need to get done and thankfully at the moment there are no major problems with the main roads and the schools are open.

Having said that mainly due Emily's sluggishness she hasn't made it to school on time all week. She just doesn't see the need to hurry and allow time to clean the car no matter how much I tell her we have to go. Catherine on the other hand has the complete opposite attitude to the bad weather and has been allowing extra time for her walk to school although it is less than five minutes away.  I'm sure Emily will get better as she gets use to the weather but in the meantime I will carry on motivating her to hurry up in the mornings.

With Emily and Catherine both safely in school I had time after my drive to Oakham for a cup of coffee, a wash and a little rest reading the news and weather on BBC website before I had to head out to Oakham again, this time to get Lucy. According to her mummy her she had no more spots and she is sleeping well again so hopefully she is over the worse. I must say she did seem a bit quiet when I picked her up but she soon started talking as we drove back to Langham.

When we got back we had to negotiate the walk to the house which is becoming a bit slippery now that the snow has been compacted by people walking up and down it. The fresh snow has helped but Lucy was a little unsure of her footing and held my hand all the way to the house. She had a lovely pair of new boosts on she said were just like her mummies. Once inside the fun could begin. There was the welcome from George and then it was time to get the toys out and start playing. Soon the family room floor was covered in toys from cars to trains and more. She even managed to spread herself into the living room with her toy shop stuff and her shopping trolly. I must say she sometimes she really makes me smile with the things she says and the this morning was no exception. 

At lunchtime we headed out to Melton to pop to the supermarket it there. The Tesco's there has better access than the one at Oakham in weather like this. There is a covered walk way from the parents and child parking area to the entrance of the shop which normally free of snow. After going a round the shop and making the checkout girl smile we popped to McDonalds and we brought us a a bite to eat before returning back to Langham driving back in the snow. Thankfully it was sticking to the roads and the drive was quite easy.

When we got home it was on with playing shops. She was so engrossed in the game that she started while I was putting the shopping away she even forgot to take off her coat. Soon the little boxes of food, the tin cans and the pretend fruit were being put in bags after being scanned and then put back into the trolly to be pushed to the car. I just love the way they make games out of the things we do everyday. Unfortunately there wasn't log to play before we had to head out in the snow again this time to get Emily from school.

It never takes long too get Emily from school. The 2 mile drive takes at most 5 minutes which compared to the 2 mile drive in to Leeds to get the girls to and from school when we lived there. Often the same length drive could take 20 to 30 minutes depending on the traffic lights and the traffic levels. Soon Emily got her Lucy welcome and they both chatted all the way home. When we got in Catherine was ready home and Lucy went with Emily to find her while I locked up the car. I'm sure she got a great welcome before they all went off in to the family room to play while I cooked dinner.

Soon dinner was all cooked and they were eating and talking at the table as they ate there food before going off to play again. As always time ran out on them and it was soon time for Lucy to go back to Oakham. Today of all days I didn't want her to go but there is little I could do about it, she has to go and I have to live with it. I miss them all when they are not about it and doesn't matter which one is not with me. It's funny, ages ago I use to sleep in the same room as Lucy and it took me ages get over not waking up and seeing her smiling face. It was the same sort of feeling I had then that lasted for months. At least this will be gone by tomorrow when I'm busy at work. I hope, after all it has been one of those days. 

Anyway, I was soon back in Langham and back in the warm. I did notice they hadn't salted the road on the village bus route and I hope they do it by morning otherwise getting to work going to be hard. You could see the ice starting to form on the road as I parked. When I got back in the house I found Emily and Catherine had taken themselves off to the family room to play on the computers and watch TV. They both did this until before bed when Catherine had a shower while Emily got on with talking to her friends on Facebook. All to soon the house fell quite and I got on with my work for tomorrow.

It was for me one of the those thoughtful days at times when you realise that your dreams, desires and goals in life are the same as they have always been. The only question is the the way to get there. What can I do to make them reality rather than something I only dream about while I am drive about or sleep at night. No goal is impossible to achieve as long as you don't lose sight of it, even if the road seems hard to follow at times. I know I won't lose sight of those goals however many obstacles I have to overcome along the way I will tackle them one by one. I actually know what I want in life and I will get it in the end.

Artist of the Week - Nick Drake

This week it an artist who is sadly no longer with us and is one of many lost talents. The artist in question is Nike Drake who died at the age of twenty six at his own hand by means of overdose or various pills. Thankfully he left something of himself behind for us all to appreciate and remember him by.

I was introduced to his music some years ago and really came to love his music despite the rather depressive nature of his work a times. My love comes for the fact that his music is so real and many of us in life have those feeling he he handles so well in his songs. Ideally we would have happy lives but that is never the case we all lose love ones during or lives or other things happen that drive us down and having music you can connect to is all so important. But, you don't have to be down to listen to his music it stands on it's own and you can appreciate the skill and artistry of his works.

Nick Drake was born on the 19th June 1948 to English family living at the time in Rangoon in Burma. He was singer-songwriter and musician and is best known for his somber music and lyrics and there is a sense of foreboding and fatalism in his music. Like many children from upper class families at the time he went to boarding school and later went on to study at Fitzwilliam College at the University of Cambridge. However before he went to Cambridge he spent some time in France where he learned to play the guitar, his primary instrument, by busking to earn extra money. Drake suffered from depression and insomnia throughout his life, and these topics were often reflected in his lyrics. During his lifetime he failed to find a wide audience for his music and although he recored a number albums they didn't do well in terms of sales. It wasn't until after his death on 25th November 1974 when he died from an overdose of amitriptyline that people slowly started to recognise his work. Since then has he gradually become one of the most influential English singer-songwriters of the last 50 years.

I hope you enjoy listening his music if you have never heard it before don't let it somber nature put you off. If you listen to his music you can see how he has influenced other artists including Kate Bush and Paul Weller. He is well worth a listen and I'm glad I was introduced to him.

Emily Turns Twelve

Today is a special day in that Emily turns twelve. It doesn't seem that long ago she was Lucy's age and now she is starting to get all grown up. Sometimes I think I don't know where all those years have gone. I guess as a parent your just to busy getting on with life and bring them up that time seems to fly. I just hope she has a great day and enjoys it to the full and knowing Emily I'm sure she will.

Overnight Lucy kept waking so everyone had a disturbed sleep. There was no reason for her waking other than being generally unwell so thankfully with a cuddle and some reassuring words she quickly fell back to sleep. It really isn't like Lucy to wake in the night and her rash must have been bothering her a bit or the effects of having it. When she did finally wake for the day it was slightly later than normal so I guess she got the same amount of sleep as normal in the end.

I was woken by the sound Lucy calling me and when I got out of bed a few minutes later I found  Emily and Lucy laying in Lucy's bedroom. They were both playing with the dolls house that Lucy got for her Birthday earlier in the month. It was lovely to find them playing together and Emily still loves dolls houses as much as she did when she first played with Mary's many moons ago and to see her playing the same way as she did then was wonderful. Soon Catherine joined us and Emily went off to dress as Lucy, Catherine and myself went downstairs to do some cooking.

The cooking we had to do was making a chocolate covered chocolate cake for Emily Birthday. It been her favourite cake since the first mouthful she ever ate so it was only right she had one for her Birthday. Lucy had a great time adding the ingredients while Catherine didi the mixing. By the time we had finished mixing the cake Emily appeared just in time for licking out the bowl. I'm not sure how she knew when to turn up but her timing was perfect. Soon the cake was in the oven and then cooling on the side. I decorated it later covering it chocolate icing and sprinkling on some icing sugar to signify the snow that is still everywhere.

After they finished with the licking of the bowl and I finished cleaning off Lucy all the girls went off to play in the family room together. All I could hear was fun and laughter even from Lucy as the Calpol I had given here started to work. Eventually they were all joined be Charlie and George who had come round to see Emily on here Birthday and even brought her a card and a present to add to the ones she had got early in the day. I don't know how Emily's money fund is doing but I know among the cards she a few notes that fell out onto the floor as she opened them. 

For lunch I did some party food for the girls and their guests who they invited to stay. It was great to hear them all having so much fun at the table and enjoying there food. Lucy was on top form making people laugh with her little comments. She just loves the attention when they laugh at her. I can see we are going to have two comedians at the table soon Emily and her little sister Lucy to make us giggle. With the party food all the gone it was time for the lighting of the cake and the blowing out of the candles. As soon as all the candles were lit they all sang "Happy Birthday" before Emily made her wish and blew them all out. Whatever that wish was I hope it all comes true. 

After lunch they all went off to the family room to play until Catherines friends came round and she went out to take George the dog for a walk in the snow. That left Lucy with the Birthday Girl and her friends to play until it was time for eventually to return. Just before I left she came in from playing for a cuddle and it was clear she was starting to flag again so it was out with the Calpol to liven her up again before she returned chatting all the way back in the car. Reports later suggested it had done the trick and she was hurtling around at her mummies. 

When I drop off off Lucy in Oakham I was given a Birthday card for Emily to take back to her. Emily really liked the fact that Mary had written her it in her own hand, that meant the world to her but she was disappointed when she saw Kiz hadn't signed it and asked what she had done wrong. I didn't know what to say, somethings just can't be worked. I don't have an answer that makes any sense.

With the Lucy gone the house was rather quiet and the girls went on to the computers to talk to there friends on Facebook, watch BBC iPlayer and play games. As the sun went down I made another fire as requested by Emily to warm the house and make it seem cosy int these cold dark days and after and hour or so I got on with making dinner for everyone. Of course the biggest fire hog of everyone in the house is George who despite having a in built fur coat just loves laying front of the fire until he is so hot he goes off behind the sofa to cool down. We didn't see the girls until dinner when they came in to eat. There was hardly a peep from the family room and it was a complete contrast to earlier in the day. 

After dinner the girls went back to doing what they were doing before in the family room making there reappearance when the X-Fator results show came on. They were both happy to see the end of Wagner and I must admit after so many weeks and seeing better people go so was I. It was a shame that Katie had to go when she was just starting to really find herself but I guess it was clear she wouldn't make the final with the press against her. After the X-factor there was a bit of quiet time and then it was off to bed. 

I have had a wonderful long weekend with Emily, Catherine and Lucy. It was made even better by it being Emily's Birthday weekend and watching her having so much fun with her sisters. Of course, although I was a winner, Emily's mum missed out and I hope she has a lovely time with her next weekend when she sees her again. I'm sure she will knowing Abigail and how much she loves both Catherine and Emily.

X-Factor - Act of the Week

After last weeks X-Factor artist of the week lets hope the ones I pick tonight don't suffer the same fate. I was really suppressed when Paije went last week when he was one of the best singers that night, but the same could of Aiden when he went. Given that there are two rounds of singing I'm going to pick one from each round and then pick one artist as the overall winner for me this week.

The first round was easy to pick a winner from and what a surprising one it was. I never thought I would be featuring Katie in this spot. Having stripped away what she thinks she is and letting her be who she is has really paid off this week, just like it did last week when she didn't end up in the bottom two. In the frist round of songs it as the only one that gave me that special feeling. The rest were good if you exclude Wagner but they didn't do it for me. The nearest to winning the spot was probably Cher and One Direction.

In the second half of the show it was Matt that shined above the rest. I have always loved the song he sang and like many people it has lots of meaning for us. It wasn't just that made it special it was the whole thing.  He ticked all the right buttons to make it a winning song. The only problem I am having with Matt is that he doesn't have something that makes him unique. If you shut your eyes he sounds so much like other people that have gone before. It is the opposite from problem from Rebecca who sounds the same week in and week out because her voice is so unique which is starting to make her sound dull unless the song really does suit her style.

So who did I pick as act of the week? Well that goes to Matt over Katie. Katie's second song was good and she is singing from the heart but overall on both songs Matt pipped her to the winning post.

Snowy Saturday

After all the promise of snow it finally came over night and when I woke up the garden was covered in blanket of snow. Just enough to make a few snowballs and have some fun. I'll let you imagine how excited all the girls were when they opened the curtains and saw what I had seen a few minutes earlier.

They were all so keen to get out and make foot prints in the snow that I have never seen them get dressed so fast. It was at this point that I noticed how bad Lucy's rash had become since yesterday. It seems to have spread and become more inflamed. She was also complaining as I changed her pull up and her clothes that it hurt. She wasn't herself but I gave her some Calpol and hoped that would do the trick so she could get out and play. Thankfully it did and after getting her wrapped up really warm they all went out to play in the snow. Lucy did her best to join in but soon wanted to come in and rest. Emily and Catherine in contrast had a ball of a time in the snow and had a snowball fight. 

With the initial playing in the snow out of the way it was time for some breakfast and as soon as Catherine was back in the house she was making something for Lucy and herself. Lucy did well eating her Breakfast all things considered, at least she isn't off her food which is always a concern when they are poorly. After Breakfast Emily and Catherine went outside until it was time for Catherine extra Maths lesson, while Lucy just settled down to watch a DVD she had picked off the self. It so unlike her to be so inactive while she is her. She normally doing stuff all the time. 

Catherine is really doing well at her Maths now after the extra lessons. Her speed at doing mental Maths is now increasing and her confidence is growing and it paying off in school too. At the last parents evening her teacher was say how well she is coming on and what a delight she is teach. Her confidence in the classroom is growing and rather than sitting and not asking for help she in now making sure she asks when she needs to. Hopefully she can make up for the problems with her hearing that went unnoticed for so long and she will get good grades in STAT's in the summer.

After Catherine had finished she want back off in the family room to watch a DVD with Lucy who was still resting on the sofa. although Lucy seemed a bit better than she was and was chatting a bit more she was quite happy to stay put. When I changed her bottom the rash was even worse than in the morning. Clearly it is still developing. Thankfully it isn't bothering her too much and she is not trying to scratch it, all the same I put some cream on it to stop it getting infracted should it rub on her nappy. I don't want it to be any bad for her than it is already.

For lunch the girls had soap for lunch with a lovely loaf of fresh bread. Catherine and Emily had Tomato soap while Lucy went for the Scotch Broth , which she liked the last time I had it. It is strange that Emily and Catherine will only eat Tomato soup while Lucy loves all the soups I have, you would have thought by now that it would be the other way round given the former are a lot order. All the same it did the trick and warmed them up before they all went out again to enjoy the snow. Emily and Catherine with their friends while Lucy played with me in the garden until she got to cold and tired again.

In the afternoon we popped to the shops for supplies leaving Emily playing around at Charlies and Georges house. It was a good thing we didn't have Lucy with us as we had to buy the food and the stuff to make a cake for Emily's Birthday linch. The supermarket was really busy, like it always is when there is snow about, everyone goes mad and starts to think they will get snowed in and they buy up the whole shop. A thirty minute shop took nearly an hour in total from the moment we got there until we left. On the way home we popped to the Co Op garage to buy some coal for a fire later when the sun went down before returning home to play some more. Thankfully Lucy was starting to pick up but her rash was getting worse as the day went on.

It was a lovely sunset in the snow when it came along. The sky was such a lovely colour as the sun went down. It was as it got dark that I light the first fire of the winter to warm the house and make it feel homely. There really is nothing like sitting in the glow of the fire late at night knowing the snow is on the ground and you are all nice and snuggly. It one of the things I loved about the house when I saw it. Lucy was scared of the fire at first but soon she got use to it and loved the warmth it gave. I think George helped by laying in front of it and warming his tummy until he got to hot and moved away. 

After the fire was lit I got on with making dinner. As it is Emily's birthday on Sunday we decided to have our Sunday lunch a day early. Tonight we had Roast Chick, our second roast of the week on Thursday we had roast beef which is Catharines favourite. Everyone loved and for once I got the roast parsnips just right. I had been working on the cooking time for a few weeks and got it spot on. We also discovered that Lucy loves the brown chicken meat as much as I do which is rather handy as Emily normally has a leg and recently she has moved on to the breast. I love what she said on Facebook about dinner time: "Fire in the fire place, roast chicken in the oven, snow out side and my birthday tomorrow. What else could I ask for?"

With dinner out of the way there was a little time for Lucy to play before bedtime and tried her best to make the most of it and thanks to Calpol she at least was in a good mood for most of the day. All to soon it was bath time and what a bath time it turned out to be. It turned into a bubble fight and everyone there was covered in bubbles and Lucy was laughing her head off. It was so nice to see her having so much fun after a rather quiet day for her. I was covered in head to foot in bubbles. It was just a shame it had to come to an end and with her hair washed it was out of the bath and off to bed. After her stories she settled down to sleep exhausted from the day.

With Lucy tucked up in bed we settled down to watch the X-Factor around the fire. I'm loving this years show and I'm finding it interesting in terms of how people vote. I finding that people vote for the norm, Wagner aside, and those that are different or unique don't seem to do well, but that is another possible subject for other another post on the blog. The only problem was that I was enjoying the show so much I forgot to send a update to her mummy, but I did it while Wagner was singing his second song. Soon it was time for Emily and Catherine to join Lucy in the land of nod and off they went to bed, and so the day ended for all of them.

It has been a lovely day and everyone has had so much fun. Lucy despite her illness really did make the best of the day. I hope tomorrow is just as lovely for Emily. You only turn twelve once. In the morning we have thing to do but you can read about that in tomorrows post.

Presents and Broken Bones

Another cold start to the day with ice on the could and the temperatures only just rising above zero all day. It was also a day with a busy start because of yesterday's incident at school and the case of the suspected broken finger. On the bright side the sun was shining and remained that way all day and Lucy was coming.

The day started a bit earlier than normal at seven thirty rather than the normal quarter to eight. The plan was to get Emily to the hospital for her x-ray as early as possible to make sure she missed as little of school as possible. Thankfully Catherine can get herself to school if need be and that is what she did this morning. She even feeds the dog before she leaves and lets him out for a walk before putting him back in his spare basket in t he kitchen. With pack lunch made and Emily's bag packed we headed off for Oakham.

Once at the Rutland Memorial Hospital we managed to secure first place in the queue to see the nurse. It turned it that it wasn't surprising as we were first in the queue when we discovered they didn't open up the minor injuries unit until nine o'clock and we were their forty minutes early. It wasn't to bad waiting, it was just nice to chat without anyone else getting in the way and spend some father and big daughter time together. It also meant there was less chance of being late for picking up Lucy although I had primed her mummy just in case I was late picking her up.

It was rather nice that we did get into see the same nurse we saw the same as we did yesterday evening which gave us that continuity of care that is so often important. With the swelling have gone down overnight she was able to find where the break or strain might be and after getting Emily to practice some finger movements and she decided that an x-ray was needed. So we joined the queue at number two and we didn't wait too long before being seen. Emily wasn't keen to go in on her own into the unknown and thankfully they let me in too. As soon as the pictures were taken and even before they were developed the nurse was there and were back in the consultation room waiting for the results. As it turned out Emily not only had broken her finger not in one place but two.

It was just before ten we headed home with Emily's fingers strapped together to get her some pain relief before heading back to Oakham to pick up Lucy together before we went off to school to drop Emily off. It was just as I got home I got the text from Lucy's mummy that she was poorly too and had been to the Doctors> It seems she has the human form of "Foot and Mouth" which although highly contagious is nothing more a mild harmless virus. Basically I texted her back and asked how stop the infection spreading and said we were running a few minutes late. I gave Emily some pain killers and we set off to get Lucy just after getting the reply.

It was lovely to see Lucy's face when she saw Emily. I guess she wasn't expecting it, although she always asks where they are they are even f they are never there when I pick her up. They both walked hand in hand to the car and I carried Lucy's bits and bobs and listened to them chatting. Soon Lucy was all strapped in her car seat and we were off to drop Emily at school before heading off to get some fuel for the car and do a little shopping. On the way home we headed through Oakham only to get caught at the level crossing and for once I wish we hadn't. It wasn't the place I wanted to be however much Lucy loves the trains.

It was just before eleven when we got home. As always we chatted in the car on the way home with Lucy's telling me all her news and when we got home we got a warm welcome from George. I could tell Lucy wasn't her usual self because even before she got home she was asking if she could watch television. It's not something she really does do until she played for ages and needs a rest. In fact she hardly watches television on the weekdays she is here and if she does it only for a few minutes. For example I was surprised on Tuesday that she watched a bit of a film on the PSP but then she did think it was a game and not a film. It's not something she does here.

At lunchtime we headed out to the shops to go look for presents as well as get some presents. The present we had to get was for Emily's Birthday. The night before we decided it was time she had a new phone although she liked her old little phone. The T-mobile tariff wasn't ideal, it didn't have much memory and she even said herself she didn't like texting on it. So I looked at the Orange copy of the Blackberry the Rio. It has many of the standard features you would expect of the Blackberry as well as the Qwerty keyboard that makes texting far easier for her. As well getting for a phone for Emily I wanted to go to Dunelm Mill to look at possible Christmas presents. Lucy loved looking at the Christmas decorations there and I told her we could put up our Christmas tree soon. While we were out Lucy and myself popped into KFC to get something to eat. She so loved her little box of food I will have to get her a snack box again. It seemed to make her feel so grown up.

We could have spent longer shopping but we had go back to Rutland to go and get Emily from School and go back home for Catherine. There was no way we could keep the fact we had brought a new phone for Emily quite with Lucy in the car and so as soon as we saw her and Lucy done her welcome bit we gave her the phone. To say she was delighted would be an understatement, she just loved and I can see why when I played with it. It had all she wanted from a phone plus a little bit more especially when combined with the free internet it will full fill her needs for years to come. Even if it does lack the 3G connectivity provided by the more expensive Blackberries it is some phone for the money. Putting it in context with the basic BlackBerry Curve 8250 doesn't have 3G connectivity either yet it cost a lot more. In fact you could buy three Orange Rio's for the price of one BlackBerry Curve 8250.

When we got home Lucy went off to find Catherine to play with while Emily settled down to learn her phone. Within minutes she had credit and seconds after that she was on the tariff she wanted to give her free internet access as well as free texts. Hopefully it will save her Mum some money who was having to add credit to her phone every other week. With the deal we got she even has an extra £10 credit to play with in the first month. Just what she needs to learn how it works.

It was while Emily was messing with her phone I noticed that Lucy was starting to flag. It is really not like her start rubbing her eyes and just sitting around at that time of day. It was at this point that I thought something was wrong. When I felt her head she had a temperature and when I asked how she felt it was clear she was far less than one hundred present. So it was out with the Calpol to lower her temperature and get her back on her feet. As always it worked a treat and within half an hour she was her usual self and bouncing around the house just in time for a trip to the chip shop in Cottesmore to pick up some food for dinner.

Lucy loves the chip shop and they seem to be falling love with her. She was just being Lucy and managed to get a free lollipop out of them by just smiling and being good. But who couldn't fall in love with someone so cute. Everyone enjoyed there meal and that is the main thing even if it is more expensive than cooking at home.

After dinner there was a little time to play before it was time for Lucy's bath. I love the way she has so much fun in the bath and it is great to join in and have fun too. I just love the way she likes it to be a family occasion and have Emily and Catherine with there too. After she was dry it was off to bed and after her story I gave her kisses and cuddles from all and off she went to sleep. After I knew she was off and all was well I reported back to her mummy all was well.

Soon the house fell silent when Emily and Catherine joined Lucy in the land of nod. For all the fun of the day and all that went on the time to relax is all nice too, Especially after a busy day like today.

Broken Bones?

Well it been quite an eventful day for Emily.  Wile she was in her last lesson, PE, she managed to to catch a ball in such away that she bent her little finger in ways that it is impossible to bend a finger without doing something serious to it.

The school were quick to react and soon had an ice pack on it, but it soon became clear after school it there was something more seriously wrong with it. So off to the minor injuries unit we went in Oakham to see what was wrong with it. The nurse there couldn't tell if it was broken or  not without an x-ray, and the  or nor so she assumed it was broken and strapped it up. We won't know until tomorrow morning if it broken or not, but whatever the outcome it was what she wanted a few days before her Birthday.

Snow

Looking at the weather forecast  it looks like at least some places will be seeing some snow of the next few days. Love it or hate it children find it great fun and it takes me back to the last few winters we have had and some before tI moved to Rutland and while I was still in Leeds.

There something magical about children and snow and the way they just love it They get so excited by even the hint of it falling and laying and they are so disappointed if it just melts away to soon. Especially if it just fallen. They will stay outside until they are frozen to the bone if you let them just to have as much fun as they can. Even last year when the snow was on the ground for over a month did little Lucy ever get fed up with the snow.

It's getting that I can't remember a winter now without snow but I know when I was Emily and Catherine's age it wasn't uncommon to go a whole winter without any significant snow fall. White Christmases were the thing of dreams. Now it seems that every winter see large amounts of snow fall, clearly a sign of changing weather patterns. It really does make all the science of global warming seem like it is all going to come true soon rather than later. It is just a question if we can slow it enough before it causes major problems for future generations. It's just a shame the Government play at being green rather than taking some simple measures like lowering car maximum speed limits to reduce carbon dioxide produced by cars.

Talking or cars and transport, lets hope this time the councils don't run out of grit for the roads like last winter. I remember driving to work only to find the roads at the highest points covered in snow because there wasn't enough grit put on them due to the shortages. There is no excuse for the loss of life caused by such actions around the country. It's not like it doesn't happen every winter now, it does so they should be ordering extra grit to make sure they get it right this year. Shame on any that get it wrong.

For all the downsides of snow there is something special about seeing children play in it. I might not like it when you have to brush it off the car but at the same time it is rather fun. I just hope this winter we get the snow but it doesn't stay around as long as it did in the last few years.

Early Start

I was expecting another dull wet day but when I woke up but the day was fine and the sun was shining. It was cold and a little windy but the brightness in the months leading up to winter is always welcome. It cheers the heart to see the sun anytime of the year. Shame later in the day it clouded over but that didn't stop the fun even if became rather cold. It certainly is turning wintery. 

Shortly after I got up and while I was drinking  I checked the email on the computer to see if anything new had been sent to me. Good thing I did as there was an email asking me to pick Lucy early from Oakham. It seem that there was some sort of emergency that need dealing with. I hope nothing major. Anyway I soon had Catherine and Emily ready for school and and the later dropped off just outside her school in Oakham. On the way back I popped to the Co Op to pick up some milk as normal spotting little Lucy and company on the way to school, waiting to cross the road. I tired to flash them to cross and I slowed down but they didn't notice until it was to late for them to cross at all. On the way back I need to go to the bank. I always thought they opened at nine but not in Oakham it's half past nine so I had some time to kill and popped into the church to light a candle for those I love and those I have lost.

Soon it was time to get Lucy and I drove the short journey from the church to the house she lives in when she is not here. It must have been earlier than I thought because when I knocked on the door there was no reply, but I didn't have to wait long until she came round the corner, spotted me and ran into my arms bring a smile to everyone. She had been to the shops with her mummy to buy some crisps. Soon we were heading back to the church to park again before going off to the bank for the second time.  On the way and to past a little time we popped into Fords of Oakham to look at the toys. It was nice and warm in there and people are always so welcoming even if your just looking around. She loves the toy trains in there and was showing some of the other things she would like to have, but we didn't have long to stay there the bank had opened I was keen to get home again to begin the day.

When we got home we were welcomed by George who is always pleased to Lucy. Like I have said before the are partners in crime and he follows her around the house for most the day and even when he is sleeping he is in the same room. We spent the morning playing games in the family room and out in the garden playing on her tricycle which we eventually brought into the house and out of the cold. After a while she settled down to watch a film on my PSP which she found on my chair. It was the film "Robots" which Emily and Catherine also loved when they were younger. She loved it although she did think it was a game because she had seen me play games on the PSP. Talking about films on the PSP I'm surprised I have never been asked to borrow the ones I have, I know someone else little that likes them, and maybe I could borrow the "League of Gentleman" in return. 

For lunch we headed out in the car to find something nice to eat, although I did have some food in, but can wait until another day. He headed out of Rutland through Uppingham and onto Corby passing the Eyebrook Reservoir which straddles the boarders of Leicestershire and Rutland. Later returning to take a picture on the way back home. I had been meaning to take a picture of it for ages and for once I had a camera with me and I worked out where to stop. We ended up in Corby for lunch at Greggs which we all love before heading back.

Passing through Uppingham for a second time we stopped to look around. While there I took the opportunity to take a few more pictures of Uppingham to add to my collection of pictures of Rutland. Lucy doesn't sem to mind what we do as long as she is with me and we just chatted away the time between snaps.

When we got back to Oakham there was a little time left to go to the park before we picked up Emily form school to take her home. Lucy loves the going to the park and even 10 to 15 spent there means the world to her. Today was no exception despite the the cold. We stayed there as long as time allowed enjoying all it had to offer. Back in the warm car there wasn't long to wait before Emily arrived and got her Lucy welcome. I love the way she looks forward to seeing us all from the moments she gets in the car when I pick her up. When we got home it was Catherine's turn for her welcome and they all went off to play together and have fun in the family room, until something happened.

It was just before dinner that Lucy bumped her head on the floor. The cottage has titled floors downstairs and they are all very hard. Great for cleaning but it sure hurts if you fall on them. Emily came in to the kitchen with a crying Lucy and a bump. Quickly we applied an ice pack and soon Lucy was sitting down with CAtherine playing nurse and helping her keep it in the right spot. Lucy was really good and thankfully we got the ice pack on soon enough to keep the swelling down to a minimum. I worry about things like this since Catherine got concussion at her mums so I'm very quick to act. Thankfully Lucy seemed alright and ate loads of her dinner and was soon running around again.

After dinner they all went back to playing and I kept checking to make sure Lucy was alright. The bump didn't seem to be bothering her at all thankfully. The manage to have a lovely time until it was time for Lucy to return back to Oakham. On the way back we chatted about her day and told her to be good for everyone and that I loved her as always. The drop off was rather subdued but they have been like that for  a while. I guess, there is too much that hasn't been said and that that has been said isn't acknowledged or understood. It is like everything is buried in the hope it will go away, but things don't go away until you sort them out especially if they are important. Anyway life goes on all the same and time moves on and little ever changes. All you can do is know what you know and trust that the truth comes to the fore.

When I got back Emily and Catherine had gone onto the computers to watch some of the programmes they love so much on BBC iPlayer.I must admit the way BBC iPlayer is changing how people watch television is rather interesting. Gone are the days when you had to wait for your favourite programme and have to sit through the ones you don't like. They just both pick and mix what they want to watch and when. Sometimes watching together and sometimes on their own. Also solves the problem of one want to watch one programme while the other one wants to watch something else and the arguments that can cause. It took them through to bedtime when they both went up to sleep.

With a lesson observation tomorrow it going to be a long night and a busy day in the morning. I hope little Lucy is alight overnight and her bump on the head comes to nothing. I'll text in the morning to check that she is alright. I sure she will be but it is best to check, it will put my mind at ease. I hate when she hurts herself even if it couldn't be helped. She is one of many I love with all my heart and mean the world to me.