National Strike

Today saw a national strike but many public sector workers throughout the country over pensions. This has affected many public bodies and institutions around the county.

I always think if people are passionate enough to go on strike then they should be taken seriously. They are right to be concerned over what the government are doing with workers in the sector. The changes mean that they will have to work eight years longer and accept a three-fold rise in their contributions to their pensions, while also seeing their eventual payments halved. Of course people in the private sector will say welcome to the real world, however what they forget is the people working in the public sector have lower annual incomes then workers in similar jobs in the private sector. In fact it is the pension that makes up for this difference in salary.

The question is were they right to strike, and I think they were but I think they really missed a trick on this one. If they wanted to get the wider public support  for there action then they needed to make it more  general than just focusing on pensions. There is so much going on with the cuts in public spending they could have introduced elements about what these cuts are going to mean to the services we all receive and then tie in the pensions issue. These cuts will hit us all and I don't think we fully realise how bad they affect us as the Government create a smoke screen to hide behind. 

The Union would have got a lot sympathy by playing the fact cats get richer card while the poor get poorer by focusing on the pay outs made to the top management in the banking sector. They really missed a trick to make a point with the strike. Obversely there will need to be cuts but the question I still don't think is clear, is could they have been phased in more gently than in a massive rush. I do wonder that this still might cause a growth to slow more than is really needed. May be this is an angle they could have used.

This won't be the last strike we see and I'm sure there will be others but if they want the public to back them then they really need to find something grab our interest. 

End of the College Year

So we come to the end of another college year and things are not looking good for the colleges as a whole. There are falling student numbers, less funding from the government and in the case of some colleges financial problems left over from foolish promises about redevelopment from the previous government. This is not a good time to working be working in this sector. 

As you may know from the blog that I work in this sector and because of the way I work things aren't looking good for next year. I try and get all the hours I can but in order to have the contact with Lucy and because of the age of Emily and Catherine I currently work part time on at best sessional contracts. As we move from a period of austerity it is people that work like I do that will be hit hard.

It is with these thoughts that I end this college year with my main employer merging with another college in order to save themselves from going under. With the changes that have occurred already and the timing of the two colleges coming together every sessional member of staff has been left not knowing what is happening with there jobs. I'm just one of many in this position and I know we are all finding it hard to deal with. 

Even the year that has just ended for me has seen my hours reduce and I know that money has been short this year, but that is nothing compared to what could happen next year. So as my summer holidays start so does the task of finding work for the coming year. It is all so different from the time when I was able to work full time and I was getting interviews for every job I went for in the sector. Things are so different from what they were back then.

That aside, I have enjoyed my year as I always do. I have taught some great students and I hope I have motivated them to do better things. I believe that every student has ability and that they come first. I have always thought this. To me it is about making people matter  and it is that which makes a college successful even if it means bending a few rules along the way. I just hope they all do well with whatever they decide to do because they as people deserve it.

Catherine's Birthday

What a contrast to the weather eleven years ago. Today it was cold and grey and back then when I was awoken from a call from the hospital in the early hours of the morning the skies were blue and the day warm and sunny. It is not the sort of day you forget and by seven thirty that morning I was holding a little girl in my arms not really knowing what to do with her. One thing was for sure was as I looked her I was so so happy.

Normally we would have had Lucy but with the move, financially that wasn't a possibility, the budget having been stretched already things are harder than they have ever been. So for me it has been rather a dull and empty day compared with the Tuesdays of the past.

Catherine made the most of her day. She wanted money this year and she has managed to get just enough to buy a android tablet, the one thing she wanted. She is so excited about getting it. All we need to do now is get it ordered for her and she will have internet access without having to use one of the old desktop computers. Catherine is getting so grown up now and it seems the time of toys is now long gone.

We were going to have a birthday dinner, but without Lucy it seemed better to wait and to save the a little money for later in the week. In the end I let Catherine choose the dinner and I brought her cake for pudding so at least she could have some candles. Hopefully as soon we have Lucy again I can bake a cake and we can have a late birthday dinner for Catherine with all her sisters together.

Lots of things have happened over those eleven years that Catherine has been with us and so much has changed. If you asked me as I held that little bundle of joy in my arms things would things be like they are now I would never have believed you. So much has happened that it would fill more than one book. It is strange what happens in life and their is no certainty in things turning out the way you want them. Like they the poem by Robert Burns says "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley.". You just have to look at my more recent life to see that and the situation with little Lucy who was meant to unite what is now a split family.

What is going on

The question I'm asking myself is "what is going on?" and it is one I will try and answer in this post although when I think about it I not quite sure myself.

There is agreement about access, there are assurances that it is not effected by Lucy's move to Leicester and there is offers to be flexible. The problem is however that one sticking point the cost of access. I believe that it should be shared while others think I should bare the cost completely.

Maybe the way to start is to put it all in context. if you are a regular reader you will know that Lucy has moved to Leicester and that on Friday there was still no agreements as to sharing the costs involved. That is well related in the blog, so here is what has happened since.

On the Saturday night not having heard anything from earlier emails I ended up suggesting a place to meet. It is about half way between Leicester and Oakham. Then late Sunday morning I got a reply from the Lucy's mummy's boyfriend saying that they didn't have the money either and suggesting that I save money by having Lucy every other weekend and making up the time in the holidays. Well so much for unaffected access. For starters the maths doesn't workout. Just having her every other weekend would reduce my access by 78 days per year. To make this up I would have to have for a period of well over 11 weeks over the holidays continuously. Anyway the email ended with some stuff about maintenance and that it wasn't the boyfriends responsibility to make sure I saw my daughter and that her mummy doesn't have car to get her so she can't get her.

It was at this point I realised I was probably talking to the wrong person. Alright the maintenance issue has been around for a while, but like I have said I don't earn enough to pay away, and that is backed up by the CSA's own online calculator when I checked. This isn't by choice I would love to have more work. The thing that gets me was the refusal to met half way because he didn't have the time or the money. It was like he was prepared to abandon her with me. This was confirmed by a follow up email, after I explained my position, that it was just tough and I would have to bring her back because he was off out. I replied back that I didn't have the fuel but I never got a reply before it was time for Lucy to return back to Leicester. In the end I had to take her. Once again my hand was forced because I care.

I ended up sending a text saying that I would bring her back, without mentioning the fact that the money would eat into the food budget for the coming week. I also pointed out that talking via the boyfriend wasn't going to happen any more. After all he was right it wasn't his responsibility to arrange such things and his opinion of his role in all this was clear.

I did get a text back after I dropped her off saying thank you for bring her back, which was nice, and saying that she couldn't help me out with getting Lucy to Rutland for Catherine's Birthday. It also went on to say something about access, but home phones have a message limit of 160 characters so most of the message was lost. I replied back, maybe in a way I shouldn't have give how things are, saying thank you for nothing, but then I am finding the whole situation stressful and upsetting.

Sunday's blog posts sums up my feeling about all this mess. Lucy like any child is a big part of any parents world and I personally have a strong bond with her having been with her for her first seventeen months or so of her life.  A time I was most grateful to have with her and the family and  a time I will never regret. It seems now so long ago and now the idea of near shared parenting is for the foreseeable future is just a dream.

Artist of the Week

There won't be an Artist of the Week for a while. I'm not going to stop doing the blog posts I just feel I need a break from doing them, and to be honest I'm not in the mood to do them. On the positive side it will give me a chance to come up with some new and old artists for future posts. May be I will start the Artist of the week spot again some time late next month or in the following month.

What a Mess

There is really nothing to say about today of than it all feels so empty. All the fun of the day before has gone. It just one of the biggest mess I have had to deal with. How can someone lack any kind of empathy.

I hope there is a solution that is fair. I just want the access to Lucy that was  promised. I was told it would be unaffected and that was a lie. I just feel broken and empty. While people play happy families my world just seems like it is falling apart.

Almost Official

It can't be long now until we here of the final fate of the harrier's that have been mothballed at RAF Cottesmore. Peter Luff who is in charge of defence equipment, responded to criticism of last year’s Strategic Defence and Security Review was defending the cuts to the Royal Navy and the loss of the aircraft carrier Ark Royal and the loss of 5,000 jobs. 

He is reported as saying that "No-one wanted to get rid of the Harriers and Ark Royal. It was not the decision we wanted to take. But the UK faces a huge financial crisis and cuts had to be made." and that "We will shortly be announcing disposal of the Harriers. That decision has been taken and there will be no backing away from it."

As you can imagine this has disappointed Naval Chiefs who have been expressing concerns about the state of the forces following the cuts and their ability to continue the current operations in Libya. As usual the Government have refused to listen, Peter Luff commenting that conflict in Libya has completely vindicated the decisions taken in the cuts. He believes that the UK has flexible force which has still been able to launch aircraft and play a part in the international effort. It is shame that the people that know about these things are in complete disagreement with the government view of the state of our military forces and what they will be able to do in the future.

Out in the Village

After all the confusion of the day before I set out today just to have a good day with the girls. Thankfully there were things going on the village we could do to keep us busy in the afternoon without us having to spend a penny and we went out to make the most of them.

Can't say how much I love my girls and having them together. I wish it could always be this way, it was never what I wanted for them to be separated in this way and it wasn't my doing. The choice was taken away from me in and in a cruel way, that I can't mention here, but I wish I could and will in time. That said for now we had a lovely day around the village as you can see.

Confusing Day

It has been a strange sort of end of the week. The led up to today was really confusing and I was left not knowing what was happening about seeing Lucy this weekend with Lucy's mummy moving to Leicester this weekend and the extra expense that will cause to my already already stretched budget.

It all started with an email from Lucy's Mummy's boyfriend reminding me of the coming move on wednesday evening. It said that "access will not be affected" by Lucy moving and that I should pick her at nursery on Friday and take her back to Leicester. In reply I pointed out my access would be affected since I can't afford the fuel costs and that we should share the costs This email conversation went on for a while and by the end of the day I was left in complete confusion as to what was happening this weekend given I couldn't afford to take her back to Leicester.

Of course their is history to this, when the move was first mentioned in April and I said back then I couldn't afford cost of the petrol and I was told "you will have pay petrol but like you said, your children are important so I am sure you will work something out ". I pointed out there just wasn't the money and got told that Lucy would only be brought to me if she was visiting relatives in Rutland.  As usual no compromise was made back then and with the move happening still nothing has been resolved fairly.

By the start of today I was really starting to get worried as emails were going unanswered and I ended up calling the nursery to see if they knew what was happening. Drawing a blank with them and after another email, as noon approached I was forced to sent a text via the home phone to Lucy's mummy. The reply cam back saying she was expecting me to pick her up although the issue of how she was getting back was still unresolved. 

Most of the day was over shadowed by the events of the morning, but all the same it was lovely to pick up Lucy at noon and thank the nursery staff for all they have done for her. One of them said that "I didn't want her to leave" because I was taking ages to go, and do you know what they were right. It is a lovely little nursery.

Most of the afternoon, after we went to the supermarket to get lunch, was spent cleaning the house, while Lucy played in the family room. This consisted of finding the toys she had lost in the toy boxes at the back of the room. Soon she was making more mess than we were tidying but at least it was all confined in the family room and would be easy to clean up later. It wasn't like we didn't see her. Every so often she would appear asking for drinks or just showing us the things she thought she had lost. 

We were all so busy, that time seemed to past very quickly and before we knew it Catherine arrived home from school. Lucy heard her come in and after a hug they both went upstairs to play in Lucy's bedroom with the dolls house and the keyboard. This allowed us to quickly get on with finishing the kitchen off without interruptions and with an extra pair of hands when Emily go in from school. Unfortunately this didn't go completely to plan as moving the dishwasher caused a water pipe to develop a drip. So in the end we ended up with it in the middle of the kitchen waiting to see if the quick repair had worked.

Giving up on getting the floor mopped I got on with cooking dinner. Soon everyone was eating and having a laugh, before they all went back to playing until it was time to get Lucy ready for bed. 

Bedtime followed the usual routine with Emily and Catherine reading her stories while I found the things she had lost in the mess she made at the back of the family room. This gave them both time to read her a extra story each before I read her last story and tucked her in with kiss and cuddles from those she loves.

With Lucy in bed Emily and Catherine settled down to watch some television together while they relaxed before they joined he in the land of nod.

It seemed a strange day in someways but rather lovely in others. It was nice to see the fruits of our work and it was a shame we didn't get the last bit of the kitchen done. Lucy seemed to have a great time as did Emily and Catherine and at the end of the day that is the main thing.

Later in the evening I was thinking about the events of the day and I realised that having Lucy although not having the spare money to get her back was forced on me, not that I mind having Lucy. The fact I couldn't afford to take her back and that there were no agreed arrangements for getting her back seemed immaterial, after all who would want a three year old helping them move house. What is needed is better communication, understanding and some empathy. 

Good News for the High Street

Well after all the shop closures of late in Oakham that is making the place look like a ghost chain there is good news at last. It seems one of those well known shop brands you hear about is about open a new shop here in Rutland.

It would appear that the clothing chain Fat Face are planning to open a store in Oakham. The company have put in a planing application to Oakham Town Council to change one of the store fronts on the High Street. After all the shop closures this got to be good for the town.

Trouble Comes in Threes

There is an idea that trouble comes in threes. Today is one of those days where life lived up to it that idea. You must know the feeling that just after two things go wrong you are just left waiting for the third to hit. Now that is what happened. The first happened in the morning, second late afternoon and the third in the evening.

The last one was all madness and was just plain crazy. Life is made of compromise, nothing is perfect and burdens sometimes have to be shared for the good of everyone. We all have to make sacrifices in our lives but we do it to make the world better for those we care about. Well that is my version of how it works.

Well tomorrow is another day as they say.

But it is Summer

Well at least the temperature felt like it was summer today even if the day was mainly cloudy and overcast with the odd shower. Of course I was hoping for a sunny day just as the Druids must have been at Stonehenge early this morning, but it is summer.

I woke up to late to see the girls go to school this morning although I did her a goodbye from Catherine as she passed the door. I just had one of those nights when you don''t get much sleep and like the Druids I saw the day break but unlike then not because I wanted to. I would have been rather snuggled down and fast a sleep but i didn't seem to have a choice in the matter.

In the end I woke up just after ten and just spent my time drinking coffee and trying to wake up, although awake was the last thing parts of me seemed to want to be. By eleven and several coffees later I felt able to start the day and managed to finish the formatting on some of the blog posts that had be waiting to be posted.

Just before noon I headed out to pick up Lucy from nursery. When I arrived I spotted her scooter at the side of the building and made a note not to forget it. As I got inside I spotted Lucy and soon she was coming through the gate for a cuddle. On the way back to the car we chatted as Lucy scooted alone beside me and once in the car she asked where everyone was and I told her, I was on my own today.

Our next port of call before heading home was the supermarket. There we picked up some food for lunch and dinner later in the day. As always I love shopping with her and now she is older she is even more helpful. It also nice to have the company while I'm shopping. 

As we arrived home I tried to point out the pigeons nest we found the other day in the garden. Well I say we, in fact it was the kitten at number six that who was trying to play with the mummy pigeon. As far we can tell she has at least three chicks in the nest with her. Unfortunately Lucy was a little to short to see into the nest so the photograph I took in the morning had to do. 

Once inside I got on with making lunch as Lucy went off to play. Soon we were all sitting down eating our food and drinking our drinks. Again we had garlic sausage and coleslaw and just like last time Lucy finished off the excess coleslaw. She really seems to love it and after she finished the pot we both went off to play in the family room.

As I said in the introduction to this post I was hoping for sunshine but it seemed warm enough to go the park and it was something I didn't want to miss out on. I have had some really fun times with her there recently. It is just been nice watching her run around. I thought she would take her scooter as she had it with her but she took her bike instead. 

Once in the park she started playing first on the slide and then under it with her familiar shop keeper games she plays so often. Once she finished that she made me watch her on the trim trail showing me all she could do. After she exhausted that we moved down the park to the bicycle ramp and with her little bike she proceeded to try and get up the ramp. It was so funny to watch a tricycle going up and then slowly sliding down. Next came attempts to get to the top of the ramp on her own so she can slide down. She can nearly make it but just hasn't worked she needs grab hold of the edge with two hands. It only a matter of time before she can do it but all the same she loves sliding when she doesn't make it. Surely that is the main thing?

In the end the weather got the better of us and the sky turned grey and like the people on the allotments we headed back to the village. We didn't go straight home and taking a covered route we made our way to the church in hope the weather might improve. Once inside Lucy headed straight for the piano and soon we were playing together. I'm really starting to think she has an ear for music and it would be wonderful if this could be encouraged with some musical play. Our fun was stopped by someone coming in the church. It appears he pops in every day and arranges the prayer cushions that Lucy loves to move around the church. Of course I did tell him it was Lucy that lined them all up on the back seats the other day when he mentioned it. What amused me was the way that Lucy just looked at her feet while he told his tale. Eventually we were rescued by Catherine arriving and the inevitable big cuddles from Lucy.

When we got home Lucy went off to play with Catherine until Emily arrived home join in in their games. I just had a coffee and got on with dinner and soon all the children were at the table amusing each other and just having fun. As usual the time caught up with us it was time for Lucy to go back to Oakham probably for the last time.

We headed out of the house with the scooter and her sweets she had got at the supermarket for her other sister chatting as we went. As we travelled back I asked her about her day and got a promise out of her to be good for mummy. As normal the door opened and was closed again and Lucy was gone and I took away the feeling that things far from right. I was left with this dark feeling and I knew I had to lose before I got home.

When I got home Emily was doing her homework in her bedroom while Catherine, now homework free, got on catching up with her favorite programs on the television. What I have noticed recently is that Catherine has moved onto watching Pop Girl as well as the soaps. She really seems to be growing up and she is about to hit that inbetweenies part of her life that has no real name. They did this until bedtime before they went off to sleep, tired after their day.

I can't wait to see her for the weekend. I just love having my children altogether. It makes me feel almost complete to have them here and that is the best feeling in the world. It is strange how thing just hit you sometimes that you just forget with all that is going on. The thing I had lost sight on was that nobody can stop you loving the people that matter in your life. Nobody has the power to do that whoever they are. It is just not possible, you love people in your life because you love them and that is just a fact.

Summer Solstice

Today see the longest day of the year the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. A religious festival celebrated by Pagan and other religions through out the world. It is a day that draws thousands of people ancient sites throughout the world to see the rising of the sun.

Different people have their own way of celebrating the day. While some gather to welcome the sunrise early in the morning like the Druids at Stonehenge, some others assemble in groups to light a "sacred" fire. For thousands of years this day has had spiritual implications for Christians, Celts, and Pagans.

Artist of the Week - Paolo Nutini

This weeks artist of the week is a Scottish singer with a not so scottish name who I rediscovered when looking through my iTunes for something to play recently, it is Paolo Nutini.

I came across Paolo Nutini shortly after the release of his first album back in 2006. In particular the song the song "Last Request" sticks with me from that time when I heard it again. It is just one of those songs that starys with you and that is the mark of a good singer and songwriter, better still if they can repeat the process and Paolo Nutini has done that. His first album was a big hit with me, but somehow I missed the second album although I do know some of the songs for it.

Paolo Nutini is a singer, songwriter and musician from Paisley in Scotland. He was encouraged to sing by his music-loving grandfather, a teacher, who recognised his talent and rather than going into the family fish and chip shop this is the route he took. Starting out in the music business as a roadie and a studio hand gave him the chance to study music and the business. In 2003 he got his big break in his home town when a local radio station organised a concert and one of the acts failed to turn up and he took their place. Impressed by the crowds reaction to this unknown singer a record manager at the concert signed him and Nutini  moved to London. Nutini's debut album was called These Streets and it was released by Atlantic Records back in July 2006 and it was in the charts for a record breaking 196 Weeks. Three years later in May 2009 Nutini released his second album, Sunny Side Up, which debuted at number one in the UK and it went on later to win the award for "Best International Album" at the 2010 Meteor Awards. Currently he is recording a new album.

Well I hope you like and enjoy listening to Paolo Nutini if you join me and listen to some of his work. If you really like him then can always go and listen to him live, he is currently on tour and details of the dates are on his website. I think it is always nice to listen to music from the past and it sometimes can just surprise you like next weeks Artist.

More Shops Close in Oakham

Oakham is really starting to look more like Middlesbrough in the early nineteen eighties with shop after shop closing it doors for the last time. Last weekend I wrote about the closing of Toots sweets and now they have been joined by another three shops that have closed down this week.

This week has seen the closure of "V Clothing", "Antique Shop" and "Blockbusters". Slowly the number of empty shops is showing what a bad way the local economy is currently in a very visual way. This trend is only set to get worse as we approach the RAF base closure. Meanwhile the county council blindly carry on with their mad cap building planes to move people into an area which has few and few jobs and insufficient school places. If you ask me they are as mad as the people at the banks that caused this mess, if not madder.

Fools Day

Just when you thought that a new generation of Conservative Leader would actually think before he opened their big mouth in steps the Prime Mister on absent fathers. The finger pointing Prime minster said basically that they are no better than drunken drivers if the headlines are to believed. Well what about all the absent mothers that runaway with the children and cut off the fathers access? What about equal rights for fathers to have a equal say in their children's upbringing. These issues all need addressing before a stuck up twit from a privileged background starts pointing fingers at anyone. 

It is no good going on about absent fathers if you don't give them the rights to see their children if the mother stops that happening. You need to solve this problem first before anyone in the Government can make a sound bites of writing all father that don't see there children. I have seen so may posts by fathers that have been denied this right and only those with money can fight to see them through the courts. I know I looked at this early on and the cost is amazing. Even mediation which I considered costs so much for all those on low incomes. They don't even have a chance of affording it. Thankfully I have access I'm happy with but I would like more say in schooling ect, but I know lot of fathers don't have this even. The Prime Mister needs to address these issues as well as putting in place mediation for the sake of all the children involved in a break up. Although we don't live in an idea world we can construct a frame work that gives all parties involved an say in the children's up bringing and this should include the children without fear or peer pressure.

Finally, it is no good pointing fingers at fathers, you have look at the whole picture and give them rights before you can do that. It is also no good blame the welfare state saying that it encourages single mothers when it doesn't give them the money to survive. We are all responsible for the children we make together, and we make that choice to have children. We have them for good reason and we should all play a part in their upbringing.

Rising Food Prices

The rate that things are going up in the shops is getting quite alarming. Just the basic things seem to have gone up anywhere between five to twenty percent. Mixed with that locally, Tescos have withdrawn some items and replaced them with more expensive items. This only adds to further increases to the weekly shopping bill.

It is easy to understand that a lot the prices rises are due to the increase in fuel prices that have been caused by the Banking crisis and extra money printed by the Government. This has caused the pound to fall against the dollar. However that doesn't excuse Tescos withdrawing items in favor for expensive items which have higher profit margins. What is sad that this will hit families on low incomes hardest. I know for myself there aren't spare pennies to spend on anything other than food. When things are like this food price rises hit you hard.

Wet, Busy and Quiet

Yet another day that the weather didn't live up to the time of year. So far the summer has been a bit of a non starter and the weather for the weekend doesn't look much better. Things I guess can only get better, but that could be said of a lot of things in my life at the moment.

I got up just as Emily was leaving for school to say goodbye and make sure she was alright. While I drank my coffee Catherine made herself some breakfast before getting her packed lunch and heading out the door to school. 

The morning was relatively quiet there wasn't very much to do. I read the news on the internet and caught up on some of the non family related posts on the blog. I know I still have last weekend posts to finish but I can't get motivated at the moment.

At noon we headed out to get Lucy as normal. I couldn't help thinking that this time next week it will be her last day there. They are a lovely nursery and I will be sad she is leaving. It has a lovely atmosphere and the staff seem so caring. I haven't got a clue where she is going to next. 

The welcome followed the usual patten of walking as fast as she could to the gate but instead of giving me a cuddle she went straight for her bag. Soon the reason for going into her bag became apparent when she took out a Fathers day card and proceeded to tell me it was my birthday. While the nursery worker corrected her, and before anyone could stop her, she open the card and gave it to me with a big smile. It was lovely to get a card from her and I gave her a big cuddle.

As we walked back to the car we chatted and once there I strapped her in and we headed out to the supermarket. All we had to get there was the food for the day. It that didn't take us long to do the shopping. As usual Lucy sat in the trolly and we all had fun zooming around the aisles collecting the food. Once at the checkout she helped me unpack the food and soon it was paid for, bagged and we were heading home, via the post office at Cottesmore to buy a stamp. 

When I got home I got on with making some gallic sausage and coleslaw sandwiches for lunch. Lucy loved the coleslaw and in the end ate the remainder of the pot after she finished most of her sandwiches. After she finished at the table it was straight off to find something to play with it and soon I was being asked to join in her games.

It was while we were playing that we took sometime out and, I sat and chatted to Lucy about her world and dreams. It is lovely listening to what they have to say. I remember filming Catherine doing the same thing when when she was young, it is just a shame that the video got lost along the way. Maybe I should do it with Lucy and post it here. Anyway it wasn't long before we started playing again before we went out again. This time our destination was the village post box to post a letter. As it was raining lightly the trip to the park was out so before we left Lucy suggested the church on the way back and I agreed. 

As we walked to the postbox we chatted and soon she was trying to get the letter in the box, but she just couldn't reach. In the end I had to picked her up and with a satisfying plop it feel into the near empty postbox. From the postbox you just have to cross the street to arrive at the church and soon we were out of the light rain. Once inside Lucy head straight for the piano and started to sing happy birthday while ordering me to sit and listen. Then she got me to play the tune to her and sing the song. It was all very lovely. Once we had done that for awhile she started lining up all the cushions in line on the one of pews  making patterns as he went. I just sat and watched but before she finished Catherine arrived to shouts of her name followed by cuddles. They set off playing hide and seek around the church and had a grand time before we set off home so I could cook dinner.

Once we got home I got on with cooking some Chicken Kiev's and fresh vegetables for dinner while Catherine and Lucy played and awaited Emily's return from school. As soon a Lucy heard the door go she was there and they the noise levels increased as they all started have fun together until I finished cooking when they all came to the table to eat.

After dinner there were a few minutes left for Lucy to play before she went back to back to Oakham. Soon these minutes past and after a short drive she was gone and we were on our way to Leeds with Emily and Catherine.

It was nice to get a Fathers Day card from Lucy and I had a great time with the girls in general during the day. It was shame Lucy wasn't herself. She seemed a bit tired but other than that she said she had fun which is the main thing. I can't wait until I have them all again. I just wish I could see her on fathers day but I know that will never happen unless it one of the days I normally have her. I know that for a fact. That is just how it is.

Harry Portter - The Final Chapter

It all started in the movies at the end of 1997 when the film producer David Heyman received a copy of first book in what would become Rowling's series of seven Harry Potter novels. At first he dismissed the book because it's "rubbish title"until it was discovered by his secretary who gave him a positive review of the book. This was start the process that has lead to making of seven films that have grossed over six billion dollars and delighted audiences around the world. The final eighth film is due for release on 15th July.

I must say I have enjoyed the films to date and I know Emily is a massive fan of both the books and the films. There is sometime timeless about the story and you can watch the films again and again. The are really fun and exciting to watch, although I do wonder if changing constant changing of Directors of the series films was a good move. In fact I feel, like Lord of the Rings, it would have been better to film them one after another with little or few gaps all under the same directorship. Although this would have been a mammoth task Peter Jackson proved it could be done. I know Emily can't wait until it hits cinema and I can't wait until the day we can watch them all one after another.