Be Excellent To Each Other

Or if they're red and black, to be honest.

Also they should ideally be popping out.

Well. That was quite a day.

Got here yesterday and went to get him admitted at 16:00, after leaving our house at 4:30am that morning. They said no need to admit him this afternoon, come back tomorrow morning at 7:30am! So we could've got a later flight but hey ho, not the end of the world, we're here now.
2am, eldest son calls. Fiancées waters have broken. So that's the end of sleeping then I guess. Get up at 6:30am to head to the hospital, we get updates throughout the morning from eldest son.
9:35am, the boy goes down for his surgery. Quite straightforward, should be about an hour. 2hrs later there is still no sign of him. 25mins later the surgeon appears - there's been an issue (about to cry) but don't worry it's not a serious one (crying averted). The ends of the bar in his chest had calcified and they literally had to break the boney encasements away with a hammer and chisel to get the bar out. That sounds like it's going to hurt like fuck when he wakes up.
11am, eldest boys says "midwife reckons it'll be another hour".
13:40, they finally have the boys pain managed and move him to the ward. He's had oral morphine, clonidine and fentanyl so is pretty wrecked now. He not going home as planned - we were supposed to fly at 17:40pm. So I have to rearrange all that and get a hotel booked for myself.
14:30, not heard from eldest boy yet and he's not read any messages for an hour or so. So I start getting worried about that, too.
14:43, baby is born! Woo! She's fine and obviously gorgeous but it wasn't smooth sailing at the end so eldest son is a bit emotional.
16:30, boy is propped up in bed barely able to lift a cup to his mouth but he's now eating and his pupils look somewhat normal. I start worrying about how I'm going to get him home tomorrow.
6pm, boy is snoring, baby girl is sleeping and eldest son is content with his little family.

Finally, I can relax. I was super stressed today and seriously wishing covid would fuck off so I can see my grandbaby and husband this side of April. Tomorrow will be tough for the boy, but I can't wait to get home tomorrow night where I will probably sleep for about 2 days!

It's as horrible watching your 6'1 13st 18yo cry in pain and not be able to help him, as it was when he was a little boy I could scoop up and cuddle. And when your almost 22yo needs a hug after getting through his own traumatic day, it's extremely difficult not to be there for him. I am so drained. Why does being a parent never end!?

That sounds so stressful. Almost makes me glad for the ball in my bath.

Glad everyone is ok and I hope you all get reunited soon. That operation sounds brutal!

Yes @flis that does sound like quite the 48 hrs!

Wow that is an intense 48 hours.

Jeeeez, flis! Glad everything worked out ok you must be shattered. Big love to you and the family x

Jeez, @flis, I’m so sorry. That sounds like a bloody traumatic couple of days. I hope you have some joy in knowing your granddaughter is safely here, and your sons (both), and future daughter-in-law will all be healing (physically and mentally) over the coming days. Well done on getting through it all, that’s amazing strength on your part.

I’m glad the surgery is over, and your boy will be recovering, hopefully with good pain management.

And congratulations on being a grandparent! Is this your first grandchild? What’s the first lego set going to be?

Thanks guys, today is a better day and I'm looking forward to getting home!

@Mimi, yes, first grandchild! She's perfect and will be introduced to Lego as soon as possible.

Oh no, sounds like a traumatic time! At least the major things are done and it is countdown time to heal and get back to normality. I really hope both of your boys are doing okay.

Was one of the quilts that you made fro your granddaughter? You'll have to show us if you make anything else for her. I have been eyeing up some Lego fabric.

September's Bearded Theory Music festival has been postponed.

This freed the weekend up.

Just entered Liverpool Half Marathon.

Oh, my mates are trying to get me into that.

It's a nice route through the city and the parks. The final 5km can be a pig, depending on wind direction.

A group of Broseley Joggers ran it a couple of years ago and said by Broseley standards, it's basically flat.

Scratch that, I think I'm confusing it with a different one - there's Liverpool half marathon, then Rock n Roll Liverpool half marathon.

The same will be true, though. There's not really any hills in Liverpool.

Yeah, the difference between the two courses is minimal. I'm doing both. And Cardiff.

So after MaliA posted I realised I needed to sign up to shut my friends up, except having confused the two halfs, I am now entered into both.

well done

I had to have a phone call with D’s school about bullying today. He’s been having some trouble with a three children since the start, and has been so reluctant to tell his teachers as he has it in his mind that they don’t have time to listen to anything he says.

I emailed the school last night and the head of early years has just rung. She asked for names, which I felt bad giving, but it is the same three kids consistently. On his very first day back in September he came home with a huge bite mark on his shoulder, snd it was really bad looking, though it had been through his polo shirt snd school jumper.

Anyway, on the plus side they’re going to talk to Darwin and explain why it’s important he tells them, and try to build trust that they do have time to listen to him, and also speak to the children involved, separately, and not naming him. I hate that this has started so young, especially as he loves school so much under normal circumstances. Well... he’s never been to school under ‘normal’ circumstances, but as close to it as we’ve ever got during the pandemic.

Trying to find the positive, but actually it’s really making me worried.

Really sorry to hear that, I hope that something positives comes out of it. Good to catch this early.

Sorry to hear that, but it's a good response from the school Mimi, they weren't fobbing you off in any way.

Thanks both. I think it’s a good start. I hope Darwin can build his confidence in believing that he can go to the teachers for help when things are wrong. She said they’d check in with him after break times and at the end of the day to open up that dialogue and help it feel normal to discuss these things.

I have another yay but bay, but it’s entirely separate and far less worrisome, so I’ll put it in a fresh list.

You've done the right thing. Hope it's all sorted out soon.

Good for Darwin to know he can speak up too.

Thank you, Zardoz. I felt bad for all sorts of reasons. I specifically avoided naming the kids until the teacher outright, and when I did so she (I think unconsciously) gave a knowing sigh, which initially was a relief as I didn’t want to put any kid into a box labelled ‘bully’ or ‘trouble’ and felt like, ok, I haven’t done that, they are obviously boisterous kids already, but then the more I thought of it the more I worried that I’d just reinforced those ideas. And then I felt bad that I hadn’t stepped in on Darwin’s behalf sooner. I think maybe hearing others thinking that I’ve done the right thing has kind of bolstered my resolve a little, so thank you.

Here’s a minor yay but nay.

I’ve set the craft room up for the first but of sewing in the new house. Yay!


I can’t find the lead for my sewing machine and Russell is running interviews, so I can’t ask him. Nay!!

Definitely the right thing. I get what you mean about not labelling those kids etc. and it's a credit to you that you'd even think about it that way. But I think that's something for the teachers to worry about and decide how to handle.

It’s good for the kids misbehaving to know there are consequences too, Mimi.

Like Mark said it’s a credit to you how much you’ve thought it all over... I’d have flipped straight away if I knew one of mine had been bitten. You’ve been as diplomatic as possible.

Thanks, Mark & Zardoz again. D has come home and said that his teacher sat with him and made play dough, just the two of them, and had a chat about what’s been going on and she’s told him that she will always listen if something has upset him.

I ran his bath when he got home and in the last thirty minutes he’s asked me all about how babies are made and then after talking through that weighty topic he wanted to understand all about death.

I don’t drink alcohol, but wouldn’t refuse if someone poured me a whisky.

As others have said, it's important that the other children are dealt with. It may be that they are acting out because there are other things going on, but without alerting the relevant people, nothing can be done. I'm glad they are working with D to let him know that it's okay to talk to them if something isn't right. It's so important that he learns to feel comfortable asking for help.


I love the sewing room, and I recognise that pattern cut out! Hope you find your lead soon. xx

I love the sewing room it is awesome..


Yes I agree with the others, you have done the right thing. A good teacher will sort all this out, and it is good it is early, before it puts D off school.

As part of our never ending process of improving our house, we had a new door and frame installed about 5 years ago. It's one of those maintenance free composite jobbies, similar design to this, but black



We really liked it, but we noticed a few months ago that gaps had developed at the bottom of the windows. I just thought it was something we'd have to live with.

This year we decided to update the bathroom, including a new window. We had the window done first and the installer mentioned the gaps on the front door windows and asked who'd supplied it, and when. Turns out he used to work for that company, that it was still in the guarantee period and we should get them out to look at it, which we did. One of their reps turned up, took one look at it and said they'd replace it, but as they don't do that exact model any more, we'd have to have their top of the range model, replaced at no charge.

All done yesterday and with a new guarantee.

That is great news..

Fab news!!

I had an unexpected call from school today (that’s a new experience. That gets your heart racing a bit when you’re not expecting a call, especially ten minutes after Russell leaves for the office for the first time ever and you’re home alone!)

Anyway, Darwin’s been bitten at school. On the shoulder again, quite badly from the sounds of it (through a polo shirt and a thick sweatshirt they’ve drawn some blood somehow and it’s bruised). He’s ok, a bit shaken up but settled down now, but importantly he went and told the teacher as soon as it happened instead of trying to hide it. It happened in the line up for class after playtime. They’ve spoken to the boy that did it, and he said he didn’t know why he’d done it, and that he’d done it by accident, so they told him that no, you can’t bite people by accident.

They’re going to have another talk with the boy after lunch, and they’ve spoken to Darwin and put a compress on it, and he said he’s happy to go back into class and his lunch. The school will speak to the boy’s parents.

The biggest thing to come from this is that Darwin did tell someone this time instead of hiding it away, so I am very proud of him.

That's great Mimi, obviously not the biting part. Hope he's ok, he did the right thing.

That is fantastic. Good on Darwin.

Well done Darwin, being an advocate for yourself and asking for help when need be are important page skills.

I thought you lived in the West Midlands, not Transylvania?
Good on him for telling someone though.

Darwin was really very ok by the time he got home. It was a different child from the ones that have been more regularly giving him trouble, and I would say one of the top three kids he talks of in his friendship group. It does seem to have been a spontaneous moment of silly loss of control, and Darwin said that they both sat down with the teacher and the boy apologised to him, and that they were friends again. He said ‘we had a good conversation but there was one bit in the middle of the conversation that was very bad, when Himmat was given a red consequences card. The teacher skipped a verbal warning and a yellow warning card and he was given a red card which made me feel very sorry for him, but then we were friends again so I felt happy at that’. So he’s clearly feeling a lot better and a far cry from how he’s felt before when some of the other kids have bitten/hurt him in what seem to have been far more directed actions.

I let him know I was proud of finding his voice to speak up and also that even after that he thought of his friend and felt sad that he’d had a red consequences card, which was humbling.

But yes, he’s fine. The bleeding seems to have been from where the skin was pinched between the teeth at the narrowest point. The bruising isn’t too bad.

He later ran face first into a tree we planted yesterday, clearly forgetting it was there. D’oh.

Summer is here

_{and it is far too hot to sleep}

I have just ordered a fan.

Yay: I’ve mown the lawn. How does it grow so much in seven sunless days?

Bay: neighbour continues to feed the fox which then brings it’s good to our lawn, and leaves bits of half chewed bread, eggs and other rubbish on our lawn, today with a large juvenile bird, dead (maybe a dove or one of the parakeets), which I wasn’t expecting and so freaked out a little (a lot).

Get me a drink you sycophant!

I was going to suggest a team of Guinea Pigs but the fox situation would be problematic for them.

So I’ll suggest armoured Guinea Pigs.

Rather than a team of Guinea Pigs, merge them and get a single Capybara. Ain't no fox going to mess with what is essentially a 50kg Guinea Pig.

I’ve got a big lawn. I think a minimum of three capybaras, four to be on the safe side. I might get them little stunt helmets, too.

I couldn’t find my Pin Entry Device screwdriver after using in Penketh. It’s really just a small cross head driver with a magnetic tip that is just the right size for undoing PED cover screws to attach/remove the cable and I keep it in the small zip compartment on the front of my backpack. I searched all the backpack compartments, in case I’d accidentally put it in the wrong one, but it wasn’t there.

I had resigned myself to buying a new one, but as the old one was part of an 8 piece set I bought when I started work as a mobile engineer, it just wouldn’t be the same.

The next time I opened the back doors on the van, there it was, on the compartment floor. It must have fallen out when I briefly dumped the bag in there while taping up boxes of faulty parts for return. It was SUCH a relief.

*Almost* worth losing it for that lovely feeling when it turns up.