I quite like September as a month, normally you still get some warmth and sunshine before the gloom of autumn really kicks in. However, I do not like September on the calendar. Far too much happening.

Tricia has been in Glastonbury over the weekend. This is an annual thing, a ‘girly weekend’ in September. There were supposed to be 5 of them going, but one took ill, so it was only 4. They left Friday afternoon, and returned this evening.

I took Friday off, and enjoyed something of a relaxing morning, although Tricia was busy organising the ladies, and Nikki was getting ready to go to Bath for the weekend. I went up to Ellie’s school for the end of week assembly. She was presented with two certificates, one for passing her grade 1 in Clarinet, which she took at the end of last term, and one for the dancing exam she took in July. She was given an ‘honours’ pass for the dancing. She was made deputy head girl for the school… she had hoped to be head girl, but is pleased to have been given the deputy head girl.

On Friday night it was about midnight when I got to bed. I had drifted off when the car alarm went off for one of the cars left by the ladies that went to Glastonbury. So, down the stairs I came picked up the wrong set of keys and found myself on the door step with a bunch of keys for the Brownie Hall… … so having returned to the house got the correct set.. checked the car, no obvious issues, and locked it again, and went to bed. Half an hour later the blessed thing went off again. Cursing under my breath I stopped the alarm with the key, and then decided to leave it unlocked so the alarm wasn’t engaged. Back to bed, and I dropped off again, only for it to go off again. Now I was confused… so I went down and outside, and got into the car to find the handbook which would hopefully tell me how the alarm could be stopped from going off again. But, the inside of the car was a bombsite.. and no handbook. So, back in the house, I turned the computer on, and google’d the car… eventually I found an instruction saying you had to use the remote, and do two unlock blips. I did this, and went back to bed. Now approaching 2am. Fortunately the car remained silent.

So, late to bed, and I was awake later then normal, 10 to 9… which is fine except I had said Robbie and I would help with some work at the sportsfield at 8:30. Whoops. So, quick breakfast and then we were off to the sportsfield where we helped fill in holes along the line of the drainage system, which had subsided. We worked hard till lunchtime, got absolutely soaked in a downpour, and were then dried out in about 15 minutes by the sun. Shifting soil across the field, and filling barrows, it was hard work. When we had finished, I went to collect one of our spades, which had been driven into the ground. As I yanked it out of the ground, I successfully managed to yank it directly into my shin. Ouch (and a few other words). I now have a lovely swelling on my shin.

In the afternoon Ellie was helping at the church fete, whilst I went off to Tesco’s. On my return, I was carrying in a bag with some beer bottles. As I arrived about mid kitchen, the bag split and there was a loud crash followed by beer and glass fragments scattering everywhere. I was starting to feel cursed. It took some considerable time to clean the mess up.

In the evening I went next door to have a drink with Alan. He too had been deserted by his wife Rachel who was in Glastonbury. Pete the husband of the sick lady, also joined us. We had a curry, drank some beers, put the world to rights… and, oh my goodness it was 20 to 1 in the morning. This wasn’t good as I had to get up early…

Robbie bought me a cup of tea at 7:30… this was his way of saying come on Dad get up… I was taking him and his mate Zak to some ‘paintballing’ place for weirdo’s. They weren’t doing paintballing but something similar with BB guns… When I got back Ellie had gone to church. I proceeded to cook lunch… which was a roast, but only Ellie and I sat down for it. I then cut the grass, collected Rob and his mate… and then Nikki and Tricia arrived home from their various places. And now… I am knackered. So, please excuse me if I stop typing and go to bed. Tomorrow the bedlam starts all over again…