When I first met Tricia, in December 1984 (21st December 1984, nearly 30 years ago), Tricia was a ‘Guiding Leader’. So last year, she clocked up 30 years as a Guiding leader. For most of that 30 years she has been a Brown Owl for 3rd Winslow Brownies. She has also been District and the Division Commissioner in that time, and also the outdoor activity adviser. Yesterday, at a Guiding ‘Thinking Day’ Service, Tricia was officially given her certificate and 30 year badge. She has seen a lot of young girls go through her pack over the years, and some of them have grown up, had children of their own, and sent them to Tricia’s pack. The Thinking Day service was held at the North Marston church, and the service was run by Janet Bayly, who did our 25th wedding celebration. There were a number of Guiding ‘dignitaries’ on hand to see it, as well as Tricia’s Mum and Dad. Also, a lady called Pat Pitts… Pat was very much a mentor to Tricia in her early years as a Brown Owl, and they has been friends for all that time, even though Pat is about thirty years older. She gave Tricia a lovely bunch of flowers.

To make it a double celebration, Ellie was also awarded her ‘Baden Powell’ challenge certificate. Mum and daughter both getting awards at the same service :-). At Easter Ellie will finish being a Guide, but she is going to continue as a young leader in her Guide Unit, and also as ‘Little Owl’ at Tricia’s Brownie unit. Runs in the family 🙂

Here are Tricia and Ellie at the service yesterday. The lady in the red coat is Pat Pitts. then one of the lovely flowers Tricia had.

Monday started off with a trip to the gym. I hadn’t been for a couple of weeks due to my cold and feeling rather listless. But with my energy returning got myself back into the gym. And then managed to get in on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as well! My body needed a rest on Friday… Monday evening I went and auditioned for a part in a play called ‘Habeas Corpus’, I won’t find out what part I have for a few weeks as the director tries to get the whole thing cast. On Tuesday evening I picked Robbie up from Hatton Cross and we went down to Bracknell to see my folks. They looked well. Tuesday evening Tricia and Ellie went up to the local pub for the quiz. They didn’t win but Ellie was pleased with her self for answering a couple of questions 🙂

The local village production this year was called ‘Post Horn Gallop’. I had elected not to be in it because it would have been on at the same time as the Olympic Bobsleigh, and if Nikki had got there, we would have wanted to be in Russia. Tricia, Ellie and I had planned to go and watch it on Friday night… I was looking forward to it as it would have been the first time since we came to the village that I could watch a production in the village without being involved… However, Monday night I received a call from one of my acting friends, who said that the lady who was doing the sound for them on Friday night couldn’t be there any more, and would I do it !! Well, a call to arms from your mates you have to say yes. So Thursday night I went and sat in with the first show, and looked at what I would have to do. Then Friday evening I had to sit at the back of the hall, after no rehearsal and do the sound. No pressure then! All went pretty much ok, although the sound system decided not to work half way through act 2… with some help we got it back online. The show was good though.

Before the show on Friday Tricia took Robbie across to Milton Keynes, where he caught the bus to Wakefield. He had taken Friday off, and the coming Monday, to go and visit his old uni mate Jordan up in Yorkshire, over a long weekend. During the day on Friday Tricia had gone across to Northampton to meet up with Deb, where they lunched and shopped. Saturday morning Ellie and me went to the gym at Milton Keynes, Tricia went to her gym in Tring. Then in the afternoon we went to the Thinking Day service. Then Tricia took Ellie to a sleepover at friends in Twyford. What with Robbie being away that meant Tricia and I were on our own. We went out to a nearby village for an evening meal, which was very nice and came back to a quiet house.

Today Tricia and I went up to church… and we are all now enjoying a quiet Sunday afternoon. Some news from Nikki, she has been in St Moritz this week. Kevin sent a couple of pictures, one just before Nikki pushes off, and then of course one pulling a face ! Then one of me taken from Saturday, when inexplicable a cat decided to sit on me…. doesn’t happen very often.

Yesterday West Ham won their 4th game in a row, beating Southampton 3-1. Almost unheard of for West Ham to win so many games in a row. At the begining of the month we were virtually bottom of the league, and now we are 10th. 12 games to go this season we need about 9 points to be certain of staying up. Which we should do…. but this is West Ham of course, anything could happen.

With the pantomime out of the way, it may be thought that I would have a quiet week. But last Monday evening I went and helped take the set down from the panto. It took two hours but it was very hard work, I took most of the panels down and had to put back up 7 stage curtains… these are heavy curtains, up a ladder to hook them on. I was shattered. Wednesday evening I went to a meeting of the players, where we did a read through of ‘Habeas Corpus’ an Alan Bennett farce. Auditions tomorrow night, production in May.

Of course the week was a very wet and windy one. It feels like it has rained every day for about six months. Many parts of the countries are flooded, so I shouldn’t really complain, a lot of people are in a far worse state. The rain was torrential last week. Combined with the gale force winds on Friday and Saturday, it has been a week for locking everything up and hiding inside.

On Tuesday evening Tricia went off to pick up Ellie from school, she is doing a schools dance competition called ‘Rock Challenge’ and had been rehearsing. Unfortunately Tricia’s car conked out half way there – the AA turned up 90 minutes later and managed to get it started, but we think that it is because the car had got damp. We do have a cover for the car, but keeping it on in this weather is a challenge. So, on Thursday the car was covered and we had all sorts of connections to keep it on… but Friday evening the winds removed it…. and also took down four fence panels overnight.

On Friday evening Tricia and Ellie and me had made it to Milton Keynes Theatre, where we watched ‘Wicked’, which was very good. When we came out the theatre at around 10:30pm it was like walking into armageddon. Lots of concentration was required driving on the way back.

Robbie was not to be deterred yesterday, he went off to Coventry with some friends to see an exhibition… a gun exhibition, they all went to look at the airsoft guns. Today he has gone off with them all for a day doing airsoft. He will come back shattered. A quiet day for Tricia and me yesterday, and likewise today. Tricia, Ellie and myself went to church this morning, where we were doing family prayers. The sun was shining, and it was still…. absolutely lovely. A little tease that spring is on the way. I cooked the Sunday roast (nice piece of beef) and Tricia sat in the garden, even did a bit of weeding. Next week is half term for Ellie.

Recently I put together my first ‘photobook’, covering 2013, using my blog and loads of photo’s. It turned up yesterday, and I have to say I am very pleased with the result. I shall start doing 2012 during the week.

Some photo’s from the week…. Tricia and Ellie at the theatre, then the fence panels down on Saturday morning, and Saturday afternoon Tricia and Ellie with a coffee cake Ellie had made… very nice it was as well.

And some pictures from today… Tricia in the garden with the cats.

Last week I spent most of my time blowing my nose, trying to clear my nose, breathing occasionally, coughing, spluttering and producing some interesting matter off of my chest. Not a good week to get a cold, as it was performance week for ‘Sleeping Beauty’ in Winslow. I was playing King Basil, and Ellie was the Fairy Primrose. There were rehearsals every evening until Thursday when we had our first performance, then Friday night, and three performances on Saturday. Saturday felt a little bit like groundhog day… no sooner had you finished one performance, than you seemed to be needed back on stage for the next one. Performances at 1pm, 4pm, and 8pm. A long day. Ellie, who by Saturday had got my cold, and me were both shattered. Ellie did enjoy it though. She made new friends and enjoyed being on stage.

Recently Ellie went to audition with a youth theatre for a production of Annie at Aylesbury Theatre. The good news for Ellie was that she got a letter on Monday to say she was offered a part. It will be in the ‘chorus’, but she is very pleased with herself. The performance will be in June.

Ellie has also had a splendid school report. Performing well in all subjects, and ranked 5th out of 146 pupils in her year. What can you say to that 🙂 A big hug for Ellie.

Tricia has had her stitches out. She was worried for a few days that when she yawned the scar might open up but it is now looking barely noticeable, she has healed very quickly.

Nikki is in St Moritz doing bobsleigh taxi runs with her coach – the coach drives, then there are two paying members of the public, Nikki pushes the bob off and then jumps in. Her coach is a former Olympic medallist, so she is in safe hands. She is trying to ignore the Olympics as it hurts her a bit that she isn’t there.

My team, West Ham have been struggling all season, and looked like prime candidates for relegation from the Premier League. But after a hard fought draw against Chelsea a few weeks back they have all of a sudden put 3 wins together and all of a sudden they are 10th. It is all very tight, and they are by no means safe, 12 games left and they need about 12 points to stay up, but they have given themselves a good chance of doing it 🙂

Some pics… One Nikki posted up of her and Kevin, one of Ellie and Nikki, Ellie with the fairies, and waiting to go on stage… and King Basil… nice wig 🙂

The Sunday morning after a safari supper is normally a subdued affair. However, it was a bustling Sunday morning. I was getting ready for my trip to Scotland for my Uncle’s funeral, Tricia had to take Ellie across to Quainton and drop her off at one of her friends – they were going birthday shopping in Milton Keynes – and then Tricia had to go to Milton Keynes with Robbie to pick up some art work from one of Robbies old student friends. Steve came and collected me about 10:30, and after a quick tea we were in the car and making our way north. Onto the M40, then on to the M42 and M6. My Dad and brother Mark were making their way up to Dundee by train. There is never a shortage of conversation with Steve, whether it is reminiscing or talking about current situations. By mid afternoon we were up and driving through the lake district, and pulled off the M6 for a sandwich, cup of coffee and stretch. We pressed on, over the border, through heavy rain and sleet, eventually arriving in Dundee at about 10 to 7 in the evening. Mark and Dad were already there. After quickly putting bags in rooms, and finding a pair of Marks pants on a pillow – which was to be expected – we sat in the bar and had a meal, a few drinks and some chat. A long time since that had happened.

We had a good evening, but we were all tired after our respective journeys and so disappeared to our rooms around 10:30…. I found it hard to settle and sleep, but eventually dropped off. I woke at just before 7, and was quite parched and so went off for a walk in the mizzle to a nearby Tesco’s where I got myself a couple of bottles of water. I drank most of it before breakfast, and seemed to spend the next hour visiting the loo every 5 minues :-(. Breakfast was similar to the previous evening, lots of leg pulling and banter… Dad observed ‘I have never known brothers so suspicious of each other’. 🙂

Just after 10am we were sat parked up near the cathedral, and the first game of i-spy took place. Around 10:30 we walked down into the cathedral. It was, as funerals go, a lovely service. It seemed to be pitched just right, a catholic service, appropriate and reflective of my Uncle’s faith, his grandson looking sharp in his uniform and reading impeccably, the canon spoke of my Uncle’s bad jokes… a sense of humour not too dissimilar to my Dad’s…, and spoke of his commitment to his family. To top it off there were two marine buglers who played the last post. Very touching. My Dad was a bit choked at this. It was then off to the crematorium.

We all gathered at a hotel then for refreshments and it was an opportunity to catch up with my cousins and aunt. Mark and Dad then decided they would come back in the car with Steve and me, and so we all set off just after 2:30pm.

We gradually wound our way south, getting over the border around 5’ish, and after getting down near Carlisle stopped for a cup of tea. We had intended to have a meal but there wasn’t anything really open. We drove on for another hour, and stopped for something to eat…. then back in the car we started the next game of i-spy… things such as ‘mbm’ (more bloody motorway) etc.. a high quality game! I was dropped off around 11:15pm. I had enjoyed the company of my Dad and brothers over the two days, pity it was such an occasion that brought it about. When I got home it was a full house, although everyone was in bed. During Monday Tricia had picked up Nikki from Wendy’s.

So it was late to bed, and then up early for work. I was at my desk for 7am. Come Tuesday evening I was shattered. Wednesday was the day for Tricia’s op. I worked from home in the morning, and we left for the hospital abou 1:15pm. The appointment was for 2pm… and it was virtually on time, Tricia was in at 5 past. The op to remove the carcinoma took about 45 minutes, then she was out, stitched and platered up. It seems there may be another one to remove at some point. On the way back we booked an appointment for Tricia to have stitches out. They seem to have done a tidy job. Tricia had some discomfort, but not a great deal. The difficulty was in trying to sleep ‘the other way’ to how she normally does.

Friday night was a ‘curry night’… so Tricia and I met up with Alan and Rachel and went round to Pete and Sara’s. It was fun evening, but at the end of it I could feel my throat getting sore. I eneded getting up on Friday night to gargle some paracetomal. On Saturday I was at the barbers for a long overdue haircut, but could feel the cold coming on then to accopany the sore throat. Over the lunch time I enjoyed watching West Ham beat Swansea… a rare victory! Meanwhile Ellie was baking… it was the ‘great village bake-off’ competition, and she had entered. She did some cupcakes with iphone apps iced on the top. Looked good, and the sponge for the cupcakes was excellent… but sadly she didn’t win.

Sunday was a quiet day at home for Tricia, Ellie and me. I was full of cold now, and grumpy with it :-)… As I write this on the Tuesday evening I can say I am only just starting to feel better. Just as well as Ellie and me are in the Winslow Panto on Thu, Fri and Saturday. On Sunday Robbie went off with his airsoft mates to shoot each other with yellow pellets. As always he was shattered when he got home.