There’s something about this time of year, the diary seems to be filling up rapidly. All but one of my children are making a Big Transition in September, Ben starts school, Charlie goes into the Juniors, and Ruthy makes the big leap to secondary school, even Kate who thinks she isn’t making a big jump, really is, as she enters her last year in Primary. The result of all this right now is Meetings. Just when I’d legitimately got rid of lots of church meetings for the duration of my training, the school ones seem to be coming thick & fast. Attending my 4th and last Reception Year welcome meeting was amusing though rather than emotional Ben has the rather wonderful teacher that Ruthy and Charlie both had in YR so I’m very happy, and she doesn’t seem too worried (yet!). Ben’s certainly not 
Everyone tells me that your last child starting school is emotional, that I *will* be there sobbing at the school gates. Well, they told me that when the first one began, 7 years ago, and I wasn’t sniffing into my hankie then and I really am not expecting to this time – ask me again in September. Starting secondary school however is another matter – no! I am not old enough to start with, nor can she be! for goodness sake, I remember her only yesterday learning to walk!
She’s ready though, tiny as she is, and I’ll wave her off in September trying to ignore the Abba soundtrack in my head.
Slipping through my fingers…
June 12, 2009 at 8:00 pm (children, family life, school)
Rocking my world
April 23, 2009 at 10:36 pm (children, family life, friends, holidays)
On Easter Monday we packed ourselves up ( tight turnaround after EasterSchool given how busy Sunday was… all good practice!!) and did that traditional clergy (in training) post-Easter getaway!
We were on a narrowboat for 4 days with friends from church here for her 40th celebrations, with us were other friends of hers, he a vicar, also doing that post Easter escape thing! 6 adults, 11 children, 2 boats!
It was a lot of fun, the weather ( bar Thursday when it poured down) was gorgeous, the children, two groups of whom had never met before, were fantastic ( even Ben, source of much pre holiday angst for Mr FF, understandably, 3 year olds + boats = stress, but no, he was fantastic ) Keeping the close in age siblings on separate boats helped of course! 11, 12 and 13 girls on one, 8, 9 and 10 year olds on another – bliss! Feeding all 11 of them together on one boat was fun, but did enable the 6 adults to have civilised evenings together later.
Many locks ( 17 in one day on the Wednesday) and hot cross buns, cups of tea and glasses of wine later we parted company, the hosts to welcome more friends on board for the weekend, the rest of us back to real life (and in Mr Ff’s case to an early morning flight to Las Vegas). I’ve been home alone with all four for a week now, with a ski tan, post-motion vertigo ( hence the title!) and an essay to finish. I am pleased to report that the tan still exists, the PMV has almost worn off a week later, the essay is in the envelope and Mr Ff is at the airport
Assorted pictures follow – taken with an inadequate camera phone!
Creation to Extermination!
January 22, 2009 at 11:53 am (children, family life, food)
Not a post about eschatology – just a birthday cake!
7 is always a special birthday in our family:-) this one was no exception!
Blue Monday? could have been here!
January 19, 2009 at 11:59 pm (children, family life)
Today is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year – it’s based on some calculations about light and time since Christmas, and credit card bills and general malaise – oh and it being Monday. I have heard of it before but today I wasn’t aware of it being today until I was recounting my day to a friend and she reminded me -
Anyway, nothing of my day has anything to do with credit card bills or daylight or even it being Monday – and it hasn’t sent me into the pits of despair, but it has been one of those days you’d rather not repeat in a hurry.
Mondays are one of Ben’s full days at preschool, so a full work day for me, however I knew that today would have a couple of hours out of the middle to take Kate for some repair work at the dentist,, only I’d forgotten that I’d booked a Pilates class, so I had to cancel that:-(
Next Ben woke up with a small spot on his face having got infected – gah 3 year olds and their ability to lick their chins! That means no preschool for him. Already my day was looking more complicated than I’d like, and all thoughts of study are floating out the window. Ruthy said she felt a bit sick, but ate breakfast and went off to school anyway. Charlie was way too excited that it was now only one sleep till his birthday, so that was ok.
At home I managed to write about 3 sentences, none of which bore any relation to the previous one, while entertaining Ben, then we went off to fetch Kate and drive to the dentist. The highlight here was finding a parking space that didn’t involve a 3 mile uphill walk, or scraping my car along unseen 6 inch walls. Out we came and found a message on my phone ominously labelled “School”. This can only mean Ruthy isn’t well. She was still feeling icky and school with as much phobia of vomiting as I have ( and that’s saying quite a lot) wanted her gone. Kate was feeling very sore now as her anaesthetic wore off, plus she faced another 2 hours before she could eat anything, so I collected Ruthy and took them both home. Pretty good going by 1.30 on Monday to have 3/4 of the children at home!
At 2 I had to phone the doctors to get an appointment for Ben, praying it wouldn’t be at 3.30pm I hung on hold for a nice longwhile, and then got one for 5.30. Great Mr FF can do that then, he’d said he could get out of the office early ” if needed” well he is!
By this time Ruthy had eaten something and was feeling miles better, Kates lip was back in contact with her nervous system and Ben was playing bowling on the Wii. I snuck into the kitchen and iced Charlies birthday cake while peace reigned…ooh for 5 minutes until they realised I’d trimmed bits off the cake to get the right shape ( no you can’t see it, it’s not finished!) I got it hidden before Charlie arrived home with a neighbour -result!
Mr FF got home about 5 and whisked Ben off to the docs – it was that or cook supper, I managed supper and some more essay, and have managed a few more words this evening – it’s not flowing well, mainly I think because it’s last terms leftover assignment ( yes I do have an offical extension!) and I’d just like it done now.
I’ve got Ben off tomorrow at least now, and most probably Wednesday, so there’s more midnight oil to be burnt. Tomorrow, as they say, is another day though, and I can’t believe it’s 7 years since Charlie was born on the bathroom floor – but that, as they also say, is another story!
Sometimes life just isn’t simple
January 7, 2009 at 8:59 pm (cars, children, family life, study)
It’s the little things that eventually get to you – like today, I had a clearish day, except that I had to take Kate to the dentist in the middle of it. So a little bit of work, go and collect her from school, hold her hand under drill fire and back to work for the afternoon. Yes, well that was the plan.
My car won’t start.
The dentist is 12 miles away
There is one bus an hour if you’re lucky, it takes over an hour and then there’s a 20 minute walk.
The appointment is in 55 mins
My car still won’t start.
So I came indoors and phoned school, and the dentist, and the garage.I cleared up the kitchen, and did some laundry and thought I’d sit down & work. Then the phone rang, it was my friend G telling me that pre-school was shutting because the loos had frozen!! ( yes it’s funny, Ben thought it was hilarious when he was telling me later)
I must have sounded slightly stressed because she offered to have Ben for the afternoon – I told her I shouldn’t even have been at home if my car had started. At this point I’m still waiting for the garage to call me back.
So back to some work, but my concentration has been shot, and it’s not very effective, so I do some more laundry so that I am at least achieving something out of the day.
I go up to school and pick up 5 assorted children, only 3 of whom are mine, deliver them back to their homes and pick up Ben from G’s, bumping into one of his pre-school teachers on the way who cheerfully tells me that pre-school is shut tomorrow too and ” we don’t know about Friday yet”
The men from the garage eventually arrive to pick up my car, they get it to start (typical!) but want to take it in to check it over, in theory this is fine by me as I don’t want to be stranded somewhere when it won’t start again, but I’ve just realised that tomorrow is fairly scuppered too – no car = can’t get to library, no preschool = have Ben home anyway. Mum and Dad are planning to come down for the afternoon to field children so I can work. I won’t be escaping to a quiet library but maybe I can salvage something!!
12th Night – back in the box?
January 5, 2009 at 5:28 pm (children, faith, family life)
I just loved these colours all together as I was packing away the tree decorations – and I realised I hadn’t taken any pictures of the tree over Christmas, so here’s the tree, back in the box. The poor tree is back in the garden, it’s SO cold out there I feel a bit sorry for it, it’s a bit of a shock even from our “on the cool side” house to the “below freezing” garden. I hope it grows well again this year, it’s had a lot of new growth since last Christmas.
The girls & I had an interesting conversation as we were putting away the nativity advent calendar, they were arguing about how many wise men there had been, Ruthy was adamant it was three, Kate equally sure there had been four. “Go & look it up” I suggested. Ruthy demurred (I have a feeling she knew what was coming!) Kate took the bible off the dresser and we looked up Matthew’s gospel, where we found that the number of Magi ( “that’s wise men,” I said, “yes mum I KNOW what Magi are, I’m not stupid”… – the ” durr” was implied! ) is not specified. We decided that the traditional three came about because of the three gifts named. They were quite thankful that they weren’t having to wait till tomorrow for Christmas though!
I’m always mindful of not packing Christmas back in the box along with the decorations at this time of year. I like remembering that the longer season of Christmas goes on until Candlemas, February 2nd, by which time Lent & Easter are in sight (though not this year as close as they were last year!)
As ever, as the shops clear up Christmas, out come the Easter eggs, while I dislike the commerciality ( is that a word?) and the constant need to be onto the Next Big Thing, it does me no harm to be reminded that Easter & Christmas are inextricably linked, and that the Newborn Christ of Christmas is the source of the new life of Easter.
I want to sewwwwwwwww
January 3, 2009 at 3:43 pm (family life, sewing)
I just spent the morning in the library trying to get my head round evaluating the life & kingship of David (as in the King of Israel). It’s interesting, yes really it is, but I’ve come home and blog-surfed while eating lunch and everyone is making gorgeous beautiful things and I Want To TOO!
but I shall have to wait…
Back to the reading /essay now while the children write thank – you letters!
new year…new?
January 2, 2009 at 10:54 pm (faith, family life, friends, journal)
January 1st is such an arbitrary date to start again or feel like things must cange from here on in – because our calendar changes then suddenly we’re all propelled into this idea that everything is going to be different, or we can start again. In truth we can do that any day of the year we like – One of the opening prayers in Morning Prayer says;
The night has passed and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and one mind
and we are reminded in Lamentations 3:22-23;
The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
I always feel that September is more of a new year than January, it’s years and years of academic conditioning that’s done that, but also there is something about taking up the threads of life again after the summer months that resonates with people even if they are not tied to school terms either as a pupil, student, teacher or parent.
Often I find the days between Christmas & New Year really hard work, and this extends into New Year’s Eve & Day too, there is a peculiar kind of melancholy that can creep over one, I know it;s not just me because I’ve talked about it with friends too. This year it was wonderfully conspicuous by its absence, the whole holiday has been, though busy, also peaceful and restful. I wonder how much of it has to do with expectations? We had family here for Christmas, and had planned nothing for the days after and for New Year, we both felt that after this year we didn’t need to be planning a big dinner or a party or even leaving the house, it wasn’t going to matter if it was just us & Jools Holland on the 31st!
As it happened John & May called and said they were travelling back north then and could they come & stay over New Year, and it was lovely, the children got on well as ever, we ate well but not stressfully, we talked, we went for a walk yesterday. It was almost unplanned, and maybe all the better for it.
This doesn’t still explain the relaxed & peaceful approach to NY this year – I think that has more to do with being at peace with where I am and what I’m doing in life – sure it’s stressy ( essay deadlines….!) but it’s right where I’m supposed to be.
2008 has been a rough year in many ways, and also an amazingly brilliant one. It’s tempting to say; I hope 2009 is “more ordinary” or “better” or ” happier” but just because the numbers have clicked round once isn’t going to change anything, I can’t label a year. I just have to live each day whether it’s 31st December or January 1st, by His grace, and for His glory. That’s my challenge:-)
Half term to Advent
November 24, 2008 at 12:11 am (family life)
The last six weeks have been interesting to say the least. The week before half term, Mr FF’s mum was admitted to hospital, she’d been having severe dizziness and nausea for a week or so, the GP thought it was labyrinthitis, but she’d got so weak she needed to be admitted. Once there they did all sorts of routine checkups and scans, some of them because she was a heavy smoker and had been for 50 odd years.
The first weekend of half term I was in college, and Mr FF took himself and the children to my parents so he could go & visit his mum over the weekend. There were mutterings of things needing investigating on the scans, and when I got back from college on Sunday I drove straight up to London that night. On Monday 27th October we spent the day at the hospital with her, when we were told she had lung cancer and a secondary brain tumour – and it was this tumour that was causing her symptoms as it pressed on and affected certain parts of her brain.
Horrible, all utterly horrible, she was incredibly brave, at least on the outside, she kept saying she was more worried about her children, and ours, our 4 are her only grandchildren.
The next couple of weeks were a blur of hospital visits, with Mr FF running (well driving) up & down the M3 even more than usual) She came out of hospital and went to her first oncologist appointment where she made the very brave decision to go for immediate neurosurgery to remove or at least reduce the tumour in her brain, that was the most urgent thing. She had that operation on 13th November, by all accounts it was successful, they thought they’d got it all, and it would give them time to try and reduce the lung cancer through chemo. No one would give us a time scale, but no one was prepared to give false hope either, it seemed it would be a matter of lengthening the days, rather than anything else.
Over that weekend MIL first perked up, and then began to flag, she was very weak after the operation, she was very down, Maybe she’d hoped that she would not have come through it, and been reunited with FIL and in the heavenly mansions she talked so often about ( John 14). Who knows… On the Thursday Mr FF was visiting again, having had a meeting in London that morning. He arrived to find her being transferred to Intensive care with pneumonia, where she needed to be put on a ventilator, and she sadly died early the following morning.
I got the girls to school and the boys to a friend’s ( their choices) and went up to join MrFF in London where he was staying at my parents’ My dad was driving in the other direction to hold the fort at our place, relieving my friend of the boys and on hand in case the girls needed collecting from school at any point.
We spent the day making & taking phone calls, seeing the priest and the funeral directors… all a bit of a blur, we’d been preparing ourselves for maybe a few months, a few days was a bit of a shock, it’s only 6 months since FIL died too.
A rarity
October 18, 2008 at 6:55 pm (children, family life)
Today was the first Saturday I have spent at home since the start of term – and only the 3rd since the end of July! Holidays can account for August, and a stream of family birthdays, college and a lovely weekend a deux in North Devon make up the rest.
Mr FF was out today from about 7am as he has been at a Mens day conference in Ealing with a bunch of guys from church, so I got to know what it’s like for him when I’m in college! ( though I did already have just a bit of an inkling what with all the travelling he does 
So swimming lessons, some light food shopping, and a constant stream of homework help, producing more food, refereeing, cleaning, tidying and laundering, of course you’d think the house would be gleaming and all the children virtuously packing away completed projects by now, but you’d be wrong! – the house however is marginally tidier than it started off, so that is a bonus!
Off to college for a rest next weekend
