Family Life

Happy Birthday Jakey! (or Seven Years Gone)

Written by Gerard on Wednesday 4 August 2010

I have hazy memories of the day Jake was born. Most of it centers around me, in the afternoon, walking out of the hospital to a nearby KFC to get something to eat. Bizarrely, I can't remember whether he was born at that point or not, just that the darkening skies chose that point to open. As I returned to the hospital, lightning flashed across the sky above the building, and heavy, warm rain started to descend on me.

Spain: Stranded in Alicante!

Written by Gerard on Thursday 22 July 2010

We just got back from a two-week holiday in Spain. I'm planning a full write-up of some of the stuff we got up to on holiday, but first I want to share the biggest disaster of the holiday.

We'd hired a car for the fortnight. Driving in Spain is pretty straightforward, and I really enjoy being able to go further afield from wherever we're staying. Renting a car is the smart thing to do, and we've done it about four times now.

Connections, Reconnections

Written by Gerard on Sunday 4 July 2010

It's been a funny old week in our house. We're got a house guest, we've had a very uneventful 10th wedding anniversary and we've attended an old friend's wedding.

Incidentally, for those of you approaching a 10th wedding anniversary, you'll be pleased to know that it's known as the "tin" or "coal" anniversary. Nothing more prestigious that that. Sorry.

The Summer Holidays Have Begun

Written by Gerard on Wednesday 30 June 2010

Yes indeed, the Summer Holidays have officially begun.

Do you remember when you had that last half-day at school? The teachers are busy tidying things up and the classroom looks bare with all the posters and paintings taken down and sent home. Instead of lessons, there's a video to watch or you just idle about chatting with the handful of other pupils who've bothered to show up.

Now we're dealing with the last day of school from the other end - we're the parents now. And that means getting the kids ready to go into school in plain clothes. No lunches, just a light snack and some sweets for the classroom party. Gifts for the teachers if you're feeling especially thankful toward them.

How do you keep your kids amused during the summer holidays?

Written by Gerard on Thursday 10 June 2010

We're fast approaching my most dreaded time of the year - the summer holidays. The kids are off for a full two months, the weather's been oddly changeable lately. How are we going to keep them from driving us bonkers over the summer holidays?

Yes, consider that an open question, everybody. How can we keep the kids amused over the summer holidays?

Especially for the Work At Home mums and dads among us who need to get some work done to keep the money rolling in! How do we achieve that balance between getting our jobs done, and keeping our kids happy?

Damn you, volcanic ash cloud!

Written by Gerard on Thursday 15 April 2010

Lisa went over to London yesterday for the press launch of Britain's Got Talent. And got stuck there, due to huge clouds of volcanic ash which have caused airports to shut down all over the UK.

At the moment, it looks like it may be Saturday or later before she can fly home. Luckily, her sister lives in London, so she has a place to stay until such times as flights are allowed to resume again.

A quiet moment...

Written by Gerard on Saturday 27 March 2010

It's the end of a tough week here. The cancer situation continues to impact our lives in ways we'd never imagined.

Lisa's spending increasing amounts of time in Belfast looking after her mother. It's a life of shopping, doctor and hospital appointments and tending to her mother at home. She fits in work when she can, but it's difficult for her. And, as I know, when you're embroiled in a situation where a parent has cancer, your taste for other things in life tends to dry up. You become absorbed in the crisis.

Poem by Anthony Browne!

Written by bayard on Wednesday 20 January 2010

Not Coping With Grief and Loss

Written by Gerard on Wednesday 18 November 2009

As the regular readers among you will know, my father died in June from lung cancer. I guess the survivors have dealt with the grief in their own individual ways.

For my own part, I was devastated and temporarily paralysed by the grief I felt afterward. A cornerstone of my life...gone. But strangely enough, real life intruded, and I was forced to snap out of it. The possibility of returning to work, as well as dealing with my father's financial affairs certainly kept me grounded. As well as that, my own family needed me.