It’s all about time.
Once again, it’s taken me a few days to complete these musings on modern life… Time changes when you have kids: films take a few days to be watched, newspapers a week to get read. Minutes in the night can seem like hours, and years like seconds when you have the chance to reminisce.
I actually started writing this on St Swithin’s Day.
Once again, the weather that morning could be described as a bundle of contradictions, meaning that for the next forty days, it will probably be a mixture of sunshine and showers, just as it was when I carried out the initial experiment back in 2011.
I still have the test tubes of rain, collected over that period.
Still, whatever the weather, life goes on, and has been somewhat more settled – especially now that the summer is here.
Beauty surrounds, and health abounds… five weeks have passed now since E’s baptism; a wonderful day filled with love and generosity. Heartfelt thanks to all who shared it with us, and who took us up on our request that gifts were replaced by donations to Alder Hey… we raised a couple of hundred pounds and are back there soon for a check up; in the mean time, he has become much more mobile and the health visitor today was made up with his progress.
In the time since the baptism, then – other milestones: B’s Sports Day and Graduations, both successful days I had to experience through filmed footage, though still brought tears to my eyes given the immense pride the running and smiley singing filled my heart with. There also came taster days at school; the ultimate sign of growing up and the ending of an era.
These joyous moments were accompanied by surreal and uncomfortable events, however. As the curtain fell on another difficult academic year, biding our time, we had a couple of days out to celebrate / avoid the home improvements being carried out Chez G.
Three separate incidents involved a brush with the law.
One resulted in accidental shoplifting, another getting thrown off a train (although ongoing investigations mean I cannot divulge further… it’ll all be in the book) which heightened the irony of a friend commenting that we looked like we had both committed a crime when I had this picture taken with Simon Mignolet.
I asked him for said selfie to send to a colleague doing an Iron Man challenge and wouldn’t normally bother to acknowledge ‘them’ but his demeanour says everything about the impression I got of him. I wish now I’d been more honest with him, and will be sure to be should our paths cross again.
The other big moment of the first week ‘proper’ of the school holidays was a wide eyed trip to Costco and our marvelling at some of the deals and products on offer including a tomahawk steak which exceeded expectations.
However, it was the scene of an armed robbery exactly 24 hours after our attendance, meaning we had a lucky escape.
Around this time I also decided to change my appearance.
There’s another tattoo on the way, too.
And, seven years after my equally dramatic eye lasering, I also took B for her first eye test and joined in the fun. Thankfully we both have pretty much perfect vision, which I put to good use on a whistle stop tour of some of Liverpool’s museums and galleries, taking E to Open Eye, Tate, Museum of Liverpool, Bluecoat (great for kids) FACT, and the highlight overall, an exhibition of Cuban protest posters at the Slavery Musuem which some beautiful and powerful graphics in support of monumental movements, depending on your epistemological standpoint.
Some culture then, which inspired next week’s embarking upon a belated project for Hannah. Weather permitting, it will involve several trips to the beach and a fair few pencils.
I can’t wait.
Finally, food and drink have been high on our agenda recently, as holidays offer a more relaxed diet and lifestyle with time, that great healer, giving opportunities to enjoy things a bit more. Said steak, Baltic Market offerings, and a tour of the Lancaster Brewery which was a great experience.
The season starts next week, too. I’m tired of the ‘banter’ and despite feeling more optimism and pragmatism than ever – I’ve spent decades biding my time but realise now there’s no point -in reality I’ve more excitement about fourth birthday parties and sponsored elephants than Fantasy Football team names and Sandro.
Oh, and the new term starts…
Times they are a changing.