Thursday 2nd May

Bacon butties all round for breakfast on what proves to be the sunniest day of the year so far. Jay-le-taxi is out early today dropping the teenagers and two of the eldest’s friends at school. Usually they walk, as is proper, but the eldest had a large number of cakes and cookies to take in for a cake sale to raise money for her Morocco trip. So I did the decent thing and the youngest jumped in as well. With her friend they raised a tidy sum which is all credit to their industry.

I manage to finish the weekend crossword at the library with the help of Messer’s Google and Wikipedia. They do come in useful for naming Greek gods and obscure constellations. I help a few people out this morning including one who had his email address book hacked, something that seems to be ever more popular at the moment. Not malicious but a pain if it happens to you. I wander up to my mum’s for lunch then we’re off hospital visiting to see the ailing one. Traffic through the city is good and when we get there he’s in good spirits, watching the snooker on TV. It’s been on for probably ten days now and the only time I’ve seen it has been at the hospital, maybe my tastes are changing. When we get back in the car it is roasting, and as we drive back it’s nice to see people enjoying the sun and not just wrapped up against the elements. You almost feel summer might be just around the corner.

I drop mum off and stop to sort out their email and pay a couple of bills online for them, then I get to query a hotel booking, it really is all go at the bottom. The eldest makes me a cup of tea when I get in which is in itself worthy of note. I’m halfway through drinking it when mum phones with a computer query that fortunately I can talk her through over the phone. New technology can do wonderful things, but when you’re the one who gets called every time something is slightly unusual ... still they do say patience is a virtue.

After tea I get stuck into the ironing as Mrs P pops out. Then the youngest and I sit down to enjoy some darts on the TV. A bit of father and son quality time together. I did say my tastes were changing; I’m just not so sure if they’re changing for the better.

Yours on the oche

Jay