Six weeks + 5

A couple of things have come to light for me recently, one is that my blog is very plain, and it is true I picked the first template option and the first colour option. In my defence I was just writing it for myself at the time so didn't think that it would matter, but appearances always do. Now, before you get too alarmed I'm not going to really "bling" it up, partly because it wouldn't be appropriate and mainly because I don't really know how to do it. But, when Will gets back from Woolacombe (yes it's something I need professional help with) I will get him to make a few subtle changes, just gentle ones, maybe a change of background and some sensible links to other websites, like cancer ones, anyway please do not be too alarmed when that happens! The other thing is that I seem to have grown old, all of a sudden, it's lots of subtle hints that have pushed me to this conclusion, Will talking about how long before he will be driving in days rather than years, and receiving a letter in the post yesterday about enrolling Xander in secondary school, being just two of them. What happened to when they were really little and you put them down and they were still there when you came back? OK that still works if you leave them in front of an X Box, but really.

Neil and I both had a bit of a Xander moment last night, we were on our way back from the Crooked House, it was Xanders final choice for a "not going to Woolacombe" treat, and I know nothing like the Safari Park, before anyone asks, he's "special". If you have never been to the Crooked House and you live locally, then shame on you you should have, if you aren't local I'll be a little bit more forgiving, it's the only pub I know that actually makes you feel drunk the moment you walk into it, before you even start drinking. I'll leave it at that but it has a fascinating history, and it also serves a reasonable selection of beers. It does bar snacks and main meals and finally it serves a decent cider. I mean it was on tap, and called Thatchers Traditional, and when Neil ordered it the barmaid said "just to warn you it's like a scrumpy cider, it's still and cloudy", then I'll have a pint I said. When most of the other people drinking cider in the pub were on Magners it was quite clear why she'd mentioned it, Magners is very fizzy and clear and they drink it with ice, not what I was after, as a developing cider buff! Anyway the cider was really nice, Neil had a pint of some real ale, they do quite a few and Xander had coke and real Black Country pork scratchings (do not ever look at the calorific value of a bag of pork scratchings, I did, I'll be totally done for if they start labelling the calories at the chip shop). So we had a nice little visit, decided that we should go back and eat there again as we haven't done in years (see if I blinged my blog there'd be a link to their website for the curious, it's that sort of thing). At this point Xander says, "So , what are you guys doing when we get home?" I'm like when did we become "you guys", and what exactly does that mean, I don't mind the Americanism of the "guys", but I'm not sure I like being labelled with it along with the "you". I protested, which made Xander laugh in an isn't Mom silly sort of way, I should think myself lucky he didn't call me "Mother" with that patronising tone that only a 10 year old can have (nearly 11), but I'm pretty sure he was sat in the back of the car shaking his head in that same tone of voice, children can do that! In Xanders defence Neil and I came home and watched an old episode of "New Tricks", which certainly works for the prosecutions argument that we are getting on a bit, but did he have to be so unsubtle as to say so. As to being called "you guys" well I guess that's it now for us, it's just the slippery slope to the old peoples home,  (I am only 41, but to him that's ancient) to watch old episodes of "New Tricks" all day long on the old TV channel. 

Actually it's a big year for us in this house, I have my final year of Uni, Will has his last year in secondary school and Xander is going into year 6 to finish primary school. So that's not too much pressure for one household at all is it. We have to pick a secondary school for Xander by the end of October, he wants to go to the same one as Will, which should be easy because of the sibling rule, but as Will will have left by the time Xander starts it doesn't apply, so we have to sit and wait to find out. Then there is Will, his school doesn't have a sixth form (Neil is anti sixth form anyway, don't ask) so at some point we have to do the trawling round the local options, none of which don't involve a bus ride. I'm not convinced that Will and buses are a very good mix, can you do A levels by distance learning. Mind you I'm not sure we can't afford to send him to Uni anyway, so maybe we should just send him out to work! As for me, well I have a couple of months, tops, to see if I can find a school to let me do my history GTP there, it is very competitive this year because of the rise in fees for 2012, so I'm not holding my breath, otherwise I have to try to get into Worcester for a PGCE course next year. I pity Neil for the next 12 months, it's going to be pretty mad in this house (madder than usual). 

I should mention, I had a mini adventure yesterday, I went shopping to Merry Hill all by myself. It was my first time driving somewhere without Neil or one of my kids acting as chaperone, some away from the house time all to myself, I won't lie, it was brilliant! It's not that I don't love my family, I really do, but I do feel like I've been trapped in the house with them for long enough, it was good to get out. Neil was concerned, about me being alone, and with me being alone at Merry Hill with my bank cards, but I assured him we'd all be quite OK. So yesterday I shopped, I went to the field to do Malarky and I took Ned to the woods, all this and normal house work type things as well. I think I'm actually getting ready for normal life to resume, don't you?