Jack makes an impact

Jack has been very patient with football, he’s been on the bench for about 6 games and not been used at all. He’s getting pissed off but we’re trying to keep him positive and patient. It’s paid off

On Saturday he got 20 minutes and did okay and yesterday he also got 20 minutes in a cup match against Kidlington. I was working at home but watching Twitter and he made an impact right at the end when he beat the full-back, got brought down and won a penalty which was converted by Phil Thomas’s son so they went through 2-1.

He was rightly buzzing and everyone was pleased for him – Andy Sinnott and loads of others have recognised how patient and determined he’s been and he’s taken his chance.

Hopefully he will build on this now, not sure how the rest of the game went and he might well be on the bench again this week and he be used as an impact sub, but for 18 years that’s okay

Really pleased for him – very proud.

This is the match report and also my tweet which also showed how much his team-mates like him with some decent banter!
https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/didcottown/teams/85240/match-centre/0-4697127/report

Jack signing for Didcot

Jack has put pen to paper and signed for Didcot Town this season – this is the announcement on Twitter!

Hopefully he will do well and get game time, he’s comfortable there and feels wanted and welcomed.
He came home from training the other night with all the kit so he’s part of it all!

Will be good fun to go and watch him on a regular basis – looking forward to it.

Quite funny because Noz and Tommy’s sons are both part of the squad as well – and what with Millar over the in the club-house all the time it could be interesting how much I spend on drinking there!!

Derek Minor Progress Update

Went up to see Derek tonight and Jack came with me. He went in first and then he and mum were kicked out during the handover and I went in with mum afterwards. The breathing tube has been removed from his throat and his breathing was better. He responded in terms of looking at us but it does feel as though there’s not much really registering behind his eyes. I’m a bit concerned as to how cognitive ability is there if I’m honest.

But again it’s another day of improvement so mums pleased and clutching at anything remotely positive which is understandable. Let’s see what tomorrow brings

Jack run out with Didcot

Went and watched Jack at Didcot where he got a decent run out in the second half. He didn’t get a lot of the ball but when he did he was okay. I made a mistake of telling him to take a player on when he should have crossed it. I need to learn not to say anything to him from the sidelines now

I went with Wayne and we had a few pints and it looks like they want jack to sign so this could be a regular thing...not good for my liver as Millar is there all the time!

Back to ours for more beers and I got the pizza oven out. Zoe came over as well and it was a really nice evening l, drank far too much. Got respect for my pizzas though as they were all cooked to perfection!!

Also went to Sue’s in the morning and helped with some of the boxes following her house move. It’s a huge great house with a massive garden. I’ve no idea why she bought it, it’s definitely not a move to downsize at all. Madness.

Derek Update, but not much to report

No improvement today with Derek, in fact he might have gone backwards to some small degree. I worked at Raintree so couldn’t help out with lifts or anything in the morning but Tash worked early so she could get up to the hospital for about midday and support Mum and bring her home afterwards when they’re kicked out at 1.00pm. Tash said that he just slept throughout and there was little response to any discussions etc and it was an emotional morning with plenty of crying.

So I got some stuff sorted when I got home from work and then went to the JR about 7.15pm in the end and again it was the same thing, I think he opened his eyes a couple of times and reacted to both Mum and my voices but it was little else that happened. He does move and flinch from the discomfort of the tubes down his throat so we see that as a positive thing because it shows there is feeling and activity, if he was doing literally nothing then that would be much more concerning.

Mum did most of the talking as usual, it’s a nervous talking and is constant, but it’s good for her that one of us is always there for her. Charlotte is going to go tomorrow, I think she’ll find that really tough and emotional and understandably so. We haven’t put any pressure on the kids to go and it’s their own decision, it’s shocking but you do sort of get used to it but it’s still so sad. Not sure if Jack will go, I think he wants to and it would be nice if he did but again, we’ll see how things progress.

So tomorrow they are likely to take the tube helping him to breathe out so that he does breathe on his own, apparently you can become so used to things helping you that your mind switches off and “forgets” how to breathe…not good! The tube is not breathing for him, it’s just increasing the oxygen when he takes a breath, but he does need to do it himself asap apparently.

We will see how that goes later, I am in Kent tomorrow so won’t be home until late and not able to go up there until the evening.

Still don’t know how Mum is managing to cope with it, she must be under such strain and be exhausted.

Derek seriously ill

Whilst we were away on holiday last week Derek suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage – basically a bleed on the brain. Mum got him to the hospital and he was operated on and placed into the Intensive Care Unit. It’s not possible to stress how important life-threatening this is. At the time of writing this it’s now 6 days and we’ve visited him with Mum for the last two days (having not come home until midnight on Sunday) and we’ve only seen him open his eyes in that time.

During the holiday we kept in touch with Mum and it seemed he was progressing and she was positive but something went wrong and he had to go back to ICU which is where he’s remained and where we’ve seen him. Tubes coming out of him in all places and helping him to breathe, it’s heart-breaking to witness.

Mum is bearing up okay but she must be exhausted, it’s tiring for us and we’ve only been there a couple of sessions – we’re allowed there in the morning and afternoon/evenings. It’s hard to know what to do or say and slowly we’ve got more information from the nurses or doctors there. They’re very good and he’s on a constant watch, it makes you realise how serious this all is and reading the literature, it’s not positive reading whatsoever!

We can only keep supporting Mum and hoping for the best. Tash went up there with Mum this evening and they came out much more positive as his eyes were open and they were trying to communicate with him, how much he sees or hears we don’t know but you hope it’s helping in some small way.

It’s draining physically and of course emotionally, it’s so sad to see him like this and also see the desperation in Mum willing him to be well and to pull through this, she’d be so lost without him and it’s a terrible thing to face up to and think about, but it’s a real possibility that he won’t survive this, but also, if he were to survive, what sort of state he will be in terms of mental and physical health. We can’t and mustn’t speculate, we just want him to get through this first hurdle and then go on from there.

Tash spoke to the nurse today asking about their experience in this sort of situation and they advised that it’s the first 10 days that’s the main milestone for someone to survive, tomorrow is day 7!

The kids are not sure about visiting, I think Charlotte might go but Lewis is up in Manchester and I think Jack won’t feel comfortable – he might wait and see what Charlotte says if she does go on Thursday.

It’s hard to think of anything else at this time, it’s a horrible, horrible situation and as I mentioned above – absolutely heart-wrenching.

Fingers crossed is all we can say

Jack playing in front of 841 people

Played for Thame Utd in the second half against Oxford Utd – right mid – did well

Jack’s got an ear-ring!!

Got a Snapchat through to the Dark Dickheads family group and Jack has got an ear-ring in Aiya Napa! Mad. It’s fine, it’s a diamond stud but he makes us laugh!

Haven’t seen any update from Tash, in saying that, Raff has got a big tattoo as well…not sure how that’s going to go down with his family, huge great rose on his forearm

Jack#s get us up to date well and it looks like he’s had a fantastic time, he’s been on the paraglider and even talked his way into an all-inclusive luxury hotel and send videos from there in the infinity pool and getting free drinks

No idea how he manages it!

I go and collect them from Luton tomorrow…

Working away from home

Haven’t worked away from home in bloody ages! I am up n Derby today working for EdCo to try and help with their Support team set up and reviewing calls that are coming in. Not sure how it’s going to go but it’s been okay today, hopefully I will impress, but it’s going to cost a fair amount so I hope they don’t get funny when I send in my invoice!

Left for home this morning at 6.00am and it’s now 10.30am in a pretty ordinary hotel, won’t come back here again in a hurry I must admit.

I have gone from being quiet and worried about money to being quite busy again now, but I think I like that as it focusses the mind and makes me push myself that bit harder – I am not a good person with too much time and being the one that has to motivate myself to work, definitely a stick not a carrot person!

Oh, have ordered the building materials today from Blanchfords for them to get working on my new office next week, exciting! It’s costing a bit but with this extra work on my plate hopefully we’ll be fine with setting it up…the bar in getting closer all the time!

Jack has now finished his A-Levels!

That’s it, he’s finished his A-Levels and his school years!

Makes me and Tash feel old, but it’s not about us. He’s worked hard but this has been a hard time to get through, he’s an annoying little shit who has an answer for everything and we’ve really had to push him to keep his focus. I am concerned that he’s not done enough but it’s clearly too late now, he’s NOT doing retakes.

I so very much hope that he’s done enough to get some decent grades, he keeps saying that he’s not going to go to further education but he still needs to have some decent grades to show for the last two years, else they were a waste of time and he might as well have done an apprenticeship.

Not sure how long we have to wait for the results, but he just doesn’t care about them and now will be dossing about and then goes on holiday next Wednesday which I am sure he will absolutely love

Charlotte’s Dissertation Result…what will it mean overall??

Charlotte got a FIRST in her dissertation – she was almost crying, Tash said she was shaking she was so pleased and shocked about it – I am delighted for her and so very, very proud. She’s worked incredibly hard so to get the recognition now and the feeling that she’s capable is so pleasing for me, Tash and herself – she rightly deserves it too, she’s very good at what she does and I don’t think she has that confidence in her ability. She’s going to do so very well whatever it might be and I hope this result gives her that confidence. So what does that result mean?

Well, all this year she’s got mostly 2:1’s and a few 2:2 – I think this is her first time she’s got a 1st this year so I am expecting her to get an overall 2:1 which her and Tash are going to be delighted with. I really, really don’t think she will drop to a 2:2, that can’t possibly happen, we’d be stunned if that happened. But what about sneaking a First????? I don’t know, I think we all think that would be a real stretch, but we won’t rule it out and none of us are really thinking about it, so let’s hope for the best and that will be a 2:1 which like Charlotte said, she didn’t think she’d even get into University in the first place!

So proud of her – she’s lovely!

MRI Scan & Raff’s Family for Dinner

Went to the JR this afternoon for an MRI Scan – they’re not much fun at all it has to be said. Tash dropped me down there and it was about 25 minutes in this little tube that is quite claustrophobic and tight. I just accepted it and closed my eyes and then all the noise starts up and it’s odd feeling in there. In saying that I almost fell asleep…! Will find the results out in due course and hopefully they’ll be able to see what’s wrong with my back, if they say there’s nothing obvious I will be so surprised.

In the morning we did work on the house and got loads of jobs done including another dump run for Sue, but then found out that Nikki has been round as well and has suggested getting a skip and then took Sue for lunch – it’s pathetic it really is, the answer to everything is spending money and eating food. Tash was quite upset because it was obvious that Sue’s been moaning about her being round and she wasn’t invited to the Jacob’s Inn with them – I do feel sorry for Tash.

In the afternoon we hosted Raff’s family for dinner and it was nice, Jack and Raff are going off to Aiya Napa in a couple of weeks so it was some last minute planning and we’d been to their house so it was our turn. It was a nice enough evening and they left quite abruptly when Raff said “Can we go now?” – quite shocked by that rudeness but there you go. Stayed up and watched a film and then had an early night.

Another nice weekend all told

Chernobyl drama – brilliant TV viewing

We’ve been watching a fair amount of TV over the last few months, we always get an hour or so at the end of the day to sit and relax. Got through loads of programme and the latest one we’ve completed was one on Sky Atlantic called Chernobyl.

As the title suggests this is a short 5 part docu-drama about the events at the Chernobyl Power Plant in April 1986 – it was fascinating and has garnered constant praise and acclaim, I’ve not heard anyone moan about it.

Last episode was this evening and it finished as strongly as it started and was a shocking view into the mentality of the men involved and what being Russian involves and their hierarchy and command chains – it’s scary.

Anyway, I am sure it will win awards and rightly so, it’s been great. Now to find something else to watch…what’s on the planner?

Kate Millar’s 18th Birthday

Up quite early washing the car this morning and 3 people (including Charlotte) said “You can do mine next!” – made me smile putting that on Facebook and got some good reactions. I did actually do mine, Charlotte’s and Tasha’s cars in the end. I then sorted out the wood in the stable and then trimmed the hedge out the front, so was busy busy busy. Took the dogs for a walk, hot again.

Our latest student, Michele from Switzerland, left this morning as well, she was a lovely girl and really enjoyed her stay with us. She was very quiet but would get involved if only to sit and observe us being drunk or a bit crazy (as she put it in her card). She gave us a thank you card that was lovely and also some spaghetti because of her first meal and Jack throwing his on the floor! Doubt we'll ever see her again, we never do, but I think we made a nice impression on her.

Over to Didcot to the Millar’s house, haven’t been there for a long time I don’t think, they’ve sorted out the back garden and it’s really nice there – done it well. Phil Thomas was there cooking at the BBQ and Tracey was on form, usual suspects were there and it was a lovely afternoon. Had to go inside near the end because of the rain but food was all good and loads to drink!

Jack was driving so Tash and I had a few  and when we got home Charlotte was on the sofa so we watched some films and it was a nice evening.

Everyone was knackered, it’s been a long weekend.

Bournemouth Beach & Champions League Final

Up fairly early this morning, got things sorted and then jumped into the car and me, Tash and Charlotte went down to Bournemouth for the day. We got there about 12.15pm (quite a long journey) and it was nice and hot but very busy. We went to Canford Cliffs as normal but there were no dog signs everywhere.

Walked down to Branscombe and found the only section of beach that was dog-friendly and set up there. Had our picnic and threw the ball for Bess into the sea and she loved it. We then all crashed out and slept nearly all the afternoon. Listening to music and relaxing, it was lovely.

We needed to get home for the football in the evening and left about 5.15pm, I was worried about the traffic but there was no need, we flew home, it was amazing how smooth it was.

Quick shower and change then up to the White Hart, I was originally happy to stay at home but Tash wanted to meet the Henderson’s so I watched the TV and she sat talking outside. It was a game between Liverpool and Spurs and I obviously didn’t want Liverpool to win. Unfortunately, they were fairly comfortable in winning 2-0, Spurs were better than them but didn’t threaten and it was a really shit game to watch. Liverpool also were gifted a penalty in the first 30 seconds, it was incredible. I am not 100% sure about it being a pen, but there have been so many instances where they’ve been given I am not surprised. Thankfully it wasn’t the only goal.

I was quite drunk by the end and we had a chat with Matt and Nicky before coming home.

A lovely day and decent evening, if only the match was better and a different result! As you can well imagine, all my mates were celebrating on Facebook and Twitter.

Nicole Holden’s 18th Birthday

I did absolutely nothing all day today, I was heavily hungover and didn’t lift a finger, just browsed the internet or slept, fucking idiot!

Went to Wayne & Kerry’s in the early evening as it was Nicole’s 18th birthday and we sat in the garden and Wayne did a BBQ. nice food and relaxing evening. I did have a few beers but it was a struggle!

Zoe and the girls were over and other family and friends, it was nice. The girls went into town and slowly people left and we were last as usual.

Tash drove although I could have really.

Can’t believe they’re all turning 18, it’s so odd.

Elton John film – Rocket Man

I’m going to take a leaf out of Elton John’s diary and be more perfunctory with my diary entries now, he used to do everything in bullet point form and short sharp entries, I think if I do the same then I will not find creating diary entries such a chore, that’s not the right word, just so I can add them more quickly really.

Worked at Raintree today, went ok.

Finished early and home by 4.30pm – quick lunch then over to Grandma’s house to meet up with Brett and Melanie who are over here. Nice to see them if only for 45 minutes along with the rest of the family. We get on well with them and there is a nice/special bond we have with them so they’re always really pleased to see us.

Over to Bicester and met with Nikki, Gaz, Emily and Sue in Nando’s for a quick drink and then over to Vue for the Elton John film Rocket Man. Biggest thing of popcorn I’ve seen (free) and couldn’t finish it, felt a bit sick!

Film was very enjoyable, won’t win any awards but it was entertaining and we liked it – certainly gave us a taste for his concert to come in Italy.

Home by 11.00pm – saw that Chelsea beat Arsenal in the Europa League final – 4-1, not good for Arsenal at all!

Lazy (very) TV day!

Tash worked today and was up and out around 9.00am – I was dead! Stayed in bed for another hour before feeling guilting and getting up and walking the dog and doing chores. Went and got Lewis from Bicester and also the shelter and then home around midday in which we proceeded to watch TV literally all day long! Tash came back from work and just crashed on the sofa so we watched film after film, incredibly lazy but quite satisfying at the same time.

Complete waste of time but we didn’t mind

Has some food and then more TV and Lewis went back to Manchester about 8.00pm after I’d walked Bess once more

A really enjoyable weekend all told.

Victoria’s pregnant!

Pottering about in the morning. More of Sue’s garage clearance with help from Lewis then over to Danny and Victoria’s for a BBQ. We took our shelter and that was an excellent idea as it pissed down with rain at one point and it helped keep any heat in.

Loads to drink and nice and relaxing.

They then announced that Victoria was pregnant so that went down really well and everyone was pleased as you’d expect.

Tash had to work in the morning and surprised me by drinking as much as she did! We were planning to get a bus home but Jess offered us a lift so we didn’t turn that down and she gave Tash and I a lift home – Lewis stayed and went out into Bicester town with Katie and Oscar and a couple of other people

Really good day and evening and great news about the pregnancy – please about that.

Yoga and Punting–not a good mix!

Heavy head and tired but not too bad.

Did some gardening and then Tash dragged me to the gym to participate in a Yoga season. Oh my god that was hard. Sweat was pouring off me and I found it so hard, I have no flexibility at all and struggled. Was in pain for much of it. Afterwards we did some clearing out at her mums house and then made some lunches and went down to Wolfson College to get the HMC punt.

Zoe and Laoisa came with us. Zoe has never been punting before. We went to the same place as we did last month with Ivy and stopped for our food. Lewis was late so didn’t meet us for the beginning but he then parked at the Victoria Arms and walked along the bank to find us.

We then punted back to the VA and had a pint there and then back to college to drop the pint off.

My back was killing me from the yoga so I jumped in the bath and also slept a bit for an hour by which time John and Pauline came up and we hosted them and got the pizza oven going.

Had a few drinks but nothing mad and it was a really pleasant evening.

Stayed outside under the heaters and it was really good. It wasn’t too late either, they left around 10.30pm, we cleared up and off to bed.

A really good day.