Esme and Bradley, either get on famously, or more usually fight over mirrors, lollipops, but most of all I liked it today, when taking them both to school, took Bradley's coat off, outside the classroom door, opened it, he started walking in, I said, kiss. He stopped, turned and gave Esme a kiss, which made her smile, turned again, and walked over to the far side of the room where all the other kids were sitting on a mat, must have been 15 of them, sat down and waved bye. 16 months old today. They grow up so fast. Too fast, I need to spend more time with them.

I'm in charge today. "No! I'm in charge!" No, I'm in charge, I'm the Daddy. "No! I'm in charge!"

 

Try arguing with a three year old.

 

I'm left in charge today. Amanda's out for the whole day. Bradley's got nappy rash, so he's nappy-less. I run around mopping up the pee, while I try and clean the kitchen. Hoping that he doesn't poo -- he's got runs too, we suspect. Though, with full pee nappies one can never tell if it came out solid. Guess I'll find out today.

 

What else can I do? Figure it'd be nice to give the house a good scrub, and tidy all those toys. But, I know, that as soon as I do that it'll cause more problems as they find toys they haven't seen for a day or two.

 

So no coding today!

bradley and i are in the little park. The swing's the best. But too worried to come down slide.
I like Dawley on a Friday. Friday's market day. Not a big market, very small in fact, but everybody seems happy on market day no matter the weather, and today's a nice sunny February morning.
I let Bradley take his time walking up the High Street. Funny how kids are attracted to the dirty drains. The nooks and crannies in any street that nobody else notices. He finds the drains particularly funny, how you can look down and see the water and step on it too.
He did finally make it down the slide, on his belly. First time he was more shocked, second time he laughed. Third time I let him go over the edge, which he didn't like at all. No more time after that.

Esme and Amanda have gone off to the pictures with Alison, Francis and Alex. Should have some good stories to tell. Esme's first time to the cinema. I told her it was a big screen like the TV but much, much bigger.  

 

She was a bit worried at the thought of there being monsters there, as that's the title of the picture.  

 

I'm here with Bradley, watching Teletubbies while he scoffs loads. He's on his second fish finger, has already eaten all the spaghetti hoops, by clever use of one finger, and plenty of chunky chips.  

 

I think he'll be here some time, eating loads, and will sleep a long time this afternoon. Mind, it's 1.00pm now, past his bead time, and he was up early.  

 

And it was my turn to get up with them. 7.30am I think. And since we didn't get to bed till past 1.30am and since I remember getting Bradley another bottle at 3.00am... I didn't do much in the way of sleeping.  

 

We went up the shop, all three of us. This time I let Bradley walk. Even though it would take ages walking all that way in baby steps, which are distracted at even beck and call. We went the exciting way, off the pavements, on the grass, up past the bingo hall's side waste ground, instead of the pavement.  

 

Finally we got there. Esme and I holding one of Bradley's hands.  

 

Into the shop. The lady loves them, always with a big welcoming smile and hellowww! Bradley and Esme went straight over to the sweets, and started picking up a packet of this, and a packet of that.  

 

They ended up with a bag full of sweets, Esme, thoughtfully had two of everything, and we went off again, with Bradley heading up the street the wrong way and Esme shouting to me, "pick him up, pick him up." Over and over and over. Eventually she got fed up and ran after him, grabbing him by the back of his coat, threatening to choke him. Of course he fell over and started to scream at me... OK so thinking he'd eventuality turn around and come the right way down the street wasn't going to work now...

with Bradley and Esme in play area. B on amazing world trip. Everything is point and stare. Esme says that's my friend to everybody.

SMS sent from the play area in Telford. Used to be a shoe shop but they've opened it up, I guess, while they're look for new tenants.

Bradley was looking around and pointing and saying, "Duu!" With such a fresh, shocked look on his face. Like everything was new. Which everything was, to him.

Again, someone started picking on him. He just doesn't understand that someone wants to come down the slide, as he plays on the bottom, and won't move. It's only when he sees me hovering that he starts crying. Ignoring it otherwise, as the very big kid (4 years) slyly kicks him.

For the rest of the time he wants to go somewhere else. But Esme likes it so much, as she's making friends with everyone.

An older girl and her are playing close to me. The older girl asks Esme where her daddy is, Esme points, the girls asks if she can have her penny back. It turns out, that the older girl had 4 pennies and dropped one, and Esme picked it up. I ask Esme to give it back and she doesn't want to. Strange, I think. Esme had found a penny a while ago. It was on the floor in another shop, she said the fairies had given it to her. I think there was some confusion over the ownership of this penny, and Esme said it was the girls... But where was her penny... Anyway, I trusted Esme on this one and we went off with the girls still asking for her penny.

It couldn't last forever. Bradley, apparently started scrunching up the pages, and I think Esme told him off.

He's taken a bottle and gone to bed... I think he'll drop off for a few hours, he was up early this morning.

They're both very quiet. I wonder what goes on. So I go upstairs to see...

Bradley and Esme sitting togther with an Agros catalogue on their laps, looking a the toys.

"I want this, I want his, I do." says Esme.

Nice.

Bradley's a load better. Eating like there's no tomorrow. And having lots of fun. He likes, now, to fight back with his sister, slapping her and saying no.

I got them all day tomorrow, till quite late too. 7.00pm -- that's quite late. I guess we'll go on an adventure in the double pushchair. Down to see the horses Down the rickety road, to the lakes. See the fishermen, the ducks (we'll take some bread) throw stones in, off then under the bridges, to see the dinosaurs. Into the play park, on the slides and climbing frames, into the shopping centre, to the toy shops and the play area and catch the bus home.

Should take 4 hours, and roughly 3 miles. By the time we're back we're all knackered. Off straight to the bath, into pyjamas, they'll be in bed before Amanda gets home.

Ah! She'll think. I haven't seen them all day. And look disappointed. But the piece and quiet Amanda, the piece and quiet ";->"

COAL MINING PRINTS: "During Victorian times there was great public interest in mining disasters and the Illustrated London News and the Graphic among other popular magazines of the time dispatched an artist to capture the scene at the stricken mine. The sketch was rushed back to the office and a skilled wood engraver would make the plate to produce the magazine. "
Nice place to visit. I wonder if Duffryn Collery was close to me, sounds familiar. Like a few hundred yards.

Oy! Not on the furniture... And he says "oooo," and runs off.

Bradley's discovered his sister's felt tip pens. He's scribbled on the floor, lucky it's tiles, the kitchen chairs, well, they need painting, the carpet in the living room, so we're moving, one day and the settee -- argg -- we've just had that cleaned!

now at 10 pin bowling orange fizzy pop and chips

here we are in early learning centre. Causing trouble and not buying anything

I forget the mess Bradley makes when he's eating. All in his hair, over his clothes, splashed over the floor. Clean him up, put him on the floor, kick the chair so everything that's hidden drops on the floor.

Bradley's much better now, though still with a wheezy hack sometimes when he's breathing.
He's sitting here eating his second yogurt, after eating quite a big dinner of beef pie and peas, didn't touch the potatoes.
Esme's watching Rosie and Jim (with Pat). With the sound up as loud as it can go.

testing one two three