Much fun to be had in Tescos, when you don't care how much noise you make and don't worry what other people think.

Delicious. I'm getting better at the old cookin'

I'm sure people were laughing at us, "no fish in there." But there are!

We sprinkle bread on the top of the water, wait a bit, wave the net around to frighten the geese...

Then we had a big crowd, as first Bradley caught one, after much taunting by Esme. Then, Esme caught two in one go.

We let them go straight away.

I took some quick pix as Esme was putting her stuff away first thing in the morning at school.

I'd have liked a few of these memories in photos of when I was a kid going to my school. Sadly, most of my infants school is knocked down. All of my primary school is knocked down and houses built over it.

Bradley's taken to taking has teddy everywhere lately. Here, afet we picked Esme up, we walked home, past the woods.

Esme wanted her pictures, too, to go on the wall, and be scanned.

She's changed her drawing style overnight.

Bradley's just come to see me up stairs. "Dad, look at my trousers." Brand new trousers. Ball point pen over the knee, lots of scribbles. "The gremlins did it, while I was asleep. Mummy looked everywhere to find them, but couldn't. And that's the whole story." As he skipped off back down stairs.

Bradley, left alone for a while came up with these drawings. And they're the first I've seen him do, like, ever! I know he does stuff at nursery, but I've just seen basic colouring in from there. I'm amazed, so's his mum.

He's been off school for the past three days with a bad cough. Gone in today for a half day. I'll ask him when he comes back who these drawings are of.

Nearly 4 years old. Birthday 31 October.

Mum

Dad

Bradley

First off, to the Apple day at The Greenwood Trust in Ironbridge. Lots of squeezing of lots of apples.

Then the shops, mostly the Early Learning Centre, and on to MacDonalds.

Daddy! Can I have this for my birthday?

Dad? Can I have this for my birthday?

For several months now, I've had in my mind that I had 'something nasty' in my mouth and throat. I have a large lump to the side of my tongue about the size of kidney bean.

Everybody I've seen, my family doc, the dentist, and ear, nose and throat specialist, all said, "it wasn't anything to worry about," probably related to the missing molar I had extracted 10 years ago. They give it a look, a poke, and that's that.

Of course, they would say that. They're sparing me. No need to tell him the worst. Not yet. Not till we know for sure.

Today I saw a facial surgeon. This was the day they were to tell me, I figured, that they'd need to do a biopsy to find out why/what/how long. This is how it starts.

I've been picking up signs all morning. Nick Owen, stung by a bee 40 years ago, gets cancer. As I watched the bath water drain out of the bath, this was my life. I saw a hearse on the drive over, it followed me. Radio 4 talked about some gardener dying young of cancer. Autumnal leaves fill the trees, not long before they too, drop.

In the Leighton Arms, in Leighton on the banks of the River Severn near Cressage. Where once the Time Team visited, to excavate the car park, to try and figure out what the water wheel inside the cellar was for.

I go here often as it's the on the way home form my trout pond. And the landlady is so nice. In fact were going to have our next Friends All Round The Wrekin meeting there, on 16th October. Did I say it has one of the finest pints of Bass around?

Here the kids look down into the cellar through a glass floor. They'll only go a few times then it's just too much for them. Scary they say.