June 12, 2011

Ok, no need for sarcastic fainting - I know it's been far too long since I last updated! Time seems to be running away with me at the moment, and blogging seems to have been pushed to the back burner.
I can't believe I still haven't uploaded a slideshow of pics from our Crete holiday - I'll turn on the proper computer after I've finished this post and try to get it done later today.

So - what have we been up to?

Pete is working really hard at the moment - things are totally frantic at work for him at the moment, because the big integration between the old Halifax and the new Lloyds is all coming to a head.

I am fine - plodding along as always. Charlie's little heart mate Thomas finally escaped from the hospital last week after his Fontan (and is doing brilliantly!) so I no longer need to do regular email updates for all his friends and family. Quite a shame really - it's been a while since my time as a newspaper reporter, so it was quite a blast from the past to be writing news updates for lots of people!

Talking of my days as a journalist - I'm going to meet up with my old boss later on this week for lunch and a catch-up, which will be great. I love being a stay-at-home-mum - I wouldn't want to do anything else, but it's quite nice to catch up with work friends every now and then and talk about something other than Dr Who and Harry Potter!

So - what has my Charlie-Boy been up to? (Because that's probably what you're all waiting to find out!)

He is full of beans as always, and his latest favourite thing is Pirates of the Caribbean. Cue lots of prancing around with a sword in a tricorn hat! He's seen the first movie, and was absolutely tickled pink to find that there's a character in there called Will Turner - just like his big brother! I have to admit, it gives me a bit of a thrill to hear his name so often... and it's an added bonus that he's played by the rather lovely Orlando Bloom!

It was half term a couple of weeks ago, and we went to the farm down the road with some friends. He loved seeing all the animals, but particularly enjoyed zipping around on the go-karts with the big kids! Sorry the pic is a bit blurry, but he wouldn't slow down enough for me to take it!

Charlie's enjoying school no end, and takes great pride in taking his football to school every day so he and his classmates can play at playtime. (By his own admission he's not the world's greatest footballer, but he gets to be team captain because it's his ball!)

He received his bronze award the other day for getting 50 house points, and was very proud of himself! He's now trying to be extra-good, to see if he can get another 50 before the end of term so he can get his silver award!
He has a pretty busy term ahead - it's 'Healthy Living' week this week, so he has to go to school in his sports kit every day, because the kids get a chance to try all different healthy/sporting activities - from golf and tennis to tap dancing and ballet. (Although he's not particularly thrilled at the latter prospect..."I'm NOT doing ballet. No way...") He's looking forward to a week without his uniform though!
On Tuesday he's going on a trip to the zoo, so we're hoping the weather brightens up because trudging around the zoo in the rain is NO fun at all. He's quite excited about the trip, because it's the first one he's been on since he had his Fontan, so he won't need his buggy to get around. It'll be a bit strange for me too - I've always had to go in the past to push his buggy!

And then on Friday it's Sports Day, so long as it doesn't rain! We ended up taking Charlie to A&E during Sports Day last year, only to find he'd broken his arm, so fingers crossed we can get through a few of the races this year without any broken bones!

It's so crazy to think that the school year will be over soon, and he will have finished his time in the Infants. I can hardly believe he'll be in the Juniors in September. Makes me feel quite old.

It's the school Father's Day shop at school this week too, so he'll be going in with his pocket money to choose something for Pete. He really enjoys going shopping totally on his own, and it's always fun to see what goodies he chooses!

Father's Day isn't that much fun for me any more - my dad's birthday was always on or around Father's Day, so it feels like a double punch to the gut when I see all the cards and presents around the shops at this time of year. It would have been Dad's 81st birthday next Saturday, with Father's Day the day after. I miss him so much.

We're having a family barbecue at Mum's house on Saturday though, so we'll all be getting together - weather permitting, and Charlie's looking forward to catching up with his cousins again.

We're off to west Wales for a few days next month - my friend Kelly's parents own a big caravan out there, and have really kindly said we can use it, so we're off for a break in Tenby, and Mum is coming too, so it should be a lovely little holiday... again assuming the weather brightens up a bit! I love Tenby - the beaches are great and I'm hoping for a boat trip over to Caldy Island - there's a monastery over there, and it's so beautiful and peaceful.

Oh, and we have another fun trip away planned for the summer hols - we're heading back to London for a couple of days - Charlie's been itching to see Alfie Boe in Les Mis since we got the DVD of the anniversary concert Pete and I went to last year, and he's doing a run in the West End for the next few months. So we managed to snap up the last few decent tickets, and we're off to the Big Smoke in August. We've got another surprise planned for Chas while we're down there, but it's a secret!

I think that's almost it for the moment really - just one more picture that Charlie wanted me to show you... Dr Who's Tardis materialised at the museum here in Cardiff a few weeks ago, so we popped in to see it... there was no sign of the Doctor though!
Oh, and Charlie's pacemaker clinic appointment is later this month (June 20, I think) so let's hope all is well in that department and they sign us off for another six months. I hate hospital appointments - I don't think it matters how well your child is, they're always horribly stressful.
Well, I will try to get some Crete pictures uploaded later today for your enjoyment! And I will try to get my finger out and post a bit more often from now on!