A : March 2004

Monday 1st

Lewis is 1 today! Quite low-key but nice, cakes, balloons and some new
toys - a ladybird that lights up and a push-along train.

Tuesday 2nd

Joe's got a bit of impetigo around his nose and mouth, so he's back on
penicillin again.

I'm feeling happier this week so maybe I won't go to the doctor after
all.

Wednesday 3rd

Finally got some new black jeans. The size 10 is tight and the 12 is a
bit loose, I must be somewhere inbetween. I have kept the size 12 as I
would rather be comfortable. It's annoying - I spent months losing
weight after Lewis was born, I lost a stone - but it's made no
difference to my dress size.

Sunday 7th

Mum &;amp; dad came up yesterday (&;amp; stayed the night).

Sean Penn won the best actor Oscar. I know he's not a fan of awards but
I'm glad. I can't think of a better screen actor and he's also a great
writer and director.

Monday 8th

I have an upset stomach.

Tuesday 9th

Feeling down again.

Wednesday 10th

Andy has been looking into a new career as a driving instructor. It
does seem like a viable option but as you work on a franchise it could
be hard to make money.

Thursday 11th

Joe was sick in the night but seems OK now. Lewis too has a bit of
diarrhoea. Went to the doc, he doesn't think I'm depressed. Hopefully
he's right, and it's just a passing mood. I do feel bad sometimes, but
maybe that's just how life is.

Friday 12th

Bombings in Madrid - 13 bombs on 3 rush-hour trains, 190 dead so far
and 1200 injured. It could be Eta or even Al Qaeda.

Andy's feeling unwell.

Reading 'They Fuck You Up: How To Survive Family Life', by Oliver
James.

Saturday 13th

Lewis is going through a clingy phase, he trails after me going
'Mam-Mam'. It's nice that he's now communicating more - if you wave to
him, he waves back.

Joe had a party today, sitting his bears up at the table. Of course,
Lewis gatecrashed.

Sunday 14th

Watched an excellent drama, 'Gunpowder Treason &;amp; Plot'. This
episode was about Mary Queen Of Scots.

Monday 15th

Grace wrote to say she understands about us not going to the wedding.
So that's good.

Tuesday 16th

Joe has made a few friends at playgroup, like Lucy and Sam. He's always
very happy to go.

Wednesday 17th

Took the boys to the Mundy Play Centre, at Markeaton Park. It's outdoor
of course, with lots of swings, slides, climbing frames plus a lake and
a children's railway. Joe had a ball and Lewis loved the swing. We
shall definitely be going there regularly from now on.

Friday 19th

Lewis is coming along at speed. He has walked across the room holding
on to Joe's stool. He helped me put away the train set pieces. He even
waved when I said goodnight.

Saturday 20th

Joe is very stroppy - and grumpy. Could be he's a bit unwell. Or else
he's trying to assert his independence - rebel a bit. Best to let him
get on with it I suppose.

Watched 'Mulholland Drive' (finally). It wasn't until the very end that
I really understood. I think it's about the destructiveness of
Hollywood, how it drives people crazy. Like all of Lynch's films it's
very dreamlike and the narrative is hard to decipher.

Monday 22nd

Joe's impetigo has returned, so the doctor has put him on more
antibiotics. He can't go back to playgroup until it clears up.

I've only had 2 or 3 headaches in the last 11 days. And no PMT
either.

Tuesday 23rd

Our savings are back up to where they were before we got the Volvo. So
that's reassuring.

Watched 'The Man Who Wasn't There', a film by the Coen Brothers made in
the style of those pared-down thrillers from the 40s and 50s. Billy Bob
Thornton played the strong and silent hero (a versatile actor).

Wednesday 24th

I might have spoken too soon because my headaches have come back. Maybe
it's just my period. I feel very deflated though.

Thursday 25th

Watched 'Angela's Ashes', very good. Some reviewers said it was too
sentimental, but I disagree.

Saturday 27th

Read 'Nail', a book of short stories by Laura Hird. There were a couple
that really stood out, but most of it was too bleak even for me.

Sunday 28th

Maggie &;amp; Peter came over, we went for lunch at a pub in
Ockbrook.

Lewis keeps bringing me toys and saying 'Dere'.

It's now a year since we moved house, and 3 years since we came to
Derby. It's going well. The neighbours are friendly, though we're not
bosom buddies or anything. I do talk sometimes to the mothers of Joe's
friends at playgroup, and I get on pretty well with Lynne. Summer gets
noisier with the kids out in the street. But unless we get any
nightmare neighbours moving in, we should be OK.

Tuesday 30th

Andy went to an open day at Passmasters, a driving school near East
Midlands airport.

Wednesday 31st

I've come down with something again. Sore throat, tired, sick (I get
that a lot), and the headaches are back.