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Bergfest
Apr 17, 2009

This is what the Germans call the birthday I've just 'celebrated'. The idea is that you are halfway to your allotted three score and ten, up to now you've been climbing up the mountain, from now - all downhill.

Not totally cheerful perhaps, but something to think about anyway. I think it is good to take this kind of milestone to think about what you want to do next. Acting on it, as opposed to simply dealing with events is another thing altogether of course.

Family are all on good form - sproutbaby has just discovered rolling and is now getting stuck up against furniture, that kind of thing.

sproutlet is a lot of fun - strange mixture of quite perceptive comments sometimes, and then days where he just wants to 'act the baby'. He's more a reflective child - likes his jigsaws, trains and lego, not so keen on football and running around despite (or because of!) my efforts.

Have been writing a little bit, but not motivated enough to get it on to the site.

Really looking forward to the summer coming - every year the day I first get into the garden with a book and a beer is a red letter day. Easter was about the first time we could really do this in comfort. Not so many flowers in the garden this year, as the cold spot over xmas did for a lot of them.

sprout

(3 replies, Latest reply: Apr 20, 2009)

Turtle goat
Jul 15, 2008

Number two son that is.

Makes a noise like a goat, and moves his face and head like a turtle.

Other than these profound observations, would reckon that we managed to break some sort of record for speed of birth - from first symptoms to holding baby, two hours, including dropping number one son at the creche, and driving to the hospital.

Apart from normal jealousy, stomach ache, back ache and tiredness (each member of the family has at least one of these symptoms but no more than two) all is well, and thank Bob it stopped raining.

sprout

(4 replies, Latest reply: Jul 29, 2008)

One journal entry a year
Apr 10, 2008

But I'm still using the site.

Some poetry, and then the odd discussion in ask or the Forum.

In real life -

Was promoted in the end. Now mangling a team of ten - more chemical law, pesticides and so on.

Second child on the way, for end June start July. Pregnancy has been very difficult for Mrs Sprout. Lots of stressful events of various kinds. No travelling, no walking more than to the end of the road for the last two months... Be glad when it's all over.

Sproutlet is on good form - third birthday coming up soon. His language skills are pretty good, although just occasionally his French/English wires get crossed. Recently he said he wanted to go to the 'pissing pool' for example - if you know that the FR for swimming pool is 'piscine' then you see where it comes from... And when you think about what small children do in there...

Three is somehow a golden age I feel - they're still affectionate, with a very positive outlook on life - every day I walk with the sproutlet past a large construction project, and every day he's absolutely fascinated with what's going on. Have got my thirty year old lego back from my parents, and we're both enjoying that...

sprout

(4 replies, Latest reply: Apr 14, 2008)

Manglement
Mar 30, 2007

Been a long time since I last posted a journal entry, think I'm drifting off the site...

Or maybe just busy. Thought I would mark a spectacularly bad week with a few lines.

The title is in honour of my aborted promotion. I came second in my first go at acquiring a management post - in front of the person who should have got it, but behind the person who did get it... I predict interesting times (as per the oft cited Chinese curse) ahead.

Think I got a nice bitter poem out of it at least.

Other than that, have pulled a muscle and lost a document.

Happier things -

My son is now acquiring new words - each new word has a 1 in 3 chance of being a) recognisably English b) recognisably French or c) not attributable to either language...

He also likes to play hide and seek, draw on the furniture, fetch my shoes (bless...) whether I want them or not and inspect his own poo before consigning his nappy to the bin.

Some holiday coming soon. Went skiing in Feb, and that was good - next big step - leaving the sproutlet with one set of parents (mine, not his obviously.)

sprout

(3 replies, Latest reply: Mar 30, 2007)

Pipe cluedo
Oct 30, 2006

No, not who got hit over the head with the lead piping in the kitchen, although that might be me later...

This is - why do we have water in the cellar and what pipe does it come from? Why is it that plumbing problems are never simple - one pipe, leaking visibly?

This one seems to be two problems - one small leak from the kitchen pipe, that we've known about for a while. For a bit we wondered whether this had got suddenly worse. But in fact it seems we have a blockage on the shower/toilet side of the house (nice) this is backing everything up, forcing water out of any small weaknesses in the pipes.

Took us the whole weekend to come to that conclusion, much mopping up later, and after I had erroneously tried to unblock the shower with a chemical product.

And this is the second time we've had something like this - in a rented flat about four years back, a valve blew on a kitchen sink, the same time as as the central heating pressure went up dangerously. Needed a few days to work that one out as well (unconnected simultaneous problems, in the end).

Let's see if the font of all wisdom, our builder/handyman agrees with the diagnosis...

sprout

(No replies)