On Thanksgiving Thursday Julia and I do an epic christmas shop, we will be well fed and watered in the Lawley house this year! On Friday, Imogen has her school play, it’s fantastic, she rocks. On Friday evening Greg has arranged a head wetting to celebrate the arrival of Joni Martin. I’m glad to say my thirst returned and the Gin Club dads were all on good form. During the night I was getting text updates from Julia making sure she was ok. After a couple of beers and a tour of Baldock’s lesser pubs I head on home. Julia is still up when I get home and has been through a whole packet of Halls for a sore throat. I find this out a few days later but it explains Julia’s texts and highlights that where sickness is involved, we are are on an amber alert.

On Saturday I awake with a headache (must have had a dodgy pint) and after paracetomal and water fail me, I decide to go for a run. Felix heads downstairs for a session of Lego Star Wars on the playstation (a highly addictive (as in crack) game for 5 year olds). Imogen on the other hand decides to tag along and we head off for a run. She’s great company and even wins 2 of the 3 mini sprint races.

Just before I head off to take Felix to little ruggers Michelle drops off some frozen dinners which is a massive help - thank you! I head off to little ruggers only to find its not on as it’s the schools Christmas fair. So I head to the supermarket and Felix is placeted by a getting a chocolate Freddo. Anna comes round to take Imogen to her dance class - thanks again Anna. As I’m now a fully fledged Laundry Master I crack on with the weeks laundry.

That afternoon we head off to Petes 40th Birthday do, I drive as Julia isn’t up for walking. We have a great time - Pete and Lesely’s curries are awesome and the chilli lime pickle was burnylicious. We had a great time and headed home when I saw that Julia looking tired.

Sunday came round and I marshalled the bairns for their swimming lessons, whilst Julia had a lie in. Imogen managed to get some new goggles out of me, seems she’s been growing. Felix has his lesson first, whilst Imogen and I splash round and practise diving in. Imogen has a talent of starting to dive, then falling horizontally into the water, it’s impressive. Not nearly as impressive as my splash when I dive in apparently. Soon its Imogen’s lesson and Felix and I splash around. He’d been complaining that the Green caps are too hard, well that seems to have been forgotten and he swims wonderfully and even shows me his dolphin legs and butterfly stroke. I get told I’m doing mine wrong by lifting my head out the water. He’s a chip off the old block, one lesson on butterfly and he’s a master!

That afternoon Regan, Lorna, Elsie and Oscar arrive and we head to the Orange Tree for lunch. Its great to see them and the afternoon flies. I even found time to make mince pies (it was that or fall asleep). They don’t look like any mince pies you can buy but tasted about right.

Sunday night comes all too quickly, as Julia is feeling ok I sign up for a conference in London for Monday and Tuesday. The conference is great and Michelle’s frozen meals save the day. On Monday night Christmas arrives to the Lawley house, all decorations are up. We are signalling our intent that Santa should stop at the Lawley house this year.

Its Tuesday now and I’m back in the conference, Julia headed to work this morning. I feel low when I get a text from her telling me her hair has started to fall out. I call her and she’s ok - it was inevitable and it’s not falling out in clumps. She rocks.

My overriding thoughts from the last few days have been our friends are great abd we are lucky to have them.