2026

Shelving my weekend

With all the materials sat in my shed I was ready to start building shelves in Lincoln’s closet. He wants a single bed on the floor which means the access to the closet will be restricted and the bottom of the closet wouldn’t lend itself to a floor standing chest of drawers. Jamie suggested fitting shelves like the ones in our room with a wardrobe pole at the bottom to hang clthes, which would really utilise the space.

The project had a self imposed time limit of the beginning of November but once I got going I could see the bulk of the work would be completed this weekend and I loved the whole process and barring running out of wood I might have finished it but tiredness got the better of me late on when I thought I had cut one of the shelves too short. Luckily I just mistook what I have cut against the batten it was going to rest on and when I got it upstairs and placed it in position it was almost perfect but it was time to pack up my tools for the day, and finish it off tomorrow

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Sometimes you just know!

With mom in London for his birthday morning we gave Lincoln a present to open and a card, so that he had something to open but kept the fact that there were other presents later when everyone was at the restaurant.

Arriving at Hickory’s Smokehouse after the birthday boy Reagan Nannie and Uncle Karl because Jamie’s train was late so they went ahead. It worked out though because we were able to walk in and surprise him with the two presents we were desperate to give him.

He would have been happy with his Charles Lecerc Lego helmet we gave him earlier but as he opened the necklace box we could tell it was almost the perfect gift. He wears a chain he found held together with a safety pin we thought two chains 20″ & a 22″ with a cross would just look a little better, apparently so did he ditch the old and putting the new ones on immediately.

The last gift was something he thought he would never be able to achieve because of time and cost but he talks about constantly, Go-Karting! We decided that because he no longer does a sport we would use the money we were paying towards that to fund TeamSports Race Academy twice a month…?

His initial reaction was confusion because box seemed empty (I had taped the logbook badge lanyard gloves and balaclava inside an amazon box), but

…the shock

followed by

…the realisation

I knew we’d nailed the gift giving on this one because he hasn’t stopped talking about throughout dinner and since. I thought he talked about it a lot before but this is excitement on steroids.

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Lincoln at 15

Happy 15th Birthday Lincoln

“Ooh he’s loud!” was the first impression anyone ever had about you, and since that moment you have made people take notice of you in the best possible ways.

15 years ago you completed our family and mom and me have been proud to call you our son every single day.

You are such a shining light in everything you do and an inspiration to everyone you meet, which is incredible for someone so young. Never change son, if you continue on the same trajectory, the world is yours to do what ever you choose to do

I love you and hope you have a fantastic year

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Pool 2026/27

2026/27 Middlewich and District Pool League Winter League could be my last season I am seriously considering do I love it as much as I used to?

It used to be a night out with me mates on a Wednesday and play pool but I am the last one the last Steventons player to regularly turn out, the rest have drifted away and although I still love playing pool the night just isn’t the same. That is amplified by not drinking this month but the lads I was out with tonight are ok but I felt a bit, why am here?

Mike and John are not going to be present much both going on a cruise for 3 months in January aswell as holidays between now and then. Foz and PJ have stopped coming why I don’t know but I can’t make them come. Hilda and Dave threaten to turn up but never do. Dave Robinson has emigrated which leaves me to captain a side I don’t have a great deal in common with.

Add in the fact that half the team is associated with a lad that has been banned out of the legion until further notice meaning if he can only play away games and his girlfriend dad and mate don’t come to home games either we may not be able to field a team or at least not a full one?

I guess we’ll see how the season pans out…

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Broncos 2026 Week 1

It is 02:35 on a Tuesday morning watching Denver at the Chiefs on Monday night football and although its early and always tough to get up at 1am it also feels great to be finally watching football again.

Reflection ?

In the cold light of day my assessment would be: The reigning Superbowl MVP Kenneth Walker III looked the real deal 173 yards rushing allowing Mahomes who looked off it to just hand the ball to his running backs and they did the rest. That said our offence was poor, first time Davis Webb called the plays instead of Sean Payton??? Not sure that was a reason but definitely not an excuse! Defence was poor especially tackling but K9 seemed to just bounce off players for big runs. Like you say its one game and a long road ahead I said 12 – 5 was our final season tally but if we play like that all season it could be 5 – 12 ? #Bolieve #GoBroncos

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Work is in your head

I try to explain to Reagan primarily, but also Lincoln, that work is about getting it right in your head that you’ve got to go every single day. Once you know that’s how it is, it gets easier!

We all know it would be nice to have an option like a rich Aunt in Australia that we’ve never met who leaves us a trunk full of money, I do the lottery incase she doesn’t exist.

Reagan already has that Monday morning feeling as she faces her second full week of long days, she just needs to break it down a technique she just needs to learn.

The main thing is get out of bed get ready and make the bus once you’re there its easy because you’ve already done the hard bit!

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Proud to be present

At church this morning Jamie Reagan and Lincoln along with everyone else who went Hungary were giving a presentation on what they got up to on their mission trip, so as always when they are part of the service I was in attendace.

It was really interesting to see what they did and listen to their stories but most of all I was blown away by Reagans singing in the youth band and Lincolns drumming too

Lincoln always seems to keep time during some complicated riffs and fills very impressive everytime I see him. Reagan, on the otherhand, can and does sing but today she had a solo part and nailed it beautifully, along with singing with the others. It felt good, once I caught her eye, to give her a thumbs up to get a little smile. 

It has always been important to be there as parents when they do stuff and sitting there today not only gave me that proud warm glow inside they both acknowledged that they still appreciated my support still.

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Inside out

Having managed to finish the outside of the extension last weekend I was keen to board out the inside around the window aperture this weekend.

The photo shows very little difference from what it has looked like since I did the job a year ago but today I made the interior wall of the gable and fitted the side panels. I am missing a piece of plywood to complete the roof but I was really pleased with my progress today

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Who will care

I try to write something everyday because I find it therapeutic to put my thoughts down in writing whether they’re good or bad, but I just wonder if anyone will read any of this other than me.

A lot of times I don’t have much to say “breathed in breathed out” its hardly Shakespeare I am not going to be winning a prize for creative writing anytime soon but I enjoy what I do and to me that’s all that matters.

If Reagan or Lincoln read it one day I’d like to think they might like to be reminded of the insignificant stuff I have filled this blog with?

Today was September 11th my dad’s 83rd birthday so I rang him and had a chat, he told me he has to go into hospital for an operation to fix one of his stents and I told him about how everyone is doing and wished him many happy returns.

Jamie left for vicar school so it was just me tonight so I spent it watching 9/11 documentaries on YouTube.

Like I said pretty boring stuff…

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The hill

Reagan has now been going to college for a week and is beginning to “learn the ropes she complained about “The Hill” after work which made me laugh when she explained that after getting off the bus  after a long hard day she has to walk up Queens Street to get home.

Lol

It is an incline I will give her that but its hardly Everest but she is really tired now her days are now 8 till 5 but its part of growing up and learning that days are longer.

She sussed it out though because the bus drops off at Tholler so she can avoid the hill from now on haha good thinking Batman

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