Cake

Another of my Mum's creations...yes that is cream. I don't think she's remembered I'm Diabetic.

Cholesterol cake

We visited my mother this afternoon. If we don't visit regularly we get the usual remarks of 'we haven't seen a soul for weeks' or ' we could have died for all anyone cares'... and so it goes on. We always try to arrive before 4pm as my father has an irritating habit of locking the doors and getting into his PJ's. It's actually quite embarrassing for us but for him it's perfectly normal and he thinks nothing of it. That's the most annoying part.  By far the worst experience we've had to endure has to be the sight of my father in just a dressing gown and trying desperately to look elsewhere as he sits across the room from us in his favorite armchair. My wife and I laugh about it now but I know when we had first met, it really was a bit much to expect her to deal with...

We normally try to visit on a Sunday but this isn't always possible so we called in this afternoon on the way back from the library. My mum has always been a pretty good cook and the old saying of 'mum's is best' can certainly be applied to anything she bakes. We're often given the odd cup cake or slab of fruit cake when we visit but today we were given an enormous brick-sized lump of cake. We were told in no uncertain terms that 'it had to be eaten today' as she had made it yesterday having expected us to visit and that 'it has fresh cream inside so won't keep'. In actual fact the cake had about an inch of cream with strawberries sandwiched between two enormous layers of sponge. All I could think about was the number of calories and amount of sugar that had been used to produce it. I'm diabetic but I'm sure my mum forgets, and my wife and I could certainly do with shedding a few pounds. 'Don't worry, we'll find a way to get rid of it', whispered my wife as we left. If we did, I would certainly feel guilt-ridden and I'd have to lie the next time I saw her when she asked how the cake was. No, we'll have to eat some of it... 

School seemed to agree with my son and my son with it. We both gave a sigh of relief when he emerged smiling from the classroom door when we collected him earlier. He's looking forward to returning tomorrow which is great! It remains to be seen how he will cope with it full-time come September...

A smell of cake and a happy son

I think I attempt too much to make my posts read like mini works of literary excellence. Of course they are not by any means, simply the result of unloading my mind and recording some of the events from a somewhat humdrum life.
I spent the morning looking after my son, not that he really needs much looking after but at 4 years old, he's still clingy - the sort of clingy that makes you feel loved and wanted. He's had a habit lately of coughing until he makes himself sick. This has normally occurred during the evening or at night. Last night, he was told that if he managed to cough without being sick, he could have a jungle train we'd stored away for him since Christmas last year. It's an educational toy really, made up of many cogs that interact. It's battery driven and the whole thing trundles across the floor making choo choo and animal noises. The problem was, the thing was in 127 separate pieces and had to be put together, much like chunky plastic Meccano. So that's what we did this morning. I was actually quite proud of myself. Normally I take one look at things like this and run a mile. But my son was happy he had a new toy and he wanted his daddy to build it for him. That felt nice... It actually took me about two hours, but it seemed to pass quickly and I didn't at any point become stressed. I normally have what I call an 'MFI' fit when forced to assemble anything larger than a footstool so I was quite impressed with myself... Today I achieved something. An everyday statement for most people but for me, that really is significant.
My wife came home from work at about 2pm. I was quite pleased as any longer than this and I would have begun to find difficulty in keeping my son entertained. Thankfully, it had been agreed that he would make a cake this afternoon. It is one of those DIY cake mixes where you just have to add eggs and milk and shove it in the oven - ideal for a 4 year old and no too much mess. Within a few minutes, the house became full of cake fumes. I'm surprise Airwick haven't produced a cake scented air freshener. That would be quite popular. Within an hour the cake was ready to come out of the oven, my son brimming with pride as it emerged and was placed on the worktop to cool down.
As I type this, my son is laughing hysterically. He's learning to use the computer and is very fond of the CBeebies website. What a fantastic site this is and it is hard to imagine how we would ever be able to manage without it. Like the channel, it is a saviour for parents who have a limit, the red bit on the scale it isn't nice to reach. The red bit means Maximum. I've rigged the computer up to a projector we sometimes watch movies on. It's all been done properly,  ceiling mounted with a 2m x 2m screen. Sound is through speakers in the ceiling and the keyboard and mouse are wireless so he can't get himself in a tangle. He loves it and it keeps him occupied for ages. I convince myself that he is learning important computer skills and I can answer any criticism with the fact that it is all educational. He does though seem to be laughing more than anything else. I've noticed also that there have been very few shouts of 'Daddy...' - this tells me he's mastered the basics and can now navigate the website himself. That makes me proud.  I sound as though I want my son to grow up with a passion for computing. The fact is that I don't. I think it's important he has the confidence to use computers, but I'm really not bothered what he ends up doing, so long as he's happy. I'm not one of those pushy competitive parents - just the opposite. I want him to be happy. That's more important than anything else - I know.
So with the smell of freshly baked cake drifting around me and my son chuckling away to himself, I tell myself this has been a better than average sort of day. I feel that it hasn't all been wasted. With my laser pointer, I help my on to close an extra tab he's opened. He follows the bright red dot on the screen and clicks. Clever lad...
It's nice to see that I have another follower, and from a part of the UK I know well. I grew up in Kent and spent a lot of time exploring that corner of England.  Many happy memories...