Mike's musings

Advantages, disadvantages

Having a large garden. Having two kids under 4. Working full-time. Training for ordination, then getting ordained. Being useless with machinery (so the strimmer and mower are always breaking down). Not all conducive to keeping the garden under control.

Disadvantages

I have to use the strimmer to clear the drive

I have to use the strimmer to clear the driver's side doorways to Moo's car

I have to use the strimmer to clear the passenger's side doorways to my car

I have to use the strimmer to mow the lawn (not just because the mower's dodgy, but because the lawn's so overgrown)

strimming the lawn leads to rather more sets of undiscovered dog poo than I'd expected

strimming the lawn leads to more dog poo being spread round than I'd expected

I get rather more scratches and nettle stings than I'd expect

Advantages

a really bumper blackberry crop this year

Diving

It's a conspiracy. First the girls give me a scuba diving game on the Wii for my birthday. Then I book on a training course in Las Vegas, where I did my PADI Advanced diving course, and then the BBC shows the Pacific Abyss. I want to dive again.

Labels: diving, family

Meeting old friends

(backposting) It's been years since we saw James ("JP") and Alex, but we'd decided to ask him to be one of Miri's godparents (or at least a sponsor if he wasn't baptised - though it turns out that he has been). JP (again, it appears that we're the only people who call him that) and Alex live near Geneva, and we went on a very ill-fated skiing trip with them at least four years ago. JP was head of the student union when Jo was woman's officer at college, and we've always got on well. I spent a lot of time with JP, and Moo with Alex, and we got straight back in the groove, which was fantastic. They're both divers, and we're already thinking about arranging some sort of diving holiday (and no, Moo won't have to look after both of ours _and_ both of theirs while we're diving: we'll sort something out).

We met at Polzeath beach (well, obviously), and one of the best moments was when Gemma was following me and JP to the surf, and came out with the immortal "you're my two favourite daddies". Whoa...

So, we borrowed from body boards, and James taught me how. Not much surf, but fun nevertheless.

Popped up to Tubestation: impressive. A Methodist-Anglican initiative, cafe, skating area, Internet access, looks like a good place.

Labels: church, diving, friends, holiday