We rekindled our New Year’s Day traditional walk around Swanbourne Lake in Arundel. The best bit was lunch in the pub afterwards. We did our best to ignore the kids’ noise until it reached such a crescendo it set off the dogs on the next table. Still, a good time was had by all. The food in the White Swan was fantastic, but the relative poshness of the fish finger sandwich was too much for some, who complained they’d rather a Captain Birdseye original.

Roo and Katie didn’t fancy braving the cold, so me and Rootwo headed to Mewbrooks for a scoot around the lake.

I love this photo of Roo looking less than impressed on the tyre swing. She’s cute.

“Turn it off, Daddy” suggested Rootwo. I wish I could sweetheart.

I treated myself to the Seafarers expansion for Catan. Rootwo insited on carrying it. “That’s a big box for a small boy,” said a lady as she passed.

We had a lovely family lunch at Bill’s then to we went to the Novium Museum.

Last day of the Christmas holidays, me and the kids went to Drusillas. It poured, but we have a lovely time.

They were a bit grumpy earlier today, but made up for it by being cute and having a cuddle in Rootwo’s bed.

They love cuddly toys. They especially love wallowing in bed with them all.

We spent the day with Luke, Nell and the boys.

I’m trying my best to get her hooked on boardgames. I think its working.

Nell took this picture of me and my boy.

Katie and Lisa both lost their dads today, 15 and one year ago respectively. They decided to take a dip in the sea to mark the occasion. After lugging various bits of paraphernalia down to the beach, the ladies stripped down to their bathing suits and were in.

There wasn’t much moaning (or screaming); they just did it. Katie told me later that the cold water shock meant she could hardly breathe, let alone make a sound. I reckon they did a solid 30 seconds of actual swimming before the lure of a warm towel and a hot drink forced them out of the water.

“Well, that was weird,” said Roo as we drove home from the beach.

There was a smell in the air today, and for once it wasn’t the whiff of people’s chimneys. No, this was the merest suggestion of spring. After the fog cleared, the sun broke through and treated us to balmy 11-degree weather.

We took a walk to the beach, the kids scooting up ahead, briefly pausing to grab a coffee. It was truly glorious down there; I allowed myself a brief moment of fantasy, imagining I was mid-holiday.

Later, I geekily added one of my photos to the BBC Weather Watchers website.

I came in from work to find this normal Wednesday evening activity.

A tummy bug came-a-knocking.

Roo is feeling better so I took her for a treat.

Sláinte Mhath!

Roo made a whole book! What a genius.

They’re adorable, aren’t they.

Esther came to visit

He’s loves to unwind a loo roll this one.

Roo and Rootwo found some old 3D glasses we’d kept from a cinema trip years ago.

It’s my mom’s birthday, so we went for lunch at Ego, then had some fun in Lichfield park.

The kids both had Covid, so we brought them a cardboard castle from Hobbycraft; I’m not sure how long it will survive once her brother gets involved.

Thankfully, we’re all now testing negative, So we enjoyed a bit of post covid freedom and had a walk around Highdown Gardens

Good Friday fun at Paradise Park with friends.

Phew it was hot again today. Lovely weather for a duck hunt at the Wetlands in Arundel.

Spent some time in Hotham Park in Bognor this morning. It’s beautiful. We had a ride on the little train and picnicked amongst the trees.

It’s my birthday so Katie organised a day out in Brighton for all of us. This included a visit to the weird upside-down house. “You may feel a little dizzy” warned the lady who sold us the tickets. She wasn’t wrong, Katie and I both felt a bit woozy as our brains struggled to make sense of our surroundings. Rootwo was especially cute trying and failing to walk in a straight line. Of course, the whole point in the upside-down house is to get some photos — hopefully we got a few good ones.

How has this this happened? My little girl is seven years old. My dad told me “see the child at seven, see the adult.” If this is true then I’ve no worries; Roo is lovely, caring, fun and beautiful — there are a million more superlatives I could use, perhaps one will do: She’s perfect.

We met a few friends at Burpham for a picnic.

Roo was at her first Brownies meet and Rootwo was missing his sister.

We went to visit Hannah and Andy and their two boys. Steve made a surprise appearance with his little girl. The kids all played in the garden together.

Rootwo and I played in the park. He was very sweet, I love hanging out with him one on one. He was telling me about how “chocolate scared the birdies and they ran away.”

Roo and I cycled down to the beach and built an epic stone castle.

Roo created this spy kit, it contains:

• A mirror for looking over railings.
• 2 x glasses for disguises.
• A rolled-up piece of paper, for looking at things.
• A notepad and pen.
• A “Plumber” (ear-bud) for tiny toilets.
• Emergency balloon.

While the girls were away, the boys took the kids for a picnic. It was nice to hang with friends, we ate food, explored the little wooded area and played on the park.

One of Roo’s friends had a birthday party at Fishers Farm. It was lovely for A’s mummies to invite Rootwo along, too.

Fishers Farm did a brilliant job of entertaining and feeding the children. All the kids had a fantastic time!

We’re finally on holiday. What a treat to have some time off work to decompress. I find it’s only when you stop you realise that the stress monster has been visiting.

Rootwo had a difficult morning, he was tired and probably feeling a bit ignored as we packed the car. He was sparked out within minutes of leaving home and slept most of the two hour journey. He woke a much happier boy and, after parking the car, we all made the happy walk to the Plaza.

Today, we explored for a bit and played in the parks. Later, after chucking stuff into the lodge, we went swimming. Roo’s now tall enough to ride everything. She had great fun on the Typhoon and Rapids.

Now Katie’s reading and I’m enjoying a beer as we wait for our curry. And… Relax.

After a somewhat unsettled night thanks to Rootwo and a noisy bed cover, we were running late for Rootwo’s mini trek adventure. Center Parcs at Longleat is big, but it’s surprising how quick you can get from one side to the other when pushing a buggy at full pelt down a hill. As a prize for his trekking, Rootwo was awarded with a cuddly fox toy. He was very sweet this evening introducing the newcomer to his other toys in bed.

It was then Roo’s turn for some climbing fun. She spent a sweaty hour on the indoor climbing wall. I think this is the first time I’ve seen her make it all the way to the top. Afterwards, we had a spot of lunch at the sports bar then Roo and I played on the static-shock-tastic play park. “You’re right Daddy, those slides do give you a big bang up the bum” she said after descending the largest slide.

We regrouped back at the lodge and I took the opportunity to go for a run while Rootwo was finishing his nap.

After dinner, we swam and slide and rode the water rides. Finally, two very tired children headed to bed at 9:30 pm. We’d better get a lay-in tomorrow.

Our last full day here started in typical Roobottom style with me and Roo running so we wouldn’t be late for our activity. “Baby Owls” was totally worth the effort. As the, um, owl wrangler(?) explained; the name is misleading as it’s an owl session for babies and the owls themselves are fully grown. However, he did actually have a baby owl. It was bloody massive with piercing yellow eyes. The clack of its powerful beak made me rather glad it couldn’t yet fly. The other owls were magnificent as they flew over our heads. We learned that only one species of owl says “who” and that owls are three times as successful at hunting as lions. We even got a demonstration of one little guy’s running technique. Apparently he’d been clocked sprinting at 13 mph.

Then, Roo and I met Rootwo and Katie in the playground, then we let them spend their birthday money in the toy shop. Rootwo immediately decided on a cuddly dinosaur. Rootwo took her time and eventually settled on a Dalmatian that she later named “Hero” when it softened Rootwo’s landing after he fell of a chair.

Later, we went swimming. “Swimming makes me feel happy, Mummy,” said Rootwo. Afterwards, we ate ice cream in the Plaza and rode the train. Before finally heading home for Pizza and bedtime. Phew!

After a morning mooching around play parks and eating sandwiches from the Park Market, we let the kids choose something from the sweet shop.

As we left, it started to pour. “Time to go” said Katie. The rain made us feel slightly less sad to leave.

“What was your favourite part?” Asked Katie in the car on the drive home.

“My liked parks, climbing and Center Parcs” said Rootwo. “No! My liked scooting the best.”

Everyone’s a critic.

Roo liked the slides, the rapids and Typhoon in the swimming pool.

We had a picnic up at Burpham with Esther and girls.

We went to Ferring Country Centre with some of Roo’s childcare friends.

I Introduced Roo to another game from my youth called “Scoop!” I love this game mainly because of the mechanical telephone.

This morning we braved the wet weather and took a ride on a steam train at the Chasewater Railway. Originally, the line was used to transport coal from the local Cannock Chase Colliery. All that remains today is four miles of track that circumnavigates the reservoir. Me and my Dad had a great time geeking out over the boiler, but I think Roo and Rootwo were less impressed.

She remembered all the words; I felt very proud of my little lady this evening.

Rootwo has chicken pox so we needed an activity away from others. It was sunny, so the beach was an obvious choice. It was so crazy windy—which was perfect for the kite surfers—but not so great for erecting a beach shelter.

While Katie took the Chickenpox-covered Rootwo out in the car, Roo and I did some exploring on the beach. Then she wanted to take some photos in the park. “There’s a nice comfy bench there, Daddy, for you to rest.” I watched her take pictures of the flowers, experimenting with different camera settings. Then sat enraptured as she proudly showed me the images she’d taken.

I wish there were some way to make my children understand how I feel about them. Words don’t cut it. I’m proud of how wonderful, thoughtful, kind, and funny she is.

I’ve taken a few mornings off this week to look after Rootwo—who has Chickenpox. Yesterday we were stuck and home, and it was hard work. Honestly, as wonderful as they are, kids can be less than delightful sometimes. So today, I decided to take him to Climping beach. As I had hoped, it was utterly deserted—aside from a couple of dogs and their humans. We found a clear spot of sand and spent a happy hour-or-so chucking stone into the sea and making sand castles.

Katie’s been away and I’ve been looking after the kids. I took them to Drusillas. I had such a fun day with them. They were both so delightful. Roo was helpful looking out for Rootwo and pushing the push chair when I carried him at the end. We went on ALL the rides. Some of them twice. He also went down the biggest slide there. No fear at all. Very proud of both of them today.

We’re on holiday! We’re staying for a week in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. Today, we explored the town and beach while we waited to get into our holiday home. Randomly, Rootwo and I bumped into Claire (a college from my days at HMRC) and her husband, Drew. It was a lovely surprise.

We’re all feeling a little tired after a brilliant day at Blackgang Chine. Roo’s favorite part was the rollercoaster and water slides. Rootwo was a bit miffed he was too little for most of the rides but loved the dinosaurs and underwater world.

After a slow start we drove across the island to the Needles. Katie and Roo went on the cable car while Rootwo and I played dinosaur golf. The Needles attraction felt over commercialised and overpriced. So, of course we paid through the nose for several crappy glass jars full of sand.

On the way home we visited Isle of Wight Pearl and Rootwo dressed as the queen.

We spent the rest of the afternoon on Ventnor beach. Later, Claire and Drew came round for drinks.

We had a fun-packed day at Robin Hill. This place is fantastic! The kids loved all the amazing playgrounds, slides, miniature houses, and, of course, the toboggan run.

We really ramped up the exhaustion level today with not one, but two trips out. This morning Rootwo and I had some fun at Tapnell Farm. This place was great, with loads of stuff to do for the little man. Katie and Roo had an adventure in the water park.

After a rest back at our holiday home, we headed to Blackgang Chine for their summer party. The kids absolutely loved the park at night, especially the underwater world which was magical lit up. But, the piece de resistance was the foam party. We got soaked!

The kids didn’t take much convincing to go to bed this evening.

In contrast to yesterday we had a reasonably calm day. This morning I ran around the many hills of Ventnor. This was a brilliant way to explore the beautiful coastal path.

Later, we drove to Ryde to pick up Grandmum (who literally had a ticket to Ryde). She’s staying with us for a night.

We visited the Garlic farm. Their food looked incredible, but it wasn’t the right environment for a lively two year old. So we decamped to the Isle of Wight Donkey sanctuary. Roo really enjoyed trying to spot and tick-off all 120 donkeys and ponies.

We had dinner at the Spyglass Inn back in Ventnor. This quirky pub has decent enough food and an incredible view over the bay.

We went to Sandown beach. It was hot enough for the sand to burn our feet. Roo made a friend and they dug a big hole and played in the sea. Of course, Rootwo joined in and set about trying to collapse the hole.

Later, after dropping Grandmum at Ryde, we finally went to Crave Ice Cream parlor in Ventnor. It was worth the wait!

We packed it all in today. In the morning, a cat that Roo had dubbed “Isle” came to visit. It was cute watching Roo and Rootwo cuddling with Isle until it pounced on a lizard and ate it.

We felt sad to leave our holiday home, but spending time at Robin Hill helped. Thankfully, today there was no queue for the toboggan run. It was great fun hurtling down the hill at speed. Unfortunately, Roo and I hurtled a little too fast and I took the skin off various body parts when we tipped over. Luckily my bulk protected Roo who escaped unharmed.

All too soon it was time to leave. We tried to get an earlier boat but alas, all we’re fully booked. We went to Ryde to find somewhere to eat and ended up in Subway.

We’ve had a brilliant holiday here, I’m sure we’ll be back!

Minibeast Safari at The Wolseley Centre. We had a lovely time waving nets at grass and shaking trees looking for bugs.

It hot! Too hot to be bothered with going out. So we played games in the garden all day.

Home tomorrow for four final nights in our old house before we move on Monday.

Golden boy! After a traffic-heavy drive home Rootwo was itching to go to the park. Way past his bedtime of course, but it’s hot and he’s not going to be sleeping anytime soon. So we parked the sea end and scooted to the play park. I love these times just me and him.

We’re moving house. I packed a few things; but a man is coming to do the bulk of the work tomorrow. It’s strange to think we’ve only got a few nights left in the house where we’ve spent so much of our lives.

While a man packs our house.

I’d highly recommend a packing service when moving house. We had a lovely day out while a nice man put all our stuff into boxes.

Happy memories. Feeling a bit emotional.

We hung out with friends at Whiteways woods. Later, me Kam and Luke had a drink on the beach.

We moved! I’m knackered, everything is new and weird.

Katie took Roo to a party and I took Rootwo to the beach. It’s lovely to live close enough to just wander down whenever we feel like it. We dug a hole, then he wanted me to bury him in it.

We had a lovely day at Shaun and Hannah’s in Seaford at Shaun’s birthday party.

They played so nicely together this morning. Pretending to camp, catch fish and cook a stew.

Arun Church is 50 this year. We went to their party in the field.

We (or, rather, Katie) hired a bouncy castle and organised (one helluva) party. It was fun hosting in the new house—we’re really lucky to have all this space.

Happy birthday son. You’re a whirlwind of cute my crazy little man. We love you very much.

It’s Katie’s birthday! We went to the Wetlands. Later we had a takeaway and watched Bad Sisters.

It was nice to see Karrie, who’s back from Australia for a visit for the first time in four years.

We had a relaxed day with Luke, Nell and their boys. After a sunny—but windy—Parkrun, the girls set off in search of a McDonald’s breakfast and returned with lunch instead. Later we dismantled and remantled a table, did a tip run and ate delicious cakes.

We went to Jumpin’ Fun in Burges Hill.

We spent a weekend with Grandma and Grandad and put the kids to work clearing the leaves from the garden.

It’s half term so we treated Roo to a day out in Brighton without her brother.

Its the 70th anniversary of the Littlehampton bonfire parade.

He loves being buried in his soft toys.

We all went to watch Roo walk alongside her Brownies troupe in the Rustington remembrance parade.

We had lunch at the World’s End with Bill and Anne. Later, we celebrated Paul’s birthday with a dance party in the conservatory.

Roo made a set of binoculars for aliens, and wrote them a message in their alien language.

Roo and Katie went to the cinema, Rootwo and I went on the bus at Amberley Museum. Wild times.

Not cool.

There was thick ice in the lake. Someone had thrown a traffic cone on top, presumably to confuse the ducks.

We have some very excited kids who love to spend time with their cousins.

This year we’re doing multiple Christmas’ with family. This morning we opened a few presents then enjoyed a spaghetti Bolognese for lunch. Later, we braved the wind for a walk on the beach.

After a bath the kids dressed in matching PJs. God damn they’re cute. We love you two SO much.

The kids did well, not waking until 7:30. They took turns opening their gifts from Santa.

This morning we went to church where the kids showed their new toys. Then I cooked lunch and we opened our presents. Rootwo was tricky later on. Merry Christmas!

We all went to Twycross Zoo! It wouldn’t be Christmas time without a trip to the Zoo with my mom and dad. It was cold but dry. We had a lovely time. Rootwo was obsessed with the big Gorilla.

While Katie and Roo went Ice Skating, me and the boy went to Little Street. He loved all of it, but he spent a load of time building a wall and then riding a police bike around and around.

Winter

The early months of 2022 were ugly. Grey and cold.

It’s easy to forget how much Covid dominated our lives at the start of the year. Even though Plan B was in full effect, some people (including me) were at the end of their ropes with punitive lockdown rules. Masks were still a fact of everyday life, and dirty looks for those who chose not to wear them were commonplace. Of course, I complied but was secretly desperate to escape this tyranny. Thankfully, the government lifted Plan B measures on 27 January.

On the homefront, we started 2022 as we always do with a walk around Swanbourne lake in Arundel with friends. I love this tradition, and I love these people. We need to spend more time with them.

But in the east of Europe, something dark was brewing. In the closing days of February, Russia started its “special military operation” in Ukraine. A grinding, bitter drawn-out war ensued. Selfishly, I worried about a nuclear war.

My mom had spent some time in the hospital at the start of the year but seemed to be recovering well. However, when we went to visit my parents for my mom’s birthday, it was clear something wasn’t right.

In early March, mom started an extended stay in the hospital. Not that we knew it yet, but she had a rare four-in-a-million disease called dermatomyositis. Over the following months, she was prodded and poked with all manner of investigation so that the doctors could give us a diagnosis. All the while, her condition deteriorated to the point where she could barely move. In her own words, she felt “like shit.”

The NHS is an extraordinary institution, but it’s only once caught in its various pathways that you see how truly broken it is. We were passed from one professional to another with little information transfer. The professionals relied on my dad and me to fill in the blanks in their handover notes. My mom would have found it completely impossible to navigate alone.

Spring

After recovering from a bout of Covid, I drove to the Midlands to visit my mom in the hospital. I distracted myself from overthinking by walking and became fascinated with my hometown.

I turned 42, and we spent the day in Brighton with my family. Roo turned seven, and she partied with her friends at the local pool.

At work, the project I was working on for DLUHC drew to a close. It was somewhat of a surprise to pass our beta assessment. In retrospect, of course, we were always going to pass. Our phenomenal team had worked hard to make the service simple. I’m also incredibly thankful that the project allowed me to finally work with one of my oldest and dearest friends.

No year would be complete without a family trip to Center Parcs. This year we spent four glorious days in Longleat Forest.

Summer

Summer started with a bang! Well, for Katie, at least. She spent a long weekend in Morroco with friends while I solo parented.

Later that same month, the weather in the UK went nuts. The thermometer topped out at 40°C, far hotter than Morroco only a week before. For us, it meant enduring several uncomfortable nights, but it was far more serious for some.

Thankfully, the heat had subsided when we boarded the ferry bound for the Isle of Wight. Even though it is on our doorstep, we’d never holidayed on the island before. I loved this holiday. The kids had a brilliant time; therefore, we had a brilliant time, too.

From the Isle of Wight, we drove to my parents. My mom was finally out of the hospital, and spending time with them was fantastic.

We returned home for a final few nights. Four days later, we moved house. Finally! From the first offer until completion took almost two years. In contrast to the slog of actually buying the house, the move went smoothly. We’d paid the removal company to pack our old house. This service is indispensable for an easier life when moving; anything that makes the process easier is worth every penny. That said, I don’t want to move house often. Without our brilliant friends—who helped by unpacking most of our stuff—I think we’d still be living out of boxes now.

Autumn

We settled into our new house, but everything felt new and weird. Roo especially struggled with missing her old house. Katie and I didn’t move as kids, so we don’t know how best to help her. We paid a decorator to repaint their rooms so they’d feel like they had their own space. Rootwo thought we were still on holiday and kept asking when we would return home. Bless them. It’ll take a while.

I went to the Guardians of the Galaxy Secret Cinema in London with Luke and Tom.

Paul and I took our annual cycling trip. This year we navigated train and ferry to the Isle of Wight, where we schlepped up and down mountainous hills to a caravan park in Bembridge.

In October, Rootwo was three. We took full advantage of a bigger house and garden a threw a party. We hired a bouncy castle, and Katie made all kinds of dinosaur-themed food. Later that evening, some of our new neighbours came around, and I tried to ride on top of the bouncy castle as it inflated.

The weather remained warm into late autumn. This was just as well, given that energy prices rose sharply. Then, in early December, the weather turned, and Britain froze.

We spent Christmas with family. It was lovely to spend time with my parents. What a year they’ve had. I’m happy to report that my mom is doing much better and could even enjoy our traditional festive visit to the zoo.