Baby Memorial Garden, Car Trouble and Adoption Homework

Holiday has started.

Not entirely well.

So much for relaxing. Started with a quick trip to the garage as my wheel is making all sorts of noises. (I am thinking now the bearings are going). The garage (the second I have taken it to in as many days) could find nothing wrong. They could however finally diagnose the check engine light – which it turns out could be the turbo going. Great! To fix that is nearly half as much as I paid for the car!

We tried to put that to the back of our minds and took Alexander to Whitstable castle as we had promised him. He had a great time there and at the beach throwing stones.

We came home to try to relax, this was not helped by the fact that our burglar alarm kept going off all by itself for no reason at random times during the night. It never rains…

Sunday. After a slow time getting up as we were tired out from kept being woken up! We went to Ashford. Today was the official opening of the SANDS baby memorial garden. Lucas has a stone there.

We picked up my Aunty Kath on the way. Alexander’s first words were – “She looks nice!” Compliments from a four-year-old. We were glad she could come as she was there for us on the night Lucas died.

We met my Mum and Dad at the garden.

This was a lovely service with readings, doves being released and balloons being let off. (Environmentally friendly ones I understand)

It was all very emotional and hit Rachel harder than she expected. There were tears and Alexander came to the rescue with a cuddle. (after everyone else had gone he also got very tearful as he said his own goodbyes)

Alexander missed most of the service though as he was off with a little girl called Charlotte that he befriended. They were inseparable all afternoon – I even caught them whispering about marriage!

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We came home and had a relaxed tea.

After getting a tired Alexander to bed, I spent the rest of the evening working on our adoption homework – hence the late hour of this post 1am!

Tonight was filling out forms about our relationship, family upbringing and how we deal with children.

So another up and down weekend but hey – no work tomorrow!

And Andy Murray won Wimbledon!

Walls and Nakedness!

Well its been a stressful few days. Work had been full on (but nothing wrong with that!). Life has been equally full on, rushing to the doctors or the garage! My car is feeling as creaky as me – but as with me – nothing apparently appears to be wrong.

Alexander has been very demanding these past few days – not particularly naughty (well no more so) but aside from issue with listening to what he has been told, he has for some reason needed more attention than usual. Particularly from me.

Anyway – it has all meant that writing time has been in very short supply. Yesterday was the closest I have come to failing this challenge so far – just squeezing in a haiku just before midnight. Today I had a little more leeway but was finding it really hard to get inspired. Hitting the writer’s equivalent of a wall – and still a long way to go!

Couldn’t really think so instead tried to get my head around the final part of my book – literally a few more pages to do. This was equally unproductive but out it today’s poem formed slowly. It’s probably my least successful I think so far but at least I am getting words down on (virtual) paper. It all helps.

On a more surreal note. We witnessed a mass naked bike ride through Canterbury today.