Tina's Birthday at Bella Italia

Thursday was one of those rare occasions when both Tina and I had the day off work at the same time. Better still, it was Tina's birthday, none of the kids had any clubs to attend, and Joshua wasn't working. That meant we could actually get out and celebrate together as a family — something that seems to happen less and less these days. It feels like it's been ages since the five of us last went out together.

As it was Tina's birthday, she got full control over the choice of venue and eventually settled on Bella Italia over in Bas Vegas. In all honesty, it turned out to be a really good choice and we all enjoyed it.

One of the biggest surprises of the evening was Holly's appetite. The boys and Holly all ordered pizzas of exactly the same size, yet Holly was the only one to polish hers off completely. Both boys ended up taking a couple of slices home in takeaway boxes, which naturally gave Holly plenty of bragging rights for the rest of the evening!

More than anything, though, it was just nice to sit down together, enjoy some good food, have a few drinks, and relax after what had been a busy week. The only disappointment of the night came from Joshua, who was apparently quite upset that nobody asked him for ID when ordering his cider. Seems that he already looks old enough not to be questioned!

On one side of the table was Holly and Tina with Brandon in the middle.

On the other side me and Josh and as Brandon was in the middle he could crash both photos.

All 5 of us celebrating Tina's birthday at Bella Ialia.

Very rare that we all get out as a family of 5 these days.

Me and the birthday girl.

Brandon's Theory Driving Test Part 1

Yesterday Brandon had his first attempt at the Driving Theory Test and, unfortunately, much like Joshua on his first try, he didn't quite make it. The frustrating part is that he only failed by two marks. He passed the hazard perception section comfortably, finishing four marks above the pass mark, but came up just short on the multiple-choice section.

Looking at the breakdown, it seems most of the lost marks were on road and traffic signs, so at least he now knows exactly where to focus his revision before the next attempt.

As much as I hate to admit it, the result didn't come as a huge surprise. I had a feeling he wasn't quite putting enough time into his revision and there may have been a touch of complacency creeping in — the classic assumption that if his older brother could pass it, then it would be straightforward for him too. Hopefully this serves as a bit of a wake-up call. The theory test isn't something that gets handed to you; you still have to put the work in. Now he knows exactly what's required, I'm sure he'll approach his second attempt with a different mindset.

To make matters even more annoying, while I was waiting for him I parked in the car park behind the Royals and bought a parking ticket, which was clearly displayed on my dashboard. Despite this, I somehow still managed to receive a parking fine for allegedly not having a valid ticket! Needless to say, that one will be getting challenged.

So, all in all, it wasn't exactly a day packed with success stories. Brandon missed out on his theory test by the narrowest of margins, and I came away with a parking ticket I shouldn't have received. Hopefully the next attempt goes better than the first — and hopefully my appeal is more successful than Brandon's theory test!

Holly's Parents Evening & District Shot Putt Tryouts

Well, this evening I had the absolute “pleasure” of sitting through twelve separate Teams meetings with Holly’s teachers for parents’ evening. I say “pleasure” jokingly because, in reality, it was genuinely brilliant to hear the incredible feedback from every single teacher — regardless of whether the subject is one Holly loves or one she would rather avoid altogether.

There was such a consistent theme running through all of the feedback. Every teacher commented on what a sweet, polite and lovely girl she is to have in class. They spoke about how she always contributes to discussions, isn’t afraid to ask questions when she needs help, and how organised and conscientious she is with her work. Above all else, they repeatedly highlighted the effort she puts into everything she does. She is currently on target in every subject and giving maximum effort throughout. As a parent, I honestly couldn’t ask for more.

Holly has had a few personal struggles at school recently, particularly some anxiety issues stemming from incidents back in junior school that we had hoped were now firmly behind her. Fortunately, she was listening in during the parents’ evening calls and was able to hear first-hand just how positively her teachers view her and how highly they think of her as both a student and a person.

I made sure she knew just how proud I am of her. She is doing everything right when it comes to her education and school life, and tonight’s feedback proved exactly that. I told her not to let these lingering issues drag her down or overshadow what has otherwise been an amazing start to her secondary school journey. Hopefully hearing those comments directly from her teachers will help her move forward with a little more confidence.

To top it all off, Holly has also been ranked as the second-best shot putter in her year group and has earned herself a place at the district trials next Monday. Looks like there might be a few Daddy-Daughter gym sessions happening over the next few days!

1st SUP of 2026 - NO CREAM TEA CAKES!!!

Miraculously, the May bank holiday weekend brought us the hottest weather of the year so far, and the kids were desperate to get out on the paddle boards. Unfortunately, with the growing popularity of SUP, I knew the river would be absolutely rammed over the long weekend, so I wisely decided to avoid it like the plague.

However, the Tuesday after the bank holiday was forecast to be even hotter — somewhere around 33–34 degrees — so on Sunday evening I fired off a late email to my boss and booked the day off work. The plan was simple: get up early and enjoy a full day out on the river before the crowds appeared.

Josh had been working double shifts at Tesco and, despite having the day off, decided he’d much rather relax in bed. Then Brandon asked Maia if she wanted to come along, which meant I was relegated to walking the riverbank with Tina while Brandon, Maia and Holly claimed the three SUPs between them. That said, I still made the most of the day by jumping into the river every now and then to cool off in the heat. Even Tina was dipping her bad foot into the water, as the cool river seemed to soothe it nicely.

By the end of the day the kids had paddle boarded around two miles in total, and along the way we stopped off at Papermill Lock for tea, coffee and cake. Unbelievably, the bank holiday crowds had wiped out all stock of their infamous cream tea cakes with strawberries, so I was forced to settle for my second favourite instead — carrot cake. The only other bad bit of the day was I brought the wrong attachment for the electric pump and had to blow up all 3 paddle boards by hand!!!!

Brandon and Maia - both now very skilled and competent on the paddle board.

Returning from the lock on their knees ready for the 0.75 mile back to where we had parked the car.

What a beautiful location when it isn't rammed with other river dwellers.

Perfect day to get out on the water and soak up some rays.

Meanwhile I am relegated to walking the river bank with Tina.

Chilling out by another lock and Tina giving her foot a cool soaking.

Going Tursday instead of over the weekend was such a good decision as the river was very quiet.

Another of the locks which we paddle boarded up to.

Beautifully calm and clear waters of the Chelmer.

Brandon dunking Maia in the cold water.

Trying to find the shady side of the river bank.

I think Holly sometime feels a bit like piggy in the middle when she is out with Brandon and Maia.

Most of the time they all get on, but every now and then Brandon winds her up and she strms off ahead.

The lockwhich the nutter Holly was jumping off of.

Wifey taking a rest after the walk up to the first lock whilst the kids played in the water.

The water felt so nice and cool on such a hot day.

The two lovebirds.

Picture from off a bridge as the 3 of them go underneath.

How can they paddle when they are all so close to each other!