On average, we get five children to bed within 15 minutes of getting in from a family visit.

Today is typical. We left the farm just on four thirty, stopped at Burger King in Fleet Services for dinner at about 6.45 and got home on the stroke of eight o'clock.
Half an hour later the kids are all n bed, the car is emptied, I'm writing this and Tx is making our last cup of tea.
We'll be in bed ourselves within an hour.
Everyone is exhausted.

I haven't placed an order yet, but the latest JF album is out today and has started dropping onto doormats.
Hopefully, "A New K*nd Of Man" - the live album to commemorate last year's tour will be the last version of Metamat*c released.
Only 1000 copies, so I expect I will get mine ordered Monday.
Might even pick up one of the last remaining copies of Retro-Future at the same time, although this is for the artwork rather than the music, which seems a rather superfluous release to me. I have a reasonably good boot of this show and one that is crap - hopefully the sound quality will be as good as people say to justify the purchase.

Just in from a 50th birthday in the church halls. Good friend of mine, the man behind the Bob Pearce gig in September. Hired Bob and his band tonight to play for him and the 200 odd guests. The lighting put together on Wednesday by TH worked a treat, bathing the tables in red and with two spotlights on the band, alternating with purple and green from the side.
The band sounded good enough to me, but apparently they struggled with echo and the drummer in particular had trouble hearing the PA.

A little disappointed that only three other people stayed to clear up afterwards, but it only took us an hour. Biggest chore was washing the floor to remove the sticky beer. Nice job..

Disappointment is the demon at the moment, foremost amid the procession of thoughts going through my head regarding the future of my company.
A big part of me says that I am over reacting and it will, somehow of course, work out for the best. I know this, and when D does leave I have no doubt that a lot of other people will benefit from a clear sky and really start to fly. His presence is undoubtedly oppressive, which is unfortunately a difficult thing to admit. I have always been in no doubt that we could manage better without him, but it does annoy me that he is adamant that we can't and will just fall apart.
Tx has observed that he is in more danger of that, because the new CM part of the business will be run and staffed entirely by sales - where is the project management, the back office support, the strategy and the planning. Enough already.

Right here, right now I feel disappointed that we as a company have got somewhere but that it means so much less to him than it does to me. I have learned to read and react to his actions rather than his words in recent years (which makes for an uncomfortable atmosphere when you can see behind the smile of a salesman) and those in recent months do point to very little interaction with, encouragement of and even respect for the staff.

I think the challenge has gone, which is a bitter irony, because in point of fact the challenge is just beginning.

I won't let these resentful feelings last long, but they must have their dance.
Lord I pray for peace of mind, for proportional and rational judgement, wisdom and confidence without personal criticism and unnecessary resentment. It is my gain, though I have not fought to achieve it. Let me accept his gift of freedom and independence with grace, and judge not the reasons behind the opportunity.