Beware the plague

I've been at home on and off this week as hubbie and I work like relay runners to cover our professional and family responsibilities. I did manage lunch with Stephen Bubb of acevo on Monday which was a real mood lifter. As I arrived at his office to have a pre lunch meeting, he was on fine form as a copy of Tony Blair's book , A Journey, had just arrived with the inscription: "To Stephen, Thank you for all the wonderful work you do in the voluntary sector, Tony", or something like that. In any event it led to a very jolly lunch. As we left the restaurant Stephen remarked that he liked eating at the British Museum as the tables were far enough apart that if you were having fun you weren't disturbing anyone. I'm not sure they were far enough apart, to be honest. Oh but we did have a laugh though. Sharing a titter is such an important thing to do, especially when times are tough, its a service really.

Back at home two of the children have been very poorly with flu and multiple secondary infections and the talk at the Year 6 parents Xmas drinks on Monday night (which I went to alone) was of swine flu, or is it bird flu? It is a funny bug because just as they seem to be getting better they go down hill again and my usually very fit children, with almost exemplary sickness records are now on their second set of antibiotics each. Our nebuliser (handy if there is an asthmatic in the house, in our case 4), like an iron lung, is making its deep gurgling noise almost non stop in the corner of the bedroom. Yesterday I learnt that 21 of the 30 children in Katie's class were all off sick. All very jolly in deed.

I was so sad to miss our eldest at his Christmas service last night as I stayed home with the coughalots. Joe was doing one of the readings and playing the trumpet. He was so nervous about the public speaking and not at all convinced when I kept telling him it was good practice.  But I have been told on good authority that he was brilliant.

I hope to have us all on our feet next week for the festivities in lieu of which we have done some wrapping, made some snot covered ginger bread biscuits, yum, and put out the nativity mice. No one can quite find the energy for the tree just yet.

I have managed to teach my daughter to knit, and Sam's Halo score, you'll be delighted to hear, is off the scale. Thank god for the internet and home working. I have actually managed to get to the bottom of my in-tray, and do a little writing, so not all bad. I just hope I don't get it.