Welcome to the Brutons.... SCOUT

We've finally succumbed.

Molly's spent a long time pestering us over this. Pitiful notes left overnight "I'm lonely and would love an 'ickle friend to cuddle" was one of them. But various things got in the way, most obviously Molly's GCSE revision and exams (results are on the 20th August). But then a work colleague announced that their cat was pregnant, and due whilst Molly's exams were on, meaning the kittens would be ready to wean and rehome around now.

This was them a couple of days old...

 

Yes. Spectacularly cute.

Louise had always said there was no way she'd have another ginger tom after she had so many years with her wonderful boy Timmy (see here and here). But all it really took was a photo of the bundles of fur and she was sold. So today we went and picked up our new member of the family.

As for the name, Molly came up with SCOUT (from Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird) before we knew we were getting a boy. But it's just stuck. So Scout it is.

And here he is.... getting acquainted with life at Bruton Mansions...

 

 

That explains the nightly cries of "Daddy!" then

It's been noticed in Bruton mansions this year that there's a veritable plague of spiders. Rarely has a night gone by without at least one of the ladies of the house screaming for assistance. But it seems we're not alone - even the BBC has noticed.

Sleepover at Bruton mansions

For the final weekend of the Easter holidays we've arranged a sleepover for Molly at Bruton mansions. So we've had a lovely afternoon with Molly hyper as a small hyper child with a friend over for a sleepover. Then they made their own tea - from dough to final pizza and eventually got to bed at 10.

But with sleepovers bedtime is rarely sleeptime and so it proves tonight. We've had requests for more drinks, toilet trips, extra blankets for the cold, too many blankets because it's too hot. On and on and on. But they're both flat out now and we can look forward to getting a long lie in tomorrow till at least 6:30.

But it doesn't matter, not when you see how excited they get and how much fun they have. So the late nights and the early mornings are worth it every time.

Grand National at Bruton mansions....

Louise has always loved the Grand National. It comes from times spent with her dad over the years and cheering them all on. But her dad's gone for several years now and I figured it was high time we started the tradition again. So now that Molly's old enough to understand the idea and able to sit still for a few minutes we had ourselves a Grand National day. Bets were made, fun was had. We got 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th and 9th. But for some reason the bastards only pay out for 1st. Molly thinks that most unfair.

New U2 album - joint listening in Bruton mansions

Downloaded the U2 album - Louise being a big fan and all. So it's been on over the weekend along with the big love fest on the BBC. Louise is enjoying it and I'm grudgingly thinking a couple of the tracks aren't bad at all. And there's the fun game of trying to name the U2 song from the past that they've ripped off on many of the tracks. Our favourite is Magnificent where we think we've spotted three different songs in the new one.

The one thing we can't work out is why they're so aggresively promoting it. Louise summed it up by saying that the U2 of a few years ago wouldn't have been on Jonathan Ross and the rest. Now, is it a lack of confidence in the album or just the reverse; a feeling of intense pride?

How tired? bed before midnight tired.

Tonight I do something I rarely do. In fact, so far this year I don't think I have actually got into bed before midnight. But I've just set a couple of things for the blog to pop up over the next few days and then I'm turning off the computer and going to bed. It's 11:35 Monday night as I write this. I'd like to think this is some major turning point in my ongoing battle with sleep (or lack thereof) but I think this is just a minor skirmish won in a war where I'm playing the British with the Zulu hordes advancing.

The last few days have been exhausting. Today at school was just as exhausting and tonight, back at mom and dads again to fix TV, sort more stuff out and just say hi was utterly exhausting. I fell asleep on the sofa when we got back in from mom and dads. Woke up half an hour later and was utterly convinced it was Tuesday morning. Brain just not working properly anymore.

Luckily, I have half term coming up. But seeing as I've got 20 plus things to finish before half term and today I accomplished absolutely none of them I think I'm doing schoolwork that week. It just never ends.

Night night.

Weekend - moving house but not ours

Spent all weekend moving mom and dad into their new house. Am now completely exhausted. To the point where doing anything that involves thought, especially creative, reasoned thought is nigh impossible.

A rather trying experience really. It started early on Friday. The removal van arrives at their old house in Dudley at 8am and they start the packing and loading. Working solidly the removal men are all done and on the road at midday.

We told mom and dad they had to be ready to be on the road as the removal van left. But in the end, it was 2:30pm before they set off. At 3pm the removal van turns up outside our house, having been given instructions to do this by dad if they weren't in Pocklington in time. Mom & Dad eventually show up at 6, long after we'd told the removal men to park up and turn up for unloading in the morning. In the end it wasn't so bad, as the Pocklington house they were buying was owned by an old couple as well, who were just as bad at organising themselves as mom and dad are. So at 4pm and then 5pm we got worried phone calls from the lady asking for more time to move out. At this point Louise and I realised that we'd suddenly become the move organisers.

Resigned to this wonderful new role, we got up nice and early Saturday morning and headed down to the house. Which is where we've spent the last couple of days. Exhausted, aching and mentally and physically wiped out - perfect for a Monday morning at work.

The good news is that all of the hard work seems to have paid off and mom and dad are settled in and mostly unpacked. Louise and I have worked our arses off to get them to this state. Kichen, Lounge, Dining Room, Bedrooms - all done. All that's left is dad's study and the garage. But there's still work to be done in between the paid schoolwork, the writing, the blog, the reviewing, the catching up with schoolwork etc etc.

Bruton weekender and the gathering storm....

The Bruton family headed down to Birmingham last weekend for a family visit to celebrate Louise's niece's 20th birthday. This is, of course, another sign of encroaching age as Louise's niece Helen should obviously have the good grace to still be somewhere around age 6, which was the age she was when I met her. Obviously if she's getting older, then so am I and that's not on at all.

One thing that did come out of the weekend is this increasing belief that we're in some way cursed by the raingods. There seemed to be a black cloud following us all the way up and down the motorway. At one point on the way back we could only see brilliant blue sky in front of us and blue sky and glorious sunshine behind us yet it was still raining on the car. And then on the last leg of the journey home, as we turned off the motorway we swear the black cloud made a sharp left with us and followed us all the way to Pocklington. With each turn we saw the black clouds gather ominously until driving into Pocklington we realised where they'd been gathering - just above the house. We pull up, get out of the car and the heavens opened.

Anyone know any good prayers to ward off the rain gods?

Bruton Mansions Weekend - Sport's Day, Gala Evenings and Buddhist retreats....

Another busy Bruton Mansions weekend. Friday and Saturday passed by in a bit of a blur of rushing and travel.

Friday was Molly's Sport's Day at school. It's the first one we've had since we've been up here because this time last year Pocklington was in the middle of the great floods of 2007. Sport's Day is a little difficult when the field (not to mention the school building) is underwater.

Thankfully, following my thoughts on the ridiculous nature of non-competitive sport's days, Molly's school has no problems with good competititon. Not only do the children all compete to be first, but the three school houses all compete for points as well. The winning team even has a lap of honour of the sport's field.
Molly had three races and came 2nd, 3rd and 2nd. One of the second places was in the sack race:

(No idea - something happening off camera.
Although probably not as dramatic as Molly makes out. Drama Queen.)

Of course, after sports day it was all systems go and a mad rush. Get home, pack overnight bags for us all, drop Molly at her friends for a sleepover, race down to Bradford and then out to Louise's work gala evening and awards (of which more here). Then up the next morning, shower, breakfast and head home to pick Molly up. The rushing just didn't seem to stop until we all settled down to watch Doctor Who.

Whereas today has been quite delightfully relaxed and sedate. We braved the winds and the forecast rain (which never materialised) to visit Kilnwick Percy Madhyamaka Buddhist Centre. It's a Buddhist retreat in an old stately home with absolutely lovely grounds for walking in and a sweet little vegetarian tea shop to relax in. A great antidote to the business of the last couple of days. And if I had my camera with me you would be looking at pictures right now. But it will have to be next time.

The Bruton mansions revolving door policy continues

Last weekend we had friends up to stay. Well, actually it was just an excuse for Mark to bring up the latest batch of comics from Nostalgia & Comics and us to go out to the pub and drink, but we're not telling Louise or Vicki that.
Then my mom and dad made an appearance Wednesday and left today. As is usual when they turn up, we had a lovely time. And Molly, as always, was delighted to have her only grandparents around. Even though they're a little slower now, she's always so wonderfully patient and caring with them. It's lovely to see.
And tomorrow, Louise's sister makes an appearance with one of Molly's cousins. The other cousin has far, far better things to do with her time - and who can blame her!
But our door is always open.

Bruton mansions - one house, three generations.....

Grandparents visiting Molly at the moment. House in chaos.
How do two older people manage to fill and entire medium sized car with luggage for a visit lasting a mere three days? They arrived today at 3pm and are off sometime Friday afternoon.

Molly is of course very, very excited to have them here.
And no doubt she'll be pretty pumped on Saturday when she campaigns for a trip to York to spend the oodles of pocket money she'll have been given as well.

In the meatime there's school work needs doing, at least three reviews that are way, way past due (sorry Jenika, Ciaran, Oliver, Marc, Thomas, John - soon I promise) and a continuing guest blog on the fpi blog whilst Joe is away.

Busy, busy, busy.

Bruton Mansions

Bruton Mansions - the reasoning behind the stupid name.
Not that anyone's asked but I thought I'd tell you the reasoning behind why I always call the house Bruton Mansions.
Partly it's because I always liked the way Peel always referred to wherever he lived as Peel Acres, but it's mostly because of what a friend said about mom and dad's house when they came round one day. Not that we lived in some luxury mansion, but it was always immaculate.
Obsessive cleaning and fussing is obviously in the genes then.