Quibbles

Whilst going through some of the boxes for the move, I found an invaluable store of old photographs of the family. My dear Adrianne, the girl who helps around the house, helped me take the photos and put the images on this blog. I did need quite a lot of help setting it up, so I can only hope my next aid is as good with computers!!

 My two daughters, Gemiliah and Allie. Gemeliah was the older, a chirpy and outgoing little girl. She was always a bit pushy and loved being the center of attention. Allie was always the quiet one, and rather melancholy. Not many friends, but she had a rich enough imagination that it didn't bother her too badly!

 Another one of Allie. She desperately wanted to be an explorer when she was little. She became a nurse, but we were so proud of her anyway. Allie was Penny's mum, and they share brooding ways, but they're both very talented artists!

 And here's another picture of Gemma, proud of herself as always. She was always a bit of a show off, and went into business. I was never sure if I entirely approved, but I was always very proud of her anyway.

 My youngest son, Tom, playing with a dumper truck. He got my mother in law's hair, and ability to cook.

 Second youngest son, Dylan, running around in the snow. He was the most rambunctious one of the lot.

 One of the first children we adopted, Estella. A bit teary, we only had her for a couple of years before her parents wanted her back. I got letters from her, though, all the way up to 1997.

 The young ball and chain. I do miss her, so much.

Me and Tom just before a camping trip, I do believe.

A quick guide to some of the family, I suppose.

Bombast

Well, I'm sorry for neglecting this log, but it's been busier in my little house over these last few weeks than it's been for at least a year. Pen has come home, and so it is time for us to start packing up. I've been organizing with various people over the last few months for the move, to hire myself a aid up in Malkirk, to get the house ready, to prepare finances... Luckily for me, Pen has been a very good girl since coming back. She was always a bit of a troublemaker but she's doing better now, and she appreciates the gravity of the situation.

So it's been busy. I've taken a few looks at the new house, through the computer, and it seems cozy enough. The Malkirk primary school said that they would be happy to facilitate Penny's 6th year. They also said they'd be happy to facilitate any problems she might have. The headteacher seemed like a very nice young woman, and we're apparently living in a similar area to her. From her I heard some more about the neighbourhood-- it seems to be a nice enough place, with lots of children, so hopefully Penny will make friends easily. The main church in the town isn't Anglican, but some sort of Greek Orthodox or such as far as I can tell. There's not too much information on it, but there is an Anglican church in the nearest town over, so we'll likely be visiting there. The Malkirk church does seem to have a good youth club, so I've signed Penny up for it to get her out of the house. 

The main move will take place in 10 days, giving us plenty of time to get settled before the school year begins properly. Pen is a little brooding currently, but before long I'm sure she'll be more excited. I think she's glad to be out of that hospital, to be honest. She didn't enjoy her time there at all.

Applesauce

I suppose I'm not too good at this. I have a girl who comes and helps me clean up (it's my knees, you see) who also helps me with more technological things like, well, this log. She's been out a lot more these last few weeks, since she's working three jobs at the moment. I wish I could pay the poor lass more so she wouldn't have to work so hard, but I haven't the money to increase her wages. I don't like to speak badly about people, but I can't say I'm fond of the way Mr. Cameron is trying to fix our government. Ah, well, I can only hope it works.

This is really a journal entry to record some of the bigger happenings in my life. For one, my granddaughter Penny will be coming home from the hospital next week. She's been doing much better, or so the doctors say, and I'll be able to enroll her in school for this coming September. This brings me to my second bit of news, that being our moving to the countryside. The city may be good for an old goat like myself, but it's no place to raise a child. In any case, I feel like my time in London is done-- it's dizzying for me to get from place to place, and I don't like driving my car here. It unnerves me.  I will miss the sounds of the city, but the silence of the countryside will be a nice break for a while. We'll be moving at the beginning of August to give Penny some time to settle in before school starts. It's a big change, but I think it'll be a good once. I phoned the school up in Malkirk, and they said that they have an attentive staff that should be really good at helping Pen with her issues.

Malkirk is a small town up in the Lake District, known for its abandoned monastery and its folk legends. The region is pretty mountainous, but I think we're both up for the challenge, and the fresh air'll do Pen good. It's one of the nicer, more even towns. I reckon this move'll be good for both of us. It's at least nice to get away from the smog and the hospital, to get a fresh start.