....to a lot of kissing!

I’m feeling good today. We’ve had a really productive, useful session this morning with my folks who have valiantly helped us to get on with some pretty grim and difficult tasks. David and my Mum started our ‘defence’ against the dreaded Bird Flu by preparing the old hen run that’s fallen into disrepair ready for our pet birds to go into isolation from their wild counterparts. It’ll be here any day now as it’s in France already so it’s come two countries closer since last weekend and there’s nothing between it and us now other than a small body of water that we call the English Channel. By next weekend, there will be cases here I have no doubt. I am worried sick but trying not to be swept along in the panic that’s engulfing our tabloids and their readers.

I’ve been working with my Dad, doing dump runs and moving furniture. You may think there are better ways to spend time but I actually relish these hours with my Dad because they remind me of the months of similar stuff that we endured together when he was truly the man who set me on the road to where I am now by helping me (actually I think I helped him really) to gut my flat in Southall and renovate it, setting me up in a lovely home of my own for the first time and getting me firmly on the property ladder. I was in my early twenties then and since those days, I have rarely been able to get any time with my Dad where other people aren’t vying for his attention too so this morning was special.

In fact, as was this afternoon. I made lunch of home-made soup and bread and we sat down to watch the footie as a family, him on one side of the ‘mighty Wigan vs the southern softies’ as Eric Hewis would have us believe and us on the other. By the time I’d served lunch, David had got the seating so Dad was in ‘the away end’, he was in ‘the Park Lane’ and I was in ‘the Shelfside’ –sorry for anyone who just doesn’t get that, it’d take too long to explain!

The game was a thriller and ended with a creditable 2-2 scoreline, which was probably a fair reflection of the game. I have never really been in a position with my Dad where I’ve sat down to watch the Spurs with him where he’s really cared about the opposition before. He’s always been a ‘Latic’ and this is their first top-flight season so the first time they’ve encountered Spurs. Over the two matches we’ve taken four of the available six points and so I feel happy….but so does he – it’s a dream come true for his team to be playing teams like us.

All-in-all a wonderful day, capped by a game of ‘tennis ball’ with Rosie and my Mum in the field….I’m a happy soul tonight.

I decided on the spawn because I don’t think (though I may be wrong) that it’s found its way onto pbase before…..though of course with 50odd million photos here you can never be sure. I kind of like the idea that in a few short months there will be thousands of little froglets all waiting to be kissed……I’m certain that I won’t find my prince that way because I have him already but I will have a lot of fun anyway.

Last year, I was photographing the beautiful and all-round lovely Becks, it's a photo I'm particularly proud of.