Father's Day

Woke up before 8 already feeling a headache building and a sore back from where Alex's knee has been poking through the night. B has to get up to take her Mum up to visit her Dad's grave at North Ryde. Alex and I are staying home; we go past the cemetary each weekday.

As soon as the door bangs behind B Kita starts barking and I have to let him out. Then it's back up to the loo with stomach cramps. Then it's have a shave and dress myself and Alex. He eats half a banana, I make myself a hot chocolate for breakfast. Then while Alex watches some Octonauts I roast some capsicum and start on preparing our soba noodle lunch for next week.

B arrives home surprisingly early, just as I'm about to begin washing up. Alex pleads to go to the Sydney Aquatic Centre, the "Bucket Playground" now it's Spring, even though it's only the first day. It's almost warm enough to be Summer outside, and the rest of the month is busy enough that we accede to his request. It takes us an hour to get ready.

We stop off at the bakery to buy buns for lunch then drive up to Homebush. The traffic is terrible as others try to visit passed relatives at Rookwood Cemetary. It takes us more than twice as long as it took B to drive the same path earlier in the day.

We spend a couple of hours at the aquatic centre, much of those in shallow and cold pool while Alex plays on the slides. But he does a great job of swimming on his back, something he's been struggling with at lessons. Plus we all have fun racing round the "river".

As soon as we reach home it's time to wash our grubby car, then I get on to dinner, which is a fish stew with a tomato, leek and roasted capsicum sauce that I invent as I go along. It takes about an hour to cook and clean up, but, hey, it tastes good. Then I quickly take Kita for a walk before returning for dinner. 6pm is an early dinner for us, but B wants to watch X Factor on TV. I bathe Alex, then shower myself. At 7.45pm I finally have my first chance to relax all day. Now it's almost time to read Alex his stories and send him to bed. I need another weekend!