Inez Smith

I have had periods when I have taken time off work, the longest being siz months, and it doesn’t take me long to get bored with all the domesticated stuff.  But I rarely get time to really clear out and sort and I feel so much better afterwards that I’m glad I’ve taken the time.  If Kieran had been more mobile I would have felt the pressure to be out & about doing stuff but I’ve been content to let him play on his PS2 & watch TV (I’d usually be moaning about sitting in front of the TV etc for more than an hour).  So I’ve been able to really get stuff done.

The weather was overcast today and spitting at times, but I’m hoping it will get better so I can start some gardening work.  I found my big hedge trimmers hidden at the bottom of a chest in the garage, which was a pleasant surprise because I thought they had been taken when I had some workmen hear a few years ago and ever since I have struggled to keep the hedges under control by hand.  So as soon as its dry enough I’m going out, machine in hand and being ruthless with the shrubs.  For once my neighbours will not think I have the scruffiest garden.  Because the front is so large I have always struggled to keep it neat.  Luckily the grass grows at half the speed of the back garden, and last year I created a small meadow area where I can deliberately let the grass grow as long as it likes.  I had to shape it in a semi-circle though to make it look deliberate because I kept getting people knocking at my door.  They would say how they understood that I worked all day, that it must be so hard to manage, and would I like the number of their gardener?

Kieran gave his video statement to the police today, so hopefully that incident will come to an end soon.

3 weeks ago he was assaulted by a group of kids on his way home from school with a brick to the head leading to lots of blood, a hospital visit and super glue on the wound.  He now has a little bald spot and a red scar.  The kids were named and reported to the police but they denied it of course, and as Kieran couldn’t say which one threw the brick there is officially no evidence.  Now because of the work I do I can say professionally that actually these are vulnerable children, whose parents have not demonstrated very good parenting skills and need help and support.  My opinion as a mother who has brought up her son to be a good and respectful child is that these lads need to be sorted and made to understand and pay!

Anyway he has recovered, and was back at school straight away, brave as he is he wasn’t to be discouraged from using the same route home, despite being advised by the police to choose another way.  We managed to get our local neighbourhood policing panel to put additional policing in place before and after school on that route for the next 3 months as part of their local priorities.

Yesterday we were back at the hospital.  This time because Kieran went over on his ankle whilst playing basketball at school.  I thought it was just a sprain but as there wasn’t much swelling compared with last time he had a sprain and he couldn’t put the slightest bit of weight on it I took him to A&E.  After an x-ray it turns out he has a broken bone and now has a temporary cast.  Next week if the swelling is down he will have a more permanent one for about 6 weeks, depending on how well its healing.  Luckily he was only in real pain when the foot was touched.  He is now on crutches and having fun getting me to run round for him.  He can’t go back to school until he has the new cast and has to keep his leg raised.  But I’m getting my own back by making him do homework, reading and practising his keyboard during school hours!

Unfortunatley Kieran wont be able to do any sports for weeks.  I’ve had to cancel his trampoline class for the next 3 months as they said at the hospital it would be a very bad idea.  Hopefully he can pick up karate again when his cast is off but I suspect gymnastics will need to wait for a while too.  It might be nice not to be taxi driver but actually I’d rather he did his classes.  Besides I will have to take him to school and back everyday for ages so I will still be taxi driver.