House Dad

With my exciting new freelance status - I have suddenly found myself without work for a few days. Meanwhile Mrs Limey has embarked upon a day training for her new part time job.

The upshot of this is that Mini Limey and I just had the time of our life! Homer Simpson once christened it "Daddy-Daughter day" but that does not do it credit. I spend lots of time with Mini-me but rarely is it completely alone time.

So much fun was had - that by the time Mrs Limey came home Mini me had lost interest in her almost completely. I just hope the reverse doesn't happen to me too quickly. The only real concern I have is that by this afternoon I knew all the words to most of the Balamory songs.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/balamory/

The voice of reason inside my head tells me that its just the novelty of having Dad all to herself all day. However I can't help hoping its because I'm just best.....

Changes Update

Well blow me down - seven days after being advised that I am no longer of interest to my old employer I have a new job.

Its a contract in Central London (booo to all the extra travel) that means I'll be aprox 2.5 times better off than I was before.

This needs some processing. There I was feeling a bit sorry for myself feeling a bit hard done by - and it appears that actually the buggers have done me a HUGE financial favour.

Changes

Well bearing in mind the rule about work and blogging - I have parted company with my now previous employer.

My face no longer fits, so I have been encouraged to find something new.

So here I sit pondering my future, wondering if what's just happened is an opportunity, or if not how to make it one. I recently wrote that it is our desire to return to the USA specifically Chicago. I am hoping that whatever new opportunity I can find will lead me in that direction.

That would after all be surely FATE in action.

I sit here writing feeling very uncertain about what comes next - but certain that I will make the best of a changing situation.

Operation Limey Return

During my professional career, it has been my pleasure to work in a number of foreign places - Hong Kong, Tulsa OK, Frankfurt and Chicago.

Of all the places I have visited it is Chicago that has captured my heart.

The places, the people, the attitudes, the restaurants all reached out in that unique Chi-town fashion, grabbed my heart with both hands ... And then attempted to throttle it.

I have been back in the UK with Mrs Limey and Mini Limey for 2 1/2 years now and yet still I find myself missing the place and most especially its people.

It is worth pointing out here that usually I am rubbish at keeping in touch with past colleagues and friends - and yet against the odds I am still in touch with my friends from Chicago.

So Operation Limey Return starts here. I don't know how I'm going to do it, but somehow; some way we need to return to Chicago and make it our permanent home.

There - it's recorded on the web now so I can't back away and pretend I never said it.. Everybody knows, after all that everything written on the web is absolutely TRUE.

New Bond - Times Online

Now this is an export to be proud of.... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1825992,00.html I wonder if all spies look this classy in the CIA ?

I'm ready for my photo Mr DeMille!

This is a genuine candid moment captured by a friend at a recent Saturday lunch.

Mini Limey had wandered off and came back with the friends tatty old fishing hat as you see it here.

Limey frustrations

Can anybody suggest where in the UK I can buy Thanksgiving cards.

Having a number of friends in Chicago I thought I would plan ahead and purchase a couple of cards. I visited my local Hallmark shop and was advised by the dopey assistant that Hallmark did not make Thanksgiving cards.

So that's all right then.

Bloggers block

I have read recently about a number of writers that have gone dry during the creation of a book. I am not a writer, but seem to have lost the ability to find anything at all interesting to blog in the last few weeks.

According to Dooce.com - THOU SHALT NOT WRITE ABOUT WORK ON THE INTERNET. This much I understand as I have no desire to annoy my employer. So the fact that the last two weeks has been completely mad due to an impending project completion is completely off limits to my blog - including the amusing anecdotes about that evening when I.....

Due to the workload I have not seen as much of my family as I would like. So there is another source of inspiration removed. So what on earth can I write about ?

Thinking here whilst I drivel on the screen - that considering I have nothing to say - I still seem to be managing to write something

dooce: Six times the suck

Wow this made me think... I think I will go hug Mrs Limey immediately

dooce: Six times the suck

As if (bit of a rant)

I will never be able to explain to members of my family and friends that just because I work with IT and run an IT department, I don't want to spend all my spare time doing it for others..

I mean surely its obvious - that when the car breaks down - you get to pay the friend who fixes it... But me - with IT its just expected because clearly I must LOVE doing it. You see there is the mistake. Just because I'm good at something; don't imagine for a second I love it so much that I wish to spend my spare time doing it for you.

I recently suggested that as it was family I'd do it for only £50 / hour and was told I was being ridiculouss... Must go now - I need to fix an aging aunties broadband.........

Stumped

Now being a Limey brings its own rewards from time to time. One of them is the gentle game of Cricket, but to be specific the Ashes Series.

Over the last 7 weeks I have watched and/or listened to the coverage of Englands match by match improvements.

My pride in the team and their achivements are second to none.

So why is it then that I still can't explain any of it to Mrs Limey ?

Like father like daughter

When Baby Limey came along and she started to develop characteristics that matched me or Mrs Limey it was initially cute and endearing.

However its now more like damned scary. The ability at 21 months to exactly copy the way I used to make snap judgements (often to my detriment) about foods is just spooky. Take the latest example - Ice Cream. When offered a little initially it was "NO" followed by clamped mouth, screams and strugling.

The attached picture shows how we now cope with the demon substance ISCREAM.

Strangely enough even though I'm much too old to keep doing this I still do it - recently deciding that asparagas was definately, absolutely, never ever going to be my thing. Then I actually tried eating some.

Fortunately she is MUCH less fussy with foods than I ever was, so there is still hope for her.

Friends Remembered

I was living and working in Chicago during the events of September 11th 2001.

Although I am back in the UK these days, it is still a sad day for me. It was the day America changed forever, woken from the protected slumbers of being so far from those that would perpetrate such evil acts.

Just a short pause to remember all who were lost, and for all who lost on that eventful day.

Rather Unexpected

I always knew that having a child in my life was going to be a lot of work.

What caught me completely off guard is how much joy she'd bring too. Now that mini Limey is 20 months, walking and talking she is a joy to behold.

Imagine my joy and pride the first time she echoed back such fine English words as 'bollocks' - a woes I use all too frequently. Another real surprise was quite how excited I'd feel when she could correctly identify the ownership of objects as 'mummies' and 'daddies'. I'll never forget the first time she brought my boxers into the lounge and presented them to her Granny with a flourish and a loud 'Daddies!'.

See above for a more socially acceptable example of 'Daddies Shooose'

About to start something big

..but on the other hand there is a bowl of chips in the Lounge, so perhaps I'll do it later..

And there lies the problem. Professionally I have my to-do list and a list of priorities; so stuff gets done. In my personal life these items are optional items so its all to easy to procrastinate long enough that the job can be avoided entirely.

Except in the case of the Lawn. This stuff has enough vigor and life force that it is entirely possible to lose mini Limey in the grass in three weeks or less.

The grass may be greener on the otherside - but it still damn well needs mowing.