Making A Climbing Wall

A month or so ago I mentioned that I was going to be building the kids a climbing wall for Christmas. 

With my bout of flu I was worried it was never going to happen, but luckily I felt well enough a few days before Christmas so dad came over to lend me a hand.

The video below shows how I built it (with dads help on day one). The mud was a real barrier to getting it finished easily! 

Broken jaw

So Christmas went well, I'd just about recovered from flu, managed to get the kids present made (I'll share the video in my next post) and we'd spent lots of time with friends and family. Then on the night after boxing day I'd cooked a turkey curry for tea and sat down to eat it with the wife and kids.

I'd been struggling to get rid of a cough that I picked up with the flu, during the meal I got up during a coughing fit to get some water. This coughing, coupled with the getting up quickly made me back out and faint.

Turns out I hit the floor hard, face first. When I came round a couple of minutes later my wife and kids were crouched down my me, I was lay in a pool of blood. I had no idea what was going on, I thought I had my ear buds in and was working! I managed to get up and go lie down, my ears was hurting like mad, I'd broken a couple of teeth and cut my chin pretty bad.

My wife phoned 111 and we waited for a call back that never came. In the end we rang again and decided to go to A&E, my friend came over and picked up the kids to look after them.

Got to A&E about 9 and had to wait until 1 in the morning to get seen. Then things got moving pretty fast when they saw blood had come out of my ear. They wouldn't let me be on my own then! I was taken to have a CT scan and then three x-rays of my head and one of my chest. 

The Last Hedge

I've not had the best week, having spent a large part of the last seven days in bed with the flu. It really has knocked me for six but I'm nearly back to my old self. 

One thing that did make me smile was when this issue of The Hedge (it's last issue ever unfortunately) turned up.

I wrote this near the start of the year and I was unsure whether it would get published or not. It does make me wonder if I should think harder about my titles in future though! It's a subject I'm passionate about though so always happy to talk or write about it.

I've enjoyed my writing this year, if you're interested in seeing what I've written and had published then check out my page In Print at the top of this blog or click here.

Anyway luckily I've managed to get a few days outside to build the kids Christmas present, it was getting a bit close at one point, dad came on the Sunday and nearly got stuck. Watch this space to see what I built them - but only if they like it!

This Years Heritage Seed Library Order

One of the things I love most is seeds! Growing them, saving them and I have a rather large guilty pleasure of ordering them!

The Heritage Seed Library order is my first this year, although I've been sent some seeds from different friends around the country. One I'm really keen to try is a small packet of an old wheat variety.

Letters To Father Christmas

I've loved the children's letters to father Christmas every time they've sent them, and this year is no exception. 

Our eldest has asked for a sewing machine, she is sewing obsessed at the moment.

Our middle child has asked for a toy robot and a pirate map.

And the youngest has asked for two toy whales (to go with the one he has) and a bubble gum dinosaur (a weird toy for about a pound he saw in a shop a while ago).

To have such simple wants in life is lovely.