Update

Can't think of a snappier title than that at the moment, though it may change later.

Well, we've just got through Easter - very early this year and I think that the formula worked out by the Alexandrian or Coptic church in the 5th Century - the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox doesn't suit the modern age!

This year, it has been a particularly busy time with Christine's Mum finally moving out of the family home - a three story house is a bit large for one person! At present, she is staying with Christine's brother as she has yet to buy somewhere new, however she has been out and about to look, at this stage, localities and the type and cost of properties and it seems an area to the west of Wigan, - Orrell, is favourite at the moment.

However, our house is now full of 'stuff' and I've no idea where it is all going to go. I'm leaving it very much to Christine to sort out as much of it includes memories of her Dad which are important.

Jayne has had a pretty nasty bug which has kept her off school for the two weeks prior to Easter, and she still has a touch of catarrh. She spent that time with Grandparents - which, of course, she loved. However, she did pull her weight in helping her Nan to move out, and to all accounts, never stopped talking! However, it did give us time to re-decorate her room which turned out to be a bigger job than first thought as we had to replace all the plaster work. Anyway, it is now done and looks very nice - if a bit pink!

Next term is an important time for Jayne as she takes her Stage 2 SAT's and finally leaves Primary school to join her sister at Secondary school. A time of great pressure and change for our youngest.

Bethen is growing up all the time - very much the young lady at the moment, and being a teenage girl, driving me and Christine up the wall! However, she really is a lovely person - so everyone else tells us! She spent a week up in the Lakes with her long-time friend and her family. Seems she had a good time - I base that on the fact that when asked, her grunts and single word answers had a definite positive intonation. However, she did say that the tops of the fells were covered in snow which made them look really pretty - I wish I had been up there.

The ramifications of being made redundant from my last job are still making themselves felt. So far, I've not received a penny in redundancy as no-one is taking responsibility for it and so we are going to an Employment Tribunal to sort it out. Could be another two to three months before it's sorted, so my new bike is having to wait a little longer. It really is a pain in the neck!

However, last night I met up with a number of people from the old job. My colleague and friend got married and we all met up at the party afterwards. Most people have managed to get new employment and are settling down to a new chapter in their lives, others are about to start and were looking particularly nervous about it. However, the overriding feeling seemed to be one of relief that the old company was finally dead and buried. We all had a great time, and we've set ourselves up as a group on one of the social networking sites so hopefully we'll be able to keep in touch.

Spring is now with us and I am looking forward to some decent weather as so far most weekends have been a bit of a washout (literally) and I've not been able to get out and about much. Our local canal has yet to feel the passing of my cycle tyres and must be feeling a little neglected. Our local hill, Rivington Pike and Winter Hill, has not faired much better with only a couple of half-decent walks in the past couple of months. I'm really getting serious itchy feet.

The weather has been awful - strong winds and lots of rain, very depressing and the garden is also looking a bit bedraggled. Something I'm going to have to turn my attention to shortly.

Next weekend, we are going to a Flickr Wirral meet - the third one so far. True to form, the meeting will take place in a pub, this time the Wheatsheaf Inn in Raby followed by a wander down to Ness Gardens if the weather is OK, otherwise, we'll have to stay in the pub and drink more beer. The Flickr Wirral group has to be one of the most active, anarchic and fun groups on the site. Whenever a discussion group starts, there is no way it will ever stay on topic for very long. I feel it reflects the innate Wirralian personality. When you live on a peninsula it is very easy to ignore the rest of the world and develop your own style and life.

Not much else to say at the moment. Still very busy at work with a lot to learn, but I feel I'm getting a handle on it now. When I get home, I'm very tired and ready to just flop and chill out. Hopefully, with the longer days, I'll be a little more active.