Our baby

I don't want our daughter, or her older siblings, growing up thinking that they are somehow less special or important than other people. I don't want them growing up thinking some people somehow deserve more through birth. It's nonsense.

Today the world, the British public, media and social networks have gone bonkers with news of a royal birth.

I've stayed away from the TV all day but am now sitting in front of the 10 o'clock news and it's making me feel a bit queasy and rather cross. Royalty is made up. I wish people would focus on the real people and not celebrity. There will have been thousands and thousands of babies born today. They are all of equal importance and what breaks my heart is that those who need and deserve the most attention will be getting the very least. I wish the best life and safe and happy future for every baby born today, and not one over any other.
I used to think of the royal family as a bit of a benign distraction - a bit of sparkly fun for those who needed a bit of celebrity interest in their otherwise dull lives. But now I see what an enormous waste of money they are and am concerned for people's obsession with them and inability to see things in perspective. They are not a benign construct, they are damaging, they are false.

If we want fairy stories there are plenty of them in books and films.


Today started off hot and sticky again. I was exhausted from insomnia again. But as the day went on a cool haze seeped over us as the temperature dropped by about 10 degrees. It was lovely. The lovely mellow yellow is very pretty but I think it's time for the parched ground to have a drink.

We have put Mondays aside as family days. Richard is working every other day of the week. But today I had to have another bash at the VAT return. It seems to be taking me a long time to get through it this quarter. So all good intentions for a day devoted to family went out of the window for me, and Richard took Tess and Gemma out without me. Joel went to Croyde to see some friends. I'm looking to next Monday now - hoping things turn out better.

This evening we walked the dog up the hill and Tess was her usual adventurous self
More photos here: Hay-hay, she's a monkey!
Then we got back and had our first barbecue of the summer - which ended up mostly being cooked in the oven.

I've turned the sound off the TV