Spent the last month or so getting the balance of my life right. Definatly a case of trying to do too much and getting stressed about things. Lots of little ‘projects’ and niggles have been axed so I can concentrate on what is really important.

The garden has taken a hammering. It was getting far too overgrown, due to my laziness and being busy elsewhere. Initially got a local gardener, a move initiated by Rach that I was never too happy with (male ego), but he seems to have given up on us during the recent wet spell. So when the sun has shined recently out I’ve gone to clear the jungle. Nearly there, just the big shrubs/trees at the back too do. Chuffed at this but somewhat unhealthly obsessed by the quality of my back lawn. So in short: Gardening is the New Metal and Alan Tichmarsh RAWWK!

Rach and Eve are doing well. Rach is enjoying being a mum overall, but sometimes the tiredness and boredom does get to her. Eve is growing at an amazing rate. I was aware children do this, but to see it happen! She has well and truely got the hang of smiling, and also does this cute snuggling thing too.

Work has been a bit strange and stressful of late to say the least. Not going to go into specifics but we are going through a departmental reorganisation, although disorganisation is closer to the mark. Its all a cost cutting exercise, since the geniuses who run Manchester University (my work) delieratly went £20m into debit two years ago when UMIST merged with them to recruit more researchers/academic staff and build new shiney buildings, on the basis that they could sell the old UMIST buildings (which they can’t since no one wants prime city centre real estate riddled with ASBESTOS!!!) and make cuts in Academic support (us plebs) later. So now we are having to shoulder a 20% cut! Most of this meant to be coming out of staff savings, but since the Unions have tied the Uni’s hands behind their back by saying there should be no manadatory redunancies they are doing this by letting us all apply for Voluntary severance. Which I have since I’m fed up with the nonsense this place comes out with. Should be a giggle if I get it, but any way I’m on my way out. Definatly out of University type employment or any other public sector (been there done that, got hacked off), possibliy into private industry or possibly freelance/self employed. Uncertain times, watch this space [/rant over]

Steadily getting on with my various RPG writing projects. First draft of Monkey preview edition will be done by the end of the month. Just bought 2nd Ed warhammer Fantasy Roleplay for a bit of fun after my current HQ campaign winds up and I’ll be entering Black Industies 2007 Scenario competition. Also been playing with Ancient world lifepaths (ala RQ3 ) for Burning Wheel and must really finish off Enemy at the Burning Gates for inclusion in the Furnace Con book. Talking of which Furnace is exactly 3 months away!!

So despite work being a bit funny and the weather being a bit crap, I’m having a fun summer so far!

Without wanting to sound soppy or daft, life with our newborn daughter Eve is truely amazing. Hard at times, but I wouldn’t change anything for the world at this moment in time.

However working with change is a big part of life now. And its not optional. This picture of me and Eve was taken three weeks ago and she is now double the size. Life very much revolves around her and her sleep and feeding times and she is evolving all the time. This weekend she’s started to react to thinks around her. Shes also learnt how to smile, not quite at will yet but when that time comes both me and Rach are doomed to a life of being sticky puddles of obedient joy wrapped round her little finger.  She’s already grown out of many of her newborn clothes and is begining to fill her moses basket.

Thoughts of going down the pub on a friday are now a distant memory. In many ways I’ve done alot of growning up in the last month or so. I’ve become more calm and decisive. Things get done because they have to. While technically on paper I have less time to myself I now enjoy it more and its more productive. My Monkey RPG stands a better chance of getting finished this year because I only can work on it when both Rach and Eve are asleep.

I had a great Father’s day yesterday, and really felt appreciated which sometimes over the last six weeks I haven’t. All that carrying and lifting paid off with a new beer tankard and a couple of real ales to go in it 🙂

In other news. The first stone has been cast in escaping the glass house that is my current job. I put in for a job with a company just down the road in Rochdale. No idea whether I’ll get it (lets just say its a huge level above me) but its got me off my arse and got me to write my CV.

Also my Mother is moving down from Northumberland this Friday, to be nearer to us. Her new house is a short bus ride away so that will be nice. My brother George (

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) and father are helping her move, so there will be a sudden influx of Newports at the Half-Way House (my local) at the end of this week, enjoying a much deserved post move pint and meal.

Had a big happy shock yesterday. Rach was let out of hospital a day early!!! So back in the land of sleepless nights, since Eve didn’t settle at all last night, but very happy they are both back home.  Rach is under doctor’s orders to take it very very easy, and me and her mother are going to make sure that she does, despite her active nature. To give you a sense of how ill she’s been her HB (Hemoglobin count basically) dropped to 5 (12+ is normal) and she was on two types of Intravenous antibotics for 48 hours with 4 units of blood.

This afternoon I head out through the wind and the rain to the Register’s office in Oldham, to make Big Brother aware of young Eve’s existence.

Caught up with a few recent films last tonight.

300 what a horrible, horrible film. The best thing I can say about it was that it exhumed the corpse of Kirk Douglas (circa The Vikings) pumped it full of steroids and cloned it about 300 times, poured on a ton of bad CGI and filmed it all in ORANGE.

The Curse of the Golden Flower By the same director as Hero (which I love) and The House of Flying Daggers (which I’m less keen on). Totally loved it, but be warned its not a martial arts movie but instead being a slow burning Family Drama, admittedly with some awesome mass battle scenes. Liked it alot because it brought to life the Tang Empire, which I’m currently reading about. Without some knowledge of Chinese culture and philosophy it might be a bit hard to get.

Our Rach is back at Royal Oldham Hospital, since her C-section wound has got infected. Now this truly takes the whole “everything that could go wrong with this pregnacy has” to the limit. Her and the very healthy Evelyn will probably be in the hospital until Saturday.  I will be making multiple trips , using Grandma Taxi, to visit.

Rach is dealing with this with her usual good humour, but it has rather shaken me. The house feels very empty without them, and we were just getting settled into a nice routine. I’m also quite upset that I won’t be there to look after the both of them. While the staff at the hospital can look after her medical needs, no one does hugs quite as good as me.

Must however start looking at the positives. I’ll be able to get the house well and truly sorted as well as do abit of writing and preparation to go back to work (which after two weeks off will be like landing on the mars!).

Well I’m still alive, just. Baby Evelyn Rose is thriving, but keeping mother Rachel up at night. I usually get woken up at about 3 to sit with her for an hour or two to allow Rach who has been breat feeding for 4 hours on and off some kip. Good job babies love sci-fi (it was Firefly last night).

Despite the tiredness and the realisation life is not exactly our own at the moment, serveral posistive things have happened recently.

All the Newport clan have been to visit and think see is very pretty, as does it seems does the rest of the world. Uncle George was first to come up a week gone last Friday to wet the babies head with me. We had a mini pub crawl round my neck off the woods and it was a nice break for me. Mum was next mid week and Dad came up this weekend just gone.

We’ve been out of the house using the ‘assault vechicle’ (which is my current nickname for the mechanco set that is the baby pram/car seat) first for a gentle walk down Tandle Hill Road and yesterday for a quick trip to the local gardening centre (which ER slept all the way through).

Since ER and Rach have sleeps through the day (although we hope at some point ER will settle down during the night) as well as the house chores I’ve got a fair bit of RPG writing done for my projects. I’m also reading the complete Conan Chronicles by Robert E Howard for the first time. So I haven’t ceased to exist as a person 😉

This week we plan to get the house even more sorted, which hopefully will see the ‘office’ finally clear of all the other bits that have been dumped there over the last 6 months.