I know that the summer holiday is winding to a close.  Older daughter has less cricket matches (only 1 a weekend instead of two) and both pre-season rugby and hockey training have started for QT2.  But that has brought its own problems.  Firstly the worry about QT2 who is returning to sport after several months off with a broken elbow sustained playing rugby.  And who has to have entirely new protective armour and undershirt for rugby because those had to be cut off him to enable the doctor to replace his dislocated elbow and place it in a cast because it was broken!  Plus his broken hockey boots (fetchingly held together with duct tape) really need replacing.  Let alone he probably needs new rugby boots (“grown out of them” – translates to “not the cool type for this season”) and definitely new school shoes (holes in the bottom).

Incidentally do all teenage boys play football on concrete playgrounds in their proper shoes?  His pairs last from a few weeks to 2 terms for the last pair (that’s excellent,  going to try to get the same ones again).

Then older daughter needs a new hockey stick and new boots.  Again the boots are talking to you (ends separated and flapping) and the stick is actually broken.  So unavoidable replacement.  Especially as she plays for both her Uni and a local side on the South Coast during the season ie for the next one and a half terms.

QT2 spends most of the next two terms juggling the rugby and hockey.  Hockey age group games clash with his rugby matches (Sundays).  So rugby takes precedence but occasionally he can persuade his Dad/the rugby coach to let him play in vital youth hockey games.  And his hockey team have been to the National finals twice in the past few years.  On Saturdays he plays for a mens’ hockey team (unless it clashes with attending at Leicester Tigers games which we support).    I suppose I should be grateful for the hectic attempts to juggle his sports in the winter because this summer (up until the aforementioned trainings started) he has hardly done anything at all except lie in his bed watching You Tube on his phone (or on the computer before I restricted his time using parental controls yay I won that round) or play FIFA or GTA on the X Box.  Usually he would have been playing cricket but the damaged arm kiboshed that.  He has got so lazy he doesn’t even have breakfast until 12 noon.  Not sure how he’s going to manage when they go back to school in just over 2 1/2 weeks time!

Girding my loins already…