I started blogging a long time ago, only stopping to move house and rebuild our lives following escaping our tragic old neighbours from hell … maybe I’ll let y’all know about that someday. In the meantime however, here’s where it all bagan … sahd beginnings?!
The end of my old life and the beginning of my new life - Welcome to the first archive, where it all began…
Homedadding - 9 Days to go
Wednesday, 28th September 2005
It is one of the weirdest things I have had to do in a long time. Interviewing for your own job, a job you would in one breath highly recommend as a career maker (or breaker) for a young upstart and then thoroughly condemn for being a rogues den.
Part of me aches for the poor sot who has to, not so much take up where I have left off, as pick up the pieces from whence I have discarded them! Thanks to having being completely overwhelmed by the workload and unsupported in the execution too many areas have been neglected and require serious attention.
Be it basic training here, or policy developments there I am pretty glad to be getting out of it – but also bitterly disappointed that somebody else is going to have to clean up the mess I could never quite get on top of…
Such is life in a small business which, without a serious injection of professional management is likely to implode as the founding members founder and leave and the remaining become embittered by the waning of their power base.
I have always considered myself to be a professional (despite my numerous failings!), more a mind set than a qualification – although the education does help it is not essential. And even as a homedad I think I will continue to consider myself as something of a professional, I’ll certainly be aiming to retain my chartered membership of the CIPD (the HR professionals equivalent of chartered accountancy).
Not that this will make me any better as a father and my focus in the next few years will be my first born boy, David, and those that follow – the mrs being pregnant with the next one already – still that’s a while off yet, not actually being due until May 2006.
Day 5 in the homedadding house
Friday, 21st October 2005
Haven’t written anything in a wee while due to redecorating for a week then spending the last five days in my new role of homedaddy. Still, it hasn’t gone to badly, the little’un’s had his moments and it was a bit of the nightmare this morning, but it sure as hell beats working.
I’ve got to say the highlight of the week has been kicking back and relaxing in the park, kicking leaves about and going down the slide, now there’s something I’ve not done in a few years, weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! Also getting cuddles and being called daddy by your doting son is way better than getting grief at work…
The low light of the week is probably best described by reading the following quote from homedad.org.uk that I posted on Tuesday 18th October:
hi y’all,
just spent the last two days discovering how ignorant some bloody folks are:
Yesterday, came out of childrens play area with the littl’un only to discover that he had stood in some s**t , not only that the little soul was worn out and wanted to be carried as he had just worn himself out
Then today I thought I would take the nipper and my own dog down to the shops to get a few bits n’ bobs. fine so far. On arriving I duly tie the dog up out of the way so as to cause no harm or fright to the mild mannered shoppers (the dogs a timid soul and would be stressed by too many folks!!). On leaving the shop I discover a manky weegie (to pick up a topic from an earlier thread) with his mangy mut and the guys dog is pissing on my f**king dogs lead
Funnily enough I challanged the f**k-wit who only bloody denies that it was his dog and scuttles away - not being a violent person I let him go on his way - in my younger days though …
The little gobs***e then seemed to circle the car park and follow me out and up the secluded path - what can you do with a two year old in tow, other than lift the little blighter (against his wishes), make out like everything is OK, and walk quickly and calmly to a busier area…
Just for the record I actually really like dogs (always had dog/s) but some people just shouldn’t be allowed to keep them, in fact I’d go one further and have the b****ds shot!! In fact have them scented up as foxes and keep working dogs in business whilst preventing the inhumane … maybe that’s for another thread at another time…
I’m off for a nother cuppa whilst the littl’uns resting his weary eyes.
Yes, well interestingly they laughed too when they read it and so did the mrs!!
Day 6 in the homedadding house
Saturday, 22nd October
The last of the winter toddler essentials have finally been purchased, after much searching, yes, a pair of kiddies wellys so that the wee man can enjoy the joys of jumping in puddles without his old man (that’d be me then) giving it, “no no you’ll get your feet wet!!”
I do have tomorrow off, as I’m away up a mountain (Ben Lawers, up by Loch Tay) for the first time in donkeys - should be good but we’ll see what the weather’s like, in the meantime the mrs gets to spend some quality time without the dog pottering around looking for love…
Day 8 in the homedadding house
Monday, 24th October 2005
Following my mammoth expedition up a big hill yesterday I’m feeling somewhat worse for wear, although the frost bite is easing off now the dog is still suffering!! All this means, however, is that I have to look after my wonderful child whilst feeling the pains of hill walking. Fortunately the little dude has been pretty good today. This morning we made play-dough (cool!) and then made houses and snakes and people and stuff out of it. Making pretend food probably wasn’t the brightest idea as the little’un and the dog both tried to eat it!!
At least the boy had the good sense to spit it out when it tasted minging, I have clearly over estimated my dog’s mental capabilities though as she proceeded to eat a big chunk before spending the afternoon vomiting…grrrrrrrrr!
In the afternoon the boy (who finally was awoken from his afternoon nap at about 3.15pm) and I went to get the messages - a great practical thing to do which not only gets you out of the house, provides some level of adult interaction (kind of!) and refills the larder. I’m fortunate that the boy is really well behaved, doesn’t try to eat everything and understands that we have to pay for things before we can do anything with them. More than can be said for some of the folks I see out there…
…weins running riot eating and drinking the contents of the shop and generally being little buggers, I love kids really, so long as they behave themselves and the bleedin’ parents take some sort of responsibility for them. If your one of those parents who don’t even try to control your children or instill discipline, then a pox on you (or to be topical, an avian bird flu on you!).
Day 9 in the homedadding house
Tuesday, 25th October 2005
Finally had the opportunity to try out the wee man’s new wellys boots, well he did, with a trip to the park during the brief spell of dry (and then not so dry) weather. Much splashing in puddles was partaken in by not only the boy, but also me and the dog - now there’s something I’ve not done since I was, well, a child - cooooooool.
Regrettably we got caught in, not so much a shower, as a torrential downpour / sheet of water which came out of nowhere, you know the way - clear blue sky’s one minute, dark ominous clouds the next accompanied by the obligatory drenching. The boy, who was organised by me, had his raincoat on and was well covered for every eventuality, I on the other hand had neglected to prepare myself at all, for any eventuality and was out in a light summer coat - doh!
Once again the house has been ‘randomly’ selected by the office for national statistics and the blokey was around to find out how much of a dump we live in so that the Scottish Executive can screw the EU for some more European Social Funding (ESF) - I can only imagine that this is to build some social housing that the Tory bast… sorry I mean government sold off under the reign of the wicked witch that is, no sorry I can’t bring myself to write her name…
Anyway the adult conversation made a change from wibbly ‘bloody’ pig and his beanstalk adventures (as amusing as they are), although I was a bit out of my depth when he started asking about income (I’m a homedad i don’t have one, unless you count the pocket money the mrs gives me 
. Apparently we also have bills to pay and council tax too - I promptly made up some exorbitant figures in the hope of aiding the Scottish Executive securing some of that EU cash.
Day 10 in the homedadding house
Wednesday, 26th October 2005
Ah yes the joys of painting with your fingers (and hands and arms more generally), yet another activity I have not partaken in since I was but a little lad, accompanied with the sticky food art, not a bad day all in. The little’un even managed to get himself out in the garden despite the foul weather, playing in a sand pit in the rain - oh how we laughed!
Hi, I work for Scotland on Sunday and have been asked to write a piece on being a stay-at-home dad (because Brian Ashcroft is giving up work to look after the twins and allow Wendy Alexander to pursue her political career). It would be great to talk to you about your experiences; the highs and lows etc. I know it’s difficult to spare time when you’re looking after children, but I’d be grateful even for a short chat. I’m on (0141) 236 6458 or (0790 
906977. Thanks, Dani Garavelli
By: Dani Garavelli on 6 September, 2007
at 3:37 pm
