Total Panic

I must have aged at least ten years last night. Sam went out to an event connected to his youth group, he left the house at about 5pm and everything seemed fine. He was getting a lift home with a friend and was due back at about 9pm but he didn't turn up. Robbie got increasingly worried and kept trying to call Sam, but he didn't answer his phone or reply to texts. Robbie rang me as soon as I left work, I was so worried, I tried to ring him but he didn't answer my calls either, so I drove around looking for him just in case he had wandered off after being dropped off. By nearly 11pm I was terrified, I went home to pick Robbie up so that we could go back and have another look at the church, it seemed to be in darkness but perhaps there was still someone there. I tried yet again to call Sam and this time he answered, he was on his way home, I was so relieved. He had turned his phone on to silent and lost track of the time, so he had no idea that we would be worried. His first question when he got home was "Am I grounded?"

After that episode we both needed a bit of time to unwind. Robbie sat in the corner with his headphones on listening to loud music on his laptop. I glanced across at him and almost burst out laughing, he was nodding his head and opening and closing his mouth he looked like a fish version of a nodding dog!

A New Career Option 27.09.2007

After our meal yesterday we settled down to a quiet family evening, I hoped for pleasant conversation and perhaps to hear a little about Robbie's day. Instead he parked himself at the table with his laptop, his new noise reducing headphones in his ears and his head was bobbing up and down like a nodding dog. There are times when words simply will not do, but my best Paddington Bear stare seemed to get the message across eloquently. He realised that he was required to take a more active part in proceedings, and when he thought I hadn't noticed, the music went off and the headphones were no longer evident. Shortly afterwards Robbie embarked on one of his 'did you know' conversations and my heart sank. For the next hour of so he told me all about the alterations to the December 08 train timetable for the route he travels on. I'm not sure if I can cope with that level of excitement!

I hear that the National Rail Enquiry service is being slated in a survey published today, apparently a large percentage of the information they provide is inaccurate. They didn't need a survey, I could have told them that for free. Maybe Robbie should set up an independent rail enquiry service, it would be far more accurate and there would be a free offer included - a guaranteed cure for insomnia!