Tevez for City

I have it on very good authority that Tevez will sign for Manchester City after Friday this week.    If I tell you how I know, I guess I’d have to kill you.  Watch this space.

How does he know that?

Got in late from work.  Popped into Manchester Town Hall tonight for the final Many Hands Campaign event (part of the New Children’s Hospital Appeal) and then went onto the opening party of the new Pinsent Masons office at 3 Hardman Street in Spinningfields (Manchester’s newest business district.). Great canapes!

When I got home, I managed to catch Natan before he went to sleep.  I went in to give him a cuddle and we had our nightly chat.  After reciting the days of the week and the months of the year to me, (And then to his grandpa and then to his uncle on the phone – come on, I had to show off a bit didn’t I?!  He would have shared with both his aunts and his grandma too, but I couldn’t get through to them!) we chatted about his day.  Such special times.  He is changing so much and he is so perceptive.

Today on the way to nursery when we drove past a new development of houses and he said:

“Mummy, they are building more houses because there aren’t enough houses for people to live in so they need to build more so there are plenty of houses.”

Just how does he come up with that?

Where were you when Michael Jackson died?

That will be the question asked around the world over the coming days, months, years.

Whether you loved him or hated him, he was a legend, an icon, one of the most famous men on the planet.

It’s strange when someone so familiar, but that you’ve never met dies.  You feel like you knew them, but you didn’t really.

Where was I when Michael Jackson died?  Updating Facebook and Twitter at home after a long day at work.  The rumours flew around the social networking sites.  “He’s dead.” “He’s in a coma.” “No wait, he’s dead.” “Nope, in a coma.”

Well he is dead.  One of the greatest icons of all time – loved by millions, hated by the same.  Few led such colourful and bizarre lives.  He sold a quarter of a billion albums worldwide – not sure anyone will ever be able to claim that again.

RIP Michael Jackson.  Somehow things will never be quite the same.

Mummy, I want a TV in my room

“Mummy, I want a TV in my room.”

(He’s only 3 and 1/2 but we’ve had this before.)

“No darling, children don’t have TVs in their rooms.”

“When I’m a daddy, can I have a TV in my room?”

“Yes, of course. When will you be a daddy?”

“Ummm, when I am 13,  ummm, no when I’m 5.”

“What would you do with a TV in your room anyway?”

“Watch it mummy.”

“Right… ummm, of course you would. Well you’re not having a TV in your room.”

Happy Anniversary Mum & Dad

My mum and dad have been married 50 years today.  Congratulations to them both.

An impressive milestone indeed and an example to us all.

We had a lovely party for them today with celebratory speeches.  Special times indeed.

Where do babies come from?

We saw some friends today that we’ve not seen for far too long.  It’s great catching up and seeing how each others kids are growing up.

We met Gray and Louise’s newborn twins for the first time.  Natan was highly impressed with them both.  He wanted to hold them and to calm them when they cried – very very cute.

When we left, Natan announced that he would like a baby of his own, at our house.  “A boy please mummy. Where do we get one?”

905 Miles in the Saddle

Our good friend, Paul Carruthers, is currently training  for “905milesinthesaddle” – cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats in September. He is raising money for two great charities.

You can keep up with him here.  Please support him here.

Big Chip 11

Me & Terry Christian at Big Chip Awards

Thursday night was the 11th Annual Big Chip Awards.

The creme of the North’s digital community gathered at the Palace Hotel in Manchester to celebrate the best.  It was a great night and much fun was had by all.

Many of us twittered the night away, as you’d expect from the audience in attendance.

I was very proud to be associated with it.  Well done to the Out There Events Ops team.

I met Terry Christian, one of the only people more Manc than my husband.

I probably had too much to drink and suffered for it in Friday morning’s Board meeting.

My favourite thank you message received the next day from a person who shall remain nameless was:

“Thanks for a great night. Just had to pull car over to be sick out of the door.”

Nice.

My mum – an MBE

This morning I awoke to the news that my mother has been awarded an MBE for services to the community of Greater Manchester.  She has known since her letter came two weeks ago, but has kept it a secret until the lists were published today.

On hearing the news over the phone, I broke down in tears. (My husband, not hearing the other end of the conversation, thought someone had died and was quite relieved when I relayed the news!)

I make no apology for my reaction. I am very proud of my mum.  She is a true example to us all.  Throughout her life she has been dedicated to making the lives of others better without asking for or expecting anything in return.  There are not many people like that.  The lives of those she has touched are better for it and no one deserves this recognition more than she does.

In my business life, I am often at meetings or events when the question is posed; “What will your legacy be?”.  My mother’s legacy is plain for all to see.  I am still grappling with mine.

Well done mum.  I am very proud to be your daughter. (And looking forward to my day at the Palace of course!)

The worst fear of a working mum

Anyone hearing today’s news about Vanessa George, the nursery worker charged with sexual assault, will have been disgusted and shocked at the story and followed developments in disbelief.

Any mother or father who, like me, has ever trustingly dropped a child at nursery each morning in the care of others and waved them off with a squeeze and a wave, will find the news too awful to contemplate.

After all, child abusers wouldn’t pass the checks needed to work in nurseries, would they?

After all, child abusers don’t look like Vanessa George, a cheerful regular-looking 39-year-old mother of 2, do they?

Evidently they would.

Evidently they do.

It’s the unthinkable, the unbelievable, the unimagineable.  The worst fear of any working parent.

And, if I’m honest, and I think you will understand, that it will cross my mind when I drop my little one at nursery tomorrow.  I know that’s not rational, but this is not exactly a rational situation.