And to think that at least two people I read are now blogging ‘every day in May’. It’s now May bank holiday and I still have to write about Easter, when Cat and Josh stayed over at The House of The Selves Selfs and Cat masterminded an incredible Sunday roast.

But my excuse for this laxness is my shuttling between London and Chicago for work, which (I am fairly sure) concludes with a final trip next week. There’s something rather nice about being in a city as a non-tourist, even though you see much less of all the touristy things, and obviously most residents don’t spend their nights in a downtown hotel room. So instead of impressive skyscrapers and Lake Michigan and all of that, I’ll illustrate Chicago with their elevated metro system – the L (get it?) – which is both Not As Good As The Underground (obviously) and pretty impressive in its own right:

Oh, and obviously the fact that on my first visit I met up with Jamie!

I actually had my first trip delayed by a day in order to go see The Book of Mormon, which is a strange thing to bring up in an email thread but well worth holding out for. This was my very belated Christmas present delivery to Cat and Josh, and it was – basically – super awesome. Biting and funny but with a surprisingly warm and feelgood ending, and songs that I’ve been listening to slightly too often ever since.

Also in April: a family afternoon on Knettishall Heath (who knew it had a silent K?) with Julie, Kieron and Daisy, a visit from Daryl with the requisite Indian takeaway, and this blog’s birthday At 9 years old, this means it’s reached the next level of child development:

Children of this age develop a sense of self and find it important to gain social acceptance and experience achievement. Friends become increasingly important. Secret codes, shared word meanings and made up languages, passwords and elaborate rituals are important ways to strengthen the bonds of friendship. Close friends are almost always of the same sex, although children in this age group are usually increasingly interested in peers of the opposite sex.

Be prepared to use all your “patience” skills if caring for children this age, as they tend to think that they do not need any adult care or supervision. Yet, when they are left to care for themselves, they are lonely, unhappy, and sometimes frightened.

Secret codes and elaborate rituals, eh?

Pop pop.

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