Hockey

Last weekend we took a break from decorating and went to watch my nephew Will play hockey against a local team. He's pretty serious about it and this was a men's team. He's 14.

Alastair kept a low profile - wasn't sure about it all, whereas Gregor wanted to be indulged at every turn.

Which Will was happy to do.

One of the down sides of being a goalie is the amount of kit you have to lug around but Gregor soon turned this to his advantage. Desperate to get his hands on that mask again.

I took Will back to Ipswich later that day and us and his sister Allie went to the theatre that evening to see Birmingham Rep's version of At the Gates of Gaza, about West Indian soldiers during the first World War. While he was getting showered Alastair and I popped round to see Ann and Colin, our neighbours who have opened a B&B in the house where Benjamin Britten was born.

Alastair was trying to persuade Ann that he needed the spade indoors.