Funny how just going for it in life can put you on a sort of high. I am enjoying my job, getting into songwriting because that is the only way forward with regard to playing professionally and coming to the end of my adviser role with my lads education which I must admit is taking a load off my mind. I feel a lot more mentally relaxed now and I did not know really until recently just how determined I was in the nicest and most intelligent sort of way, because force does not work, that my two children would optimise the abilities that they have. Job done I think although like anything it could always be done better and I kick myself in the shin since I started thinking  like that because it really is: job done. Time to move on!

Miles my eldest finished his mathematics degree finals yesterday and on three out of four he thinks he has got over 80% and one of them 70% or above. He is applying for Masters courses next week with a good chance of getting on one of them and developing the mathematical skills to do a Ph.D. after that. He knows of course that even if he does a Masters and gets a Ph.D. it  still does not guarantee being a maths researcher because that takes that little bit extra luck  as well as talent.

Clifford's A-levels are going okay although I had to do a mega talk to the chappie about managing fear and not to worry about it because he cannot fail in the long run. If he blows it this year he does a handful of maths courses again next year  and then goes to university. I sometimes think the culture in this country of fear of failure is not too good and the kids should just be encouraged to do their best and accept failure which is inevitable in something or other but what is not inevitable is just sitting on your backside and not getting up and going again. Never give up thats what I say.

Fiona is definitely getting healthier and in a couple of weeks time we are going to hit the big hills and walk up them although we will not be doing the tops because we find them quite boring now  being into birds, plants and rocks. Clouds as well! I sometimes think outside of the sinusitis, she is just tired from 30 years of doing 60 to 70 hour weeks the last 16 of which have been very heavy indeed. Anyway, she is a grand lass and I love her to bits for her stoicism as well as determination.

Waffling done, time to see how my home-made pork burgers are doing and then we're going to watch a film called "Men of Honour" a film about the first black American Navy diver. I love watching these films which show the progress of racial unity one of the major foundations of achieving the unity between all human beings on the planet.