Breaking Dad

Rosie Waide (the daughters) post

Well, here in Cornwall it is supposed to be very rainy, and I mean VERY rainy. But today it is quite summery, nice weather, I am still in pyjamas, being very lazy,(as usual).

Me and my dad are supposed to go kayaking, but I am grumpy as you may know so we’ll see how that goes .My dad said this morning I wasn’t allowed to go on the TV, yet let me on his phone AND the LAPTOP!!! #badparenting …

The savage loves his native shore, though rude the soil and chill the air; Then well may Erin’s sons adore, their isle that nature formed so fair. From The Irishman by James Orr, Ballycarry.  I haven’t mentioned it before so I thought I’d share the fact that, although I now live in Cornwall, I’m actually a native of the north of Ireland. A small village called Ballycarry to be precise. It’s a…

The savage loves his native shore, though rude the soil and chill the air. Then long may Erin’s sons adore, the land that nature formed so fair. The first part of The Irishman by James Orr, Ballycarry. I don’t think I’ve mentioned on here before that I’m originally from Ballycarry, Northern Ireland.  I left home in 2003 at 20 to join the navy, came to Cornwall on my first posting after basic, and…

Co-Parenting Tip #1 – Communicate

When I think about what it takes to make Co-Parenting successful, a few things spring to mind – mutual respect; consistency; sharing responsibility; sensitivity; communication. And its the last one that has become an issue in my world over the last year. I haven’t felt that I have been receiving the communication I deserve from my ex wife over certain issues lately which was really getting me…

We had a little issue recently when I suggested to Rosie that we might not have time to do her school reading homework one. She became extremely upset at the idea, crying her eyes out and saying that she “would be punished at school.” From a kid who has always been so happy at school, doing extra work at home out of choice and last year writing a lovely note to her teacher saying how much she…

It was great to get back in the water this evening, catching waves for the first time in weeks. It hasn’t been a great year for surf here, and as it’s been a sort of therapy for me over the last few years, helping relieve stress and anxiety, I’ve really missed it. Watching the sun set in between catching waves – there’s nothing like it! This evening was an absolute beaut though. I sometimes take…

Today was another gloomy and rainy day, but I really fancied going for a bit of a walk and picking some sloe and blackberries. We might also get some mussels if I could get round to the spot at low tide that I’d normally kayak to at high water. So with the rain falling steadily, water proofs on and window wipers going full, we headed down to Frenchman’s Creek at about 9am. The rain was continuous…

Some Camomile ready for making a nice tea :)

Camomile is extremely easy to grow over the summer. Trust me, if I can anyone can!! And only a small patch can yield lots of flowers.

Remove the flower heads from the stem and leave them out to dry naturally for about three or four days. I spread mine out on a baking tray and by the back window where they get a fair bit of sun and air.

Then, you can store them in a kilner jar to use when you are ready.

Stick a teaapoon of flower heads in a mug, pour in boiling water and wait! Give it about ten minutes then enjoy your tea :) I use a mug with a little filter on it that removes all the bits once its brewed.

Camomile tea has many health benefits including easing of insomnia and associated anxiety and depression, and boosts the immune system. There are also recipes online to make camomile skin lotions etc.

Possibly too late to start this year, damn it! I’ll post this again next spring!!

Please stop telling my daughter how beautiful she is!!!

Ok, maybe I’m being a little over sensitive, but I’m sick of my kid having the usual gender stereotypes forced upon her. After posting this picture on facebook of her first day back at school I received a message stating how great her hair looked.

Thanks. But I’m more interested in the fact that she’s getting back in the classroom. Am I being ungrateful of a well meaning compliment?

This was just the latest in a string of things though. It’s a constant cycle of shit, such as birthday presents being pink glittery crap or comments like “oh, don’t be doing that, girls don’t watch star wars, thats for boys.”

Really??? Well my girl does so fuck you.

If she wants to play princesses, cool. If she wants to climb a tree or watch star wars, thats cool too. Just let her figure out what she likes / doesn’t like through experience, in her own time.

Cheers