Categories: uncategorized
Date: 30 December 2008 13:03:16
I shall try over the next few days to put together a general email to send to anyone who'd like an update on how things are going. If that means you, then just let me know - it's so much easier than keeping track or feeling I'm moaning on at people who'd rather I just didn't.
Christmas without my boy was hard, but we managed to enjoy it thoroughly. In some ways it maybe took a stress off, not having two boys vying for attention, but the circumstances of that meant that I'd rather have had the stress, I guess. Eldest son spent most of the Christmas days in bed and watching TV - it's rather like an ordinary weekend day in the YOI, apart from having Christmas Dinner which he declared as "rather a good dinner, actually". He had plenty of Christmas cards but sadly didn't get any of his presents which would seem to have gone astray somehow. I hope they do reach him soon and I don't have to chase up everything we sent in. He has to wait until Fridays to access his property anyway.
He was clearly low - I'd have been concerned if he hadn't been - but he rang us each day and chatted gaily about how our Christmas was going, requesting copious photographs which I'm putting in the post today. He's still on a lower behaviour rung and waiting to be moved back - that was hard, this Christmas, as one of the main privileges which is withdrawn is the right to ring me from his room instead of from the noisy association hall - an experience which I hate as the background noise is very unpleasant with people shouting and kicking their metal doors repeatedly and shouting abuse as they pass. I'd almost rather he didn't ring, but I long so much to hear his voice. Still, he's behaving well so he should soon be back to gold - he only lost it for not emptying his waste bin!
Now we live in limbo. Sentencing may well be postponed, but we may not know that until the day. How do you make plans when that's such a big unknown hanging over the diary? There is some good news, and some bad news, to put in an update email. But thank God (literally, I mean) that this Christmas proved a restful sanctuary when all worries and concerns could be put on one side and we could focus on the truth of what Christmas really means.
The other update, mind, is that through lack of exercise and slightly too many goodies (though I tried to be fairly good), I have returned to my start weight. AAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!