With a bit of overlap with some of the photos from Gregory's 6th birthday, but there's method to my madness as this is Easter Sunday, which happened in 2020 to be the day after Gregory's birthday. But it's a completely separate event, of course, and there was therefore another wave of present opening in the lounge (you can still see Gregory's collection from the previous day in the background). Books and, of course, chocolate are the order of the day. (The Slime book may have been from Aunty Katie.)
A few days later, we are out in the garden looking like we're trying a science experiment for school - the classic dropping of Mentos in Coca Cola. My recollection of this, such as it is, is that it was a little underwhelming, and a far cry from the industrial-sized explosion from Wreck It Ralph.
Gregory seemingly found the contents of David Walliams Slime to be intense and shocking.
Things come thick and fast at this time of year, and before long it's Nana Sue's birthday. That isn't immediately obvious from the cover, referring to "your [sic] the Queen" (although Nana Sue does - or did at that time - share a birthday with Queen Elizabeth II). He does appear to have got hold of some Lego head stickers...
...which is more evident from the inside. There is less doubt as to the intentions here, ranking Nana Sue as the best Nana ever. No small achievement that, albeit a bit subjective.
Well, the forthcoming weekend was meant to feature my friend Rob's stag do (somewhere abroad - can't remember where), as well as the Schofields coming to stay to watch the Back To The Future show. What actually happened was the bed getting taking over by the kids at 7.30am on the Thursday. Not quite the same.
Naturally we filled the time with playing some cricket in the back garden. Gregory is starting to look ever more the part.
The next morning, Gregory is either trying to speak to the spirits or wondering why the sky is so blue and the weather so lovely (we were still continuing with the freakish good weather for lockdown, making gardens the most sought after feature forever more).
Later that day, and just because you can't see anyone any more doesn't mean you can't have fun. We've got the football nets, a sun-shielding tent with what seems like a towel cover, some plastic bits and bobs in a bucket, and the sprinkler. Less hassle than a paddling pool to set up but endless fun when the kids repeatedly run past it.
Sometimes when you need pizza, it's time for I Knead Pizza. We'd earned it after all that fun in the garden.
This is featured as it is one of the longest books I am aware of. I had ordered it for Gregory as the story of the "prequel trilogy", i.e. the ones written after but set before the original trilogy from the 1970s and 1980s. What I hadn't quite appreciated was it's aggregation into a single volume, which numbered well over 900 (but alas not quite 1,000) pages. It also featured much of the obtuse language of the Star Wars world which made it trickier to read (certainly out loud). We shared the load (parents and child), but eventually after many months we got through it.
It's May Day, everyone! Rather than seek out a Maypole, we instead head to the local park to practise some basketball with a netball. Who will catch this? We'll never find out. Perhaps neither.
With a lack of power, Gregory's tactic was, if I recall correctly, to crouch down and throw the ball underhand and upwards. Again, the tension as to whether this will go in the net is palpable.
I can't really explain this other than to note that it seems like Joe Wicks has started dressing up on his workout videos and encouraging children to duel with swords. Or lightsabers.
I can't see that this was something received for Easter, so this may be the very belated completion of a birthday present, but we're into May so I'm comfortable it doesn't belong on the previous page.
Later that day, we head to the garden for a fight to the death with lightsabers.
In what could be a microcosm of the madness of lockdown, Gregory thrashes around on the floor, perhaps playing some extravagant air guitar, or perhaps wondering when life will get back to normal.
Still on the same day, the kids perch on either arm of the armchair. My guess is that, with Lynne possibly holding a pad, we are playing one of Jason Manford's lockdown quizzes, which were good fun.
Perhaps a shower and some mirror admiration going on here. His hair is slicked down.
A couple of days later, and Gregory's hair is a bit less slciked down. They seem to be both sticking their tongues out at having received a magazine each. It's what passes for excitement at the moment.
I referred earlier to Gregory's attempts at getting through this 900+ page book, and here is the evidence. A bit of a way to go.
The nice weather must be continuing, as shown by Gregory tucking into a lemon-flavoured Calippo.
Whilst playing football with a small plastic ball, which almost looks deflated, Gregory gets into a great position for kicking the ball (I'm most impressed with my camera timing if I'm honest).
The next day, with the sun still shining, we are once again outside and enjoying some ice-based snackage. Also featuring: cricket set, my shadow, some chalk shapes and a lot of beer boxes ready for recycling. Pretty much the standard combination.
Whilst there isn't a lot to do, let it be said that it can be an extremely relaxing affair in the garden with the reclining chairs and a shady spot from the relentless sunshine (not that anyone was remotely complaining - it was a godsend).
A loving big sister lends her younger brother her cap and gives him a big cuddle.
And that will do for now.
A break for Christmas (in real life, not here) and I'm ready for some more action. In fact, it's my own birthday action. Here we have my birthday card from Gregory, with some drawings of chips and chicken tikka from Mumbai, our favourite local curry takeaway place at the time (it came under new owners a year or two ago (in early 2025) and has changed names twice in that period).
Thankfully it was a lovely day on my birthday so we went into the back garden to play cricket. It looks like Gregory has made good contact with an agricultural mow across the line.
I had taken the day off work to make the most of my lockdown birthday, so we headed to Platt Fields (I think). The overgrown field wasn't perfect for football but we gave it a go.
In keeping with the birthday card that Gregory did for me, we did in fact order a Mumbai takeaway for tea. Gregory seems to object to me taking a picture of him eating chicken tikka and chips (the so-called Mumbai chips were coated in a spicy seasoning and were a cut above your average chip) .
I'm not entirely sure what prompted this roar from Gregory but it's pretty scary nevertheless.
In Things To Do During Lockdown Part 342, Gregory pays close attention to what appears to be some pretty meticulous colouring. This is actually the Whitsun bank holiday Monday, but who's counting?
The sunny weather continued into late May, so outdoor lunches became the norm. He is tucking into boiled egg and toasted soldiers, accompanied by some olives and cheese slices (I'm guessing gouda, as he used to have the sliced gouda a lot).
Continuing the theme of things to do in lockdown, I set up the snooker table, which was a joint birthday present to Matt and me in the early-to-mid-1990s. Gregory hasn't quite got the hang of what to aim for yet it seems.
Ah, that's better. Despite being of a decent height to get right behind the ball, he is playing upright with a raised cue, although that in part might be due to my Boardman CX bike leaning against the wall. (Obstacles are a feature of playing snooker in the outhouse.)
Later that day, I fire up the barbecue, having cleared away some of the fun things to the right, although the sandpit is still out. While Gregory waits for the food to be cooked, he makes do with a tube of Pringles. A fitting way to end the bank holiday Monday.
On the Friday, I take a half-day holiday (why not, it's sunny) and we get some takeaway pizza from Domino's. Obviously these pages always make us seem like we have an unhealthy diet, but you don't see all the really, um, healthy meals that we have in between. Anyway, Friday night pizza in the garden is a great idea.
Satiated with pizza, it's time to get the tunes out, which Gregory obviously appreciates (evidence of some sprinkler action in the background, and an abandoned croc).
More moves, with a bit of singing perhaps thrown in.
Just in case you were wondering, we also have breakfast outside sometimes. These appear to be alphabet shapes...
...followed by a croissant. Wow, what a treat!
We'd had a family quiz in early April, and this was the belated follow-up, hosted by the younger Barlows. It says that Sophie was one of the hosts, but she was a few months old at this point so probably didn't write many of the questions.
There were five teams, as you can see, as well as the hosts. No idea who won. The stress of the quiz seems to have forced Matt into meditation mode.
Later that day, it was evidently time to get the water balloons out.
Gregory attempts a catch - I wonder how it went...
Ah, not so well.
A scene shot between the lavender plants. Not exactly sure what is going on in the paddling pool, nor why Daisy is wearing a shower cap.
It's important, when engaging in a water pistol fight, to stay low.
No idea what game Gregory has set up here, but it basically looks like we have emptied the utility room and garage of all the play things that we can find. And that's fair enough.
And of course we reward ourselves for all that activity (not that there is much evidence of me having done anything, although to be fair Strava suggests that I went for a lunchtime five mile run with the temperature at 21 degrees) with a takeaway curry from Mumbai. No bags of salad, though, please.
It's the last day of May and, while we should have been flying to EuroDisney in Paris, we were instead staying at home to enjoy the Festival of Stuff, starting at the very precise time of 12.35pm. It's hosted by Daisy and Gregory, but I can't imagine there will be more than two other people turning up, such are the lockdown guidelines. But it's sweet to pretend otherwise.
Later that day, it's time for more water balloon action. Gregory attempts to catch one again but alas it does not quite go to plan. I took the photos in spurt mode to capture a whole sequence of shots (so it wasn't amazing timing by me, in case you were wondering).
For whatever reason, it looks like there is going to be some downstairs sleeping arrangements in place. Gregory busies himself with the foot pump, albeit using his hands.
We're into Whitsun week where the kids are ostensibly off school, but really it's hard to tell the difference a lot of the time. Gregory seems to be getting himself into a Zen-like mode.
He is fully committed to meditation while I am still working, but it's nice to work outside. Daisy presumably took this photo.
Ah yes, here we go, "sleepover" time, although it's not even 5pm and clearly bright outside (clearly just practising for later). He appears to be watching a band called The Dream in a boxing ring singing "We're gonna make it shake tonight."
This is later in the evening, so he's got out of bed to go and pick some strawberries. He is very much relishing tucking into this one. It does look juicy and ripe. I say "pick strawberries" - hopefully this was home grown.
Gregory then gives me a look to say "enough with the photos already". "But if I didn't take these photos, this page wouldn't exist," I might say now.
And we'll stop there.
After a bit of a delay (since the last update, I mean - I appreciate that I am writing this when Gregory is 11 years of age. What can I say? Life comes at you fast.), I'm back. Zoom calls were the order of the day - I think this is maybe Daisy's Brownies session, and Gregory is joining in.
Talking of video calls, it's time for the next instalment of the Allen-Barlow-Schofield quiz series. It was our turn to host and, as part of the epic quiz I had put together (even if I do say so myself), both Daisy and Gregory had written their own rounds. This was actually the last such quiz we did, perhaps because it was a hard act to follow - who can say? (The same also happened when I used this quiz, minus the rounds submitted by the kids (since the personal references would be lost and it was long enough without) - that was the last work-based online quiz hosted.)
This is where Gregory had some sort of dance routine to show people, much to their amusement (or bemusement).
Fully kitted out in his England kit, Gregory prepares to smash the ball straight at me. Well, ideally slightly to the left or right of me and into the net I am standing in front of.
That's enough football anyway - time for some air guitar.
So it seems that lockdown is over (for now, anyway) as Gregory is wandering to school.
A careful concoction of meringue, yoghurt and berries for Gregory's dessert.
With the weather set fair once more, we popped over to Waterdale for some distanced chat.
The next day and the cheeky chappy is looking to do me with a move. Probably.
It's actually Father's Day today, and here are the cards - Gregory's on the left. I like the inclusive message "Hope we have a great time" - it's not just about me, after all.
This was before school on the Monday. No harm in getting a bit of exercise before the work starts in earnest. There's certainly some bounce in the trampoline.
I appear to have taken a couple of days off work - the Monday above and the Tuesday, on which we went to Chester Zoo. Not quite sure why the kids weren't in school but it was fine to go to the zoo. Confusing. Perhaps there was an inset day. Anyway, the cool kids are in town, as is very evident from this photo.
It's educational at Chester Zoo, of course, and also a little depressing at times.
Time to pause for some lunch on a random bit of grass. It was pretty busy, I think, so not many places to sit. But the grass is fine.
Gregory: taller than an otter stood up. His belly is struggling to hide his freshly consumed lunch, as was often the case.
Time for some banteng action (said no-one ever).
More posing, this time in front of a rhino.
Daisy has obviously got her hand gestures well practiced. Daisy seems to be going to school in non-uniform (assuming she is at school). We appear to have stopped outside Dylan Lester's house.
At the weekend, Gregory is being very helpful by hoovering the door mat in the kitchen. The burgeoning cleaning help that he was never really materialised in later years.
Daisy had started at cricket training at Heaton Mersey Cricket Club but, due the pandemic (allied with the harder-to-control nature of younger children), he would not get a go just yet. So back to the back garden it was. He looks the part with his floppy hat on, though.
There seems to be a raiding of games going on here, as Lynne and Gregory play Perfection, where you have to put the shapes in the right place with limited time available. There's nothing like acting against the clock to get the nerves on edge.
I'm not quite sure whether Gregory is showing off his fringe or his Star Wars T-shirt. He's got a bit of the Dumb & Dumber look going on here.
Now this, to me, is what cricket is all about. I think I had actually been watching some Test cricket during the day at Rob's, and then Daisy had cricket in the evening. It was a Friday evening, and it was sunny, so it was very rude not to get a beer.
Gregory in his role as lookout post, perched on the arm of the sofa.
With restrictions relaxed, the Schofields came down for a visit, particularly since we are approaching Lynne's birthday Gregory is reading what looks like a huge book (my guess is that it is the Star Wars trilogy - episodes I to III in one single paperback). Avis fulfils an important role as bookmark holder. And still the sun shines.
For Lynne's birthday, it's time to make some cake. Gregory gets stuck in with some sugar pouring.
And there we will pause.
We continue with the recipe. Having made the basic chocolate sponge mixture (see above), we then baked two such cakes in the oven.
Once this was done, it was time to make some chocolate sauce. Not sure why I have gone so aerial with this shot.
I obviously felt comfortable letting Gregory loose with the electric whisk to get the icing mixture to the right consistency. No splatter evident.
Next step is to dance around while Daisy spreads chocolate icing onto the first layer of cake.
We skip a few steps (pictures do not exist) to get to the final product. It's all in the presentation - I like to think that this was me giving the kids a full chance to put their own personal stamp on things, rather than me spending lots of time to finesse the appearance. It's a bit messy but I bet it tastes great.
In the evening, we went for steak at Miller & Carter down the road. Gregory was sufficiently sophisticated to have medium or medium-rare steak. Also nice to see a collared T-shirt - making a bit of an effort.
Gregory went somewhat minimalist with his birthday card design, which was basically made from a blank white piece of paper or card. No expense spared.
As we approached the end of the school year - Year 1 for Gregory - we get the school report, in a strange school year given the lockdown closures that everyone had to deal with (as it notes in the head teacher's comment. Whilst the comments on English and Maths are obviously positive, it's the teacher's (or teachers') comments that bring a particular smile to the face. Phrases such as "asset to [the] class", "excellent manners", "always happy to help" and "a super role model" are something that we, as parents, can be very proud of indeed.
Gregory went to town on the cards for the teachers (in contrast to Lynne's birthday card), engaging in some kind of internal monologue written down.
These were taken on the Monday morning of his last week at school. I am not sure why it prompted the photo show - nor why Daisy is dressed in casual wear - but that barely matters.
At the weekend, with school in the rear review mirror and ahead of a trip for Lynne and the kids up to their grandparents in Haddington, we popped over to Waterdale Close to visit Nana Sue.
Surprise, surprise, a takeaway curry for tea, which for Gregory means Mumbai chips, chicken tikka and naan bread.
When looking through his schoolbooks, I found this little gem, which could be described as "Gregory in a nutshell". I can definitely vouch for the love of pizza (neatly threading the food and Italy loves together), as well as his running speed and dancing skills. Not quite as sure about his video gaming ability, but he didn't at that time have the experience under his belt that I, a gaming veteran, has. I'm not quite clear what "Dylan player" or "Stanley player" mean, apart from maybe simply that he plays with them.
Whilst away in Haddington, Gregory was brave enough to go up this and wave at least one hand around.
When they were back, I took a day off and we went to Torkington Park in Hazel Grove, seemingly just for more climbing frame action. Daisy is in the background, cap on backwards.
Actually we have some early evidence here of the Gregory rocket arm. In the distance, you can see Lynne and Daisy heading for the ice-cream van for some "much needed" refreshements.
Later that day, the weather is clearly sufficiently warm for some garden water antics, as Gregory has changed to his skin-tight swimming gear.
Here he is doing the classic jig whilst getting sprayed in the face by a sprinkler.
We've reached the weekend now (not that Gregory would notice much given it's the school holidays) and it's time for some cricket action. Unfortunately, as noted above, due to the lockdown situation, Gregory had relatively few (perhaps two) opportunities to take part in the Heaton Mersey cricket club training, so here he is in the back garden with an immaculate straight bat shot (although if I am being ultra-critical, he has stepped a little far outside of leg stump, perhaps influenced by the pitch layout, with the house forming an impervious legside block). The sandpit operates as an immobile but cavernous first slip.
After all that cricket action in the sun, it was time for some ice lolly refreshment.
The next day, I have obviously decided that it's time for a BBQ, as we're making burgers, with Gregory tipping breadcrumbs into the minced beef.
We made quite a few burgers - probably too many for the four of us, but hey, leftovers.
Here we enjoy the BBQ sat on the blanket in the garden, with Gregory seemingly having changed his T-shirt.
In order to fill up one of the weeks, keeping them entertained without either of us burning too many holidays, we had booked them into a holiday club. Here is the stroll to there, again Daisy subverting the system by putting her cap on backwards. Gregory is, of course, more conventional on that front.
This was one of the rare occasions that Gregory was allowed to go to cricket. A nutritious meal of Pringles satiates our keen cricketer.
At peak summertime, the jungle, I mean, vegetable patch is in full flow, with Gregory almost looking lost within it. He's got a garden fork in his hand and he is digging up some potatoes.
Clearly tired by that activity, he reclines in a garden chair, although this is actually four hours later. Don't try that position at home, kids.
As we moved towards the end of August, it was time for our family summer holiday, and in fact my only holiday of the year. We headed to Whitby, stopping off at Fountains Abbey in Ripon on the way. Here is a picture from Fountains Abbey, but I will follow my usual formula of covering that visit on a separate page (the holiday page, which is woefully under-completed of late). As to when that will happen, who knows, but I at least kept a diary of our visit and so it should be relatively straightforward.
It's incisor replacement time, as Gregory poses to show where it came from and what it looks like. It's not immediately obvious to see where it has come from, since the apparent gap already has a tooth ready to go in its place. It must have been long overdue for its exit if indeed that it is where it came from.
It's bank holiday Monday and time for a trip to Alderley Edge to do one of the Wizard Walks (and specifically the Donkey Track Trail, records suggest). Daisy consults the map while Gregory merely stares at Daisy, sucking on an orange ice lolly. Daisy hadn't hung around with her chocolate ice cream, or it is perhaps obscured.
Gregory finds a great hiding place: behind a half-eaten ice lolly. Hmm, where could he be?
Daisy has sought out a bench for rest, which prompts hassle from Gregory as Lynne looks on.
Messing around by the water is their area of expertise.
Gregory does help me out by posing for the camera like this, as Daisy sits nicely.
The next day, we find out if the tooth fairy has been. And the answer is: yes! (Phew.) The spider-dude is £1 richer.
A second (of two, I think) cricket sessions in the year. This training feature involves striking the ball from atop a cone, although it looks like he is doing some warm-up exercises.
Well, it's time for school, as Gregory enters Year 2 (and Daisy goes into Year 5). It is evidently PE day on the first day, which is a bit of an odd start, so we don't get Gregory in full school uniform. His poses with Daisy vary from sensible to crazy. It's to be expected (and I may even have asked for it).
This is likely from the period where Gregory liked to be made into a sausage roll, although with the tail he looks more like a mermaid. He definitely looks snug either way.
Such is Gregory's apparent familiarity with having fruit and yoghurt, he can assemble it whilst in a trance. I say "assemble": there's not much of the due care and attention that that word might imply. It's a splodge of a dessert.
We're back to sunny garden action, with Gregory having concocted a microphone using the old croc on a stick strategy.
I'm not sure I approve of the game where Gregory tries to prevent Daisy from reaching her destination whilst carrying food. But that might not be what is actually going on here.
School pick-up time and Gregory goes into another of his trances while showing me his fresh injury...
...which was due to being hit in the face with a hockey stick (in a non-aggressive manner, we were to understand). Ouch.
A glimpse of what Gregory's room looks like at this time of his life. Note the cool arcade machine bedside clock.
"Thwack!" is the familiar noise in the garden as Gregory smashes another one back past me. Note on the right there is a rather forlorn looking sunflower, which I think we grew for Daisy as part of school, and a flower hanging basket (evidently I'm suffering from a lack of places to actually hang it).
Lego cards were all the rage at this time. I think they came from Sainsbury's.
We're nearly at the end of September and, after the combination of Eat Out To Help Out and going back to school, we were soon back into a semi-lockdown situation (offices were generally closed, so I was back to working from home). This weekend, we were meant to be at the Barlows' extravaganza and staying over, but it was all cancelled (I had at least managed to get to the wedding of Rob and Lauren the previous weekend, with attendance reduced to 30, including the bride and groom). So on the Sunday we did what we had done many times throughout the year: head to the hills. This time, we went to Werneth Low Country Park, where Gregory is inspecting the scenery.
Enough of that, though. It's time for some unusual looking exercise manoeuvres. You'd have to ask him.
As a parent, there's nothing quite like standing and watching your kids tire themselves out in the sunshine, as the two of them scramble up a hill.
Gregory had obviously acquired a taste for scrambling. Once you start, you can't stop.
Rather inevitably, all that exercise tired him out.
The latest in school photos. You can't easily see it on this shot, but he is still bearing the remnants of the hockey injury on his lip, although it is fading quickly.
It's time for novelty bread making time, as the kids mix the dough.
This is then followed by the crucial next step of kneading, which is where time stands still as it is perhaps the most boring and tiring cooking action.
The proving stage has led to a rapid increase in size of the dough, which is pleasing to see.
Gregory's preparing a bread filling of olives and cheese (slices), which he appears to be cutting with the wrong side of the (serrated) knife. It seems to be working regardless.
The filling is then squished into the dough before being mixed up.
And here is the finished product. I'm not sure what was in Daisy's bread, but they actually look pretty good, perhaps reflecting the amount that the dough rose in the first place.
The following weekend, we headed to Lyme Park for a walk around there. Before that, though, it was time for a hot chocolate at the café. Either this was bribery with sugar or else it was a bit cold and a way of warming people up before we went out onto the exposed top.
Of course, if you are cold then you can sit in a sheltered bit. Slightly contrasting is Daisy's headwear and Gregory's shorts, although he was always pretty resistant to changes in clothes (from short sleeves to long sleeves and from shorts to trousers in particular).
There are some wonderful views at points in Lyme Park, but it is sometimes preferable to stare at a puddle.
Gregory's Mario Kart Wii skills were clearly improving, as he scraped into third place in a 100cc Grand Prix. It looks very much look Daisy has won every race while I have slotted into an unconvincing second with an unusual choice of character for me (I usually defaulted to Luigi for what it's worth).
It was evidently acceptable to go to the (Light) cinema at this point in the year (a different priority having been placed on the economy), where we watched The Elfkins (no, me neither).
Our standard approach to restaurants, which survives to this day (early 2026), is to take some entertainment, particularly cards, to provide entertainment while we wait for the food (or waiter/waitress) to arrive. I'm not sure which cards these are, but Gregory seems pretty engrossed.
The food did, thankfully, arrive. The kids kept to type, which is Daisy tucking into (tomato) pasta and Gregory into (olive) pizza. My default position was to get a Peroni lager beer.
And that, finally, is that. It was a pretty long update in a very strange period due to the pandemic. How will things develop? Find out here.
Back to the Secret Portal.