This page is for the more cheerful goings-on in the Norton household of which we hope there are many. This week has seen two birthdays and a trip to Disneyland Paris for Christopher and Graham. Highlights of this trip included Christopher making Daddy feel sick on Space Mountain (twice), Christopher making Daddy feel sick on the Teacups (once only and never again), Christopher making Daddy feel sick on Big Thunder Railroad and finally Christopher being glued to his Gameboy all the way to Paris and back, thereby depriving his father of a welcome opportunity for a man-to-boy chat.

Both boys had a good birthday. Michael gave a lot of consideration to how he wanted to spend his (not inconsiderable) birthday money and finally settled on a video to go in his room for the not-so-good days ahead, and a robotics system from which he is now constructing an amazing robo-tractor. Christopher has spent the last few days building a K'nex Ball Factory, an incredible Heath Robinson device which fills half my living room.Other nice things about his week have included a trip to Toy Story 2, highly recommended and very fuuny, and the good news that Christopher has won a place to RGS for 2002. This is a real boost to his confidence and we're thrilled for him. It makes such a change to have some good news for once. Hopefully this is the first of many pieces of good news.

You will have seen that Michael came 3^rd in a music comp this week - that was a good, if nerve-wracking evening! Last Sunday was another nice day. Michael decided to come to Windsor for the Eucharist. We drove him up to the Castle and had time for a drink before we went into the service. Christopher was pleased to see his brother and the staff and choir parents were very kind to Michael, making him feel very welcome. Afterwards we went out for lunch, Christopher asking Michael to sit next to him and chatting away to Michael in a way which we haven't seen since Christmas.

Normal life has been resumed if Christopher is anything to go by. Several times this weekend I had to intervene as the 2 boys were knocking seven bells out of each other…

Graham and I had a night out!! On Saturday we went to the Royal Opera, leaving my Dad and his wife in charge of Michael. We left at 3.30, looked around the new House before the performance and had dinner in the new Floral Halls in the intervals. We didn't get home until midnight and all in all it was a wonderful evening. I know we can't do it often but it was lovely to have a few hours off. On Monday I went with a girlfriend to see 'The Talented Mr Ripley'. I'm sorry, but Matt Damon just doesn't do anything for me. Mutual, I'm sure). How anyone could mistake him for the sexy Jude Law defeated me. Mr Potato Head driving a lorry was more credible - and more sexy, too.

Meanwhile, we've booked a couple of nights in a hotel overlooking the harbour in Poole for just before Michael's scan. Hopefully he'll be up to it, but even if he's still very tired he can lie in bed and watch the boats. We're all looking forward to it as we need some sea air. We're working on a mini-treat to mark the end of treatment. Maybe I can break my Lenten fast of no chocolate and cake to celebrate. However, none of us wants to tempt fate…

Christopher has been home for nearly a week now and don't we know it! The larder and fridge have taken an unheard -of battering (just as well as Michael is right off his food at the moment) and the air is filled with the sound of brother thwacking brother and pleas for boys to do music practice.

All very well. Graham came home last Friday night in great pain in his wedding-ring finger; he'd had to get the ring off last summer because it was painful. It must have been bad for him to go straight down to the emergency doctor for pills and blood tests. He seemed a bit better over the week-end , and I and a girlfriend decided to decamp to the Ideal Home Exhibition for a few hours. Four, to be precise. Whilst I was gone, the pain became sufficiently bad to force him to go back to the clinic for x-rays and even stronger pills. As a result of all this, we had a call late last night to say that the radiologist has found an area of calcification in the finger joint which must be removed and biopsied as a matter of some urgency. So he goes off to the consultant on his birthday tomorrow to discuss the next step. He'll need to go into hospital asap - the important thing to avoid any clash with Michael's scan next week. Will someone email our guardian angel and get him out of the pub/bookies/mobile phone or wherever rogue angels hang out and GET HIM BACK ON THE CASE!!!

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