Wednesday 8 April - Back 2 Work

Up early, God I love that cattle prod, watched Jeremy Kyle - I use it to frighten the kids "If you don't do your homework and watch the Discovery channel you'll end up with a boy/girl friend like. Is that what you want, Well IS IT?". So far its been very effective even Han's now scared that if she so much as looks at another girl without wearing a condom she's going to end up on JK having to do a DNA test! They keep saying that so and so (usually Stephen Fry - much to his embarrassment I'm sure) is a "National Treasure" it's our JK who's the real Treasure.
Anyway, after JK it's time to go for:

Another Long Walk,
last chance this week as I'm back to work tonight and the weathers supposed to be fairly rubbish over the next few days.
We've got our supplies, a packet of crisps each and some drinks also Han's remembered to take a towel so she can have a paddle.
We went under the underpass, over it would have been cleverer, and down to the playing fields. Nat, plus rucksack, ran round the field whilst Han and I crossed diagonally. It's quite a long run and by the end Nat was fairly breathless and very red faced. Well done Nat, it's a shame I forgot to put the bricks in his rucksack though.
We mooched along until we finally reached the River Soar where upon Han started stripping off(her shoes that is) and waded in all the way up to her ankles (see photo's below).
After she's dried off we crossed packhorse bridge and examined the plaque explaining it's history. Then, over the humpback bridge and up the steps to the Great Central Way. The GCW is what remains of the Great Central Railway on this side of Leicester (South). Over on the north side the railway has been renovated and a regular steam train service runs from there to Loughborough. I believe they are trying to renovate more to the north with the intention of reopening a workable route all the way to Nottingham.
We didn't go very far along the GCW just had a look around and sat on a bench to eat our crisps and have a drink. Made our way back to the canal towpath and back home. I forget sometimes how lovely some of the country side near us is, we've got a canal within 10Mins walking distance of our front door.



Heavy Conversations
I don't quite know how this subject came up in conversation, but while Han was upstairs Nat started asking me what I thought about abortion. My views on this subject are quite complex so we had quite a heavy duty conversation. As an atheist, of course I don't believe that the soul enters the body at the moment of conception, because I don't believe there's such a thing as a soul. However, I am aware that what has been created is unique, that if it is left alone to develop and if it survives the normal traumas of the womb it will eventually be born as a perfectly normal unique human baby just like you and I were. I don't believe that one can simply say that ethically it all comes down to a "woman's right to chose". If we say that we have laws in order to protect us from each other why is it that we refuse to extend this protection to the unborn and keep it safe from it's mother? To kill it, even a split second, after it's born is to murder it, so why is it acceptable to abort it whilst it remains hidden behind the mother's skin? As an atheist shouldn't I be more protective of the fetus that a religious person; after all I don't believe that Jesus wants it for a sunbeam! I do support legalised abortion but only in so far as I see it as the lesser of a range of evils. As a chosen method of contraception it leaves a lot to be desired.

Han becomes Immune 2 teasing
It is terribly easy to upset Han by teasing her, so this pm was revelation when she calmly ignored Nat's attempts to wind her up and responded with sarcastic disinterest. Unfortunately it didn't last and half an hour later she was once more in tears because of something he's said. She's enormously sensitive, to her credit, and part of the reason she's dislikes meat is because she understand that it involves having to kill the animal she is being asked to eat. If she sees cruelty on the news towards people or animals she's quickly in tears. She has amazing empathy.