Meg is nearly 3

Meg is three years old on Wednesday. I can’t believe it has already been that long. I can still vividly remember the afternoon that Theresa told me she was pregnant – standing in the car park by the office I worked in at the time. I remember feeling slightly awed and realising that my life was going to change radically from that moment on. Then the evening that she arrived in the world which was one of the most emotional and powerful of my life. And since then we have had an amazing few years with highs and lows, but through it all she has brought a wonderful sense of fun and energy to our lives.

I would like to think that I have been a good father over the years. I know I am far from perfect, but I hope that Meg is happy. I enjoy being with her and doing things together, and I find her unconditional love and energy utterly humbling. Even when I have shouted at her or not allowed her to do something she wants she forgives very quickly. She is always ready with a hug and always waves me off in the mornings and back in the evenings. During the week we don’t get to spend enough time together, but hopefully this will change soon (fingers crossed).

Highlights of the past three years have included (in no particular order), her toughness when she falls over or is ill. With this comes a lack of subtlety and heavy-handedness, but also an amazing sense of balance and lack of fear. Quite a contrasting mixture, and it’s going to be fascinating to see how she shapes up in years to come. She has an amazing appetite and just eats anything and as much as she can – yet she is still small so I guess just burns energy at a phenomenal rate. She has adapted to new challenges very fast and seems to take most things in her stride. She has already been round the world, swum in the sea, seen a wide range of animals and learnt to use a computer.

Wednesday will also be a big day as I have another interview for the job in Portsmouth. In the hope and anticipation of getting the job we have been looking at lots of properties in the city to rent and buy. We have found a lovely flat near the beach to rent for 6 months, but also several places to potentially buy. The big question is whether to rent and then start searching for a place to buy while we are there. The downside to that would be we would have to pay rent and the mortgage at the same time, as we would be tied into a 6-month contract. Or I crash at family and friends for a little while and the girls stay in London until the sale is completed. From my point of view that would not be ideal as I would have to be away from my family for 5 days out of every 7, but it would save us quite a lot of money. If we could find a good house the sale could be done in 2 – 3 months so it may not be the end of the world. We are trying to arrange some viewings for after my interview and will then have to react to what we find I suppose.