Although I will say that it's good that he came back with some new clothes. His old ones were looking very tatty.
I'd almost forgotten how I used to fill up my days when I wasn't running around after all of the kids. Wilbur roped me in to a fitness regime that half killed me. I'm sure I used to be fitter than this! I might also need to think about doing some trips to replenish the wardrobe. Please excuse the stains and tears!
Wilbur is quite the taskmaster.
I'm not sure if I'm that keen to go hardout for the lengths of time he would like me to. I find the most pleasant part of the workout is the cooling off afterwards.
I will say that Wilbur doesn't hold back on his own exercise regime - he's out everyday pumping iron until he can barely move.
In fact he complains that it's getting colder and that bad weather is driving him inside. I've offered to let him move the exercise machine upstairs but he says that that would be too cramped and that he prefers to be outside where there are fewer distractions from the nearly sacred experience of building muscle.
No, I don't really understand it.
Victor understands him a little better I think, at least they seem to spend a lot of time talking about it together as Victor is another one that Wilbur has roped in to a stringent fitness regime. Those two boys have become even closer since they grew up. The very best of buds.
Tommy and Ron are also becoming very close. Tommy loves being outside doing just about anything, so finds fishing a good excuse for just that. Ron, who is beginning to experiment with writing some short stories of his own often joins him and reads out what he's written so far. I'm not sure if Tommy is much of a literary critic but I'm definitely not a literary prodigy. In fact, I'm not sure where Ron gets it from.
With the weather turning a bit colder Ron often has to retreat inside when his hands get too numb to hold a pencil.
I do actually sometimes wonder if Ron is really that interested in books and writing, or if it is just an excuse to sit down and not have to help out around the house as much. My son is a bit of a coach potato.
Still, they are both harmless hobbies and my hair won't go prematurely gray worrying about the pair of them doing that.
Now, if Victor would only be content with this:
My eldest has turned into something of a virtuoso. Again, another trait that he definitely didn't inherit from me!
Bernice unfortunately is still caught up in her obsession with the departed Nemo. After reading everything I had written about my time on the island during the early days she now feels as if she knows Nemo personally. She went back to visiting his grave.
Then once again she suddenly stopped. This time though, instead of talking to me or reading any of my books, Bernice flung herself into chemistry learning, something which she had had no prior interest in at all.
As the weather truly turned cold she was out there until her fingers turned blue and I had to order her inside to the warm.
Edwin just smiled at me and said that I was exactly the same and as I wouldn't have been put off by anything so I shouldn't try to stop Bernice but just let her do what she feels she needs to do.
Sound advice I'm sure, but, I do worry about my little girl sometimes.
Still, she seemed to have a natural grasp of chemistry, in no time at all she was making potions.
And they looked rather familiar.
Suddenly it all become clear, and Bernice -
Recommenced her trips to Nemo's grave.
