Blogs
I spent Friday evening showing James (name changed) details about the Isle of Wight. I also showed him some of the pictures of when I was a kid with my parents on holiday there.
We highlighted some places on the Island that we would visit and also planned a Hovercraft trip to Portsmouth to see the historic sites. Although I enjoy a nice hot, sunny beach holiday as much as the next person I was actually really excited about going.
The Isle of Wight seems to have its own micro climate and the weather can be really lovely. However this is England and we could end up getting drenched for the whole week.
The chap I had spoken to last week, about fostering, called me to say that he had received an initial visit from the agency I had recommended. He was very excited but also slightly concerned about how personal the whole process was going to be. I told him that yes the process was very in-depth but that it needed to be for everybody’s wellbeing.
I gave him a rundown of the kind of questions to expect and why they were being asked. He seemed apprehensive but I told him to be honest and to just answer the questions concisely and correctly. I also told him that I was available to answer any questions he had as the process went on and he thanked me.
So the weekend was one of fun and frolics and me sweating my guts out in the gym with James. We had people around on Saturday evening to watch the football and we celebrated with enough Chinese food to feed a small country. James decided that he had put on at least 2 stone and therefore we should work even harder at the gym on Sunday.
I wasn’t sure how long I could carry on at this pace but I didn’t want to let James down. I was aching in places I didn’t know existed and was actually feeling the benefit by the amount I was sleeping.
Dinner Blog.
Sunday afternoon was spent with a Roast Dinner and just basically doing nothing.
I asked James what he wanted for his upcoming birthday and he asked if it would be possible to have a day at an outlet place in Ashford, Kent, that he has heard about.
So I agreed and we put that on the whiteboard which had become our date reminder as we both had bad memories at remembering special days. James got his stuff sorted for the week and we both had a relatively early night.
On Monday I had a call from the social worker stating that they had with Mum and she wanted contact on his birthday.
I explained that we already had a plan for the day but she explained that they had to prioritise contact above anything that I had arranged.
I bit my tongue and didn’t say anything. The contact had to be near to Mum, obviously, and Mum wanted other family members there. I said I wasn’t happy with that and given how long it had been since Mum had seen him then a one to one would be more appropriate.
She said she would talk to her manager and I said I would talk to James. I was dreading telling him.
