The earthquake Wednesday night shook us awake. At first it seemed like it might be just an especially big gust of wind, but it soon became obvious that it was an earthquake. It wasn’t powerful enough here to do any damage, but it was another exciting occurrence in an already dynamic week.

Several people have asked me what I’m going to do now that I’m not home educating the kids anymore. The short answer is that I don’t know.

The longer answer is that in the short term, I’m planning to do things that I like to do. As any parent can tell you, there is never enough time to care for the kids and do things for yourself. So I’m thinking of indulging myself with some things I haven’t had time to pursue in the past seven and a half years.

On Tuesday, I rode my bike along the Trent and Mersey canal that runs near our house. The first section of the path is part of the National Cycle Trail and is quite smooth riding. After the cycle trail veers off towards Melbourne, it becomes more of a muddy footpath until you get to Shardlow about seven miles down the line. Shardlow is apparently a hive of canal boat activity; there is quite a marina there. The

path ends with the confluence of the Trent and Mersey canal, the River Trent, and the River Derwent. I saw a few water birds here, including some tufted ducks,

a couple of goosanders,

and a group of coots.

Paintings courtesy of the RSPB birdguide.

On my return trip, I noticed I was riding on my rims and I ended up walking the last 3 or 4 miles back. Yesterday, I found several very large thorns embedded in the tires and patched five punctures. Anway, when I got home I ate lunch and had an hours nap. Then I picked the kids up from school, made homemade pizzas for dinner which we ate with one of Molly’s co-workers and his friend from California. Finally, I went to capoeira.

I don’t expect every day will be as full as that one, but I am looking forward to having some time to myself!