Friends

I saw a message from one of Kieron's school friends on Facebook the other day, asking who was going to the beach the following day. The kids and I become real beach bums as soon as the sun's out and Kieron's friends all go to the same part of the beach so the kids have each other for company. They set up cricket and football, laughing at the adult males who suddenly want to join in. Kieron especially allows older kids to join in, trying to get them on his team so that he has a better chance of winning. One Kieron's friends has a grandmother with a beach hut, so they all tend to gravitate in that direction. Suggestions that maybe it's time to go home once the food runs out fall on deaf ears although Kieron is generally quite keen to go to the beach cafe for chips for tea.
On non-beach days, Kieron will ask if he can go to the park about 15 minutes walk from home. Knocking for friends on the way, mobile phone in pocket so that I can check he's ok, Kieron does whatever 10 year old boys do in parks with friends, although I suspect it means football and teasing the girls from school.
Sometimes I get a phone call asking if he can go back to a friends house for a while so I relish the additional peace and quiet until a tornado whirls in all muddy and sticky and sweaty with demands to have a sleepover or someone round to play the following day.
Kieron is probably the most popular kiddie in his school year (gospel according to his head teacher) and this is borne out by the amount of friends who still keep in touch. Just a few days ago, 3 young boys came round to see me. Unfortunately I was at work, but they later told me that they came round to see if I was ok.
On the day of Kieron's funeral, as we arrived at the church, all I could see was a sea of green fleeces there were so many of his school friends present, all in school uniform. They sent me dozens of letters and every single one repeated the same things:always making people laugh, never unhappy, kind, helpful, loves sharks, camels and basketball.

Kieron's friends wanted him to stay as part of their class until the end of the school year so they all wrote about him and stuck it on the classroom wall next to a self portrait Kieron did in art. All the notes were then put in a time capsule and placed in Kieron's garden at his school. These kids have suffered so much at losing him. I guess that says it all.
Kieron's friends are amazing. Kieron is amazing.

Haircuts

Kieron, like most kids, hates having his haircut and he tended to have drawn the short straw as for many years I worked as a hairdresser. When he was tiny, it was a case of waiting until Kieron dozed off on the settee and I would carefully cut one side, roll him over and cut the other side. This method worked well with all 3 of my children but once Kieron decided that the object of his hero worship was his big brother, he started to demand similar hair cuts to Callum.
Sitting on a stool in the kitchen, swathed in a gown that was far too big for him, Kieron would suffer my ministrations. Wriggling constantly to try to scratch his back where hair had slipped down inside the gown, somehow we kept both of his ears intact. Blowing upwards to clear hair from his face then rubbing his eyes and getting hair in them, he still sat and allowed me to continue.
Wedges, grade 4s, spiked fringes, tram-lines, Kieron HAS to copy Callum. Gelled, moussed, tousled, straightened, Kieron outdoes David Beckham in the style stakes.
Ironically, in the summer Kieron prefers his hair longer and as his hair is so thick, sweat drips off him. In the winter Kieron goes for a grade 4 on top, 3 on the back and sides and then complains that his ears are cold! Typical male!
Before leaving for school, Kieron comes in my bedroom while I'm sitting at the dressing table getting ready for work and grabs a comb and hand mirror to inspect every strand of hair from every angle. Sticky hair gel hand prints mark every surface and I have to make sure Kieron's fringe is spiked up and perfectly straight. By the time Kieron comes home from school, the gel had picked up bits from squeezing through bushes on his way to and from school as he cuts through a small park as a shortcut. Little flecks of gel look like dandruff so Kieron floods the bathroom when he goes to wash it all out. Hair gel, mousse, coloured gel and body spray line the mantelpiece in Kieron's room. The air is redolent with Lynx Chocolate and the carpet has mousse blobs sticking the fibres together. Kieron is a teenager before his time. The teenager he will never become.

Easter 2010

Struggling today and writing things down in case in the future I forget what happened on the run up to April 6th 2010.
4th April last year was Easter Sunday. Previous years I've done an Easter egg hunt for the kids in the garden. Jade always joins in although the last couple of years Callum has been 'too old for all that kid stuff'. But Jade and Kieron always shared everything 3 ways anyway. So last year. I suggested it but none of them seemed that interested, so instead I decided to re-paint my lounge.
Kieron and I had been to B&Q the day before to get the paint. I wanted the same colours that were already on the walls as it just needed freshening up. Typically when we got there I couldn't find the right shades. Kieron to the rescue, reading every paint can until he gave a squeal of "I've found it!". Being a gallant young gent, Kieron insisted on carrying the paint, one can in each hand while I tried to banish thoughts of dropped tins, lids off and paint everywhere. As I had just bought him new trainers and he had put them on in the car, I was rightly concerned.
So, back to the painting on Easter Sunday. Kieron helped me to pull out the furniture into the middle of the room. He hoovered under sofas and discovered stray Lego, pencils, biscuits and other mouldy delicacies. Kieron just had to get involved and his presence turned a chore into a pleasure. We had the best Easter Sunday that I could have wished for.It was a fantastic day of love and laughter. Kieron made sure that the cats were kept out of the way so that they didn't get painted too. He kept me supplied with coffee and cuddles and kisses while I worked.. He kept me alive.

Mother's Day

Last year, I was waiting for Mother's Day with some trepidation. I knew that I would be going to the cemetery with flowers and a pot of chrysanthemums for my mum and my nan. I always take a pot of these for my nan on my mum's behalf and I also take a Mother's Day card from me and a nanny one from the children. Last year Kieron signed it for all three of them. I always become tearful at the cemetery and touch the patch of grass where I buried my mum's ashes. It feels warmer than the rest of the grave. Kieron came to the cemetery once, but stayed close by me all the time. He didn't like the huge stone angels and the thought that he was surrounded by hundreds of dead people.
Last year, I woke up and knocked 3 times on the wall behind my bed...my signal to Kieron that I was awake and wanted a cuddle. This was a usual weekend thing anyway and he always shouted out "just a minute" before scampering in and snuggling up.
Last year, my gift from Kieron was a box of Roses chocolates which he had chosen as he likes them too. Knowing without any doubt whatsoever, that he would be eating quite a lot of them.
Last year, Kieron made me coffee and asked if he could do any thing to help me around the house, but I said no and that I was going to have a lazy day.
Last year we got a takeaway for tea and all sat around the table with Jade and I taking the prawns off Callum's and Kieron's plates to eat ourselves. Kieron had his standard fare of special fried rice (prawnless), plain noodles and prawn crackers. The table also had it's standard fare of the same.
This year I woke up and knocked 3 times on the wall behind my bed. And cried.