Mark & Clare Miscellany 2020

A year in clickbait headlines

Expectant mother denied medical attention. Then life changed forever!

During early Covid panic, Clare wasn't allowed to see her midwife after admitting to a sniffle. Fortunately, all was well and Isaac Richard Thomas was born early on 5th April. John-Luke, now 3, enjoys being a big, somewhat squashing, brother. Isaac is growing up fast - crawling in September!

Coventry software engineer starts working for US tech behemoth - without quitting his job!

In June, Microsoft bought up Mark's employer (Metaswitch). Day-to-day work won't change much, but being part of a 150,000 person company will be a bit different to about 800.

Do you each want several months away from work? Here's how this couple did it.

Have a baby! Clare had 7 months maternity leave, then Mark took shared parental leave for 14 weeks, with an overlap of one month. Working or not, we have both been at home since Isaac was born, which has been helpful especially when John-Luke's nursery has been closed.

What a menagerie! Why a family went from one pet to 30+ in a matter of months.

We set up a tropical fish tank at the start of the year. After a lockdown-induced delay, we each got "birthday fish". Since then, guppies and cherry shrimp have bred successfully. Meanwhile our cat Heidi endures Isaac's provocations. He is quite a fan - "aaah" for “cat" may well be his first work.

Toddler watches Youtube. You won't believe what happened next!

Via singing planets and singing countries, John-Luke has developed a great interest in the solar system and world maps, requiring Mark to up his game to keep ahead. John-Luke is keen on drawing with a biro (preferably black), and now insists all his countries have faces and his letters often get a pair of legs.

3 places to holiday during a global pandemic.

With a small baby, lengthy travels were never really on the cards. We had some very pleasant stays in a cottage on a farm in Sussex in August, a windy October stay in Aldeburgh, and a couple of week long visits to Brancepeth Castle (working from 'home' can be anywhere, right?)

Here's what the family look like now!