This post was going to be about a fine book that I've just finished reading, but that'll have to be some other day...

Last night I got home to find that a couple of local boys had been throwing rocks on our roof, then they'd gone up the road a bit, turned around and come back for another go, successfully breaking our front window. Jill had followed them back to where one of them lived and had spoken to one of their mothers (a complete waste of time as it turned out - "I choose to believe my son" - the typical empowering criminial codependent).

Anyway, it appears our house had been chosen at random, as the real aim was to frame one of their classmates, who lives a couple of doors down from us. Needless to say, we made a Police statement and also contacted their School.

I'm amazed (though not suprised) at the parents of these kids. The boys are 11 and 12 and possibly trying this sort of stuff out - evidently with the full support of their parents, who think they can do no wrong. One of them had been sent home from school earlier in the day for some misdemeanour, and various neighbours have stories to tell about these kids, so our experience of them doesn't appear to be unique.

They're at an age where kids try things out, but I think they may unfortunately have reinforced to themselves the lesson that crime + lying = success.

Another neighbour, who is a glazier, agreed to replace the window for an unbelievably good price, which is wonderful! Of course, there goes some of the money I just made through drawing ):-(.