Prologue

I held my head in my hands, my warm breath finding its way up my face only to escape through my fingers

**“There’s just no way that it can be done!”
**

I look over the calendar again, Deadline August 15, 2020.

I had to create two pages per week if I was to submit the book on time and I just let it slip. Like I had unknowingly stumbled in quicksand I soon began to realise that I was close to getting in over my head. I rummaged through the project documents like an alcoholic looking for an overlooked beer. There had to be some kind of late submission information. Nothing!

I looked on the Stetchbook Project Website in a desperate bid to reignite a little hope when something caught my eye.

Initially my eyes rested on the 15th of September and I quietly rejoiced the one month extension. It wasn’t until I read the “Yes, you can submit a book after the deadline” as though it spoke directly to me that my legs began to bounce with excitement.

I fired up my email and reached out for contact, just to double check, to give me some kind of assurance.

It wasn’t long till I heard the ping of my inbox beckoning me to come and see what it had for me

As my eyes traversed the lines a slow exhale of relief escaped my lips as the corners formed a smile.

**….Still got time
**

**The Understanding of Privacy

**

**The understanding of privacy

is turned on its head.
If you are asleep, awake,
or on the toilet..
**

**His closeness knows no bounds

**

Luckily at the time of writing, things have changed and my boy is a little more capable of playing on his own for a small amount of time. But, spend a little too long in the toilet and it won’t be long before you hear scratches on the door like in a zombie movie. However, instead of the ensuing groans you have a little dictator on the other side demanding to know what you are doing and why you are doing it.

Before we got to this stage he would happily sit practically in-between your legs and play with a sound book while you squeezed one out.

**“Daddy what was that noise?”
“Not to worry, that’s just the Gruffallo who just threw the little brown mouse into the pond”
“Why did he do that?”
“I don’t know, probably he just wanted to have a little alone time”
**

Being a single Father I have had to re-evaluate my concept of privacy or abandon it altogether. I saw a meme on Instagram which pretty much summed it up by posing the question from a Mother’s point of view “Are you even a mummy if you haven’t had to ask your child to stand back so you can wipe yourself”

I feel her pain… although my boy went the step further and asked to see it !

https://cinnamon.video/watch?v=425358462239638547

[https://coil.com/p/rufio/The-Little-Yellow-Envelope-/jU09sOuHb](https://coil.com/p/rufio/The-Little-Yellow-Envelope-/jU09sOuHb)

[https://coil.com/p/rufio/The-Sketchbook-Project-Series/IHtpFtmfH](https://coil.com/p/rufio/The-Sketchbook-Project-Series/IHtpFtmfH)

[https://coil.com/p/rufio/The-Sketchbook-Series-Snapshots-of-a-Single-Father-Pt-2/Q_m0ez8-J](https://coil.com/p/rufio/The-Sketchbook-Series-Snapshots-of-a-Single-Father-Pt-2/Q_m0ez8-J)

[https://coil.com/p/rufio/The-Sketchbook-Series-Snapshots-of-a-Single-Father-Pt-3/CfPggb1qh](https://coil.com/p/rufio/The-Sketchbook-Series-Snapshots-of-a-Single-Father-Pt-3/CfPggb1qh)