I keep seeing other dads with their sons: playing football in the park, riding together on a motorbike or swimming in the sea. I miss my son desperately and hate that we are both missing out on each others company due to the spite of my soon-to-be-ex.

I have lived for the last 10 months in the south of france. During that time I have negotiated with her for him to be allowed to visit me three times, Xmas, Feb half term and most recently at Easter. Each time she has decided to veto the trip at the last minute. So to date he is yet to come and see me. It makes me mad when I think of him bored at

Well, today was the FDR hearing in my local County Court. I arrived 1 hour ahead of the appointment as I understood that the protocol was to meet with the other party and their solicitor for an hour before going in to see the judge. This gives you an opportunity to negotiate and to get a good idea of exactly what issues the parties are still disputing.

True to form my soon-to-be-ex arrived exactly 5 minutes before our appointment. However, the court was running late and so we had a chance to talk for 20 minutes in an interview room. For those who have not been following my case, we are both

I've just got home from the first hearing. I had built it up in my head to be something really critical and somewhat daunting. Well I have to say it was an amazing anticlimax. The hearing was not held in a Rumpole of the Bailey style court room, which my imagination had been conjouring up in my dreams of late. It was in the judges chambers - a kind of headmasters office. No suprise then that during the hearing I was rather concerned that the judge might produce his cane and set about handing out six of the best at any moment.

As I said the whole thing was something of a disappointment. I