It’s all going on round here 🙂
I slept much better last night. I have this horrible suspicion that my sleeplessness (I get off to sleep fine but wake in the early hours and can’t get back to sleep again) could be due to alcohol consumption. My drinking has crept up again to levels that aren’t doing me any good generally and I know excessive drinking can have big impacts on sleep. It’s as good a reason as any to cut down again, certainly on a night in-night out basis. Binge drinking will still be fine ;).
So up early again to drive to Havant back to Making Space for a dragon puppet workshop. We were slightly less good at getting out of the house this morning but were on our way by 845am which is still fairly remarkable for us. We did the drive in just 45 minutes again which was great and had us there for 930am, a full half hour before we needed to be. We chatted in the car for a while and then I took Davies and Scarlett in. I’d decided not to stay today, partially because it sort of defeats the object of them doing workshops like that if I’m about and partially because it was stuffy in there and whilst I was feeling lots better the prospect of a couple of hours wandering around the shops alone was far preferable to sitting in a room with a load of kids doing crafts. Also having cast my eye over the names on the workshop I knew they were *all* home ed kids today and I didn’t want to be the mum who hangs around.
Scarlett was none too impressed at this idea but I persuaded her I’d come back early to see what they’d been doing and headed off into the sunshine. I had a wander round the charity shops in the little precinct near Making Space and then drove to the nearby main town and had a look round the charity shops there. I also continued my quest to find Horlicks tablets, which I have since discovered was destined to be fruitless by googling :(. Seems I am not alone in remembering them fondly from childhood or wanting to get some.
I went back at 1130am much to the faint horror of the receptionist ‘but there is still another half an hour!’ and found everyone having a great time making their puppets. Davies had done a rainbow puppet and made some eyebrows to give his dragon some expression. He was doing really well and didn’t need much help at all. Scarlett seemed to be doing really well too but wanted my help once I arrived so I helped her and also made myself useful with some of the other children as one woman was running the workshop on her own. I’ve been pretty impressed with what they do there and would definitely like to do some of the workshops myself. It is very close to the Sustainability Centre so I am half thinking of seeing if they’d be up for some sort of workshop when we’re there in September depending on numbers of other people interested. They are really friendly, great with children and it’s a really relaxed atmosphere with loads of inspirational photos, examples of work and other creative stuff around the studios. Shame it’s so far away but I quite enjoy pretending to be Michelle driving all over the place in the name of Home Ed every once in a while ;).
We were invited to join the other for a picnic lunch in a nearby park but I’d already arranged to call in and see Ady on the way home, besides we didn’t actually have any lunch with us anyway. A quick stop at Ady’s work to collect some logs and see the meadow and area of grass we are planning to go to on Saturday to have a go at pitching our new tent.
We then had to call into Worthing as I needed to pay for a workshop the kids are doing next week at the museum there. Davies stayed in the car while Scarlett and I went to do that. I then asked if they wanted to go to the circus today and was met with the resounding YES PLEASE! that had been absent yesterday. We had time to nip home for lunch first then back out to the circus.
We were sitting in the second row back and the kids really enjoyed the show – a mix of magic, bad jokes, balloon modelling, juggling, tumbling, trapeze and plenty of audience participation. New too this year was Harry the mind reading labrador who once he’d impressed us with jumping through hoops read the mind of an audience member. Who happened to be me 😉 Now I’m happy to concede it was a coincidence but actually I do believe this probably counts as ‘joining the circus’. I’m guessing my talent was spotted (and not just by Harry the mindreading labrador) and they just felt an at one ness with me. 😆 I had to send Harry messages to tell him the number I was thinking of (which had to be odd and between 1 and 4). I don’t wish to overplay my part, and it is true there was no spangly outfit but I do feel it is the first step on the path to my true calling 😆
We went for an ice cream afterwards and had a wander round Brooklands while eating them. The kids both said what a lovely day they’d had and we talked about looking forward to the summer ahead and all the fab stuff we have planned.
We came home and the kids played some xbox while I brought dry washing in, put wet washing out, talked to the chickens (broody hen has come out being broody, only to be replaced straight away by one of the others :rolls: ), thinned some seedlings I sowed a couple of weeks ago and put a few more seeds in.
I made the kids tea and decided thanks to the current egg glut to make quiche for dinner so cooked the bacon and made the pastry for that. As D&S were eating their tea I glanced in my diary and realised I was supposed to be giving blood at 6.10pm and it was about 5.45pm. I missed the last one due to illness and having read carefully all the notes it seemed as I am getting over a cold rather than going down with one I should be fine to donate. So I urged the kids to eat up and we dashed down there. Ady came in before I was seen (I’d texted him) so he took Davies and Scarlett home again while I hung on and donated. For once there was no issue with the prick test but the nurse really struggled to find a vein for the actual donation. With help she did locate one and all was well but I suspect all the poking and prodding will have created a big bruise for tomorrow.
Back home again we started ‘I was a rat’ for stories and Davies was asleep really early (for him) by about 930pm. Scarlett was less good and is still coughing in her sleep now – I suspect the early mornings most of the week have caught up with Davies :).
Ady and I watched Masterchef Australia – I’m so chuffed my favourite is in the final 🙂 and Ady staggered off to bed as he has now fallen prey to the cold 🙁
Can’t believe it’s Friday already tomorrow!