First thing this morning I wanted to get to the library so the children could get their silver stickers for the SRG. We’re away all next week and I wanted to have only one visit left to do after that, plus Davies is on such a roll with his reading I really wanted him to get that buzz of marching into the library and sharing it with the world :).
Scarlett had chosen ‘A house for mouse’ and decided she wanted to take a Barefoot book we’d had about Chinese zodiac as her second book so we also gathered up various finished with dvds and other books and headed off there well before 10am :). As we got out of the car my phone rang and it was my Mum, very upset that she had just been offered redundancy from her job 🙁 wanting to know where I was. I said we’d be home in 20 minutes and we went into the library.
The children were stars – Davies very confidently talked about his two books and then chose a couple more including reading me the title of one ‘pet to school day’ that he’d chosen because it was ‘the same author as the last book he’d read’ 🙂 :). He then told me in confidential tones his league table of favourite people who work at the library 😆 and yes I was number one ;). He was greeted by name by everyone which made him all glowy and then he got chatting to the two Important Librarians who happened to be in the childrens’ library doing some stock work this morning while Scarlett talked about her two books. She also did well, after an initial pretend shy act :). She then chatted to the Important Librarians too and one of them helped her select a book based on what Scarlett had read and liked before. It was nice :).
We came home and found poor Mum being accosted (not literally) by David the Thank You Neighbour who’d seen her arrive and come over to tell her we’d gone out but he wasn’t sure where to! :shock:- clearly the spycam is faulty this morning! She came in and chatted to me in the kitchen while I made some cupcakes and we drank lots of tea. I was pleased that on this occassion unlike many others when my Mum has called on me to help I was actually able to feel I was being of assistance and saying the right things this morning. I won’t blog more about what’s going on with her as actually it’s not resolved yet and I think it will end up being a positive thing for her but she was upset and in need of comfort, kind words and an injection of positivity this morning, all of which are things I am fairly good at offering.
Davies and Scarlett made cards for Lucy – both with very nice writing and then went outside to play. Lucy arrived and Mum stayed for one more cup of tea before heading off leaving Lucy and I to chat and the children to carry on playing. We had birthday cakes with candles and small children singing Happy Birthday – which I did video but promised not to youtube and then further chatting and playing.
Scarlett fell down the front steps and grazed her leg – it now has scars down the back where she stood on and fell through a plastic box and what will heal to be scars down the front from the steps – that girl will be a great advertisement for the magic of bio oil! Richard got stung by a bee, Davies got sand in his eye and Rebecca got upset by various children not letting her play on the slide or have a blank piece of paper to draw on but actually for 6 hours together they all did very well :).
Lucy and The Rs left, Davies and Scarlett had tea, Ady came home and I nipped out. I had to collect the childen’s new membership cards from the swimming pool that Dad had paid for over the phone but they needed signatures for, get a few bits for dinner and I decided to call over to Mum and Dads and check that Mum was ok and that Dad was being supportive and caring – not necessarily a given :rolls:. Fortunately all was well. I stayed for an hour or so chatting and Frazer arrived home from work while I was there – felt a bit odd to be the four of us and none of ‘my’ family there – funny to think that used to be the whole house filled 16 years ago when we all lived there. It was very quiet! :lol:I think what felt so odd was that it is probably 20 odd years since the four of us stood /sat together and chatted like that, which is strange because it’s something that happens daily at our house and it is odd to think one day it won’t any more.
We had an interesting conversation about whether you ever feel like a grown up and if so what makes you feel that way. Dad is 70 on Wednesday which we all agreed sound properly old but none of us, least of all Dad himself view him as old. Dad was saying he’d been thinking about a job he did and trying to work out when it was and realised it was 1994 and then realised that had been when we bought our house and he was staggered that Ady and I had been together that long – even more staggering was when Mum said that Ady was now the same age as she was then more or less (she’s not quite old enough to be Ady’s mother). Numbers eh?
I got home in time to read a story, have a bath and get dinner ready in time for Dragon’s Den and then watched the last of the 3 part Can’t Read, Can’t Write. That’s been a very interesting watch and I’ve been talking about it loads to people.
Your poor mum. Hope it works out ok for her.
I’ve been thinking a lot about age since we went out on Sunday night. I am happy to be growing older but it unsettles me a bit when other people do it!
Comment by Allie — 05 August 2008 @ 6:27 pm