Just keep swimming

No further snow fall here so we have a few grey clumps and the rest has gone away. Apart from our never-goes-out-in-her-garden next door neighbour, who still has a perfect back garden full of it. Quite tempted to ask her if Davies and Scarlett could go and play in it!

Davies was really hungry and had three bowls of cereal, then they got dressed before connecting their DSs on a Star Wars game. I sorted the chickens, dealt with some dry, wet and dirty laundry, got swimming stuff ready and cleared a pile of paperwork which also meant sending a couple of emails.

We’d arranged to see Tasha and Toby today and she texted to say they’d meet us at the park first as they were heading there to feed the ducks. The park is on the seafront and pretty much equidistant between our houses at about a 10 minute walk for both of us (more like 15 to the centre of the park, its pretty big with a boating lake, go karts, pony rides, pitch n putt golf and mini train). We drove there and parked up and walked to meet them at the lake. We fed the birds (loads of swans and even more seagulls, not actually any ducks at all) and then walked round to the playground. One of Tarly’s socks had fallen down inside her welly so I sorted that out for her which meant the boys had got to the swings first and there are only two swings. She had a bit of a wobble about that and about being left out generally but fortunately it didn’t last long and she soon headed off to play with them.

It’s really hard sometimes, particularly for Scarlett but actually Davies struggles with it too. They genuinely are best friends and play with each other so well about 99% of the time. They are inseperable, with the same interests, in-jokes and views on most things. This means that unless when they play with someone else the other person either slots straight into their games or that there are two or more people so they come away from each other and neither feels left out there is almost always friction with the whole threes a crowd thing.

That was soon smoothed over today though and Davies made a special effort to coax Tarly back into the game and ensure she wasn’t left out. I have been very proud of him several times in the last week or so. He is a very cool person :).

We parted so that Tasha and the boys could walk home and we went to collect our car. I’d parked on the road rather than in the pay and display car park. I needed petrol too so we arrived at their house a few minutes after them.

We had lunch and the children headed off upstairs to play. They spent most of the time DSing and then some time in the study on the computer looking at the Bamzookis website. Tasha and I chatted and I knitted :).

We went from there to swimming lessons. I’d taken my costume to go in too. The thought of it is never very appealing but as usual once I’m actually there and in the water I enjoy it.

Scarlett had her lesson first while Davies and I played about. We did several lengths, he did some handstands and stuff, we played ‘it’ and chucked each other about a fair bit. It was fun :). Then it was time for his lesson and Tarly came and joined me in the big pool. She came over with a big grin on her face and said ‘I was the best in the class!’ and then proceeded to swim about, do handstands and stuff too :). She really is properly swimming which is excellent, I’m really proud of her :). The slide opened so she spent the rest of her time on that while I did some more lengths until Davies’ lesson finished.

We managed to get dried and dressed fairly quickly and then they sat in the car with their DSs while I popped to the chip shop to get them a portion of fish and chips to share for their tea.

They had their tea while I sorted out the chickens and ran them a bath (Davies and Scarlett, not the chickens!) which they then played in for ages. I brushed Tarly’s hair and then Ady came home and made them hot chocolates. I’m rubbish at hot chocolates!

I was feeling very grumpy and tired so Ady read them a story tonight instead of me while I listened and knitted. They read The Mousehole Cat and then they headed off to bed while I had a bath.

I cooked dinner and we watched Boys and Girls Alone and then a taped Masterchef. Tomorrow everyone’s up stupidly early as Ady’s off to Birmingham for a trade fair and I’m off to work via Liza’s to drop off the children.