Fortunately even an excited early morning start around here isn’t until after 8am 🙂 We’re so slack 😉
The morning began as all birthday mornings should with many presents opened in bed. Scarlett had only really asked for Playmobil this year so she had two new sets – a farm and a dolphin trainer, an assortment of second hand bits off ebay dogs, cats, ducks and ducklings, donkeys (better for her really as she is not as bothered about the various figures and accessories that come in kits, all she really wants are the actual animal figures), a heap of books about wildlife and animals and a couple of films. Oh and a tub of twiglets! Davies got the traditional siblings birthday gift of a film but also a fake lego PotC boat that he’d spotted in a charity shop yesterday for £4, which under normal circumstances we’d have just got him as it was such a bargain anyway.
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We moved into the lounge and while the kids spent some time playing with new toys I had a quick bath and then made breakfast of Scarlett’s choice – french toast with cinnamon and dusted with icing sugar.
We all then settled down to watch the film Davies had got – a DVD with a couple of shorts on it in the How to Train your dragon including a festive one. That was much enjoyed, then we headed up to Sainsburys for cake making ingredients.
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We stopped on the way to look at the pet shop and the aquarium shop both of which Tarly adores, so it was a good hour long expedition. Ady noticed we’d been mischarged for some eggs so popped back in to get a refund of the difference and the kids and I sat on a bench outside. I was idly watching a woman with a pushchair thinking she looked like someone I went to school with when she walked over and said ‘Hello Nicola, how are you?’. We had a quick chat, tough to fit over 20 years into five minutes but she was settled back into Sussex after living in Canada for a while, whereas I’m in the throes of leaving Sussex. We wished each other good luck with our dreams and I’ve spent the rest of the day wondering quite where all those years went. Davies and Scarlett were quite fascinated with the idea of meeting someone who knew me when I was not much older than them and we had a really interesting conversation about how Jo and I would have had almost identical lives back then but vastly different experiences since. I said that being a parent was probably the biggest change in my life and we talked about the impact that has on you.
Back at home we made lunch – again at Scarlett’s request. She’d asked for ‘food like we have on Boxing Day’ which translated as twiglets, cheese and crackers and mini cheddars. As we were finishing eating my Granny arrived.
I got Scarlett’s cake in the oven and then helped her set up her Playmobil while it cooked. Ady and Dad mostly chatted to Granny, then Davies and I walked into the nearest village to post the croft application at the post office. On the way we had a really nice chat, the first time the two of us have really been on our own since we’ve been back here. Davies confided that my Mum has been whispering things to him, including twice telling him if he didn’t want to move to Rum he could live with her instead and then trying to persuade him he doesn’t want to live there. He says he doesn’t get upset by her saying things like that and he tells her that he is really happy with all our plans but I explained that it’s not really okay for her to say things like that to him or to suggest that if he didn’t want to go the rest of us would dream of going without him. Not at all sure of her motivation really but frankly it’s odd. We did have a really nice chat about what Davies thinks about life, the universe and everything though and at one point I asked him who he thought he would like to be like when he’s older. He thought for a while and then said ‘you’ 🙂 His reasoning was that he really loves his life and mine is just the same plus he wants to be happy and have adventures and follow dreams and he thinks that is what I do. 🙂 Maybe he just hears me banging on about such things too much but it’s lovely to think he means it :). He did add that maybe he’d be a bit less shouty though 😆
We popped into the charity shop next door to the post office and Davies spotted a lovely little rainbow notepad and pencil with elephants on the front for just 75p which he thought Scarlett would love so he got that for her and gave it to her when we got home. He was right, she does love it 🙂
Granny left soon afterwards, the kids and I iced the cake and more playing with lego and playmobil ensued until Mum came home from work and we all walked across the road to the carvery for dinner. It was actually quite nice food and very reasonable – we only had main course anyway. Another trip to the pet shop for more animal ogling and then home for birthday cake.
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Frazer and Kat joined us for candle blowing and Happy Birthday singing and a slice of cake which was nice.
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happy birthday 🙂 glad d has told you. my mum’s cousin jackie was asked by her mil and sil if she would give them her eldest son as they thought they would do a better job of bringing him up!! she didn’t. [they carried on that preference, and left him [and not his brother or any of the other nephews and nieces] all their money on death – caused serious upsets!]
Comment by HHaricot — 07 December 2011 @ 12:44 am
Happy birthday Tarly!
I’m trying (and failing) to imagine a shouty Davies!
Comment by Michelle — 07 December 2011 @ 8:26 am
A happy birthday to your smiley girl!
Comment by Allie — 07 December 2011 @ 2:22 pm
BTW, Jesus H.Christ about what your mum has been saying to D… Hope you can get through this next bit without too much hurt.
Comment by Allie — 07 December 2011 @ 2:24 pm
Happy Birthday Scarlett x
Comment by Liza — 08 December 2011 @ 2:23 am