Badgertastic

Davies was Badger of the Month
(although I’ve just realised I put Badger of the week on flickr :oops:)

I ordered several library books on painting pebbles and henna body art from work and some of them had arrived today so Scarlett and I headed down to the beach with a bag while Davies was being a Badger. The tide was right out so once we’d collected stones to be turned into ladybirds, cats, rabbits, crocodiles and the like we set about exploring rock pools on crab and clam hunts. We found several empty shells but no live sea creatures. We spent ages watching the seagulls and crows picking over the stones and calling to each other which was interesting, we looked at the lugworm casts (which I have only discovered the true nature of by googling) and tried to spot one in action – Scarlett thought she would make a good lug worm as she can do good scribbling just like them :lol:. I was actually quite pissed off that Ady didn’t make it home in time for me to take Davies to Badgers leaving Tarly at home as I really enjoy that hour a week where I either sit in the car and read (and eat humbugs) or listen to music or lately go for a solitary walk along the beach, but actually Scarlett was so full of chatter and delight and so charming with her comments and questions I really enjoyed it. She mentioned Davies at least 3 times including telling me she was really missing him (aww). It’s times like that when I realise that however much they squabble their relationship is a rather wonderful one and quite seperate from me or Ady. I can think back to my own closeness to my brother – and we can get it back in minutes with in jokes from our childhood or references to games we used to play or stories only we recall and by the time we were the age of Davies and Scarlett I’d been in school for two years full time. Listening to Poppy and Matilda talking to each other at Legoland this week and the various other siblings I’ve spent time with from HE families shows me that sibling bonds are something very special and unique and yet another benefit of Home Education is allowing them to really enjoy each others company and get their first valuable life lessons about other people from their brothers and sisters. I’ll come back and re-read that next time they’re driving me insane with their arguing cos I can tell even as I write it it is utterly rose tinted, but I know what I’m trying to say :lol:.

Anyway, Ady arrived just as we were working our way back up the beach as Davies was due out of Badgers soon so he started to walk down from the Badgers carpark to meet us. As we crossed the crossing on the coast road a man riding his bike crashed into the kerb, along the railings and ended up sprawled across the pavement with his bike on top of him. Scarlett and I dashed back across the road, lifted his bike off him, helped him up and assessed the damage to him and his bike. He wasn’t badly hurt but very shaken and his bike’s front wheel was all mangled. Scarlett pointed out his grazed cheek, I offered him use of my phone or a lift somewhere but he insisted he didn’t have far to go, so we left him to it and carried on walking to meet Ady. It seemed sensible for him to wait with us to collect Davies so we all went in. They have a trophy which they award to Badger of the Month on the first meeting of each month, allegedly for the Badger who has tried hardest that month but actually is probably just rotated in turn around them all – do you sense my disdain for rewards by rote? 😉 – this was confirmed by the little discusssion I could see taking place before they announced Davies as the winner. Still, it was nice for it to happen infront of Tarly and Ady aswell as me and we all made a big fuss of him and took pictures of him with it when we got home. 🙂 I think Davies is as casual about such things as me really, all the way home we made up silly awards of X of the month for everyone we could think of to much hilarity (initiated by him) and he told me all the people who had ‘had a turn’ at being Badger of the Month too, which led me to suspect he sees it more in the style of everyone getting a go at unwrapping a layer on the pass the parcel than winning at tennis too.

Tomorrow the plan included Yoda painting and pebble painting so I think we might be taking that one outside. Hatchwatch II continues apace with the first candling tonight showing all six eggs as expected for day 6. Ady’s practically named them all already so I bloody hope we get some chicks this time. 😆