One word? When seven would do…

We were due to go to Book Club this morning. This has been an incredibly successful local-ish group which we were lucky enough to join at the very beginning. Like all good things it has had it’s time of change and re-evaluation and now has two guises – the more structured group and the more creative and artistic group. Rather amusingly we span the two and despite not being your typical sit down at the table home ed folk Davies and Scarlett seem to manage the sitting down talking about books for books sake side of the group so we seem to be welcome at both new arms of the group. I have made clear our limited period only status to all involved and said we will continue to come if welcome until we go but don’t want to take up valued spaces for others waiting.

So today was one of the more structured sessions. The book is The Iron Man by Ted Hughes which was what decided me really. I read it to D&S ages ago in one sitting and Davies went to bed and recreated the whole story in about 30 drawings despite the book I’d read being an unillustrated version. To me it was a rather landmark moment in our HE journey and one I have recounted to lots of people so it felt right to go along to a group about it today as it is so close to our hearts.

The session was dealing with using different verbs and as Barbara and Michelle will know as I distinctly recall sitting on a rock halfway up a very steep hill at J&Js last year talking to them about such things I am slightly hazy about verbs and adjectives. I can remember the lessons at school where I was supposed to be enlightened but I wasn’t. I have got my head round noun – a name but then it gets all fuzzy with ‘doing words’. So I found a website that explained it all perfectly and told Davies and Scarlett it would be being talked about today at BookClub. I said they would get help if they needed it but it would be great if this was not the first time they had heard of such concepts and we quickly covered noun, pronoun, verb and adjective. They both got it instantly, which is just as well as I still can’t remember what is a verb and what is an adjective so they can now help me. 😆 We did lots of ‘comfortable red sofa’ and ‘broken-down old car’ and they were both spot on with which words were which. Interesting that my schooled mind with a decent teacher couldn’t grasp it but my autonomous kids with me backed up by google could…

Scarlett then wanted to know if ‘a noun’ was a noun. 😆

The car took a couple of attempts to start but got going and we headed off. I’m slightly obessesed with an Adele record at the moment so have been playing it lots. Maybe too much given Tarly could all but sing along word for word 🙂

About half way there the car started juddering a bit, I thought it was just struggling with going a bit faster (I was doing about 80mph) and then I thought it was about to stall and was planning when I’d next need to brake and where I would be able to pull in to if it stalled. I then had the strangest feeling I had no brakes, despite my foot being on the accelarator but was too scared to try and see. The juddering was not bad enough for the kids to notice but I suddenly spotted smoke in the rear view mirror so as soon as it was safe to pull in I did so. The kids asked why we were stopping and I said the car didn’t feel right. Scarlett asked ‘does it feel like a flat tyre?’ which was an interesting question and led me to check that first.

The answer was a resounding yes.

Fortunately I’d got us to a proper lay by with a strip of pavement between us and the dual carriageway and a burger van and everything ;).

I have never changed a tyre. Mostly because I’ve never had a flat tyre. I debated the best course of action and rang Ady partly for some moral support and partly for some ‘yes that’s the right thing to do next’ back up. We were not that far from his office so he said he’d come along and see what state we were in when he arrived. This left me with 3 options: call the breakdown cover, wait for Ady or try and change it myself. Given the hangover of ‘what the bloody hell am I doing?’ from yesterday I guess I could have felt feeble and picked on. Instead I could see that this was something I *could* fix so I got out the manual for the car, worked out where the spare wheel was, took off my coat and set about dealing with it.

The kids were excellent cheerleaders, I love their faith in me :). The many, many lorry drivers and other road users who had stopped, some right behind me and either blatantly ignored me or stood ogling my cleavage as I bent down and made my tits jiggle while turning a spanner displayed rather less admirable traits. I didn’t need a knight in shining armour as I am fair from a helpless maiden but a quick ‘are you ok?’ would have been nice and is what I would have offered anyone I noticed in a similar position.

It wasn’t raining,we were only 20 miles from home with breakdown cover and Ady was on his way.Plus we’d driven past my Dad’s house and I’d clocked his van there not 10 minutes before so I was hardly in a dangerous position. I think perspective is always important in such situations ;).

I managed to get the spare wheel off – it is suspended under the car and accessed via lifting a tiny panel, winding down the rope holding it, working out a pinch this bit pull this bit bracket to get it off. I got all the tools ready to use and the nut covers off the very broken tyre wheel. I could not get the actual nuts to move on the wheel though despite standing on the wrench. At this point someone did actually come and offer help and if Ady had not just driven by on the other side of the road I would have accepted. Or waited until my rage made me sufficiently powerful enough to move those nuts! 😉

Someone else came along once I had a bloke helping me and offered use of a socket set. To be honest I think the trade off of listening to him call Ady ‘Boss’ and make helpful suggestions whilst cross examining Davies and Scarlett about why they were not in school today was more of an exercise in not killing him with his own socket set than a help, but there you go…

Car jacked up, wheel changed, car jacked down again, worry from Ady about why wheel didn’t turn, testing wheel by going forwards slightly then realising it didn’t turn due to the handbrake being on, car jacked back down again with kids both getting a go at jacking it up on the second turn and I was ready to go :).

We decided Ady would go on to drop off some money for a workshop we’re doing next month and I’d promised to get to the woman today and then taking them home while I went to a second hand tyre place to get the spare replaced and then home would be the best plan. The tyre place didn’t have anything but are hoping to tomorrow so have my mobile number to call me. I got home about 10 minutes before Ady and the kids so spent some time rather aggressively chopping up wood to absolve myself of bad feminist angst on not being able to get the wheel off myself.

Back at home we had lunch and Scarlett spent most of the afternoon absorbed in a How to train your dragon DS game while Davies and I did a large chunk of which is just excellent – definitely need to add some more of this series to their Christmas lists.

Davies then did some geomagging and then we fell out over his need for strokes and attention. I suspect I was far too harsh and we made up and had plenty of cuddles. Argh to not being so good with sensitive souls 🙁

We practised the Christmas carols sent through on a sheet from Pennywell. I don’t expect them to know all the words but it will be nice for them to know the tunes and enough words to join in. Davies was amazing with his ability to recall lyrics after just one or two listenings, Scarlett is great at remembering melodies. Must do more proper singing with them.

I did their tea and then headed upstairs to finish tidying up our bedroom. It is now properly ready for Dad to decorate and we have 3 sacks full of clothes to bring to camp to give away, hope everyone with littler children is ready :).

Ady came home, Davies and Scarlett did one of their elaborate coin flipping to decide a bedtime story and we read which we’d read before but I’d picked up a for sale library copy that Davies had added to his ‘to keep’ pile.

Ady and I had leftovers for dinner and watched Giles and Mel live the Good Life which we have absolutely loved, very relevant to us, reassuring us how much we do know and laugh out loud funny.

Tomorrow a huge day for me – I finish swimming the channel.