Which is a phrase rather wasted on my blog readers as it’s an in-joke with a couple of workmates from the library, none of whom read this, but it came to me this evening while watching Davies and Scarlett and made me smile recalling an evening out with those work mates so I decided any two word phrase which recalls a happy memory and makes me smile is worthy of being a blog title. Oh how self indulgent I am 🙂
Today we were with Peter, due to pick us up at 930am. I think all of us, Peter included didn’t really expect that to happen and sure enough it was long after 10am when he actually arrived. I woke to Ady putting the radio on and the confusion of the Candyman and ‘Happy Friday’ stuff when I’d have sworn it was only about Tuesday today. So we breakfasted, got dressed and Scarlett and I were sitting in the sun chatting and looking at a rather gorgeous book I picked up at the charity shop yesterday for 75p
Peter came and had a look at our van, chatted solar panels and alternative energy with us for a while and then we got in his car and drove down to his field. He’d brought his dogs with him this time so we did a big circuit of the field to walk the dogs and check on the trees we planted earlier in the week. Then Ady and Davies cut the comfrey ready to be dried out while Peter, Scarlett and I laid a load of black matting, old carpet and black plastic in various areas in preparation for various things; a wildlife pond site to be dug out in the autumn, a pathway between two beds and a bed to be dug over and sowed in the autumn too.
We stopped regularly; for lunch, for tea breaks, to look at a nest of baby voles and baby shrews in one of the old carpets (two seperate litters in two different areas, so cute, all curled up, blind and bald), Peter gave Davies some knot tying lessons, Peter and I dashed out to the nearby shop for a bottle of coke for us all to drink so we could cut it up to make little guards to go round the trunks of some young fruit trees and we had lots and lots of conversations about parenting, education, musical instruments, times tables, Tescos and various other interesting stuff.
Back to their house for dinner where we had more interesting conversations with his wife and son too. Davies and Scarlett spent some time in the garden and made up a play / puppet show using some of Deb (Peter’s wife)’s forest school resources and stuffed woodland creatures. Peter, Ady and I went out to watch and it turned into an audience participation, improvised event which was both very clever and very funny. Peter wants photos and / or a video clip of it he enjoyed it so much 🙂 It’s always as well when you’ve been gobby and ranty about your style of parenting / educating if your kids manage to come across as a perfect example of why you are right ;).
Peter dropped us back, shook Ady’s hand, gave me a hug, wished us well on the rest of our adventure and invited us back anytime :). Tomorrow and Sunday we’re working with Jane & Rob here where we are actually parked. Not starting til 930am though and hopefully not working too hard ;).
What are you drying the comfrey for?
Comment by Jan — 21 May 2011 @ 8:05 pm
😆 I just asked Ady as I couldn’t actually recall why and neither can he! Peter has some of the Bocking 14 stock and this was that area. I think the plan was to wilt it rather than dry it before using it as mulch around tree bases. He did have a large collection of glass bottles to make some comfrey juice or ‘tea’ into to sell at farmers markets too.
Comment by Nic — 21 May 2011 @ 11:41 pm