Rain and braids

It started raining during the night sometimes last night and didn’t really stop much all day. It’s the first rain we’ve really had in ages though so although it was annoying in preventing me from hanging swimsuits out to dry ready for swimming again tomorrrow and it made all the chickens look a bit soggily sorry for themselves I didn’t really mind too much.

I’d decided a quiet day was in order but I had a cheque shouting at me from the bookcase in the hall that my Granny had given to Davies for his birthday and I knew she’d be stressing about why I’d not paid it in yet – she is properly organised with money and balances her cheque book and bank account regularly. I also got quite hooked on the soothing-ness of braiding friendship bracelets with Caz and Bid in the park last week so thought I’d get some cheap embroidery threads and do some of that.

We had a conversation about bank accounts, cheques, I explained premium bonds again and we talked about why Great Granny always gives cheques to the kids for Christmas and birthdays and that twenty pound which would easily be frittered away on a bit of lego now will build and add to a bigger sum by the time they are 18 and we talked about possible exciting things they might like to do with it then. I didn’t mention that we have twice had to raid the kids bank accounts to pay for their parties and that we owe them money back which we really must try and pay at some point although I don’t know why I feel bad about that really, the money was spent on them. I also feel slightly hypocritical giving sensible talks about finances as I’m far more likely to advocate spending the tuppence on feeding the birds than investing it in the bank (and yes that is supposed to make you think of Mary Poppins).

We parked and walked to the bank where Scarlett bouncily told the cashier it was her birthday soon (it’s not really, it’s another whole 2 months away). We looked in a couple of craft shops but found the threads to be really expensive so tried the couple of pound shops in town. I said Davies and Scarlett could each choose something so Scarlett chose a jungle mould set with plaster of paris and little paint pots and Davies chose some Star Wars magnets. I found my threads (pack of 20 for a quid – woohoo!) and with a brief peep at a couple of charity shops and a nip into Somerfield for some veg for tomorrow’s stew and a french stick for lunch we were heading for home again.

We had lunch – lots for Davies and Scarlett to see them through the afternoon to a later than usual dinner after gymnastics and then all settled into our various pursuits. Scarlett mixed and made the plaster of paris and then mithered me every ten minutes about whether it was dry. We put some of the heating on so I could dry some clothes so sticking the mould under one of the radiators helped speed the process, then she painted them all.

Davies popped out his magnets which were on one sheet of printed card backed with magnet and he realised he could use the sheet as a stencil so he drew a background and then stencilled all the characters in, gave them features and coloured them all in, then checked how to spell ‘birthday’ and spirited it away to finish it off as something to put away for Scarlett. I followed some online instructions and some from various kids we’ve had and taught myself to make several different versions of bracelets which Davies, Scarlett and I are now sporting :). Meanwhile we watched a variety of interesting programmes on TV including ‘How London was built’ which included tunnels and airports. Both kids remembered our Terminal Five visit last year. We then watched a programme about people working with wild animals in Australia including possums, platypus, sea snakes and salt water crocodiles. They had a sea snake that had been run over and some of her eggs inside had ruptured which could kill her so they removed them all (16!), and sent the intact ones to be incubated, sewed her up and released her back to the wild. We learnt that they stay with their eggs once laid and to keep them warm they shiver themselves to generate heat. The saltwater crocodile had been kept as a pet and not looked after so had not developed it’s muscles properly to learn to swim and was being given swimming lessons. We also watched a bit about snakes being milked for their venom. Finally we watched a programme about hunters and how much of animal hunting is instinct and how much is taught by parents (usually mothers) which was good. I would happily lose TV forever but I do think there is often a good quality documentary on to be found in the middle of all the utter crap which is on most channels.

We sadly then had a best forgotten episode when I told the kids to get changed for gym and neither of them could find their clothes. We had this several times with Badgers and Swimming and they are now really good about keeping their clothing for both put away properly where they can find it again. I’d reminded them earlier about gym clothes but they’d not bothered to look. We got there, but not without lots of yelling from me, some crying from Davies and plenty of threats of them not going again if this happened again. Davies also has to wear something to cover all his wristbands and Tarly needs her hair tying up and her ring covering with tape or a plaster so we really have to be ready to go on time. I think we can safely say they will make more of an effort next time ;).

I came home again from dropping them off and got dinner on – roast chicken we didn’t have yesterday as we were too stuffed from party food. Ady arrived home while I was doing it so we caught up on each others day and then headed to gym slightly early in the hopes of seeing some of the class. Davies and Scarlett were upstairs warming down so we only saw the odd glance of them as they passed the window but we did get to admire some other kids on the bars and doing walking handstands. I remember being really impressed by a girl at school who could do walking handstands :).

Davies and Scarlett came out enthused as ever and Davies and I talked through me shouting and him crying from earlier and sorted it all out. We all sat down to dinner together and chatted about our days, then we watched half an hour of TV and caught another show about venomous sealife and underwater predators which followed on nicely from earlier.

Bedtime for Davies and Scarlett, bath for me and I’m really missing brightkite.