Saturday

I worked in the morning. It was a really horrible day, freezing cold, blowing a gale and pouring with rain so I didn’t feel I was missing out on much by being tucked away in the library. I had my teabreak with the two teenage Saturday assistants which was amusing. They humoured me by talking about A levels for a while before getting back to the serious business of trying to pretend I wasn’t there and gossiping about who had got off with who the night before. Made me feel old, slightly hankering after my own youth and the most important thing to dwell on being analysing every sentence uttered in your last conversation with a certain someone and slightly terrified that it’s not that long really before my own children enter that world – infact less years til they do than since I did – gulp!

Home at 1pm with time for a quick cup of tea and chivvying of children before heading back out again. Whilst doing one of my regular browses of the local theatres recently I’d come across details of the Magic Lantern film club at the Ropetackle Centre in Shoreham (the next town along from us). It had sounded so very, very Davies that I’d got taster tickets for both children to go along to it. Scarlett was fine with it and was looking forward to it (but she has her security blanket in the shape of Davies) – Davies liked the idea of it but was very anti going somewhere without me. On the website it says they do not want parents to stay and actually I think he is now past the stage where he genuinely needs me to stay at stuff and my presence is often a distracting / hampering one for him as he watches me almost constantly for clues to behaviour rather than being himself.

All that said the very reason we started home educating Davies was to do with his issues at being left and my guilt at having done so (we have long since left that behind but it’s still there in the background for both of us) so I have always promised I will never leave him anywhere he is not happy to stay. I explained that I had booked this for him because I was sure he would love it, that if I was wrong and he didn’t enjoy it I would be very sorry and would never ask him to go there again, gave him my mobile phone number and told him to get the organisers to ring me and I would come straight back for him if he wasn’t happy and he grudgingly agreed to try it.

When we arrived it was slightly chaotic with various people milling about. Both the children were being annoying with Davies looking like he was being led to his execution and Scarlett getting all stroppy about wanting to take her coat off and put it somewhere (she hates wearing a coat, takes it off as soon as she can and then wants to be rid of it) so when I found someone and he said I could stay and settle them I decided to do so. Ady appeared then having parked the car and took over finding somewhere for their coats while I sat and read to them from the programme. They were watching The Incredibles and with each showing a booklet is produced telling a brief outline of the story of the film, some information about the making of it and various other film related trivia. Normally this will be sent out before the screening to read at home before they go.

I’d just about finished reading it to them and they were called to go in. Ady and I sat near the back and Davies and Scarlett went up to sit at the front with the other children. The first half an hour or so was a sort of sketch about superheroes with plenty of audience participation and chatter about the film. In this instance they were focussing on how the message of The Incredibles is that you don’t have to have super powers to be special. Both the children put their hands up to answer questions into the microphone that was being brought into the audience and after about 15 minutes I crept forward to tell them we were leaving and would see them later. They both agreed without even taking their eyes off the show and away we went.

Shoreham is a nice little town and the river Adur runs through it as it reaches the sea, there is a beach, a load of houseboats, some interesting shops and several cafes so it will be a nice place to have a couple of childfree hours once a month. It was not at it’s best with the dreadful weather though so after a quick look in Woolworths and a charity shop browse we decided to stop getting wet and cold and went back to the car. We drove to Tescos but it was so busy there wasn’t even parking spaces and we had a quick look round Homebase before heading back early to check Davies and Scarlett were still okay.

We were ushered in to watch the end of the film – it’s one of my favourites anyway and will always be a special one to me as it was Davies’ first cinema experience -I took him, just him and I when he was about four and although he’s always loved films it was that first big screen experience that really lit a fire for him :). They were both watching the film, heads together, whispering occasional things to each other and it wasn’t long before Davies glanced round, realised we were there and then told Scarlett who also glanced round. There were actually a couple of parents who had stayed but I really do think it would defeat the object of the event if I did.

As predicted both children LOVED it and want to sign up for the years membership- which as soon as we’ve been paid I will do for them. It’s also prompted Tarly to say she will try staying at Rainbows on her own in January for at least one session aslong as I leave my phone number with the leader to ring me if she needs me.

Home for Saturday night TV, Christmas card writing for me (all done, just need posting)and alledged early bedtimes that never quite seemed to happen.