The suspected luxury of a lie in didn’t get much past 830am really but it was nice to wake to quietly chattering and laughing children rather than the beeping alarm.
Breakfast and dressed for the children while I sorted out the kitchen which was a bit of a bombsite as Ady had got the Christmas tree in this morning before going to work instead of washing up as he usually does first thing. We all went outside for a while to witness the ‘baby’ cockerel who found his voice and started crowing. He did it for about 10 minutes which had the older cockerel echoing and had me wondering if we’d need to find a new home for him but they both then shut up after their little duet so fingers crossed it will be a once a day chorus rather than an ongoing theme tune.
I put the lights on the tree but wasn’t really happy with them. Ady and the kids had bought them at the weekend and got coloured ones although I’d said I prefer white and they were tiny LED ones on a fairly short strand which I thought just didn’t show up enough. Finally they were on a white cable rather than a green one. And they’d cost a tenner which I thought was far too much money. I moaned about them and notice they have now been removed and boxed back up to return to B&Q and one of our perfectly good long sets of white ones has been put on the tree instead and is looking lovely 🙂 It’s still falling into place so isn’t finished being decorating yet but does look lovely and festive already 🙂
I did some emailing and ringing youth hostels and very happily news is good regarding Okehampton so it looks like we’ve got venue sorted for next years Christmas camp :).
We had a couple of cheques to pay into the bank (a cash back offer from my mobile phone and a birthday cheque for Scarlett from my Granny) so we decided to head to Littlehampton which is a bit further away than Worthing but has very easy and free parking so worth the slightly longer drive. It also has a very lovely wool shop that sells ends of balls of luxurious yarns for 50p which is where many of my blanket yarn came from. I want to knit myself a hat and gloves and didnt have any suitable wool for that either. So we paid in the cheques, spent some time in the shop choosing some lovely ends of balls and some reduced yarns for me to play with for other small things and then a new pair of gloves each in the pound shop for wearing now.
Back home for a late lunch and I baked some gingerbread stars to ice and thread with ribbons to decorate the tree. Will get some boiled sweets tomorrow to make some stained glass window ones too.
Then it was swimming. I’d already decided not to go in today, mostly because I didn’t want limp, chlorine scented hair for later and I knew I’d not have time to have a bath or shower at home (for some reason the showers at the pool never quite seem to remove the smell?) and I don’t have a clue where a hairdryer might be anyway. So I watched the lessons instead. Scarlett was first and she was given a letter to say she’s going up into the 430pm group that Davies is in from January. She did well and enjoyed the fun and games that they always do on the last week of term.
Davies was in the pool himself while Scarlett had her lesson and he found some other boys to hook up and play with. He also got a letter to say he is going up to the 5pm group in January and a badge to say he has passed Goldfish 1 – there seems very small incremental steps between levels and I rather cynically suspect this is more to award a badge (costing £2 each time) per term than anything else ;). It means Tuesdays are about to get even crazier with swimming from 4.30-5.30 and Scarlett needing to be back here for Brownies at 6pm I think – just about doable with either very early or very late tea. Then Davies needs to be at Sea Scouts for 7pm. Scarlett to be picked up at 730pm and Davies at 830pm. Oh it will be bedlam! 😉 I might email and check if there are equivalent classes at earlier timeslots actually…
Back home Ady was already here and cooking their tea so I got changed and headed off to a hotel in Horsham (just over half an hours drive) for a Christmas event for Waste Prevention Advisors which is the course I spent the last 9 Tuesday evenings doing. There were people from my course and from the previous courses over the last 3 years along with council people. We had a presentation from the head of waste services (yawningly boring) and talks from five existing WPAs on initiatives they have done which was interesting. We had a chance to chat to each other for a bit and were served very nice food – I had a very small amount as I knew I’d be having dinner at home but sort of wished I didn’t have so I could fill up there as it was lovely food :).
We were all presented with a pair of tumblers (from this company and similar wine bottle bottom style but mine have little lizards etched into them around the top).
Then I drove back home again in the rain!
I’ve watched the MPs presenting the petitions which was entertaining and is already being picked up by the media which makes me very hopeful.
Our pool uses the ASA scheme (as sponsored by Kelloggs). I like your badges more!
Comment by Michelle — 09 December 2009 @ 11:34 am