So then on Monday we had people to stay with us…

I had a really horrid dream just before I woke up this morning. It was, as dreams often are, rather disjointed and odd but the jist of it was that I’d left Davies and Scarlett at swimming lessons and then forgotten to go and pick them up and the teacher had rung to remind me. Even then I’d not had any urgency about me and I woke up feeling terribly guilty at what a dreadful mother I was. Scarlett came and got into bed with me which was what woke me and snuggled up saying she’d had a bad dream so we cuddled each other til we both felt better.

I spent ages upstairs in the bedroom and ensuite tidying everything up – I changed the bed linen, gave the bathroom a clean up and packed up all the stuff I’d need for the next two nights, cleared some dirty washing and hung up and folded some clothes and left it all looking shiny and welcoming.

By the time I got downstairs both kids were up so they had breakfast while I cleared up the kitchen, let the chickens out, put some washing on the line and another load on and got the playroom tidied up ready for Ady and I to sleep in it. I took a phonecall from Lynda to say they should be with us for midday-ish and finally sat down with a cup of tea.

Part of the swimming lesson dream was probably that the deadline for a guaranteed rebooking place was yesterday and I’d forgotten to leave the forms out for my Dad, as I’d promised, for him to collect while he was at our house on Saturday feeding Candle and putting the chickens away for the night, so he’d not been able to do it. I’d arranged to drop them off at his house this morning so he could pay for their lessons this afternoon instead. So we whizzed over to my parents, left the forms there and then popped into Sainsburys for a few bits for lunch and dinner. It was nice to not have the only children in the supermarket for once, I quite like the anonymity of school holidays for that aspect although by about Wednesday I’ll be fed up with the children everywhere we go again!

Back home we had a false alarm of Lynda and Stuart’s arrival when the meter man came to read the gas and electric meters but sure enough they were with us shortly after he’d gone. The kids were so excited and delighted to see them that they’ve barely had time to breathe for being shown everything – the chickens, the bedrooms, their artwork, games on their DSs and more. I think they’ve both been dragged out twice at least to check for eggs. Stuart was very impressed with how much the kids knew about chickens and Lynda has been raving about HE to me tonight and how wonderful she thinks it all is :).

We had a lovely lunch finishing with a delicious chocolate cake that Lynda had brought and then my Mum rang in tears to say they’d just got back from the vets to have their cat put down. Her and my Dad and brother are all devastated. It is not totally unexpected as she has been ill for months but very sad nonetheless :(. They decided they would rather get out and be sociable than wallow at home so they came over an hour or so later, both looking very tear stained 🙁

Mum, Davies and I nipped out to the swimming pool to pay for the lessons and got that sorted out fine so they will both be in the 4pm lesson together from next term which is great :). Back home for hot cross buns and yet more teas and coffees – I’m too used to friends staying who help out in the kitchen and at the very least make their own tea so seemed to spend a rather long time in the kitchen boiling the kettle this afternoon.

Lynda had mentioned that they’d been out for a meal over the weekend (we’re the last destination before home on a 5 place tour staying with various family and friends) and hadn’t eaten til 9pm which had been very late for them so I was keen to serve up dinner earlier than that. I made lasagne and had it ready to go in the oven for 8pm. We didn’t quite manage that early as I got distracted with putting two more chairs together as my parents stayed for dinner, nobody seemed to be being very helpful with encouraging Davies and Scarlett to go to bed while I was doing that and dinner never seems to be exactly on time anyway, but I did manage before 830pm!

We had a really nice lasagne, salad and garlic bread and all fitted round the table just fine. Unfortunately Davies got all shivery and fevery just after he went to bed and has been feeling rough ever since. He is currently beside me on the sofa breathing heavily and semi asleep while I ponder the best sleeping arrangements. I think I’m going to leave Ady in the playroom on one camping mat and take the other up to Davies’s bedroom and sleep on his floor. I’m very hopeful it is mere tiredness, excitement and rather random mealtimes over the last few days as opposed to some grim bug but I guess at least we don’t have anywhere we need to be for the next 2 weeks so if he does have something horrid the timing is unusually convenient!