Categories: uncategorized
Date: 01 April 2004 21:33:16
This morning started with a knock at the door. Dad, in search of his porridge bowl. He took some convincing that I didn't have it, either in the dishwasher, in the pile of things waiting to go into the dishwasher, or in the pile of things recently removed from the dishwasher. A systematic search of my kitchen proved fruitless so I lent him my pyrex bowl to make his breakfast in in the meantime. It was somewhat sheepishly that he later gave me back my bowl and admitted that he'd found his........ in his microwave, full of porridge! Now I know where I get it from!
Smudgelet and I walked up to school together (a real treat) this morning. He is a bright lad, you know. He suddenly asked me whether the reason the Easter holidays are called the Easter holidays is because they have Easter in them. You know, I'd always wondered! He explained that it was a bit like a motorbike being called a motorbike because it's a bike with a motor on it. I often find my talks with Smudgelet a real learning experience.
The cleaner and I made more progress on getting the kitchen back into the kitchen. You'd be amazed at the things we found. Do you think the packet of flour will still be OK? The use-by date was December 1998. I offered Judy the solitary custard cream I found in the bottom of the biscuit tin, which I thought was very self-sacrificing of me. She turned it down. We were hard at work cleaning the kitchen floor (well, she was cleaning it, I was drinking coffee and watching helpfully) when my friend M arrived to take me off for dinner AGAIN - I like these two-for-the-price-of-one offers they're running in our local paper just lately! Then we went to Oasis - a fantastic place which sells all sort of wonderful things like Balinese furniture, artificial and dried flowers, candles of all shapes and sizes, and the biggest Millionaire's Shortbread on the Island. This is the life! Though I did feel slightly unjustifiably guilty when I bumped into a colleague from school there.
I definitely worked off the excess calories when I got home. Tiddles has made it through to Cyclist of the Year competition by getting the highest score in his school on the cycling proficiency test last year. Naturally he needed a bit of practise, so off we went, him on his bike and me on foot, jogging to keep up. Up being the operative word. It's part of the nature of an island to be somewhat hilly, and we live at the foot of a very steep hill. I ran up it...... twice! Left turns, right turns, emergency stops, pulling out round parked cars, we practised the lot (including using the gears appropriately - Thanks Ed!) and then I took a deep breath and loosened the apron strings a little more - I ran with my heart in my throat as I let him try cycling down the main road for the first time. He was so proud to have managed it. So proud. And he did so well, too. If he doesn't do very well in the competition, I know he's safe to let out on his bike and I'm incredibly proud of him. Mind you, I had to put up with major sulks from Smudgelet who thought he should have been allowed to come with us and ride his bike on the main road too.
Tears this evening from Tiddles, on receipt of a belated Christmas present from his birth mum. It's a lovely present and it was good for both of us to enjoy the excitement of opening it together. I knew it would bring tears later, but they were gentle ones. He is planning to write his first thank you letter - I'll believe it when I see it, but it will be good for him to do it if he can. It was a good opportunity for talking together, too.
I still like my new hairdo.