"Summer days, d-riftin' away.."

During my brief spell as a teacher I used to feel really sad when parents rolled their eyes and heaved great sighs of doom about the holidays. Well, now I have much more sympathy, especially if you need to sort childcare out – what a nightmare. It can be tricky if it rains, and it's hard if your children are a wide range of ages, but mine all tend to bumble along together for now, and the sun's out : so far so good.

Evie has made a 'cage' for a caterpillar by folding up a sheet of kitchen towel and securing it with a clothes peg and a hair clip. The boys have been setting fire to things, thanks to their dad teaching them how to burn stuff using a magnifying glass (thanks for that Col). They've coloured bricks in with chalk and they've written a rock song or two. We've been out and about a bit, but my favourite days are the least spectacular ones, when not much is going on but everyone's OK with it.

Years ago I was told you have to have a battle plan. (Linda McCanna) Here's mine:

1. I will not feel not feel intimidated by the amazing ‘National trust/bug hunt/football club/Legoland/family fun day/£100 down the drain’- type advertising

2. I will not give in to jealousy fueled by facebook statuses - everyone else isn't having way more fun than me with their incessant BBQ’s and trendy mates.

3. I will not feel pressured to get dressed unless it is absolutely necessary

My role model is Stacey, I think she's got the right idea:

M

3 I'

Growing pains

I paid my last cheque to The Sunshine Nursery today as Evie has left – boo hoo. What fun she’s had there. I remember chatting to Gill the manager when I was deciding to send Evie there, and she asked me if I minded if Evie got paint on her or got messy. I replied ‘That’s what being two is for isn’t it?’ and I knew then that we were on the same wavelength. I think that this sums Sunshine up – it’s all about children being children, not about looking swish and ticking boxes or whatever. Put simply, it looks like so much fun when you pick up your little one. Things you want to play with yourself – little plastic pigs and cows on a muddy puddle surrounded by squares of turf (how much fun is that?) - homemade painted paper bunting all around the garden; the long eared rabbit looking through the patio door from the lounge; special scones brought home in a special paper basket decorated with special flowers; play doh pizzas set out on plates; sunflowers and beans being watched and measured by intensive little farmers. It makes you a bit jealous really.

I can’t avoid mentioning the singing!! It’s like living in a musical. I haven’t been there for it but I’ve heard the overflow – ‘Five currant buns from the bacon shop’ …. ‘mix the compost, wiggle it around, soil needs feedin’ just like YOU’ …. ‘ we’re gonna catch a big one, we’re not scared’…. ‘Hello E-vie, hello Lu-cy, hello Nem-ma, hello Felica…liza-beth’ ….. on and on it goes, when we’re out in the car or she’s day dreaming on the loo or pottering round the garden. It makes me sad to think at some point she’ll realise it’s not cool to sing to yourself when you’re out and about, but for now – thank you Sunshine because you’re such a happy place! The staff still manage to be enthusiastic at the nativity every single year, and still shed a tear when the big ones leave – well to me, that says a lot: it’s more than just a job for them.

So let’s start up one for adults! Or at least let’s start a revolution and sing loudly to ourselves in public. It will at least help me get over this painful little fact though, that my weeny girl is ready for shiny shoes and big school. (sigh…)

Pigeon shock

There’s always something you miss when you’re packing – and in our case it was a large pigeon and a cake tin behind the plinth of a kitchen cupboard. Eeeeeww!! Not a dead pet, but a visitor who fell down the chimney. Apologies to anyone who has eaten at our house lately, especially if you were served cake.

Other than that, no big surprises. Thanks to all who expressed concern about my branch. Yes, it got moved safely, along with all the other random bits of nic-nackery. It was really exciting when the lorry arrived - it was just so, well, BIG and SHINY!! Genuinely exciting! The kids got a small ride in it after I convinced the men I wouldn’t sue the company if anything happened.

In fact the removal men were lovely – they checked if anyone needed a cuddly toy before packing the beds (you know how Colin can kick off) and even had time to play with a tiny frog who had hidden illegally in the back of the lorry, in one of the plants. The frog got through customs because he was so cute, and we named him Brooklyn and made him a home. ‘How did the removal men have time for all this?’ I hear you cry. Well it turns out they didn’t, because they didn’t finish until10pm. But at least they were friendly eh?

Moving and Changing

Today we're packing as we’re moving house. Seven years ago we moved over the road. Five years before that, we moved round the corner, so moving a few miles west is very adventurous. Whatever happens it’s been a good experience because it’s forced me to tidy up and clear out. It has also hilighted a number of differences between my husband and myself (like we needed a few more?) but I’ll leave that for another day.

If you are bored this summer I suggest you imagine you’re moving and 'purge the house of extraneous matter' as Bridget Jones said. Chances are, you have more stuff than you think you do. I had a cupboard full of cleaning products for goodness sake, and I’m hardly Anthea Turner.

So we’re not carrying any excess baggage now, and that’s a good feeling. All over West Sussex people are waking up gleefully looking at the stuff they bought from us at the car boot sale a few weeks back. “How did I cope without this shoe rack?”, exclaims tattooed man from Shoreham. “This karaoke machine has brought my whole family back together!” says crazy Glaswegian singing man. “Why did I quibble over this beach hut coat rack, it was worth £1 after all” says Mr. Best-phone-the-wife-to-check. Ahhh, warm feelings. We are glad to have been of assistance.

So, if you come over this summer and see something horrendous, keep your opinions to yourself please – the thing that you’re looking at has been purposefully kept, tidied, packed, moved and unpacked. I hope the removal men are friendly because some of these 'saved things' look like nothing but I am keeping them. An old branch springs to mind. A big stone. A dried seed head. Who can predict what people find precious? If the removal men giggle at my branch I will wish I'd gone with the another company. I certainly won't be sharing the left-over World Cup final cake with them anyway. We shall see...

crowd control

This is Evie giving out those stickers at Bokletsa Bana - the place where the children come from the townships for the afternoon and kick their heels up, run around and play games to their hearts' content. This pic is before she started shouting "Calm DOWN" at them - they were getting a bit over the top. 

family news

Col bagged himself a couple of new wives - they're really cool and they've been a massive help during my Widow Twankey Washerwoman week. 

So we're home. King Shaka International Airport was SHINY - shiny toilets, shiny luggage trolleys, shiny, glittery flooring - cool! We had a long, long day and a longer night but we got back to the UK at 5 am yesterday. I think drizzle and chilliness upon arrival home aids the grieving process - boo hooo. 

When we got back home there was a big welcome banner, a cake and even a meal ready in the fridge among other things - how lucky are we, thanks everyone and we can't wait to see you and we'll try not to bore your heads off.

The boys have just gone to school. They looked sort of wrong in uniform. I have been dreading coaxing them back into socks and shoes, they've loved running free and we all feel a bit glum about that. At the military museum last week they ran around the steam engine on an old war ship, clambering up nearly vertical iron steps and swinging on chains, walking across metal grill platforms, and there was not one notice up saying "Keep off this" or "Step away from that". don't get me wrong, it was not easy viewing as a mother - one child piggy backing another across an iron ledge above your head - but it was nice to have the choice! (By the way lots of the parts were supplied by Howdens in Wallsend so I sent my buddies in Tyne and Wear extra love that day.) 

Another thing that's really noticeable in SA is how the kids just run in and out of the traffic. They do it from the beginning and there's no pavements so I guess they just know what they're doing. One day on a long journey inland we saw 2 really tiny school boys walking to lessons and we stopped to take a photo and wave - then they RAN ACROSS the main road in their bare feet to chat through our car window! We were completely freaking out, I thought they were going to get mown down in front of us!! We had a funny chat with them though and gave them some biscuits. Imagine in England - we'd be thinking 'health and safety/stranger danger/peodophiles/allergies' all in one breath. Kids there, they just grow up quicker. In Lesotho our host told us little girls (always the women!) start carrying the water as soon as they can walk, and in the end they can carry 25 litres each. So how come English kids can't carry their own book bag back to the car after school?!

Well enough of this - I've got washing to do. Evie is very lonely today so I think I'll fulfill her dearest wish expressed on safari, "I hate being on holiday, I just wanna go home and watch Elmo's Christmas Countdown". Ha!!