Bags like the Titanic’s safety rings...

last summer see-saw fun...

My fringed face is growing on me. Seriously, it’s already getting in my eyes, and it can keep on going…I’m getting the fringe out of here, bailing on the self-help attempts to hide winkles which, whilst going on the principle that ‘whatever takes the emphasis off my face’ I gaily chopped away and cut for myself (with the toe nail cutting scissors I may add, sensible).

Tonight, sweeping up outside, because some weird beaver style flying rodent with big flapping wings and giant hooves has been tap dancing like a nutter on my gutters, and clearing out at regular intervals muddy, stinky loads of leaves. Anyway, that’s why I was sweeping. Margo comes up to me, and I greet her (my animals actually respond to me, which is why I prefer conversing with fowl than infants…! Not entirely true, but they do listen, here’s the proof…) I ask her how’s she doing? Whereupon she cocks her head, looks at me with her beady cocked eye, and ‘booooocs’ in reply, then s**ts and nonchalantly wanders off. Women!

Today was beautiful weather, we went up to the mountains for some fresh air. And I relived one of my most vivid childhood memories. We pulled up in a huge open space on the mountain, with grass up too our eyeballs. All the kids frolic around, it’s like a blissful scene from Little House on the Prairie. However, within seconds, Lola is coughing and sneezing and eyes streaming, her body covered with hives (those blister type enormous spots that itch like buggery). When I was exactly the same age, 5 and a half, going on 6, we went for a family walk through fields full of grass that to me looked like trees. I ended up in exactly the same state as Lola, and it is one of my most vivid childhood memories. She obviously suffers from hay fever, and some antihistamines bought from the chemist and a cold bath when we got in sorted her out. But hay fever sucks. It seems only like yesterday it was me, covered in hives and red-eyed (a look that has never left me, spotty and red-eyed, spiced up a bit nowadays with bags like the Titanic’s safety rings and wrinkles you could lose your left arm in). It makes me think again of how quickly life passes you by, and you are left thinking you are still little/vulnerable/young, when in actual fact you are now supposed to be ‘big’ ‘strong’ and old. I was glad we had to leave, as in my head I just had the ‘doo doo doo doo do doo dooo doooooooo do do do do do do dooooooooooooo’ of the theme tune from Little House on the Prairie…doing my head in.

Remember this??? No, oh well, never mind then.

Somebody’s Birthday at school the other day meant one of the kids brought home a huge bag of bon bons (sweets) from their birthday friend. As is the case in France, on any of the kids birthdays, I provide the school with 30 party bags of sweets to give to the class mates. Esmie was in heaven, as they have to share them obviously, share and share alike (‘nother crap expression, who even says that?) as it was full of banana sweets and egg sweets. Eggs, and bananas are absolutely her most favourite foods, along with tins of sardines and olives. In fact, we even gave her a bunch of bananas wrapped up for Christmas! She was overjoyed! She didn’t just get that, I might add. She then picks her 2 (the sweet allowance!) and sticks them on her eyes, walking over to me going ‘look I’ve got no eyeses’. Talented child.

Monty has a crazy headache as her goes to bed tonight, and so I tell him I will cuddle it out of him. Holding his head (not a head lock, but close) and shhhhhshing him, his breathing slows down, and he relaxes, I freak out for a second or two that I accidentally strangled him, but all’s fine. I feel in my element. It is an awful thing to say, but when the kids are ill, the whole mother instinct kicks in, and I, apparently am great in a crisis! Well, a headache scale crisis. I just love it when they’re poorly, they are so cuddly, and I am like Mary Poppins on prozac tending to their every need. The cuddles, their little ways that become so needy of mummy and a dependency that they still think only I can fulfill…they’ll learn! It is horrible when they’re ill, but at the same time, the cuddles and the dependency on mummy, make it all worthwhile, for ME!

Bit of a serious one tonight, but Esmie couldn’t care less, I have left her in her bed doing roly-polys tonight. Well, whatever wears them out!

See you real soon!

Tamsyn x