Soldiers, birdy wishes and final prep

1. Isla enjoys her first boiled egg and soldiers for lunch.

2. Since giving me a bird feeder and seed for my birthday, Doris has been most disappointed that not a single bird has yet to take any seed from it.  Granny Anne says it’s because there isn’t enough cover around. At lunch she closes her eyes tight and makes a wish, ‘that there would be more cover so birds would please visit the feeder.’

3. Walking and talking through the timetable for Monday’s street party with the rest of the committee and giddily putting up ‘road closed’ posters after a glass of wine.  Definitely a holiday feel already…

Adios smelly feet, Hedgehog and elderflowers

1. The students leave behind a hairbrush, two towels and a mountain of sweet wrappers and biscuit crumbs.  It’s always good to get the house back to normal after they’ve gone and this week’s lot had very smelly feet so it’s good to say goodbye to those too. 

2. We get a letter to say Doris will be in ‘Hedgehog’ class in September.  ‘I’m going to be a hedgehog’ she tells her friend at swimming.

3. The heady scent of elderflowers on the way home from swimming and the bubbling sound of Isla laughing as Mat puts her to bed.

Baby rhyme, wendy house and master chef

1. I take Isla to ‘Bounce n Rhyme’ at the library.  It’s a half hour sing along which is normally three deep on the carpet but there are only five babies there today and Isla loves it, shaking her rattle all the way through the songs and waving through ‘If you’re happy and you know it..’

2. After lunch Doris and I wash the wendy house her friends Dinah and Elspeth have given her and I surprise myself by managing to erect it all by myself.

3. Doris takes several wipes out of the packet, felt tips them in red, asks for a pastry brush to coat them in oil and then puts them in her ‘oven’ under the armchair. ‘What are you doing Doris?’ ‘I’m making filo pastry Mummy.’ Fancy.

Plant out, blood and curlabob

1. While Isla is asleep I plant out the cucumbers and tomatoes and sow a few more seeds.  The cucumber plants droop in the heat but soon perk up after a drink of water.

2. I give blood for the first time in nearly two years.  Isla comes with me and sits there quite happily while the machine takes its pint. She charms the staff and even the fellow donors with her toothy grin. ‘I’ve never seen a baby at one of these places before,’ one man tells me.

3. ‘My daughter had lovely curly hair like yours, but she has it all straight now,’ one of the male shop assistants stops Doris in Sainsburys to admire her hair. 

Pet, BBQ and funny face

1. Doris has started keeping her toy rabbit in a box lined with a muslin. This morning she punctures holes in the top ‘so rabbit can breathe.’
2. Finally, a BBQ in the sunshine, instead of one huddled under an umbrella. The kids play together nicely, the adults have time to chat, and the home-made ice cream is so good.
3. Every time I say something at tea time, Isla starts laughing uncontrollably. Even the sight of my face is enough to set her off. And Will i am style ‘whoop whoop whoops’ send her crazy!

Cookies, sweet peas and al fresco bathing

1. There are still two oat and raisin cookies left that I made on Thursday.  Mat or Doris might not like them but I enjoy them with a morning coffee.

2. The everlasting sweet peas I planted three summers ago have come back strong.  I make a couple of wigwams for them to grow up and pull out some euphorbia shoots to give them room.

3. Isla and Doris both take their bath outside in the blow-up baby bath.  It reminds me of stringing up the camping shower in the Australian outback after having heated it on the Landcruiser dashboard all day. There’s something very liberating about bathing outdoors.

Ta-ra, coke n cake and MFC

1. It’s blissfully cool in the baby pool, especially after the hot walk to the sports centre. When saying goodbye to one of her swimming pals, Isla waves and I could swear she says ‘Bye bye!’
2. A full fat coke and slice of cake at a friend’s while Isla sleeps and Doris makes mud pies with her friend.
3. Mat makes MFC, Mat’s fried chicken – a secret blend of herbs and spices that tastes just like (and I would say better than) the Colonel’s.

Lunch date, gigantic Pooh and girls rule OK!

1. I completely forget that Doris is going to her friend’s house for lunch after pre school, so it’s a pleasant surprise to learn that I won’t have to do pick up or lunch duty and I have an hour to myself while Isla sleeps.

2. We get out the Winnie the Pooh door bouncer from the loft and Isla has her first bounce in it.  She is fascinated by the giant plastic Pooh bear that sits atop her seat and strokes it wondrously.

3. Doris has picked up a rhyme from the TV and keeps repeating it: ‘Girls are cool, girls are cool, girls rule, down with boys.’ Girl power for the new age!

Birds, pool and rock star!

1. Hanging the washing out and listening to the birds chirruping.  I wish I were more ornithologically-minded and could say which birds they were but they sang beautifully.

2. Isla has her first go in the paddling pool.  She loves splashing around and shaking her jingly jangly bells.  When Doris gets in from pre school she strips right off and jumps into the pool.  There’s something very satisfying about diving naked into a paddling pool but sadly I’m too big and I think the neighbours would complain…

3. ‘I like the sound of the catar,’ says Doris when she is having her tea.  One of the boys next door is strumming his guitar in a gentle fashion. ‘What do you want to be when you grow up Doris?’ ‘I wanna be a rock star!’ she says twanging her arm in an air guitar stylee. Oh dear.

 

Better, weed alert and bring on the summer

1. I wake up and yesterday’s sickness has gone. Plus it’s a beautiful day.  Isla and I sit in the shade of the washing line.  She plays with sand on a tray while I chat to Dad on the phone.

2. Doris runs straight home from pre-school and puts a sundress and hat on and insists I get the suncream out.  We eat lunch on a rug and she pretends to be a weed.

3. Two loads of washing dried on the line, my tomatoes are finally looking happy and it’s still pleasantly warm at 9.30pm – finally it feels as if summer is almost here…