1. Early Bird

2. Mocking Bird

3. Homing Pigeon

Son 2 aged 14m woke at 0425am, calling for me. The insistent, foghorn: waaaah waaaah waaaah. I’d gone to bed at midnight, so decided to give him 10 minutes. He realised I wasn’t coming straightaway, and lost his temper, arpeggio cries getting angrier. And then he went back to sleep. I think the sleeping has been better since he started walking. I got up at 0530, so we wouldn’t have a mad rush for Nursery. We still had a mad rush for Nursery.

I drove to the Whacking Great City (population 125x The Town’s) for The Office. 3 Hours + A fine, cold morning, but wet roads. The car I’ve only just taken through the car wash was covered in crud. Windscreen washers all the way. BC I went to WGC a lot. But I haven’t been since long before Son 2 was born. I parked the car, and instantly noticed better-trained classical buskers. Ours are a bit folky. And surely in the old days there were never as many women with pushchairs. Wherever I looked, mothers were pushing sleeping moppets, alert pre-schoolers or fat swaddled babies in buggies and prams. While mine were 200 miles from my side. Ladybird, Ladybird Fly Away Home. She was definitely a Working Mother.

And then I had to get back for Wonder Nanny, who had already agreed to start early and leave late. I left the meeting later than I thought. Then I had to stop for some Office phone calls. Then there was a crash on the Motorway. The the fuel light came on. I cruised along ignoring it, knowing where I was going to stop. I pulled in. The garage was shut, coned off, three police cars parked on the forecourt, bright fluorescent jackets visible inside. There’d been a police incident, said a staff member. “Where’s the next garage?” I asked. 12 miles Thataway, or 3 miles back the way I’d just come. When I got home, Son 2 was asleep but Wonder Nanny had let Son 1 stay up. I put him to bed, and went downstairs. There was a card from the police on the mat. Next door but two was burgled today. Ring if we know anything.

1. The Look After Shop

2. Fur And Feathers

3. Fish and Chicks

The Man left at 0330 on a Business Trip.  A crisp, clear, cloudless day.  Son 1 aged 4y 2m wanted to go to the Bird Park.  En route we passed some Boarding Kennels.  “It’s the Look After Shop,” said Son 1.  “For dogs and cats and birds and mice and guinea pigs.” We picked up Nanna.  Son 1 and Son 2 aged 14m played in the toddler area.  Son wanted to play in the Ball Pool; Son 1 on the climbing frame, his Pirate Ship.  I have resolved to play together as a threesome wherever possible, so Son 2 and I joned Son 1 on the Ship.  Son 2 chatted and waved and Arowed-ed.  Son 1 ran away. Son 2 loved it.  A wall up to his nose?  Up went the leg to try to climb.  He sobbed in fury when I picked him up during his attempt to walk across the rope bridge.  “So what if my feet are so small they fall through each hole in the net… leave me here PLEASE and I’ll work it out.”

By early afternoon, both were exhausted, but didn’t want to leave.  Son 1 lay down in the ball pool.  Son 2 refused to go in his Pram.  Plank Boy.  “If you go in your pram, I’ll take you to see some owls and penguins and parrots,” I said softly.  Son 2 let me buckle him up.  “What do you say to an owl?” I said. “Ooooo,” he said.  At the Owls, I took him out so he could see them better.  He stared and pointed.  And then refused to go back in the Pram.  “I’ll take you to see some rabbits if you go in your Pram,” I said.  Again, he folded at the middle and sat quietly while I strapped him in.

Son 1 fed the goats with gusto.  Well, goat food really, but it was the first time he’s been casually confident in feeding them.  Like always, I fed the big goats to distract them so he could feed the babies.  This time though he enjoyed himself so much he didn’t care what size he ended up with.  When our bags were finished I picked up discarded goat food out of the long grass so he could keep feeding them.  He danced around me waiting for each pellet.  Son 2 fed the babies, but kept trying to eat the goat food himself.  We fed a Black Sheep.  Did you know Black Sheep have Black Tongues?  We missed the penguin feeding time, but we watched the otters.  They had chicks and fish and hearts and quail.