1.  Start A Revolution

2.  Summertime’s In Bloom

3.  A Better Place To Play

The Man has my cold. He is Very Ill Indeed.  All he could manage this morning was getting himself to work, so  I did breakfastanddressingandtidyingupandcleaningupandwashingandteethandmakingpackedlunches.  Poor old him.  Imagine getting it this bad after only one day.  I really am very lucky that I’ve been able to keep going through the whole week I’ve had it. The dentist rang. I have an appointment tomorrow morning, and so does Son 1 aged 4y 11m.  I made this appointment in February.  When I was in pre-school world. Tomorrow is Son 1’s first day at school.  I rang them. “Bring him in when you’ve finished,” they said.

We’d arranged to meet The Wednesday Friends on the Beach By The Garden. MAcs and wellies, because the forecast was rain. But we just wanted to get outside. By the time I’d finished all my jobs though, we were very late. And it was raining very hard. The others had de-camped into the Beach Cafe.  We arrived, Son 1 in full Captain Hook, Son 2 aged 23m barely awake. Six five-and-under boys in a cafe. Didn’t work. We abandoned it.  Best Friend and Little Brother came here, the other Wednesday Family went home.  The boys played well.  It rained and rained. When it came for home time, Son 1 tried to persuade Best Friend to stay. ”This is the funnest house. We haven’t got all the toys out yet.”  He was the Child Catcher. He cried when they left.

And this evening I became The Terrifying Mother Who Invites The Whole Class To Parties. In my defence… these are September birthdays. Last year I invited one boy from Nursery who’d already invited Son 1 to something, and then spent the rest of the year feeling guilty every time another invitation appeared.  This year they can all come if they like, hospitality done and dusted, hooray hooray.  And Son 1 starts school tomorrow.  Herein endeth the pre-school years.  And our Wednesdays together.  Pang, Pang, Go Away.  I have done my best.     

1. Helllooooo

2. The Peacock Playground

3.  A beach walk in the evening 

Lordy lordy Son 2 aged 8m had a terrible night, and so did The Man and I.  We have both now been awake since 3am.   Luckily, we can always see the funny side.  Etc etc.  Son 1 aged 3 and a half was finally woken by the miserable wailing at 5am, and decided to get up.  The Man was with Son 2, so up he plodded.  I heard every little but loud step taken up the stairs, then the soft pitter-patter pitter-patter to the bed.  “Mummeee.”  I remained asleep.  “Mummeee”  Zzzzz.  “Mummee, it’s morning.”  Nary a muscle.  Little fingers with over-sharp nails tried to prise my eyes open.  Then: “HEELLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”   Which made me laugh so much the game was up. 

The early start wrecked all four of us for the day.  But I had promised Son 1 a trip.  The weather was promising, Granny and Granddad were next door and Wonder Nanny was around to help.   We went to the Peacock Playground - a garden with a cafe and a playground loved by Son 1.  Both boys slept in the car, and both boys woke as soon as we got there.  Son 1 dashed around the playground with Wonder Nanny, I played with both him and Son 2, but then got too fretful about sunshine on little boy skin. Went to the cafe for lunch and sat beside the fountain, which showed up our 3 year age gap at its worst.  Son 2 loved watching the water, Son 1 was a beggar to keep out of it.  He began by eating Son 2’s yoghurt and then went downhill from there.  Granny and Granddad suffered.  Lunch was very hard, even with Wonder Nanny there, but it was a great day out and probably the best venue for G and G out of our repetoire of soft play and child-friendly venues.  One of the peacocks spread its tail and started shimmy-ing at one of the females.  “Sounds like he’s growling at her to get her to go away,” said Granddad.  “I don’t think that’s what he’s got in mind,” I said.     

In the evening we went out to the Beach Cafe - last chance for Granny and Granddad to have a family meal, because I’ll be so busy with a Trade Show at the end of the week.   Son 1 had had a sleep, but was still over-tired and over-wired.  Son 2 had a very good lunch, and a reasonable tea.  I took  my eye off him for a second and then saw him splat splatting on his high chair table with his starfish hand flat in some runny cottage cheese.  Oh, I realised, at the same moment as he threw up again.  At the same moment as the food arrived. After the meal we had to wait 20  minutes for the taxi, so we went for a stroll on the beach.  Son 1 played with the long shadows and the sand, and pretended a big arty piece of driftwood outside the cafe was an eagle.  There were barbecues on the beach, people reading and people swimming in the sea.  It was a lovely evening, and it was just great to be part of that strange post 7pm community of beach people, if only for a few minutes.  Didn’t get Son 1 to bed till way past 8.  I am not expecting great things from him tomorrow.

1.  Coffee 

2.  Lunch

3.  Tea

Went out with friends last night; really nice evening at the Beach Caff, a couple of glasses of wine, sat outside in an easterly till 9.30, then light bites late…  talked about children (a little bit,) jobs, men, books and Other People We Know.  And that was after we took the boys to the Yacht Club to talk about the christening… which meant they were in bed late and I was in bed late.  And I was up early, and they slept in.  So I got the first coffee of the day on my own downstairs, picking through the unread newspapers of the last few days. More than just a Best Thing… absolute luxury.

The Man had had text messages from some other friends yesterday evening. This morning he asked me to call them and set something up while he took  Son 1 aged 3 and a half for his swimming lesson.  I’d decided that now Son 2 is 8m, it’s unfair to expect him to sit beside the hot swimming pool while Son 1 has his class.  Much better parenting to keep him at home for activities and quality time with me.  We went shopping.  And he howled and howled.  A very-made-up  in-your-face old lady sympathised with me in the queue in M and S… “He’s very tired,” I said.  “He’s just had enough.”  So, while I was putting the shopping through, she dived round me, crouched beside Son 2 with her nose three inches from his and said “Wassamatta then?”   A sonic boom was expelled from the pram. 

Took Son 2 home, then took Son 1 back into The Town because I’d promised him he could come to the  cake shop to order the christening cake.  And ran into the friends who’d been trying to get hold of The Man last night.  Left Son 1 with them, went back, rounded up The Man, sent hin down to find them, fed Son 2, bought him a jar of baby food and went to join them all for lunch.  Son 1 and their son, who’s 2, were both off their heads with fatigue, which made the whole thing a little too child-centred. Still it was lovely seeing them.     

Made the much-mocked (by me) Annabel Karmel marinated sole in crushed cornflakes for tea.  Son 1 said it was disgusting.  The Man said it was overcooked.  I shouldn’t have substituted spring onions for shallots in the marinade.  Oh well, let’s hope that’s the only mistake I make this year.  I’ve been shattered today, so I went to bed at nine.