The sun is shining! It looked like another wet day when I woke, but it has turned into a beautiful day and my washing is waving triumphantly on the clothesline.
Matthew Birthday
Yesterday, we celebrated little Matthew’s first birthday. Family celebrations are usually held at Mum and Dad’s place, because Dad finds it too difficult to go anywhere. Lea brought Matthew and Robert before the others arrived, so Matthew was able try out his new “Dune Buggy” before his cousins arrived. The “Dune Buggy” is actually a little ride-on tricycle, made of moulded plastic, that Mum bought for him. (You should have seen us trying to assemble it last week!…. Trying to line up the pieces and push the metal rods through the holes and hammer on the capnuts …but that is another story.)
Jan (another sister) came with Shea and Callum and my son Joel and his wife Frances brought Miles. Relle, my other sister came later in the afternoon.
At dinner, the two five-year-olds, Robert and Callum were excited and tried to out-talk each other, but Matthew and Miles sat quietly in their high chairs and ate their food. Afterwards, the babies played on the floor with the blocks. They were so good. Miles is just three months older than Matthew.
Five-year-old fun
While Shea (who is nearly 10) played “Upwords” with the adults, Robert and Callum disappeared downstairs. After a while I went down to investigate. They had made a wonderful cubby house with tablecloths draped over boxes, tables and chairs. It was a glorious mess, but they were doing no harm, so I sat and watched the fun. It was quite enlightening and entertaining to listen in on five-year-old conversation. Callum had tied black plastic tape around the tables - he said it was electric wire - then he pretended to be electrocuted and lay “dead.” Robert rushed over, prised open Callum’s mouth, pinched his nose shut and was about to give him “mouth to mouth” resuscitation. (I didn’t know they taught that in kindergarten!!) At that critical moment, Relle arrived, and the “corpse” jumped up and helped Robert to pelt her with cushions.
I thought the boys might like to pretend to be firemen. I said I was going to ring the fire brigade and get them to clean up the mess. “Good idea!” said Callum, happily, “Then we won’t have to do it.”
They found a plastic bag containing a few things for the next rag collection and wanted to investigate the “treasure.”
“Not until the mess is cleaned up,” I told them. They quickly tidied up, then examined the contents of the bag. Callum pulled out a pair of black shoulder pads. “What are these?” he asked placing them strategically against his chest.
“They’re eye patches!” shouted Robert. So they took one each and ran around yelling “Yo, ho, ho and a bottle of rum!” Sometimes the chant changed to “Yo, ho, ho in a bottle shop!”
After that, we went upstairs for Birthday cake. The boys started thumping their hands on the table. The babies thought this was great fun and both joined in, chortling and slapping their hands on the trays of the high chairs.
Peek-a-boo
Just before everyone went home, Miles started to play peek-a-boo with me behind the curtain, but he must have wanted a larger audience. He went over to where everyone else was sitting, and loudly commanded attention in his own lingo, than he ran back and peered around the curtain at them! The little ones are so cute now. I wish they could stay at this stage a bit longer.
One day last week Mum and I minded Matthew while Lea took Robert to see “Toy Story on Ice.” He was no trouble - except when we tried to change his nappy. He kept squirming away and crawling off with a bare bottom. It took the two of us to hold him down while I finally fastened it and then it looked a bit skewiff. Mum said, “Let’s hope his mother comes back before he needs changing again.” Luckily, she did.
Shea stayed with Mum and Dad a couple of days during the school holidays. She keeps us busy playing “Skipbo” and “Upwords.” I brought her back to my place the other day and we played duets on her clarinet and my keyboard.
Crazy English
The English language is changing all the time and some words have totally different connotations now. I remember when School Readers featured stories about “Spot” the dog and “Fluff” the cat. Shea had brought a fluffy toy cat with her. She said she hadn’t given it a name. Mum said, “You could call it “Fluff.” Shea laughed uproariously to think her Grandmother had said one of “those words.”
That reminds me; our church held a very successful kids programme during the school holidays. The Pastor told them a story and dressed for the part in an angel costume, complete with wings. Afterwards, a little boy came up to him and said, “I know you. You’re the fairy!”
I had an Email from my younger son Ben. He and Agnieszka have just come back from a week in the sun in Vanuatu to chilly Melbourne. Brrrrrrrrr!
Jumble Sale
Our last Jumble Sale for World Vision was a great success. We sell lots of warm clothing this weather - as well as books, plants and all kinds of bric-a-brac. I was exhausted when I came home, but had a good rest and was able to attend a games night with a group of friends. Great fun!
Our Toastmasters Club combined with two other Toastmasters Clubs for the Changeover Dinner last week (That’s when the new executive is inducted.) We had a Nautical theme this year and everyone dressed appropriately. I wore Ben’s old life jacket and found it was a good choice for a cold night - it kept me warm. It was a great evening. I even won one of the raffles.
Harry’s Visit
My husband Deryck’s brother Harry came to see me this week. Until a few years ago, I hadn’t seen him since Deryck’s funeral - 28 years ago. It’s uncanny. Harry doesn’t really look like Deryck, but sometimes when he is talking, a fleeting expression on his face will remind me of Deryck. The strange thing is, it’s an expression that I had forgotten!
Yesterday, at the end of the church service, a magpie outside joined in as we sang the last song. It’s carolling blended beautifully with the music. What a lovely way to start the week!
