An anniversary, fresh air and freedom!

On Sunday after lunch A headed off to his parents, as he's not been up for a while and his mum needed some help with bits and pieces and also needed to talk to him about his dad, not always easy to do when the girls and I are around too.

In the afternoon, K & M decided to make a birthday present for the lovely Korfball K, my longest standing local friend, who I met through korfball when I first moved to Nottingham.  We then had children and found La Leche League together.  She has continued with korfball and now our four children all play with the juniors that she coaches.  She came to our wedding on her birthday with a bump 12 years ago and on Monday she hit the big 50, although when I asked the girls who old they thought she was, although reluctant to answer, the numbers M came up with were 39 (like me) or maybe 34 - she was rather chuffed with that!  K got a bit stressed about the ball, so I helped with that, but here's what they made her.

A mini korfball pitch!

On Monday we started the day snuggled on my bed and finished the third Ruby Redfort book.  Much of the rest of the day was devoted to doing things for our anniversary.  M had decided she was going to cook a meal for us and K was making us a present.  M started off by making pudding, which was more of the delicious chocolate orange brownie muffins that she'd made last week. She needs a bit of help with the electric hand mixer, as she's not yet strong enough to hold it with one hand, which does make it a bit tricky.

One of the reasons for A going up to his parents on Sunday, was that he had a meeting on the Monday between us and them, which he could go to from theirs just as easily as for here.  He finished there earlier than anticipated, so came home for lunch and because he was feeling pretty rubbish, took the afternoon off sick (an exceedingly rare event) and disappeared upstairs to sleep.  Before he did that however, we realised we needed milk and K, having offered to go to the shop, discovered that her scooter was not where it should be, nor was it anywhere else in the house.  She and I went to the most likely place for her to have left it: the library.  Fortunately they had found it and put it somewhere safe, waiting for the owner to come and claim it - phew!  Once home M continued with the cooking, namely making bolognaise sauce.  She needed help chopping the onion, although she did some of it, the crushing the garlic, and opening the tins of tomatoes, but she did most of it herself.

I had texted Korfball K to say Happy Birthday and that we had something for her and asking when would be good to meet up and she replied saying that they could pop round that afternoon.  She was delighted with her birthday present from the girls.  She and I had a good natter, while the children played in the garden.

After they'd gone M continued with the cooking.  She had found a recipe in one of our children's cookbooks for 'doughballs' and wanted to make them.  They're not particularly well named, as they're more like savoury muffins, but both A & I really liked them, even though neither of the girls was keen.

"Doughballs"

Then it was time to prepare veggies and cook them and the spaghetti.  M was getting rather tired by this point, but she did peel and chop the carrots, measure out the spaghetti and grate some cheese.  The meal was very good, particularly the pudding.

Chocolate orange brownie muffin & ice cream.

After tea, we were presented with our present from K too.

Me and A!

Today we started a new book, it's one that was recommended by friends a while back and I've been keeping an eye out for it in the library ever since and last week I finally spotted it.  It is Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson.  The girls were initially a bit resistant, as they wanted to get back to the Wombles, but since this is a library book they agreed to give it a go and we are already about a third of the way through, and it's not a particularly short book!  I read a few chapters this morning, then we decided to have a picnic lunch and we took it to the park with us, where I read another couple, then two more this evening before bed.

Picnic in the park.

I had to take M to the doctor this morning as she's come out in a rash all over her face and chest, which is bothering her rather a lot.  We came away with antihistamines, so hopefully that will sort it.

M with her rash.

M had a bit of a moan to me that I don't go out much in the winter because it's too cold and I don't go out in the summer because it's too hot (although M always seems to want to go out in the middle of the day, which I really would rather not!) - I just never go out!  On reflection she's not massively far wrong with that, I'm something of a fair weather outdoor person, but my parameters of 'fair weather' are really rather narrow and I need to make a conscious effort to widen them. 

This afternoon, K & M stayed at the park while I came home and eventually found the shed key to get the step ladder out, M on my shoulders not quite being tall enough.  I held the ladder steady and K picked just under 10lb of plums in about 10 minutes.  They not quite ripe, but not far off, so perfect for jam.

Plum picking!

I came home with the ladder and the plums, leaving the girls in the park.  Neither of them had their watch on, but they were having such a good time with a new friend that I didn't want to tear them away, so told them to pop back to a particular spot every so often and I'd come and find them there if they weren't home by the time I wanted them back.  Interestingly, while they were out, on their own, unsupervised, I read this article, which is something that I feel really strongly about.  Neither of my girls has any desire as yet to go any further afield than the local shops, library or park yet, but I believe that by allowing them freedom to be independent at their own pace now, they'll be more equiped to cope with things when the time comes when they do want to spead their wings further.