It was Frog's birthday last week and while she claimed "I want for nothing Mummy, I have everything I could possibly need" (which is clearly both mildly nauseating and blatently untrue) she actually did have a birthday wish after all. She wants to learn to play the guitar.
Being completely tone deaf myself I am more than happy to indulge her musical passions! So I visited Foote's for a pink guitar and found two local guitar teachers to try out. (Frog and I, rather meanly I agree, thought this was sort of like the X factor). Both teachers were great and one was perfect.
Most specially while Frog had her lesson I was able to watch her learning. And I was profoundly moved; by her concentration, her passion to learn and her willingness to keep trying until she got things right.
When we pack our children off to school we miss out on so much of the wonder of their learning. I'd forgotten how much tenacity children have when they really want to know something (remember learning to walk) and they're so flexible and fearless - happy to make mistakes and then just try doing things a different way in order to achieve the end result.
As grown ups we are much more rigid, much more scared of doing things; I have so much to learn from my Frog!
Showing posts with label awe and wonder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label awe and wonder. Show all posts
Thursday, 11 November 2010
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
summer holidays
As I write it seems that summer is well and truly over.
It was my first ever summer holidays at home with my children and a thoroughly enjoyable one too. I learned so much just hanging out with them every day. The most important lesson: slow down. It's so important to take time just to be (as opposed to do).
We lay down on the floor face to face and chatted about nonsense.
We read stories. And made some up too.
We went camping and toasted marshmallows round the bonfire, made new friends and fed pigs.
We climbed St. Michael's Mount in Cornwall and imagined pirates coming to catch us.
We swam and sunbathed at the lido, the Frog perfected her diving and Rowdy and I rated her, Olympic style. Then we all pretended to be synchronised swimmers.
We saw Toy Story at the cinema and battled with the 3D specs.
We explored parts of Kew Gardens we'd never been to before and made camp under the branches of a tree while it poured with rain outside.
We ate a lot of picnics!
But mostly we didn't do much at all - just hung out together and enjoyed each other.
Awe & Wonder at its most profound.
It was my first ever summer holidays at home with my children and a thoroughly enjoyable one too. I learned so much just hanging out with them every day. The most important lesson: slow down. It's so important to take time just to be (as opposed to do).
We lay down on the floor face to face and chatted about nonsense.
We read stories. And made some up too.
We went camping and toasted marshmallows round the bonfire, made new friends and fed pigs.
We climbed St. Michael's Mount in Cornwall and imagined pirates coming to catch us.
We swam and sunbathed at the lido, the Frog perfected her diving and Rowdy and I rated her, Olympic style. Then we all pretended to be synchronised swimmers.
We saw Toy Story at the cinema and battled with the 3D specs.
We explored parts of Kew Gardens we'd never been to before and made camp under the branches of a tree while it poured with rain outside.
We ate a lot of picnics!
But mostly we didn't do much at all - just hung out together and enjoyed each other.
Awe & Wonder at its most profound.
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
The climbing wall
Sunday was a glorious afternoon. From grey and cloudy beginnings the sun broke through and shone in a clear blue sky all afternoon. From memory it does this every year the weekend of the Lambeth Country Fair. We were there with Lulu, Frog's best friend, and her family.
For those of you who read this blog regularly you will know how much Frog loves to climb. Nothing makes her happier than scaling an enormous tree and sitting in it. I'm not sure what she does up there: thinks, watches, sits, watches and thinks I guess. Anyway she loves it and is truly fearless.
On Sunday at the Country Fair they had some fantastic (and free) activities for the kids, including basketball, tennis, football and a climbing wall. Understandably this was like giving Frog all the sweets in the sweetshop. She literally squealed with pleasure when she saw it.
She and Lulu scaled the first wall, the easy one, faster than you can say "go spidergirl go".
The harder wall was trickier. The spaces between the 'grips' were further apart and the girls are still only little. Frog did well, she got within a metre of so of the top, then came down. Lulu was still climbing.
I expected Frog to call to her friend to come down and get on with the next activity. But no, she stood on the ground below her friend and bellowed encouragement; she pointed out good places to put her hands and feet and truly supported Lulu during her final burst to reach the top. And when Lulu touched the buzzer that signalled her success both girls were equally, ecstatically thrilled.
In those moments my daughter reminded how pure and perfect friendship can be. About how it can be both competitive and yet supportive. About how your best friend cheering you on makes anything possible. And about how when success is shared and celebrated together it makes it so much more fun!
Awe and wonder at its best.
For those of you who read this blog regularly you will know how much Frog loves to climb. Nothing makes her happier than scaling an enormous tree and sitting in it. I'm not sure what she does up there: thinks, watches, sits, watches and thinks I guess. Anyway she loves it and is truly fearless.
On Sunday at the Country Fair they had some fantastic (and free) activities for the kids, including basketball, tennis, football and a climbing wall. Understandably this was like giving Frog all the sweets in the sweetshop. She literally squealed with pleasure when she saw it.
She and Lulu scaled the first wall, the easy one, faster than you can say "go spidergirl go". The harder wall was trickier. The spaces between the 'grips' were further apart and the girls are still only little. Frog did well, she got within a metre of so of the top, then came down. Lulu was still climbing.
I expected Frog to call to her friend to come down and get on with the next activity. But no, she stood on the ground below her friend and bellowed encouragement; she pointed out good places to put her hands and feet and truly supported Lulu during her final burst to reach the top. And when Lulu touched the buzzer that signalled her success both girls were equally, ecstatically thrilled.
In those moments my daughter reminded how pure and perfect friendship can be. About how it can be both competitive and yet supportive. About how your best friend cheering you on makes anything possible. And about how when success is shared and celebrated together it makes it so much more fun!
Awe and wonder at its best.
Monday, 5 July 2010
The Plan
The frog has a best friend. They've been best friends since their first day at nursery and the only time Frog is sad is when they've had a falling out, which thankfully doesn't happen very often. The best friend's name is Lulu.
They are totally smitten with each other and would choose to be together 24 hours a day, seven days a week if they could.
This passion is truly brilliant when I'm trying to get Frog motivated to go out on a day trip with Lulu and her family ("do your teeth/tidy your bedroom/finish your homework ... or else we won't be able to meet up with Lulu"). All tasks are done with time to spare, with no fuss and nonsense and mostly with a smile!
It's less easy at the end of the day. Having to go their separate ways often ends with the mums having to hunt one of them out from a secret hiding place or prize one off the other's leg as you might with an over enthusiastic puppy. It's sweet if somewhat irritating.
Last weekend we took the girls and Rowdy to Brockwell Lido. It was a great day, we had sandwiches and ice creams, braved the freezing water and got a glimpse of the future as Frog and Lulu sunbathed like teenagers, whispering secrets about school and giggling furiously at their own in-jokes.
Later, as we walked across the park to the car (lazy, but essential with two exhausted three-year olds in tow) the girls announced they had a plan. They were in extremely high spirits about it too. They made various attempts to trick us into giving them chewing gum and we thought the plan had been executed/thwarted. Wrong.
Lulu's mum dropped us off at our front door and Lulu was out of the car and at my front door before you could say "I need a wee". And this is what she did say with accompanying ham-acting to go with.
And it was the ham-acting that caught them out. Lulu didn't need a wee at all, it was all part of 'the plan' to get her into my house, to drag out their last precious few moments together. The chewing gum was just a decoy.
This incident, though not easy to describe, was full of awe and wonder. The tricksiness and deviousness of these six year old minds is simply awesome; in the end the plan was pretty good at a strategic level, they just need to brush up on their execution!
More important is the wonder of friendship - so strong that you never want to be apart, so profound that you'll risk getting into trouble just for a couple more moments together. Friendship is grounded in making plans and being creative together, where together you are better than the sum of your parts and when together everything is simply more fun.
There's nothing quite like a best friend.
Pic taken Winter 2009
They are totally smitten with each other and would choose to be together 24 hours a day, seven days a week if they could.
This passion is truly brilliant when I'm trying to get Frog motivated to go out on a day trip with Lulu and her family ("do your teeth/tidy your bedroom/finish your homework ... or else we won't be able to meet up with Lulu"). All tasks are done with time to spare, with no fuss and nonsense and mostly with a smile!
It's less easy at the end of the day. Having to go their separate ways often ends with the mums having to hunt one of them out from a secret hiding place or prize one off the other's leg as you might with an over enthusiastic puppy. It's sweet if somewhat irritating.
Last weekend we took the girls and Rowdy to Brockwell Lido. It was a great day, we had sandwiches and ice creams, braved the freezing water and got a glimpse of the future as Frog and Lulu sunbathed like teenagers, whispering secrets about school and giggling furiously at their own in-jokes.
Later, as we walked across the park to the car (lazy, but essential with two exhausted three-year olds in tow) the girls announced they had a plan. They were in extremely high spirits about it too. They made various attempts to trick us into giving them chewing gum and we thought the plan had been executed/thwarted. Wrong.
Lulu's mum dropped us off at our front door and Lulu was out of the car and at my front door before you could say "I need a wee". And this is what she did say with accompanying ham-acting to go with.
And it was the ham-acting that caught them out. Lulu didn't need a wee at all, it was all part of 'the plan' to get her into my house, to drag out their last precious few moments together. The chewing gum was just a decoy.
This incident, though not easy to describe, was full of awe and wonder. The tricksiness and deviousness of these six year old minds is simply awesome; in the end the plan was pretty good at a strategic level, they just need to brush up on their execution!
There's nothing quite like a best friend.
Pic taken Winter 2009
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
Deepwater
Silence in our house is never a good sign. It normally means that one or other of the children has tied up and gagged the other. So after a short while of silence on Sunday afternoon I dragged myself away from the football to investigate.
To my profound surprise the children were playing together nicely (seriously I never thought I’d use those three words in the same sentence) with their playmobil hospital, rescue helicopter and numerous other emergency service vehicles.
I asked what they were playing. “Doh mum, it’s the Deepwater Horizon oil spill clean up of course” came the reply.
Silly me.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the routine of everyday - meal preparing, teeth cleaning, homework doing, park going - that sometimes I forget to notice how aware of the world my children are and how grown up they are. They really think about things; big, important, global things. They think about them seriously and make sense of them in their own way.
I just smiled and left them to it, best not find out who was Tony Hayward and who was Obama.
Monday, 7 June 2010
Myatt's Fields
Saturday's weather was gorgeous. To celebrate I took the children up to Myatt's Fields to play in the water park there, which is truly brilliant. For those of you who regularly read this blog you'll know how much my children love water!
It struck me watching the children play that in London (in our middle-class, over-protective, helicopter-parent bubble) that there are very few opportunities for my children to play with children of different ages. They don't do it much at school, they certainly don't do it out of school where play dates are strictly restricted to those children whose parents I quite like!
This is actually quite sad; they learn so much from each other - heirarchy, turn-taking, confidence, how to fit in, limits & boundaries, trust and independence as well as the actual games they are taking part in.
It was wonderful to watch them play, take their part in this micro-society and explore the world with a bit more freedom than they're normally allowed. And they relished it - awe and wonder at its best!
And the sunshine was pretty lovely too.
It struck me watching the children play that in London (in our middle-class, over-protective, helicopter-parent bubble) that there are very few opportunities for my children to play with children of different ages. They don't do it much at school, they certainly don't do it out of school where play dates are strictly restricted to those children whose parents I quite like!
This is actually quite sad; they learn so much from each other - heirarchy, turn-taking, confidence, how to fit in, limits & boundaries, trust and independence as well as the actual games they are taking part in.
It was wonderful to watch them play, take their part in this micro-society and explore the world with a bit more freedom than they're normally allowed. And they relished it - awe and wonder at its best!
And the sunshine was pretty lovely too.
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Perspectives
One of the wonderful things about having children is the way you are constantly forced to change your perspective on the world. Seeing things through their eyes is without doubt one of the best ways to ensure a daily dose of 'awe and wonder' in your life.
We had a wonderful day at Kew Gardens on Sunday where this idea of perspectives was something we (the grown ups) thought about a lot.
The Treetop walk literally made us see things differently. From 30m or so above the ground, walking through the leaves, how could it not.
After lunch we played wheelbarrow races, gave the children 'elephant' rides and generally romped on the floor. I haven't laughed so much for ages and the children truly loved it with us 'on their level'.
Kew Gardens is beautiful at this time of year and the children were exploring their independence as well as their surroundings, going on bear hunts and various other expeditions. Simply observing the way they live so completely 'in the moment' was an interesting shift in my perspective. I'm going to try it more, it might well be one of the best ways to ensure a bit more wonder in my own life!
We had a wonderful day at Kew Gardens on Sunday where this idea of perspectives was something we (the grown ups) thought about a lot.
The Treetop walk literally made us see things differently. From 30m or so above the ground, walking through the leaves, how could it not.
After lunch we played wheelbarrow races, gave the children 'elephant' rides and generally romped on the floor. I haven't laughed so much for ages and the children truly loved it with us 'on their level'.
Kew Gardens is beautiful at this time of year and the children were exploring their independence as well as their surroundings, going on bear hunts and various other expeditions. Simply observing the way they live so completely 'in the moment' was an interesting shift in my perspective. I'm going to try it more, it might well be one of the best ways to ensure a bit more wonder in my own life!
Thursday, 6 May 2010
holidays
It's been ages since I last updated this blog; not because there has been any shortage of awe and wonder simply a shortage of time!
We've been away on a fantastic adventure to Ko Yao in Thailand and had an unexpected (and eventful) few days in Singapore because of the ash cloud.
There were so many moments of wonder from our time away that I could write about it's hard to choose just one. And I'm sure as time passes I'll write about others. But perhaps my perfect moment was this...
An early morning (as so many good times with my children are) and the promise of some special time together taking a walk. This time to the beach to see the sun rise. A first for both of them and a moment of joy for me - the pink sky, the mystical rocks in the sea and the squeals of delight from the children as the big pink blob inched its way over the horizon. Glorious.
http://www.koyaobay.com/data/koyaobay_pavilions/home/#
We've been away on a fantastic adventure to Ko Yao in Thailand and had an unexpected (and eventful) few days in Singapore because of the ash cloud.
There were so many moments of wonder from our time away that I could write about it's hard to choose just one. And I'm sure as time passes I'll write about others. But perhaps my perfect moment was this... An early morning (as so many good times with my children are) and the promise of some special time together taking a walk. This time to the beach to see the sun rise. A first for both of them and a moment of joy for me - the pink sky, the mystical rocks in the sea and the squeals of delight from the children as the big pink blob inched its way over the horizon. Glorious.
http://www.koyaobay.com/data/koyaobay_pavilions/home/#
Saturday, 30 January 2010
The bakery
Juggling two children, a husband, a home, a job, being a school governor as well as studying is never easy. Something always has to give. Sadly this is often 'special time'; that one on one time with the children. And because she's at school, it's more often than not the Frog who misses out.
This weekend I promised her special time, but the only time we could fit it in was if we did an early morning walk together. (Her early: 5.30; mine: ideally a little later). So up early (hers), we rugged up and set off.
Our special time was magically dusted with the lightest sprinkling of snow and punctuated by squeals of delight. It was silent and cold - the sky was black and the street lamps orange. London still asleep.
We walked to the Organic Bakery on Landor Road and Frog ordered - pain au chocolate, croissants, white bread (for bacon sandwiches) straight from the oven and still warm when we got home. Delish!
We chatted, caught up on the week, held hands and just were together. It was only 20 minutes, half an hour at most, but special, special time indeed.
This weekend I promised her special time, but the only time we could fit it in was if we did an early morning walk together. (Her early: 5.30; mine: ideally a little later). So up early (hers), we rugged up and set off.
Our special time was magically dusted with the lightest sprinkling of snow and punctuated by squeals of delight. It was silent and cold - the sky was black and the street lamps orange. London still asleep.
We walked to the Organic Bakery on Landor Road and Frog ordered - pain au chocolate, croissants, white bread (for bacon sandwiches) straight from the oven and still warm when we got home. Delish!
We chatted, caught up on the week, held hands and just were together. It was only 20 minutes, half an hour at most, but special, special time indeed.
Saturday, 9 January 2010
superman!
Over the Christmas break we got to watch some rubbish tv. (I know this is completely outside the boundaries of 'awe and wonder', but we're still human). Anyway there we were watching superman 3 and Rowdy was totally captivated. He didn't really get the plot, but he instinctively understood being a superhero - they fly, they have superpowers, they generally take care of things! And Rowdy like all other children wanted to be one.
So - a red jumper, a cut out blue S, a cape made from a scrap of red fabric, a load of safety pins and a huge amount of 3 year old imagination later - SuperRowdy flew into my world. (Who needs Woolies after all?) And it's been truly wonderful having him there.
Seemingly against my quest for awe and wonder this little bit of TV actually inspired many, many hours of imaginative, happy and great fun play. Not just the making of the costume and the role play of being a superhero, we've also spent a lot of time thinking up some cool new superpowers.
So - a red jumper, a cut out blue S, a cape made from a scrap of red fabric, a load of safety pins and a huge amount of 3 year old imagination later - SuperRowdy flew into my world. (Who needs Woolies after all?) And it's been truly wonderful having him there.
Seemingly against my quest for awe and wonder this little bit of TV actually inspired many, many hours of imaginative, happy and great fun play. Not just the making of the costume and the role play of being a superhero, we've also spent a lot of time thinking up some cool new superpowers.
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
An angel in our midst
No-one could be more excited than a six year old picked to play the Angel Gabriel in the school play. Not only a speaking part, but the part with the best costume!
Frog came home from school on Thursday last week the bearer of the news that she was the chosen one this year. To say she was thrilled would be a massive understatement (such awe, such wonder). Determined to be the best Angel Gabriel ever (no competiveness there then Frog?!) she announced that I needed to make her a new costume ... "the grim old thing at school mings, I just wouldn't be like a proper angel!"
Indeed.
So we did make a new a costume and as always when we make things it was huge fun and a great way to while away a winter weekend. And, of course there is the miracle of turning some scraps of fabric into a dress fit for an angel, the best angel ever of course.
Sunday, 22 November 2009
Christmas Pudding
Christmas Pudding - evocative, sensory and luxurious; delicious, abundant and stirred with a wish. The subject of my favourite chapter in a book ever*, the beginning of Christmas, just a dessert but so much more.
This weekend we made our Christmas Puddings, a little late this year but hopefully not disasterously so. They take days of work but time is part of their luxury. From the soaking to the stirring to the steaming it takes its own time, there's no rushing a pudding.
Christmas is clearly a time for awe and wonder - and cooking is part of that for us. It's magical how some flour, sugar and butter can turn into so many different, delicious things. Throw in some spices and a handful of fruit and Christmas begins.
I'm going to try some new things this year - marshmallows from the Jamie Oliver mag, vanilla fudge from Life is Sweet (thanks Rose!) and gingerbread with 'stained glass' centres for our tree, my guess is they won't last 'til Christmas Day.
The kids love cooking but the wonder of making the pudding is extra special; as they stir and make their wish it's the first time in the year they think about Santa!!
*Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey
*Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
cup cakes
Nothing much to do with awe and wonder, but I'm really rather proud of these cupcakes I made for the Children in Need cake sale at school tomorrow.
I hope the children love them!
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Diggers
It's always a treat in November when you have an unexpectedly sunny day. Today was one of those days: Sydney sky, sunny, not too cold. The perfect day to grab our micro scooters and race to Brockwell Park to feed the ducks. I love my micro scooter, I love how free it makes me feel and how quick it is to get places - even more I love the excuse my children give me to ride it!
We got waylaid on the way to the park by diggers. Any of you with boys will understand, you can't ever scoot past a digger.
They inspire awe (look at the size of that scoop!); they encourage wonder (I wonder what that bit's for?); there are questions that I can't answer (Who's driving? What's that man doing? What's that bit called?) and some I can (Why are they digging up the road? why are they wearing helmets?). We watched and chatted and watched some more.
It's lovely to scoot and it's nice to feed the ducks, but it's even lovelier to be side tracked on a sunny day by diggers. Such a luxury to forget the time and concentrate on what Rowdy is really interested in, his curiosity - awesome, wonderful.
We got waylaid on the way to the park by diggers. Any of you with boys will understand, you can't ever scoot past a digger.
They inspire awe (look at the size of that scoop!); they encourage wonder (I wonder what that bit's for?); there are questions that I can't answer (Who's driving? What's that man doing? What's that bit called?) and some I can (Why are they digging up the road? why are they wearing helmets?). We watched and chatted and watched some more.
It's lovely to scoot and it's nice to feed the ducks, but it's even lovelier to be side tracked on a sunny day by diggers. Such a luxury to forget the time and concentrate on what Rowdy is really interested in, his curiosity - awesome, wonderful.
Thursday, 12 November 2009
London
One of the great things about living in London is that there is always something brilliant to do... even if it's doing not very much at all.
Often, on a rainy day - as we did this Tuesday - we'll hop on the bus, clamber up to the top deck, beg for the seats right at the front and see what sights we see. And we always see something awe inspiring. London is just like that, especially when you get to cross the bridges.
The Thames is a magnificent river, it's never the same no matter how many times you see it. It's steeped in history, saturated with myth and mystery and of course full of boats - sometimes really fast ones, which especially please Rowdy.
This particular Tuesday, cloaked in cloud of grey we marvelled at London's builders: the planners, architects, artists and engineers that created our beautiful city - from the elegance of the big wheel to the industrial beauty of the chinmeys at Battersea Power Station; from the curiosity of the statues of social science that grace Vauxhall bridge to Big Ben and its enormous bong, which we heard strike 10!
When you live here its easy to forget how beautiful London is, and what wonder mankind can create. The 80p bus ride on the No. 3, and the eyes and excitement of my children help me do just that.
Often, on a rainy day - as we did this Tuesday - we'll hop on the bus, clamber up to the top deck, beg for the seats right at the front and see what sights we see. And we always see something awe inspiring. London is just like that, especially when you get to cross the bridges.
The Thames is a magnificent river, it's never the same no matter how many times you see it. It's steeped in history, saturated with myth and mystery and of course full of boats - sometimes really fast ones, which especially please Rowdy.
This particular Tuesday, cloaked in cloud of grey we marvelled at London's builders: the planners, architects, artists and engineers that created our beautiful city - from the elegance of the big wheel to the industrial beauty of the chinmeys at Battersea Power Station; from the curiosity of the statues of social science that grace Vauxhall bridge to Big Ben and its enormous bong, which we heard strike 10!
When you live here its easy to forget how beautiful London is, and what wonder mankind can create. The 80p bus ride on the No. 3, and the eyes and excitement of my children help me do just that.
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Time Out
Being a working mum means never having quite enough time just to hang out with my kids. Every moment somehow needs to be filled, accounted for, drenched in quality.
Last week(half term), in a quest for simple hanging out time, I escaped. Packing the kids into the car straight after school we braved the M4, M5 and A30. A stop for sandwiches, hideous traffic in Bristol and eight hours of Radio 4 later we arrived in Porthcurno, Cornwall. It was silent and foggy, my phone wouldn't have signal for a week. Perfect!
Jo stayed til Monday, some friends visited for a couple days, the rest of the time was just the Frog, Rowdy and me.
There were so many magical moments and we had so much fun it would be impossible to write it all down. It was also so lazy and laid back that it would probably be very boring to read.
So, what was truly awesome: reconnecting with my children and thoroughly enjoying their company; feeling no pressure to do much other than just be together: to find shells on the beach, to laugh at things, to sing songs, to practise the three times table, to read stories all afternoon, to put on a wetsuit and swim in the sea for one last time before winter; all in all just hanging out - where the what is not important but the who is.
And one last awesome thing: the huge, huge smile on Rowdy's face when he appeared out of the water slide at Penzance Swimming Baths - one I won't forget!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porthcurno
Last week(half term), in a quest for simple hanging out time, I escaped. Packing the kids into the car straight after school we braved the M4, M5 and A30. A stop for sandwiches, hideous traffic in Bristol and eight hours of Radio 4 later we arrived in Porthcurno, Cornwall. It was silent and foggy, my phone wouldn't have signal for a week. Perfect!
Jo stayed til Monday, some friends visited for a couple days, the rest of the time was just the Frog, Rowdy and me.
There were so many magical moments and we had so much fun it would be impossible to write it all down. It was also so lazy and laid back that it would probably be very boring to read.
So, what was truly awesome: reconnecting with my children and thoroughly enjoying their company; feeling no pressure to do much other than just be together: to find shells on the beach, to laugh at things, to sing songs, to practise the three times table, to read stories all afternoon, to put on a wetsuit and swim in the sea for one last time before winter; all in all just hanging out - where the what is not important but the who is.
And one last awesome thing: the huge, huge smile on Rowdy's face when he appeared out of the water slide at Penzance Swimming Baths - one I won't forget!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porthcurno
Tuesday, 22 September 2009
New Life
We tend to do our weekly shopping at Brixton markets. It's just so much more fun than the supermarket (and the kids love to go to Rosie's cafe for a hot chocolate afterwards as a treat http://www.rosiesdelicafe.com/about.html).
One of our favourite shops is Nour. It's a strange shop, stacked floor to ceiling with stuff: sacks of rice, bags of chickpeas, every spice you can think of and many you can't. There are huge bunches of parsley and mint and coriander (perfect for tickling little boys), fruits and veg dependent on the season and about 200 different chilli sauces. Nour is always full of customers so with two children, a scooter & a bike and my massive granny shopping trolley it can be hard to get round.
We were in there other day and the children wandered off, talking to the many staff I assumed. They were quiet which always makes me suspicious; generally they are up to mischief of some sort or another*. Today however there was no mischief, just kittens. Tiny, really tiny, bundles of fluff: white, black, grey, a spoldge of orange; four teeny scatchy, sniffy pink noses; a muddle of whiskers; all cuddled up together in cardboard box. The children were captivated; tentatively touching and stroking, as gentle as only a young child with a small animal can be.
New life: a miracle always, full of promise and excitement certainly. And also, the tenderness my normally rowdy, boisterous children showed with these kittens was a pure and instinctive display of the human desire to protect and nuture. A beautiful moment that left me silent too.
Only the promise of asking Daddy if we could take one home eventually lured them away. (We did ask, he said no!).
*silent mischief has included: feeding all the fishfood to the fish, turning the bath into a swimming pool and flooding the bathroom (the dining room ceiling still bears the brown stains where the water dripped through) and locking themselves in a cupboard!
One of our favourite shops is Nour. It's a strange shop, stacked floor to ceiling with stuff: sacks of rice, bags of chickpeas, every spice you can think of and many you can't. There are huge bunches of parsley and mint and coriander (perfect for tickling little boys), fruits and veg dependent on the season and about 200 different chilli sauces. Nour is always full of customers so with two children, a scooter & a bike and my massive granny shopping trolley it can be hard to get round.
We were in there other day and the children wandered off, talking to the many staff I assumed. They were quiet which always makes me suspicious; generally they are up to mischief of some sort or another*. Today however there was no mischief, just kittens. Tiny, really tiny, bundles of fluff: white, black, grey, a spoldge of orange; four teeny scatchy, sniffy pink noses; a muddle of whiskers; all cuddled up together in cardboard box. The children were captivated; tentatively touching and stroking, as gentle as only a young child with a small animal can be.
New life: a miracle always, full of promise and excitement certainly. And also, the tenderness my normally rowdy, boisterous children showed with these kittens was a pure and instinctive display of the human desire to protect and nuture. A beautiful moment that left me silent too.
Only the promise of asking Daddy if we could take one home eventually lured them away. (We did ask, he said no!).
*silent mischief has included: feeding all the fishfood to the fish, turning the bath into a swimming pool and flooding the bathroom (the dining room ceiling still bears the brown stains where the water dripped through) and locking themselves in a cupboard!
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