Today I had a delightful wake-up call from James at 6am. Thankfully I was able to get back to sleep for a tad longer before both kids were awake and the arguing and winding each other up got too loud to ignore. Happy Friday!
Stephen was still knackered and not feeling great so he stayed in bed while I attempted to get two highly excitable and loud children fed, dressed and ready to leave the house for a morning with Grandma Lindsey and Grandad Lawrie. I knew they had an exceedingly fun time ahead (shhhh, but I think they are going fishing/pond dipping) so it was frustrating when they wouldn’t play ball and just get in the car for once. Oh well!
Once the kids were dropped off, I took the chance to pop to the Post Office to return some orders, and then drop some of Genevieve’s old uniform at a friend’s house. Then it was home for cleaning and jobs. Rock and roll!
I had a very productive morning. I hoovered and mopped the whole ground floor, sorted the cleaning stuff and vitamins/medicines in the cupboard, sorted the last few hen-weekend details, and showered without being harassed by children for the first time in an absolute age. Hurrah!
The children also had a very busy and fun-filled time…
Here is Grandad Lawrie’s record of the morning’s antics.
The children arrived really excited as they knew they were going to Keston for some pond dipping. Genevieve was particularly animated as she had not been with James earlier in the week and was keen to get underway – she was also very determined that she was going to catch a fish.
However, the sky darkened at it looked like rain was imminent; so waterproof coats were located and added to the nets, plastic bowls and other paraphernalia. As it turned out the morning remained dry, but not so for poor James. We had only been pond dipping for five minutes, and had found just a few snails and dragonfly larvae, when a sudden high-pitched wail was heard. James has fallen into the pond. It was probably less of a fall and more of a step too far as he was standing in the pond, near to the bank and up to his waist in water.
He was quickly hauled out, but was very sad about his predicament and quite inconsolable. Grandma Lindsey decided that it was best to take him back to the car to dry off.
Genevieve was having none of it and was very clear that she was planning to catch a fish, and that she was staying until she did so!
She became a demon pond-dipper – pulling out nets full of weed in the hope that she has also caught a fish. She did very well and found many different species of mini-beasts, including great diving beetles and leeches, but the fish remained elusive.
Grandad Lawrie kept trying to find out how James was, but was thwarted by the lack of any phone signal. Genevieve persisted with her efforts, arguing that Grandma Lindsey was looking after James very ably when, to her delight, a small tench was found in her net. This was followed a few minutes later by a second one. After the compulsory photo, Genevieve was more easily persuaded that it was time for home.
On the walk back to the car park Genevieve told anyone and everyone she came across that she had caught two fish; she was the proudest person in Keston and very clearly delighted with her achievement.
Back at the car, James was wrapped up in a warm blanket, clutching a teddy and enjoying a packet of “emergency” chocolate buttons. He even began to smile when he was given a second teddy to cuddle.
When we got home James was put in the bath and, afterwards, seemed to have forgotten his unwelcome experience in the pond altogether when he was presented with a jam sandwich for lunch!
But before I knew it, I had to go and get the kids. Stephen had spent the morning keeping himself to himself. He was really not feeling right so, having collected the children, I decided to keep them out of the house for a little while longer.
We went and said hello to Grandma Margaret and Grandad Stephen in their back garden. We played fetch with their dog Tizzy, and things got tricky when Tizzy took preference to James’s ball over Genevieve’s. Highly entertaining to watch Tizzy charge after a ball, only to decide when she got there that she didn’t want to pick it up. James kept shouting “good boy” in a hugely patronising way to her every time she got the ball. It made us all laugh lots.
Before we finally headed home we went to do one more job, and then quickly popped up to say hello to the friendly neighbourhood monkey who was busy picking up litter. He really knows how to set a good example!
Once home, we sorted some Father’s Day surprises and then watched Frozen II. After a day of resting, Stephen was feeling perkier and was keen to do something out of the house. He decided to mow the lawn in preparation for the hen-do garden fun tomorrow afternoon – you can’t have an unkempt lawn if you’re hosting! This was “assisted” by James and Genevieve who were very keen to hold on to the lawnmower handle as Stephen pushed it back and forth. Needless to say, some of the lines they helped to mow were wonkier than the ones Stephen did solo.
Then it was time for dinner, pyjamas, stories and bed for the kids. They were cream crackered after their exciting day so, thankfully, went to sleep relatively quickly and calmly for once.
My evening then took a lovely turn as I had a Zoom chat booked with some of my girlfriends. I was tired so didn’t know how long I’d last on the call, but it was so nice to catch up with them all which meant I chatted for way longer than I expected. Similar to Stephen’s catch-up on Tuesday, it was brilliant to see some friendly faces and I felt noticeably better after the call. Yey!
The Smiths Family Blog 
Drama at Keston but soon forgotten
LikeLike