Queen's Birthday Weekend

I'm off to Sewjourn for a Craft Camp with some fabulous women, and I'm extra excited about this one because for a change I'll be going for the whole weekend. No Saturday tap, a whole long weekend to myself. The amount of stuff I'm taking with me is staggering. I know the kids and Fixit will be fine, but I have been slightly concerned because Fixit has been very absorbed of late with a shed project. He's been designing and building a new front faring for his old motorbike, and he completely loses track of time when he starts in on it. I have been reminding him all this week that he needs to down tools at regular intervals so that the kids are fed. Interestingly, when I tell this story, any man who hears it says Wow, he's designing a faring and building it himself?!, whereas my female listeners know the true gist of this is how unfair it is that he can go into a cone of creativity and not have his mojo interrupted by having to see to the family's needs. This is why I go to Crarf Camp really, uninterrupted mojo. But I wouldn't want you to think badly of him, he is a great partner and father. Just look at the gorgeous birthday present he gave me, an enormous print of a work by Urban Stencil artist Banksy. I love it so much.

Not as young as I used to be.

 

Conversation at the breakfast table this morning, as I opened and admired the birthday gifts the kids had given me. (Stripey purple fingerless gloves, a purple headband and some scented bathbombs).

Climber: We had to walk all around [large shopping mall] to find your presents.

Me: I didn't realise you went to [large shopping mall]! I thought you were going to [closer-by small shopping mall]. 

Climber: No we went to [large shopping mall], and had to walk all the way round it.

Me: (touched) Well.  Thank you.  I really appreciate that you went to that much effort for me.

Climber: Well, thank YOU for all the effort you always make for us.


Cherub: I hope you go to that much effort for MY birthday.

(taken this morning, he decided to dress up as Long John Silver with a bandanna and a pirate hat a'la Tim Curry in The Muppet Treasure Island)

(Taken on the weekend after a victorious soccer match)

They are two very different children...

I've been telling Cherub for the last 2 weeks that he wasn't allowed to think about his (October) birthday until after mine, clearly that only applied to up to the point of gift handover, now it's open season.

In his defense though,  Cherub bounced out of bed to cuddle me and wish me a happy birthday and had a musical toy lined up ready to beep out Happy Birthday.  Well, he thought it was lined up, it actually beeped out Camptown Races first off, but then it played Happy Birthday and Cherub sang along too.