An excellent day! It was a relaxed morning with no shouting or aggro, and then Gill went into town on the bus to try and find trousers for our eldest and so he could get a birthday present for his friend who's party he's going to tomorrow.
I took this opportunity to play with our youngest, he wanted to play on 'Mario Karts' on the Wii... and oh God it was difficult! I was rubbish... came last several times, but hey I'm a beginner and I'm old so both count against me. Half an hour left me exhausted! So much concentration... and then the phone rang and it was Rose up the road asking if our eldest was needing a lift to the party tomorrow... and I asked if her son was in and wanted a playmate? He was and did, so we walked up there and I came back to do a composting job which has been needing doing for a while: the bin made of Anderson Shelter corrugated iron was very well rotted down... I dug it all out and put the stuff in a builders bag, from where I'll bag it up or riddle it and bag it...
Then Gill came back, our eldest with no trousers but a nice appropriate prezzie for his friend.
I then bombed into town on the bike to pay our annual electricity bill to Good Energy through the bank (electronic transfer) and put in a cheque for £30 for 6 sacks of compost Alison had off me yonks ago, the stuff Barry Potter took up on his return journey from delivering the cider press back to me...
Back in time to put some rather overdue compostables which have been hanging about into the newly vacated container, and collect a pile of electrical flex I rescued a while ago which I've been putting off sorting. However, once I'd sat down and got going with the craft knife (pulling the flex into the blade, the blade held still next to my trousered leg), my eldest started to help by pulling apart the grey outer insulation and removing the inner thinner wires, and then when I'd shaved off a long sliver of plastic from the copper wire, he extracted the wire from the throw-away plastic sheath.
We did about two hours worth... a most excellent Father/Son activity, and we did about a quarter of what I've collected recently. Enjoyed the Royal Institution Lecture again, and took wood-heated bathwater up for the older boyo to have a bath before his party tomorrow.
A most enjoyable day. I want, no, NEED more days like this, where I feel like a good parent doing the right things re my offspring. All too often these days I feel like I'm just not coping, but today was a blinder! Mainly due to excellent behaviour from both boys.
Showing posts with label playing with the children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label playing with the children. Show all posts
I took our youngest into school, and then had a quiet day mostly inside doing paperwork and e-paperwork. Wrote to The Maudsley with some forms filled in, and sent that off with a 'signed for' extra cost. Got bread. Did a Facebook 'Event Page' for York Green Festival. Chainsawed and split a few logs, and built the beginning of a logpile outside the front door of dry and ready-to-use fuel. Tidied a pile of paperwork to find out what time tomorrow I can give blood. Found a cheque I received about 2 months ago, and phoned the sender to apologise for not cashing it quickly, and to tell them I'd do it tomorrow... Read my electricity and gas meters for
The Carbon Account and inputted my new data, my graph is pleasingly slim (trying to ignore my adopted massive aircraft spike last month) and I found my old buddy Dave Mansell is also recording his carbon footprint on the site. He's one of the top recycling managers in the country and I really admire him. If I was more organised, I'd like to be doing what he's doing!
Gill did most of the childcare stuff but I spent time with them when they came in from school as Gill had gone to the shops, so I took an interest in their 'Spore' game and cuddled before and after tea.
Later, got a message from Dave 'top recycler' Mansell telling me what he's been up to since leaving York... I'm really pleased to hear he's ok. Currently working for the Somerset Waste Partnership where it looks like he's in top management. Good stuff!
Kept both stoves going, they both make a reassuring clicking sound as they expand and contract over each burn cycle, so they are 'clicking away' which I like.
The Carbon Account and inputted my new data, my graph is pleasingly slim (trying to ignore my adopted massive aircraft spike last month) and I found my old buddy Dave Mansell is also recording his carbon footprint on the site. He's one of the top recycling managers in the country and I really admire him. If I was more organised, I'd like to be doing what he's doing!
Gill did most of the childcare stuff but I spent time with them when they came in from school as Gill had gone to the shops, so I took an interest in their 'Spore' game and cuddled before and after tea.
Later, got a message from Dave 'top recycler' Mansell telling me what he's been up to since leaving York... I'm really pleased to hear he's ok. Currently working for the Somerset Waste Partnership where it looks like he's in top management. Good stuff!
Kept both stoves going, they both make a reassuring clicking sound as they expand and contract over each burn cycle, so they are 'clicking away' which I like.
A very quiet and nothingy day in many ways. Slept til after 9, and came down to find Gill was putting together a potato and leek soup, so I lit the stove so that could simmer for a couple of hours. The boys were generally well behaved and enjoying the weekend. Gill took the bus into town, failing to persuade either of them to go with her. As our eldest is going on a fieldtrip next week, he needs assorted clothes, such as a coat and shoes, and she came back with various goodies.
I did a little bit of stick chopping and more stacking, and then came in as I was strangely tired. I organised a fun game of 'picture consequences' with the boys but that left me even more exhausted, and when Gill came in I excused myself and went to bed, initially to read NewScientist but fell asleep. Came down for tea, and we all chuckled through 'You've been Framed' and giggled through 'Harry Hill's TV Burp'. And then went up to bed again. But felt the need to come and do some of the washing up and help manage the kids who were now kicking off following a relatively boring day with little activity. Gill doesn't deserve that kind of treatment and with the two of us they don't mess her around as much.
I did a little bit of stick chopping and more stacking, and then came in as I was strangely tired. I organised a fun game of 'picture consequences' with the boys but that left me even more exhausted, and when Gill came in I excused myself and went to bed, initially to read NewScientist but fell asleep. Came down for tea, and we all chuckled through 'You've been Framed' and giggled through 'Harry Hill's TV Burp'. And then went up to bed again. But felt the need to come and do some of the washing up and help manage the kids who were now kicking off following a relatively boring day with little activity. Gill doesn't deserve that kind of treatment and with the two of us they don't mess her around as much.
A relatively easy day! Spent the morning doing paperwork... writing letters and sending cheques to people, also sent a huge bag of dried fruit to my Sis who's requested some as healthy snack material, as have two of her workmates. I sent it first class, signed for, which cost £9, but I want it to get to her quickly as it's been a while since she asked me to send some, and signed for so so it actually gets to her! The signed for was only an extra 70p, and wasn't available with the second class postage price...
I got a letter with the dividend in for shopping with the Co-op, as I'm a member, so earned £16 for banking, using their insurance and going to their shop for fair trade tea, cereals, hommous and Lambrini!
Cannot remember where the afternoon went but at 3pm I went to get the little darlings, and soon after we got home, I played with the lego with them in the garden, under an apple tree, on a play-sheet thing Gill got to prevent little plastic bits going into the grass. I made a wheeled buggy with wings and a horse's head, helped by my lego-mad 10 year old. Gill made tea and I had this whilst downloading emails and getting ready for this evening's meeting, which is on York becoming a 'Transition Town', which I support wholeheartedly. The meeting was at St Nicks and was well attended and fruitful.
I collected a load of blown-down branches on the way home at 9.15, and went down Windmill Lane to pick up more before I came in just after 10. I will spend some time later this week shredding the twiggy bits and breaking up or cutting up the thick bits for drying for the woodpiles....
An early night.
I got a letter with the dividend in for shopping with the Co-op, as I'm a member, so earned £16 for banking, using their insurance and going to their shop for fair trade tea, cereals, hommous and Lambrini!
Cannot remember where the afternoon went but at 3pm I went to get the little darlings, and soon after we got home, I played with the lego with them in the garden, under an apple tree, on a play-sheet thing Gill got to prevent little plastic bits going into the grass. I made a wheeled buggy with wings and a horse's head, helped by my lego-mad 10 year old. Gill made tea and I had this whilst downloading emails and getting ready for this evening's meeting, which is on York becoming a 'Transition Town', which I support wholeheartedly. The meeting was at St Nicks and was well attended and fruitful.
I collected a load of blown-down branches on the way home at 9.15, and went down Windmill Lane to pick up more before I came in just after 10. I will spend some time later this week shredding the twiggy bits and breaking up or cutting up the thick bits for drying for the woodpiles....
An early night.
