7th September 2010 (Monday)

Ask Ian what the most frightening sound imaginable is these days (particularly of a Sunday morning), and he’ll tell you. The firm announcement, in girlish tones, of “Daddy I’m going to look after you.”

Looking after Daddy involves some or all of the following:

• Thundering into the bedroom at 6:30 in the morning and leaping onto him (probably with a war-cry)

• Shaking him and tugging at any clothes available

• Physically hauling him out of bed, and when this doesn’t work, crawling in herself and showing the correct way to get out of bed (head-first, down towards the floor, landing with a thump)

• Trying to locate his navel at all times, but most strenuously when it’s most inappropriate (like at the supermarket checkout)

• Clinging onto his legs when he’s trying to walk, and probably sticking her head between them

• Shoving cold hands up his shirt unexpectedly

• Taking a flying leap into his lap straight after dinner and from there ritually climbing up onto his shoulders (this give a good vantage point for bashing his head with a toilet roll)

The list is far from exhaustive – though the effects invariably are exhausting. Usually when he’s told he’s going to be looked after you’ll see him shrink back visibly, and whimper But who’s going to look after YOU? (Ah well, you didn’t think Mummy would be entirely left out of the equation, did you? But that’s another story…)

Yesterday wasn’t hugely eventful. The Non seemed to have a good day at school, and came back from her trip to the school library with ‘Lara the Black Cat Fairy’ in amongst the haul. This was actually one that Lillian had found at the Grandparent’s day / Book Fair day: they had the kindergarten children come with doting grandparents to the library where a load of books were laid out to purchase for the school. Kids chose one each, the adults paid for them. Your reward is that you get your name stuck on a plate in the front of the book with the donation date, and you get to borrow it first. It was particularly apt as Lara was dressing up that day as … a black cat.

Meanwhile the Mr seemed to have a day filled up with meetings and goodness knows what, and today he’s got the first of his new series of lectures on. Sounds like quite a hefty chunk of work: in effect the students are working from 9-11 and then 12-1. I really don’t think anyone can concentrate for two hours solid like that – but apparently that’s what they do. Oh well, I guess it gets it over with. He seemed to be enjoying preparing the lectures, actually.

As for me, well there was the Monday clean, and I wrote a poem (or a couple of versions of it) for a new competition and quite liked the results. What I always wonder is, why is the Tuesday clean almost always just as strenuous as the Monday one, and why are there always revisions to be made to poems, particularly just after you’ve popped them in the post or pressed the ‘send’ button?

Grilled some lamb shoulder chunks for dinner on the barbie last night, remind us to do it when the W&W are here, I think it would be liked. Very quick and simple but the barbie really does make a difference to the flavour. Must be all the rust and muck on the grill or something.