Summer Nights

It's getting to that time of year when the evenings are long and if not quite sunny,warm.

And I find myself wanting to stay out longer with young Chips.

After tea,having a walk or at least a really casual nice relaxed chill out time outside.

But the time passes so quick from school pick up time...at four pm I'm on the slippery slope to utter exhaustion,show me a sofa or chair and I will immediately fall to sleep,I have been up since six am and have packed a lot of doing into my day.

I bring Chips home and there are the school bags,sandwich boxes to sort out,dinner to do,dishes to wash,washing to fetch in,reading to listen to and that's without actually playing and listening to my child and what can be more important than that!

And I try so hard to fit it all in and I end up shattered.

If I don't get any of it finished it means hell the next morning and a feeling of rushing around and working for hours and it's only eight am!And that's just madness I feel!

But I can feel a certain wind down beginning.I know we still have weeks left at school but I can feel the change coming and I like the evenings at this time of year so much.

I want to catch a bit more of it,try to get out if only a little way,play outside more,do our reading outside,just in general make the most of the outside as I do love being outside and I truly believe any time at all spent outside is good for children and for us grown ups too!

So if the weather holds,that's what I'm going to do ~ wish me luck!

Six Word Saturday  

Yes We Had Torrential Rain ~ Eventually 

Today was the day the school children had been waiting for.....the school BBQ.

It's quite a big affair,there are lots of stalls selling crafts,fair type rides for the children to go on,children's dance groups performing,a how many goals can you score activity.a bouncy castle and our particular favourite the sweet stall, where you can chose all combinations of sweets and then get them in a little paper bag.Its the paper bag that excites me...something to do with my misspent childhood hanging round sweetie shops I guess!

Oh and there's BBQ food as well!

It's actually quite a expensive night and if you have more than one kid the expense must really total up.

So the school BBQ is sometimes mumbled about by the parents,if you get my drift but the kids love it!

For the past couple of years the weather has not been kind to the BBQ and its been rained off more times than a little but last weekend was glorious so would the weather hold for this weekend and the BBQ...?

Well this was the million dollar question and it was left to the poor head to decide.

As the week progressed the weather became more unsettled and the discussions began...should the BBQ go ahead or should it be cancelled.

And what a hard decision!If the school had said lets do this and it had rained ( as was forecast ) it would have wasted a lot of money and the BBQ is supposed to be a fund raiser not a fund zapper.

But if the BBQ was cancelled and it didn't rain well then everybody would moan and the whole process would begin again with the new revised date.

The head couldn't win really,could she!

At 6.45am this morning the fateful text came

Tonight's BBQ is cancelled due to the torrential rain forecast for later! New date - Friday 5th July. Mrs A.

I had the job of telling Chips when he toddled down for breakfast,he was not that amused.

But the rain never came....

All day people waited for the rain.

If there was a drop of rain the words torrential would be bandied about.

People began to joke wryly about dodging the torrential rain.

It was the talk of the playground ~ the torrential rain.

6pm came and went with no sign of any sort of rain.

I felt sorry for the head,she had made a decision based on information given to her,what more could she do?People were joking about it though,big style joking,I don't think the words torrential rain will be forgotten in a hurry!

At 11.05 the rain did come and it was heavy,not quite torrential but quite a downpour.

And my older son and I grinned,it was a bit later than forecast but it did arrive...pesky old torrential rain!

Linking up to Six Word Saturday hosted by Cate

Shadow Dancers

A boy and a girl used to run out of school,

Running fast and hard and breaking every rule.

They whooped and they jumped,high in the air

They were free at last and they didn't have a care.

These two kids were fast

They loved to run and jump.

They didn't go many places without a bump.

These kids didn't keep still,

They couldn't if they tried.

They were full of monkey mischief

Bubbling inside!

It wouldn't be long before they arrived at their car and went their separate ways,as one lived close,and the other lived far.

And whilst the mothers chattered and said their goodbyes

The children would make up games to try.

Waving their hands,high in the air

The children would make their shadow friends appear

The mothers talked on

Not seeming to glance

As the girl and the boy

Made those shadows move and dance.

Swirling and twirling

Jumping up and down

The shadows would leap

And spring and bound

With lots of laughter

And lots of joy

The shadows would dance for the girl and the boy.

The children would giggle and shriek and shout

When the shadows dancers came out.

It was a truly infectious sound 

And that's what made those mothers turn around

It may have seemed the mothers were gossiping away

But it wouldn't be long before they joined in with the play.

For in truth those mothers were as 'bad' as the kids,you see.

Monkey chops themselves to the highest degree. 

And for ten minutes at the end of each school night,

The mummies would join in,much to the children's delight.

Feet on the pavement,toes gripped wobbly on the kerb

Their hands would interlock and turn shadows into birds.

It would end up in fits of giggles

As we all waved our hands 

And made the shadows dance and wriggle.

These days now seem far,far away.

But I still remember when the shadows came out to play.

 **********

This poem was written for the prompt given by Josie at Two Shoes In Texas  

This week we could choose Shadow or Cloud 

Two Shoes Tuesday

Missing

Today I realised something was missing ~ the 10000 hour dash and hug Mummy after school.

It's gone! Quietly and surreptitiously it has sloped off and disappeared,without me even noticing it!Gone and maybe forever!!! 

How did that happen?How did I not realise that it had gone?

Something so important to me and so noticeable disappearing before my very eyes and me not noticing....what sort of mummy does that make me!

A sad one now that I have realised that it has gone.

And this is the bad bit,it's been gone for months! 10 months infact! 

And I never realised!

Flippin eck,slack mother or what.

Something happened this morning that made me mull this over in my mind.

I watched a little boy being dropped off at nursery by his dad and the dad bent down to the boys level and the boy literally leapt into his dads arms and gave him such heartfelt snuggly goodbye that it melted my heart and played in my head from the moment onwards.

My thoughts ranged from awwww to why did that goodbye seem so touching.

I think it was the run to the dad and the way the dad scooped the boy up in his arms and the ruffle of the boys hair and the words 'See you later,son' and maybe,just maybe it was the smile on the little boys face as he walked into my room,that made me melt

And I've been melted all day by it.

Sometimes,make that lots of times I get to witness real magical stuff,working where I do.

And that got me thinking of how children greet their parents after school and I smiled at how my Chipso used to greet me and then it hit me that he doesn't do it any more!

 Not. At. All.

Let me tell you how it used to be....

Basically I would be bowled over!

Literally bowled over! 

This little curly haired boy would spot me and run all the way to where I stood yelling "Muuuuumeee" in a voice that a village loudcrier would be proud of.

And woe betide you if you were stood in his path because he wouldn't stop,oh no,he would run straight through you.

Wise people would see him thundering towards me and move quickly out of the way....either that or be squished.

Because there was only one thing on that little boys mind and that was how to get to his mummy.

The other parents used to grin as he would launch himself into my arms,nearly knocking me over with his enthusiasm and this became routine and his signature move the knock mummy over hug

It lasted through reception and into year one.It was going strong in year two and transferred over to the juniors for year three but it was in year four it disappeared.

Chips class was right round the back of the school and the parents were not allowed to wait outside the classroom door anymore.

So I meet Chips the nearest possible place to his classroom,under the shady trees in my corner

And he saunters around,not a run in him,always last,always ultra casual.

I think he saunters because its a real long way too run at 1000 miles a hour!

But now the 1000 mile an hour hug has gone I doubt that it will come back.

What is that old saying...

Don't be sad that its gone

Be glad that it happened  

 

 Six Word Saturday 

Let's Have A Fun Weekend Everybody 

I don't know about everyone else but I have had a well busy week.

Back to routine with a bump!

School and work have descended on our house and although I've only been back to work for five days,it feels like a whole lot longer!!And I'm as tired as a tired person can be!

But it is the weekend and the sun is supposed to be coming out to play here,so I'm aiming to use my time wisely (ever heard me say that before) and mix play with work that desperately needs doing.

The food is more or less taken care of so no shops (1000 yays to that!) and I have a vague idea of how the weekend is going to pan out.

I'm aiming to take my beautiful boy to the park....again...last time this happened,it won't this time because I'm aware,very aware and it's a hurdle to cross and we are going to cross it,with grace and confidence,so says she bravely!

We are going to cross that hurdle because it needs doing and the park is too beautiful to let a tumble bother us and it's got a slide and what does Chips need to do....slide!

Sound like a plan...? It is!

So I wish all of you a happy fun weekend,let's go and play or recuperate from the week and be all refreshed for Monday....now that does sound like a plan!

Find out what Six Words describes others weeks at Six Word Saturday hosted by Cate at Show My Face

Yellow

Yellow is my boy.... 

As cuddly,soft and chirpy as a baby chick

As scrummity,yummity as butter on warm toast 

 

Born in the Spring like the cheery yellow daffodils

As warm and bright as the sun on a hot summers day

As sparkly as the stars that twinkle in the darkness of night

As faithful as the big moon that follows you wherever you roam

As tenacious as the dandelion that grows despite obstacles that are thrown in it's path.

My golden curly haired boy I love you to the stars,sun and moon and all the way back again

Linking up at Julias Place for the 100 Word Challenge

where the prompt was Yellow

Slides and Roundabouts

So the physio said we needed to get to a park on a regular basis and I took her words on board.

Absolutely drank the words in and digested them.

It was my job to get this kid down to the park as much as possible and if I did the rewards would be great and if I didn't well then I would be to blame for not giving him the chance to build his climbing skills up.

The thoughts lay heavily upon me and I knew I just had to up the game and so the search for a park with a slide began.

Our local park is ok but has no slide,the search had to go further.

I pondered and thought and wracked my brain for days thinking of a park with a slide and it was while I was in the swimming baths that I gazed out of the window and saw a slide,from that moment I knew we needed to visit that park and that slide.

Half term came and the weather was lousy until today when the sun reappeared again and I decided we would go sliding.

For only eleven am the park was packed.

Children in summery clothes were dashing around everywhere whilst the grown ups sat grouped around the sides of the park,glancing at their phones whilst looking increasingly hot and I bet a lot of people were wishing for just a bit of shade,even though for days and days we had all been wishing for sun!

I plonked down on the grass and straight in front of us was the slide,a big wide silver shiny slide,with chunky steps....as far as slides go this was a safe slide.

Safe enough for me to say

"Go and play

And for me to just sit back and watch,not very often that happens and we were both making the most of it.

Go and play ~ what magic words!

And so I watched.

And Chips played on the slide!

Up and down he went,gaining more and more confidence with each go.

I felt it was a job well done and we were both so happy and then Chips found the roundabout and the story changed.

We both stood and watched the roundabout and the children playing on it.

Finally it slowed down and Chips got on and at the same time so did two young boys who were perhaps just a year or so older than Chips and they were fast kids,kids who spun roundabouts fast.

And this is the bit that hurts me,I knew that this could be dicey 

for Chips but I looked at him and thought maybe,just maybe he will be alright.

He wasn't.

As the roundabout span faster Chips just couldn't hold his body on and he fell off spectacularly,smashing his head on the floor as he did so.

I scooped him up and sorted him out and thankfully the soft play surface had saved a much worse accident happening.

A lovely lady came over and offered Chips a drink and some sweeties.I couldn't take my eyes off the open can of Heineken she was carrying,it was after all only twelve noon.But hey ho at least she cared enough to offer help,the only one on the park who did.

The two boys who were pushing the roundabout were devastated and it took some doing to convince them that it wasn't their fault.

But was it my fault?If so I'm so sorry  and yes I did feel pretty shook up by the incident.

Sometimes its a hard call to make with my little one.

I don't want to wrap him up in cotton wool but I don't want to put him in situations that are dangerous for him.

Blooming playgrounds,I hate them!

But its at these very places that Chips will learn to negotiate play equipment and make his muscles stronger.

I may hate playgrounds but we will be going back and we will go on the slide and yep we will go on the roundabout,perhaps at a more gentle pace though and perhaps with me standing a bit closer,,,just in case.