Wednesday 25 March 2009

Frightening the children

Sharon may be incapacitated at the moment but it didn't stop her lying on the couch bellowing like a bull at the TV on Saturday as Ireland achieved only their second ever rugby Grand Slam. Finn was startled and most put out as Sharon yelled in his ear when Ronan O'Gara's drop goal clinched a last minute victory over Wales.

Rowan was similarly startled on Sunday when, ambling along Warrender Park Road looking everywhere but in front of him, he suddenly came face to face with a big black labrador. Credit to Rowan, he didn't suddenly scream or burst into tears but the double-double-take and look of sheer suprise that contorted his features was most amusing. Sean and I had a good laugh. "I got a fright from the dog," laughed Rowan afterwards as he destroyed the back seat of my car eating a sausage roll and chocolate croissant. Note: Rowan and flaky pastry in a confined space is a lethal combination, even with leather seats.

Sean usually goes grumpy when he gets a fright or, as was the case the other morning, screeches the house down. The cause on Monday morning was him getting his nails cut, an event that sounded so traumatic to the rest of us breakfasting in the kitchen I think Sharon must have tied him to a chair and thrown Pampered Chef knives at his extremeties from across the room.

The pleasant weather lasted into the weekend and enabled me to take the boys to Gifford in search of somewhere different to walk, picnic and play. Barring the Gore Glen outing at New Year this was the first official picnic of the year. We enjoyed our soup, sandwiches and snacks in the sun in Gifford then had a good stone-throwing session on a pebbly bank next to the Gifford Water and a play in the park. The day out was extended with a walk at Aberlady nature reserve, the highlight of which was the sighting of a number of toads along the way.

Getting the boys out and about is usually good fun and preferable to tackling any of the household chores. I had to empty and restore the big hall cupboard over Sunday and Monday as we were getting the gas meter replaced with an external meter at the side of the house. A new course for the gas supply was dug and laid across the front lawn (the shock of which prompted tears from Sean and a massive tantrum from Finn that anyone should dig up our grass in this way) but they seem to have made a neat enough job of it, provided they repair the hole in the path. Sharon got them to dig out the base of the stone bird bath that has long been an irritant in the centre of the front lawn.

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