Sunday 3 April 2011

45 today

45 today! For the first time I can recall, or certainly since having children, I'm having to share my birthday with Mothers' Day! It's not quite as bad as Christmas Day but my star has been eclipsed somewhat! 45 isn't good. I'm starting to creak. 50 suddenly seems too close for comfort. The boys are getting bigger, heavier and quicker. When will the inversion point be? When will they be better than me at the things I'm currently better at than them?

I got a couple of books and some chocolates and tickets to see Bill Bailey in November. And new slippers. And I welcomed the new slippers.

In our effort to get the boys more active, we took them and their many bikes and helmets to Braidburn Valley Park. Sean was doing reasonably well and is growing into the bike that was too big for him last year. Finn was very close to cycling properly but unwilling to persevere beyond a few bumps. Rowan was in one of his woe and torment moods, wailing uncontrollably at every slight mishap. Given his usual heedless approach to physical activity, his reluctance to try cycling is baffling. Angus was just content to be plunked on anything that could move and be pushed about, but keeping him steady is back-breaking work.

In the afternoon we headed to Go Outdoors, a massive new outdoors shop in the north of Edinburgh, by Granton. Sean and I went in to try out a few tents, as the rest had fallen asleep in the car (tiredness may have accounted for the cycling histronics in the morning). It was the kind of shop that you could have spent a day in before emerging with things you really don't need so it was just as well Sharon came in to get us as we were about to leave. From there we went to Ocean Terminal. The boys checked that the juggling ball was still there - "juggling ball at Ocean Terminal" sung to the same tune as "Istanbul not Constantinople" is a feature of any Ocean Terminal visit. There is a juggling ball visible from the windows overlooking the Royal Yacht, trapped on a ledge edged with anti-seagull prings and so unlikely to be removed any time soon. It's been there at least 15 months.

After some ice-cream and light shopping (Sharon had her eye on a jacket in Ness) we returned home. I didn't even get a birthday cake, although the boys did sing happy birthday to me in the morning. Angus attempted to reprise it a number of times thereafter.

I enjoyed a bike ride in the evening though, through the fields of the Mortonhall Estate, up Alnwickhill Rd, back across Stanedykehead and through to Braid Road via some hairy (for me) forest tracks. Fortunately I didn't come a cropper but the odd tree root nearly did for me!

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