Town & country & tents

This was a two child weekend, as Amy was off in Aylmerton on some kind of school trip typothing. Amy is by no means the noisiest of them - quite the opposite in fact - but it somehow seemed quieter without her. Jim and Min played relatively amiably with the Lego all Saturday morning, and after cheese on toast we all trooped off down Mill Road to the town and country fair on Parker's Piece. Reflected that a year ago we'd have had all sorts of hassle with making them walk that far, especially from Minnie, but now not the slightest murmur of dissent. I was also struck by how much Jim remembers - he recalled getting inflatable balls last year for ringing the bell with the hammer and going down the helter-skelter which was just there. I suppose these are significant events in his little life, but how much will he remember long-term? Today Celia's Hannah was practicing her French at the table before her dad picked her up and Jim remembered he had had French lessons at nursery, and could say "vert" and "bonjour". That must have been well over a year ago. Strange how it works.

It was windy, and the kids loved the big hamster balls and the inflatable boats. Ice cream and, in my case, half a cider, was had.

Jim had turned up on Friday with a father's day card saying "Dad I love you because you have lots of Playstation games" and a key fob which he had chosen himself, but this morning there was lots of furtive goings-on upstairs and requests for sellotape etc. He eventually emerged with a tiny wrapped present, which turned out to be a carefully-crafted cube of blu-tack, the tube from the centre of the wrapping paper, upon which he had written "daddaddaddaddaddad" and an envelope containing a big piece of paper saying, in his own fair hand "dad I [heart] you. You are the besd dad in the werld". Aww, bless. I should say at this point that earlier in the week I had got a present from Amy and Minnie for father's day, which was a t-shirt saying "keep calm and get the beers in". It was Amy's idea and I was incredibly touched that they had thought of me.

On Sunday we had a fairly lazy morning, but then Min went off to have lunch with her dad. In the meantime Jim and I put up my/our new tent, in which he and I are going to suffer in Fakenham in two weeks' time. He really likes it. When C had returned we went to the Pear Tree in Hildersham for my fathers day treat. Nice lunch, and Jim was spectacularly good without third-party distractions. He liked his fish and chips, and ate his own weight in ice cream.

Quick sojourn in Scotsdales to look at the fish then to pick up Min from Eddie's party. Jim had a bit of a temper tantrum about something to do with water pistols. Ok afterwards though.

Amy returned on Monday tired but happy, and having "not missed anyone at all". She brought rock for Jim and Min.