NotSheep

We’ve had a pretty good day around here. Jack is much better than he was yesterday (if you don’t see the post about yesterday below this one, you’re not logged-in); he’s still coughing a bit but is back to acting normally. Henry’s also still coughing, though I think a bit less than in the last two or three days. In the morning the boys puttered about and did bits of writing and drawing and computering and I tried to clean up the kitchen a bit. My friend T arrived with her son C; he’s a lovely lad and promptly made friends with all the sons he didn’t already know - even Toby was willing to give him a cuddle. T and I sat and chatted and the boys kept themselves busy, then when T went off to do a school run at lunchtime (she’s a childminder), C stayed and had lunch with us. I can’t believe how much those seven boys ate: a tray of potato wedges, a bag of oven-chips, about eight spring-rolls, and 20 sausages! I cooked extra sausages thinking I could use them over the weekend in a sausages’n'mash-type affair I sometimes cook - but there were only two left, and they were polished off at dinner!

After lunch T came back for C, but we managed to squeeze in another cup of tea before I had to round everyone up for going swimming. Barney, George and Freddy are doing soccer school on Friday afternoons again, and they get a free swim with each class, so they didn’t have to pay for swimming. Jack and Toby don’t have to pay because they’re still too young, and I had one junior swim left on a ten-swims-card I bought a while back, so that covered Henry… so I only had to pay for me: seven of us swimming for £1.90 - not bad value

During swimming Henry lost most of a toenail - I think from having hurt his toe in the garden last weekend - and came over and offered it to me. I think that’s a good sign; you don’t just offer toenails to any old stranger now, do you?

When I got out of the pool, I discovered that the towel I’d put in the bag for myself was no longer there… which left me standing, dripping wet, in the changing-room. I did the best I could with Toby’s small, already-damp towel and went to make sure George and Freddy were on the soccer pitch before I went for Scratchy… Freddy was there, participating in the warm-up, but George was sulking on the side. I tried to get him to join in, but I didn’t have time to talk him through it properly, so ended up putting him in the car and taking him with me (along with Jack and Toby). Barney and Henry were still in the pool, having been reminded to get out in time to get dried before Barney started soccer at 4.45.

I collected Scratchy and collected some reserved items from a shop near his office, then left him and George at home making dinner while I went for everyone else. Henry watched Barney play soccer; I asked if there’d be room for him in the class (yes) but he doesn’t want to join - which is fine, of course; it’s up to him.

Scratchy, Barney and Henry went to basketball at the leisure centre after dinner while the others and I cleared the table and put the swimming things through the wash, ready for swimming lessons tomorrow. I’m now on my bed with a very snuffly and slightly hot Toby, so I’m going to snuggle up with him and a book. Hope your weekend’s a good one!