NotSheep

Several telephone calls were required this morning. First I had to find out what time to be at the body repair shop (for my car, not for me… though that concept has a certain appeal ;-)) because I didn’t think of calling last week until it was too late. I needed to know what time, because the car-hire people were to meet me there with another MPV. It turned out that nobody from the insurance company had mentioned this to the car-hire people though, so they weren’t able to meet me there until late afternoon.

Then I called the seller of the Voyager I saw on Saturday, and told him we’d buy it. We should have it by the end of this week, maybe even sooner

Since we had a few hours to fill, and a car at our disposal, we headed to my mate S’s house, and nine children bounced around there all day, ate copious amounts, and generally kept themselves well-entertained while S and I nattered. One of her sons took a great liking to a tiny Mrs Incredible that was attached to my mobile phone, so I took it off and gave it to him, and he carried it about for the next three hours or so

(Don’t ask why I had Mrs Incredible attached to my phone - it’s a long story involving ebay, plans for Christmas stockings, and a certain four-year-old who is too curious for his own good!)

We left there about 3 p.m. and headed back across town to the body-repair place, where I moved six children and about nineteen child-seats (well, it felt like that many!) from my car into the hire car. They’ve given me an Espace - which I discovered is short for “Eeeeh, this vehicle hasn’t got much space”. I can’t believe how much less room there is in it than in my own car! To get a stroller in the back, I had to push all the seats forwards until everyone’s knees were touching the seats in front. Now I’ve taken the stroller out and moved the seats so there’s a little bit of leg-room, but the back seats are right up against the back door, so there’s no room for any stuff. Glad I didn’t buy one of those then. Not that I would have anyway, since it hasn’t got sliding doors

I left George and Freddy at the sports club at the leisure centre, collected Scratchy, left him making dinner while I collected George and Freddy, came home and ate fast. The insurance on the hire-car only covers me to drive it, so I’ll be doing the running-about for the next few days Tonight that meant that I had to take Freddy to and from ju-jitsu. Barney and Henry wanted to go to the youth club that Henry went to last week, and since I was going out with Freddy anyway, we struck a deal whereby I would deliver them and their friend N to the school where it’s held, and then N’s parents would bring them back - which allowed me to be back and settling Toby into bed shortly after 8 p.m. - not that Toby had any intention of going to sleep at that time anyway…

Barney and Henry have just returned from the youth club, tired but cheery; I’m told they played basketball, table-soccer, computer games and just hung out. Sounds like a pretty good way to spend an evening if you’re an eleven-year-old boy