NotSheep

Toby woke me at 3 a.m. to tell me “Daddy’s head broke!”. Uh-huh. Go back to sleep. It was a dream. Cue scrunched-up face and questioning: “A dream?” “”"Yes, a dream. It’s like pictures in your head when you’re asleep. It’s not real, it’s like playing, but once you wake up, it all goes away.”

In the morning, Toby stood at a safe distance to check out Scratchy’s head, and appeared confused that it appeared to be intact. That was not the last I heard about it however; I was repeatedly told, “Daddy’s head broke in my dream!” throughout the day.

The boys’ things had all been packed last night, so that just left me getting my own bag organised and gathering some books to take with us. We left the house shortly after 9, which I thought was a good start, but after leaving Scratchy at work and doubling back to go to buy yarn (I’m back knitting, can’t go to the caravan without yarn and the internet!) Barney realised he didn’t have his Hogwarts bag with him - the one containing his mobile phone and all the GameBoy power-packs. The thought of no GameBoys at the caravan didn’t warm my heart, because in their absence, it would have been a YuGiOh fest, and at least GBA is usually quiet and doesn’t spread itself across the entire room, so we went back home again. Barney disappeared inside and re-emerged a few minutes later to say he couldn’t find the bag. He was sure he’d left it in the hall. I knew I hadn’t put it in the car. But I wasn’t prepared to stay for the time it would take to hunt through all the places it could be, so we left anyway.

We drove up in lovely sunshine, a calm, warm day, and everyone helped unpack the car - including the Hogwarts bag I’m always surprised when we arrive - we take everything inside, fill the entire living-space with bags and backpacks and various other things, and it looks like we’ll never all fit in. And then we start putting things away, and I realise how much a caravan is like a Tardis: bigger on the inside. All except the refrigerator, that is, which is quite the opposite. We always spend our first couple of days eating the things that didn’t fit in the refrigerator.

Freddy’s bicycle had a flat tyre; we knew this before we left home, but unable to find a bicycle pump in the garage, we had to hope we’d be able to borrow one from someone when we arrived. No luck, however, until the guy who looks after the park arrived to do some woodwork around one of the caravans near us (building the slatted base that most people install so they can store things underneath their caravans). He had a compressor in his van, and very willingly inflated the tyre, so we just hoped it was a flat rather than an actual puncture. The boys scooted around the park through most of the evening; I think the little corner of the site where we stay is just the perfect spot for a family. The playground is within sight (and hearing) of the caravan, and it’s in a little loop which doesn’t go anywhere, so there’s very little traffic, which is nearly all considerate of the fact that there are children around, so moves very slowly and carefully. Toby’s the only one of mine without the sense to move out of the way of cars; he does a sort-of standoff on his tricycle in front of them: “Nope, I’m going this way, you move!”

When it got colder and darker, everyone came in and we realised we hadn’t brought any DVDs, but there are a few here, so one was chosen (Spiderman 2 - again) and everyone settled down to watch before bed