Monday 3rd November: more research – Lfish and Afish’s turn this time. Slightly worryingly Afish’s ECG had some issues which meant that she was not cleared for the exercise elements of the research, and that we are now awaiting a referral to a cardiologist. Everyone was very reassuring and we’re told that it is most likely to be a mismatch in timings which means that the trace just didn’t pick up the details they were looking for, but a repeat ECG repeated the problem so it’s all about being on the safe side…
Other than that, all went well and both girls got a lot out of the experience. Both went into the MRI, although Afish came out early, and both had their calorimeter room doors sealed, although Afish asked for hers to be opened later in the evening and then came in with me from about midnight. Good effort though 😉
We collected L’s saxophone from the repair shop on the way home. It now has lovely new pads and has been realigned so everything works nicely 🙂
Meanwhile Bob was in charge at home, doing usual Monday evening things (football for L and Kfish and English online for Jfish) and then setting them off on a Dyson challenge card on Tuesday morning, which the girls and I joined in with once home. It proved to be beyond our capabilities to build a cardboard and sellotape marble run which would keep a marble moving for at least 60 seconds, at least for that day – the parts are still sitting in the annexe waiting for attempt #2!
WedEd on 5th was rather smaller than usual, as Em and family were busy elsewhere. This meant that Science, Maths and Art happened, but sadly no music and no saxophone lesson for L. Hopefully we’ll find some time to catch up later in the term. TheBabs had to leave early too, so no lift for L and Afish this week. Bob’s car was in for a service so he couldn’t collect them either; we left early and dropped them at home on the way to choir and Italian.
On Thursday we had a free films for schools (or rather their new guise “Into Filmâ€) viewing of The Boxtrolls, which was very good. We dashed from there to multisport and thence to trombone (where Jfish discovered that it is a Good Thing to have a sister who also plays trombone – his instrument case was empty but hers, fortunately, was not!), paused briefly for breath before Afish’s gym session, then had a quick tea before judo.
Friday was Conservation. We woke up to heavy rain but by the time we left it was clearing up and in fact it then stayed more or less dry so cooking lunch and orchard clearing were not the unpleasant chores they might have been. I attribute this to the fact that I took a large umbrella with me 😉 The usual Friday afternoon and evening ensued: library for the boys, violin then choir for Lfish (with Afish as a hanger-on), quick yomp across town to music for Jfish and L, then choir for Kfish. This time things were slightly enlivened by the arrival of my sister, so we had a bed to make up and some catching up to do.
On Saturday Bob was again in charge (it has felt rather as though life is rushing past for me and he’s having to pick up the pieces these last few weeks :/ ) and took music scholars to music school then Lfish to gym while my sister and I drove across to my aunt’s house, where we were to meet my cousin and a friend to go through my aunt’s things and decide, as per her will, which we would each like to have. It was not an easy day.
Sadly Polly had to rush back to Wales on Saturday so we only had her company for a short while. Sunday was a day of Remembrance Sunday parades and music, though, so I guess we’d not have seen all that much of her anyway. Lfish decided to parade with the local Guides and Brownies rather than travelling to be with her new brigade (because of times and days of meetings her Guides are not very local) and Afish to go choir rather than to Brownie parade. The boys all came and supported the local parade and we attended the service at the memorial together. I do wish they could find a way to avoid having cars driving right through the middle of the service – it doesn’t quite spoil it, but it doesn’t help with the atmosphere.
In the afternoon Jfish had a recorder lesson – with an exam this term he could probably do with more than one lesson a month but we’re very grateful for what we can fit in, given how busy both his teacher and his family are! Meanwhile Kfish was playing his cello and then practising his reading ready for a special Remembrance evensong. It was a lovely service and he read beautifully 🙂
Busy week over it was time for a (relatively) quiet one. At least it started that way…
Monday and Tuesday were filled with nothing much (football, Guides, Brownies and general pottering, along with a bit of tidying) apart from social worker visit to check that L is still okay and happy with us. Apparently he is 🙂 On Wednesday Bob worked from home as usual, which meant that I could pop to a toddler group with Afish and some Usborne books – it’s that books for Christmas presents time of year again, or at least I hope so! After that we went round to a neighbour’s house and picked some of the last of her bumper crop of very tasty apples. One huge pot of stewed apple later it was time to head off for choir and Italian again – that week went past like lightning!
Thursday was largely taken up with Tudor cooking. L and the girls all helped, with Kfish and Jfish occasionally lending a hand. We made pottage, eggadouce, cheese farce, frumenty, gingered bread, sod lentil, buttered peppered peasen and a spelt loaf. In the evening I was doing a WI talk on being a Tudor housewife, hence the orgy of cooking. Last time I did one I promised Lfish that she could come along next time, so she did, in full kit – we got a round of applause for demonstrating how her hair is fastened under her coif! This left Jfish in charge of his littler sister while Bob took Kfish and L to judo – it is so handy having an old enough and sensible enough child to leave in charge!
Friday found most of us quietly getting on with work while others were frantically packing! Jfish had a NMYBB weekend, which he was going to late in order to be able to babysit so Bob and I could go to Bob’s work early Christmas party, while Lfish and I were to be extras in some filming at Kentwell and needed to take full kit and possible changes (so we could fit with whatever corporate look the costume designer had decided upon). Alongside all this I had a service to prepare for Sunday and we still had violin to fit in (exam in two weeks – eep!) as well as getting ready to go out and making sure that there was a suitably easy tea for Jfish to organise (pizza, coleslaw and chocolate eclairs!) We decided it was just not practical to get the children to all their usual music commitments as well, and Bob talked me out of even trying, since this was to be our first evening out together in quite literally years. Pizza, an old favourite film and chocolate cream cakes seem to have been adequate compensation though!
Having been uncertain about going out – I think it’s just been too long and I’m out of the habit! – I actually really enjoyed the evening. It was lovely to meet Bob’s colleagues and to chat with other grown-ups about all sorts of different things as Bob’s wife rather than as J/K/L/A’s mum. We actually ended up staying rather longer than we had originally planned (we took the car so we could leave early, but in the end the taxis were at the door by the time we were) which made getting up the next day harder, but it was worth it 🙂
