Travel (time and otherwise)

Kentwell Michaelmas was a little curtailed for us this year, partly because it threw me by being early so I’d booked the Have Your Say day without realising it clashed and partly because not enough schools booked for it be the several day long event it has usually been. We had fun though, despite the weather, and H learned about being a pedlar this time, including handling Tudor coinage and actually having to deal with the public rather than just being seen from a distance with a bow. In fact we were all pedlars except Bob, who was on the gate for the weekend days and back at work during the week, and L, who was making music in the house. K spent one day as a page and two as a pedlar and J went home with SB on Monday night so that he could get to an art class on Tuesday. We had signed up to do Tuesday morning, but more schools booked than first anticipated, then a couple moved their booking from Monday to Tuesday once they’d seen the weather forecast (Monday was not pretty!) so we ended up with two very long school days in a row. Since the market was the very last station before the exit there was nothing we could do but smile and carry on while others slipped away around us. We had got the tents down first thing so just needed to get the last bits and pieces into the car and go and had therefore hoped to make it back in time for A’s Brownies and L’s fencing but when 4 o’clock had been and gone and we still hadn’t seen the last two school groups anywhere near I hid away with my phone and asked Bob to meet us there with L’s kit. In the end we didn’t leave for another hour and a half after that, and arrived at fencing almost at the end of L’s session. She fitted in one fight before the others left, then the coach asked her if she’d mind staying and working with the next group for a few minutes as well so she gritted her teeth against the tiredness and did. One speed test and several fights later she finally gave in to extreme tiredness and burst into tears when a stray foil hurt more than she could cope with, which reminded the coach that she was only 11 and in the 13+ group! Home again, home again, jiggety-jig.

Bob’s parents asked a while ago if H and J would like to go and stay with them and for various reasons this week was the best choice, so on Wednesday Bob took them to the station and put them on a train North so they could experience the delights of Manchester 🙂 Meanwhile I was up and about early to get a lift with my mentor Sophie to a rather lovely hotel for two days of training with Usborne – a definite incentive to do well and get into the Elite/leadership academy group again! Bob worked from home and rearranged his days a little so that K, L and A could get to their usual activities (choir, gym, band) and keep themselves busy the rest of the time.

Training was excellent but tiring, so it was a relief to find that violin was not on (L’s teacher was preparing for a marathon!) although cello still meant an earlyish start. Between the two choirs we had the now-traditional birthday celebration of pizza in the graveyard for L’s friend A, then all three children went for a sleepover with A, A and Z, leaving Bob and me with a lovely quiet companionable night in by ourselves 🙂