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Home alone...

Home alone, it's ever so quiet and I'm not sure I like it... and it's only day 1!


We packed Glenn off to France on Friday at the crack of dawn, with him promising to stop regularly to make sure all the driving didn't get to him given he was doing it on his own. In the afternoon the girls and I went to the school fete (as I think I've already said, all pretence of them working at school seems to have gone out of the window already). I say we went together - as is the way these days I turned up, handed them some money and they disappeared for the whole afternoon while I chatted to various people. It's not a bad arrangement, certainly an improvement on the clingy child syndrome of the past. As is also the way Abi walked home with a friend before the end and Izzy didn't come home at all, preferring instead to go home with Amber. The plan was not for a sleep over but when I rang at 9:30pm to say she needed to be home in 15 mins or the doors would be locked, we agreed staying was the best option all round. Neither Abi or I could keep our eyes open so it was a good outcome all round.


Of course with Glenn being away Abi took up residence in our bed over the weekend. I said to be fair, Izzy would get to sleep in there on at least one day. Abi was having none of it but instead of arguing about it she took Izzy off upstairs and did a deal with her... they arrived back downstairs with Abi fully made up by Izzy. Apparently the deal was if Izzy got to do Abi's makeup Izzy would sleep in the spare room so that Abi could share my bed again, I don't know why we bother with their own beds!


Saturday was a case of working out what they still needed for the week away. We didn't actually go into town until Sunday morning, at which point we bumped into more than one Thorngrove Parent buying a second pair of trainers and suitable clothes to get wet and muddy in. Obviously for Abi that's easy - she spends half her life wet and muddy!


Ages ago (I'm sure before the camp dates were published) I booked tickets for the annual Forest Live concert and Westonbirt, this year to see George Ezra. I'm pretty sure when I booked it I checked the dates but I clearly didn't because I don't think I would have booked a concert on a Sunday evening. Anyway, regardless of what I thought I had done, the concert was on a Sunday. The Sunday before they go to camp. A great day to have a very late night... not! To add to the general rubbishness of my planning the weather was drizzly all the way there, with the heavens opening when we got into the venue itself. Within minutes we and everyone else was soaking. I'd tried to prepare, so we had spare coats and a waterproof (dog) blanket but it was also freezing so we ended up all of us wearing 2 coats, buying rain ponchos and sitting under the dog blanket. Izzy and I managed to keep warm but poor Abi just ended up feeling really cold and sorry for herself. She had a tummy ache (she has the Hawksworth tummy just like me, Mum, Liz, Christopher, Laurie...) and looked absolutely wiped out. At one point (in the pouring rain) I looked at her and she had fallen asleep! All this while Izzy was dancing around and turning cartwheels in the puddles. A born festival goer!


She did perk up but by the time George came on it was gone 9pm. We stayed until 9:45pm at which point both kids looked at me and said "Let's go, we'll be shattered tomorrow" - that's my girls! We finally got home at 11pm, straight to bed and sleep. I spent the whole night fighting Abi for the duvet - I'm looking forward to having the whole bed to myself tonight!









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