Friday 11 November 2011

Remember remember.

Long time, no post! Time to pick up my brain, dust it off and start posting again I think!

It's been a few months of not a lot and yet so much going on. Our duckling's two and a half now and she's so much fun. It certainly has its challenges but who can resist a tiny voice piping up with 'E-I-E-I-OOOOOO!!!!!!'  at random while we're walking down the street?

My biggest personal challenge is the near loss of the nap. The Nap has become such an issue in my mind that it's developed a personality and I'm considering giving it a permanent capital letter. Or sobbing gently into a glass of gin. I simply hadn't realised how much I'd come to rely on the hour (sometimes hour and a bit!) of time all to myself. Oh the beauty of going to the loo 'All by self!', or doing the dishes in fifteen minutes instead of fifty, or even sitting in gorgeous peace with a cup of tea and catching up with facebook!  These days I maybe convince her to nap twice a week if I'm lucky.  She can't quite make it till bedtime either though. This means by the time poor Mr. Purpleduck comes home she's inconsolably tired and far too grumpy to appreciate the daddy she's missed all day. 

We've had a bunch of 'firsts' that aren't exactly firsts but firsts that she's been big enough to join in with and appreciate, possibly even remember. The two most recent are, of course, bonfire night and hallowe'en.

Bonfire night was pretty fantastic. We met up with friends and went along to a spot near the beach to watch our council run fireworks display from a slight distance. Lovely. We had a great view, less noise and smoke and a much smaller crowd. The display was great. Duckling informed me she liked the 'pop' ones and not the 'bang' ones. We got back late and she was so tired but the next ay she talked about being out in the dark and the 'pop' and 'bang' fireworks like a huge adventure we'd all been on together.

Hallowe'en was fun too. She's a bit young for guising (trick or treating in Scotland), but we went to a party our lovely upstairs neighbour was having. Duckling dressed as a pumpkin in a yellow tutu our friend V made her and had a wonderful time (and so did I!).

Joining in was brilliant this year, and she's old enough to listen when her mother tells her about WHY we do these things as a culture now which makes it even better. So we recited 'Remember remember the 5th of November' and talked about Guy Fawkes and even touched on the Catholic/Protestant divide and conspiracy theories surrounding the whole event (though that was to remind myself to be honest. She was more interested in the rhyme than the possibility that some protestants may or may not have set up Fawkes). And we talked about why people dress up for Hallowe'en and why the costumes are 'scary' themed. I'm looking forward to expanding these talks a bit each year and seeing which bits she takes on board and which bits are waffling for my own benefit!


Today is Armistice day. I recited some war poetry for her and we looked at poppies but honestly at the moment fireworks and pumpkin costumes are real to her. War and death aren't. She empathises if I explain war in terms of people being hurt and sad but she's far too young to grasp the true horror of it yet. I'm finding it hard to find an age appropriate way to explain.

Far easier to explain why we burn an effigy of a man who live hundreds of years ago.

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