Telescope

Tots this morning, late as usual, and Steve drove us there too because it was SO cold and we were so late and he had a meeting to go to anyway! The boys enjoyed themselves, I made a snowman AND a reindeer, Charley had another go at picking my pocket (not amused, kid), Ben was Peso and took his medical bag around making everybody better.

Home, where we killed time waiting for Steve to get home from his meeting via the shoe shop, the supermarket, the garage and the printer ink shop; it was nearly 3pm by the time he arrived home with bread so we could have sandwiches.

Ben was still obsessed with the Octonauts and wanted a breathing pack so he could go diving. I learnt a trick of adding a couple of drops of washing-up liquid to paint to help it stick to plastic so painted a couple of bottles for him to make into a breathing pack. Steve did a brilliant job of making the pack so Ben / Peso / Shellington / Kwasi / whoever he is can go diving now, complete with the helmet I made for him earlier this year! He gave me his kitchen-roll telescope and asked me to take a picture with it :)

Thankfully no hurry for the evening, although I did manage to sneak out with Charley to go to the tots' mums' christmas party which was nice. Funny thing though, I got to the bottom of the footbridge over the railway, my usual route to Ali's house or the Co-op (where I had to go anyway), and felt fear. Now anyone who knows me well will know that the dark does not scare me, walking around alone after dark does not scare me (well, alone with a Charley, usually), so to feel fear like that is unusual. I figured it was my instinct saying no, and I link my instinct with the Spirit living in me so we went the long way round to Ali's instead of through the twitten. I have no desire to know if anything bad WAS lurking in the shadows, but am still glad I can listen to my instincts. Had a nice time there, chasing Charley, chatting and laughing, until Charley decided he'd had enough and it was too noisy to sleep so we wrapped up and headed off home and he was snoring before we'd reached the end of their road! Ben had also just gone to sleep, Steve had wrapped him in his blanket on the sofa and Ben did his usual trick of closing his eyes and falling asleep instantly.

We stayed up very very late drinking hot chocolate and watching Masterchef.....