Brightening up a grey day

When I walk Eben to school, or pick him up, there are often quirky sights to be seen on the way. This house really brought a smile to my face.
It was an extra school pick up today, as Josh & Ruth were due to take Luca to the Children's Hospital in the afternoon for his routine check-up with the metabolic team. This includes a blood test, which Luca has come to hate, as it's sometimes been painful. To date the results have always been unproblematic, but there's a little apprehension each time, on our part, until the results come through.
Eben's teacher wanted "a word", at pick-up time. From E's subdued manner I could tell that it wouldn't be about compliments. It turned out that E sometimes buries his head in reading a book, when he's meant to be listening to the teacher. He half-hides the book under the desk, to do this. I can remember doing the same thing, escaping into a book, but didn't say that, of course (def not the right moment).
E & I had a short chat about it all, and Josh and Ruth will follow up, trying to see what's going on for E at school at the moment.