Getting ready

There are preparations underway in this house for some little trips away.

I'm first - woo hoo! Tomorrow I'm off to see some very old college friends from Liverpool who I love very much but hardly ever see, such is the madness of life. Then from there we gang of four girls will go to the Lakes for a weekend of walking and chatter about the Middle Ages. Our Middle Ages to be precise. Actually I'm sure we'll go back further; to the prehistoric times when we were cool and young and out there (we like to think) - let's call it regression therapy.

Then on Monday Alice goes on a school residential trip with the rest of her year (six). There have been some shenanigans to do with who will sleep in which dormitory and one of her 'best' friends has been slightly stringing Alice along: will she, won't she let Alice be in her dorm? After being upset for a while Alice has now chosen to stay in a different dorm and has told her 'friend' who is somewhat taken aback. I am SO impressed. While I did suggest this as a course of action I didn't believe she'd actually do it - I just wanted her to know there was a way out of the worry. But she did it and now she's happy and SO over-excited!

So in readiness here you see her favourite bear being hung out to dry, literally. He's been her best friend since she was two days old and he goes everywhere with her, spending a good deal of his life stuffed up against her face as she falls asleep. Her hands hold onto certain bits, stroke other bits and rub still other bits.

He has been so well loved that his head is permanently squashed to one side and his eyes are slowly travelling across his face, much like a plaice or a dover sole, although here the washing machine seems to have temporarily restored some shape. She requested this wash and dry and while she's pleased he is no longer black with dirt (or smelling of fish), she is disappointed that he has lost some of his best slightly crusty, furry bits; the special corners which she usually touches with total and absolute comforting familiarity every night.

But at least now he is spick and span and ready to go away on holiday, although she said this evening she miiiiight not take him. Now that would be an incredible leap into maturity; let's see what happens. Maybe as she jumps on the road to maturity and I regress into my twenties, we'll meet each other on the road and wave across the age divide...