Sometimes in the life of a 4 year old you can just get mad. No real reason for it except you want to be mad, and no matter what, you're going to be mad. You might even be pretending to be mad. Still doesn't matter - today we are being mad, and that's the end of it.
Videoclip: I'm very angry with you
And then after we've been mad for a bit, we'll immediately change our mind and be happy again. And its time for a dance...Ah nothing like a 4 year old to keep things in perspective.
Wow. What an Easter. Anyone's bunnies and eggs not melt?
It was scorchio. A day in the garden planting this years offerings and some impromptu time with the neighbours kids in water play, and then we were off to even sunnier Ayrshire. The first outing proper for DDU this year. And, after the calamity of the trampoline and the asbestos roof (see post Joining the Dots), we had a brand new awning to try out. All was good.
So it was a Saturday at Culzean Castle (courtesy of Grandma and Grandads gift of National Trust membership) followed by a Sunday at Heads of Ayr Farm Park. And boy did the girls rock. Because by Monday they had little left to give except for a short stroll then back to Glasgow for an early barbecue and an early bed. They maxed out and by the end of it a pair of melted bunnies they most certainly were.
But with lots more trips planned in the coming weeks, let's hope they recover and we get some fine weather and trouble free adventures...Can't wait...
And so over to Mull. It felt like a very long time since my last holiday so I was really looking forward to our week on the Isle of Mull. And it didn't disappoint. We all had a fantastic time - possibly helped by sunshine every day - but nevertheless having mulled it over, Mull certainly hit the spot.
There was beautiful scenery - mountains, seascapes, forests, lochs and glens; tasty local food - scallops, oysters, mussels, cheese and plenty more; amazing wildlife - puffins, white-tailed eagles, otters and even a minke whale (we were so lucky with what we saw so early in the 'season'!); trips out to Isles of Lunga and Staffa, Aros Park, Calgary Bay, Glengorm Castle, Crater Lake to name a few; and Tobermory delighted with it's catch and release Aquarium, the Mishnish, Chocolate Shop, Tobar Arts Centre, Cheese Farm, nice shops, cafes and of course, brightly coloured houses.
And then there was the Rooke family holiday song (I'll save you from it), Double Double Dish Dish on loop (see below)...and Niomi's growing language (also see below).
All in all it was a wonderful week away. Let's hope it's the start of this year's adventures.
Spring was in the air and it was time to pay a trip to see the animals at Edinburgh Zoo. En route we played “what animals do you think we’ll see today?”, and all the charismatic animals you'd expect got mentioned. But zoo’s have changed from when I was young. The diversity is much broader now than ever before and, thankfully, much more emphasis on the welfare of animals and the plight of megafauna across the world. Gone are the miserable looking polar bears and elephants. Replaced by sun bears and pygmy hippos. The kids loved it. We raced from one enclosure to the next, and they experienced a diversity not achieved in any of their childrens’ “At the Zoo” literature. It was a great day out – highlights were the giant pandas, chimpanzees and the tiger.
We then stayed over in Edinburgh with good friends Prof David and Dr Claudia. The kids love their house – an Aladdin’s cave of books and antiquities – so the diversity of animal life merged into the diversity of the arts. Plus they got spoiled and managed not to break anything of large value (phew), so it all went down a treat. Next day was a trip to the National Museum of Scotland with buttons to safely press to their hearts content and more diversity – mainly of the robotic and mechanical kind. It was worlds of wonder of all kinds all weekend long, topped off with a couple of hardcore hours art and crafting. I’d love to still have that childhood wonderment of the world.
Monkeys in human suits
Human in panda suit
One lion
Three lions
Never tickle a tiger
And then Grandad paid a visit with excitement of a different kind. Little treats appeared and little Niomi ran the poor, old chap ragged. Luckily the sun shone plenty so it was out into the garden for the first cut of the grass, some spring tidying and a van makeover to prep for our holiday to Mull. We also discovered the highs and lows of sugar with our one (and possibly only) trip to a dessert parlour. One minute everyone was dancing on the ceiling, the next they were sobbing in the corner or trying to kill each other. Wow. Powerful stuff. Happy Mother’s Day! Well…till the saccharides wore off. Messy. This was a wonder of the world I could happily live without.
