Princess

Some Highlights from the Week so Far – Or the Dawn of a New Era

27 June, 2015
Posted in: Family, Middle Child, Mr. Waffle, Princess, Twins, Youngest Child

Monday – Scouts for Michael. Daniel skipped GAA. Felt very rebellious. This is the last week of training of the year, we’re exhausted.

Tuesday – Princess went to scouts, theoretically 7.30 to 9.30. Phone call at 9.15 to indicate that they were in Howth (distant Northern suburb by the sea) and wouldn’t be back until 10. As I was standing outside the den at 10, this text message arrived:

Due to unforeseen circumstances (the ice cream machine broke) we are running late hoping to hit the den for 10.20.

They were eventually disgorged from the scouting jeeps at nearly 11 full of excitement and chatter. As the Princess and I cycled home in the twilight (welcome to Ireland in summer) she told me all about it and the wonderful time they had and she was completely delighted with herself and her enthusiasm was infectious and we arrived home full of good humour and bonhomie even though it was very late and a school night.

Wednesday – Mr. Waffle had to work late. That evening Daniel and Micheal had to pack their bags for their school tour (complete change of clothes, hat, suncream, rain gear etc. – when I checked their bags later I found that they had both packed winter woolly hats rather than summer hats which I presume was what was intended). Herself announced that she planned to rollerblade to school on Friday, her current rollerblades were too small and she had sourced a pair online which I had to reserve for her to collect on the morrow. The boys informed me that the following day was the last day for the school book rental form and money to be returned. Much consternation. The Princess then said that she had to go to school the following day dressed as Annie Moore. She looked pretty good considering we started preparing at 6.45 the evening before. She was finally able to get some use from her massive coin collection. She brought in a number of coins from the 1880s and her classmates were suitably impressed.

Thursday – The boys had a fantastic school tour. The Princess picked up her roller blades and then proceeded to bake like there was no tomorrow. She made brownies, flapjacks, lemon drizzle cake and fairy cakes. We discovered that the clutch in the car had gone.

Friday – This was the scene which met my startled gaze when I came down for breakfast at eight.

As we filled a large bag with baked goods, she said, “What was I thinking, why did nobody stop me?”

She decided not to roller blade to school in the end. We had a ceremony at the school at lunchtime and sixth class got to say goodbye. I am, obviously, partial but I thought she did a great job in presenting her part of the show. The school is in an old Georgian building and the drawing room, where we had the event, was clearly not built with acoustics in mind and it was very difficult to hear most of the speakers.

Obligatory photo of ceiling stucco.

She had a really great time in primary school and made friends and was happy. She liked schoolwork and was good at it. I hope, that when she starts secondary school in the autumn, it all works out for her. I know that she will really miss primary school, and I think I saw her wiping away a furtive tear in the course of the ceremony.

So then afterwards she got her shirt signed by all her friends (which is, apparently, what you do):

I wish the shirt had been cleaner to start with as I realise that I will never be able to wash it again.

And she and her class went off to the cinema. I was going to meet her afterwards but when I rang her, she had already hopped on the bus home by herself, she hoped I didn’t mind. I didn’t but when I got home I also gave her her first set of house keys. Big girl.

Yesterday evening we ignored the blandishments of the school parents’ social night and Mr. Waffle took Daniel to his first soccer match. The local team lost. Naturally. Apparently you can read about it in today’s paper but as Michael said, “Why would he want to, he was there.”

Today – Mr. Waffle got up at 6 to go to Cork for a funeral (non-Irish readers, no one particularly close to him, mother of a friend, Irish people specialise in funeral attendance) and will be back mid-afternoon to grace the street party with his presence in his role as chairman of the residents’ committee. It was beautiful this morning but, inevitably, it is clouding over now. We need to do more baking for the street party. Sigh. Meanwhile in the absence of a car, a kind neighbour picked Dan up for a GAA match in Malahide at 8.45. This is his last outing until September. Rejoice.

Also, this week, because it was quiet (hah), we got a couple of the windows repaired. Here is the girl of the moment sitting in front of her new window in an utterly unposed (ahem) image. She is genuinely pleased to be able to open her window and also that the crack across the top, through which the winter wind used to whistle, has been repaired.

And how was your own week?

Weekend Round-Up

24 June, 2015
Posted in: Dublin, Family, Ireland, Middle Child, Mr. Waffle, Princess, Twins, Youngest Child

More GAA for Daniel and Mr. Waffle on Saturday morning. Meanwhile, Michael and the Princess and I cycled into town which went very well. We got sandals for herself and dropped in to the Chocolate Factory which was having “A weekend celebration of an emerging design community“. Herself and Michael regarded this with the deepest suspicion but it was very successful. They made origami frogs.

There was a “create your own den” thing which they loved and it was manned by a young woman who had done something on art and philosophy with Michael’s class a couple of years ago and, amazingly, remembered him. While they were playing with the designer den, I was looking at the exhibition. I didn’t buy anything but there were some really lovely things.

Downstairs in the inevitable pop up shop, the children bought wooden key holders for â‚¬5 each. It took them a very long time to decide and they explained at some length to the nice woman on the cash desk their difficulties in choosing. “You know, I think the artist wants to get rid of these anyway,” she said, “Why don’t you have another one each for free?” Great rejoicing.

Buoyed up by this success, I said I would buy an ice cream for the trip home. While waiting outside the shop for the children, a child no older than Michael threw a Lucozade bottle at the bin and missed. “Pick that up,” I said smartly (oh yes, I am now that woman) but he didn’t hear me and sailed in to the safety of the shop. Herself put it in the bin for me.

Then we began the long trek home. I discovered, belatedly, that my children are not capable of cycling and eating ice cream. In fact Michael can’t push a bike and eat ice cream. So I pushed my bike and his and we essentially walked all the way home. I sent the Princess (speedy ice cream eater) on ahead but Michael and I trudged on (it felt like for miles) while he enjoyed his almost endless Calippo. This deeply unsatisfactory progress also gave me the opportunity to mortify my poor children.

A gang of four young children (aged, say 8-12) came up to me as I was pushing the bikes and pointing at Michael’s said, “Hey, can I have a shot of that?” “No,” I said shortly, and recognising the Lucozade culprit, I added “I saw you throwing a can of Lucozade on the ground, don’t do that, it’s not nice, we all have to live here and we don’t want rubbish on the ground.” Him, startled “It wasn’t a can, it was a bottle and I picked it up on the way out.” “No, you didn’t,” I said, “it was gone when you came out because I asked her to pick it up [indicating Herself]” Insert here, the sound of the ground opening and swallowing the Princess and the reproachful words “Why did you have to bring me into it?” The culprit said gamely, “I must have put another bottle in the bin” and so, admiring his resourcefulness, hostilities were suspended and we spoke a bit more generally about where they were from and what they were up to before they took themselves off. I feel like some kind of caricature; should I have just said nothing?

After mass on Sunday morning [herself did a reading which went fine but also sang the alleluia before the Gospel from the altar for the first time, possibly needs work] we were all back at the GAA. If I never see Gaelic games again, it won’t be too soon and, as Mr. Waffle, points out, he actually does almost all the ferrying and sideline standing. On Sunday he also took Daniel’s broken hurley to be fixed notwithstanding the fact that we have already bought a new one. The hurley man indicated that it was irreparable. I wanted to throw it out but Daniel resisted on the grounds that it had “sentimental value” which is an attitude which explains why attics across the land are full to bursting point.

We all cycled up to the GAA club for the blitz to support Daniel in his endeavour and then we cycled to the pub where we had a triumphal drink to celebrate his medal and then home again. Only hair raising in parts.

On Sunday afternoon we had our first barbecue of the summer and it didn’t rain although was threateningly cloudy. Then at 7, Mr. Waffle and I went to a midsummer party and finally home at 11 to face into a new week, refreshed.

There’s a Moral Here Somewhere

20 June, 2015
Posted in: Princess

In the Princess’s class, there is an elaborate system of incentives. Good behaviour earns you a ticket; eight tickets get you a free homework pass. Herself decided that she would earn and save up homework passes so she could use them to get off homework every night for the last fortnight of school. Initially, her plan worked perfectly but then last Wednesday with 8 nights of homework to come, the teacher announced that there is to be no homework for the rest of the year.

I am not quite sure what the moral is; possibly, don’t trust the system it will betray you.

Be Prepared

27 May, 2015
Posted in: Princess, Twins, Youngest Child

Michael is still loving the scouts. He had his investiture on Monday night when he got his first neckerchief (?) and woggle (?) and he is filled with pride. He had to learn off the scout promise in advance but, as he told the scout leader, it presented no problems to one who had mastered Lepanto.

However, Michael has drawn the line at going away camping for the Whit weekend. He was keen until he discovered that they were going away for three days and had to eat mashed potato. Maybe next year, he feels.

Meanwhile his sister who attended Monday night’s investiture expressed an interest in joining the scouts also (only partially motivated by the useful skills she could learn for the zombie apocalypse). We spoke to the scout leader and he said that she could come on Tuesday. She went last night to an older group and loved it too. I am very impressed by the organisational skills of the scouts and their ability to keep large groups of children entertained for many hours.

Any Port in a Storm

26 May, 2015
Posted in: Princess

Her: I was reading about the changing face of Sweden today.
Mr. Waffle and me: What?
Her: Well, it was all that was left in the school library* that I hadn’t read.
Me: Really, you’ve read everything else?
Her: Well, no, it was either that or the Donald Duck archaeology book.

*This, regrettably, means a largish bookshelf in her classroom rather than a room full of books.

A Letter from St Paul

26 May, 2015
Posted in: Princess

Herself got to do the second reading at mass on Sunday. Regrettably, we had become blasÃ© and she only looked at the text at the last minute. It contained a number of words she had not previously encountered and of whose meanings she was unsure.

So we found ourselves saying as we walked up the road to mass, “That’s pronounced to rhyme with porgy,hard g as in gin, yes, f*rnication, it’s pronounced as spelt.” I would list all the relevant words but I fear that, even suitably asterisked, they would attract a rough crowd to a family blog. As Mr. Waffle remarked, “The Galatians must have said, ‘It’s another letter from Paul lads, everybody sit down.'” If you are curious, it’s Galatians 5:16-25.