Well, dd1 and H came round today at 11am. H left to go on an anti-globalisation demo with dd2 and dd3 (he's a bit hippy like that, in fact so am I).
I took dd1 and dd4 to Lanky Bill's Fun Shack for her birthday treat (9 today). Decided to walk it...whoa, it was miles! We left just after 11am and didn't get there till 12.30.
DD4 asked for banana as soon as we walked in so I ordered food and a much needed drink. Then they played on the climbing frames/slides etc for 2 hours.
Treated them to milkshake and ice cream.
DD1 asked to go shopping so we found a shop and she chose this barbie doll which was only �4 so I let her have that. Then we walked home. She kept asking to sit down and tells me that her dad takes her everywhere in the car so she wasn't used to it.
I found this place called the Bridge Centre which is like a community centre and there are courses there and things on so we went in there and I got a leaflet because I am going to start going there socially.
By the time we got home it was nearly 5 o clock in the evening and my feet hurt so bad I lay down for an hour to rest them.
DD1 and dd4 played with the barbie dolly and dd1 tried on these new trainers I bought her.
Then H arrived and he was exhausted from marching at this demo all afternoon so he vegged out on my sofa and I gave him a coffee. DD1 showed him her presents and we all chatted. We talked about dd's birthday and the long walk, and I told him about the Bridge Centre.
He told me about some of our friends (I have not seen for years) who were on the demo and mentioned that he has been busy because lots of parents are phoning him about their legal rights re home ed (there has been a new Children's Act 2004 that is causing controversy) so he has been flat out and as he said 'a bit stressed'.
He was holding my hand through this whole conversation which lasted an hour.
Now they have all gone (including dd4) and I will see them tomorrow afternoon.
All in all, relatively nice, unlike all the other traumatic birthdays. Things are on the up!
