The Adventures of Freddie - part 1 (probably)

Littlest has a new task. One that will hopefully distract her from missing, too much, her biggest sister, who departed for university, yesterday - lots of those I-wish-I-didn't-have-to-say-goodbye-and-where-have-the-past-19-years-gone? hugs, and Mummy and Littlest tears after she had gone.

The biggest sister took one of Littlest's fleeces with her, to have in her bed and left Littlest with a cherished teddy called Freddie. Littlest has promised to look after him until biggest sister gets back (in December; that's a lot of looking after!)

So yesterday, we took Freddie on 'an adventure'. To an apple festival. At Audley End.

Littlest quickly marched us through the all-things-appley marquee; briefly glanced at the Suffolk Punch beast of a handsome horse; lingered longingly in the gift shop - twice!- hurried through the Victorian kitchen re-enactment; spent an age trying out all the swings, slides, ropes and climbing frames in the play park, and marvelled at the falconry ... briefly!

And Freddie joined in:

Buckaroo!

Climbing

Falconry

Peregrine falcons swooping down with more G-force than a fighter jet are a bit scary for bears, so it was a bit safer hanging around at Littlest's knee height

Littlest 'found' Freddie a friend in the gift shop

And, today decided that one friend wasn't enough, so baked him a gingerbread one - with a broken arm (not sure if Littlest, or Four-Legged-Friend, who was trying ever so hard to help, got the arm)

Note: the icing sling! Parental influence??

Comments

Colour, Delacroix, flochetage and why don't we all have a go at inventing words

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My beloved boy, how lucky I have been

It's an odd thing that when we are waiting for someone to die ... and I say someone here even though the one in question was a dog - but to us he had character and a place forever in our hearts and was more of a familiar someone than some of the people in our lives. So, I'll start again - it's an odd thing that when we are waiting for someone to die, our senses go into overdrive. We notice things that normally would be part of the background of our every day. We breathe more - or rather, we don't but what we do is notice our breathing more, as we watch his. We pause. We think. We listen to ourselves and our inner voices speak. Memories flood our dreams ... though sleep is fitful. Why am I telling you this? ... ... we lost this beautiful boy today And in the hours before he went, I saw perfect spheres of dew on blades of grass - little orbs holding micro-images of our world; a bumble bee drunk on nectar, yellow-dusted with pollen, resting in a crocus; ten - yes, ten! ...

Life as bramble thicket

Life passing in a fairly content fog of gift wrapping (mild panic - omg, have I got enough for everyone; will they like it; have I got the right bridge pads for mother-in-law?); cooking (friends all being extremely helpful with offers of puddings, mains and starters - apart from the big event, may not have to actually cook much at all); decorating (post fire, post building work); planning of meals with friends; entertaining (music recitals already being rehearsed by Littlest and sister); feeding the dog; ordering startlingly expensive turkey; walking the dog; feeding hungry mouths (eating me out of house and home - realise just how significant a role the school catering staff play in their lives); gardening with dog; and shopping (again ...), when unexpectedly hit by devastating question of what mark if any will I leave on the planet (assuming that I want to leave a mark, which I think I do, because there has to be more to life than working hard, otherwise what is the point of anything...

Walking The Dog

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