spring holidays

Do you know what is happening to time? It seems to be stretchy and rather less tangible than usual. I have been on annual leave since Good Friday and I can in all honesty not tell you what I have been doing for large parts of the days. Easter in a non-religious family is a bit of a non-event. I no longer bother with decorations or Easter traditions that I remember from growing up. The chances that any decorations are still up by Christmas are high. My mum continues to dye the most beautiful Easter eggs and I am sharing her photos she sent me of this years eggs. The younger children in particular do not share my lack of enthusiasm for Easter but this is of course due to the prospects of eating ridiculous amounts of chocolate and not any notion of spirituality or the wish to have pretty decorations in the house. Chocolate eggs are a must and this year I managed to get to the shops before they sold out. I was armed with clear instructions of what is an acceptable chocolate egg. Unfortunately, these were all wrapped in so much non recyclable plastic that I just could not bring myself to put them in my shopping trolley. It was challenging to find plastic free replacements that also satisfied my children's preferences and pointing out the fact that any blind tasting would expose their preferences as commercial nonsense was futile. Alas being the holder of the sacred visa card gives me the the upper edge and in the end, all eggs were devoured without complaint. I am of course of the conviction that any Easter chocolate should be in the shape of a bunny, as is the customs in my native land. My mum sent us all Lind't bunnies, which was very much appreciated. The four bunny families came in four gigantic cardboard boxes despite being ordered in one sitting from the same place. I have to question the sanity of the packers here. Annie also organised an Easter egg hunt in the garden. It was miraculously dry on Easter Sunday. The Easter bunny does not visit here, I find it creepy, creepier even than a bearded stranger in eccentric red clothing climbing down my chimney at Christmas.

The children are on their spring break, which is nice. Sam of course should be studying for his exams but I have not seen much evidence of brain activity. He is creating an astonishing mess though so I am fairly certain he is still alive. Sam has accepted his preferred unconditional offer for university and I can only assume that he is perfectly happy to live with the shame of performing badly in his final exams because really these don't matter now.

Annie is her cheerful self. She is hugely excited about a trip to Centre Parks next week, with her best friend's family.

James and Alistair are out on the football pitch when the weather is dry enough. They love nothing more than kicking a ball and play a match with friends. Unfortunately, the weather has been truly awful for the majority of the holidays so far and we were forced to spend more time indoors than they like. Neither is very patient with playing with their toys and more often than not, what started as a game of lego ends in chaos and argument. The mere suggestion of playing with their toys can precipitate a drama. I am sure their disadvantaged start in life has a lot to do with their inability to focus on play. Play is something that starts early and needs nourishing encouragement. It is not something they were exposed to on a daily basis until they came to live with us. Anyway, it is a sunny day today and everyone is happy.

We sorted through the boys wardrobe yesterday, it was this kind of day. Alistair has outgrown most of his clothes, literally over night. Luckily, he can now wear James's stuff. I also hauled three big bags of clothes and shoes from the attic and sorted all out. I kept much of Sam's clothes after we decided to adopt and were matched with two little boys. We also received bags full of clothing from friends and continue to receive more. I don't want to be ungrateful and take all with a smile but if I can be honest, it often goes straight to charity because I only have two little boys, not an entire football squad. It is lovely to see all of Sam's clothes in James' wardrobe though, lots of nice memories.  I filled three bags for charity. These are now in the car. I decided to keep everything else close by as I only remembered the attic treasure after I searched for a two man tent up there last week. I have now three under bed storage bags: one for shoes, one for clothes that are nearly the right size and one for clothes that will fit in a year or two. I am very pleased with that. There is no no more room under the bed for James and Alistair preferred tidying up method, which is a bonus. I have made a mental note to explore the attic some more, there might be more treasure.

Must dash, lots of non-memorable stuff to do. Dinner time is approaching fast, eek. Wish me luck, my last big meal including a Persian bulgur wheat salad and an also Persian cucumber/radish salad with orange blossom dressing didn't go down well. At least they liked the roast chicken that came with all "that fancy stuff". The leftover chicken went into a Noodle soup the next day. This was more successful.

I'll leave you with with a brief conversation I had with Sam. Thanks for stopping by. x

Sam:  "I am going to hide my Easter egg soon"
Me:    "Do you want me to hide if for you?"
Sam:  "No, it will be easier to find if I hide it myself"