Auntie Knows Best

On Saturday The Little Mister took part in touch Ruby competition which was really good although they lost every match (I think!)

Every week is busy but this week we had a few additional extra activities.

In the afternoon The Little Miss went to the Guernsey Music Centre to try out a load of instruments and see which one she fancies learning. She was determined to like the flute the best but came away with the clarinet as her favourite….. I am obviously delighted as this is the instrument I learnt to play. Fingers crossed she gets it!

We also had numerous swimming awards and on Sunday The Mister ran the Guernsey marathon. I think he found it rather a tough run today but he managed to finish in under 4 hours.

Roll on the end of this week and the start of the Easter Holidays. I am knackered!!!

It has been an incredibly busy week.

On Thursday I had to go into work really early as I had to do a report for court but the plus side is that I got to leave early and went to a charity afternoon tea. I was easily one of the youngest person there and I was sat at a table with my lovely aunt and her fabulous friends. It was great fun.

On Friday evening The Little Mister had Cubs and they went climbing and did archery. The Little Miss also started at a different Cubs troop. She had a fabulous time and there were a lot of people there from her class.

At the weekend The Little Miss participated in her first gala. On the Saturday she came joint second for her age with her friend and on the Sunday she got two silver and two bronze medals. She thoroughly enjoyed it and she was really competitive.

We also squeezed in a family concert which was great fun… although The Little Miss had a nap half way through!

The saddest thing this week was that our lovely pussy cat Betty was hit by a car and her injuries were too significant for her to survive and we had to have her put to sleep. I wept buckets when I had to make the decision, altough I am quite sure we made the rights decision. I will miss her a lot. She was the cat who would always sit next to me, or one me, when I was watching TV and she would be found snuggling up with the children over night. For such a small cat she has left a huge hole in our life.

A week of wins for The Little Miss who was delighted to win £10 for being the fasted 8 year old to swim 8 lengths with a kick board. She was so pleased with herself and I am throilled that she is really good at something.

A trip to the park, a couple of completed jigsaws and nightime cuddles with Betty the cat.

We are rich in so many ways.

I am so proud of The Little Miss today. She had her usual swimming lesson today but they had an added extra challenge.

Today they had to swim continuously for an hour and see how far they could get. Eliza managed to complete both her 1km swim but also her 1 mile swim which was 64 lengths. She did brilliantly and continued to do front crawl with a really strong and consistent stroke.

I am super proud of her today.

Tonight was a first for me in two different ways.

I am part of a fabulous Facebook group called Guernsey Swim All Seasons and I joined one of their group swims for the first time. The other first is that it was a night swim.

It was amazing! The sea at Cobo was flat calm and apart form the squeals of excitement (and the cold) of people getting in, it was incredibly peaceful.

Swimming in November. Who would have thought it?!!!

(Pic nicked from someone else… not sure who?!!)

Emma and I started the day with a gorgeous 7am swim at Cobo

It was so still and lovely and water was lovely.

Definitely a but of sea therapy.

This little superstar is a fantastic swimmer and today she got her award for completing her 100m. Great work Babs!

This morning Emma and I went for a swim at Vazon at 7am. We were at least an hour off high tide but the tide was due to be 9.7m so enormous. I’m a pretty good swimmer but there was a huge swell and as I tried to get in off the slip a bit wave caught me, tipped me off my feet and deposited me like a giant beached whale half way up the side of the slipway. I have granite rash on the top of my thigh and my elbow and my dignity shattered.

It was so warm in though and I was desperate to have a swim so we drove to Cobo for a quick dip. It was still swelly but much safer.

Phew. We survived. Must be careful though. Mother nature is powerful.

Lockdown 2.0 – Day 24

The Little Miss woke up with a large ginger cat on her chest and then we had a reasonably positive morning of home-schooling – although the kids need us to be with them all the time – they just don’t seem to be able to work independently!

It was a lovely day and my crazy friend Emma convinced me that it was a good idea to go for a swim. I mean, seriously, it is February!! I have bought both of us some fabulous swimming caps (she wanted one like the Blur album!) so we decided to give them their maiden voyage. I have to admit they were lovely and snuggly and certainly made at least part of our bodies feel warmer.

We went to Vazon and with one husband and four children (all in wetsuits) we headed into the sea. It was a long walk to the sea as it was low tide and the waves were much bigger and more exciting than we expected. It was absolutely bloody freezing… the first thing one notices is just how freezing ones vagina gets. Let’s be honest – vag freeze is a real thing! Like troopers (or fools) we waded in and did half a dozen strokes before getting out, and then then going straight back in again. It was much warmer the second time around.

It was brilliant. I have to admit that it was exhilarating and I may be convinced to go in again before the end of this week.

This little trooper managed to swim 14 widths of the school pool today in 10 minutes for their sponsored swim. pretty good going for a 4 year old I reckon!