Remember the Wombles? Orinoco and Bungo and Madame Cholet. I like to call out, "Coo-ee, Wumbles" sometimes, just like she does when tea's ready. The book was published in 1973 and cost the grand sum of 35p. Those were the days. The Womble philosophy is more popular than ever now, although "making good use of the things that they find, the things that the everyday folk leave behind" has fancier names now, repurposing, recycling, upcycling and the like. I found this book on the sofa, the middle boy is reading it, and I'm happy that he likes the gentler stories, as well as some of the more action-packed stuff he also reads.
Upstairs there's Lego. A while back, in a frenzy of decluttering, I nearly got rid of the tin of old Lego from my childhood. I've no idea what I was thinking. It's a biscuit tin full of the pieces I played with over and over again when I was little, making houses and a little milk float, complete with blue milk bottles.
And check out those biscuits! Oh life was good.
I must have made this house twenty times or more. I think I wanted to live in a house like this one day. I loved it. Thank goodness I didn't give it all away. It's a tin full of memories.
The middle boy is a huge Lego fan, but this week all of them have been happily building things. I love to see their happy imaginings.
Also up there is another tin ("Biscuits for Cheese" this time), filled with my old plastic Mecchano. More classic stuff that they still love today.
I remember making all of the different models from the instructions. So nice that they're still intact. And that my little people, especially the middle boy, love to make these things too.
Downstairs I've been enjoying this lovely book, that I was lucky enough to win in a giveaway done by Karen at The Garden Smallholder, one of my favourite blogs.
It's a really beautiful book, full of information about growing flowers for cutting, and the photographs are stunning.
It's going to be really useful, as this year me and the boys are going to be trying to grow some flowers, for cutting and also for insects. It's written by Louise Curley, who blogs at Wellywoman.
Outside the frogspawn has turned rapidly into tadpoles. I don't know if it's faster than normal, but it does seem like it was. Last year was cold, and I'm sure we waited ages to see tadpoles. This year they've been wiggling around all week, and basking on the top of this waterlily leaf.
Inside things are a little calmer than they were last week. Sometimes the boys get tired and cross and then every day is full of noise and arguments and fighting. This week (well, except for Monday) it's going much better.
Tomorrow there's a teacher's strike. The middle boy's teacher and the littlest boy's teacher are both striking. The biggest boy's teacher isn't striking so he'll be going to school. The littlest boy has volunteered to walk to school with us so that he can wave goodbye. What a lovely little brother he is. I'm looking forward to a happy day full of Lego and imaginary games. The two littlest boys do play nicely together when it's just the two of them, and they love their inventive playing. I love to listen to their conversations. It should be a good day.
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