It's no wonder that nothing is growing much - some leaves of the french beans, which are in the greenhouse about 5 feet away from the side panes of glass, are scorched by last night's frost. The aubergines are looking unhappy and so are some of the tomatoes. The pepper and chilli plants are holding up well, as are the greenhouse cucumbers, although they have hardly grown since I planted them out. The courgette plants are looking good and have almost outgrown the frost damage of a few weeks ago. All these things are in the big Dutch light greenhouse of course - nothing tender is planted out at all. I'm doubting now that they will be before I go away, which is a bit disappointing, but I think it's too risky unless the forecast is really much better by the weekend.
Dilly phoned this morning, asking me to go through and help to calm down Pugsley, who had got himself into a real state. There was a hanger on a door which had stopped it from shutting (I'm not sure exactly about the details) and he had convinced himself that there was a monster or something in the house which was out to get him - he was genuinely terrified. We were puzzled and a bit unnerved - he asked to come to my house as he was afraid of his. He was having sandwiches for lunch before going to nursery, so he brought them and I sat him on my lap while he ate them and I did some careful explaining of what's real and what's not, and that there are stories and films that are just stories - he did listen sensibly and we talked it all though, and then discussed things that really are dangerous in the wrong places, such as fire and cars. And then animals that are real, like lions, but are not exactly a threat to him, and snakes. I said I'd look out the snake skin I found in the greenhouse, but luckily he didn't think of it when he came home, because I couldn't remember where I've put it - it's not where I thought it was.
Anyway, when he came home he said that he was all right and it had all been a game - it hadn't at the time, but he seems to have got over it and he didn't mind at all about going home again.
When sitting on my lap, every time he wanted to say something, he started with "Excuse me," which was sweet - I suppose he's picked that up at nursery school.
Zerlina has had two days at the childminders now and it's gone very well. The first day, last Friday, apparently, she cried for nearly an hour and was very relieved when Weeza went to pick her up, but the Monday afterwards, although she cried when Weeza left, she stopped almost at once and was quite relaxed upon Weeza's return. She was asleep when her mother left her with me yesterday and took a while to placate when she woke - though I think that was because she was hungry - anyway, when Squiffany arrived she cheered right up. When Weeza got back she was pleased, but almost immediately left with Dilly to go to their house - we followed a few minutes later, and by then she was happily bouncing on the trampoline and laughing with Squiffany and Pugsley. So that seems to be all right. No separation anxiety there, unless it's on Weeza's part.
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12 comments:
O to be back at nursery school when coat hangers could be monsters...
... I still remember the smell of the house I lived when I was 1, and my mother's boring coffee mornings with friends
how I hated it when I started school. I still remembering not having a clue what was going on ~ not just for the first day but for weeks and weeks. On Fridays we did this stupid thing where you rotated classes. Seriously if I'd been parachuted into a school in Communist China i think i'd have had as much chance of grasping what was going on... such a waste of time
sorry ~ irrelevance alert. just thought i'd share that with ya
I had the feeling all through my schooldays that there was something happening that everyone else but me understood. That could well have been true, actually.
I like irrelevance, it takes off at interesting tangents.
This ongoing fascination with bricks made me search a little and I found this - there's seemingly a lexicon for everything in this world.
Oh and I do not understand what you describe in the last paragraph - I hope the kids are alright. And the boy is not longer afraid of objects. Objects do nothing, no reason for angst.
I have always found the development of a child's mind quite interesting. Did you ever have one of the "night terror" dreams as an adult? I've had two and the sheer terror was unbelievable.
Z-I felt exactly the same way you did when I was a child. Like there was something I just wasn't included in on or could understand but everyone else did.
If there are monsters around I'm not sure I shall be able to finish the wall.
I'm relieved to hear it's not just my seedlings that have stopped growing - on a much smaller scale than you, of course.
It's important Weeza doesn't let Zerlina see her own anxiety. I remember leaving my first born at nursery and walking down the road with tears running down my face, but you soon learn that the shorter the parting takes the quicker the child gets over it.
It's good that Pugsley's learning some manners at nursery school. I think it shows they're teaching him consideration of others which is so important.
My Fabien is 10 and still not convinced about monsters. He hates the dark, and will arrange his bedroom before lights out to make sure there is nothing lying about or hanging on doors that could take on a monster shape in the dark.
Every noise he hears and doesn't understand is cause for alarm. We have talked about it a lot and he is aware he's being silly and says he knows the difference between real and not-real, but says it's hard not to be frightened when he's alone in the dark.
I hope he grows out of it but then, I was also terrified of the dark until my teens.
The sun's shining here.
Ooh, how interesting. The Sage knows a lot about bricks and tiles. I know enough to ask sensible questions when visiting a brickyard - actually (sad to say) the gentlemen there are impressed that I know anything, being awfully nice and a girl.
The children are fine, thanks - I maybe hadn't explained it before, my daughter has just started a part-time job so her little girl is going to a childminder 2 days a week. And I was looking after her yesterday afternoon.
I don't think I've ever had real night terrors, just ordinary nightmares, Marion. Weeza did a few times, as a child and that was quite distressing to see.
I was a shy child anyway, which made it worse - but I suppose a lot of others felt the same way. I never said anything about it, so maybe no one does while it's happening.
I'll look after you, Dave. You can sit on my knee to eat your sandwiches if you like.
My husband just came in to say that he met a friend whose beans all were destroyed by frost last night. Sunny by day and frosty at night is worst as the leaves get scorched first thing.
Weeza is very sensible and I'm sure she is matter-of-fact about the parting. You do feel awful though, don't you? Fortunately, she was very impressed by the childminder and is confident about leaving her there.
I lived in a creaky old house and I don't remember being uncommonly afraid at night - also I was a sound sleeper. Poor Fabien - hard to be sensitive and overimaginative, but at least he's worked out strategies to help - learning how to cope is best in the long run.
I left you out, Corker, sorry. It's sunny here too. Sharp frost in the night, though.
Here, in the Ardennes, they have a 'rule' that you don't plant anything tender outside until after the Saints de Glace (11th-13th May) so I'm hoping that means it's going to warm up tomorrow!
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