We’ve spent a significant amount of this summer living out of suitcases and camping, so our main activity has been hunting for clean pairs of pants.
Youngest took all the teddies on holiday with her.
Those bags are full of teddies. Nothing else.
And the cello came too. Guess how many times it got played. Once. For one and a half minutes.
I wish I was exaggerating. We spent hours travelling like sardines up to our eyeballs in teddies and oversized musical instruments so that some stuffed non-sentient animals could “feel the sea air”, and we could hear Chase in the Dark played a third too low because none of us really understands how to tune a cello.
If you ever wonder what happens to you as a result of all the sleepless nights and utter craziness of having children, let this be a warning!
They’ve been in the sea a lot. Now that they’re bigger, when we’re on a lifeguarded section we sometimes supervise from the shore, and I’ve noticed they gravitate towards other adults who are in the water, in a kind of “You’ll save me if I start to drown won’t you?” very one-sided agreement.
There was this one time last week when Youngest was edging closer and closer to a canoodling couple who looked like they would not have noticed if she started drowning, much less cared. It was a bit awkward. I didn’t like to shout out “Give them some space - they’re kissing!” at the top of my voice.
For those of you who’ve been reading these updates over the years, you’ll be pleased to hear there’s been no flooding or emergency hospital visits for us this holiday.
And that at age 9 and 7, I’ve finally discovered how to put the holiday back in holiday - go with friends who also have kids. The children will entertain each other happily for hours enabling you to drink a coffee and have an (almost) uninterrupted conversation. Unimaginable in the early years! Of course, you’ll be so burnt out by those early years that it will all be a bit tainted, but still. Let it be a beacon of hope for you if you’re in the thick of it all.
So what's on at B'Opera this autumn?
After two years at Birmingham Hippodrome and one at Warwick Arts Centre, B’Opera First Songs comes to St George’s Edgbaston on Monday mornings from 18th September. We’ll be exploring how music is a part of us all, no matter how small we are.
A blend of performance and specially tailored music education for under fours.
Come and discover how we can all use rhythm, movement, sound and our singing voices to bring a story to life.
Sessions last an hour, with 40 minutes of music, followed by playtime.