Despite the rather exiguous total I'll describe each, beginning at the "Taste of Grampian" festival we attended on Saturday. It's an annual event held only two miles from home and a real favourite of mine, as with my palate having extended somewhat during adulthood (much to the chagrin of Mum, with her having endured the rather more unadventurous tastes of my childhood) I really enjoy the huge selection of exotic and locally produced foods on display. Luca, unfortunately, seems to share my childhood reservations and doesn't yet have an extensive range of foods he enjoys. But as Popeye says "I knows what I likes", and the above picture is him sampling a rather basic yogurt drink sample. Additionally, as yet he has little shame, and returned to the stall 3 times for a top up.
Here he is enjoying sample number two.
And getting it all over his nose.
"I'm going back for another one Dad". Shamefully, I didn't even purchase a bottle.....
Fixated on "Mr Chuckle" above, the festival's resident balloon bending clown. Do you know what is yet?
It's a sword! Oh, the imagination! The practicality appealed to me too, as if maneuvering a 4 year old round a packed festival isn't tricky enough, we now had a 4 year old determined to have a balloon fight with anyone he encountered - even if they didn't have their own balloon sword to fend him off with. "Be careful" was our continual, yet futile, cry.
The picture above was taken today, as Luca lapped the office of our local tyre repair centre. "Don't photo me" he continually wailed, all the while conceitedly shaping his body into camera friendly poses.
But why were he and I in a tyre centre today rather than our usual weekday abodes of office and nursery? Because this morning was the latest of Luca's school inductions (in preparation for his August start date), so I took the day off to accompany him. It was a peculiarly surreal experience, as we (and other parents) arrived at the school to be faced with a large group of awkward looking 11 year olds. These kids were our children's "buddies", and had been individually allocated to each of our 4/5 year olds to show them around - they'll also be their buddies when school starts for real to help them ease in.
The look of concern on all parents faces - mine included no doubt - as our small ones were led nervously away by hand by the Primary 7's was complete, and I'm certain I wasn't alone in illogically feeling levels of trepidation as Luca was led out of sight. Following a coffee and (rather stunted) chat amongst ourselves, we were allowed access to the kids again. Luca, in the mere 20 minute period (although it felt longer) had rather predictably reverted to his bolshy self and was tearing around the schools gardens with Alex, his buddy.
Alex, incidentally, is a dead ringer for Ron Weasley from Harry Potter.
While at the school, I had a rather illuminating chat with the Mum of Murdo, one of Luca's nursery friends. Or ex nursery friends. It transpires she pulled her son out of Luca's nursery last week after he'd been repeatedly hurt by another child. Sound familiar? For those of you who don't recall, I myself had a succession of meetings (heated at times) a year or so ago with the nursery over the injuries being sustained by Luca. On a personal level, all has been fine with Luca since then (I guess I'm not an easy person to ignore) but it drives home the necessity to continue to be vigilant. Or awkward, as I can be prone to be, and most likely am again.
I'm going to be one of those pain in the a**** parents the school hates aren't I?
On a more positive note, Luca continues to advance and has developed a rather wicked sense of humour. He has a sly and intelligent wit, and occasionally even demonstrates understated humour. Of course, he also still enjoys laughing at a good fart, but who doesn't?
I'll write in more length later this week (including describing Luca's newly obtained technique used to knock his Dad down), but as the time approaches the witching hour I'll bid a temporary adieu as I depart for bed via the fridge, intending to satisfy my curiosity of the current freshness of that 3 week old pastie with the greenish bit on top.
**Useless fact of the day - Until 1944 parents had to pay to put their children through secondary education**
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