After the madness, there is illness and farms

My sibling and her offspring have left us. There are signs that they were here, an abandoned pair of too-small baby shoes on the stairs, a toy red car that isn't ours, and some rather deep scratches on the side of MB's face courtesy of a cousin who has some anger management issues. The children and I also have the sore throats and runny noses she kindly passed on too.

The kids were ill and slightly depressed after their cousins had gone. The house was quieter, and there was no one to torment except each other again, and that is apparently too predictable and not so much fun these days.

So we went to the farm where we have taken out a years annual pass, and we fed the rather large baby lambs, one of which headbutted me when it's milk finished earlier than it wanted. Shrek was sitting in his push chair and noted the lamb's technique with interest.

We played in the hay bale maze that another visitor was complaining about, saying it was dangerous. She was the one with a full face of make up on and high heels, and her three year old daughter was easily identifiable as the only child at the farm in a frilly dress. She hated me on sight, especially when she worked out my lot were home schooled. I think she was outraged that there should be school aged children at the Farm on a wednesday morning.

Then we went on the tractor ride. The tractor on this occasion was driven by a lady who was definitely having a hormonal moment. It was more than a little bumpy. She drove the tractor like a farmer possessed, and nearly made several children sick before we got half way round. It's supposed to be a nature watching event, but the screaming children and manic tractor engine sound killed any chance of seeing any thing, but we didn't mind the change of pace for once.

We went on a nature walk, spotted pheasants, inspected the budding wildflower meadow, where OD declared it awful that the government have outlawed the picking of wildflowers "what next? Not being allowed to mow your lawn???" were her words. We watched a spider spin its web and catch a fly, and tried but failed to locate frogspawn at the pond.

We exhuasted ourselves, and didn't get home until 6.30 pm. As I tucked up MB in bed, he looked a little bit sad, so I asked him what was wrong.

"I miss my cousins", he sighed "There's no one to fight with now."

And what did I say? "You still have your big brother and sister"

It wasn't until I got down the stairs that I realised I had given him a cart blanche to beat seven bells out of them the next day. Whoops.