woolly...bowling...mashed potato

Right now down to the real business of blogging...but can I remember what I was going to say? can I bobbins? What kind of a headf**k was that, anyway?

This morning we went ten pin bowling with some other HE'ers- didn't know them, but they were a friendly bunch. I just saw it on the list of organised activities and I have been desperate for something a bit more organised and physical for Jem, especially. It was a spur of the moment thing as I just noticed it was on last night and thought, haven't we got to open up the Halifax meeting? can we make it? yeah, of course: its only 1/2 an hour from Bradford to Halifax, right? and it is supposed to finish 1/2 and hour before I have to be in HX, OK? so, I turn up 45 minutes late, but fortunately someone else has done it. Wishy-washy, woolly thinking, I know, but what can you expect from someones who's head is full of mashed potato?

Anyway, the bowling. Jem scored 63, which I can't totally understand, but I think she did pretty well to hit the things at all. I only had one go and managed to gracfully step and roll, as I have seen on The Simpsons, but managed to hit zilch. And, no, I didn't meet a Jaques (like Marge did). Furgs was happy to use a rolly thing that you roll the ball down, aimed in the right direction, which was pretty good, as lifting the balls is difficult enough, he almost got his toes once.

I think they were pretty bewildered by the whole experience, to tell you the truth (can that be abbriviated?). I mean I just whisked them out of the house with only the merest suggestion of breakfast- a few croissants chucked hastily in their direction and we were off on an adventure. It always feels like an adventure when we go more than a few miles, to a city, even. They just would never have that experience if they were at school. Or, they didn't, before. But afterwards they said they enjoyed it. Jem wrote it, along with a list of other dates in an A4 notebook, with a funky cover, that I got from the pound shop. This is a bit like my Journal that I keep and stick things in. She seems to have abandoned her scrapbook, in favour of this, more grown-up approach.

So, we made it to the HX meet. There weren't may people there, but it was OK. One girl was a similar age to Jem, who tried to recreate a bowling alley using long skipping ropes and cones. Bless. They dragged some mats out of a previously locked cupboard, saying, "this is going to be a proper gym." The most fun they had all afternoon was when the grown-ups tried to put the mats away and they kept running about trying to stop them by standing on them.

On Saturday they went to a birthday party, with a space theme. I had to quickly run something up from what I could find in the house for Furgs to dress up in. (See spaceman, below.)