Fly past

Up earlier than is good for any of us to take Mr B to the airport. Happily, since my strong cup of tea hadn't yet taken effect, he drove there. Once on our own, the kids and I made our slow and ponderous way home. Regardless of speed, we were just on the home stretch and a mere 5 minutes from home when I realised that there was the first possibility of dawn in the sky, a slight change in tone and contrast that allowed me to pick barely lit clouds out of the gloom. I was just musing on this when I heard Conor say "Mammy, I feel a bit si...." (The rest of the sentence was, of course, drowned out by the sound of vomiting.)

Once I stopped I think Katherine was out of the car faster than anyone (her vomit reflex is on a hair trigger if she smells it). Once I scooped Conor out of the lake he had created, I got to work with the roll of kitchen roll that we still (legacy of a boy with reflux) always have in the boot of the car. Happily Katherine had brought a blanket for the journey, so Conor had something to wear for the short hop home. Unhappily I think I may have left his unpleasantly smelly and sticky socks in someone's driveway. Also unhappily, Katherine's iPod took a direct hit and, I discovered when I realised at lunch time that I could still smell sick, my coat (which I was wearing) was caught in the crossfire.

Conor, not surprisingly, didn't feel up to school in the morning, but he was able to go in in the afternoon. Very squally, blustery day, with scorching sunshine one minute and pounding rain the next (I bet you can guess which one it was whenever I had to leave the house...)

The only photos I took today were some very far away blurry ones of a blue tit popping in and out of our bird box (why?) and this one of a disdainful looking sparrow totally unimpressed by the great tit's fly past. First greenfinch of the winter on the table today too, but didn't get a snap of him. Nor of the warbler that's been hanging around lately.

Still, there was a very happy development today: the plugs to make our electric system carry the internet arrived last week and I finally got around to trying them out today. What a revelation! So, a big thank you to the friend who suggested it months and months ago. The same friend came up in conversation with Katherine tonight as we were listening to 'I'm sorry I haven't a clue', which is now K's favourite radio show and also one of this friend's favourites. And he's her godfather. So that all ties up rather nicely. A bit like a well-played 'pick-up-song' - another of his talents.