Mendel

When Mr B said he should do something fun with the kids today, it was entirely predictable that I would use the excuse of getting all their school stuff together to get out of taking them to the fair.

It was entirely predictable that when the kids said the fair was 'open all day' despite our experience of having shown up too early for it in a previous year, that they would go at 2pm and find it shut.

And it was the most predictable of all that, when they finally went at 4pm TallGirl would come back with a fish. I almost had the tank ready to be honest. Anyway, here's Mendel, the newest addition to the B family. And our first proper pet (I don't count that caterpillar we found on the lettuce and killed with kindness, and don't imagine you'll allow me to count the sourdough yeast starter....)

Before you ask, our parental raised hearts that it was named after the father of genetics were dashed when it turned out to be named after some wizard in a movie TallGirl once saw. We have low expectations since I'm told most fairground fish die quickly. But regardless tomorrow we will go and find some props (gravel, fake trees, fish food) to make it feel at home. Meanwhile TallGirl has propped pictures of fish she has drawn all around its tank. Which I suppose would be like trying to sleep with pictures of smiling hungry-looking giants all around....

We managed to watch some Blackadder tonight, though I feel most of the rude stuff went over their heads, and I didn't feel like explaining the executing Catholics stuff on the day before they go back to their Catholic schools....