Pingu

We had snow! That's right.. in the deepest heartest wildest parts of Essex, there was actual snow. We haven't had the proper stuff since G was 7, so that's.. well years. Her school was closed, the postman couldn't deliver my nappies.. snow! I love it. I also love how our country deliberately falls to pieces when there is snow, just so children can have an extra day off school, and workers can stay home and play. Pah to the countries who plan for days like these.. let's be fair.. is it worth our councils spending billions and trillions to protect us from the one day a year it gets too much? My usual answer would be no, it isn't fair.. but as G is being a brat child and there's the outside chance that her school will be closed again tomorrow..I'm begging.. spend the money!

Just briefly.. she was away doing some cadet training this weekend. Went Friday night and came back Sunday afternoon. I asked her to send me a text and let me know she got there safely. I received "here" at 9.15, which I thought was supremely descriptive. Sunday's text read "I've got up at 5 every day. Tired. Past (*sigh*) Arms text" Which a) everyday is hardly correct.. it was twice.. and b) *That's* what we do with moody teenagers these days.. we arm them. When she got back, she showed me her Test Fire sheet.. from a distance of 100m, lying down, she can shoot a perfect rectangle. I am now terrified of her. And maybe won't tell her off again. Ever.

So.. back to the snow. Lal, once again, has issues with it. He was all for the cold white stuff. Thought it was excellent, fun, super.. all the Enid Blyton words in fact.. but then came the problem. Where the *hell* was Pingu? He wasn't in the back garden, the front garden, under the 10 foot deep snow on the car, anywhere of the 0.5 mile walk to the shop (which was *really* fun.. whose stupid idea was it to walk the pushchair up to the shop? In very deep snow. *sigh*) All the time we were outside, the only sound Lal made was "Pingu? Pingu? Gu? Are ou? Piiiiiiiingu?" When it became apparent that Pingu only lives in tv snow, and not real snow, he cried for an hour. An hour. And would not be mollified. Pingu lives in snow. We had snow. Ergo.. Pingu is here.

I think we need to get a penguin for the garden.

K x

(Ps: G, after being away all weekend, at home doing nothing all day, was asked to do her homework at 6pm. She refused. I insisted. Refusal and insistance. She was then sent to her room. She has been throwing a rubber ball at the wall in her room for the last 3 hours and 12 minutes. Every 8 seconds. She will not beat me. I am being the bigger person and am ignoring her. I *think* she may possess more determination as I am being driven insane. And am now typing to the beat of the damn ball bounce...)