Sunshine

Well we are heading into the middle of March now, the days are getting longer, the sun is making an appearance now and then, and I can nip out to the shed in my pjs to grab a loaf of bread from the freezer without resembling the solid bread on my return. Spring is in the air!

We spent Saturday morning chilling out around the house, keeping the news channels on to keep updated with the earthquake situation in Japan. Watching the waters sweep across towns moving houses, cars and anything in its way, knowing of all the poor people being swept along, with no hope of survival has left me feeling very sad. I am not one to get emotionally attached to news events, I don't tend to watch a lot of news, but for some reason this has really caught me.

Its haunting my dreams (along with other sad events at the moment) and on waking from sleep is leaving me feeling as though I have been watching sad movies all night long.

After our chilled morning, we walked to the shops, and brought a few essentials, and some sandwiches for our lunch. We then walked home via a childrens play park, its a lovely little park, very recently updated with lots of things aimed at under tens. There is also a large basketball court next to it, ideal for teens to have some uninterupted and dog poo less fun! However, the local teens had taken over the childrens play park, jumping off the roof of the little house, and throwing the swings up over the tops of the frames so that when they were gone, children would still not be able to play.

My children wanted to play on the park, my son has no sense of danger, and I could see him trying to approaching the older boys - he gets very cross with teenagers or anyone really, mistreating things. Luckly I avoided the situation and moved him away. Then we left the park after a paltry five minute play. As we walked away, the boys spread to take over the entire play park, and the basketball court stood empty and unused.

My children were so cross, and vowed that they would never treat things in that way, we have promised to buy a swing for the garden as I doubt we will bother trying to go to the park again. We explained to the children that this is quite possibly the reason we don't tend to venture out far from our little house and garden, because of other people.

When we were walking, a car pulled up on the path (yes right in the middle of the path!) a Chelsea tractor, the woman leapt out of the drivers seat and opened the back door, so the car was not only blocking most of the path, but the door ensured there was no space for a buggy.

This made me cross.

But this is society - no one cares about anyone else, the woman in her car, the children in the park, they are all the same, only thinking about what they need to do not if they are in the way of anyone else.

We went to my sons parent teacher meeting this week, and he is very good and gets on well with his work, and the teacher said 'Children don't have manners nowadays, but your son has lovely manners, always says please and thank you and always asks for things in the correct way' How sad that it is accepted to now not have manners, and its considered an extra if a child does have manners!

When we got home from the park, we ate our sandwiches (we didn't feel like eating them in the park with the hooligans) and then we went in the garden and started the spring time clear up. The decking is now prepared for the children to play, swept and disinfected, containers have been weeded and brambles cut. Next job is to lay the weed membrane over the remaining grass, and get a concrete pad down for the childrens playhouse.

Now we are at Sunday morning, I have washing on the line again, the sun is shinning again, and the children will be out in the garden once the rain from last night has dried, Spring is most definately in the air!