Skating on the edge

Now as an official 5 year-old I can't be expected to get up early so at 930 I emerged and went to find Nanna who was hiding downstairs. I drew the Milky Way with her while Jof quietly ditched loads of my old toys to make way for the new ones and Bud worked in the garden.

 I've still got Bobthebuilder vehicles so they can go to my old nursery, plenty ended up in the burnbox and a charity shop bag is swelling. Bud prepared for tomorrow's bonfire by clearing the flowerbeds, planting the Sicilian giant pine (it's only 4 feet high but give it a century, it'll be massive, if we'd won the lottery by now it'd have its own lake island to live on) and pruning the roses.

Lunch was down at Gunwharf. Once you're most of the way there the road is one-way only, no turnoffs so you have to sit there, trapped in a glacially slow queue for the car park giving you plenty of opportunities to read the signs saying car park full. We did this for a while and then left Bud to continue while we walked there. Lunch itself was in an Italian-American joint where we could clearly see Poppy and her family at another table but I declined to go over and say hello. I shall visit her Swiss Cottage/ski chalet tomorrow so don't want to overdo it.

Then it was down to the ice rink (no ice, it was nylon baseboards and even more slippery with little or no control) and Bud and I tottered and skittered our way round the circuit for ages. I fell over an infinity of times but didn't blub: Bud fell over zero times but complained loudly about his feet being tired. When Ben arrived (as if by accident) with his even smaller friend Emma, he made a beeline for us and we all went round together which must have made it easier on Bud's balancing feet to have a collapsing skater on each arm. But soon enough, we were independent and tottered off on our own, the adults were just slowing us down.

Tonight Grandma phoned to ask for help - Grandad's gone to India and she couldn't turn on the TV. Bud gave her instructions and now she's OK.