22nd of January

 Tuesday was party time.  Yeah!  Of course the idea of a superhero party left Ted a little at a loose end, but he was happy enough to just throw on a cape I had made for Christmas a few years back and be done with it.  He was much more interested in writing out the card ('To Ollie From Ted") and then decorating the wrapping paper with many different colours - can you guess the dominant colour?

Harriet was lucky enough to be able to stay with her friend Priya during the time of the party, so she didn't have to endure the ignominy of going to a four year old's party (despite her fascination and excitement in thinking up ideas on how to make Ted's space party interesting). 








Inside the play centre it was stinking hot and very humid - not a great combination for Ted, whose hair was plastered to the back of his neck within ten seconds flat.  He cried for the first half of the party because he wanted a 'juice' (read: cordial) which he obviously wasn't going to have, and then he cried because the sound of the air guns was too overwhelming (which it was, poor little guy, I disliked it as well).  I had made him an orange and almond meal cake to take in order to prevent him eating the unknown cake at the party (dairy free remember, it's a bummer for baked goods).


Here he is at home eating the end crumbs of said cake.  It's always a hit that one and it's so easy to make, chock-a-block full of protein and only as sweet as you want to make it.






After picking up Harriet, the two girls came back to our house and had crazy insane fun playing something or other, I know not what.  When Zoe came up to our house with Arki however the day turned a little haywire, with the girls having worked each other up into a little foaming mouth, rabid frenzy of excitement.    In fact after they had left I had to sit down with Harriet and have a serious discussion with her about friends and listening to her own feelings and not simply going along with the flow of the group, since I could sense she had been working herself up.  Sure enough she burst into tears and we had a lovely discussion about friendships and the like. 





Of course the big excitement was that it started to rain and break the spell of heat that had laid pall across the land.  And so it was that a rain dance was called for.  And so we danced.  I managed to snap this one shot before  I too dropped camera and headed outside for a little frolicking in the droplets and singing to the sky.  I'm sure the neighbours hang their heads in despair and keep their back doors closed to prevent the sound of us from seeping into their woodwork.