Weekend Highlights: from Football to a Doll House (with a car boot sale in between!)

Got to admire him…

Partying till 1am (YouDo 4th Birthday), woken at 6am by his daughters jumping on him, spends the morning delivering flyers to advertise the school car boot sale, and then attempts a game of football.

Twenty minutes into the game he’s injured and hobbles off the pitch. But his support crew stay to watch the remainder of the game with him (and probably do more exercise jumping on the side-lines, doing hand-stands and kicking a ball about).

That evening we make a rare purchase of a Lotto ticket (the jackpot HAD to be won…). The girls waited up till 8pm, with tickets clutched in their hands, not quite understanding the huge odds stacked against them of actually winning – got to love the optimistic hope of children. But, alas, Daddy still had to go to work Monday morning. Huge congratulations to the two winners though!

Sunday was the day of the school car-boot sale. The girls worked hard selling their stuffed toys, old games and clothes. Dan sold many of his PS2 games that he sadly has little time to play these days (it’s a tough life!). Charlotte did so many beautiful pastel drawings, which she sold a few of, as well as some plaited book marks she’d made. At the end of the sale children went around trading their unsold items and giving away things to happy recipients. It was a lot of fun and with over thirty cars turning up, and lots of delicious cakes sold too, a grand little fundraiser for the school.

We’d promised the girls that if they worked hard at the car boot sale we would buy the beautiful doll’s house we’d seen a few week’s ago when we visited our new friend Phil. He has been a reader of this blog for a while and is such a craftsman. We had such a hoot when we visited him, rolling up one Saturday morning to a warm welcome of pear cider and dried cranberry nibbles.  Sophie exclaimed, ‘Your house looks just like a life sized doll’s house!’.

Phil was so great with the children and incredibly calm with little Alice on the rampage. He bravely served us the most amazing morning tea and chocolate cake. The girls delighted in playing with his collection of brass weights and riding on the stair chair (thanks Phil!). We really were overwhelmed with his kind welcome and are so glad to have met.

We fell in love with the doll’s house (well, us girls did – I’m sure Dan would have preferred a Star Wars ‘Death Star’ lego kit) and have a feeling this may be the beginning of a new sub-section to the blog – as the girls (and I) create many stories (Dan was quick to mention the Star Wars figures would fit perfectly in the house!).

There are so many amazing stories from famous authors based on doll’s houses. I have read the girls Katherine Mansfield story, ‘The Doll’s House‘ and also found the wonderful short story Beatrix Potter wrote, ‘The Tale of Two Bad Mice‘. And on-line we came across an amazing interactive guide to the most famous doll’s house in the world, ‘Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House‘.

Maybe the girls will feel inspired to write their own story one day (if Daddy has his way they’ll be a Star Wars figure playing a lead role).

Well, Phil kindly delivered the Doll’s House to our home on Sunday evening. The girls were very tired after their busy day, and a late afternoon swim, but managed to play amicably enough with their new pride and joy (Charlotte was very kind in stepping back and allowing Sophie the honour of doing the ‘opening ceremony’).

We toasted the moment with a fish and chip dinner (complete with good ‘ole English ‘mushy peas’ – of course!).