Thursday 3 November 2011

Half term sucked

I was looking forward to half term. A rest from making packed lunches at 6.30am, a rest from "where on earth are all the school socks?" and a rest from the school run, fraught with "have you got your lunch/clarinet/sports kit/my marbles?" angst. Instead we would do fun things and go on nice autumnal trips wouldn't we?

No.

On day one H9 was sick. On day three R7 was scratching her scalp. On investigation I found some rather grown up head lice and many, many babies. Bugger. Oops.We haven't had head lice for ages (years) but I constantly check because there's the threat you will be asked to remove your child from school should they be found to be infested. The week I ran the Cardiff half marathon I forgot to check. Bugger. Oops.

They're all dead now (not the children, the head lice) but I'm paranoid they'll come back. I chase, brandishing comb, while my offspring run away shrieking "no mummy I have NOT got head lice," with me in hot pursuit (and gaining because I can still outrun my children...ha ha) wailing "but that's what you said last time and you DID!"

Meanwhile it rained. Biblically. Everywhere is ankle deep in slippery mud. The small dog goes out, absorbs it all in his wiry fur and shakes it all over the kitchen floor. Then he wipes his face on the dining room carpet drawing big muddy stripes. The carpet is Scotchguarded but I'm not sure this sort of treatment is entirely good for it. Perhaps I should put down canvasses and sell the results as canine art?

This Monday it was a school inset day (and payday - yippee!) so we went to Tesco. When we arrived the CR-V was doing an excellent impression of being on fire. I sniffed at the smoke - it was steam. A broken radiator. I left it simmering while we shopped and it calmed down enough to be topped up with coolant and driven home. Another bloody big bill. Sigh.

What can a woman do in the face of such (relatively minor really) adversity? Bake, that's what.


What we have here is brioche (bread bakeathon #15), Halloween cupcakes, bagels (bread bakeathon #16), naan bread (so easy to make and heaps cheaper than bought) and green tomato chutney.

8 comments:

  1. That had me shuddering. And awash with awful memories......

    Tell your children about what used to happen to children with head lice in Victorian times (well, some children, I suppose the poorer boys) - head shaved and thereafter washed in paraffin. (I wonder if that's true? Good threat for fleeing children, anyway)

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  2. Ah, I remember the Head Lice Days too. Yuk!

    Great bakeathon (and that will be cracking chutney). I've had a bakeathon this morning too - Cottage Loaf, Apple Crumble, Double Ginger Ginger Cake and Jammy Dodgers with home-made jam. Just the smell of all this is making me feel FAT!

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  3. Ewwwwwww to head lice - dreadful things - thankfully here it is but a distant memory.

    Those bagels look amazing - I am very partial to a toasted cinnamon and raisin bagel.

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  4. I was there too during the biblical rain. I kept in all week to write, which was a sort of treat in itself, but I missed going out to the sea.

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  5. Great post Mags, I remember the dreaded head lice. That food looks great. Shame about the terrible rain at half-term.

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  6. Such a story of misadventure, Mags.

    Fortunately, you all survived (except for the lice).

    Blessings and Bear hugs!

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  7. Head lice and rain - all so very familiar Mags!!! Here's hoping the baking helped xx

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  8. Don't see what you could do but bake and your baking looks pretty scrumptious! sometimes life just chucks weeks like that at you. I can't tell you how glad I am that the days of the nitcomb are gone.

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