Playground Mafia

Taking my daughter to pre-school yesterday I encountered them, Who? Well now for any parent out there, you know them, They huddle together, glance in your direction, hush their conversation and wait for your approach....

OK, OK, I can do this, stand tall, shoulders back, head up, smile politely as you approach and out it comes...The chirpy "Good Morning"

I'm almost at the door of the pre-school when I realise I still haven't breathed out. This is probably due to the fact that I'm feeling rather dizzy as I haven't allowed enough oxygen to get as far as my sleepy old brain!

Why oh why on God's earth do I let these ladies intimidate me so? I have no idea, but I do. They see themselves as the hierarchy. Just because their precious offspring are that little bit older than my own and they have notched up a few more PTA meetings than me; does that give them the right to make me feel inferior? Does it give them the right to speak in hushed tones and whisper as I walk on by?

These , as many of you know them (and have read the book!), are The Playground Mafia. Once met, never forgotten. Often spotted around 8.45 am and 3pm huddled together in school playgrounds around the world, in their own little clique and heaven help any poor mother who dares to question their superiority. After all, Little John* is now in Year 5, attends chess club, belongs to the school choir, has come first in every sports day since he began reception year (mother too has pushed others flying in order to be placed 1st, 2nd or third in the parents race), and attends French, Italian and Russian classes on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday afternoon. Oh let's not forget the fact that Little John* is in training for the 2016 Olympics in Badminton for which his mother hires out the local memorial hall for him to practise on a nightly basis, sometime around 5.50 when he managed to fit it in between after school clubs and tuition and that all important function of eating, supper.....Lots of fish obviously for the omega 3!

When was it written into the rule book of being a parent that children had to forgo their childhoods for us parents to live our lives through them? push them, pull them, mould them into completely different human beings than they would probably have grown into had they been left to mature and develop at their own pace.

I had NO IDEA when entering into the world of Motherhood that this undercover competitive world existed. I assumed quite naively that I would nourish my babes with milk, hold them close whilst our bond developed into something quite unique, precious and individual to us, laugh with them, cry with them, love them unconditionally, enjoy them, play with them, be frustrated with them, photograph them, celebrate the milestones they reached as I proudly looked on, but nowhere, nowhere in all those manuals and parenting magazines, I of course felt it necessary to purchase, did it mention that if my child didn't have a Mensa score of 165 by the time it turned 7 yrs old that I would have failed as a parent!!

Where on earth should I have noticed this? Is there a manual that I missed out on somewhere? I thought Richard & Judy would have reviewed it sometime in their Book Club surely?

Now, my way of thinking is simple surely? you let them have fun, you shower them with love and affection, teach then right from wrong along with good old fashioned values and good manners and let them learn through play.

I like my children to spend time outdoors, even when it's raining we'll pull on our rain coats and wellingtons and have fun in the woods, we read together, collect things, look at various colours and textures of everyday things in our lives, we explore different foods together, look at the globe together to see just where Auntie Rachel lives nowadays. The most fun of all we have is singing together..loudly...in the car, oblivious to those around us. I like my children to be children, I want them to grow and develop at their own pace, obviously encouraged and praised by us but exploring their strengths and weakness's, creative and academic abilities as they grow. Somewhere along the line by some, these things seem to have been forgotten....

Competitiveness between parents is extraordinary isn't it?? Is your child crawling yet? talking yet?

"Gosh you mean they can't swim 10 metres without floatation and they're almost 2? goodness...well I can recommend a fabulous teacher...Intensive lessons for your little one every morning for a fortnight, my little Janet * went from using armbands to diving off the top board by the end of the fortnight and she was only eighteen months at the time".

"Do you know my son could recognize a fruity wine from an oaky wine, purely by aroma of course, by the time he was 8 you know, his father felt it necessary for him to learn the difference from an early age to stand him in good stead at future dinner parties".

Somehow I think I'll keep it quiet that my daughter by the age of 3 could put together outfits by colour and design and colour co-ordinate her hairbands and underwear (OK, OK hands up that was me that unknowingly encouraged such a talent), or calls Boots the Chemist the 'make-up' shop! But is that wrong? I don't think so. I may have had an influence on her, shall we call it 'styling', but I still encourage all the important things and keep this quiet but I let her....play and have fun! I never want my children growing up feeling inferior, just special to us and to one another.

One day I want my girls to look back and have wonderful memories of their childhood, the adventures they had and the knowledge they gained along the way, not memories of feeling like they were letting us down or felt inferior, because they couldn't speak Outer Mongolian by the time they turned 6.

I, like anyone else, have aspirations for my children but feel as long as they remain measured then that's ok as that to me goes down as support. Aspirations are one thing but obsession's another!

Here's to kids being kids, having fun and enjoying their childhoods.

*Names have been changed to protect identities of John and Janet!!

'E' for Edwina......

For those of you that read the fabulous blog written by Michele at Cowboys & Custard you will no doubt be aware of the artist whose work I am about to share with you. Edwina Bridgeman.

Michele's extremely kind, thoughtful and generous husband Mr Custard recently presented her with a piece of her friend Edwina's fabulous art for a recent birthday. Ever since I have dropped the most almighty hints to Mr PL but somehow I think the closest I will get to it will be viewings at galleries both at The Black Swan Arts in Frome and The Brewery Arts in Cirencester!!


Edwina Bridgeman without realising it has been a HUGE inspiration to my four year old daughter Imogen. She has taken a huge interest in art in all it's different forms since visiting another of her exhibitions at Black Swan Arts, which I blogged about back in August; An exhibition entitled 'Welcome to our World', of which Edwina was the lead artist.

When we returned from the exhibition, Imogen then just 3 years of age, asked to do some painting. I left her to her own devices for a while and when I returned this is what she had created.

OK,OK I know, proud mummy and kiddie art moment, but I thought it was rather good. I didn't help with any of it at all, didn't tell her what to draw or what colours to use, she just beavered away and produced this lovely mermaid. Look at the bra, isn't it fab? As you can see, it now hangs proudly on our wall at home, and she's so pleased with it.

Everytime we pop into Frome to peruse the vintage shops on Catherine Hill and sample homemade cakes at The Garden Cafe, Imogen will always ask; "Mummy, can we see the art"? How lovely it is, that my four year old daughter wants to go and look at art? So we do, usually just the two of us, alone to explore, for me to explain the meaning behind the creations, paintings, ceramics that are exhibited so beautifully for us to enjoy. I treasure that time we spend together. Thank you Imogen.

Edwina's recent exhibition; 'Wonderland' at Black Swan Arts was such a treat, her marvelous work laid out, displayed for us to admire, long for, photograph and share with others. I'm sure you'll agree, her work truly is delightful? I first came across Edwina Bridgeman's work quite a number of years ago now at The Brewery Arts in Cirencester and both my mother and I have been fans ever since. So much so that even my mother came along to take a peek at this latest exhibition even though she lives some distance from us. It certainly didn't disappoint. In fact Imogen asked to go back three times!

Instead of explaining the exhibition myself, I shall leave it to Edwina herself...

Let me share some of her Wonderland Exhibition with you.

This funfair was inspired by the Nottingham Goose Fair, now the largest fair in Europe.

You & I

Goose Girl.

This was Imogen getting excited when she found where Postman Pat was hiding!! There was a little quiz for children where they had to find certain things within the exhibition, Pat being one of them.

Whilst writing an 'Arty' kind of post I thought I'd show you these lovely paintings that my mother did for me recently knowing my love of Poppies. They are far more vibrant in the 'flesh'. I was thrilled with them and love how they brighten up the wall in my home.

Hope you've enjoyed you're little trip into 'Wonderland' and if ever you get the chance to see Edwina's work please take a moment of your time to do so, I can guarantee that you won't be disappointed!

Forever Autumn........

"Mummy can we do races today"?
"Races? What do you mean"?

"You know mummy, when we all go somewhere and run and I always win"

"No..I Do, I do" Beatrice interupts...

"No Beatrice, I DO, your legs are too little and fat, they don't go as fast as mine yet".

Sisterly love and competitiveness.

Now for those of you that know me, I am certainly not known for my sporting abilities, I leave that to my sister..her Nike's are far more prone to tread the pavements than mine. This is Probably because her's have a more scenic route to follow than mine with her living in Wellington, New Zealand. Mine always get to the front door and decide they'd rather stay dry and clean retreating quietly back to the bottom of my wardrobe.

Even though Imogen suffers from her 'Bendy Legs Syndrome', she felt that she could manage a few races and a gentle stroll somewhere! for those of you not familiar with such a syndrome the diagnosis consists of legs that become very tired and therefore buckle at the knees leaving her with what she describes as 'Bendy Legs'. This usually happens after walking around shops for an hour or so, or when daddy's shoulders seem a better option.

Now at this time of year, mummy's favourite 'Race' spot is Stourhead in Somerset. Stourhead is the most beautiful spot where my children are lucky enough to spend alot of their early years taking in its beauty during all four seasons. It's also become a favourite of ours for Christmas Eve, for a brisk walk with family members to blow away the cobwebs and a flask of mulled wine to enjoy before lunch at the wonderful Spread Eagle in front of the roaring fire, before returning to Petticoat lane and awaiting the visit from St Nicholas to fill the girls' shoes with sweets (A tradition for them to remember their German roots).. Oh, how I love Christmas Eve.

So, I mustered up all my enthusiasm having spent the last few weeks suffering from 'Man Flu', pulled on my wellington boots and loaded us all into the car Stourhead bound.

Initially I was a little disappointed as I expected to be greeted with the stunning Autumnal sight that adorns many a National Trust publication, but unfortunately I was slightly too early for that particular sight. It still took my breath away though, it always does, there's something so uplifting about it, especially when we arrive before the crowds descend.

We get to witness the dew droplets on grass and freshly fallen leaves, the mist rising from the lake. We were welcomed by these friendly fellows out for their morning constitutional. They were obviously expecting us to provide them with breakfast!

As we turned the first corner, we saw an abundance of Autumnal colour warming our chilly morning, I even almost broke into a 'gentle run' to get to the beautiful vibrant leaves.



We all had so much fun, we ran kicking leaves, climbed into the entwined branches of the trees. We used the old raised roots as steps to climb as we circled the magical trees, hundreds of years old, looking for Fairies. We loved every moment of the magical memories we were creating.

The leaves mingled together on the woodland floor, a patchwork of autumnal shades, inviting us to collect them, photograph them and in Beatrice's case..eat them................ Oh my, the girl will eat EVERYTHING!!!

Once in that Lakeland plastic bag (Not very environmental friendly I know)! there was no way that Beatrice was letting go, they were hers, jewels to take home and create beautiful 'crispy' pictures with, reminding us that time moves forward bringing with it the changing of seasons for us to enjoy and learn about and develop our knowledge of the world and our surroundings.

With every twist and turn we discovered another delight....This beautiful Grotto.

Where we were greeted by this stunning view...This lovely lady seemed to be enjoying it.

But the smile on her face may have been down to this gentleman keeping her company!

Hansel and Gretel's house greeted us deep within the Forest...They couldn't help but peer in through the windows looking for Gretel to come 'out to play'...

The Temple where I brought them the morning after their grandmother passed away, to clear my head, say a little prayer and remember the wonderful times spent with her..

Then, yes it happened.....we had a 'Bendy Legs' moment, this was probably due to the fact that Imogen had realised that we were only half way round and it was the first time we'd ever been without a pushchair for back up!! She agreed to a little rest and refreshment stop before carrying on our merry little way.

We walked along the lake, chatted to the ducks, the girls even had time to stop for a kiss and a cuddle, telling each other how much they loved one another.....How my heart melted as I remembered the reason I had them so close together...The best of friends, forever...I hope!

We examined the Fungi.

We jumped in puddles.

We explored texture whilst we felt the rough bark of the trees.

We stood at the bottom of beautiful old trees looking up at them towering above us, trees that had stood there in such stunning surroundings for hundreds of years watching thousands and thousands of people gently stroll by, mesmerised by the richness of colour that they were an integral part of creating. A scene of beauty, once viewed and never forgotten.

The girls looked in wonder at those trees that had come to the end of their long, long lives leaving behind them stumps, full of rings, rings representing the years for which they stood...hundreds of years. We started to count the rings as I explained how we could tell the age of the tree. Unfortunately Beatrice could only make it to very 'shaky' ten, so we just multiplied it by 5 and moved swiftly on..It may have taken a while and even my legs were starting to feel a little 'bendy' by this stage.

Having reached the end of our walk I'd accomplished what I had set out to achieve. We'd had great deal of fun, taking in the beauty whilst we exercised, ran a few races, learnt a great deal in a fun and interesting way, but most of all created wonderful memories during our few hours at Stourhead. Memories I will always hold dear.

We waved goodbye, walking past these pretty little cottages on our way out, watching horse's walk on by as we stood admiring the pretty village church...Oh and had one last race around the tree....Something tells me no one will win this particular race!

Now time to make lots of 'crispy' collages...........................