Who’s Normal Anyway?

On the last full day of our holiday we got up and off in the morning to go the The House of Marbles and then on to the nativity play at Pennywell Farm. Barbara bravely decided to follow us to the House of Marbles (brave because A was driving the new car for the first time and the brakes were very keen compared with our old car!) and Anna came along with Barbara’s family too. A and I had a cooked breakfast to set us up for the day out when we arrived, though M was off his food and the others all had hot chocolates. We looked around, watched marbles being made in the glass workshop and spent some time just watching the marble machines which were fascinating. It’s much more hectic visiting somewhere like that with other people, because all the children wanted to look at different things all at once!

Then we drove in convoy again to Pennywell, looking for a garage or shop on the way to buy snacks/lunch for M and for B’s family. There was nowhere to stop, and the farm didn’t have it’s cafe open as they only do the nativity thing out of season. M didn’t seem too bothered, he was a bit pale and off his food generally.

The nativity play was good. They’d decorated the barn up with lights and had farm animals in stalls as part of the play. Once most of us had arrived all the children had the chance to volunteer for parts in the play and went off to get dressed. None of the boys would volunteer to be Joseph, M was adamant he didn’t want to do it but agreed he’d be a king - I think he was the only boy who joined in, except for Joe who had to be a shepherd with Sarah. The narrator told the Christmas story and the children were arranged into position at the relevant points in the story, while the adults in the audience joined in with the carols.

Afterwards we visited Santa and then had mulled wine and mince pies. I survived the first glass with no effects so had A’s glass too, but then it started going to my head. I shall have to practise over Christmas LOL.

Spent the evening chatting to everyone and got to bed about midnight, then was sung to sleep to the strains of Grease from the common room. Woke in the middle of the night to screaming child (thankfully not mine though) and then again about 7am to hear people moving around in the corridor coming out of the common room - they’d not been to bed. Got to admire their staying power! But glad we had an en suite room as a sound barrier from the common room!