I woke with Emer at about 6 and when Rob left at about 8 and got up at about 8:10 and fell asleep on the sofa with Linnea watching CBeebies. Then Emer woke about 8:45, at a guess, and I got up in earnest. Did a load of laundry, some washing up, dressed everyone, got my bag together ready to go out, hung it on the buggy, heard the bin lorry, dashed into the bathroom to get the binbag, popped out to put it in the bin for collection, reached the bin and realised it had already been emptied, turned around and saw Linnea, checked the door, and sure enough, she'd taken Emer out and closed the door carefully behind them. With my bag and the buggy still inside.
I tried the two houses either side of ours, and even one two gardens away which is often occupied on a weekday, and got no response. So I turned to Linnea and asked her what she thought we should do. On her advice, we trundled off to Maria, stopping briefly for Emer to beam winningly at a man standing by his gate watching the bin lorries.
But Maria wasn't in.
So we walked back and as I approached the man at his gate - who had three cups of tea on a trya on his bin - I said "Excuse me, do you have a phone I could use? we're locked out."
He went in and got me a cordless phone and put a plate of biscuits and cake on top of his bin. I called Rob at work and while I was waiting for him to answer the binmen came and drank the tea and ate the biscuits; the banter I heard made it clear this was a promised treat which the binmen hadn't really thought would materialise. The nice man gave Linnea and Emer a crunchy roll type biscuit each (aren't they called something grim like cigars?) which I decided not to have the dairy-non-dairy conversation about. I spoke to Rob. I said "I went to put the bin out and Linnea closed the door - we're locked out." One of the binmen said "Ohh - it's our fault!" and Rob said "All of you, or is Emer in the house?" which was the first time I'd considered the possibility that Emer could have been locked in, alone. Rob agreed to come as soon as possible and I carried Emer and her sodden, leaking nappy while Linnea skipped beside me to the door.
The nice man offered to let us sit in the house and wait but I refused.
While we waited Linnea suggested hide and seek (er, no!) and we sang songs and talked. I cried a bit from relief - I always think of all the worst things and how to deal with them, but I was glad I hadn't even had to go to the cafe and borrow money from staff to buy nappies for Emer, let alone anything else in the might-have-been range - and Rob arrived in a car ("No Daddy wuhk cah, cah doo beeg," says Emer) and introduced me to Mark (his boss? I don't think there's another relevant Mark) and let us in and then went straight back to work again.
The girls and I went to the library at a sprint and arrived before the whole group had left, so that was nice. The local branch is closing for major refurbishments - they got Lottery money - and Saturday is the last open day, so today was the last BfN group day.
Linnea went and read a book, Emer sat and had a biscuit, I was made a cup of coffee and given the chance to pour out my woes.
Next week we are in a different venue, next door to the library. I hope to go then too.
Maria showed up at the group so we went home to lunch with her and then brought Louis home with us to play. Mary from Homestart came and took Emer out for a walk, during which she fell asleep, and I read a chapter of When my Naughty Little Sister Was Good to the two older ones. We all had tea and biscuits and Mary went home and and I hung two of today's laundry loads before she went home. Then the kids played and Maria came and had a cup of tea and Rob arrived home and Maria and I took the kids to the park and Rob cleared up for dinner -
Rob: Shall I call you five minutes -
Ailbhe: I'm going out and I want my dinner ready when I get back!
Rob: Yes but -
Ailbhe: Also, pipe, and slippers warmed.
Rob: Yes, when do you think you'll be back though?
Ailbhe (with a nearly straight face): Don't nag! I'll come back when I'm ready! And I want my dinner waiting!
Rob: Er -
Ailbhe, kindly: Yes, please, calling would be perfect, probably about six?
So at the park I went on to Tesco to buy milk for Maria and washing powder of eco evilness for us, and chocolates to post through the nice man's door. Emer was offered a choice and opted to stay in the freezing cold park with Maria, and when I came back was delighted with herself. Maria was freezing, though, because it was damp and cold.
We went home, and on the way we collected Linnea's library book from Louis' house where she'd left it, and delivered the chocolates, and then we ate dinner, and the girls and I had a bath, and Rob plied me with tea and is even now fetching my slippers.
I wish I knew why Emer hated the idea of having a bath without me in it so much.
And Rob has hung the rug I scrubbed this morning, and brought in some dry laundry; we need to hang out the load in the machine. And then after the girls are in bed we need to sort the kitchen a bit.
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