ailbhe | The Chocolate Garden

I was feeling sad and tired and self-pitying (I'm too ill to cycle! I had to walk to the market with Linnea in the mei tai on my back and Emer in the pouch on my front and pulling the shopping trolley. Well, Linnea walked something less than half of the way, and was so exhausted by it that she sat still while she drank two smoothies there.

Then Rob came and took the girls away and I attended a meeting and then had to walk back in the cold and the dark.

Wah!

Then I checked my email and there was a reminder to open a parcel I received when I was ill or miserable or something; it was from

baratron so I assumed it was the phone she'd offered when my handbag was stolen, and because my own phone was returned and I felt embarrassed at having it I didn't open it. Then I forgot.

And my god! It's full of chocolate!

I was so immensely cheered by this that I immediately ate a chocolate coated orange flavoured marzipan bar (this was more fun than it sounds) and decided to do something for Linnea.

Other than give her the dairy-free Winnie-the-Pooh Easter Egg from the box, I mean. Which she will share with me anyway.

While we were all ill, Linnea was watching about eight times more TV than usual. Perhaps more than that. And Cbeebies has had a lovely garden thing going on, for Easter or Spring or something. They have a whole garden of sweets. There's a green background and in it there are lollipop trees and candyfloss bushes and chocolate bunnies and all sorts of treasures and delights. And Linnea has asked to make one several times, usually five minutes before dinner or just after she's brushed her teeth ready for bed or something.

So this evening, fortified by my emergency chocolate gift box, I took out a pack of marzipan, rolled it out to fit the lid of a glass storage box, and painted it green with food colouring. The glass box will sit on top of it, airtight, with enough space for lollipop trees inside, so we can make the garden and then not eat it, which would be my number one top fave. There's even enough marzipan left over to make other things, like people.

I feel like a proper parent again. Pre-planning something I know Linnea wants to do, which will make her happy, not involve telly, and give her a creative outlet so she's not driven to drawing on the walls, which she seems utterly unable to resist, though she confesses contritely and then wanders around feeling really guilty.

I am delighted! Thank you,

baratron!