Husbands

We all went to visit our friends, the H's. I like the H's, well I like J actually. He’s the H's son. He’s 13 and is a friend of Gs. I’m going to marry him when he’s older. At the moment he’s a bit too young to marry.

I smile at him. He pulls funny faces. Like everybody else, I want a husband who pulls funny faces. Maybe Little John will be funny when he's older. But I'm not sure. He doesn't even smile yet. Not even when I dance.

Money

I am rich. I have a child trust fund. The money is mine when I am big. The money will also be bigger. M says I must spend it wisely. Maybe on a car or on a deposit for an address.

I don't need a car. I have my bike. Although it is a little wobbly.

I would like to buy a dress. But I would like a little one now rather than a big one later.

First kiss

I couldn't hold on to my first kiss any longer. I gave it to M. She deserves it. She looks after me.

My second kiss I gave to Em. She plays with me.

I would have kissed the boy from Tescos but he hasn't found the quails yet.

I haven't kissed D yet. I go to kiss him but turn my head away at the last minute. I'm a bit of a kiss tease.

So far so good

I' ve been very lucky so far. G and Em keep warning me. "Anna you're head is falling off" . I grab it with both hands. They laugh. I take my hands away. A few seconds later they shout again. So far I've always caught my head. I'm very lucky to have a brother and sister. They look after me. I would look funny without a head.

The crash

I had another accident. It wasn't my bike this time. I fell from my high chair. I bumped my head on the way to the floor. It hurt. There was no Biscuit to land on.

I am OK. It was only a little bump. M was naughty. She hadn't put my helmet on. My high chair is old. I think new ones have safety nets.

The visit

Little John came to visit. I was looking forward to seeing him. He arrived in his pram. He woke. He fed. He slept. It was as if I wasn't there. No smile. Nothing. Maybe he didn't remember me. It was 4 weeks since we last met. But I did dance for him. How could he forget so quickly. I remember the quails and they left 4 weeks ago.

Busy day

It was a busy day in the garden. Nearly everyone was there.

M put glass in the greenhouse. It protects the tomato plants. Yesterday G had removed the glass. With a cricket ball. The plants need a roof.

G gave the grass a hair cut. Pay back time for the glass. It's his first time cutting. He got the parting a bit wrong. The grass lines are wobbly.

D cleared the orchard. He made it open plan. Removing brambles and weeds. Now the chickens can watch G breaking glass and M replacing panes. They can see the cricket balls coming.


I sat on my bike. Until it fell over. Then my bike sat on me. I had to be rescued.

My friend the robin was out playing. Flying around as usual. He lives in the orchard. He moved in when the quails moved out. He is very pretty. His orange tummy was glowing. He kept an eye on things. He looked worried when the bike squashed me.

The quail house stood empty. Where once were quails, now is grass. Weeds growing bigger. The new quails will sort them out.

The sun was shining. I put sand in my turn-ups. I will play with it later in bed. Before I sleep. I will dream of glass, grass, robins and bikes. I will sleep well after a busy day.

A day at the races

I went to the races today with M and D. I had to pick the horses for D to back. I did well. I picked two winners in the first two races. D was very pleased. Then I had a snooze and missed the next two races. I woke to find the form guide in front of my eyes. "Which one Anna" he said. He looked a bit desperate. I was still dozy. I just pointed. I didn't look for the colours like the robin in the garden. Or the one with the spots like my dungarees. I just pointed.

"Brilliant" said D "That's the same horse as the tip we've been given". D rushed off to the bookies. I should have told him I hadn't studied the form. He came back. He was a bit excited. A friend had joined us. "Show him the horse you have chosen Anna" he said. He held the form guide in front of me. I looked. I pointed. At one, two and then a third horse. "Do you think I should back them" he said. He looked worried. The race started. It finished. My horse was seventh. It was a big field. Seventh was good but not good enough. D was grumpy for the rest of the day. He didn't ask me about the next race. He didn't win either.

There were lots of other toddlers at the racecourse. It was just like nursery. They all had lovely coloured tops and spotty caps. They were lucky. They sat on the horses. I wasn't allowed to. Maybe next time I will get to sit on the horses. I will have to practise my pointing.

Chickens nouveau

The chickens have arrived. I went to collect them with M. There are four of them. I think you buy one and get one and three.

They are not very old or very big. There is a brown one, two grey ones and a white one. They are not as pretty as the quails.

They will not lay eggs for four weeks. D says they have arrived four weeks early. They have time to settle in.

The chickens are living in the orchard. I hope they decide to stay. It was sad when the quails left. Biscuit was being good. She was keeping a close eye on them.

Kisses

I blow kisses. I don't do kisses. M and D think I should but I don't. I blow a kiss when D goes to work. D always comes closer. He hopes for a kiss. He puts his cheek by my face. Sometimes I rest my head on his cheek. I'm nice like that. Sometimes I rub his cheek with my nose. But only if my nose is itchy or a bit runny. But I don't kiss him. My first kiss is for someone really special. I like D. He has good points. His shoulder is comfy when I need a sleep. But my first kiss is not for him. He will get a later one but not my first.

I saw a boy in Tescos today. He came over to my trolley. He had nice eyes. He had a colourful top. He smiled at me. If he can find the quails, I may give him my first kiss. But only if he finds the quails. He will have to find them quickly. My first kiss is ready to go.

Likes and Dislikes

I like games. I play high fives with my brothers and sister. I like hiding behind my hands. I like wearing my potty on my head.

I like my coloured dungarees. I like colouring my dungarees.

I like dancing to the Archers theme tune. I don't like the Archers. They talk too much and sing too little.

I like quails but only the two white ones, the brown one and the half white and brown one. But they have left me. I may not like them much longer. I will have some new friends soon. They're putting their feathers on at the moment. When they arrive we can all dance to the Archers.

Tricky business

Walking is not as easy as I thought. I go from side to side and then down. Then up again. Then side to side. I keep trying. I'm going to go forward soon.

I use crawl for speed. I can see why Biscuit uses four legs. Walking is a tricky business.

Chickens arriving

There are chickens coming next week. I don't know how many. I don't know what colour. I think they are just girls. Boys sing too much.

They are going to live in the orchard. Next to the quails house. The quails are still away. I don't think they are coming back.

More quails are arriving soon. They won't be here before the chickens. They must be catching a later train.

Walking

I have decided to walk. There are some advantages. I will be taller than Biscuit. I can carry my milk bottle with my hands. There are some disadvantages. I will have problems fitting under Biscuit's tummy. I may be asked to carry my own bottle.

I have thought about it a lot. Crawling is fine but babies crawl. I'm a toddler. Toddler's walk. So I am going to walk. Here goes. I'm glad I wear padded nappies.

Still missing

The quails are still away. Their pen is waiting for them. They either have a very good hiding place or they have missed the bus home.

M and D are talking about getting more quails. When the missing four return their house will be very crowded. They had better come home soon. I might ask G to text them.

Potty time

It was potty time. I had finished my food. I went and sat by the potty. M took my nappy off. She went to get some books. I put the potty on my head. I always wear my potty with pride.

Biscuit and the quails

I allowed Biscuit to explain things:

Well I came into the garden. Wandered around as normal. Thought I would check the quails. Nothing new there. I always visit them when I'm around. We've had our problems in the past but that's all sorted. They know me. I know them. No problem.

I saw their pen. Bit empty. They must be in their house. Bit strange. Still I checked out the pig sty. Back to the pen. Hole in fence. Quails gone.

I layed down by their pen. They are my friends and they've gone missing. That's not nice.

Missing quails

I was at nursery today. When I came home there was a search party in the garden. The quail fence had a gap in it. The four quails had gone. They must have left home in a hurry. Their water and food was there. Their little house was there. The little door to their little house was there. But the quails were not at home.

They must be playing hide and seek. Quails are small and are really good at hiding. But hide and seek is no fun when you're not found. I knew where they would be. I headed for the house. I crawled up three flights of stairs. Into the room with the snooker table. Into the corner under the blanket. But they weren't there. Strange. This is the best hiding place in the house. A few days ago it took M and D ages to find me. But there were no quails.

They must be on holiday. They didn't tell M. They will be in big trouble when they return.

Quail sadness

I allowed a parental posting:

Something was wrong. Biscuit was lying by the quail pen instead of inspecting the garden. The pen itself was still. Normally the hurly burley of rush hour would be in full flow. Quails racing around, popping in and out of their house, nibbling food, scavenging the ground and playing.

But not today. The pen was quiet. The garden silent. A blanket of peace had been lowered. Something had changed.

The fencing had been disturbed. Raised from the ground in places, there were large gaps. Big enough for the quails to leave. Big enough for an animal to enter.

The pen was the same but lifeless. The food and water untouched. The little door to the house open. There was no sign of a disturbance. No sign of death. No discarded feathers. No blood. No indication of what had occurred. But all four had gone. The quails had left in the night.

Their maker had claimed them back. They were ours no more. I will miss them.

Little John

I went to visit Little John. He was available for viewing. He is a week old. He is small. He has lots of hair and blue eyes. His hair was a bit scruffy. He hadn’t combed it.

Little John doesn’t do much. He just looks around. I thought I’d better entertain him. I stood up. I did a jig. I bounced from one leg to the other. I even took a couple of steps. Everyone clapped except Little John. Maybe he’ll grow to like dancing. If not, we may not be friends.