Feeding the Ducks

Tessa feeding the ducks and random other birds!

Today after dropping off Reuben and Libby, Tessa and I stopped on the way home to feed the ducks some bread!  All the birds (ducks, pigeons, and some others) came towards the car when we stopped.  They must be used to getting fed, and be pretty well fed at that because they all weren't going crazy over the bread either!  A few kind of dominated the scene while the other stood back seemingly uninterested.  Tessa was on the ground feeding them until a few got a bit too close, then she climbed up to sit on the bench with me saying, "watch, watch" instead of being in the middle of all the actions.  One pigeon even got a bit ambitious and trying to fly up to take some bread from my hand, but I wasn't paying attention and it startled me and it ended up clawing my leg with it's toe nails... or talons I guess you could say...in the process.  Tessa ended up telling the birds to "shoo, shoo" a few times as well, thinking maybe they were getting too close. 

I got two more cakes made today for the school fair, but maybe a tad overcooked on the edges!  Tessa woke up earlier than planned today from her nap so she was outside with me while I was watering the new grass and veggie garden (while the cakes were in the oven).  She was happily sitting in her pram for awhile then somehow found mud...it was caked on her shoes, but she doesn't like when her shoes or dirty so she'd used her hands to get it off and then of course wiped her hands all over her clothes.  So I sprayed off her feet and hands and finished watering then went to turn the hose off.  When I came back around the corner from the tap she'd somehow found mud again, strangely I think without even leaving the driveway!  So that delayed the process a bit, which was only supposed to take 10 minutes!  I realized it was time to take the cakes out just in time, saving them hopefully, apart from the top layer on one corner of one...which was just a little darker than acceptable.  When they get frosted no one will notice!

The summer climate is looking very promising!  Instead of needing to wear winter boots and snow gear to school to be allowed out for recess, these kids have to have sun hats!  It's such a strange concept to imagine! Needing protection from the heat instead of the cold! 

Tonight was my first after hours babysitting duty.  Julia was home after dinner for bath time, but had to leave just after 7 for her book club.  Luckily she managed to successfully get Tessa and Libby to bed before then, so for my first time through I only needed to worry about Reuben.  He was pretty good about it too, after I read him a couple of chapters in his book, he asked me to snuggle him then went to sleep, right about 8 o'clock, then John wasn't home til just after 8:30, coming from a meeting.  Another successful day, even though school seemed to have made the kids extra tired.  Lots of whining and being upset went on, but after dinner they were all smiles playing outside on the swings and trampoline so mom could see a happy sight when she got home.  And bed time went a lot smoother than other times, probably because they all have some sleep to catch up on!