Spontaneous combustion ...

Pot plant, pot plant Sitting on a wall One goes away And it must fall. I think, perhaps, she made this up herself. It certainly appeared that way. We often put the pots along the ledge. But we have never had a musical accompaniment before. Each cycle involved seven pot plants. And there were at least four cycles. That is a long process for a two-year-old. The flowers I bought from the Hot Dollar shop in the BJ Mall, and cut them from the spray into individual flowers. The pots are small yoghurt containers from Thomas Dux. The chalk is that really large variety that we bought from the driveway sale in Lane Cove back in about May.

Pretend, right ... ?

She has no sooner trotted in the gate, than I hear 'Play 'Guess Who', Ma?' This has been twice a week, every week since I dragged it out from the drawer labelled '1984' in the middle of September. And at two and a half, she is a smidge young for the real rules, so it has been 'make-it-up-on-the-run' ever since. All variation upon a theme. Actually, I find it remarkable what a fine introduction GW is to set theory. No joke - find me all the people who have hats; find me all the people who have glasses; who is in both groups? This week the GW-mob, and the Playschool-dominoes, and the Duplo-mob, and 'the three robbers + 1' all became the audience for our concert. I went first, came out from behind the curtain, and sang 'Hey Diddle Diddle' to the enthralled throng. Alannah then chose to sing (with actions from Buddy) 'Baa Baa' and 'Humpy'. She really got into the swing of it when I showered her with applause AND wild cheering on behalf of our assembled friends. Pretending is heavily encouraged in this relationship; modelling and setting an example.

Huh? yes ... of course ...

We were playing aeroplanes today. In the living room, with a small plastic chair set on each corner of the oblong mat, representing London, Paris, New York, and Sydney. Once the passenger was aboard, two planes would take off one behind the other, to the refrain of "I can fly' from Peter Pan, out the living room door, into the kitchen, through the dining room, the sun-room and land under the whatever city chair back in the living room. Our passengers were Playschool dominoes which Alannah received as a 'secret santa' yesterday. Double Humpty. Double Big Ted. Double Little Ted. Double Jemima. The microphone called Double Jemima to load her plane and click her seat-belt on. Our conversation went thus: I don't have a Double Jemima. Why? She ran away. Did she join the circus? No, she went to get watermelons. As one does ...

Colouring her world

First she drew a circle, anti-clockwise. Then, she said she was adding an eye, and then another eye. I asked if she thought she might add a mouth. A smile twitched at the corners of her own mouth, and her little index finger came up toward me. I asked if her person had any hair, and she chanted 'zig-zag, zig-zag' as the tresses of golden hair fell around the face. I knew I would have to be quick-pronto with the camera, as very soon lines were all over and through it.

Soundtrack of her day

Enduring months of being under ther pervidious influence of the lingo of real-estate agents, over the weekend I reorganised my sunroom and carved out a painting nook! It is enclosed on three sides, with equipment arrayed within easy reach. The floor is easiy wiped tiles. There was one thing I did not realise, however.

It is within easy earshot of the CD within my computer. So yesterday, Alannah wanted to paint, and she wanted to do it to a soundtrack. I have copies here of some of the CDs her mother has at home, and the CD of choice yesterday was the 'Disney Classic Collection'. As she painted, she danced and sang, to the music. Here she is dancing and singing to 'The Cat Song' from 'Lady and the Tramp' - 'We are Siam-ese if you plea-ese ... ".

On the move again

It was about this time last year that my daughter put to me the proposition that we share a house, a three generation house. It could be a win/win for us all, she persuaded. It takes a while to come to a full appreciation of the magnitude of such a decision. It had been an 'annus horibilis' for each of us, but moreso for her. Much moreso for her. I am fixated on being 'useful' and not a typical 'mother-in-law'. I also did not want to take more than I gave. So within that range, we jockeyed for a while and reached general consensus about Christmas 2011. And we started scouring the real-estate sites nearly immediately.

By the end of January, we knew we were not going to find what we were looking for on the southside of the harbour. We looked: both virtually, and in reality. But the bang for yer buck was not there. By then, you see, we had established our criteria: A downstairs wing for Ma - sitting room, bathroom, and bedroom, outside access An upstairs for the family with at least 3 bedrooms and a bathroom A large grassed, relatively flat garden No pool Space for two cars Cul-de-sac 250 or less to public transport an area with 'buzz' which was defined as cosmopolitan close to bush-walks And then Darren accepted a new job in Lane Cove, which obviously focussed our attention on that municipality. As we tossed the possibilities back and forth, our tastes and requirements modified, and also became more obvious to each other. Since the beginning of August, I have Ma-sat on Saturdays, whilst Kirsten and Darren went on their shopping-list rounds.

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Then at the end of October, Kirsten found something she really liked. Darren and I had poo-pooed it from the listing. Too fussy. Twee. However, she persevered and put it on her list. It took one viewing, and they both said they liked it. IN FRONT OF THE AGENT! Three days later, Kirsten's father and I saw it. We both liked it. There were two interested bidders. The public auction was cancelled, and replaced by a blind auction. How nerve wracking. Once chance. You nominate what you are prepared to offer. Neither side knew the details of the other. Kirsten was prepared to release 5% of the deposity immediately, plus offer a 90 day settlement. Within 30 minutes of the close of bids, it was hers - by $4,000. And it is not in Lane Cove municipality at all but in Willoughby Municipality in the small suburb of Castlecrag, which is on one of the spurs into Middle Harbour. It is 5km to Darren's work, and 9km to work for Kirsten in the CBD. It is 100m from an express bus route to the city for me, or a slower 15 minute journey to the Chatswood shops. But you know that is not my sort of thing. It is a cul-de-sac, and a walking track - behind the rear fence - follows Sugarloaf Creek down to the harbour. The back yard is tiered to make it flat but has two good playing surfaces. There are 3 large deciduous trees, so I shall need a good compost. Kirsten has said that I can have a vegie patch in the front yard, but I suspect that may be retracted when I submit my concept plan! I am downstairs on the left with the front-porch. The main entry is from the side near the car port. The garage is actually a men's shed. The only room that I have included is the upstairs family room. It is massive. The front faces north. Settlement date is 29th January.

Terrible Twos

The 'terrible twos' is a label, and like all labels, is probably as much wrong as it is right. However, being no expert, doesn't stop me from having a firmly held view. As a child progresses from two to three, they start to understand how the world works. And, they start to understand that they can shape some of that world: with actions, and with words. Alannah has quite firm opinions. She knows what she likes to wear, and what she will not wear. Yesterday, she got the sleeves of her trakkie-top wet when playing with water (because I forgot to suggest she roll them up). Nothing I offered her in exchange was acceptable: there was a nice long-sleeved skivvy, but she would not part with the pink t-shirt; there was a nice thin, red cardigan, but she was adamant. She wanted the trakkie-top again. So, I rolled the sleeves up a bit. She is starting to try on some negative behaviours; I think mainly to see what my reaction will be. Not me, because it is me. But me, as the supervising adult. She was relieved when I asked her if she would like to go to the 'thinking place', which is a time-out, circuit-breaker concept that Kirsten has explained to me. I have an idea of how to ameliorate some of this: if it works! I am going to introduce a new activity each session, and make sure that the activity is a challenge for her. She has adored the 'Guess Who' game since I brought it out, and has played with it incessantly. She knows many of the cards off by heart: the names of the people, I mean. But this will have run its course come next week. So today, in preparation, I reorganised my courtyard, a change being as good as a holiday. I like to operate in 'rooms' - I garden like that, too. Change activity by moving to another physical area. I am devising an activity circuit: drop balls into tube; throw small bean bags through hoop; hop into a square and pick up stone; go through tunnel; and, limbo under a rod. I will also get a version of the game 'Twister', as she is a very physical girl. This week, being nice and warm both days, we were solidly back into having water in our sand-pit. Hence, the top images. On Wednesday, she spends the morning with me, and after her sleep Grandad picks her up and takes her to the park to play, if the weather is good. Hence, the bottom images.

'Guess Who' has gone anime

On Monday gone, I introduced Alannah to the board game, 'Guess Who', using the very same copy that I played with my children 25 years ago. The box is stamped 1980. There is only one of the flip-characters broken, all the cards are present, and each of the little yellow scorer pegs is even still present. However, of the 24 characters, only 5 are women, and the deck is not very multicultural. Suffice to say, I suspect it reflects 1950s England, perhaps.

However, when I went into Dymocks in George Street (knowing they have two walls of board-games), I was immensely disappointed. The version on the shelf was called 'Guess Who Extra' and was electronic. Not what I am after for a 2 year old ... nor probably an any-year-old. At the age of two, I modify the rules to suit her evolving ability. We do not play the 'identify by elimination' aspect of the game ... as yet. I will say to her 'Knock over anyone who has glasses'. Which she does with gusto. However, she is not ready for the converse of that 'Knock over anyone who does not have glasses'. The other thing about the electronic version is that the price tag said $65. A misprint, surely.

I did find and (*she blushes*) buy a Travel-sized version put out by a competitor called 'Who's Who'. However, everything is way too small, and the little 'lids' get stuck. Nowhere near as much fun as the larger version. So I came back here and googled, which, yes yes, I should have done to begin with. There is a non-electronic version available, and it has been updated. I include a view of it here. Look at those characters! How 'Astro Boy' are they? Yuck yuck yuck. And their essential identifying characteristics are less obvious. I reckon they are, anyway. However, they are equally divided re gender representation nowadays: 12/12 a piece. However, they also have additional sheets that are able to be downloaded and printed off at home to freshen-up the characters. Some simply do not appeal, but that is probably old sick-in-the-mud me. Characters like: Dinosaurs, Creepy Creatures, Easter, and others. The differences are not defined enough. However, I did not mind the Sports sheet, and will get a bit of higher GSM board to print them out for next week.

Busy as a beaver

Not sure what the official title of this is, but Alannah Jane took to it yesterday with alacrity. She barely needed any 'showing': 'Alannah can do it, Ma; Alannah can do it!' She perhaps needed encouragement to whack harder with the hammer, however, she used a clenched fist when she thought the hammer too slow! I guess she concentrated solidly for nigh on thirty minutes on this one activity. The table covering was new, too, and that whacked her eyeballs out to begin with!

We have lots of indoor activities before we go outside to jump, throw, climb steps, and play with sand. We used to 'sort' a lot but that is by-the-way now. In the dining room there are two tables on which we do: colouring-in; play-dough; and, Cuisenaire Rods. This week, I introduced Rummikub and Draughts. There are so many skills covered by simple games like this: NOT scattering everything on the floor is not the least of them! I am also partial to the card packs put out by Usborne in the UK, although the temptation to use them as flashcards can overwhelm too early. I have an old box of 'Guess Who' which I will update. I think it is a game that Alannah will adore.

Trooping the boards

Dolly, Sheep-sheep, and Punchinello were unwitting participants in this tableau. I always ask if I can bring my camera out and take photographs. She is okay with it perhaps 50% of the time. Alannah is just becoming comfortable with singing songs. It takes a lot of effort to develop a 'singing voice'. But then, she also has to remember the aounds to make, more than the words to sing. She does enjoy it.


I sing songs at the drop of a hat. When the local bus comes around the corner, I burst into song with its call sign and its destination and whether it is going up the hill or down the hill. I can never remember the latest 'tune' I used, but the musical phrases are all found in English folk songs of the 19th century. Often handed down to us as nursery rhymes.


This little song and dance was to 'Baa Baa Black Sheep', which I have now found as a video ... a dreaded video. Why they insist on having adverts in a nursery rhyme, confounds me. So just ignore, or remove the advert near the beginning. Instead of one of the bags being for the little boy down the lane, I always allocate it to 'Alannah Jane' who lives down the lane.


There are so many maturing signs going on at the moment, not just evidenced in the singing. We are also getting a more regular timetable. The mornings are a bit cold (and often wet) to be in the courtyard, so the day kicks off with sorting and colouring-in at the dining room table. We have morning tea about 10am which is followed by a 30 minute reading session. then we are outside until lunch just before midday, with a sleep starting about 12:30pm. I have a firm pattern with getting her to sleep which involves singing about 15 nursery rhymes. I am trying to find time to put these into a book for her upcoming 2nd birthday. Can you believe that Alannah will be 2 years old in under a month!


There is another reading session during the afternoon period, and I ensure there is a madcap chase-each-other session with dress-ups and singing (again!). This week just gone, street-watching came back into vogue, with Alannah even waving to people when prompted. It is astounding how many people wave and smile at her - young people as well as old. We are often out there now with a cat plonked on each of the gate posts, so I guess it is a cute sight.

Who doesn't like NOISY!

Being overhung with deciduous trees, and three story terraces, the courtyard is a challenge in winter, especially if the wind is whipping the leaves around our ankles. But, being troopers (read pig-headed and determined), we carry on regardless. Once we have surmounted the contretemps of the necessity for jackets and beanies. One out of two aint bad ...

We cycle through games and activities. Today's 'must-do' is tomorrow's 'meh'! And 'street-watching' is (temporarily, I'm sure) shelved for the mentally challenging game of 'Noisy'. Remember those little book-shop stuffers (like jelly beans in the check-out at Woolies), the Mister Men books, and their female counterpart. One of them is a 'noisy'. But they aint seen nutin' till they experience my Little Miss Noisy.

She did not need much, indeed any, encouragement to embrace this game whole-heartedly, and to recognise its potential in a myriad of situations. Take a plastic container (like an ex-yoghurt tub) and partly fill it with metal bells, like Morris Dancers have on their socks. Ensure the lid is held on tightly, then shake for all your worth, at the same time yelling at the top of your voice NOISY. Hunch your shoulders, put your finger to your lips, keep your hand still and whisper 'quiet'. Then seamlessly hit the noisy option again. Presto! A game is born.

Of course, there is nothing like a pesky adult to reverse the labels for the action, and, initially cause confusion, then the peak of hilarity. Ah, yes ... the Noisy/Quiet game is a wonder of the modern universe.

At Ma's Place

Frequently, the weather dictates what we do when Alannah comes over to Ma's place to play. My courtyard is wonderful in summer, but quite chilly in winter, requiring a jacket and hat most of the day. If Ma does not wear her jacket and hat, very quickly Alannah dispenses with her's, too. Lucky that Ma is a skinny little runt!

We have moved out of the 'street watching' phase. We used to do two sessions of at least 30 minutes each, but some days now we don' clamber onto the courtyard gate at all. This week it was replaced by cooking.

Fraught times for Ma! Don't fall off the bench. Don't burn yourself. Where did I leave the veggie knife. Ah, no! That isn't cooked yet. And yet internalising it, and presenting an air of equinimity to the outside world. Cooking involved gnocchi with mince, garlic, asparagus, broccolini, a tomato and basil prepared sauce, and fresh chives. Not forgetting the pinch of salt. Just like piggy requests from the picnicking otters in Helen Oxenbury's 'It's My Birthday'.

As Alannah's fine motor skills develop, we are doing more colouring, cutting'n'pasting, sorting and 'writing'. I collect as many little plastic containers as possible and she sorts by shape and colour, endlessly. Tip up. Then 'Abracadabra. Kazoo. Kazaam. Mix me up as much as you can.' You might know it as shuffling.

The toy box (what a grand investment that was!) contains an array of writing implements. One such, is a bag of very small crayons that are generally too small for her wee hands, but good for sorting into colours. And, Alannah discovered this week, for rolling under the coffee table to Sellie, who proceeded to tap it this way'n'that with with her pink-tipped paws, rolling upside down, and suddenly dashing off out of the room to reenter by another door. All to squeals of delight from Alannah.

And then our big 'advance' of the week. I have often sat Alannah at my computer desk, and written words on scrap pieces of paper for her to 'write' as well. She took to this with avengeance this week. Including a one hour session which she allowed me to photograph. No writing from me. And very little colour. She insisted she was not 'colour in' but writing. And that obviously was only done with a black felt pen. You will see a wide variety of pencil grips still employed. I am trying to show her the classic grip and she often gets it. But the dagger grip is a starting point. She can now do vertical and horizontal lines. Exaggerated arcs. And wee pinched little lines. This is the writing. And she knows what she wants to write. Telling me Mummy, Daddy, book, car, cat dog, circle, oval, star. Each time she does an up-then-down mark she says 'Ma' and it is easy to see why. Check out the angle of the head, and the tongue. There was a lot of effort devoted to this session this week. I think she might be ready for her own packet of textas. Only for use up here on my computer table. And, yes, I do have to take to my tabletop with jiffy and a scrubber to remove the over enthusiatic lines!