Stones, glorious stones. I searched for smooth ones, Cubling for big ones to throw. Snowflake didn't search, she explored every one.

There was a lot of climing. On ropes, on climbing frames, on statues, on walls.

And the first spring flowers... Aren't they lovely?

Of course we had ice cream at Nardini's and Cubling sped down the front on her bike. As you do on a March Sunday in Largs. Not long now that she'll be ready for the cycle around Millport!

Little Miss Blether is sick

The sun is shining, my nose is running. It must be spring in Germany.
Although I'm used to travelling at this time of the year, once again I forgot:
-antihistamines and inhaler, so I'm sneezing and coughing away
-sun hats for the kids, meaning that I have to buy them to add to their collection of sun hats bought in Germany
-suitable clothes for 20 degrees plus, because I simply can't imagine it could ever be so warm in April that my Scottish summer clothes are too thick. They are.

To start off our holiday, Cubling took sick. Since Snowflake fell ill with Meningitis and I didn't suspect anything seriously wrong with her at the time, waiting a full hour before phoning NHS24 and talking them into her not needing an ambulance (how wrong was I), seeing Cubling with a distant stare and unresponsiveness triggered me to call an ambulance.

Of course it was a bit hasty (though to be fair, the emergency doctor recommended transfer to the hospital, so it wasn't just my call) and she turned out to be fine. Well, relatively.
At the hospital I could see those looks implying she's mad that mum to take her here for a bit of an infection, until she did the collapsing, not responding, staring and rolling eye thing again and discharge was postponed for another hour. See, told you so.

Then they managed to mislay the European Health Card between ambulance and hospital, and I still don't have it back. So I may be faced with a private treatment bill, which, considering the ambulance turned up with 5 people, surely will be hefty.

Cubling was very sick for two days, greyfaced, feverish, sicky, no appetite, coughing and above all quiet. Little Miss Blether gone all quiet, something must be very very wrong I tell you. Loving mum that I am, I met up with a friend and plonked her on a chair at a restaurant. She stayed there all the time and friend and I had a really long chat. How unusual, how wonderous.


Main thing of course is that she is well again, though now Snowflake has the coughs again, after a week of a break. Little Miss Worry that I am, I've had two nights of almost no sleep listening to her every breath, holding her up so she can breathe a tad more easily.

And then there's the issue of getting about to see people, but that's another story altogether...

Nurture in Nature - first signs of spring

  

Guck mal Mami, a daisy! And die ersten Blumen!

Thus Cubling spotted the first signs of spring and was full of excitement, and mummy obliged and took the photos.

On our way home she asked if it was her birthday tomorrow, as it was now spring.

Patience monkey, it's not quite spring yet. When the daffodils are out in bloom, then it will be your birthday. And the ones in our house don't count.

Pictures taken during our Nurture in Nature playgroup outing in Pollok Park on 3rd February 2011, between the two storms. This post is part of Outdoor Challenge Monday which is hosted at 5orangepotatoes.