Withywindle Wanderers

Coco, Daddy and Mummy had a lovely picnic, and then walked along by the water to Coco's classroom, where her teachers awaited - here they are! Coco is very advanced in physical develoment, and an absolute star on the monkey bars, and she is progressing very well in beginning reading and math, and social skills. She's had a wonderful year at school, and we've just heard she's accepted into Kindergarten there in the fall, which is grand! Tomorrow evening is the EEU auction, so the school has been transformed into a spy's dream, and I am playing the White Spy, from Mad Magazine - my arsenal includes a gun, all manner of wonderful bombs, dynamite, the works ... the Black Spy is in for it! I am so excited about this fun role! And it's ironic, isn't it, that a pacifist like me is SO very excited to be running around with toy weapons!! On Sunday, my wonderful writing group is meeting. I have begun a novel, and shall read some of it to the group, and give them choco...

My first Folklife Festival was in 2001, harp-playing with Bens & Laurel, orange poppies in their hair! Eowyn and Coco have been going all their lives, and this year we had a wonderful time, Eowyn entertaining the crowd with her hula hoop, Coco prowling as a cheetah, us all dancing in the icecold fountain, bumping into our lovely friends the Oglesbys, eating faerie floss, seeing vestiges of my English childhood (E and C and B's first time!) Punch and Judy, laughing, picnicking on bluegrass hill, dancing to June Madrona, making friends with everybody on the bus, and creating gargantuan bubbles!!!! Here's to Folklife!

The rain is falling ever so gently outside my window. I have just been writing a story, and before that preparing a page for my group tomorrow entitled 'Gender issues and our children'. Now I'm going to kiss my lovely sleeping Eowyn and Cosette goodnight and snuggle into bed beside my lovely Bens, with the window open to hear the gentle rhythms of rain.

The picture a few down in the previous post is of Eowyn, aged 4 weeks, at the Tulip Festival! We had a lovely time traipsing throught the tulips, until, on the walk back to the car, we realised we'd lost our carkeys in the tulips. After half an hour searching, cold, tired, hungry, thirsty, we Ady ladies were rather worried. The Skagit Valley is 100 miles north of Seattle, and we don't (didn't!) have a spare key. We asked for help, and people lined up and scoured the field - after another half hour, a young lad found the keys!!!!!!! Hurrah! Bens and I have started working with dear little S this week. It was a very moving experience, to connect so peacefully and slowly and timefully with her. S is 5, and was diagnosed with autism aged 18 months. Her Mom is a good friend of mine and a really amazing person. I'm also going to be facilitating a 3rd Little PEPperS group over the summer. I feel a little sad and worried about having less time with my dear girls - it's a te...