Swim-In Theatre

Day 5 of our holidays, yesterday, was yet another wonderfully relaxing day. The kids slept in really late, read before getting out of bed, and then did those things that make kids happy...hung with friends, watched a movie, etc. Tris has been doing physio in the school pool and yesterday I joined him. Actually, I walked over to the pool with a hat and a book in hand, and while he walked the pool and did his resistance exercises, I laid precariously on a cafeteria bench someone had dragged into the pool area. While I read I listened to both Tris' ipod and to the silence of no one else at the pool. Wonderful. All against a blue sky backdrop.

Sometimes I get a little antsy with all of the 'hanging around,' and so I began to bake. I made flour tortillas (if anyone has a recipe that doesn't cook crispy, I'm looking for one. I want my tortillas to roll, not stiffen up) and an apple/blackberry pie. Fresh apples but canned blackberries. Not quite the same but we will enjoy it just the same.

The highlight of day five for me was a pretty spontaneously planned gathering of about 5 families to play soccer. I love playing with all the ages...kids love playing soccer with their dads. Moms were on the field, but there's just something about kids kicking a ball with their dads that's fun to watch. After the game most of the gang headed to the pool to cool off while another mom, Alyce, and I headed to the mall for buckets of fried chicken. After a swim, everyone had dinner and then we watched Napoleon Dynamite on a projector screen next to the pool. It gets dark at 6 and so it's easy to have a dinner theatre by the pool and get home in time for a good sleep. I've never watched a movie from the pool before (I got a later swim in because I'd been at the mall buying chicken) and it was quite a magical experience. Of course I tried to capture it on film but it didn't work all that well. Sometimes things are best left in the corners of our minds rather than on film.

Today's plan? Water the garden, eat pie, read. We'll head out for dinner tonight and the kids are thrilled...no dishes! To me it's about the food; to the kids it's about the chores:) I am really hoping that our house help is having a good time with their families. Our driver, Haris, only had a 3 hour bus ride (no a/c, no bathrooms on the bus) with his family, but our helper Ami had an 8 hour ride. Potentially, because of traffic, her ride could take up to 24 hours. I thank my blessings when I'm in my nice litte a/c-cooled vehicle and I see a huge bus next to me, with arms and heads hanging out the windows. People always look so tired in those buses. I have nothing to complain about.

Thanks for reading.