Missing

Saturday was fabulous weather and all the neighbourhood children where outside playing in the road. CS was playing with M (4 years old and lives across the road). I turned my back on them for about 30 seconds to help CE and they were gone. At first I didn't think anything of it. They were bound to have gone to M's house. Went to look there. No M and CS weren't there. Checked at no44 as their gate was open no not there either. Then to add to the confusion one of the older boys thought they had gone up the road with his little brother, as his brother was missing too. All the parents and older siblings were hunting these three toddlers.
After 10 minutes or so they were all safely found in the little boys bedroom. They had neglected to tell anyone that they had gone there.

School

Next year CS needs to go to primary school. She will only be five years old. I have no idea how the school system works. I went to school in Germany and then to public school when we moved back to the UK. I should explain that public school means private school.
I understand that parents now have the choice of where to send their child. Great how do you choose? There are reports with scores but these are all pretty much the same round here. I have to say I don't even know if you have to put the child's name on a waiting list. My friend K is a teacher in Berkshire. There you have to put the child's name down before they are four. Is it the same in Oxfordshire?
Well my mission for the coming few days (weeks?) is to find out go about choosing a school. The girls in the last house of our close recommend Ladygrove school. Their mother is teacher at the school for the reception class (the five year olds).
I will hopefully be able to have an update on choosing schools soon.

Superpower

I took a folding chair out of the shed. On the back of the chair there was a butterfly. It didn't do a lot. I assumed that it had died on the chair over the winter months and left it as something to be dealt with later.
CE and CS thought it was an odd thing and kept going over to look at it. I told them what I thought had happened. "why won't it flap away?" "I think it is dead." I picked it of the chair to show to them properly. As I do this the butterfly decides it has warmed up now and flies away.
CE:"oh, pretty orange." CE is obsessed with orange.
CS:"Mama you made it come to life again!"
"No, the sun warmed it up I it must just have been hibernating or something."
CS:"No, it was dead and YOU made it life again."
"Yes, that would be right Mama has the power to do that".
I should now point out that sarcasm is wasted on the under 4's. They have told the neighbour of my superpower, my parents and Mr Yoastie.

Passports

While we were in NL in March there was a lot of discussion on whether one should be allowed two passports. As it happens I have dual nationality. The rules were changed in the 1980's but I being "really old" still have two and will be allowed to keep them (well until they change their minds).
It has been useful having two passports. Mr Yoastie insisted we marry in NL and that is a lot easier if you both have NL passports. The gentleman in Den Haag where we had to register our intention to marry was very confused that I had not been 'uitgeschreven' but that is a different story.
The little Yoasties are allowed dual nationality as well. The British rule is the child has the mother's nationality this trumps the only one allowed rule. Strange but true.
We went to renew our passports. The photographer who is next to the consulate had been briefed on the way one should look in the picture.
"Oh yes, Mr Consul sends a lot of business our way. We have the official instruction on what is required. Now we need to see your ears in the photo. New rules I'm afraid."
"What happens if you wear a headscarf or a turban? You can't see the ears then can you?"
"Religious reasons are allowed."
"Well for religious reasons, I think I would rather not look like a muppet on my passport photo. My hair looks really unfashoinable like that."
"I your religion based on the teachings of Trinny and Susannah? Be glad we can see your ears. Mr Consul sometimes sends people back because the ears aren't clear. Try as I may I can not get their ears on. Their faces are too chubby or something."
"Hmm not really the done thing to call your customers freaks is it?"
"No, but luckily Mr Consul is understanding when I put that on a note with the pictures :-)

Well I have my passport and I do look like a muppet.

Preschool

All children in Britain once they are three years of age have right to a government funded place at preschool. There are as always certain provisos. But essentially five sessions a week are funded (a session being 2.5 hours). Preschool is very similar to Kindergarten in Germany. Mostly playing with some indoctrination - sorry teaching.
It was CE's first day at preschool yesterday. She is not three yet but the school CS goes to offers places from the age of two, provided you pay. She has been very excited about going. CS goes and all the other big girls go too. Now that she can go she is big too. "I am not a baby, I go to preschool."
CE chose which clothes to wear the night before. She helped to pack her extremely pink rucksack all ready for the next day. She was a little taken aback when CS was not in her group. But with the help of her trusted bunny she was left behind. No tears or tantrums, so slightly guilt ridden I went home.
Two and a half hours later I picked them both up. CE told me all about what she had done. There had been songs, milk (cold not warm), bread and butter, play dough, cars in the garden, a blue potty and tomorrow she would go again. I explained that as she was not three yet should would only go twice a week. Then CE told me that was good because she had cried for her Mummy the whole time she was there. "When did you cry CE? I didn't see you cry. Mummy I didn't see her cry when did she cry." "The whole time""You did not""I did""You did not cry I didn't see you.""I did" and so it carried on.
I think that she did like. I checked with the teacher if she had been all right. The teacher said she had been very shy but other than that fine. Also the fact that today when we dropped CS CE was about to put her things on her peg makes me suspect at someone is fibbing about crying all day.

Needlepoint

My friend K and I have know each other since we were 21 years old. We are quite different but at the same time we share many (not necessarily cool) interests. We both love Jane Austen Novels, period dramas (preferably on the BBC - "they do them so much better..."), classical music, films and needlepoint.
K is into knitting, sewing, embroidery and quilting. As she has no children of her own yet she has time for all this. She knits fun jumpers for my girls. I tend to be too precise and take ages to finish things. I'll unpick it if I think it isn't neat enough.
As a homage to all things needle work I would like to refer you to the sites below. They made me laugh out loud.
http://whatnottocrochet.wordpress.com/
http://whatnottoknit.wordpress.com/

Pots and Pans

A couple of days ago when we arrived back home I was wondering why there was a big plastic bag on my stove. I wouldn't have put a plastic bag on my stove; would I? In it was a new pan. No note or anything
There are few people with the key to the door who will mysteriously break in and leave a pan. I called my mother and yes she had left it. "Well you know how you always strain your potatoes into a colander?" "Yes, Mother I am aware that I have not mastered the required technique for
straining potatoes. How have you managed to live with the shame?""Oh, I haven't told your grandmother, so don't worry. But this pan has a special lid you can strain through. I bought one for A (sister-in-law) too she is just as inept with potatoes as you."
The new pan has been tested and it does work. :-)

Books

Yesterday was quiet fun. We went to story time at the library. Young Yoastie 1 (CS) loves it. She knows all the actions to the songs and stories and has to be at the front to dance along. CS is normally very shy but she loves showing off that she can dance. She has such a serious face when there is a new rhyme she doesn't know yet. Young Yoastie 2 (CE) is not so bothered. There is a big wooden train in the library and she would rather climb in that than dance along.
At the end of the 30 min you get a sticker for your "book crawl" record (local initiative to get children to read more books). CS very nicely asked if CE may have a sticker too. CE was on the boiler (of the train) and wasn't getting off. The lady from the library looked a little amused and gave her the sticker. Later she found me and said it was lovely to meet children with good manners but maybe CS needed to learn the difference between how to address gentlemen and ladies. CS had said:"Please sir, may I have a sticker for my little sister."

Coffee

I love coffee but maybe I need to wean myself off it slightly. I only say this after Young Yoastie 1 said to Young Yoastie 2 "you have to behave Mama hasn't had her coffee yet."
Maybe I am becoming dependent. Not sure I am ready to go cold turkey though...

Childminding

My neighbour is a childminder by profession. She was on holiday and so I agreed to look after the eldest two of her charges, two brothers aged 11 and 6.

I had forgotten how difficult life is if you are pre-pubescent. Eleven year old was in a really glum mood. "What's up?" "It's school disco tonight. I have to go." "well it could be fun" "No! Mrs Dodd said we have to dance with girls! I don't like girls!" "Really no girls at all?" Blushing "There are one or two who might be all right. But it's really gay that we have to dance with girls." Hmmm gay to dance with girls not sure that's quite the way I would have phrased that.

The six year old was on the whole easier to entertain as he played hide and seek and catch with the little Yoasties. He was very sweet when one of them cut her toe and he helped clean up the cut and everything. I did have to promise that I would not tell anyone that he played with girls and toddlers at that.

Holiday weekend

Well it is a holiday weekend and it is lovely sunny weather. This leads to the following consequences here in Britain.

1. Gradening: Not a problem as far as I am concerned. People mowing their lawns is fine by me unless it is related to point 3.
   
2. Clothing: It is over 20C so the average Brit feels it necessary to shed as many items of clothing as possible. Our neighbour wore hotpants. Now you may say you shouldn't be peeking into his garden Mrs Yoastie. However he was in the front garden watering the plants. Oh and when I say hotpants that did not include a shirt.
3. BBQ: It is not raining, so we must have a barbecue. Even if it is below 0C, it is not raining and it is a bank holiday weekend you have to have a barbecue if you have a British passport. This weekend that would be fine as the weather is lovely but it does get chilly of an evening. Luck would have it that I have two passports and today the Dutch one wins. I do not find burnt food nice and will therefore not suffer barbecues just because it is a bank holiday.
   

Well our neighbours know the rules. They mowed the lawn, wore too few clothes and had a barbecue. I now have sheets that smells of bunt sausages but other than that it was a lovely weekend.

Billy

Friend K:"How is the office coming along?"
Mrs Y.:"Oh, fine we have painted carpeted ..."
Little Yoastie 1 interupts:"Yes, Daddy moved his desk in and all his computers. And he moved Billy into the office too!"
"Really",bemused look on K's face"Who is Billy? Is that the cat?"
"No. The cat is called Yoast." look of how can you be so silly only a three year old can have.

Maybe I should explain that Billy is the Ikea name for the kind of bookcases we have. It may now be time to stop calling the furniture by its Ikea name and start using the real terms.

Hello

Some of you may have met Mr Yoastie. Well I am Mrs Yoastie and I have decided to keep my own blog.

I feel I need to have somewhere to document my conversations I have had, things that I have wondered about or just generally to complain.

Hope you may like some of my blogs.