a couple of notes...

note number one:

i noted upon Our #4's return to the shed that a rather iffy 'whiff' returned with him.

this did not surprise me in anyway.

a boy of 12 at summer camp for a whole 8 days should indeed return home with a 'cloud of pigpen' following behind.

his 'whiff' told me he had the best time there was to have...

it also told me to tell him

"okay, much as i have missed you, i cannot talk nor look at you, until you have been in the bath"

a few minutes later he emerged, sparkling in some places and not so in others.

i noted his hair had not seen the shampoo

and when i glanced down, i visibly gasped at his toenails.

"never in all my born days have i seen so much yuck crammed under ten toenails, seriously could you not have sorted them in the bath?"

"nope" he replied, seeing nothing wrong with the thick brown line of crud under each of his ten toenails "we don't have a nail brush"

"not true" said i "it is somewhere lurking in the bathroom and i suggest buddy you find it pronto".

two days later,

Our #4 and myself are sitting in traffic on our way to soccer practice.

he turns to me, with 'thee' smile upon his face,

you know the smile that melts a mother's heart and

yet she knows what follows is not always what she wishes to hear.

"so i cleaned my toenails like you said" he beamed

"ahh, so you found the nail brush then?" i asked foolishly

"oh no, i used a bookmark i found, not my favorite one which is my green eggs and ham one. no i used the one ma and pa gave me for Christmas... it worked a treat" he beamed even more 'beamier' than before.

i left it there, for indeed he had made what was for me a tough day, melt away...

i was filled with warmt for my child, for all the little funny things he has done over the years.

reminding me once again, on a day when i had 'lost my rag' several times, why i am most fortunate to be a mother.

i did not wish to enquire where he was when he unearthed the goings on from under his toenails.

i decided somethings are much better left unknown

note number 2:

for reasons i cannot say at this momento,

i am working on getting a few action shots of moi in the shed...

this is not easy for me, for i am a cousin of flat stanley and cannot for the life of me pretend like the camera isn't there.

i become completely rigid and board like.

yesterday with the help of Carlos my camera and Our #3 we attempted some action shots within the shed...

i am not going to tell you how many photos we took, let me just say,

a digital camera is a marvelous thing.

in the end after the day was nearly done,

we had two action shots to show for our efforts.

Our #1 remarked whilst packing her case

"oh yes, this is a perfect 'vertigo' action shot, there you are one leg up and clutching your crochet to keep upright" with a twinkle in her eye.

then Debbie, my soul sister in old blighty pointed out that i may need to be a little less actiony for fear of someone seeing my leg and asking me to join the team GB and train for the next Olympics...

i am thinking this is why sometimes i prefer the company of ones that do not offer up advice even if i ask for it

she is delighted to report after a crappity crap start, Mr Summer is doing what he does best today ~ Tif