Activities Week

Joss left for three days in Canberra this morning. At the end of third term, the years 7-9 kids have activities week where they can go somewhere out of town (the options were Melbourne and Canberra this time) or stay in Wagga and do day trips to different things. These activities all cost money, of course, and we told Joss at the beginning of the year that she would not be going on the expensive trips every time. I think she and her friends must have gotten together to strategise because she came home with only one permission slip, for the Canberra trip, and said that all her friends were going, please, just this once, we'll stay in Wagga next time.

We fell for it and she and all her, admittedly lovely, friends are in Canberra this evening. They are ice-skating as I write. Tomorrow night, after a day at the zoo and aquarium and National Portrait Gallery, they are off to the cinema to see Snow White and the Huntsman. What a life!  Here she is, in the very wooden kitchen, ready to head off on her adventure.

We realise now how much she is growing up. We weren't inundated with notes from school about the trip. There was no list of what she had to pack. She attended a few meetings and had the whole thing under control. She attempted a little more manipulation. Apparently she is the only one on the whole trip without a phone. We did not fall for this one. It's good to be different!

We also realised this afternoon, that we rely on her. She usually walks Toby and Bethany home from their bus stop, over the very busy road-with-no-crossing. Andrew had a meeting this afternoon so he picked them up from the bus stop and dropped them off to the library where they lounged in beanbags and read.

Coming to the library is a special treat for my kids because Margot saves them special things and they both went home with goodies! Bethany was especially taken with the fingerless gloves. One says 'good' and the other 'bad'. Very apt.