Level 2 Chi Kung. Microcosmic orbit.
Woken up 15 minutes before the alarm by Katie yelling ‘Mum, Dad’ at her (rather impressive!) top volume. Staggered through to see what was up and she announced that her tummy hurt and she felt too sick to go to school. Given that she normally struggles to wake in the morning, I thought it must be genuine and agreed that she could stay home. Nick was already intending to work from home to keep an eye on Jack while I went to an appointment at Dashi’s school. The paediatrician was impressed with Dash, who chatted happily with her. Asked what he liked doing at home, Dash gave eating my gingerbread pancakes top billing. When the paediatrician looked surprised, he said emphatically: “They’re really very good pancakes!’. I beamed – couldn’t help it, tried to keep it unobtrusive.
Inevitably the conversation turned to superpowers and how one might reasonably acquire them. Dash told the doctor that he would like to develop the ability to read minds.
Dr: And how would that be useful, if you could read minds? What would you do?
Dash: I could be a great detective. Like Detective Matthew Parkman.
Dr: [looking confused but then enlightenment slowly dawning] Ah! Like Matt Parkman off Heroes?
Dash: Yes, if I could read minds, I could be a detective and help people. Sometimes it causes trouble though.
Dr: Oh. So you might not really want to have the power to read minds, if it causes trouble?
Dash: [face screwed up, utterly perplexed] But I’m NOT married!
At this point the doctor gave up the struggle. After Dash went back to class, I explained that the type of trouble Dash had in mind was that Matt Parkman overheard his wife thinking that she was having an affair with one of his colleagues!
With Jack off school, I hadn’t been able to get to the shops all week, so I took the opportunity to stop on the way home and stock up on a few bits and pieces, including some very cute snowflake cookie cutters, which will be perfect for making Nigel Slater’s spice biscuits. By the time I got home, it was time to start getting dinner organised. When I finally sat down with Katie in the evening, I asked her how she was feeling and if she thought she would need to stay home again tomorrow. ‘No!!!’ she said, ‘I thought I would stay home today so that you and I could have some quiet time together but YOU spent the WHOLE DAY at Dashi’s school and I had to stay home and be BORED, BORED, BORED. I want to go to SCHOOL tomorrow.’ So much for the tummy-ache!
I pointed out that tomorrow is Saturday, so school isn’t an option, but that I was really asking whether she would like a day off Stagecoach. She calmed down and said that yes, she would.