From the heart.

Tuesday is our piano lesson day and our Tuesday afternoons go something like this;

3.30pm leave school, walk home at a bit of a pace.

3.50pm arrive home, Annabel 10 minutes piano practice.

4.00pm, Annabel finish, Joseph 10 minutes practice.

4.10pm, Joseph finish, my turn for practice.

4.20pm our piano teacher arrives and Annabel has her lesson first.

4.50pm-ish, Annabel finishes, Joseph's turn.

5.20pm-ish, Joseph finishes, my turn.

Ok, this is where it gets interesting (finally, I hear you gasp).

My piano lesson has, for a couple of years now, been "my" 30 minutes each week, a bit of "me" time, nothing gets in the way of it, kind of thing.

And, on the whole, the kids are very kind and understanding when it comes to this time on a Tuesday. Well, what is important is that I time their meal perfectly so that it is cooling on the table as Joseph finishes his lesson. This is the one and only reason that Tuesday is fish finger and smiley faces night (I'm a good cook and parent, honest!).

In fact, when I'm standing at the sink draining their favourite vegetables as I hear our teacher congratulating Joseph on his good playing, I positively skip down the hallway for my own lesson.

Anyway, as usual, I'm rambling, and what's important here is what happens when they've finished their fish fingers, when they've polished off the dessert I put out for them. More often than not, they play nicely together, or cash in their DS time, or something!

But not this time.

About halfway through my lesson, I was aware of some crashing about, but tried to ignore it. Then laughter, more crashing, more trying to ignore it. But then, an almighty crash and sound of smashing glass ...... then silence.

"Ummm .....?", said my piano teacher.

"Excuse me a moment", says I.

I walked ..... how shall I say ...... with "purpose" to the dining room and told both children to go to their rooms which, to their credit, they did without so much as a 'but'.

Anyway, normal service was restored and I finished my lesson without any further mishaps. When Leonid (for 'tis his name) left and I'd closed the front door behind him, Annabel came down silently down the stairs, handed me a piece of paper and turned without saying a word. This was followed by Joseph doing the same. I read both notes and laughed so hard, both children came back down the stairs to see what was going on, relieved that I was laughing, not mad!

I have typed out what they wrote below. You can see their actual notes below that.

My favourite part is the fact that Annabel clearly changed her original note following some kind of indignation on Joseph's part. Can you see it? From "I didn't do anything " to "I didn’t do much".

Brilliant stuff, the kind of laughs all parents hope to get!



I am so sorry. even though I didn’t do anything. much. Joseph was showing me his karati and axedently tripped me up. I hurt my arm and leg. Then we sat back down but Joseph kicked the glasses.
Before we were SO good until I tripped.

I’m sorry.

Love from Annabel

She then drew a picture with me saying “norty girl”, which I didn’t even say!

Joseph’s turn.


Dear Dad

Me and Annabel were doing karate and we weren’t really that good at it and we kept on stumbling. After a while, I remembered a move and I showed Annabel. I showed her and she really liked it! In the end she picked it up and we tried at the same time. When turning round we clashed and Annabel was sent tumbling to the floor!

That was the first crash you heard.

I figured out that I should show her another move and I demonstrated it to Annabel. She picked it up again and she said she loved it!

After a couple of minutes we tried it together and it went really well! We were really happy we didn’t make a noise and we turned round to eat. I tripped over the chair and tripped over into the wine bottles. I really hurt my bumcheek.

Love from Joseph.