Damp.

It was warmer still today. Everything was quite damp with this very fine mist hanging in the air.  In the morning I did some housework and then headed off for a fun afternoon with the Reception class. For once it wasn't PE! Instead I had to work with children making the first stage of their Christmas cards. They had a choice of Christmas tree stencils to draw around on thin card which they then had to cut out. The group of children I worked with had very poor fine motor skills so I sat with them one at a time to teach them how to use scissors. I can understand parents being reluctant to let their children loose with scissors but I do find it sad that so many children start school with little experience of messy creative activities. After school I went up to the staffroom for the staff meeting and had made myself a coffee before I found out that the meeting has been moved to tomorrow as the Year 1 & 2 teachers will be staying on in school for the evening performance of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Instead I went down to the Co-Op trying to remember which ingredients for Christmas cake I needed to buy. I haven't even sorted out the recipe I'm going to use. Every year I wonder if it is worth baking a cake as for a start my rayburn can't be turned down low enough for the recommended temperature. However as Vytas is coming down and he loves Christmas cake I'll have one more go and try not to burn the top.

Peter was in his study this afternoon when he heard one of the cats yowling. We keep the upstairs room doors shut so first he went and checked there wasn't a cat stuck in a bedroom. Eventually he found that Patch had proudly brought in a small trout to show. Being mindful of the carpet Peter picked up the trout, took it downstairs where he put it in a metal dish. No sooner had he put the dish down outside than Speedy raced over, grabbed the fish and disappeared with it hanging out of his mouth like a fishy moustache. Meanwhile Patch was still sitting on the stairs wondering where his fish had got to. Poor old Patch. Peter felt sorry for him and gave him some cheese to make up for the loss of his trout.