Jingle Belle

The Monkey and I are both unwell today. Not really needing to be in bed all day being gently bathed in lavender water, but not well enough to really be at work/daycare and we both need 2 naps. So we stayed home this morning so she (and I) could sleep and then come lunch time LH called and asked if we'd like to come in and have lunch with him so we did.

We headed off to the CityCat, her in her pink swing top and stripy pants with teensy white leather sandals and me in a pair of jeans and a white singlet. She babbled the whole time we waited for the cat, DUCK, DADA, SPLASH etc etc (thankfully she wasn't the one splashing) until we were finally able to board and get whipped by the wind, and then sit down in the cabin. We took our seats and little Miss Monkey sat up like the Queen on her seat, obviously chuffed to be on an adventure and not strapped in to anything. Watching her with her gorgeous chubby toddler knees and the dimples at her elbows and that naughty naughty grin I completely fell in love with her (for the billionth time) until she started sticking her foot in my face, pointing at her very cute sandals and saying OFF.

Lunch in the park with DADA was fun, and sitting there in the brilliant sunshine I wished we could abduct him from his work duties and force him to come play with us, but unfortunately he of the impeccable work ethic had to go. I had originally planned on coming straight home again, but we'd chosen to eat lunch next to the beach and it was so hot and the Monkey was behaving so well jingling around the place (she wears a thai anklet with two bells on it) that I decided we'd just go sit on the sand and look at the water (HA, and furthermore hahahahahaha).

At first the Monkey was tentative and would only allow her toes to get the teensiest bit wet before running back to me and clambering onto my lap. But after a record 5 minutes or so she was in the toddler-knee-depth water splashing about and imploring me with that cheeky face of hers to come too. So I rolled up my jeans to my thighs, blinding everyone in sight with their un-Queenslandish glow and squatted down next to her so we could examine the seed pods floating by. Or at least that was my plan which was quickly thwarted as the Monkey splashed me all down my white singlet, fell over completely drenching herself, and then launching at me so that I overbalanced in the water and ended up sitting down in it. In jeans.

I could not even pretend to be upset or embarrassed, the water was the perfect temperature, we were in a little cove all to ourselves and the Monkey could not stop giggling as she splashed and looked happier than I've seen her in ages. She patted sand into my cleavage and bounced on tiptoes and laughed so loud and so long that we became the star attraction for a load of tourists who snapped photo after photo of my dancing Monkey.

The only problem was that I hadn't thought to bring any spare clothes, aside from clean nappies for the Monkey, so once I realised that at some stage I would have to get out of the water, in my drenched jeans and singlet and the Monkey with nothing but a nappy I had to laugh at myself. I picked her and our belongings up and headed to the markets to buy her a cheap pink "I love Australia" t-shirt 3 sizes too big (that looked adorable one I'd rolled the sleeves above her elbows) and a pair of loud boardshorts for me (I couldn't find a sarong). Jingling all the way back to the ferry stop I saw a few raised eyebrows at our unorthodox appearance, but truly, today was one of the most fun days I've had in months.

We then caught the ferry back home, with Lady Muck again sitting up in her chair like she had been bred for the role, and jangled our way back to the car, pausing only to pick wildflowers along the way (her not me). The only thing that marred it was walking along the path, about half way to the car, was a perfect red rose that had been crushed by someone's heel into the pavement, bruising the petals. I looked at it for too long, tears welling in my eyes as I wondered who had discarded it and why before picking up one perfect unblemished petal and pressing it to my lips. Then we came home and slept, passed out in the warm afternoon with the gentle breeze cosseting us.