It’s Monday again already. You could hardly contain the enthusiasm levels in the house. They were heavily disguised by the lack of older children making an appearance before I dragged them out of bed at 9am. The benefit in that was that it gave me a chance to start the younger children’s education with the YouTube clip sent by the nursery teacher, before Toby hijacked the computer. And that in turn gave me a chance to print off Maddie’s work whilst I had five minutes of calm. It’s all a case of strategy when sharing the all important technology.

Theo’s topic this week is mini beasts, so it seemed a good time to dig out the little wooden insects for counting purposes.

Micah was keen to get involved, Theo took a bit more persuasion. But we bribed everyone with an exciting real life mini beast hunt if they could manage a task. Apparently something which would send the older children running in the opposite direction squealing about spiders is still appealing to 3, 4 and 6 year olds.

I had the bright idea today of using foam to help Theo practice forming letters. Note to self-don’t do that again. It was very appealing, but no letters were formed and the children and the bathroom were covered in foam. Still, if you don’t try you don’t know, do you?!

We timed the mini beast hunt to coincide with piano lessons to try and help the noise levels. I felt like I was winning this week by actually setting the zoom lessons up on time. Theo’s nursery work also encouraged the children to start to take photographs. I handed my phone over to Theo, and ended up with several hundred photos of blurry grass and mud shots, myself at unflattering angles, the bbq, and, quite incredibly, an accidental photo of two ladybirds in the tree. Which he didn’t know were there. I’m not sure quite what he took away from the hunt, but at least there’s one picture to send his teacher this week.

Toby was a happy chappy today, a combination of walking to post a letter to his friend, and the arrival of the Avengers jumper he ordered online weeks ago. He’s not happy at my threats to cut his hair again though. It seems he wasn’t that impressed with my barber skills. Harsh, but 10 year old boys are tricky clients it turns out.

Maddie and Micah were thick as thieves today, with horses playing a major role in most of their games. I was hanging washing out on the other side of the garden when they decided to quiz me loudly on the anatomy of equine beasts. ‘Mum, do horses wee standing up?’ ‘Mum, do horses have willies?’ I often wonder how much our neighbours enjoy living next door to us.

I found an alternative and very popular use for the foam tray. Horses riding through snow and being rinsed off in water lasted for a good while giving excellent entertainment value for effort.

A few weeks ago I ordered a ‘Rainbow of Hope’ t shirt as an NHS fundraiser and to mark these strange days. I asked Megan to take a photo, so I could tag the shop who sold it. For the second time today, I handed my phone over to a child, and received it back with one usable photo and 100 selfies. It’s no wonder I have 21,000 photos on my phone. Sorting through those is somewhere on a to do list. For a very quiet day.

There was great excitement over preparations for the imminent arrival of the chicks. According to one child, it was ‘as exciting as when you went to collect Micah’. At which point they nostalgically starting retelling the story of Micah’s arrival. Which was very cute, but it didn’t seem quite right to put baby chick siblings on the same level as their youngest brother! Still, in these long weeks, something new and entertaining is always a bonus. It does look like I’ll be sharing my quiet corner with some not so quiet friends though.

I was chatting to a friend earlier about my mixed feelings I feel at the moment with lockdown. I’m tired of it, definitely. I miss company and freedom. I miss hugs and singing, coffee with friends and children playing together. I miss family gatherings and visiting the beach.

But when a return to a ‘new normal’ is mentioned, I feel apprehensive and anxious too. Maybe because it’s unknown, what it may look like. Maybe because things not being normal might go on for some time. But also because I don’t feel in a hurry to go back to the busyness, the time pressures, the work pressures, the peer pressures. It feels like a delicate balance of wanting some parts of life back, with no desire to rush back into the always rushing life.

This Psalm reminds me tonight that while I’m waiting I can be peaceful, unshaken. The rainbow of hope can be a bridge, shining hope into the lockdown and also arching into a hope-filled future. Because the God of the rainbow promise who hasn’t left me in the past, and is present in my days now, will be reaching forward with me into the future days, bringing hope and His provision and His faithful promise-keeping love.

5 ‘For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.’ – Psalm 62:5-8