Today we began with playgroup – somewhere Small Z likes to go as they have a box of many die-cast Thomas the Tank Engines and friends, as well as a Maithwaite Station and train tracks. I take her to socialise. She hangs with the trains, and I drink tea with the mums and intermittently help cut up fruit, put on smocks, create playdough masterpieces and adjudicate minor conflicts.
After playgroup we drove into the city. That should have big fat flashing neon around it. I have never taken Small Z into the city. The drive there and back was enough to put me off, but we had an appointment with a breast thrush guru. Small Z was a champ and had almost an hours nap in the car. I found a carpark right in front of me on Exhibition Street and thus abandoned my plans to park under the QV building.
Of course we had to wait to see the doctor, and then there was nappy changing, and by the time we got back to the car it was about 20min after the hour that was allowed. Fifty-six dollars later… ARGH!!! What to do? We soothed ourselves by inviting ourselves to Mung’s house for dinner and driving to Northcote to SHOP.
Ordinarily I would be horrified at spending bucks on apparel for Small Z. She is entirely clothed by op-shops and eBay. However, she has just grown out of all her shoes, and despite having many others to go on with, they are all secondhand and I can’t be quite sure that they fit properly. We went into a beautiful shop I had googled up – Big Dreams – and Small Z got some gorgeous red leather shoes and some excellent grey cotton runners. Lovely.
It was very nice to wander through exciting shops and have hot chocolate in a bookshop. I felt as if I was back over in the USA. I think I need to get out more…despite the expenses. Mung and Rach saved us the horror of peak hour traffic, and fed us baked risotto. Small Z bathed in all the Thomas the Tank Engine books and trains that she could get her hands on, and was fed mango. Bliss. We reclaimed all the things we had left behind at the holiday house and Rach lent me Divisadero. We found a small rocking horse with optional wheels in the Easey Street hard rubbish, and brought him home with us…
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