Napping on the Verandah

Tilly's the only one who's not sick and today as we send Ruby (the other girl cousin who did the Donnie Darko-esque dance) away, everyone's feeling a little short. Not to mention that Magy brought her to Holly's Lolly shop for her weekly retail practice. She gives me her blue candy because she hates it, but finishes the rest with the voracity only my sister could muster, guaranteeing a sugar high, oh, like, now.

With superior reflexes and agility, I corner her into the hammock on the verandah and start to panic. Time is running out and unless i occupy this crazy bundle of energy within the next 20 seconds, I'll have a worse time keeping up with her OUTSIDE the hammock. Think, Ivan, think, think like a five-year-old girl! So I started a story of Princess and the Pea, and I'm very surprised she hasnt heard of it before. Silly gruff voices for the king/prince/peasants and the pricky voice for the princess. Im just pulling stuff out of the hat as I remember parts of the story, and make up others, including a sub-plot about peasants and a broken wheel (from my favourite story We Need A Wheel). Maggie is on the deck chair with her Lonely Planet Australien and Erika is on the other hammock. Turns out that they're listening to my vocal and mental acrobatics in glee as they take time to buzz.

By the end of the story, I'm parched but Tilly's asleep so it's game point to me. Molly comes to visit as she returns to the circus and I speak with her about ConFest. Of course, she's gone, and now I definitely have to go. Lauren, Beth and Magy were pretty okay referrals but Molly, now, thats an iron alibi. So I run back to the verandah where Maggie is and tell here we are going to the festival. We immedately make plans to leave tomorrow, and Tilly wakes up with all the excitement much to our dismay