Carnival

This coming Thursday is the school carnival (celebrating the half-way point through Lent or something; don't ask me, this is a Catholic school and I know fuck all about Catholic traditions).

For the 2 previous editions, I was actually able to attend, in my capacity as Parents' Association photography assistant, herding the kids into position so other PA members could take photos. It was a lot of fun, and I loved seeing all the kids' costumes (some were hilarious).

The first year, C went as a cowgirl and L as an Indian; last year, C was a mermaid and L was (of course) Zorro. This year, C has chosen to go as an angel and L as a pale pink rabbit. C's costume is ready-made - my dad bought it for her last year - and consists of a white/gold/fluff dress, gold/fluff wings and a fluffy headband/halo. She's got white tights and silver shoes and looks pretty much adorable. L's costume consists of pale pink trousers/T-shirt/cardigan (all of which we have), a pink fluffy/silky headband/ears combo that my dad bought years ago and that's it. Obviously, a rabbit needs a tail, so C and I have been making a pale pink pompom - we're making progress, but to make a large pompom, you need a lot of wool and a lot of winding it round the cardboard circles and oh, it's tedious to do! I also decided that a rabbit should have a carrot, so that's what I made this afternoon when I probably should have been working: a large (about 30 cm) felt orange stuffed carrot, complete with green felt leafy bits. If I say so myself, it's a frigging masterpiece (if I can get my act together, I might even take a photo of it!).

All that needs to be sorted now is the make-up. The thing is, I'll be teaching all day so I can't attend this year (big bummer that is), so D will be taking the girls at lunchtime so they can get ready at his place, but he says he won't do the make-up, so I'm going to do a practice session with C tomorrow after school so she can do her own and L's... I'm really pissed off I can't be there, but hopefully I'll get to see them all the same when I pick them up after school.

I'm not really much of a seamstress (now there's an understatement if ever I heard one), but I do so enjoy doing all this school preparation stuff. I want my sweet little girls to know that I'll always be willing to do what I can for this kind of thing, and I know they know I've never let them down. I just wish I could be there...

Watch this space for the photo of the carrot (this could be the start of a new enterprise, no? Toy cuddly felt vegetables... there must be a market for them, surely?!)!