It was a busy weekend. The first weekend of the school-year therefore (I was about to use 'so' but it's school-year after all, so come on:) an ambitious plan to keep things off screen was very much on, regardless the weather.
We went to different places, faced meltdowns, dealt with occasional tantrums, the usual. The more you go out, the easier it gets, so no need to dwell on these.
We met the most amazing couple there, sailors who are the 8th owners of the Firefly, a small boat built in 1923. We were not only invited on the boat (still in full operational mode*), we were treated to story spanning 70+ years. The Firefly was one of the boats saving soldiers from Dunkirk. In the 90s one of the saved veterans was actually on board, and recognized the boat when sitting inside. No need to mention, how emotional he felt.
Hearing that story made me emotional, too. Whether you are a pacifist, like me, or are for fighting no matter what, this can make you stop and think how life takes its turns.
And then me, looking at the Mini-Man who was in his element, wearing captain's hat, wandering around, kindly acknowledged by the hosts. When I expressed my usual apologies for his a bit too much of an interest in everything around, they were - again:) - kindly denied. Which made me think better about myself in a motherly context, at least for the next minute. That is, until the man added a comforting line: 'Don't worry, this boat survived a war. It has seen worse!' ...
That mixture of embarrassment and situational comedy awareness. A feeling most parents share. Some more often than others... ;)
*) Just to reassure all readers, despite our visit, the Firefly is still in full operational mode.
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