Things We Can Do Now...

Since my last post Antonia has learnt to ride her bike without training wheels. It's amazing how far a little bribery will go! She learnt and her reward was a Transformer named Bumblebee....yes, she has an older brother! Currently she is obsessed with his old Transformers, of which he has many!

Her counting and adding abilities are really good considering she has only really done stuff at home with me. School, such as it is here at this age, has just started teaching her a few common words to write, like Mamma, Babbo, Sole etc. which she really enjoys doing. My task is to get her reading in English. We are finding her remembering the patterns that go with the names of the alphabet the biggest challenge - it is coming but slowly!

She got roller blades for her birthday, although not fast she can now get up without help and is slowly moving further and faster. Next I would like her swimming but that is more of a challenge without transport here - I was going to get a seat for my bike but when I looked at it it is way too low and she is too big!! My excuse anyway.

On Saturday she had a nasty fall in the Cascine. She looks like she has been in a car accident. She fell and nearly righted herself twice before completely going onto her face! Her nose took most of the impact, luckily it isn't broken, but then I think it is almost impossible to break at this age, but she did take a chunk out of the bridge and severely scrape the rest and below her lip, as well as biting her top lip - no pictures of this one! I have taken some but mainly so I can see how she is improving! We doused her in water thoroughly and disinfectant from one of the snack stands and then got in a taxi home. There we put here in a bath with the shower running - now I am applying Streptosil to try to reduce the scarring. There was no skin to stitch and we got all the grit out, so as she was hysterical at the thought of going to the hospital we didn't. Having gone through a few of these falls with Alex I know that all the hospital does is keep you sitting around for too long and then sends you off with instructions to do exactly what we did, so I have no concerns about not going, I have to be honest! Anyway, hopefully all will be well and she will be okay!

Ski photos

Epiphany

I realise this is a little late, but how cool is this! Dancing before the traditional parade in Piazza Pitti. Antonia is the one in the bright pink, stripey, peru-type hat and the dark green coat!!

Compleanno Italiano!

Now Antonia is making good friends with the children in her class at school I am finding a side effect of this is that we are getting invited to their birthday parties. Antonia is the only totally English child in her class. Everyone else is either Italian or has one parent that is Italian. Consequently parties are, shall we say, Italian style! Culturally they follow a similar pattern to British ones - games, entertainer, food, birthday cake. Where they differ, unfortunately, are not, to me, in ways that are better or even just different. 

The  main difference is that many parties start at 4.00 p.m. In the UK this would be fine, as it would also have a finish time, normally no later than 6.00 p.m. Here some guests, quite literally, are only just turning up then!! Also it isn't that unusual for the party to be on a Sunday, with school the next day. There is no way I can let Antonia stay at a party until gone 8.00 p.m. on a Sunday and expect her to get up for school with a smile on her face the following morning!! How everyone else's children do I have no idea. Why this is acceptable, I honestly cannot fathom. Answers on a postcard. Remember these are for 5 year olds not teens!

The other difference is that here children are given their presents and then open them straight away. In the UK normally presents are opened at home when all the guests have left and then "thank you" notes are written. I prefer this. It's what I am used to but also it means stuff doesn't get lost or broken, little friends don't abscond with things ( it happens!) and if you have bought the party child the wrong thing, you don't know about it! One party we attended the little boy was given some lovely clothes by one friend, he looked at them, then just ran off, with the friend's mother calling after him for his opinion! She looked pretty gutted by his reaction!

I am really happy Antonia is being included and I am getting to know other parents this way but I am also starting to realise I can't go to all of them and when we do, I have to be firm about when we leave!

As to Antonia having one this year......30 odd kids in the garden....really not sure. I just know they would all turn up too!