Posts Tagged ‘curtains’

Yaya’s magic trick

A few days ago, I went to see Yaya and his little sister. Yaya was very eager to show everyone something.

“I’m going to do magich,” he said, as that’s what he says instead of ‘magic.’

“Ok,” we said. He brought us all into the front room; Danda, his parents and myself. We sat down and he brought out two small chairs and put four cuddly toys on the chairs.

“Close your eyes,” he told us. We heard some noises and the curtains being moved.

“Open them!” he said and we all opened them and gasped in amazement when the toys were no longer there.

“Now, who wants to go first?”

He hadn’t explained what we would be doing when we ‘went first’ but I put my hand up anyway.

“Ok. Everyone close your eyes. Lauwa, come here.”

I stood up and he pointed behind the curtains to the pile of toys which had once been on the chairs.

“Bring one,” he whispered. So I did. He put it on the chair and told everyone to open their eyes. There were exclamations and shocked expressions of wonderment at this David-Blaine-esque magich trick. How could it possibly have been done?!

A different person was picked each time and everybody else told to close their eyes while that person was instructed to bring a toy from behind the curtains.

Until, eventually, all the toys were out and we were all sitting down feigning surprise.

The finale was Yaya spreading his arms out, hands facing upward, a mysterious smile on his face, saying, ominously…. “How did I do it? You’ll never know.”
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And that was Yaya’s magic trick.

Top Tips, doctor’s letters and strange dolls

It’s time to check in with the crazy world of Chat again. But first, let me just mention an odd dream I had last night. I went on holiday to Marbella (I think) but I forgot to book the week off work so I was there, swimming and sunbathing, then I was flying back to England in the evenings so I could work in the morning and flying back to Marbella in the afternoons after work. Wierd.

Anyway, let’s get started. There’s a surprising lack of ‘I used to be 20 stone but now I’m not’ stories. Not one single weight loss story. Disappointing. Never fear, though! Chat never lets us down. We have instead a picture of a cat pushing another cat in a little trolley. I’m not joking. Look.

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Then there’s the usual page of photos about nothing, e.g. here’s a photo of me and John from Jedward. She waited eight hours for him apparently. I’m speechless. I didn’t think anyone took then seriously enough to wait eight hours. Another photo is just of a cat asleep. The caption says ‘Here’s our little cat Tigger, he’s fallen asleep in our bed.’ Nonsense.

Top tips next. This is always a good page. One of the tips is from a woman who says she covers her oven shelves in foil to save on the washing up. Another is a woman who has the answer to one of life’s big problems. You know when you try to fill up a large bucket with water but it doesn’t fit in the sink? Well, you shall struggle no more!

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Put your dustpan under the tap and direct the water down the handle and into the bucket waiting underneath.

Another lady has cut her old net curtains up and sowed the floral patterns onto her top. I mean, thanks for sharing, but I think I won’t be using that old-net-curtains tip.

There’s a really random letter on the doctors page too. Check it out.

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What. On. Earth. An extra thumb!? And she’s writing to Chat about it? And then Chat are like, ‘O yeh, tie a thread around it and it will fall off.’ Something feels a bit dodgy about all this. I’m going to have a serious think next time I put anything around my finger….

Another letter says, honestly, “I have a phobia of mice. I really freak out and have to run if I see one. Can I be cured?” Now, I shouldn’t imagine that this really needs writing to Chat about. How often do you see mice in everyday life in England? I saw one in the garden ages ago and before that it must have been years. So a mouse-phobia, however serious, is not really a major setback, is it? If the intervals at which you see one are years apart. Anyway. Maybe she lives in the country and sees them all the time. Who knows.

Lastly, a woman who collects and makes wierd dolls.

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She thinks they’re ‘cute’ and gives them to people for their birthdays etc. She gave one to her mother in law for Mother’s Day. I honestly don’t know what I’d do if someone gave me one of these for my birthday. Well, I do, I’d hide it somewhere no-one would see it. But I don’t know what I’d say right there in the moment, when you’ve just opened it and present-giver is looking at you, eagerly awaiting your reaction. I mean it’s fine her making and collecting them but what on earth would I do with one? I guess I’d give it a little hug and say ‘Wow, thanks, I love it. I was hoping someone would give me a little strange gothic doll thing for my birthday this year. And now, at last, my dream has come true. Thanks. You know me so well. You knew I’d love this. And I do. I really do.’

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H is for…

HIDE AND SEEK!

This is a typical game of Hide and Seek with Yaya:

Yaya: “Auwa, can we play hide and seek?”
Me: “Oo yes, I love hide and seek. Ok, I’ll count, you hide.”
Yaya: “Ok. Ermm…. count to… erm… count to four!”
Me: “Ok! I’ve got my eyes closed! One!…”
(The sound of running feet going off into the distance)
Me: “Two! Three!…”
(The sound of running feet getting closer)
Yaya: “I’m in the playroom, Auwa.”
Me: “Ok. Erm. Alright then.”
(Running feet off into the distance again)
Me: “Four! Coming! Ready or not!”
Yaya, shouting: “Count to seven now, Auwa!”
Me: “Ok. Five! Six! Seven! Coming! Ready or not!”

I walk slowly around the front room, exclaiming loudly, pretending to wonder where he is.

Yaya, from the playroom: “I’m in here!”

Me, walking slowly into the playroom: “Oo, where’s Yaya? Hmm. I wonder where he can be? Is he in the playroom? Let me see… Is he under the table? No! Behind the door? No!”
Yaya, poking his head out from behind the curtain: “I’m here, Auwa. Find me.”
Me: “O right, ok. Oo, I wonder if Yaya is behind the curtains. Yeh! Look! There you are! I found you!”
Yaya, shouting with excitement: “You found me Auwa! You found me! Let’s play again.”

I’m not sure he’s quite got the gist of this game figured out yet.