Wednesday 20th September

After dropping the Mook at nursery, and tidying up the mess Hop made when he decided to remove the plaster from his arm (after which he said he didn't think that it was a good idea after all, and perhaps he should get another one put on????) I gave the pushchair a good old scrub, and was horrified at how dirty it was. Thankfully most of the dirt has been removed, and it no longer resembles a bio-hazzard.
Did the usual stretch of my legs up to the park in the afternoon, and then fufilled my mother of Mook obligations and provided tea and amusement until it was bedtime.
Stayed up to watch a programme called Ballet Changed My Life! which was absolutely fascinating. It showed a scheme where children who had had a really troubled and horrible start in life were enrolled on this 18 month programme in connection with the Birmingham Royal Ballet in an effort to kick start the next phase of their life, and get them to leave the bad stuff behind. Sounds unlikely, but by the end of the episode, it was actually starting to work, by re-teaching these kids to respect authority, offer personal commitment and discipline and show them how to work together, as well as giving them an objective to aim for (to be part of a one-off performance of Kenneth Macmillan's Romeo and Juliet) and something to be proud of.
The change over the first 9 months of the programme in some of the kids was just amazing. Just proves what I already know....every kid should be packed off for a bit of ballet at some stage in their lives!