in awe of Felix

And while my suntan - sun-burn rather - is wearing off, i nearly got blown off my bike this morning. On Saturday we had lunch in the garden - first this year!!! - yesterday i enjoyed a coffee on the bench in the sun, and today it's back to bobble hats and gloves... Oh well... So much for spring this year.

Felix though is counting down to his Big Day. He has been for a while, even made himself a calendar, on which he crosses out one more day before he will get his presents. There's already a few waiting for him and I'm pretty amazed by his ability not to tear off the paper and see what's inside (it's lovely when your children surpass you in maturity....), but patiently hang on, giving the odd update on how many days until he can. This morning he asked me when he will be allowed to treat his class (as is a habit here in Holland, not sure how it works over in England - anyone?!). He has to share his day with a girl called Silke, who is two hours older than he is (though it feels more like two years...) and they don't get on much... His first year in the same class with her he put up with a shared birthday, but last year Felix was adamant that he'd rather not celebrate than having to forfeit his special day... Somehow I can't blame him - he has to share everything at home, even his bedroom, so as his teacher didn't mind and he wasn't bothered about it not being on the day itself, we settled for his wish. And this year will be the same, although he will have to wait until the Monday after. He's apparently very happy to...

His list?
- earphones
- roller-skates
- remote controlled car
- cd-player
- a castle
which he wrote down in a special exercise book, in his best joint-up writing... Felix can behave extremely noisy, stubborn, challenging, but while I was reading his list, I felt the seriousness with which he takes life on, and a feeling of admiration kicks in - he's a sweety really....