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Dashed back home from Stockton to take over child care, as Catie is away this weekend. It had been an early start and my mind was playing tricks with me. We filled up with petrol on the way home and as James returned to the car I felt the vehicle rolling backwards. There was no one in the driving seat of course - I was working in the back of the car - and James was metres away. He didn't even make an attempt to run over and save me from crashing into whatever was coming up behind.
It was a little bit scary to say the least, until I realised that the car wasn't moving at all, but the van next to me had just pulled away. I have experienced stuff like this on trains before, but never in a car. The van was completely in my peripheral vision, but somehow my tired brain had interpreted it entirely incorrectly and my body and mind reacted entirely as if it was me moving backwards, rather than the van moving forwards. Who needs funfairs with this kind of real life terror to deal with.
I had the prospect of a full afternoon of just me and the kids to look forward to. I've missed them lots this week, so that was cool, but I was too tired to do very much with them, though we managed a few games of basketball.
They were both super scared at bedtime - Ernie has seen something that had freaked him out on youtube (not when I was looking after him) and Phoebe had heard that someone in the next village had been burgled. I reassured them that I would protect them against all foes - and I would certainly do my best, though my guarantees of their absolute safety in the event of emergency were hyperbole. I would do my utmost though. Ernie bought it. Phoebe seemed sceptical that I would be much use against burglars.
We all ended up sleeping in my bedroom - the kids finally fell asleep in my bed and I slept on a mattress that we'd moved across so Ernie could sleep at the end of the bed. My wife insists I snore (but I don't) so I think I probably spend more nights out of my own bed, than in, but it was pretty impressive to be bumped out when Catie wasn't even home.
