Lessons learned

It occurred to me this week, (perhaps it was related to the rainbow paintings the kids have been drawing) to show the children the film The Wizard of Oz, remembering the songs and some of the classic characters, got me quite excited (I need to buy the old books, the original pictures are wonderful, so too the other books in the series). 

Suffice to say the kids loved the songs, the Munchkins, the Tin Woodsman, the Lion and the Scarecrow but I had slightly forgotten the potency of that Wicked Witch of the West! Even with forwarding through the scary parts, the memory of the green faced witch had a very lasting impression!!  

My middle child, the chocolate loving curly topped girl, could not fall asleep, then woke throughout the entire night with nightmares. Oh the lacking skills! I tried everything, talking about happy thoughts, books, movies characters... but how to remove that witch image from her mind!!?? We are on day three and still she is waking in the night with nightmares. What have I done?! So lesson learned, wait till your children are perhaps over the age of six to show them this film. Although little D at age two seems to be fine, (could be a factor of a more sensitive nature and intense imagination of which the 'sweets' child is). 

Other books in the original series

* as I was writing this, little D came up and pointed at the picture of the witch saying OHHH that the scary one!!

Wednesday's Cornerview: Gardens

San Anton Garden, a garden which dates back to the time of the knights, it was built in the early 1600's. 

For us it always provides a calm little quiet shaded oasis. The main sounds are that of the birds, another highlight is watching the ducks (not a common sight here in Malta),  sometimes a swan or two, occasionally a peacock out strutting it's stuff and quite a few little turtles sunning themselves near one of the four ponds.  Oh, yes and it is home to more than a few very relaxed cats(clearly they feel they own the place). The San Anton Gardens are free and open to the public, behind them is the president's palace. 

*I don't know the name of the tree which dropped the sea of little orange petals but it certainly gave the place a particularly golden glow on this visit!

I was in two minds about which photo to use today and because I am a little sad not to be returning for a visit to the states this summer I decided to also include this picture, taken of little D last summer, enjoying the swing in my parents back garden.   

Of Dogs and Donkeys

What did this weekend's Saturday picnic bring us but a chance encounter with some Maltese donkeys, and what sweet curious ones they were! 

(You can see already that little D is making a worried run for mama), this came with a screetching DON'T EAT ME! plea to the donkeys. Funny because we calmed D down and explained donkeys don't eat people (which then embolded the older two kids to go nearer) just in time for the curious darker donkey too take a good nibble/lick of my husband's toes.  This did not help Stella's fear.  

Shortly before this meeting with the asses, three very fox like dogs came upon us, all very friendly and  curious, smiling in the noon day sun with slit eyes. They then followed us to where we met the grazing donkeys.

In the end we had three dogs and two donkeys following us, which was slightly terrfying to little D and kind of thrilling to the older two children, who soon adopted a we-want-a-pet-dog (or pony ) chant for the rest of the trip home. 

 The moment post bite and one of the said Dogs