Eve

Forgetful, but Thoughtful

It might be true that Mummy calls everyone darling so she doesn't have to bother with names. She does know all of our names, though. (Except for David. She is forever forgetting and calling him MarcusJoshPatrick.)

Mummy is not what you would call a proper artist. She is a garden shed artist, which simply mean she paints (Not-Exactly-Art) in the shed in the garden (and sometimes sleeps in there too). Mummy loves her shed.

Mummy forgets lots of things, like supper and shopping and gas to make the car go. She forgets when she puts on tea and often forgets to do the wash. Sometimes she even forgets to come out of her shed.

That is why she married Daddy she says. He remembered all the things that she forgot. That worked out until Daddy got his flat in London and only came home on weekends (or not at all).

Then Indy did the cooking. Caddy did the shopping. Saffron reminded her to fill the gas tank. And I made tea for her and brought it out to the shed.

No one did the wash.

But now Daddy is home again and he makes exotic dishes for supper and buys expensive foods (like saffron. We were all very excited to try Saffy's namesake.) He always remembers tea and now we always, always have clean socks and panties.

Daddy says now we are a functional family. What were we before? Dysfunctional? (Yes)

But even though Mummy is so forgetful, she is also very thoughtful. Like the time she got bronchitis and almost had spend Christmas in the shed. She was squirting disinfectant spray and running off to her shed to keep the germs there instead of in the house so we would not catch it.

Though Mummy forgets the big things (like supper) she always remembers the small things. Like paint (We are never low on one pound tubes of squashed paint. Just check the refrigerator.) Mummy notices the things that no one else seems to notice. She knows just what will make everyone happy.

For example, its art supplies for me. Whether it is a scrap piece of canvas or chalk or pastels she picked up from the store, she always surprises me with the right thing just when I need it.

Or for Caddy, it used to be hamsters or guinea pigs. Caddy would be distraught for days when one died, so Mummy would go out and pick out new ones for her. Caddy would be ecstatic to add another member to her every growing rodent family. Now since Caddy has graduated from guinea pigs, Mum now gladly watches Buttercup when Caddy needs a break.

Even though Mummy can be ditzy and absentminded, she knows how to make the little things count.