'load of concrete you ordered!'

This is one of Benny's very favourite books at the moment. I got him for him for his Birthday in June and it is read almost daily. It is a typical gentle Shirley Hughes story of a family who builds an extension. They all help to dig the foundation but there is great surprise when the concrete lorry turns up unexpectedly and Jolly Joe Best pulls the lever with a 'load of concrete you ordered' and deposits a load of concrete outside their front door.

Even though the concrete is quick setting, they all work together to shift the concrete from the front of the house to the back and the extension is finished without any more drama. As I said it has become a firm favourite in our house and Benny has developed quite an interest in concrete lorries.

Whenever we see a concrete lorry on our travels we play a game: 'Oh no, it might be going to our house to deliver a load of concrete and we won't be there and it will set so hard we won't be able to move it and I won't be able to get the car into the drive...' (you get the idea). The kids love the thrill of this game, trying to reassure me that it is going somewhere else, but I know they secretly wonder has the lorry really gone to our house, will we be able to get home?

As we had no concrete lorry toy for Benny to play with we converted one of our wooden trucks...

and Benny is even lucky enough to have trousers with concrete lorries on them...

So imagine the delight in our house when we had to make 'real concrete'. In the previous post I told you about Andy's greenhouse. Well he had to move my washing line to put it where he wanted it to go. This meant sinking a new one.

He dug the hole first (sorry these pictures aren't great it was getting pretty late in the evening).

Then the concrete had to be mixed with sand,

water added,

and delivered. Of course each load came with a brrrrrrr and then 'Load of concrete you ordered'.

I love being able to bring to life these interests for the kids. Benny is still saying 'We made real concrete' with real wonder in his voice :-)

And because my washing line was out of action Andy strung up a line in the new green house. Perhaps over winter I shall just call it 'the wash house'. I wonder if that will annoy him ;-P

Other than that is has been a lovely weekend full of walks, visits to the beach, a birthday party, an ice cream at the cafe and lots of knitting and crafting and some yoga...

Hope you had a lovely weekend too :-)