Lascours Lockdown, Day 455

Saturday, June 12th.

No pizza today as we had pizza Wednesday and we're having it tomorrow, too. Before piano, we started getting a few things ready for Laureva's party and Maeva's dance recital. When the girls left for piano, I dropped off recycling, then went down to the hardware store for more zip ties. On the way home, I picked up Maeva so she could get dressed for dance. I had to do her hair and makeup as well in less than an hour. About 11, Marie-Elisabeth arrived home with Laureva and headed off to take Maeva to her recital in Aubagne.

Laureva and I had lunch, and finished setting up for the party. Meanwhile, Sylvain blew up and cleaned off five inflatable pool toys: three buoys, one mattress and a unicorn! By the end, he was getting jaw spasms.

Laureva had invited her friends Alice, Chloe and Rosalie from 2 to 5pm. They arrived fashionably late, between 2:15 and 2:30. They ate candy, talked, played freeze tag, went swimming, jumped on the trampoline, played with the bubble wand, drew pictures with sidewalk chalk, ate cake and ice cream, and did presents. Four was a perfect number. They all played well together all afternoon. I didn't have to resolve a single dispute. Actually, I didn't do much at all besides serve water, take photos, and read Brockden Brown while keeping a corner of my eye on things. Time flew and they were disappointed when I told them it was nearly time for parents to start arriving.

I was pleased with the shade I'd managed to create on the patio. You could feel the difference when you came "in" from the direct sun. In addition to the net over the pergola, at the west end, I hung up the old canvas so that it draped down and shielded from the sun once it started getting over Garlaban later in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, Maeva was at her dance recital. It was in the courtyard at the private high school in Aubagne. It was reportedly a very hot and very long day, beginning at 11 and ending after 5. Amanda's dad sent me this video of Maeva's group. When it begins, Maeva is towards the right. However, they move around quite a bit throughout:

I had bought Maeva a book of tickets for lunch at the refreshment stand. She seemed very pleased with the way she handled her "money." She ate a hot dog and chips, and later some popcorn. She even had enough left at the end to buy her friend Ella a popsicle and purchase a souvenir pompom. She arrived back home sometime between 5:30 and 6, and both girls hopped in the bath.

Later, while they were having dinner, I mixed up a batch of sourdough. For story time, we began the sixth and final Chicken Squad book: Bear Country: Bearly a Misadventure. We also finished "The Six Napoleons."