B watched Gorillas Revisited, then, after Play School had finished, ABC schools TV – she was fascinated by Waterworks, although she also watched BTN Special as well. In between, she took the dog for a walk to Florey shops, and bought Z a pouch of special dogfood, and K a Freddo (what a lovely bear!). They also played with the toy cash registers for a while, although this produced a big screaming match which was not quite as enjoyable.

When I asked her to either do some washing up or tidy the dining room, she chose the option of looking after K *rolls eyes* I refused to pay her for babysitting when that meant essentially making more work for me, which she understood, albeit grumblingly. They played out in the garden for ages, including revisiting the papier mache and covering themselves with gloop, then came inside for lunch. Afterwards, B watched a Dr Who episode in her room and K watched a Play School recording. B did hep me by taking the garbage bin out, and shepherding K who insisted on carrying out the recycling.

B came up with the question, How are modern bowls made? and after some judicious googling I found a tour of the Fiestaware factory. B was very intrigued at all the differences between her pottery classes and the huge automated factory process. As a side effect of that I looked up the Yarralumla Brickworks, which were the only even vaguely comparable site I could think of nearby, and B was intrigued by my tales of going to antiques markets there when I were a lass. Unfortunately the site is now closed to the public and there is no sign that the ACT Government is ever going to get off its collective butt and do anything with it… Vague googlings have failed to turn up any useful information about any Australian manufacturers.

I have gotten a fair bit of both the washing up and the laundry done, but the tidying is defeating me somewhat… ETA: B has been quite helpful in that department – she fed and watered the outside animals, and emptied more bins, the second time with a peg on her nose since I’d been emptying the fridge of all its most noxious inhabitants. That was also the opportunity for a kitchen science lesson, on what happens when you leave a tin of pears with a hole in the lid in the fridge for several months. B turned almost as green as the pears had while I tipped it out (the pears were a sickly green, the liquid was black with a greenish tinge – I’m sure fairly shortly the tin would have been eaten away entirely and glooped its contents all over the fridge!). She has also FINALLY finished her packing.

I’ve done almost all the laundry, and everything I have done is dry or drying. I had finished the washing up, at least until the fridge de-ickifying festivities. I’m about to finish the rest of the washing up, assemble the rest of the pet food on the counter for Anne, and sweep the kitchen floor. The rest will just have to wait til we get back…