Week 194: Hill home

Inset day. Not one we were super-primed for, but I have Fridays off anyway. We’re in the old town and bump into neighbours – our kids are already school pals. Loose arrangements for pub later. They get waylaid, but we head out anyway, and make for the Jenny Lind. Early evening on Fridays they have a folk session, so we dip in for a drink and a listen. R’s perched on a tall barstool cupping apple juice like it’s moonshine. I see Katie Rose’s family and say a very warm hello, and we get to chatting, before another of R’s school friends comes in. The girls play together, teaching one another “chess” with a draughts board and some dice. My kid is made for Warhammer. I keep half an eye on the clock to try and get R out for some food before she goes loopy. The thing is, it’s a promotional clock for Old Peculiar, and it takes ten minutes of it running backwards for me to realise. Meanwhile my daughter gets that look in her eyes that says ‘Mate, good luck getting me up the hill home.’