School end of year.

Along with yet another raging UTI, I’m at Lily’s school Sports Day.
She’s disappointed to get silvers in the Long Jump and Sprint Hurdles, but did clean up convincingly in the 100metres.

She definitely gets her speed from my side of the family, not her Mum’s side – the girls get their looks and intelligence from Dani – so I feel proud that a bit of me is winning, still.

I think I’m the only parent here, or was, now that a few more have just turned up.

All the kids have suddenly turned into adults ( physically )though most of the boys are still pretty scrawny.

Last night, before I started to feel very unwell ( again ) we attended the school prize giving, seeing Lily collect the ( most important ) prize, the Drama prize – at least Lily told me it was the most prized prize.

Me being me, I’m watching the Sports Day events and trying to guage which ones I’d have won if the 15 year old me could have been here.

I took my own Sports Day’s very seriously, only being in it to win it, and then absolutely bereft if/ when I didn’t come first in everything I entered. I then lived in internal and unspoken shame until the following year, and a chance to redeem myself.

Lily has just missed out on winning the girls’ Year overall athletic Prize. Had she jumped only 2cm further in the Long Jump, she’d have got it, and her name engraved on the trophy for ever more.
That margin of closeness would have haunted me for life, I think, but Lily is far more relaxed about it, which is definitely a good thing. I’m very proud of her in so many ways. As she is the youngest in her year ( as I was ) she’ll be at a physical disadvantage still, in terms of growth and strength, so has done really well.

Tomorrow I’ve been invited to make a short speech and give out the prizes in my children’s’ primary school. I’m very touched to have been asked, the first parent to have been, it appears.
As the volume of my voice is seeming to be getting weaker again, I’m relieved there is a microphone. I have written down what I’ll say, but may end up ad libbing a bit too.
There’ll be a bit of a palava getting me and/in my chair up the steps to the level of the pulpit area, and there I’ll stay for the whole proceedings, until they get me down again, old churches not having been built to be wheelchair accessible.

It was Amber’s Sports Day today too, and she’d made it clear that parental attendance would be very unwelcome… in her own ‘spirited’ way.
She did do well in the unusual combination of the Shot put and the 80m sprint, coming second in both ( tho disappointed with the Shot result, as she is usually the strongest put’er in her year )
The spit of her sister in looks and height, she is not the same body composition, Amber being a lot stronger.
I’m sure if she could convert her power into a more relaxed delivery, she could be amazing.
But I adore her either way.

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