Flying ant day

12 noon - return home from family walk and get garden items out for family afternoon in the garden....the smoker is going on, so run around d like crazy people to try and get that on before it's too late.

12.30pm - notice first flying ant....oh dear, hope its not flying ant day...

1pm - its definitely flying ant day. Not the best day for an afternoon in the garden.

2pm - try to persuade the 5-year-old that flying ants are not actually scary and its OK to go outside, then try to persuade her not to run away from every single one.

2.30pm - try to persuade the 3-year-old that we don't actually have to pick up every flying ant by hand and put her back in the grass.

3pm - what are the children up to? Ok, not try to persuade both children to stop picking up the ants by hand, one at a time, and put them into Hot Wheels cars.

4pm - garden now officially ant graveyard. I have found a matchbox coach load of ant refugees and tried to aid their release into safer climes but thwarted by dog trying to trip me up by lieing directly in the sun and panting (why do they do that?) At least she isn't eating the ants.

5pm - Ant interest appears to be fading. Attempt outdoor tidy up. Find ants in varying states strewn across everything, and inside many of the cars left outside. I do not know how they coped with going down the hot wheels track. I hope none of them get car-sick.

6.30pm - renewed by calorie intake, both children are now outside 'Ninja-chopping' all the flying ants. General ant chaos. Every ant for herself.

Try to explain to chdren about mass genocide being bad, about how ants are good really, and how we shouldn't just try and hurt things for no reason....

...ant hospital being set up in the garden, and defence against the bad ant-killing ninjas being set up. Much distress at the suggestion of bedtime (who will protect the ants?) Bedtime meltdown ensues...

...well, that's flying ant day over for another year. To think I never even knew it existed!