Reasons To Be Cheerful.....

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Ok, so I'm no wildlife photographer, but you can still get the idea! Approx. 2 feet from my kitchen door, a robin, clearly showning enormous trust in us, (or with nerves of steel), has decided to make her home in ours! Watching her settle in without so much as an IKEA catalogue to help with the colour palette, has been an inspiration. The kids are enchanted.

The eggs hatched on Sunday, I have no idea when they may fly - Any advice? We feel a huge responsibility to this family; we really want to make sure they get the best start. It's all very lovely, but now I have another family's woes to keep me awake at night. How will she manage in this recession? Will her child benefit be taxed? What about health care? The right schools? It's going to get very crowded in there, will she have the means to trade up to a modest 3 bed semi? No sign of Mr Robin though - will she qualify for lone parents allowance? Do single mothers with 5 kids get mortgages nowadays? Where do robins go for this kind of advice? It's exhausting.

I try to share these concerns with her, sensitively broaching the subject, but she just gives me the look. The one that says; 'I'm in control, stop faffing'.

I'm taking lots of inspiration from this visiting family - they just seem to smile in the face of adversity. What an honour to share our home with such excellent house guests!

Cheers,
Ann