After nearly three years, my stock of nursery rhymes – which, admittedly, was not all that great in the first place – is severely depleted.
We have woken up the bunny so many times she must be really grumpy and we must have been reported to the RSPCA by now for our treatment of poor Tiny Tim the turtle.
Recently I was thinking we surely must have learned (often at the same time) every nursery rhyme on the planet. Racking my brains for something, anything, new to sing (I was seriously considering branching into New Kids On The Block songs), I suddenly remembered.
London’s Burning!
How could I have forgotten? The main reason I had a child was to have someone to sing a round with – and I didn’t even need to look up the words (wait, there is only one verse, right?)
So we’ve been learning it for a month now and the journalist in me still jumps every time we are out in the car and Freya suddenly shouts: “Fire! Fire!”
What I had forgotten, until she reminded me, was that unlike many other pointless nursery rhymes, this one is actually about our history.
“Can you show me the fire?” She asked one day, bringing me the iPad.
“Which fire?” I said, starting to get a bit concerned.
“In London.”
It took me a while to realise what she was after. At first I wondered whether she had been watching the news – before remembering that our tele is permanently tuned to Cbeeies.
“Oh, THAT fire. Well, it happened a really long time ago when they didn’t have cameras or television. What people did back then was paint pictures. I can show you some,” I said Googling Great Fire of London and keeping my fingers crossed they weren’t too gruesome.
We looked at some pictures of buildings being destroyed by flames – and I again pondered the wisdom of showing her – when she said, knowledgeably: “A dragon started the fire.”
“Umm, I think it actually started in a bakery in Puddling Lane.”
“No, a dragon.” She was adamant about this (and as we are firmly in the realms of threenagerhood, I decided to pick my battles and just agree).
So now you know. The history books are wrong.
“Can I have a bum bum biscuit?” Freya asked, in what has to be one of my favourite mix-ups yet.
For some reason it really tickled me #childish. Had I been drinking water I feel sure I would have sprayed it all over the living room #classy.
“Do you mean a Bourbon Biscuit?”
“Yes, bum bum biscuit.”
Righto. That one is totally staying.
I expected that as she got older the rate at which she bumped/tripped/fell might lesson but, if anything, she seems to be getting worse – no doubt because she is ever more adventurous.
She will try and ice-skate on shiny floors, sprint along stoney streams and climb anything that is at least twice her height – which not only makes for some heart-stopping moments for me but also for some colourful bruises for her.
After one such calamity, this time at home, she came over and in a little voice said:
“Please can I have a cold pea?”
I’m getting quite good at deciphering seemingly bizarre sentences but this one had me perplexed for a while.
“You want to eat a pea?” I asked.
While she likes peas straight from the pod she won’t eat them cooked (?!) so I wondered if “cold pea” meant pod pea but when I asked she said: “No, it’s for my finger.”
Then I realised.
I injured my leg while running a few month ago and after it first happened I wrapped a bag of peas in a towel and held it on for 10 minutes.
“Oh, to hold on your poorly finger?” I asked.
“Yes,” said in that same sad little voice. Mark couldn’t resist getting the ice-pack (I’ve upgraded) and putting it in a towel for her.
“It’s too cold,” she said.
Of course.
I’ve been collecting these little snippets for a while so I thought I’d join in with the linky Louise runs (From The Mouths of Babes) again. Please check out what other people have posted.
After The Rain 
Ahah ‘bum bum biscuit’ really made me laugh. I love the way little ones minds work. #ftmob
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I’m glad I’m not the only one who found it funny. It’s a keeper for sure 🙂 Thanks for commenting.
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It is always a pleasure to pop over to your blog, Tara. I can guarantee that it will make me smile, every time. Freyasounds like a ton of fun and so keen to give things a go!! What a bright little mind she has, thanks of course to you!!
I look forward to more snippets from the Freyalogue!! Even though I don’t actually know what a bourbon / bum bum biscuit is.!!!
It is also a surprise you have uniforms in Nursery school! Mind you my 3 year old was quite pedantic about the clothes she would and would NOT wear to kindergarten, so perhaps a nursery uniform might have saved a few tantrums!!
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I insist you come to England right now so I can treat you to a Bourbon! You haven’t lived until you’ve had one. Hehe. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourbon_biscuit There was a fire in a factory that makes them recently and the whole country went into a panic. There was a national shortage!
She doesn’t have to have a uniform but it was strongly suggested as they get in quite a mess and they were worried about nice clothes being ruined. Of course, getting her to wear it will be the next challenge!
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http://www.arnotts.com.au/products/tim-tam/
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I am not sure what happened to my comment above, but I will repeat it anyway.
The Bourbon biscuit sounds quite delicious and also certainly a rival to the Australian icon – The Tim Tam, of which I added the link ( that made my comment disappear), above.
A durable uniform for kinder sounds quite sensible, and sort of what I was aiming for with older shorts and t-shirts for my fashion conscious daughter, who would prefer to wear pretty skirts and tops which would invariably become paint stained!! Anyway, I am off to eat a chocolate biscuit and reminisce. I will look out for the bourbon biscuits.
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Dark chocolate Tim Tams look amazing! There is some suggestion that you can buy them in the supermaket over here. I’m totally going to get some. Let me know if you want me to send you some Bourbons to taste test 😀
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Could you? Really? I would love that. But you know postage is expensive. But perhaps we could do a biscuit exchange????
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Yes, for sure! Do you feel comfortable emailing me your address. I promise I won’t turn up on your doorstep 😀
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If you did turn up on my doorstep, you would only need to say who you were and you would be welcomed!! And sure, I will email you my addy. And the biscuit exchange can start!!
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Tara is the correct email for you tara@taragreaves.com.
?
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Yes, that’s the one 🙂
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I love the idea that the Great Fire of London was started by a dragon! Maybe that is what happens and historians have just been trying to cover up the truth ever since!
x ALice
#ftmob
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Maybe she is on to something! I can’t wait to hear her take on other elements of history 🙂
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“Bum bum biscuit” is brilliant – that’s a much funnier name and I quite like Freya’s account of how the Great Fire of London started. It’s given me visions of dragons roaming 17th century London. Hope her finger wasn’t sore for too long – her asking you for a “cold pea” is adorable. Thank you for sharing these with #ftmob 🙂
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How cool would that be? I was tempted to print out one of the images and add a dragon for her 🙂
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