Day 255: Towering, inferno

Just before I arrived home yesterday, Exile #2 picked up a package from by the front door - a small unassuming box. It contained a 100 piece 'value pack' of Magnatiles. Now added to our previous 32 piece set we have serious building potential. I built this with the girls this morning - it's a hexagonal tower with a sort of convex triangular spire arrangement. It is unbelievably satisfying to build with, the pieces snap together in any orientation and so far we've proved its appeal from Age 3 - Exile #4 loves to make boxes (now increasing in size) and 'ice-creams' - to 36. Thanks to J, C & A and to my parents for the 'tiles.

As well as a few of these building projects, we managed to construct our fireplace and build our first fire today. We still needed the air conditioning on for a couple of hours this evening - so we're not quite ready to light it yet.

Exile #2 has also finished her first major knitting project (a rather cool hoody) and is now equipped with a sewing machine to start on some 'window dressings'. We also have started moves to reorganise the sleeping arrangements. Exile #3 will move out of the shared bedroom to make room for E5N1 who will move from ours. As part of this, we bought the girls some bedside lamps - this proved rather complicated as neither shade had a price sticker or bar code on it. We waited for ages at the front of a long (and lengthening) queue at the checkout while someone investigated before we could pay the princely sum of $12 for the two shades.

So as not to be left out of the excitement, I also have a new toy - a leaf rake - Fall is upon us (actually tomorrow is the first day I think), autumn colours are starting to spice up the greenery and we will not have to wait long for the fall to begin I'm sure.