What I did after stealing the elephant

Fifty

2009-06-24T09:31:00.001+01:00

Welcome to my blog!
When Elen Caldecott wrote a book about me, I thought it would be great to let you know what happened to me AFTER I stole the elephant. So, I wrote this for six months after the book came out.

It turns out that there was a story to tell, so it’s best to read it in order.
Go to the ‘blog archive’ on the right and click on ‘Jun 12’, which is the first post. Then, click on ‘Dec 09’. And just keep on going like that until you reach the end.

You can’t leave comments on the blog, but, if you want to get in touch with Elen Caldecott, you can email her at:

contact@elencaldecott.com

Love from,
Kirsty

Forty-nine

2009-06-23T15:30:00.001+01:00

I won!
Well, actually, everyone liked the name Owen. So, everyone won.

Today Mum and Owen are coming home. I move up to the attic room, with Dawn. And Ben and Owen will have my old room.

Everything’s changing.

Part of me feels sad. I’m not the littlest one anymore. There’s a proper baby for Mum and Dad to fuss over. I know it’s going to be difficult to get used to that. The reason that I know it is because the other night, while we were waiting for news, Dawn put her arm around me and cuddled me close and told me how she felt when I was born – pleased and worried and excited and frightened.

So, even though I feel all those things, I know it’s going to be alright because me and Dawn are alright now. I love my big sister, and I love my big brother and I love my little brother.

I called Maya earlier to tell her Owen’s name. She and her mum both said thank you for the party. They loved it. Maya says that her mum is getting stronger every day. Maya is going to come over tomorrow to meet Owen.

But, tonight, it’s just me and my family.
So, I had better leave you too, at least for a while.

It’s been brilliant.
Love and kisses,

Kirsty
Xxx

Forty-eight

2009-06-21T18:30:00.000+01:00

Boy, boy, boy, boy, boy!

It’s a boy!
I’ve got a baby brother!

And he’s so cute! I went to the hospital today to meet him. Ben and Dawn came too. We all sat around Mum’s bed while she held him. Then, she gave each of us a go. He’s tiny, tiny, with miniature fingers and toes and a little mouth like a baby bird. And lots of black hair. Mum says it might fall out, but right now he looks gorgeous.

We can help choose a name.
Grandad’s name was Owen. I’m voting for Owen.

Forty-seven

2009-06-20T17:20:00.000+01:00

Whoa!

GUESS WHAT?

When I got back to the party, everyone was still having a great time. Except Mum. She was sitting in this deck chair that she couldn’t get out of, holding her massive tummy and saying ‘It’s starting, it’s starting!’

Well, then everything went crazy!
Mum came back to the house with Dad to pick up her overnight stuff. Dad asked Dawn if she was sensible enough to keep an eye on me and Ben until he could sort out a sitter. She just rolled her eyes, which Dad took as a ‘yes’.

Now, we’re at home, waiting for Dad to ring from the hospital.

Sbrother is on the way!

Forty-six

2009-06-20T16:16:00.000+01:00

That was brilliant.
I’ve just come back to let you know how Maya and her mum and dad took it. The party is still going on, so I’ll go back soon.
We were all ready, waiting for Miss Price to drive up with Maya and her parents in the car. As soon as we saw them driving up, the steel band started playing and everyone started cheering and clapping.
Maya got out of the car slowly, her mouth hanging open. Her dad had to help her mum out, but once she was out she could stand OK and walked towards us, grinning like a mad thing.
‘What’s going on?’ Maya asked.
‘It’s a tropical beach, for you and your mum and dad just to enjoy for the day,’ I said.
And then Maya burst into tears!
Well, THAT wasn’t the reaction I’d been expecting!

I want up and gave her a hug. And then I saw that even though she was blubbing, she was smiling too. She whispered ‘thank you’, then she grabbed her mum’s hand and rushed towards the beach. Her mum rushed too! And her dad.
They went straight in.
We’d invited people from school, and people from Maya’s street and some of Maya’s relatives too – her gran and grandpa. And everyone was clapping and laughing.

Brilliant.

That was a few hours ago and since then, we’ve been dancing and eating and swimming and lazing around. We even built sandcastles! On the allotment! Dad raked A LOT of sand.

I’d better get back to the party!

Forty-five

2009-06-20T11:34:00.000+01:00

Eek! There’s been so much to do! I haven’t had time to post.
We’ve just nipped home to pick up mum (she’s WAY to pregnant to move plants and put up hammocks and things, so she waited at home until it was ready).

The allotment looks FANTASTIC. It’s just like Barbados. Sandy, sunny and covered in lush plants. And the paddling pool is more like a swimming pool! It took HOURS to fill it up last night.

Miss Price will be bringing Maya and her parents in fifteen minutes, so we have to hurry back.

Forty-four

2009-06-19T15:13:00.000+01:00

It has stopped raining! Well done, weather!
Not only that, but the shed in the allotment is jam-packed full with the most amazing plants. There are ferns and bromeliads and cane palms and Annabel even brought down an avocado tree that she’s been growing in a (big) pot. First thing tomorrow morning, me and Ben and Dawn are going to go and get them out of the shed and arrange them around the allotment.
Patrick’s nephew’s band will be there from noon. Patrick is going to set up a hammock (I don’t know what he’s going to tie it to – hopefully not the avocado tree! – but he says he can do it. Glynn is going to set up and barbeque.

But the best bit is Mr Thomas and his friends from the swimming pool! He says they’ve got an inflatable pool big enough for twenty people! We’re meeting them there in a minute to start filling it up, they say the sun will need all morning to heat up the water.

Dad is already moaning about all the sand he’s been having to rake out – he says it’s got in all his socks and shoes and it’s never going to come out. But he was smiling when he said it.

Tomorrow is going to be the best surprise ever!

Forty-three

2009-06-17T17:16:00.002+01:00

It's raining!!!

It cannot rain!!!
On Saturday, we're turning the allotments into a tropical beach. I know that it does sometimes rain on tropical beaches, but it cannot rain on our beach! We are making one of those ones you see in adverts - blue sea, bluer sky, soft white sand and NO rain.

I am going to do an anti-rain dance as soon as I've finished typing.

Everything else is going to plan. Miss Price is going to help get Maya and her mum and dad to the allotments. She's going to tell them that the school need them for an urgent meeting. But, really she'll bring them here.

Maya says her mum seems to be doing a bit better, but it's still too early to know for sure.

I hope they'll like what we're doing for them. I want them all to be smiling again.

Forty-two

2009-06-11T17:53:00.000+01:00

It is all systems go for Maya’s tropical beach!!!

I’m so excited! I met Ben at the allotments after school yesterday and we spoke to loads of people. Everyone said they’d help turn the allotments into Maya’s dream. There’s a sort of open space, near the big gate; no one plants anything there because when vans (and elephants!) come in they’d run right over it. Just now, it doesn’t look anything special, but a week on Saturday it’s going to be like Barbados!

Annabel – who has an allotment a few spaces down from us – is going to bring the plants from her conservatory, so is Glynn and Mrs Williams. And Dad said he could get us some sand from a builder friend of his. So, we made some posters about it to put around the allotments, just in case anyone else had any good ideas.

TWO things happened today because of the posters. Patrick said that his nephew is in a steel band, just like a Caribbean one, so he’s going to ask them to come and play for us. And Mr Thomas – who is quite a good friend these days – saw it and said that he could ask some people in the swimming baths if they could provide the sea!! I don’t understand who they can, but he’s going to ask them.

This is going to be the BEST surprise EVER.

Forty-one

2009-06-07T17:03:00.002+01:00

I spoke to Maya today.

She hasn't been in school because her whole family have been away - her mum and dad and grandparents too! They went to a cottage somewhere in the countryside. Maya said they went to get fresh air and time together.
It must have been good, because she sounded really happy.

She said that her mum had the last course of chemo. Which means that she's had the last of the medicine the hospital are going to give her. Now they just have to wait to find out if it works.
Maya said that her mum was still ill and tired, but that it was nice to just laze around with her, watching telly and laughing at her dad's bad jokes.

I would hate, hate, hate it if my mum got sick. I was thinking about it after I hung up the phone. Then, thinking about it made me so sad that I rushed around the house until I found her. She was sitting on one of the hard chairs and drinking a cup of tea (she can't sit on the sofa anyone because she can't get out of it again). I gave her a huge hug so that she nearly spilled the tea.

Mum kissed the top of my head and just let me hug her without saying anything or explaining.
I love my mum.

Forty

2009-06-03T19:44:00.000+01:00

Maya hasn’t been at school. We’ve been back for three days and she hasn’t been there once! She might be poorly, I suppose. But, I don’t think she is, because today I asked Miss Price where she was.
‘Haven’t you spoken to her?’ Miss Price said.
‘No,’ I said. ‘She hasn’t called me, or anything. And she calls me a lot now. Most days. And I called her three times, but no-one was in.’
Miss Price frowned for a bit, like she was thinking. ‘Well, I hope Maya will be back soon. But she’s staying with her grandparents for a while. I’m sure she’ll ring you when she gets back.’
‘Is she on holiday?’ I asked – because we aren’t supposed to go on holiday when it isn’t the holidays, if you see what I mean.
‘No,’ Miss Price said. ‘It’s more respite than holiday, I think.’
‘What’s respite?’ I asked.
‘Rest. They’re all having a rest.’
‘Oh,’ I said. Because, really, what else could I say?

When I got home, I called Ben. I told him about Maya being away. And he said ‘Good.’
What?
Good!?
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘It’s good, because now we can plan a tropical paradise for her and we won’t have to work so hard at keeping it secret.’
That made me feel better, because, somehow, it helps to be doing things when bad stuff is happening. So, we talked about what we’re going to do.

We’re going to turn the allotment into a tropical paradise for a day!
Ben says that everyone there will help. They’ll bring potted plants and exotic flowers from home. All we need to do is find the sand and the sea!

Thirty-nine

2009-05-31T14:51:00.000+01:00

Boo!
Back to school tomorrow.

Ben and Dawn have been staying for the last few days. It’s been loads of fun. Mum has still been crying off and on – she says it’s way too hot to be eight months pregnant. She soaked her feet in a bucket of water this afternoon and watched tennis on the telly. So, she wasn’t too bad today.

I told Ben and Dawn about how I want to make Maya’s dream about a tropical beach come true. They said they’d help me. All we need is a truck-full of sand and some big potted plants and we’re practically there! Ben said he’d think about what we could do and then call me.

And now I have to go and finish my homework. I wish I hadn’t left it ‘til the last minute!

Thirty-eight

2009-05-27T09:37:00.001+01:00

I love the school holidays! It’s half-term and the weather has been lovely! So, I’ve been playing out in the garden a lot and we even had a barbecue on Sunday. Mum fussed a bit, she’s all hot and bothered because the baby is getting big now. Dad says she’s got hormones running all around her body and that’s why she cries for no reason sometimes. This week she cried because the sausages got burned on the barbecue. We told her that sausages are supposed to be burned, but it didn’t help.

The best bit of the holidays, so far, was last night. Maya came over to stay. We took sleeping bags up into the attic and some cushions and books and torches. It was just like camping. When we lay under the skylight, we could look up and see the stars. It was lovely.

We didn’t go to sleep until really late. We lay on our backs, looking up at the night, and we talked. Maya and I told each other our deepest darkest secrets – which, of course, I can’t write here because then they wouldn’t be secret. But, she did say something that wasn’t a secret. She told me about what she really, really wants – she said she wants her mum to be well and for all three of them to be lying on a sandy beach under palm trees, drinking pink drinks with umbrellas in them, without anything to worry about.
It sounded lovely.
I was planning an adventure for them – canoeing down rapids, or driving huskies across the Arctic. But, of course, they don’t want that kind of adventure. They just want to feel safe and happy together.

I wonder if I can make that happen for them?

Thirty-seven

2009-05-21T18:19:00.000+01:00

Dawn RANG me today. She’s coming over tomorrow, like normal. But she just RANG for a CHAT. Like she does with her friends all the time.

It was weird.
It was weird AND nice.

She’s much easier to talk to that she was last year. She asked questions and I really feel that she’s listening to the answers. Before, she just bit your head off all the time just for looking at her. She was like an evil witch-spider.
But these days she’s better, more of a witch-kitten – still dangerous, but quite nice to have around all the same.

Anyway, I told her about Maya and her mum. And how nice they were to me last weekend. And Dawn said that I should do something nice back. I think it’s a GREAT idea. But I don’t know what. Dawn said a present or a party, or something like that. But I think it should be something MUCH MORE fun. I think it should be An Adventure.

Now I just have to come up with an idea for what the adventure will be!

Thirty-six

2009-05-16T14:39:00.001+01:00

Maya’s house was lovely!

I feel silly for being so scared. There was no need. I went straight to Maya’s after school on Friday. I had my pyjamas and toothbrush and everything in a backpack. We talked all the way there. Maya said she really likes pony books. I don’t read much – I prefer films. But I have seen a few horse films. We found out that Black Beauty made us both cry. But I cried at the film and she cried at the book. So we talked about that and before I knew it we were in her kitchen having glasses of juice.
Her mum was there. And she does look a bit poorly. She had circles under her eyes and her hair looked kind of wispy and thin. But then, Mum can look a bit like that too after a weekend with all of us in the house.

She was lovely to us. She had a really nice smile and she laughed when I told her all about the elephant and Grandad and the allotment over dinner.
We had quorn sausages and mash and peas for tea, but the mash was a mix of ordinary potato and sweet potato, because Maya’s mum says we have to eat lots of different veggies to stay healthy.

But after dinner wasn’t so healthy! Maya’s dad made cup-cakes with us. We got to put icing on the top with sprinkles and stars. It was great! And then we all sat on the sofa and ate cakes and watched a film. It was quite good – the newish Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Johnny Depp. Maya’s mum said Johnny Depp was sexy and we all giggled. But I don’t think he is, he was too weird!

But I had a lovely time and I hope I’m allowed to go again.

Thirty-five

2009-05-12T15:10:00.001+01:00

Maya has invited me to stay over at her house at the weekend. I’ve said yes. I want to go. But there is a small part of me that feels a bit scared about it.
If her mum is really ill, it might be like going to visit Grandad at the hospital. When he was so ill, the whole place seemed sick. As though even the walls had caught it too. And I wanted to kidnap Grandad and take him out of there, because who could get better in a place like that?
Maya’s house might be like that.
I think it might make me a bad person, but I can’t help it.
I’m going on Friday. So, I’ll let you know.

Thirty-four

2009-05-09T16:51:00.000+01:00

The loft is finished!
We have a whole new, brand new room in the house! It’s brilliant. It’s got a floor and walls and a skylight and light switches. It’s even got a little sink in the corner so you don’t have to go all the way downstairs to clean your teeth at night.
But we still don’t know whose room it’s going to be.
It all depends on whether Sbrother is a boy or a girl.
Are you concentrating? Coz this is like Hard Maths!
If Sbrother is a girl, then I stay in my room, with Sbrother. Dawn will sleep up here when she’s around and Ben will stay in the front room. I bet Dawn won’t let me sleep up here in the week when she’s at her Mum’s.
If Sbrother is a boy, then Dawn and I will sleep up here. Ben and Sbrother will share my old room.
So, now I really want a little brother!!!

Thirty-three

2009-05-07T21:35:00.001+01:00

I spoke to Miss Price today. I wanted to ask her about Maya’s mum. And what I should do. I went to school early so that I could get a chance to see her when it was quiet.
I knocked on the staff room door and Miss Price opened it. She had make-up on one eye, but not the other and she was holding an eyeliner. I guess she can be as rushed as I am some mornings!
‘Hello, Kirsty,’ she said. ‘What can I do for you?’
‘I sort of need some advice,’ I said.
She looked serious for a second, then said ‘then you’d best come in. I hope you don’t mind me doing my other eye while we chat. My alarm didn’t go off!’
She sat on the squidgy sofa and did her make-up while I chatted. It was weird, but it made it easier somehow, it felt like talking to Mum. I think if she had been staring at me and nodding in a teacherly way then I would have felt scared.
I told her about what Maya had said, about her Mum being worse. And then, I said, ‘I don’t know what to do. I can’t make her Mum better, and I don’t know how to make Maya feel better.’
Miss Price smiled. ‘Yes, you do. You just carry on doing what you’re doing. Talk to her, listen to her, eat ice creams and do the gardening. She needs someone to treat her like a friend. That’s all. You can do that, can’t you?’
I nodded. Then, when Miss Price had finished doing her eyeliner, I asked, ‘Will Maya’s Mum be OK?’
Miss Price pressed her lips together. ‘I don’t know the answer to that. She’ll probably be fine, they caught it early. But there’s a chance she might not recover. Maya will need you then.’
It made me feel cold inside.

Thirty-two

2009-05-01T16:00:00.000+01:00

It was a funny day today.
Maya came with me after school to the allotment. We spend a while clearing weeds and things that have started to come up because of the sunshine. We didn’t talk much, but it was nice just working away and getting hot and grubby.
She’s stopped squealing whenever she finds a worm, which is good because there are loads of worms all the time. Last time she did it, she sounded like she was watching a horror film not weeding a veggie patch.
We worked for a bit, then sat down with our backs against the shed. The sun was nice and warm, so we were kind of sunbathing.
‘It’s nice here,’ she said.
‘I know,’ I said.
‘Yes, but. I mean, it’s nicer than at home. I wish I could stay here all the time.’
I knew she had to be talking about her mum.
I didn’t really know what to say. But, I remember from last year, that the worst thing about when Grandad died was that no-one talked about it. Dad acted like it hadn’t happened and that made him ill.
So I knew I had to say something. But it felt like clouds had rolled over the sun, even though it was still as warm as ever.
‘How is she?’ I asked.
Maya looked at me. I thought she wasn’t going to speak. She looked so sad, but she wasn’t crying. She just looked tired. ‘Worse,’ she said in the end.
What does that mean?
But Maya didn’t say anything else. She stood up and said, ‘let’s go and buy an ice lolly. It’s too hot to do any work.’
So we did.

Thirty-one

2009-04-26T09:32:00.001+01:00

Maya rang me!
It’s funny, because I didn’t know what to say at the beginning. I mean, I don’t know her very well and I wasn’t sure that I liked the bits I did know. It’s only really because of Miss Price that we’re talking at all.
So, we didn’t have much to say at the start. I asked how she was and she said ‘fine’. And then she asked how I was and I said ‘fine’. And then neither of us said anything.
But then Mum started shouting because Martin had been doing some painting and he’d left the lid, paint-up, on the floor. And Mum stepped in it. And she had no shoes on (which was stupid because she is always telling us to wear shoes because of the builders). And she yelled because she was making lilac footprints on the landing carpet.
I was quiet while all this was going on, because sometimes it’s just better to keep your ears open and your mouth shut.
But, on the other end of the phone, Maya could hear the screaming and she said ‘What’s that? A herd of elephants?’. So I told her what was happening and we laughed.
After that, it was quite easy.
We just talked about stuff, school and telly and nothing much really, but it was nice.
She’s going to come to the allotment with me later.

Thirty

2009-04-22T16:18:00.002+01:00

After school today, Mum said, “enough is enough. There are too many people in the house.”
We can take a hint! So, me, Dad, Ben and Dawn decided to go swimming.
Then, Because Mum nagged him, Dad said ‘The more the merrier’ and I was told to invite Maya.
I didn’t think she would come.
But, when I called, she sounded pleased that I had. And she said yes to coming swimming.
It was loads of fun. The pool by us has three different slides. One is just for babies, one is a bit bigger and the last one is a tube that goes the whole way around the pool. We threw ourselves down it at least two hundred times.
Then, Dad taught us how to dive. I belly flopped once and it KILLED. But I got it right by the end.
Then we had chips in the canteen. And while I was dipping a chip into the tomato sauce, Maya sort of whispered, ‘thank you’.
I asked what for.
‘For being nice to me,’ she said. ‘No one’s been nice to me for ages.’
‘Well,’ I said. ‘You haven’t been nice to other people. Throwing stones and laughing and stuff.’
She was quiet after that.
I thought she wouldn’t speak to me again. But when we dropped her off at her house, she smiled and waved and said “see you tomorrow”.
She means at school, but I think it would be nice to do something like this again.

Twenty-nine

2009-04-17T13:44:00.001+01:00

I love the school holidays! Though Mum seems a bit more cross about the whole thing than usual. She keeps going on about people being under her feet. Me and Martin (the builder) just smile at each other.
I have been trying to be helpful.
Yesterday, I mixed up the plaster that goes on the walls. And Martin let me put some on. You have to get it onto the trowel and then ‘whoop’ smear it on the wall as quick as you can so it doesn’t fall off. Only some of mine fell off. Martin said it wasn’t bad for a first go. But he wouldn’t let me have a second go.
Ben and Dawn are coming to stay for three days this weekend and some of next week too. They should have stayed with us for the holidays, but because Mum was ill they’ll be staying into school-time instead.
I hope Dawn isn’t in a strop about it.
I bet she is though.
But the big news this holiday is that Mum is totally keen on me being Maya’s friend. She keeps asking me to invite her over. Which doesn’t make sense with the whole ‘people under her feet’ business. So I haven’t invited her yet.

Twenty-eight

2009-04-15T14:59:00.001+01:00

Mum is home! But she is supposed to take it easy. She isn’t though. As soon as she had her bag unpacked, she went up to the attic to see what Martin has been doing. Of course, the garage was not on the roof! In fact, it’s starting to look like a real room now. They’ve put a window in the middle of the ceiling and, if you stand on tiptoe on a chair, you can see out of it. And, if you lie on your back underneath it, you can see the clouds floating past.
Mum told me not to stand on tiptoe on a chair. So, we both lay on the floor and watched the sky. Mum said it was very peaceful, so maybe it counts as resting.
‘Are you going to be OK?’ I asked her.
‘Of course,’ she said. And the way she said it meant I believe her. She said it in a solid way, like there was no way that her answer could be anything else. ‘I’m only having a baby,’ she said. ‘People do it all the time. It isn’t an illness.’
And that’s true isn’t it? Babies get born every day. Though on the telly stuff happens all the time to the mums and the babies.
‘But that’s just make-believe,’ Mum said when I pointed out how often things go wrong in soap operas. ‘Bad stuff has to happen to make the story interesting. Imagine if it was just families sitting around playing Monopoly with nothing happening at all. Nobody would watch it.’
I agreed.
Then, with the clouds still up above us, I told Mum about seeing Maya.
‘Keemo?’ she asked, when I told her about Maya’s mum. And the way she said it wasn’t solid. It was kind of slippery and cold.
‘What is it?’ I asked.
‘It means she might be quite poorly,’ Mum said. ‘I don’t know. I could try to find out. Or you could ask your friend.’
‘She isn’t really my friend,’ I said.
And then Mum gave me a sad look.
I think I have to try harder with Maya.

Twenty-seven

2009-04-12T18:23:00.001+01:00

It was a funny Easter today. I had three chocolate eggs, but I had to eat them on Mum’s bed. She helped and so did Dad and we did have a nice time, but, it was still funny.
Mum is still in hospital, though she’ll be home in two or three days.
But the really weird thing is, so is Maya’s Mum. In hospital, I mean.
I saw Maya in the canteen there. She was buying a plastic pot of jelly. Red jelly. And I was behind her in the queue (it gets a bit boring on the ward, so I go for a wander sometimes, even though I don’t really want anything from the canteen.) She didn’t notice me behind her. I had to say her name a few times. And when she looked, her face was all surprised and shocked.
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked.
‘My Mum’s in ward 7,’ I said.
And then her eyes looked all teary and she sort of smiled. She picked up another jelly and said, ‘I’ve got enough money for two, if you want one.’
I don’t even like jelly, but this was the first time she’d been nice, so I had to say yes.
We sat down at a table and ate our jellies. In fact, it wasn’t too bad, It didn’t have a skin on, which it what makes it disgusting.
I asked her why she was at the hospital and she told me that her Mum has to go in all the time for something called keemo (I don’t know how to spell it.) Which is a medicine which makes her so sick that she can’t drive afterwards, so Maya and her dad have to stay. But Maya isn’t allowed in the room with them, so she has to wait in the canteen.
I finished my jelly and then said that I had to get back to Mum, but I would look out for her next time I was visiting.
She smiled then, as though we might be friends after all.

Twenty-six

2009-04-10T10:25:00.001+01:00

Mum was sitting up in bed when we got to the ward. And she was smiling. And she ate the chocolates we brought. Which Grandad never did. He was kind of weak and thin and it got worse the longer he was there.
Mum seems OK. She worked her way through almost the whole box of Celebrations while we were there. Well, I suppose I might have helped her with some of them!
Apparently, the baby’s heartbeat wasn’t as strong as it should be when Mum went for a check-up. So she had to go in ‘for observation’. Which, she says, just means lying around being bored when she should be getting on with things. ‘Who’s going to keep an eye on the builders?’ she said, ‘they’ll knock down the bathroom and put a garage on the roof if you don’t watch them.’
Dad says she has to do whatever the doctors tell her to.
The baby is OK, they say. But Mum needs to rest for a few days, so she’s going to stay in hospital just for a bit.
I felt really weird when I thought that something bad was happening to Sbrother. Like I might start to cry and never stop. So I couldn’t let myself start.
I guess Ben was right. I must love Sbrother already.

Twenty-five

2009-04-09T15:11:00.001+01:00

I can’t write much.

Mum is in hospital. She went in this morning. I am visiting in a bit. Dad won’t say what’s wrong. He just looks all pale and scared. I hope it isn’t like Grandad. It can’t be, can it?

Twenty-four

2009-04-03T10:21:00.000+01:00

I am being as nice as I can to Maya. She doesn’t make it easy though. I ask her to join in with things, usually she says no. I save her a place by me, but a lot of the time she sits by herself. I even tried waiting by her house so that we can walk to school together, but I think if she sees me then she deliberately walks the long way around so she doesn’t have to talk to me.
I think maybe Miss Price was wrong. I don’t think Maya wants to be my friend at all.

Twenty-three

2009-04-01T15:55:00.000+01:00

Hello, it's Kirsty again.
You won’t believe what happened today!
I have been keeping an eye on Maya, and trying to stop her being mean to people. And mostly it’s worked, because none of the Year 3s have been hit by stones recently. But Maya has barely spoken to me in weeks.
Well, Miss Price kept me behind at break time. I thought she might be going to shout at me because I’d spilled paint on the lino during art. But she didn’t! She said that she’d noticed that I’d been looking out for Maya and that it was kind of me and would I be sure to carry on because Maya was going to need a friend!
I hadn’t been looking after Maya at all. But Miss Price thought I had.
Then, it was break time. So, I went outside. And, of course, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Miss Price had said. Was I the closest thing Maya had to a friend? If that was true then Maya was in trouble, because I wasn’t her friend at all!
It made me feel bad. Uncomfortable.
I went to find Maya. Because now I know that there really is something wrong and not just me imagining it.
She was sitting by the tree, where she usually sits. And she was just staring up at the sky. Looking at nothing.
‘Hello,’ I said.
She didn’t say anything.
‘What are you doing?’
‘Nothing,’ she said.
‘Do you want to come and play?’ I asked.
She looked at me as though I’d offered to run over her dog.
I left her to it after she swore at me.
I feel bad now. I know there’s a problem. I know that Miss Price wants me to help. But I don’t know how. How can you be friends with someone who doesn’t want to be your friend?

Twenty-two

2009-03-29T11:10:00.001+01:00

This is Ben again. Hello.
I read Kirsty’s post in the middle of the week and I had to ring her. And, after the phone call, she said that I should write down some of the things I’d said to her. She said ‘like a problem page’, but I’d be no good at doing it like that. So, I’ll just write what I can remember of it.
Kirsty said that having a new brother or sister makes her worried, as well as excited.
Why is everyone so worried? Dawn is too.
(hah! Dawn and Kirsty are behaving the same! Kirsty is so going to kill me for writing that. But it’s true.)
Having a baby around is nice. It makes you feel all important when you help to look after it. And Dad says nice things to you like ‘I just have to remember that this baby will eventually stop crying and will be someone I can talk to, like you.’ Or ‘I can trust you to bath the baby, can’t I? You’re sensible.’ And it makes you kind of swell up inside because you’re helping. Dad and Fiona would have a much harder time if we weren’t around to help.
And Kirsty has to remember too that the chances are, she’s going to love the baby. That’s important. Coz it makes it easier to put up with the noise and the smell and the fact that Dad and Fiona will be a bit grumpy sometimes.
So, there’s nothing to worry about.
Honestly.
That’s what I said on the phone.
I think maybe Kirsty wants me to put it in writing so she can sue me if it turns out to be a lie.

Twenty-one

2009-03-25T09:08:00.000Z

Mum’s getting a proper bump now! It’s really exciting. Really, really.
Honestly.
But there is a small part of me - a tiny part - that is worried. You see, I haven’t said this before, but I kind of know how Dawn feels. It’s been me here all alone during the week since forever. I know that Dawn and Ben come at weekends and sometimes the weekend comes so quick it seems like they’re always here. But on Mondays to Fridays it’s just me and Mum and Dad. And soon, there will be someone else too. It makes me feel a bit like there’s jelly in my tummy, wobbling around. I feel nervous and excited at the same time.
A tiny, tiny part of me is worried that Mum and Dad won’t have time for me anymore. Does that make sense? Am I wrong to worry?

Twenty

2009-03-19T08:07:00.000Z

I have been watching Maya Toyne carefully this week. And I am sure that there is Something Up. I thought about her crying all weekend. Well, not all weekend, because there was a lot going on with building work and we went to the allotment to see how it’s doing and stuff. But some of the time I thought about her. It doesn’t seem right that someone should cry in an alleyway and no one takes the time to find out what’s wrong. Crying outdoors seems different to just regular crying. Unless you’ve fallen over, then it’s OK.
Anyway.
I wanted to find out if Maya’s crying was the normal I’ve-just-fallen-over-and-scraped-my-knee kind, or if it was something else. Something more serious.
So, I’ve been watching her.
She comes to school by herself.
She spends breaktime doing one of two things. Mostly, she sits on her own near the big tree that grows up out of the concrete at the edge of the yard. But yesterday she flicked little stones at the little ones skipping. She did it almost as though she wasn’t thinking about it. She just picked up a stone and pressed it into her thumb until it popped out. Which would have been fine if her thumb hadn’t been pointing at the year 3s. She didn’t hit any of them, but I think she was trying to. And she was trying to pretend that she wasn’t.
Yesterday, I thought enough was enough. So, I went up to her in break and said ‘Are you better now?’
‘There’s nothing wrong,’ she said.
‘Well, it looks like there is,’ I said.
‘Why don’t you leave me be and mind your own business!’ she said.
‘Fine,’ I said. ‘I will. Just so long as none of your stones hits anyone. Then it will be my business again.’
She looked shocked. I think she was surprised that anyone noticed what she’d been doing. But I had.
There is definitely something up.

Nineteen

2009-03-13T15:05:00.001Z

On my way to school today I saw the weirdest thing. I was walking through the estate, just minding my own business, when I walked past one of the alleys. There are loads of alleys, narrow brick arches that mean you can get to the back of people’s houses without walking through their house. Well, I went past the one that is closest to Maya Toyne’s house (I know where she lives because I had to go to a birthday party there when we were little). And I heard crying. Not wailing, just sniffs and splutters, like someone was trying to make the tears stop.
I thought I should investigate, just in case there was something really wrong and I was the only witness.
I looked in the alley and there was Maya!
She was sort of sitting on the floor, hunched up, hugging her knees and she was the one making the noise.
‘Are you OK?’ I asked.
She ignored me like I hadn’t even spoken.
‘Maya?’ I said, because I was really trying to be nice, even though she’s a pain in the neck. ‘Do you want me to fetch anyone? Your Mum or Dad?’
Then she looked up and even in the dark alley I could see her eyes were all blotchy with tears. I was ready to go and put my arm around her or something.
Then, she said, ‘Go away and leave me alone!’
I didn’t know what to do.
So, I went away and left her alone.
When I got to school, I didn’t say anything to anyone. And Maya totally ignored me all day. But perhaps I should tell someone what I saw?

Eighteen

2009-03-07T13:44:00.000Z

It’s me again! Kirsty that is. I didn’t whine at Ben BTW – he asked if he could write in my blog. So, hah!
I am covered head-to-toe in dust! I look like a ghost! I’ve been jumping out at people from behind doors and yelling ‘boo!’ It’s brilliant.
I am all covered in dust because they have started working on the new bedroom. Three men turned up yesterday and started knocking holes in things and putting planks of wood everywhere where you can trip over them.
Mum is going on and on about it being a health hazard. She’s still frowning a lot and putting her hands on her tummy. She’s got a tiny bump now! It looks a bit like she’s had too much Christmas dinner, rather than a proper baby bump though.
Martin, the head builder is really nice. He has a tool belt, Bob the Builder style. And he wears the same overalls every day even though they are all covered in paint and sawdust and stuff. He likes his tea with two sugars, which is amazing. Mum doesn’t let me put sugar on my food at all, not even on Weetabix which really needs it. I had a taste of his tea and it was like sweets. Hot, runny sweets.
The other two builders don’t really speak much. I think they must be shy.
Dad is helping them out too. He’s labouring, he says. He hasn’t been out to fit anyone’s kitchen in ages. I think that’s bad news. Because that’s where our money comes from.
Ben and Dawn have gone to the builder’s merchants with Dad to buy plasterboard. I said I’d stay behind to help Martin. Martin said the best thing I could do was to stay out of the way, because they’re widening the hole in the ceiling for the stairs. Which is why the dust is everywhere!
I like having builders around!

Seventeen

2009-03-03T09:28:00.001Z

This is Ben writing. Not Kirsty. She said that I’ll explain better than she could. Although, I don’t want to explain it all, but she’s making me. She whined all weekend for me to come on her blog. So, I am. But don’t blame me if I make a bad job of it. I’ve never done this before.
Anyway.
Dawn is upset because Fiona (that’s Kirsty’s mum, by the way) is having a baby.
And Fiona is upset because Dawn is upset. Again.
Dawn was like this when Kirsty was born. You’d think she’d get over it. But she doesn’t. She pretends to be all hard and grumpy, but actually she needs more attention than anyone. She’s worried that one more brother or sister will mean a bit less love from Dad and Fiona. But it wasn’t like that when Kirsty was born, so it probably won’t be like that now. I told Kirsty that and she wants us to do something nice for Dawn. But I have no idea what.
What can you do to cheer up someone like Dawn? If you have an idea, please let us know!

Sixteen

2009-02-24T12:26:00.001Z

I didn’t blog over the weekend for two reasons. The first is simple, the computer is in Ben’s room and him being in it makes it smell of dirty socks. The second reason is because there was a really weird feeling in the house over the weekend and I’ve been trying to work it out.
It wasn’t rows, exactly.
More of a prickly-around-the-edges feeling. Like snuggling up to a hedgehog.
It mostly came from Dawn and Mum. They were really polite to each other, REALLY polite. It was all, ‘Would you mind if I...’ and ‘No bother at all.’ Usually, they do what they like and just get on with it. It was really weird.
Next weekend I am going to watch-them-like-a-hawk and see if I can work it out.

Fifteen

2009-02-20T17:50:00.001Z

Maya Toyne is the biggest pain in the whole world times ten!
No, times a hundred!
She is so spiteful.
Today, for no reason, she started doing this horrible voice (it was supposed to be an impression of me, but I don’t sound like that!) and said stupid stuff like, “I’m so important, I’m the queen of everything.” Which I don’t think.
Well, I couldn’t ignore her, could I? Mum does say “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”, but I don’t think that’s true, words do hurt and it’s silly to say otherwise.
So, I gave her a few words of my own.
Some that Dawn taught me.
Miss Price heard me, and gave me such a telling off. I tried to explain but she wouldn’t listen. She said I needed to wash my mouth out with soap. She took a sticker away from my name. But Maya got to keep hers.
It’s not fair. It’s all Maya’s fault!
I’m glad it’s the weekend, because I’m so cross with Maya that I need the whole weekend to calm down.

Fourteen

2009-02-13T11:07:00.000Z

OK. I was joking.

This is how you get your name to appear on a marrow.
You will need:
One baby marrow STILL ATTACHED to the plant
One pin

Then you write whatever you want on the marrow, very gently, using the pin. When the marrow grows, the words you’ve written grow with it! And it looks like it’s just appeared by magic.

Dad told me how to do it. He read in Elen’s book that I didn’t know and he told me.
It was strange. He came into the living room while I was watching telly. He was holding the book (doesn’t it have a great cover, by the way?). He sat down next to me and was quiet for ages. Then he said, ‘A lot happened to you last year, didn’t it?’
Well d’uh.
I didn’t say that though. He sounded too serious.
‘And a lot is going to happen this year too,’ he said.
I think he’s talking about Sbrother. And the new loft bedroom.

I gave him a hug because he looked sad. Sometimes I worry that he’s going to get REALLY sad again. But he smiled, and then told me about Grandad’s marrow trick.

So now, I’m telling you!

Thirteen

2009-02-09T16:03:00.001Z

Some people have sent me emails which is lovely! One person wanted to know how Granddad (and then me!) got people’s names to appear on marrows.
Easy.
By magic.
Seriously.
Fairies.
I’m not joking.

Twelve

2009-02-02T15:40:00.000Z

It’s snowing! Is it snowing where you are too?

We got sent home from school early, because the heating broke. Woo-hoo! A good result for a Monday.

When we got home, Dad went up to the attic. I wanted to go too, because I’ve never been up there. Imagine, a place in your house you’ve never been!
But he wouldn’t let me. He said “The floor’s not stable, you’ll drop straight through”. But I’m lighter than him and he didn’t fall through.
He was up there for a reason. Not just putting back the Christmas decorations (which he did as well).
He’s going to turn the attic into a bedroom!

Because of the credit crunch (which sounds like a breakfast cereal to me, but is something about money and how we’ve not got very much of it), we can’t move to a bigger house when the baby comes. I’m glad, I don’t want to move house. I’ve lived in this one all my life, I wouldn’t like to have to leave it.
Anyway, because of the baby, there won’t be enough room for us all. So, Dad’s turning the attic into another bedroom.

But whose bedroom?!

That’s what I want to know. I’d like it, but then, so does Ben, and Dawn, and probably Mum and Dad too! Even Sbrother might want it when s/he knows how cool an attic bedroom is. Sbrother is short for ‘new sister or brother’, by the way.
But Mum and Dad haven’t decided yet. I hope it gets to be mine.

Now I’m going out to build a snowman!

Eleven

2009-01-31T08:36:00.000Z

It’s tough being famous. No honestly. First of all, when you’re still a kid there’s no photo shoots or stretch limos with DVD players in. And second, when you’re famous for being a thief then people can be mean about it. People at school have been reading the book that Elen Caldecott wrote about us. Some people said today that we were just common criminals. Not mentioning any names, Maya Toyne.
What about Robin Hood? He was a criminal and everyone thinks he was brilliant. Ben – who’s looking over my shoulder and who should Mind His Own Business – says that Robin Hood was an outlaw. Which apparently means outside the law. Which means he wasn’t really breaking the law because he was outside it. Or something.

Anyway, some people, like Maya Toyne, don’t know what they’re talking about.

Ten

2009-01-24T12:09:00.000Z

What was I thinking? This is the most exciting things that’s happened forever!
Dawn is still in our room. She hasn’t woken up yet. Ben is out in the garden. So, I’ve been able to sit quietly all morning and think about it. A baby brother or sister. Brilliant.

Nine

2009-01-24T09:39:00.000Z

Well.
Blimey.
Actually, that’s not what Dawn said. She said a much ruder word and started crying and then locked herself in the loos at TGI Fridays.
Even Ben looked a bit bothered, and usually he’s fine with anything that happens. Grandad used to say that Ben was Zen. Which made me laugh.

I don’t know how I feel.

Mum and Dad told us last night that Mum’s going to have a baby. I’m going to have a full, real, brother or sister. One who has exactly the same Mum and Dad as me.
Dawn said it was disgusting. Once Mum had persuaded her to come out of the loo and wash her face.
Dad looked hurt. He looked kind of creased and crumpled about it.
Mum was hurt too. But I could tell from her face that really, deep down inside, she’s happy.

Eight

2009-01-23T16:28:00.001Z

Woo-hoo! I love Fridays. School is over for another week. The whole weekend is still waiting, none of it used up yet. Ben and Dawn on their way to my house. The only thing better than a Friday is a Friday before school holidays.

And that’s not all.

Mum and Dad say they’re going to take us all out tonight for dinner. We never go out for dinner. Except for birthdays and things like that. And it isn’t anyone’s birthday. I’m going to wear the dress I got for the book party. I’m off to get ready!

Seven

2009-01-20T12:31:00.000Z

When things are going weird, suddenly everything else seems weird too. Have you ever noticed that?

First, Mum and Dad. And now school.
Maya.

Today, in Art Maya wouldn’t draw anything. She just sat. Her face was red and her lips were pinched together as though they were stuck in a clothes peg. Usually, she’s good at art – almost as good as me. But today, nothing. And Miss Price just let her sit there.
In my school, there are 27 people in my class. Miss Price is our teacher (though there are some assistants some days, not every day) and she’s really strict! She puts stickers on a chart if you do something good, but she’ll take them off again for the smallest thing.

But she didn’t take a sticker off Maya.

And then, in break, for no reason at all, Maya pinched me, really hard. It hurt so much I thought I was going to cry. But I didn’t.
I shouted at her. But she just pulled a face.

She didn’t used to be like this. Last year she was my best friend for a bit. I don’t know what’s happened to her. It wasn’t just me, either. Danny told me that she was rude to him for no reason at lunchtime.
Perhaps she’s jealous because me and Danny are in a book.
Anyway, she should have had two stickers taken away, at least, but she didn’t. And that’s what’s weird.

Six

2009-01-18T10:30:00.001Z

Just a quick one today. Soon, me and Dawn and Ben are going to go to the allotments soon to talk about what we need to do for Spring. Though Spring still feels like its miles away. There was a big storm last night that shook the trees – did you hear it? But it’s OK out now.

I’ve just overheard Mum and Dad talking.
It was almost a row, but not quite.

He hasn’t got any work on this week. Usually, Mum would be pleased he’s taking a holiday. We get to spend time with him when he does that. But she wasn’t happy. She sounded worried. I hope everything’s OK.

Five

2009-01-12T09:22:00.001Z

OK. Now I’m worried. Dawn and Ben came to stay at the weekend, like normal. But it wasn’t normal. Mum and Dad were being really weird. Dad was going crazy with DIY. He’s pretty good at fixing stuff, but usually he does it for other people. If something breaks in our house, then it stays broken. For years, sometimes. Like the banisters, Dad started to strip the paint off them about two years ago. So, he took them all down and put them in a pile in the shed. And me and Ben thought they’d stay there forever. But this weekend, Dad sanded them all and put them back. And he fixed the cupboard door under the sink so that it shuts properly now. And he glued down the loose tiles in the bathroom. Serious, he was Bob the Builder all weekend.

And Mum?

Well, she started normal enough. We had to strip our beds and put on clean duvet covers (except for Ben, his bed gets made fresh every time he comes to stay because he sleeps on the camp bed). Changing the sheets happens every weekend. But then, she started on the laundry.

I don’t know if this is how everyone else does it, but in our house, the clean laundry lives in a huge basket on the floor in Mum and Dad’s bedroom. And when you want to wear something, you root around in the basket looking for it. When you find it, if it’s not too creased, you put it on. If it is creased then you tell Mum or Dad and they make a big fuss about getting out the ironing board and ironing it for you. And they wonder when you’ll be old enough to do your own hot-iron chores. And you smile at them and tell them they’re the best parents in the world. And they grin and say flattery will get you everywhere. And, finally, you’ll have an ironed shirt.

I don’t know if that’s how it is in your house, but that’s how it is in mine.
Anyway.

Yesterday, Mum got out the ironing board and ironed EVERYTHING in the basket. Even the pants and the tea-towels.

Dawn said we’d better get out of the house, as aliens had clearly taken over the bodies of our parents.

Still, at least I won’t stub my toe on loose tiles from now on. In my ironed socks.

Four

2009-01-09T15:15:00.002Z

I’m exhausted! Last night, at the party, it was all nice dresses, and music and everyone had a free glass of wine (not me, though, I had orange juice, but it was free too). And there were loads of people. And there were free tiny elephants and squirting eyeballs!

Actually, I thought there would be rockets involved. Or at least someone saying ‘three..two...one..blast off!’ but it wasn’t like that. It started with a band playing and then people who worked for the publishers spoke and then Elen Caldecott got up to talk about THE BOOK. Her friend Ally Kennen was there too, because it was a book launch for both of them. The cover for Ally’s book – Bedlam – looked great, but Mum said it was a bit old for me. But Ben bought it and he says I can read it when he’s finished.

It was really weird hearing Elen talk about us and what we did. But she also talked about what it was like being a writer.
I think it sounded great. She works at home, whenever she likes. Writers get to have big lie-ins and wear whatever they like – pyjamas all day if they want.
I think I might be a writer when I grow up. Or a film star.

I had a lovely time. But then I had to get up early to go to school. And now I’m exhausted! Ben and Dawn will be here soon, so I might go and have a tiny sleep before they arrive. Goodnight!

Three

2009-01-05T17:48:00.001Z

The book is out today! So now I’m famous! Even more than I was last year when there was all that stuff in the news and me and Dawn and Ben were on the telly. And the elephant too. That was on telly. That took up most of the screen , really. You could hardly see the rest of us.

But now, I’m famous in a book! It’s really funny. Dad took me to the bookshop today so we could buy extra copies (he wants to give them to his mates! To grown men, honest!). And there they were, in a neat pile on a table. Books with my name on.
My name.

And the author’s too, of course. But the Kirsty Jenkins bit is bigger than the Elen Caldecott bit. Dad says if I’m not careful we won’t be able to get my big head through the door. But he was smiling when he said it.

I’ve read it already. I read the copy Elen sent us. Dawn and Ben did too.
Dawn’s cross, because they put the bit about her crying in. So now her friends know and they’ll tease her about being a wuss. Mum says that her real friends won’t tease her and anyone who does is an idiot.
But I like it. It made me laugh.

There’s going to be a party for it on Thursday. Everyone’s going to go – me and the author, even Mr Thomas. Me and Mum went shopping in the sales for a new dress for me to wear. I hope they won’t want me to make a speech. I’ll be terrified. I mean, after all, we did break the law!

It’s good, because even though Christmas is over, I still feel excited. I can’t wait to show everyone the book at school tomorrow. It’s going to be brilliant!

Two

2008-12-09T10:26:00.002Z

I got a huge, fat envelope in the post today. I thought it might be an early Christmas present, but no! Inside was a copy of the book Elen Caldecott wrote about us! She sent it to me before it’s even in the shops. And there was a nice card too, saying that she hoped I liked the cover as much as she does.

As soon as I saw what was inside, I screeched! The postman – who is now quite a good friend of mine and had stayed to see what it was – screeched too! Then Mum, then Dad. All of us stood in the hallway screeching like we were on the Waltzers! Because EVERYONE is in it. In the book, I mean, not on the cover. Even the postman – we flicked through to check. He looked really pleased.
There’s a picture of an elephant’s bum on the cover! And if you look really closely you can see that it’s hairy! Brilliant!

There was something else in the envelope too. Invites. Elen Caldecott has invited us to the launch party in January. Mum says we’ll have to get dressed up in Posh Frocks. I’ve never been to a launch party before. This winter is really exciting.

Especially when I remember last year. Grandad was in hospital and we were all sad. I hope he’d be pleased with everything that’s happened since. I think it would have made him laugh. I’m sure it would.

Kirsty
xx

One

2008-06-12T14:52:00.000+01:00

I am very excited that Elen Caldecott wrote a book about me. It is going to be in the shops in January.

I haven't seen it yet. If they make a film of it, I want Keira Knightley to play me. She was brilliant in Pirates of the Caribbean. Sadly, they won't be able to find anyone ugly enough to play Dawn so she can't be in the film version (just kidding! Honest!!!Honest!!!!!).

When the book comes out, I'm going to write about it here. And also tell you what happened to me AFTER I stole the elephant.

ttfn
Kirsty
xx