Easter weekend

I had been complaining all week about Good Friday not being a public holiday when on Thursday someone explained that it used to be a holiday, but then was deemed unconstitutional as it was a holiday solely on religious grounds. It was then removed as a public holiday and instead everyone (at least at the University) was given an extra day's leave. As it is also unconstitutional to deny someone a religious holiday everyone who wants to have Good Friday off can have it, while others are free to take their day off as they like. I had to admit that was actually a whole lot more liberal and fair than the imposed Christian holiday schedule in Europe. Very interesting to be shown another perspective to some of the prejudices I have.
Lucas had a half-day on Friday so I also took the afternoon off and we went over to grandma's for puffed-rice-lamb making and egg-colouring. I had had romantic notions of my son and I carefully decorating some eggs - well do'h - there I was in a pinney trying not to cover the kitchen in dye while Lucas raced around the house with his 'bobbys'. His cousin Sophie also took him for a spin in the garden.
On Saturday I had planned to go to the Easter Hat Parade but Lucas was much more interested in hanging out at the local playgrounds (there is a different sandpit with different toys on every block of university housing) so we spent the whole day traipsing around the local area. It was a gorgeous day and we met lots of other parents and kids. I did take Lucas for a drive in the early afternoon so he could nap, and then when he was asleep I parked in a wooded area and read my book, 'Buddhism for Mothers'. Lots of wisdom, not so easy to put into practice.... When Lucas woke up we went for a walk in the woods, or at least that was the plan. He insisted on taking his mini-wheelbarrow as well as Bunny and his juice, so off we all went. Within 15 minutes he decided his feet hurt or whatever the problem was, and so I ended up carrying him and the whole kit and caboodle back to the car. There my first instinct was to throw 'Buddhism for Mothers' out of the window - I mean, really. It's all very well breathing your way through your kid having a tantrum when you're sat under a tree in India but I never heard of the Buddha carrying a heavy toddler, a wheelbarrow, a bunny and related paraphernalia through the forest, all the while trying to have a conversation with his sister in Holland. (I know, the Buddha didn't have a sister in Holland. Not the point.) We went back home via yet another playground where Lucas discovered a little police car - pics of all these outings above.
Easter Sunday we spent with a Dutch friend and her sons, and then in the early evening with family. Annalisa 'hid' some plastic eggs in the garden for Lucas but he found them all totally uninteresting. I guess eggs with wheels have yet to be invented. His eggs did have some coins in so now at least I have a good supply of quarters for the parking meter :-)
Today it was cold again and I even spotted a bit of snow. That's definitely getting kind of old now.