Ice Queen

Illustration by Christian Birmingham

This morning I took the girls to Sainsburys, I know, the excitement never ends in this house.  They love it though. They go in the 'double trouble' trolley and help me find all the things we need and many of things we don't (chocolate biscuits, Peppa Pig yoghurts - is there ANYTHING that pig doesn't have a trotter in? Cinderella bubble bath..). They are rather good at shouting directions to me. I'm often delighted that the whole of Sainsbury's in our part of the world knows that we 'need' mummy's juice (aka wine).

Anyway this morning as we were parking in the one remaining mother and child spot there was a large, pensive looking crow on the roof of the car opposite us.


"Oh look at that crow Eliza, he looks like the one in the Ice Queen." Eliza craned her neck around the headrest of the front seat to take a look.


"Where's an ice-cream Mummy?"

"No. Ice Queen. The crow from the Ice Queen, look he's there on that car."

"What crow ice cream Mummy? Where?"

"No, you know the story with Gerda and Kay? The Ice Queen. The little boy gets taken by the Ice Queen."

"You mean the Snow Queen Mummy."

Of course, how silly of me.

Tilly meanwhile had cottoned on.

"Can I have some ice-cream please Mummy?"

"No darling, it's not ice cream it's the Ice..oh never mind.  Right come on girls we're here let's go and find a double trouble trolley."

"No Mummy. I want ice-cream!" Tilly was starting to whine.

"Ok, we'll get ice-cream in Sainsbury's, now come on let's get out."

And so I add another thing I neither need nor want to my shopping list.