Waving To The Bin Men {The Ordinary Moments #36}

Waving to bin men out of the window

The hum drum of the engine, the squeak of the brakes, the sound of the bins being wheeled across the pavement. And then a sudden shriek followed by thundering footsteps running up to the window. “Bin men coming. YAY. Bin men Mummy bin men”. Roma clambers up onto the ottoman that stands in front of the window and looks out with wonder as they pull up right outside the house. She waves frantically, knocking on the window to get their attention. She gets noticed, this tiny little figure of a girl gets noticed in the window and beams with pride when a man waves back. She shouts “Again. Again” and he does, sensing her urgency through those triple glazed panes that separate them. They carry on their journey through the streets and my little lady watches them with every bin until they eventually drive out of sight. Just as her sister did before her.

I don’t know what it is about my little ladies and the bin lorry but they have both been quite independently obsessed from a really young age. When Eva was about 18 months old she had the same thing. The same ordinary moment every single Friday. We would be sat having lunch and she would hear the telltale noise from the back of the house and stop eating – which for Eva is quite a mean feat as not much stops that girl from enjoying her food – she would run to the window in almost the exact same way and bang repeatedly until they saw her.

Many a day could be made or broken with the wave of a hand I can tell you. If I happened not to stand with her you would tell if they had seen her by the face she came back with, such disappointment or the happiest face you could ever see. It sort of became a thing and you could tell when they passed that they knew, they would look for this strange friendly little girl at number 11.

When Eva was 2 years and 3 months we moved house. She was most aggrieved to leave the bin men she had grown to know and love and much relieved, if a little perplexed, when I explained that as we were moving not much more than a few hundred yards they would actually be the same ones. This blew the mind of a girl so small and there was much wonder on that first Friday. Would they recognize her in her new surrounding? The same little girl but a whole new window.

It became such an ordinary moment that she loved and she would talk about them as if they were friends. In fact even today she reeled off “oh do you remember the one that was eating a banana that time, or the one that wears head phones!” The Easter following Roma’s arrival and with the prospect of school on the horizon meaning missing her beloved Friday tradition she decided she wanted to make them some biscuits to say Happy Easter. Even with a 9 week old baby, who am I to quash such a simple childish and lovely thought. So we dutifully made cookies, wrapped them up and Eva stood by herself on the front as I sat in the window breastfeeding a hungry baby who timed it perfectly!

There was a rather bemused look on the faces as she passed them over and said Happy Easter, followed all about her starting school and how she would miss them! But grateful they were and she would always get extra big smiles if it was them to collect in the future.

Of course with her being at school it just kind of dissipated, never really talked about as these things just pale into moments of childhood. That was until Roma has taken it upon herself to love it too. And now, well now it’s utterly wonderful for it all to come flooding back.

I love that I now have somewhere to write this all, to record these memories and know that childhood isn’t always about the big adventures, the material things or even the days when activities or crafts are laid out. It’s about them, about what they choose to enjoy, to involve themselves in and the innocence that it brings.

So at Christmas when Eva isn’t at school we will make sure we are in on a Friday lunchtime, so that there can be two little ladies stood at the window that day. Two little hands no doubt trying to knock louder than the other. So that they can share in this slightly strange but wonderfully ordinary moment they have created.

xx

My passion is photography and as such my posts are usually full of far too many pictures because I just can’t choose. This time though, the moment, this ordinary moment was so fleeting that no sooner had the camera come out than the moment had gone. And I just had to include the ones I took way back when. With my phone. In the moment. The pictures aren’t perfect, but the moment was and I look at these and can’t believe where the time has gone.

Waving to bin men out of the windowwaving to bin men out of the windowbin men cookies from a 4 year oldbin men cookies from a 4 year oldBin men standing outside to see them

Linking with Katie Mummy Daddy Me for the Ordinary Moments

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16 Comments

  1. Notmyyearoff
    October 16, 2016 / 7:57 am

    Oh my goodness, ahhh what a really lovely post. I’ve not known bin lorry love like this buts just so sweet to read about your girls and so lovely that your eldest made them biscuits for Easter. They must have really loved the gesture!

    • Laura - Little Ladies Big World
      Author
      October 20, 2016 / 8:38 pm

      It is a strange little thing for them both to have been fascinated by! x

  2. October 16, 2016 / 11:01 am

    Oh that’s so lovely – what gorgeous girls you have with such a loving generous spirit. I’m glad you didn’t move too far so you got the same bin men!

    • Laura - Little Ladies Big World
      Author
      October 20, 2016 / 8:38 pm

      Thank you, I hope she never loses this kind heart she has. x

  3. Sherry
    October 16, 2016 / 12:20 pm

    I don’t know why but when it got to the part where the paragraph where Eva told them all about school starting and giving them cookies I had a tear in my eye. Simply adorable and it’s so sweet that Roma now does it x

    • Laura - Little Ladies Big World
      Author
      October 20, 2016 / 8:39 pm

      Such a lovely comment thank you and it is strange but I do love that they have taken to the same thing! x

  4. Laura - dear bear and beany
    October 16, 2016 / 5:01 pm

    That’s so adorable! I love that she made them a present, I bet that was a first for the bin men. These are definitely the moments we want to remember forever x

    • Laura - Little Ladies Big World
      Author
      October 20, 2016 / 8:40 pm

      It really is the simplest moments I never want to forget. And yes the bin men definitely looked shocked as they looked in at me making sure it was ok!!

  5. October 16, 2016 / 6:55 pm

    Oh my goodness this is absolutely adorable. Probably my favourite post of yours ever. Such a lovely story and so nice that you have now written it down so they can relive it over and over when they are older. x

    • Laura - Little Ladies Big World
      Author
      October 20, 2016 / 8:41 pm

      Wow thank you. Its funny how such an ordinary moment can become so significant isn’t it? And of course that is why I love your linky!!

  6. Jess @ Picnics in the Rain
    October 16, 2016 / 7:10 pm

    Aw, this is lovely! Rosalie loves to rush to the window when she hears the bin lorry but I don’t think her love runs as deep as your little lady! xx

    • Laura - Little Ladies Big World
      Author
      October 20, 2016 / 8:45 pm

      It is a strange fascination isn’t it. I’m glad mine aren’t the only ones! x

  7. Morgana
    October 17, 2016 / 8:19 am

    Oh my goodness this is just so cute! Love that she brought out cookies to them.
    My youngest girl loved watching the bin men come, especially the ones that did the recycling. She loved watching so much that I got her a recycling truck from WOW Toys. As you might guess that toy swiftly became one of her firm favourites! xxx

    • Laura - Little Ladies Big World
      Author
      October 20, 2016 / 8:50 pm

      Oh Morgana I am so going to have to look this up for Christmas. I am so glad mine aren’t the only one too!

  8. October 17, 2016 / 9:22 am

    This is so adorable and so lovely! Gorgoues photos. The fact she made them a present is just so cute! xx

    • Laura - Little Ladies Big World
      Author
      October 20, 2016 / 8:51 pm

      Thank you x

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