The { Not-Quite-So-High-As-I-Thought } Height Of Summer

Oh dear.  The whole of August has slipped by and I haven't managed to join in with Julie's Height Of Summer Series as I had intended.  Today is the last day.  So although I had ideas for pages of scrapping and posts full of amusing height related anecdotes, I will have to settle for a photo of the inside of our pantry door.  We've lived in this house a long time, ever since the boys were tiny tots, and over the years we've marked out their growing up on the paintwork.  When I say "growing up" of course I'm talking in terms of length rather than maturity which is a) difficult to measure accurately and b) even harder to plot!

Child No.3, who has lived here all her life, has been tracked since she could stand.  When I checked today, she hasn't grown in the last 8 months.  I wish we'd been sensible and measured the children on their birthdays or each Christmas or at some other regular interval.  The dates are completely random - just when it occurred to somebody that it would be good to do.  This means it's hard to compare their heights at say 14 because somebody might not have been measured during their 14th year!  What I do know is that both boys are now taller than me (and Hubby too, since I'm taller than he is), but then I didn't really need the door to tell me that now did I?!?!

The door has told me something though.  It's come as quite a shock to me too.  It appears that I have been living under a misapprehension with regard to my height.

If Julie had asked me how tall I was, which she has, I'd have said 5' 10" - possibly rounded up from 5' 9½" for ease (I round down my weight to balance things out, don't you?!).

I'm sure I was.

Once.

Just not any more!

I measured today (twice in case the first tape measure was faulty) and discovered that I am shrinking!  That mark against my name is 174cm from the floor - yup, a measly 5' 8½".

Wait though!  We had ceramic tiles laid in our kitchen a while back so the floor is higher than it was.  Hmm - that might work for the children's older marks which will be need to have a lower floor level factored in, but, unfortunately for me I was standing on those tiles today.  So yes, the weight of all my years has begun to tell.  I am not quite as tall as I used to be.  Unfortunately for Hubby he seems to be shrinking at a similar rate!!