Just a quick word

I am determined to Blog a few lines before another fortnight slips by, especially as I have just included my Blog address in all my Christmas cards, telling my friends and rellies they can catch up on all our news here. So a hearty ‘Welcome!’ to any new readers; don’t fret, you will get all the gossip but only when I can disentangle my boy from the keyboard and myself from the daily turmoil and actually concentrate for half an hour. I am hopeful I may get away with it now as the kiddies are involved in a very interesting sounding game upstairs which has Pickle going by the name of Agatha and Poppet sporting shorts and a strappy top despite the inch of frost outside. At least they aren’t tormenting the dog who is currently flaked out on her bed after wolfing down a huge bone. I thought dogs were only supposed to gnaw on bones but ours likes to actually eat them - after crunching them into little pieces on my best rug of course. Then she buries what remains in the plant pots in the garden to marinade for a few days before digging them back up for another chew.

So, all is relatively calm at the moment, which makes a nice change from chasing my tail taking the kids to school, the dog to the park and the car to the garage. Yes, the brand new car is in for repair already and I am pootling about in a courtesy Fiesta. Oh the shame! Mind you, it’s a whole lot easier to park, I just hope they won’t mind all the baguette crumbs that Pickle has already smothered across the back seat. I should have known not to get a Ford, no matter how good the reports about the S-Max in What Car, with our luck we were always going to get a dud. Still, the garage didn’t sound too worried when I explained the problem. Luckily my French teacher was able to furnish me with an appropriate translation of ‘the bastard thing keeps cutting out!’

Meanwhile the whole household has gone Christmas crazy, spurred on by the children who are so excited that they had the tree up on 1st December and are ploughing their way through 4 advent calendars. We have a chart on the wall counting the ‘sleeps’ to the big day which they started crossing off in November. I didn’t get much of a look-in on the decorations this year; I was only required to trail some lights around the tree after Poppet had gone at it. It looks as though someone has vomited tinsel and baubles all over it, but we’re very proud she dressed it all herself. I’ve been busy in the kitchen instead. I’ve made mincemeat, shortbread, gingerbread and mince pies and Nobby made a Christmas cake. Someone stop me or I’ll be putting the sprouts on next. And we’re not even going to be here for it, we’re heading back to Blighty for a change. Wish me luck trying to hide all the parcels in the car. Mine still believe in Santa so they get a bit confused whenever presents turn up here in the post. They reckon the elves do all the shopping and wrapping – huh! if only! You have to sharpen your elbows before venturing to the shops these days. At least Nobby and I have agreed a system to make sure we get what we really want this year. We buy whatever it is we fancy and give it to the other one to wrap up for Christmas Day! I’m very pleased about it and Nobby is being exceptionally generous this year…

It has now taken me two days to write all this so I am going to publish and run before something else happens to interrupt me. The kids are both staying for lunch at school tomorrow and I am sooooo looking forward to a day on my own. Of course the dog needs to go to the vet now and I have a room full of presents to wrap but at least the soundtrack will be more Simply Red than simply shouting.

And… relax.