Snowy Day

Well the Internet and phone have only just been restored - nine days without has made us realise how much we use it. I thought I'd do a quick post just in case the four inches of snow persuade it to go down again!

The snow started yesterday afternoon and carried on, very lightly, all night so there was a perfect amount for sledging when we got up. We wrapped up very warm and spent a few hours around the village messing about and sledging. I'm quite surprised how long we all lasted without getting cold. We met up with some friends and carried on for a bit longer before a break for hot chocolate and coffee.

This afternoon I think we'll light the fire and lounge about in front of it doing very little. Perhaps we'll have a little wander out before bed to enjoy the snow before it turns to sludge.

As for Lucy, she again stayed at the vets all week, just coming home yesterday. She's back there again tomorrow morning (along with Ned who's getting 'done'). We're not sure if she'll be home again during the week, I suppose it depends how her leg is looking. At the moment she still has a full leg bandage but while at the vet she only has a little one on, I think they know that she'll be jumping and playing with Ned and the kids at home so want to give that extra protection.

A Week in January

I've been meaning to do a post all week and then the Internet (and phone) went down and still hasn't come back on as it seems repair people don't work over the weekend! I'm going hi-tech and doing this on my phone.

Lucy is doing well, she spent all week at the vets as they wanted to change her bandage every day. She's home for the weekend but has to go back first thing in the morning. They are talking about letting her home on Wednesday with dressing changes every few days but I think it depends on how it looks then. The vets have a Facebook page and are going to feature Lucy since she will be a long term patient! I'll let you know the address once it's up so you can have a look.

In other things, we went for a wander at Clumber Park last Sunday and had a really nice morning. We walked around the lake and through the wood to reach the discovery centre and play area. On the walk we climbed trees, played hide and seek and generally chased and played our way around. Toby got a bit tired by the end but it was a fab morning.

Oh, and Toby made his first cake - it turned out pretty well and was gobbled up by hungry children. :)

Poor Puddy Cat

Lucy has been having a few adventures in the last week. On Saturday night she didn't come home - we were up every hour seeing if she was about as she has never not come home and it was -2°C (28°F). Eventually she appeared at 7:30am with a chunk missing from her leg. We think she had a play with a fox.

Of course it would happen on a weekend when only the emergency vets were open! She was operated on, got stitched up along with a couple of drains and given a nice cone to keep her from pulling them out. Unfortunately she had lost some skin so what was left was pulled pretty tight. On Monday morning it pulled open, not where her stitches were but further round. Thankfully I was already taking her to our regular vet Monday afternoon.

They looked at her skinless leg and decided to keep her in. They operated again and have coated her wound in medical grade honey and then put her entire leg in a bandage. We went to visit her this afternoon and they said we could bring her home for the weekend as long as we keep her fairly immobile (yeah right!). She doesn't seem very comfortable and can't work out where to put her leg - she keeps falling asleep in her litter tray, standing up with her chin rested on the side.

Anyway, she is back to the vets on Monday and they're going to take the bandage up and see if her skin is showing signs of repair. Think it could be a long process as there's talk of a skin graft. Thank goodness for pet insurance! I'll keep you updated.

Oops!

Beth woke up on new years day with her first wobbly tooth - all very exciting since a couple of her friends have lost teeth and she has been desperate to join them. I seemed to remember loosing teeth as a rather long and drawn out process, never quick enough. It seems not for Beth. On January 2, she bit into her breakfast sausage sandwich, knocking out her wobbly tooth, which she promptly swallowed; oops!

Steve and I were concerned about the blood and hole - we couldn't see if it had just fallen out or been snapped, but Beth was far more concerned about the implications for the tooth fairy visiting! Thankfully the letter of explanation she wrote did the trick and there was a shiny £1 waiting under her pillow the next morning. She won't have a gap for long, her new tooth had already popped up behind it and is halfway up (I'm not quite sure how we

missed that before!).

Overall we had a very lazy Christmas and new year with the kids staying in their pjs all day at least twice. On the last day off, we took a trip to Clumber Park to look at their new discovery centre. We use to go quite often to Clumber but with school and pre-school we just don't seem to have had time recently.

I thought we'd probably last a few minutes in the centre and end up at the play area but we were there for over an hour. There were two guides and since to begin with we were the only ones in they pretty much took a child each - very handy. There were creatures to find, crafts to do, an insect/fish tank and loads of other bits. We all really enjoyed it. Of course we did end up at the playground after but it was quite chilly so didn't stay all that long. On the way back to the car we tried, unsuccessfully, to catch a squirrel for lunch!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone, here's hoping it's a better one than 2011! Our little family of four had not a bad year but looking at our wider family and friends it was filled with rather too much death. Thankfully 2012 started on a better note as we celebrated the new year surrounded by friends.

Here's a few pics we had taken just before Christmas, I think they have captured the kids pretty well. ;)

Merry Christmas!

We had a fantastic Christmas, slightly extended, rather indulgent and very relaxed! My parents and sister Jane came to stay on Christmas Eve and we spent the day eating and drinking. We had our turkey lunch, with home-grown sprouts, and perhaps a glass or two of wine before heading to the church for the evening service. It was good to see friends and get in the (other) Christmas spirit by singing a few carols and watching local children act out the story of Christmas.

Amazingly the kids didn't get up until after half six (though they were both up multiple time in the night). They were both excited but thankfully not hysterical and just loved opening their presents. Toby had got the idea of it this year and it was lovely that they both stopped and played with some of their gifts as they went, rather than tearing through them all at one go.

After a walk and scoot to the park (the kids got a scooter each, complete with flashing lights) we had a lovely, picky brunch with a mixture of samosa, onion bhajis, savoury tarts, cheese and crackers and left over puddings from the day before. Don't worry, we did have home-grown bacon and sausage but for a quick snack breakfast (along with the chocolate!). :)

After brunch, we headed up to Steve's parents for the afternoon. It worked pretty well as the drive gave the kids time to relax and calm down a little. Of course there were lots more presents to open and play with at gran and grandad's. We also got to catch up with lots of family, a great way to finish Christmas day.

Pre-Christmas Update

Thought I'd best do a quick update before Christmas festivities take over and previous news is lost in the excitement!

December seems to be flying by - this year I thought I was organised but suddenly it's four sleeps and still lots to do. The school Christmas Faire was on December 2 where the kids met the first of many Santas for the year along with some real reindeer. There was the opportunity for them to go into the pen with the reindeer, feed them and have a photo taken but neither were that bothered. Quite good to see that their sense of self-preservation is in tack (two wild animals in a pen with small children just doesn't seem to mix!).

They did both go in to see Santa quite happily - as you'll notice from all the photos, none of the Santas were particularly cheerful this year. Toby had no hesitation jumping into his grotto and telling Santa that he lives "down the road, turn left," I guess he wanted to make sure there were no hiccups with delivery! Beth was rather more subdued and I think her conversation consisted mainly of nods. We managed to spend rather a lot and gain rather little (I guess that's the point of school faires) but Toby did buy himself a secondhand Spiderman outfit for the bargain price of 20p.

The vase of sweetpeas are stuck in there as I was impressed to still be getting them in December - the last lot of the year I think!

I got an early Christmas present on the weekend of the 10-12 with a (quick) trip over to California accompanying my flight-attendant friend on one of her shifts. Unfortunately I didn't get to see everyone I would have liked but I did get to see many good friends and it was wonderful to catch-up. I only took a few snaps while there - it was so nice to see people (and most hadn't changed) that it seemed silly to spend time taking photos!

I did of course take some of Carter and Archer, the beautiful (and very well behaved [while I was there]) children of my friend Christy. It was just lovely to meet them - I feel like I know them already so it was great to see them in the flesh! I also fitted in a bit of shopping (though not as much as you'd think) and popped into old work to see everyone and pick up a few bits and pieces to keep me busy.

Amazingly the flights were great (result of not having the kids with me!) and went really quickly. It might have been because I got upgraded and actually got to sleep. I felt like a minor celebrity as I got to mingle with the likes of Darius Campbell, Renee Zellweger and Greg Proops! Suppose I shouldn't get used to it as next time I'll be back in cattle-class with the commoners!

The day after I got back it was the toddler Christmas party where Toby got to meet another Santa. Considering there were 60 odd children, it wasn't too hectic and I managed to stay awake throughout. To wrap up our Santa visits we went to Sundown Adventureland to their special Christmas ride. The ride was nice - scenes from all the fairytales, a little Disneyish but not quite. For some reason I find this Santa particularly disturbing but I think it was probably his first year and he was a little on the young side for this job.

The kids broke up from school yesterday so we're spending the rest of the week finishing bits off (like icing the cake and wrapping) as well as making salt dough decorations and a wreath for the door.

The kittens are doing great and still love exploring the garden - Lucy has suddenly become more adventurous and takes herself off to goodness knows where. Here she is balancing on the fence.

Happy Christmas everyone - Christmas post I'm sure will follow. :)