Moving at the speed of life

Was rather shocked last night when looking through old blog archives for the blog in its various incarnations to realise that not only was this the first year Bob has been at home on Xmas day for 8 years, but it is the first time that we have all been healthly. Not only was no one in hospital/highly infectious/in pain/bloody miserable, we were not even required to avail ourselves of remedies as diverse as paracetamol/anti-virals/antibiotics/ steriods or rescue remedy to get through the day. Cushions have remained unbothered. No wonder I think we’ve had a good time.

The Wii was finally opened on Thursday evening, and she couldn’t quite believe that such an item had been lurking unopened for days! It’s been quite nice though that she has chosen to spin out the present opening, as everything I think has been enjoyed, rather that it being a mass of “stuff”. There is still one thing under the tree, which she says she is keeping for NYD.  So, we’ve wii-ed, read, ate, drank, crafted, done jigsaws, played board games and now and again dragged ourselves out for a walk. Bob was back at work on Thursday and Friday, but has been coming home at a reasonable hour. I had my hair cut yesterday, and the intention was that Hannah would wait in the library next door for me, but it turns out that the library in its usual user-friendly style, was not opening between Xmas and New Year, so she had to wait in the hairdresser for two hours, which necessitated hot chocolate and mallows afterwards. But that was OK, as I needed some consolation as well. We’d seen the house if our dreams at a fixed price that we could (just) afford, and had decided to buy it. The solicitor phoned me though to say it had been unexpectedly removed from the market – I suspect the developer may have gone into receivership. I was so disappointed, and we are currently trying to console ourselves with the mantra that the location wasn’t perfect (which was the only reason we could afford it, to be honest). It was ideal in every other way, as it had a third huge reception room, which was in our minds already the training room, plus fairly big grounds, but hey ho, guess it wasn’t meant to be.

If the snow holds off, we will probably visit my parents tomorrow, before locking ourselves in for another three days slobbing.

Lovely day so far Bob and I went to bed just after midnight, and Hannah had dropped off about 10.30. She’d surpised me by asking for the usual Christmas Eve bedtime stories that I’ve read her every year since she was 8 months. So I clambered up into the cabin bed and obliged She does like her routines.

Bob got up and made us tea around 7.30am, and Hannah came in for a cuddle, and opened her stocking. Breakfast was Buck’s Fizz and croissants, followed by – chocolate! It was a lovely day, so we had a long walk along the beach before more wine and  -chocolate. Hannah has only opened about half her presents, as she likes to prolong it as long as possible, so she plays with everything for ages after it’s opened. I think she is planning to leave the rest till tomorrow at least. Consideration of the Dr Who annual took about two hours, a craft kit took another hour, and the skin art set entertained us all for ages. The camera has been a big hit, and I seem to have been photographed indulging in various excesses. I’m hoping that SC left a wii-shaped present in there as well, but going to have to wait for that one, I guess.

Bob cooked turkey and everything, and we are all too stuffed to even consider pudding for a few hours. Maybe we’ll leave that for tomorrow as well. The two of them are now watching Dr Who, I’m blogging and fingering some lovely things from the White Company that my job share parnter gave me, plus a couple of new books: Lolipop Shoes and the new Jodi Picoult. I would go for another walk, but it’s pouring now, and I’m far too lazy.

Bob went into the office briefly this evening to check all is well, and that is him off now till Thursday. Hannah is more excited about this than about anything Mr SC might bring. It is just the best, best, best thing I can’t believe how happy we all are about it. Makes up for the pay cut, the phone calls from work every weekend, and everything else that has pissed me off over the last 8 months.

House clean, shampoo is being consumed, fridge is full of nice things to eat. Tomorrow we are going to see Bob’s dad, which is amazing considering how ill he was last xmas day. Hannah and I spent that at the hospital as Bob couldn’t get compassionate leave unless he died! Which, fortunately, he didn’t I am rather fond of my FIL.

So schamltzy xmas moves call Life is good.

And worth every one! Nothing quite like tablet. I’d forgotton just how easy it is to make, and how delicious it is. My granny used to make it once a month when I was a kid, and it represented the months sweet ration for the grandchildren.  I used to feel very deprived that we NEVER had bought sweets, cakes or biscuits. LOL.

Hannah has been knitting, cooking, cross stitching and generally acting like some HE-ed kid. She was very excited to see a programme tonight about a home-ed kid who had just set up a chocolate factory at 16, employing both his parents. Her dream at the moment is to go here as soon as she is old enough for them to take her.  I’m not quite sure how she will fit in a career running a catering business with being the new Paula Radcliffe, but in terms of aspirations, it all sounds more fun than the answers I gave to the “what do you want to be when you leave school?” question at her age.

Although several friends are in the process of changing their kids to private school as “12 is SUCH an important year as they make their subject choices” and “they just aren’t getting enough homework” and I do worry that maybe I’m not taking it seriously enough.

She’s also been reading like a fiend, and we seem to have walked a lot. It’s been freezing here, then last night it went from minus 5C at midnight to plus 5C at 2am, bring on a monumental hot flush. Today has just been wet, after we’d got used to ice and sun. Today we saw a seal in the river near our house. It was just at the point where the river moves from tidal to fresh water, and I think it may have got lost and come to far up river on a high tide, and then got stranded when the tide went out, as the low tide was very low today. We phoned the SSPCA and they said they would send someone out to assess if it was distressed, and to check it made it’s way back down river at high tide.

We also went to see Mr Magorium with JR and Elaine, which I actually really enjoyed, and even sniffed at. All the shopping is done, just the house to clean, and we can settle down to Bob’s first Xmas at home for 8 years.

Hannah has gone to granny’s for a pre-xmas holiday, where my mum is doing masses of crafts with her, and she is lining her pocket from my dad, who is a complete soft touch about her doing jobs around the garden for him. I thought I would get masses done, but work seems to have been on the phone every 10 minutes for something, and even though Mondays aren’t a working day for me, I’m so happy to be leaving that I’ve been a pussy cat. I’m going away tomorrow night to do some training for a couple of days, so we’ve just loaded the car up with all my training paraphenalia.

I think all my xmas shopping is done, except for Bob’s dad, and no idea what to get him. Also slightly reluctant to consider what we may have spent on Hannah. We are normally pretty good with a budget, and she never really asks for much, but I’ve gone to hell this year with a Wii and a camera, both of which I know she was longing for. Plus I seem to have accumulated rather a lot of bits. Ah well, this may be the last Christmas where she is still a kid rather than a cynical teen, so I won’t feel guilty about pushing the boat out for once.

Let’s see…..

Monday we went to the climbing centre in Glasgow with Elaine and JR. The two girls spent a couple of hours doing the climbing wall, the arial sykway and the drop jump, while the two grown-ups sat below drinking coffee. I met a woman I used to know when she briefly home educated, and I got thoroughly patronised about the social benefits of school. The girls then consumed the entire buffet at Pizza Hut, and we all got shouted at by the waitress for various crimes against fast food. Skating was next, and we discovered that the pleasant little indoor rink is about to be closed, which is a shame.

Tuesday I have no idea. I seem to remember several hormonal strops, so I may be blocking it out.

Wednesday I was at work, and did some more schmoozing, which on Thursday finally paid off with the offer of a job I have been trying to position myself for for months. Hurray! And the even better news is I’m not going to be held to my notice period, so new year, new start.

Friday Hannah and I made the annual visit to the German Market and Christmas-fest in Edinburgh. We went on the Big Wheel (freezing), the chair-a-planes and Hannah also went on the Gallopers and the sledge slide. We drank hot chocolate, ate mince pies and crepes, and generally had a great time. We had been planning to have dinner there, and then get a train at 7.00 when the off-peak started, but Hannah went very pale around 4pm, and decided she wanted to go home, so we managed to fling ourselves on the last cheap train at 4.20pm. I was glad we had, as although she was fine, and I think she’d just got cold, by the time we got home three hours later, I was feeling distinctly unwell. It was Bob’s Xmas night out, so we went out to drop him at the restaurant, then I came home and fell into bed. Hannah stayed up to watch something on the TV, but we were both woken when Bob got home, without keys, since he hadn’t been driving. Grrr.

Today I thought I was better, and went for a walk this morning, but felt really sick and faint when I was out, and had to phone to be picked up. Again, I was fine when I got warmed up, so nothing serious, just vaguely grotty. We’ve put the Xmas trees up, but Hannah has been in a hideous mood all day, weeping at the drop of a hat, and taking it all out on me. Which given I’ve not been feeling well, has meant I have hardly been the paragon of patience and understanding. Feeling really cross at the moment, as she has just lost 40 NZ dollars that my uncle sent her for Xmas – especially as I’ve told her about three times to put them in a safe place, and now I think she’s thrown them up by mistake, so I’m really mad at her. And she is equally mad at me, as I just lit an incense stick. Sigh.

edited to add: money turned up down the back of the radiator, Hannah and I kissed and made up, and, er, she has developed a really bad allergic reaction to the incense stick. oops.

How did Xmas get to be only three weeks away? Spent the morning sorting out Hannah’s social arrangements for this week, and then the following week she is off to my mum’s for a few days. Hunted on line without success for a golf-club my dad wants for his Xmas, so I am now trying to gird my whatsits to visit a real life golf shop – something that has never been required of me before in life.  I also need to get Hannah’s skates, which she is getting from my parents. I’ve been putting it off in case her feet grew again, but really must do it before she goes away. Hannah has played keyboard for a good while, and then done some education city, and we are now looking at the rain, and I am trying to convince everyone we’ll feel brighter after a long walk. Without success.

Guides appear to be wobbling. Took Hannah down to the station this morning for the xmas outing, and the leader says that the other mother has gone ballistic, and is escalating the issue. The leader is staying firm, but the GGA seems to be less firm now, and they need to speak to us. The leader says that isn’t relevant, as harrassing Hannah was the last in a long line of incidents, and she is saying that she personally is no longer prepared to take the hassle from this child, but it looks like it’s going to get messy