Saturday – Scarlett’s birthday 🙂 Up not too early at about 730am for present opening. It was  a really dark drizzly morning that didn’t actually get properly light until about 930am so it felt earlier though.  Scarlett was thrilled with all her pressies and set about setting her hudl2 up and then connecting with Davies and fully exploring that. We left them to it and Ady and I spent a while looking at old flickr photos of her through the years. Awwww.
We had her choice of birthday lunch – cheeses (she likes proper blue cheese, mature cheese, stinky cheese), pickled onions, olives, twiglets. Then we headed down to the hall for Christmas Fayre. It initally looked as though it was not really going to happen with Mel & Em there but looking about to leave and Fliss darting about still getting things together. But we pulled it together and it was all good. I made a vat of mulled wine, Em nipped home and got some mince pies, Debs turned up with loads of cakes, there were four entries to the mince pie contest and we got Jinty’s dad to be the judge. People came along and brought birthday presents for Scarlett, Claire, Fliss, Davies, Scarlett, Debs and I all put stuff out for sale and all sold stuff. We put Christmas music on, Ady bought in the tree, he and Fliss secured it, Fliss brought fairy lights and the bag of Christmas baubles that is always kicking around the hall was found and the kids all lobbed them at the tree.
We did Tarly’s birthday cake candles, singing etc and it was all very lovely. The kids all played together and it was a nice atmosphere. Lesley is hoping she is pregnant but is not sharing it widely (as in at all other than me I think) so she stretched her glass of mulled wine which I diluted for her and then Ady made her a cup of tea.
Back to feed the animals and get birthday dinner sorted – Scarlett had requested gammon and potato gratin so we had our first taste of the gammon I wet cured from our pigs and it was delicious. I am very excited about doing more adventurous things in the future but this is a fab start to our own meat.
We watched Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmas and it ended up being a late night, candles at both ends and in the middle!
This morning Ady worked at the hostel just for 2 hours. Our promised boat as yesterdays was cancelled also got cancelled -fingers crossed for tomorrow. I had a nice lie in and read my book in bed as it was very cold and hailstorming. I stayed there til Ady got home and stoked the fire up, then had a shower and got up once it was warmer!
The kids had a lazy morning playing on tablets – plenty of power thanks to wind turbine spinning round. After lunch they both had showers, I cut Davies’ hair, brushed Scarlett’s hair, fed the animals with Ady so I had at least left the caravan once. The kids and I did some plastic bottle and candle craft making icicles to hang on the tree thanks to LovelyEm’s lovely mum’s blog idea. Then finally we decorated the tree. It looks lovely although I would like a few more decorations on it so we may make some biscuits tomorrow and I might knit or crochet a few more bits. Also might send the kids out foraging for natural decorations when the weather is better,
Ady cooked dinner – roast pork (yes I know, pig produce tastic!) and it was divine, best pork so far I think. Nightmare Before Christmas as festive film which I think we might bump for next year. I like the idea of more cheesy festive films with small children being cute and a bit of old fashioned magic. I suspect I may be officially middle aged and nostalgic 😉
We saw a film (recommended to us by a friend who has it as her christmas eve traditional film) last night and I thought you might like to see it. We found it on you tube as cannot buy it. I think would be funnier if slightly wine imbibed…
“Bernard and the Genie”. Main actors being Lenny Henry and Rowan Atkinson but host of other big names in there too. We’d never heard of it before.
Comment by mich — 08 December 2014 @ 9:40 am
And of course Alun Cumming who I loved in The Good Wife before I got fed up it (not him, he was the best bit of The Good Wife)
Comment by mich — 08 December 2014 @ 9:44 am
Alan not Alun
Comment by mich — 08 December 2014 @ 9:44 am