like a normal blogpost but with added alcohol, no wait that is a normal blogpost. Like a normal blogpost but with added cheer and merriment and feelings of goodwill and happiness, no wait that is a normal blogpost. Like a normal blogpost but with music blaring from various rooms, kids in bed but nowhere near asleep, no wait that is a normal blogpost.
Okay, it’s a normal blogpost but could you picture it with a couple of holly sprigs festooning one corner please? Ta 🙂
Up early this morning, something of a pattern this week and I imagine one to be continued again tomorrow but hopefully broken on Sunday 😉 as we were off festive visiting and Ady was taking us on his way into work for the morning (festive early finishing at lunchtime).
First to Caz and Bid’s. Once again we have let far too long pass us by without seeing each other and sadly Bid was not there as he was visiting family (very sadly his Mum passed away earlier this week after a long illness 🙁 ) but Caz and I had a lovely catch up while the kids disappeared off to play coming back for a warm up (Scarlett) and food (the others a while later).
Ady came and joined us for a quick drink and then we headed off to meet Julie, her mum, Jack and Maisie for a walk round Swanbourne Lake in Arundel. We arrived first and fed the extremely hungry wildfowl that were congregating hopefully around anyone who appeared. Scarlett was obviously in her element 🙂
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The others arrived and Ady entertained everyone by putting bits of bread on his head so the birds dove at him. I know, he’s so Krazee
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The first half of the path around the lake was similar to how I’m imagining Jan and Jonathan’s lane is, thick with inches of compacted ice. The kids seemed fine on it, Ady, Julie and I managed by walking along the edge of it but Gerda (Julie’s mum) struggled, but she is in her 60s which is easy to forget. Very beautiful though.
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We got half way round and then climbed The Steepest Hill Ever to the folly.
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The plan was to walk down into the town and then back to the cars but a little way along the lane after we’d made them pose for Festive Photos the kids rebelled and disappeared into the woodland
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We walked on for a bit with Ady explaining to Julie and Gerda what bit of a turkey the ‘crown’ is. Julie and I entertained ourselves for ages trying to think of other birds you could crown going from wren to emu but then Julie trumped me with penguin which is still amusing me now. Roast crown of penguin! 😆 Festive roast crown of penguin 😆 😆
We then realised the kids had disappeared and when they didn’t respond to our hailings we decided we had better follow them. Trouble was they had gone down, quite literally vertically down. Ady went first and rang to say he had found them, the rest of us followed. It was incredibly steep, covered in ivy and frost and frankly crazy. Julie and I sort of canonned from tree to tree with knees fully bent. Poor Gerda fashioned some ski poles from large sticks and brought up the rear. The very last bit had been made into a mud slide by the four kids and to their encouragement I slid all the way down. Julie refused but having watched me had a go for the second half. Gerda took the ivy covered trail all the way.
It was very fun, very muddy and given I had stated at least four times I didn’t want to spend any time in A&E on Christmas Eve probably rather silly. But fun 😉
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The blurred rainbow thing is Julie brushing the mud off, which looked rather like festive ritual woodland spanking to the passers by who walked past as it went on, while Ady took pictures 😆
The finish of the walk was rather tame in comparison with no steep climbs or steep descents and no ice and no flocks of hungry diving birds but you know, it is all about peace on earth and that ;).
We exchanged bags of gifts for kids back at the car, along with festive greetings and then went our seperate ways.
Back at home we have done festive stuff. Festive daylight drinking, festive film watching (Narnia), festive twiglets, pringles and cheese ball eating, festive nicking candy canes off the tree, festive bathing. The kids are now having a festive sleepover, I’ve stuck some festive cinnamon roll dough in the breadmaker and rung for a festive takeaway, Ady and I have both done some festive last minute wrapping. All that remains is festive takeaway consumption, festive finishing the wine bottle, festive putting presents under the tree when festive children have finally fallen afestivesleep and maybe hooking up with some festive friends for midnight twiglet eating at midnight.
You’d never get me joining in.
Comment by Michelle — 25 December 2010 @ 1:30 am
with the sliding or the twiglets?
Comment by Nic — 25 December 2010 @ 9:53 am