Oh Dear! Anna is turning into her mother!
As is now tradition in the Gibson household, we took part in the National Trust Easter Egg Hunt at Chirk Castle again this year.
Since Anna was 1 and a half years old, we have been taking part in this annual event. Obviously, the first year was more of Anna having a good ride in the pushchair while James and I looked for lambs. In fact, this is an extract from the Post I wrote when we embarked on our first egg hunt (it also explains how it all works, for those of you interested)
Today (Easter Monday), we went on an Egg Hunt at Chirk Castle (near Wrexham) with the prize being a chocolate egg for everyone that found the Easter hunt answer. It was fantastic. We were a little worried that the staff would judge Anna to be too young for the event (not realising that her Mummy and Daddy were big kids!!) but they didn't bat an eyelid! Basically, our task was to find 6 pairs of lambs (pictures) that were hidden around the castle and gardens. The initial letter of each lamb's name was the clue and once you collected all of the letter clues, it would be an anagram of the answer. For example, the green pair of Lambs were called 'Isabelle' and 'Ian' so the clue was I. Unfortunately, each pair of lambs were not hidden in the same place, which meant that there were 12 hiding spots to find. At first, we thought it was going to be easy after finding the first 3 clues within the first 10 minutes. It was only when we realised that the castle and gardens are rather large that we realised that this may be more difficult than first thought! By 1pm, Anna was asking for her lunch ('Forget the stupid lambs, I'm hungry' thought Anna.) However, by the time we came back outside, the snow was falling fast and within 10 minutes, it was blizzard conditions. Despite being wrapped up warm, the combination of the wind and snow meant that we couldn't see much but we still had 2 lambs to find!!!! However, by this time, we had found at least one lamb from each pair so we knew the answer was 'Spring'. It was just a matter of principle now that made me want to find all 12 clues.
With each year that passes, Anna has shown more interest and taken part with more enthusiasm. This year, she excelled herself.
Anyone that knows me well enough can confirm that I am rather competitive and won't give up anything until it is achieved. It appears that our daughter is even more competitive than me and won't give up until she succeeds.
It was 1pm and we had just spent the last hour looking for the 12 lambs. We had found 11 and there was one baby girl lamb to find. James and I were starting to feel hungry so suggested that we go for lunch and continue with our search afterwards. Anna gave us a look of pure disgust and said
" Why do we need lunch? We have to find the other lamb. The baby girl lamb needs us. Lunch can wait".
James and I just looked at each other with tummies rumbling and proceeded to follow Anna as she lead the way, holding the map and telling us that we would need to completely retrace or steps!
In the end, we could take it no longer.
"Anna, we need to eat otherwise we will faint. We will look for the last girl lamb after lunch and we promise that we will not go home until we have found her'.
Anna just shook her head slowly, probably thinking 'Quitters'.
I am pleased to report that, after a short stop for Lunch, we did find the last lamb hiding in the woodland. (In fact, I confess that it was my fault that we missed her on our first attempt as I dismissed the woodland as not being part of the official egg hunt trail. I was wrong!!!)
Unfortunately, Anna and I are starting to get reputation for being rather competitive and unwilling to give up without a fight! This eater, we also went on an egg hunt with our friends to Delamare Forest. Our friends, Lisa and her little girl, Annabel had been on an egg hunt a few days before but had not found the all the clues to get the prize. Therefore, when starting out on the egg hunt at Delamere, Annabel asked her Mummy
'Will we find all the clues and get prize at this one Mummy?'.
Lisa turned to Annabel and said
'We have Louise and Anna here. We will get all the clues and a prize I'm sure'.
Unfortunately Anna and I also lived up the reputation by being the self-elected 'leaders' of the trail and, clutching our map in our head, strode purposefully in front leading the 'team'.
I am not proud of myself for being so competitive but I do like the idea that Anna is unwilling to give up easily even if that does mean that her Mummy and Daddy end up having a very late lunch!
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Friday, 8 April 2011
Driving Anna Mad!
I have always confessed to being a rubbish driver! However, it was finally confirmed recently when my daughter decided to make it quite clear what she thought about my ability behind the steering wheel as well as turning into a teenager, all in in one single comment.
Last Friday, we found ourselves in a familiar car park. However, due to some building work going on, the usual exit had become blocked and it meant cars were having to ignore a 'No Entry' sign to reach the alternative exit (I think the builders had just expected drivers to use common sense and ignore the said sign). However, being the type of person who never likes to get in trouble (being the sad boring person that I am), I refused to believe that we should ignore a 'No Entry sign'. Ultimately, this resulted in us going in a huge circle around the car park and ending up in the same place with no way of getting out. I drove round in a huge circle FIVE times, telling an increasingly frustrated Anna and James that I couldn't just ignore road signs and there must be some way out of this bloody car park whilst still abiding by the highway code. Cue lots of impatient sighs from Anna and James.
It was on the sixth attempt at trying to find my way out of the car park (resulting in just going round in a big circle again), that Anna reached her peak of frustration and uttered the words...
"Mummy, this is so embarrassing. Just get out of the car park".
I didn't expect to hear that I was an embarrassment until Anna was, at least, 13 years old!!! I don't even know where she got that word from as she hasn't been hanging around any teenagers, as far as I am aware!!
(Thankfully, I came to my senses and ignored the 'No Entry sign' and departed the car park as quickly as possible! If Anna hadn't been so vocal, we may have still been going round in circles even now!)
Last Friday, we found ourselves in a familiar car park. However, due to some building work going on, the usual exit had become blocked and it meant cars were having to ignore a 'No Entry' sign to reach the alternative exit (I think the builders had just expected drivers to use common sense and ignore the said sign). However, being the type of person who never likes to get in trouble (being the sad boring person that I am), I refused to believe that we should ignore a 'No Entry sign'. Ultimately, this resulted in us going in a huge circle around the car park and ending up in the same place with no way of getting out. I drove round in a huge circle FIVE times, telling an increasingly frustrated Anna and James that I couldn't just ignore road signs and there must be some way out of this bloody car park whilst still abiding by the highway code. Cue lots of impatient sighs from Anna and James.
It was on the sixth attempt at trying to find my way out of the car park (resulting in just going round in a big circle again), that Anna reached her peak of frustration and uttered the words...
"Mummy, this is so embarrassing. Just get out of the car park".
I didn't expect to hear that I was an embarrassment until Anna was, at least, 13 years old!!! I don't even know where she got that word from as she hasn't been hanging around any teenagers, as far as I am aware!!
(Thankfully, I came to my senses and ignored the 'No Entry sign' and departed the car park as quickly as possible! If Anna hadn't been so vocal, we may have still been going round in circles even now!)
Thursday, 24 March 2011
Weekends Away with the Girls
In September, Anna had her first girl's Weekend away. (September seems a very long time ago I realise. However, whilst James is watching football, I am desperately trying to catch up on highlight from Anna's year)
If you asked Anna who her friends were, she would very quickly respond with 3 names. Rhianna, Annabel and Freja. They have grown up with each other since 6 months old (We all met at Jo Jingles) The 4 mum's, Sophie, Sally, Lisa and myself have all become very good friends and the 4 girls are likewise. As 4 year old girls go, they actually get on remarkably well (Sometimes they have a falling out over who gets to be the Wicked Stepmother or Cinderella but, on the whole, get on extremely well for 4 independent, bright, strong minded 4 year old girls). 3 of us all turned 30 in the same year whilst all of our daughters all share their birthday within 2 months of each other.
Tuesday's see us getting together for a gossip, lunch and coffee. Cake also features very regularly although the other 3 can get away with it easily while I continue to postpone that much-needed diet! 5 hours can pass gossiping and putting the world's woes to right while it feels like 5 minutes.
We collectively decided we needed a holiday and so why not go together. No men allowed. Sophie, being the natural leader of the group, got the ball rolling and soon we were booked into a holiday cottage in Snowdonia.
So, on a Saturday morning last September, 4 mum's and 4 daughters headed off with bags packed, copious amounts of wine and chocolate and a determination to have a good time!
Activities for the weekend included walking coastal path's leading down to a deserted beach, visiting Portmerion Village, having picnics and eating yummy Ice Cream while the rain poured down outside (It had to be done!). All of this sounds like simple stuff but, accompanied by lots of laughter and chatting, was fantastic.
However, the best bit of the holiday was the cottage itself. It was down a country lane that looked like it hadn't been used for years. Unfortunately, on the very same day that we arrived, 4 other cars decided to embark down the lane literally 2 seconds after we went driving past our destination. The miles of lane lead to an old barn with locked gates so it then required the delicate handling of Lisa to get us out of a countryside traffic jam but all ended well.
When entering the cottage, it felt like the cottage hadn't been used for at least 50 years. The best way to describe it is to think of the cottage in the film 'Withnail and I' However, it just seemed to add to the charm and I quickly fell in love with the place for all it's creakiness and old fashioned miss-matched furniture. (It would have been the kind of place that James would have hated! He would have taken one look at it and told us we were booking into a hotel!) It was basically an old farmhouse so the kitchen was bigger than our entire house! I'm not sure what it was actually called but Anna quickly decided that it was called 'Twinkle Cottage' (inspired by the Mr Men books) SO that was to become the adopted name for the weekend.
Despite the fact that this was never going to win awards in 'Good Housekeeping', it didn't matter as we all sat around the huge oak kitchen table drinking coffee and eating leftover pizza while Anna taught the girls how to play dominoes (Who said my daughter is eccentric!!!!). In the evening we tucked into chocolate (some more than others, ME) and wine (Some more than others, mentioning no names SOPHIE!) while doing some more gossiping.
To others this probably doesn't sound the most exciting of weekends (especially how I have written it!). However, for the pure 'feel-good factor, it was perfect. In fact, it was so perfect that we returned on the Monday and, by the following Friday, had booked to ago away again in February.
So, last month, we went away again. To be honest, it was much the same as the first weekend but that was just fine by us! You can never have too much cake, chocolate and gossiping!
Unfortunately, it appears that our girls weekend away may have come to a temporary stop for a while. Lisa is expecting a second baby and despite her protests that she would be fine to travel within days of her due date, the other 3 of us are no midwives!!! So what now???
Well, Anna came up with the brainwave of having a sleepover at our house. 4 over-excited girls all sharing the same room for an entire night! My daughter is turning into a teenager way too early! However, I am sure us mum's will also have a good time, talking until the small hours in our pyjamas and surrounded by chocolate! Life is good!
(Before you start feeling sorry for James like my nan does, who thinks I am ill-treating him. Whilst we were away, James got to try out all the local pubs, eat at very nice restauarants and go and watch his beloved Manchester United with family and friends! I think he enjoyed the peace and quiet too although he did admit to being thrilled to have us back!)
If you asked Anna who her friends were, she would very quickly respond with 3 names. Rhianna, Annabel and Freja. They have grown up with each other since 6 months old (We all met at Jo Jingles) The 4 mum's, Sophie, Sally, Lisa and myself have all become very good friends and the 4 girls are likewise. As 4 year old girls go, they actually get on remarkably well (Sometimes they have a falling out over who gets to be the Wicked Stepmother or Cinderella but, on the whole, get on extremely well for 4 independent, bright, strong minded 4 year old girls). 3 of us all turned 30 in the same year whilst all of our daughters all share their birthday within 2 months of each other.
Tuesday's see us getting together for a gossip, lunch and coffee. Cake also features very regularly although the other 3 can get away with it easily while I continue to postpone that much-needed diet! 5 hours can pass gossiping and putting the world's woes to right while it feels like 5 minutes.
We collectively decided we needed a holiday and so why not go together. No men allowed. Sophie, being the natural leader of the group, got the ball rolling and soon we were booked into a holiday cottage in Snowdonia.
So, on a Saturday morning last September, 4 mum's and 4 daughters headed off with bags packed, copious amounts of wine and chocolate and a determination to have a good time!
Activities for the weekend included walking coastal path's leading down to a deserted beach, visiting Portmerion Village, having picnics and eating yummy Ice Cream while the rain poured down outside (It had to be done!). All of this sounds like simple stuff but, accompanied by lots of laughter and chatting, was fantastic.
However, the best bit of the holiday was the cottage itself. It was down a country lane that looked like it hadn't been used for years. Unfortunately, on the very same day that we arrived, 4 other cars decided to embark down the lane literally 2 seconds after we went driving past our destination. The miles of lane lead to an old barn with locked gates so it then required the delicate handling of Lisa to get us out of a countryside traffic jam but all ended well.
When entering the cottage, it felt like the cottage hadn't been used for at least 50 years. The best way to describe it is to think of the cottage in the film 'Withnail and I' However, it just seemed to add to the charm and I quickly fell in love with the place for all it's creakiness and old fashioned miss-matched furniture. (It would have been the kind of place that James would have hated! He would have taken one look at it and told us we were booking into a hotel!) It was basically an old farmhouse so the kitchen was bigger than our entire house! I'm not sure what it was actually called but Anna quickly decided that it was called 'Twinkle Cottage' (inspired by the Mr Men books) SO that was to become the adopted name for the weekend.
Despite the fact that this was never going to win awards in 'Good Housekeeping', it didn't matter as we all sat around the huge oak kitchen table drinking coffee and eating leftover pizza while Anna taught the girls how to play dominoes (Who said my daughter is eccentric!!!!). In the evening we tucked into chocolate (some more than others, ME) and wine (Some more than others, mentioning no names SOPHIE!) while doing some more gossiping.
To others this probably doesn't sound the most exciting of weekends (especially how I have written it!). However, for the pure 'feel-good factor, it was perfect. In fact, it was so perfect that we returned on the Monday and, by the following Friday, had booked to ago away again in February.
So, last month, we went away again. To be honest, it was much the same as the first weekend but that was just fine by us! You can never have too much cake, chocolate and gossiping!
Unfortunately, it appears that our girls weekend away may have come to a temporary stop for a while. Lisa is expecting a second baby and despite her protests that she would be fine to travel within days of her due date, the other 3 of us are no midwives!!! So what now???
Well, Anna came up with the brainwave of having a sleepover at our house. 4 over-excited girls all sharing the same room for an entire night! My daughter is turning into a teenager way too early! However, I am sure us mum's will also have a good time, talking until the small hours in our pyjamas and surrounded by chocolate! Life is good!
(Before you start feeling sorry for James like my nan does, who thinks I am ill-treating him. Whilst we were away, James got to try out all the local pubs, eat at very nice restauarants and go and watch his beloved Manchester United with family and friends! I think he enjoyed the peace and quiet too although he did admit to being thrilled to have us back!)
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
Only Boys and Angels...
New Years Day saw us celebrating with Anna's Grandad Flob, Grandma Lynn and Uncle Henry at their house. It was made even more special because Anna's Uncle Matthew and Auntie Ulriikka (Tati) were there too, having flown over from Finland. In fact, it got even more special than that because we were also celebrating that Matthew and Uklriikka had announced that they are due to have baby in June of this year. Anna is to have another cousin!
Henry had also been given a drum kit off 'Father Christmas' this year. I'm not sure Henry believes in Father Christmas any more, being 16 and far too cool for that but for the purposes of Anna, Father Christmas had delivered the same gift to both of them this year. The only difference was that Uncle Henry's drum kit was electric. Anna quickly became acquainted with this new version of a drum kit while Henry accompanied her on guitar. A new band was formed!
Grandad Flob and Grandma Lynn had given a Anna a huge range of Fancy dress costumes so Anna was thrilled. In fact, every half an hour saw her change from one persona to another including a sheep, witch and Cinderella. However, her favourite costume was the angel costume.
There had been some controversy earlier that month, surrounding angel costumes. At pre-school, the girls had been divided in half with the first group being given angel roles in the Christmas Nativity while the other half of the girls were to be Shepherds. One little girl was 'special' and was to be Mary (who just happened to be the PTA Chairperson's daughter) Guess which role Anna had been given? Yes, Anna was to round up sheep! In fact, I don't think Anna cared what she was as long as she got a chance to dress up and show off on stage. However, the other 5 girls chosen to be shepherds were in uproar! According to their parents, there had been tears and tantrums at bedtime as their little girls were inconsolable at the thought of having to wear brown!! Heaven forbid! Anna had picked up the mood in camp so decided to complain along with them when at pre-school. However, when getting her home each day, it quickly became apparent that she actually couldn't see what the big fuss was about!
However, New Years Day saw her chance to shine and, dressed in her new angel costume, she could suddenly fulfil her dream of being an Angel. Of course, this also meant that fellow family members would have to play the other roles in the Nativity. I forget what we all were but I think James/Daddy ended up being a king along with Uncle Henry and Grandad Flob was a wise (old) man. Uncle Matthew requested to be King Herod but ended up being nothing due to his cheek! However, when it came to speaking parts or any of the good bits, there was only room for two actors in this set-up and that were the two angels - Angel Ulriikka and Angel Anna. So the angels would disappear into the back bedroom looking for their lost sheep and then come back into the living room having found them! This carried on for most of the day! Anna loved it! I can only apologise to Ulriikka.
Anna then remained in role for the entire day, including Christmas dinner part 2 (we had a re-run of Christmas dinner as Matthew and Ulriikka had missed it, being in Finland and us being in Hereford). Apparently, angels don't eat much Christmas dinner apart from one potato and a sausage wrapped in bacon). When Auntie Ulriikka got her camera out, I think she intended to take a picture of the 4 men in the room (Matthew, Flob, James and Henry) but Anna soon crept into the picture and Flob announced that 'only boys and angels' were allowed in shot. Anna thought this was highly amusing and kept quoting that 'Only boys and angels' were allowed to do anything thereafter!
Henry had also been given a drum kit off 'Father Christmas' this year. I'm not sure Henry believes in Father Christmas any more, being 16 and far too cool for that but for the purposes of Anna, Father Christmas had delivered the same gift to both of them this year. The only difference was that Uncle Henry's drum kit was electric. Anna quickly became acquainted with this new version of a drum kit while Henry accompanied her on guitar. A new band was formed!
Grandad Flob and Grandma Lynn had given a Anna a huge range of Fancy dress costumes so Anna was thrilled. In fact, every half an hour saw her change from one persona to another including a sheep, witch and Cinderella. However, her favourite costume was the angel costume.
There had been some controversy earlier that month, surrounding angel costumes. At pre-school, the girls had been divided in half with the first group being given angel roles in the Christmas Nativity while the other half of the girls were to be Shepherds. One little girl was 'special' and was to be Mary (who just happened to be the PTA Chairperson's daughter) Guess which role Anna had been given? Yes, Anna was to round up sheep! In fact, I don't think Anna cared what she was as long as she got a chance to dress up and show off on stage. However, the other 5 girls chosen to be shepherds were in uproar! According to their parents, there had been tears and tantrums at bedtime as their little girls were inconsolable at the thought of having to wear brown!! Heaven forbid! Anna had picked up the mood in camp so decided to complain along with them when at pre-school. However, when getting her home each day, it quickly became apparent that she actually couldn't see what the big fuss was about!
However, New Years Day saw her chance to shine and, dressed in her new angel costume, she could suddenly fulfil her dream of being an Angel. Of course, this also meant that fellow family members would have to play the other roles in the Nativity. I forget what we all were but I think James/Daddy ended up being a king along with Uncle Henry and Grandad Flob was a wise (old) man. Uncle Matthew requested to be King Herod but ended up being nothing due to his cheek! However, when it came to speaking parts or any of the good bits, there was only room for two actors in this set-up and that were the two angels - Angel Ulriikka and Angel Anna. So the angels would disappear into the back bedroom looking for their lost sheep and then come back into the living room having found them! This carried on for most of the day! Anna loved it! I can only apologise to Ulriikka.
Anna then remained in role for the entire day, including Christmas dinner part 2 (we had a re-run of Christmas dinner as Matthew and Ulriikka had missed it, being in Finland and us being in Hereford). Apparently, angels don't eat much Christmas dinner apart from one potato and a sausage wrapped in bacon). When Auntie Ulriikka got her camera out, I think she intended to take a picture of the 4 men in the room (Matthew, Flob, James and Henry) but Anna soon crept into the picture and Flob announced that 'only boys and angels' were allowed in shot. Anna thought this was highly amusing and kept quoting that 'Only boys and angels' were allowed to do anything thereafter!
Monday, 14 March 2011
Amongst Herefordshire Hills
This Christmas was spent in Herefordshire. To be honest, it seems like an awfully long time ago now but I will do my best to remember what I can (wanting Anna to know all about her Christmas 2010 in years to come!)
Father Christmas turned out to be the hero of the day and, as promised, delivered the Drum Kit. Beforehand, helpful friends, family and neighbours were advising me that I should ask Father Christmas for a set of ear plugs. I thought they were exaggerating! It turns out that even mini-sized drum kits make a LOT of sound! By 9am on Christmas morning, my ears were ringing and my head hurt. Thinking about it, it was a good job we were in rural Herefordshire, surrounded by fields and sheep! Needless to say, Anna was completely amazed at how magical it all was and adored her noise-making machine, AKA her drum kit (as she still adores it 3 months later)
Christmas day was spent at my brother's house this year. He has recently moved into an old farmhouse complete with 600 sheep, 20 cats and 3 dogs (Steve's wife is a farmer). As the snow lay very thick outside, we faced the day in a very old house with no central heating, very old windows and not much heat insulation going on. Thankfully, they knew how to build houses in the old days and each room had a beautiful inglenook fireplace with a roaring fire! It just felt right for a Christmas day. Along with Carolyne's side of the family, 13 of us sat down to Christmas lunch. I thought it was extremely brave of Steve and Carolyne, considering they had never had a dinner party before, let alone hosted Christmas. I have always known that Steve is a good chef but it turns out Carolyne is even better and, between them (albeit mostly Carolyne) they can't half cook a good Christmas feast! It was also lovely to know that what we were eating was all Herefordshire grown/produced food! You can't beat it when it is born and bred in Herefordshire (including my good self!!!)!
The highlight of Christmas came in the afternoon. Feeling very full on a gorgeous Christmas lunch, we decided to take a walk through the fields thick with snow. Hereford seemed to have much more snow than Cheshire so I had already phoned ahead in the days leading up to Christmas, asking my mum to see if she could find a sledge. My mum didn't disappoint and so, trailing our little red sledge behind us, we climbed the Herefordshire hills, overlooking the farm and most of Herefordshire beyond!
We found the perfect hill for sledging! Just the right gradient so we didn't go too fast for Anna but yet still thrilling enough to excite, with enough flat ground at the bottom to come to a slow halt before crashing though the hedge! Anna adored it and actually proved to be the best sledder amongst us, finding the freshly made grooves in the snow so that the sledge slid smoothly and even faster with every turn. I have to say I was pretty good myself! James... well... he actually fell off more times than everyone else put together! He blames Science as he was trying to place his feet in the optimum position for the least amount of wind resistance! Anna and I didn't put half as much thought into it and were much more successful! Sometimes, over-thinking can be a downfall!
I also have to confess at this point that it was the true definition of 'Lazy Sledging'. Let me explain... my brother had recently acquired a new toy which was basically a little quad-like vehicle (although much safer than a quad but I fail to think of the right word to describe it). It basically meant that when we landed at the bottom of this steep hill, Uncle Steve would pick us up, fling the sledge in the trailer at the back and drive us back up to the top! Steve was getting to try out his new toy in the snow while we were getting all the fun of sledging without any of the work - perfect! In fact, I think Anna enjoyed the ride in the quad nearly as much as the sledging itself, especially when Uncle Steve let her steer the wheel!
So, as the sun began to set over Herefordshire, we made our back through the snow to the farmhouse, watching the smoke rise from the chimney and knowing that we had lots of Chocolate roulade, my nan's sherry triffle and leftover turkey to consume! (Writing this makes it sound very idyllic and makes me wonder whether I dreamt it rather than it being a reality but we have photos to prove it was true, plus James and Anna remember it just as perfectly as I do so it really was that gorgeous!) Who needs expensive presents when you have all that!
Father Christmas turned out to be the hero of the day and, as promised, delivered the Drum Kit. Beforehand, helpful friends, family and neighbours were advising me that I should ask Father Christmas for a set of ear plugs. I thought they were exaggerating! It turns out that even mini-sized drum kits make a LOT of sound! By 9am on Christmas morning, my ears were ringing and my head hurt. Thinking about it, it was a good job we were in rural Herefordshire, surrounded by fields and sheep! Needless to say, Anna was completely amazed at how magical it all was and adored her noise-making machine, AKA her drum kit (as she still adores it 3 months later)
Christmas day was spent at my brother's house this year. He has recently moved into an old farmhouse complete with 600 sheep, 20 cats and 3 dogs (Steve's wife is a farmer). As the snow lay very thick outside, we faced the day in a very old house with no central heating, very old windows and not much heat insulation going on. Thankfully, they knew how to build houses in the old days and each room had a beautiful inglenook fireplace with a roaring fire! It just felt right for a Christmas day. Along with Carolyne's side of the family, 13 of us sat down to Christmas lunch. I thought it was extremely brave of Steve and Carolyne, considering they had never had a dinner party before, let alone hosted Christmas. I have always known that Steve is a good chef but it turns out Carolyne is even better and, between them (albeit mostly Carolyne) they can't half cook a good Christmas feast! It was also lovely to know that what we were eating was all Herefordshire grown/produced food! You can't beat it when it is born and bred in Herefordshire (including my good self!!!)!
The highlight of Christmas came in the afternoon. Feeling very full on a gorgeous Christmas lunch, we decided to take a walk through the fields thick with snow. Hereford seemed to have much more snow than Cheshire so I had already phoned ahead in the days leading up to Christmas, asking my mum to see if she could find a sledge. My mum didn't disappoint and so, trailing our little red sledge behind us, we climbed the Herefordshire hills, overlooking the farm and most of Herefordshire beyond!
We found the perfect hill for sledging! Just the right gradient so we didn't go too fast for Anna but yet still thrilling enough to excite, with enough flat ground at the bottom to come to a slow halt before crashing though the hedge! Anna adored it and actually proved to be the best sledder amongst us, finding the freshly made grooves in the snow so that the sledge slid smoothly and even faster with every turn. I have to say I was pretty good myself! James... well... he actually fell off more times than everyone else put together! He blames Science as he was trying to place his feet in the optimum position for the least amount of wind resistance! Anna and I didn't put half as much thought into it and were much more successful! Sometimes, over-thinking can be a downfall!
I also have to confess at this point that it was the true definition of 'Lazy Sledging'. Let me explain... my brother had recently acquired a new toy which was basically a little quad-like vehicle (although much safer than a quad but I fail to think of the right word to describe it). It basically meant that when we landed at the bottom of this steep hill, Uncle Steve would pick us up, fling the sledge in the trailer at the back and drive us back up to the top! Steve was getting to try out his new toy in the snow while we were getting all the fun of sledging without any of the work - perfect! In fact, I think Anna enjoyed the ride in the quad nearly as much as the sledging itself, especially when Uncle Steve let her steer the wheel!
So, as the sun began to set over Herefordshire, we made our back through the snow to the farmhouse, watching the smoke rise from the chimney and knowing that we had lots of Chocolate roulade, my nan's sherry triffle and leftover turkey to consume! (Writing this makes it sound very idyllic and makes me wonder whether I dreamt it rather than it being a reality but we have photos to prove it was true, plus James and Anna remember it just as perfectly as I do so it really was that gorgeous!) Who needs expensive presents when you have all that!
Saturday, 12 March 2011
Is There Anyone There...
I strongly suspect that the handful of people who read this blog have given up and that I waste my time even writing this!
However, 2 recent events have made me want to pick up my blogging again. The first is finding a diary that I wrote when I was 13. It is shockingly bad and very poorly written (my English teacher has a lot to answer for.)However, when it got to halfway through the diary and I faced blank pages for the remaining 6 months of the year, I felt really frustrated with myself. OK, so I realise that a 13 year old doesn't really have much to write about but it gave me a little insight into what my 13- year old self was thinking and feeling, even if it was just proof that I was an extremely naive teenager who thought I knew it all! I then pictured Anna getting extremely frustrated with me when she came to read this blog later in life and realised that her Mum didn't bother to keep up with it and let her daughter have an insight into her Early Years. Again, this may be me being naive, just like the 13 year old I used to be. She may not be interested in the slightest but I want to give her the opportunity anyway.
The other event that made me want to pick up blogging is reading a fellow blogger's most recent post. I started blogging 4 years ago, when a colleague/friend happened to be writing hers when I strolled into her classroom one evening (We were both workaholics and stayed late!!). I didn't think much about it but then, one day when I was desperately trying to find someone else out there who was walking round with baby sick on their shoulder and not the faintest idea what was going on, I started to read some parenting blogs. I didn't really relate to any of them except one! It later emerged that this lady blogger, named Elsie, had her first born child, a daughter, on exactly the same day as me - 18Th November 2006. More than that was the fact that she was a teacher, came from my home town AND got married on the very same day as me as well. All of this was a coincidence which was found out over time but rather uncanny to say the least! Anyway, this week, she wrote a fantastic blog about her daughter starting school full time in September.
Now, I have always known that September 2011 would be the time that Anna started school. I have even gone through the nightmare of trying to choose my 3 preferred choices for schools and filled in the application form. However, none of this felt real. I think I had detached myself from the process, believing that the day when I waved Anna into a strange new building with a bunch of strangers was never going to happen. Reading Elsie's post (http://elsiebutton.blogspot.com/) has just made me realise that September sees me doing just that. Suddenly I have lost my little girl for a vast majority of each day! Oh Bloody hell!!!! I now have tears streaming down my face!
Therefore, I am going to try very hard to resume this blog for 2 reasons:
Firstly, so that Anna will continue to get an insight into her childhood and each new chapter that brings.
Secondly, I am trying desperately to hang on by my fingertips to each and every last minute of Anna's toddler years because reality has just made me realise that time is speeding by way too fast so I need every memory I can cling on to! Writing may also prove to be good therapy because I am going to need all the therapy I can get!
However, 2 recent events have made me want to pick up my blogging again. The first is finding a diary that I wrote when I was 13. It is shockingly bad and very poorly written (my English teacher has a lot to answer for.)However, when it got to halfway through the diary and I faced blank pages for the remaining 6 months of the year, I felt really frustrated with myself. OK, so I realise that a 13 year old doesn't really have much to write about but it gave me a little insight into what my 13- year old self was thinking and feeling, even if it was just proof that I was an extremely naive teenager who thought I knew it all! I then pictured Anna getting extremely frustrated with me when she came to read this blog later in life and realised that her Mum didn't bother to keep up with it and let her daughter have an insight into her Early Years. Again, this may be me being naive, just like the 13 year old I used to be. She may not be interested in the slightest but I want to give her the opportunity anyway.
The other event that made me want to pick up blogging is reading a fellow blogger's most recent post. I started blogging 4 years ago, when a colleague/friend happened to be writing hers when I strolled into her classroom one evening (We were both workaholics and stayed late!!). I didn't think much about it but then, one day when I was desperately trying to find someone else out there who was walking round with baby sick on their shoulder and not the faintest idea what was going on, I started to read some parenting blogs. I didn't really relate to any of them except one! It later emerged that this lady blogger, named Elsie, had her first born child, a daughter, on exactly the same day as me - 18Th November 2006. More than that was the fact that she was a teacher, came from my home town AND got married on the very same day as me as well. All of this was a coincidence which was found out over time but rather uncanny to say the least! Anyway, this week, she wrote a fantastic blog about her daughter starting school full time in September.
Now, I have always known that September 2011 would be the time that Anna started school. I have even gone through the nightmare of trying to choose my 3 preferred choices for schools and filled in the application form. However, none of this felt real. I think I had detached myself from the process, believing that the day when I waved Anna into a strange new building with a bunch of strangers was never going to happen. Reading Elsie's post (http://elsiebutton.blogspot.com/) has just made me realise that September sees me doing just that. Suddenly I have lost my little girl for a vast majority of each day! Oh Bloody hell!!!! I now have tears streaming down my face!
Therefore, I am going to try very hard to resume this blog for 2 reasons:
Firstly, so that Anna will continue to get an insight into her childhood and each new chapter that brings.
Secondly, I am trying desperately to hang on by my fingertips to each and every last minute of Anna's toddler years because reality has just made me realise that time is speeding by way too fast so I need every memory I can cling on to! Writing may also prove to be good therapy because I am going to need all the therapy I can get!
Sunday, 19 December 2010
Dear Santa...
Christmas excitement has reached the Gibson household. Anna is eagerly counting down the days until Christmas day. We have the Reindeer food ready to sprinkle on Nanny's lawn(oats mixed with some biodegradable glitter, just so the Reindeer's can see it sparkling from the night sky)and the Christmas tree is rearranged on a daily basis.
We went to Alton Towers and the 'Santa Sleepover' last weekend. I KNOW it is a money-making business venture and corporate BUT it really was magical and Anna, like last year, was completely spell-bound by the whole experience. (She is also the biggest thrill seeker ever. No longer will tiny merry-go-rounds suffice, the pirate ship and full speed 'cups and saucers' is where the fun is at. James and I came off them feeling rather queasy while Anna shouted 'again, again' and ran round to get on again (There were very few queues, hence why we rode the pirate ship 10 times in an hour!)
Last year, Anna was not shy when it came to Santa at all. I think she had a vague idea of him but wasn't fully sure so casually talked to him about what she liked and whether she had been a good girl. This year was a different story. Anna was completely awe-struck! She keeps describing him as magical so just gazed at him in wonder, unable to speak. At one point, I was sure she was going to bow to him as though he was the king or something! However, rest assured, she did manage to tell him what she wanted. Mummy and Daddy can't wait until Christmas day (I am off to buy ear plugs this week for us and the whole of Herefordshire). I will leave you with a copy of Anna's letter that she sent to the big man (as said by Anna and scribed by me)!
Dear Santa,
I hope you have had a nice year. I have been a good girl this year.
I would like a DRUM KIT this year please. I have seen it in John Lewis if the elves need to go shopping. It is purple and has a stool and 2 drumsticks. It is VERY loud. It is big but you can come in the door if it won't fit down the chimney.
I would be very happy if you would bring a DRUM kit, I will leave a mince pie and a glass of milk for you. We have got some special magic Reindeer food too. Rudolph will love it and it has glitter in it so you can see it from the sky.
Remember I am at Nanny's house for Christmas. She lives in Hereford. I don't know where that is. Mummy says it is NEAR Wales but NOT in Wales. I have never seen Whale's at Nanny's house.
Love from Anna xx
We went to Alton Towers and the 'Santa Sleepover' last weekend. I KNOW it is a money-making business venture and corporate BUT it really was magical and Anna, like last year, was completely spell-bound by the whole experience. (She is also the biggest thrill seeker ever. No longer will tiny merry-go-rounds suffice, the pirate ship and full speed 'cups and saucers' is where the fun is at. James and I came off them feeling rather queasy while Anna shouted 'again, again' and ran round to get on again (There were very few queues, hence why we rode the pirate ship 10 times in an hour!)
Last year, Anna was not shy when it came to Santa at all. I think she had a vague idea of him but wasn't fully sure so casually talked to him about what she liked and whether she had been a good girl. This year was a different story. Anna was completely awe-struck! She keeps describing him as magical so just gazed at him in wonder, unable to speak. At one point, I was sure she was going to bow to him as though he was the king or something! However, rest assured, she did manage to tell him what she wanted. Mummy and Daddy can't wait until Christmas day (I am off to buy ear plugs this week for us and the whole of Herefordshire). I will leave you with a copy of Anna's letter that she sent to the big man (as said by Anna and scribed by me)!
Dear Santa,
I hope you have had a nice year. I have been a good girl this year.
I would like a DRUM KIT this year please. I have seen it in John Lewis if the elves need to go shopping. It is purple and has a stool and 2 drumsticks. It is VERY loud. It is big but you can come in the door if it won't fit down the chimney.
I would be very happy if you would bring a DRUM kit, I will leave a mince pie and a glass of milk for you. We have got some special magic Reindeer food too. Rudolph will love it and it has glitter in it so you can see it from the sky.
Remember I am at Nanny's house for Christmas. She lives in Hereford. I don't know where that is. Mummy says it is NEAR Wales but NOT in Wales. I have never seen Whale's at Nanny's house.
Love from Anna xx
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