Anna's favourite hobby at the moment is to help around the house.
She helps on so many household chores. I think she started to get the idea when Goo-Goo (her Great Nan) gave her an iron, ironing board, mop, dustpan and brush and broom for Christmas.
She loves helping me load the washing machine and carry the washing basket, which is fully loaded, to the dryer. She tries to help me by passing me all saucepans and utensils (obviously not knives etc!!) as I'm cooking and she does try to help with the dusting although, due to her medical history, I get rather nervous about that one. She also loves putting things away, which she believes are in the wrong place. For example, the other night I had got a recipe book out to refer to and when I turned round, it had disappeared. I thought I was going mad as I had remembered getting it out. Eventually, after lots of scratching of the head and turning the house over, wondering where I had put the damn thing, I eventually found it back on the shelf. I seem to spend half my life looking for things which have moved and it is not unusual to find my boots in some unused cupboard or a whole toilet roll in my handbag!
At Christmas, Anna astonished everyone when we looked out of the window to see her carrying logs to the wheelbarrow, helping my dad to get firewood. My dad was carefully handing her small twigs but Anna soon got bored of that so decided that she would choose her own logs and started to carry logs which even I struggled with. The way that she flung them into the wheelbarrow would suggest that Anna was not struggling one bit! The gigantic smile on her face for the entire time that she was doing it would also suggest that she was rather enjoying it!
However, it has now reached the point where Anna likes to use her own initiative and be a little more independent in her household jobs! For example, I walked into the kitchen this morning to find Anna putting the entire contents of my ironed and neatly folded laundry back into the wet washing machine. There has also been the occasion when I was washing up some dirty plates, turned around and noticed that Anna had emptied the entire cupboard of cereal and other food products and was re-locating them into the recycling bins!
Of course, I can't be annoyed with her because she is only trying to help so, instead, I smile and say 'Thank you so much darling'.
The only curious thing about it all is that Anna never ever seems to keen to tidy her toys away so our house always looks like a ransacked Early Learning Centre, as James walks in and goes flying down the hallway after tripping over Bramble the hobby horse! We think Anna does it on purpose, just so that she can see her Daddy doing his flying acrobatics routine. Well, it amuses Anna anyway!
Monday, 19 January 2009
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
Here comes the Bride(maid)
I am so excited.
Anna has been asked to be a bridesmaid at my brother's wedding in July.
When Carolyne and Steve asked us, I immediately said 'yes' while James immediately put his head in his hands. Apparently, he envisages the next 7 months being one full of me displaying excitement, anxious energy and downright panicking (so nothing new there then!). James' fears could also be compounded by the fact that I have been asked to do the 'Best man' speech. The actual best man is rather shy and would feel uncomfortable doing it so they thought that I may do it on his behalf! I was only asked last weekend and I already have a list of witty one-liners that have then all been crossed out for fear of offending somebody. I had already agreed before I then found out that it would be 130 guests that I was addressing. '130 is nothing. You have spoken in front of 300 children in school assemblies with no trouble at all' I was helpfully told. Well yes, but children have much shorter memories than adults. (It will probably end up with 'Ladies and Gentlemen, please raise our glasses for the bride and Groom'. The end)
I am much more excited about Anna being bridesmaid. However, my mind then gets cast back to my first time as a Bridesmaid. Oh dear! It is fair to say that I was the worlds worst bridesmaid that has ever been seen. I was 3 (so a very similar age to what Anna will be when she is bridesmaid) and I was meant to be the cute thing that everyone went 'arhhh' at, when they saw me. Instead, I was the one who is scowling on all of my Uncle George and Auntie Val's wedding photos. In every photo that I am in, I am also accompanied by my father who I refused to let go for the entire day. The obligatory bridesmaid photo has the bride (Auntie Val), the 2 other bridesmaid and me looking like I have just sucked a lemon with my poor dad stuck at the end looking like a right lemon, holding my bouquet of flowers because I refused to. Apparently I refused to walk any further down the aisle once I had got half way as well! I happened to bump into Val's mum at their eldest daughter's wedding only last year. She took one look at me and said 'Oh yes, you were the awful bridesmaid'. I don't think she has forgiven me yet!!!
However, this is Anna we are talking about. Thinking back to when I was 3, I was painfully shy, quiet, introvert and nervous. None of these words could describe Anna. In fact, knowing that she has 130 people all looking at her as she walks down the aisle is probably Anna's idea of paradise. Anna is also obsessed with princesses at the moment. Each night, after getting out of the bath, we have to wrap the huge towel around her like a cloak before she then curtsey's in front of us and we then have to bow/curtsy back and say 'Hello Princess Anna'. To be dressed up in a bridesmaid outfit will probably make it seem even more paradise-like to Anna!
I just pray that it is not going to be the case of 'mother like daughter'. Although Anna will probably think it is paradise, it is also important to remember that this is Carolyne's special day. I can fully see Anna throwing a diva fit and deciding that it is all too much and demanding to retire to her dressing room, just as the bridal march begins and even if we do actually manage to get her down the aisle, it is very likely that we will still be in the midst of the miserable potty training. If current trends are anything to go by, she will be probably shout "Mummy, I need a Wee Wee. Get the potty" just as the music ends and everyone is seated. She shouts that particular phrase a lot at the moment but, unfortunately, when the royal throne is delivered to her, she then shouts 'No potty for me' and runs off. That will make a fun start to the marriage ceremony.
I have already informed James that in the week leading up to the wedding, we will have to hire a church and practice walking up and down the aisle. Otherwise, Anna will decide to run or barge past Carolyne so she can be at the front! James suggested that we tie IgglePiggle to the back of Carolyne's dress so that Anna can watch him as she walks up to the aisle. I'm not sure IgglePiggle would make an attractive addition to the wedding dress.... but I haven't ruled it out yet!
Anna has been asked to be a bridesmaid at my brother's wedding in July.
When Carolyne and Steve asked us, I immediately said 'yes' while James immediately put his head in his hands. Apparently, he envisages the next 7 months being one full of me displaying excitement, anxious energy and downright panicking (so nothing new there then!). James' fears could also be compounded by the fact that I have been asked to do the 'Best man' speech. The actual best man is rather shy and would feel uncomfortable doing it so they thought that I may do it on his behalf! I was only asked last weekend and I already have a list of witty one-liners that have then all been crossed out for fear of offending somebody. I had already agreed before I then found out that it would be 130 guests that I was addressing. '130 is nothing. You have spoken in front of 300 children in school assemblies with no trouble at all' I was helpfully told. Well yes, but children have much shorter memories than adults. (It will probably end up with 'Ladies and Gentlemen, please raise our glasses for the bride and Groom'. The end)
I am much more excited about Anna being bridesmaid. However, my mind then gets cast back to my first time as a Bridesmaid. Oh dear! It is fair to say that I was the worlds worst bridesmaid that has ever been seen. I was 3 (so a very similar age to what Anna will be when she is bridesmaid) and I was meant to be the cute thing that everyone went 'arhhh' at, when they saw me. Instead, I was the one who is scowling on all of my Uncle George and Auntie Val's wedding photos. In every photo that I am in, I am also accompanied by my father who I refused to let go for the entire day. The obligatory bridesmaid photo has the bride (Auntie Val), the 2 other bridesmaid and me looking like I have just sucked a lemon with my poor dad stuck at the end looking like a right lemon, holding my bouquet of flowers because I refused to. Apparently I refused to walk any further down the aisle once I had got half way as well! I happened to bump into Val's mum at their eldest daughter's wedding only last year. She took one look at me and said 'Oh yes, you were the awful bridesmaid'. I don't think she has forgiven me yet!!!
However, this is Anna we are talking about. Thinking back to when I was 3, I was painfully shy, quiet, introvert and nervous. None of these words could describe Anna. In fact, knowing that she has 130 people all looking at her as she walks down the aisle is probably Anna's idea of paradise. Anna is also obsessed with princesses at the moment. Each night, after getting out of the bath, we have to wrap the huge towel around her like a cloak before she then curtsey's in front of us and we then have to bow/curtsy back and say 'Hello Princess Anna'. To be dressed up in a bridesmaid outfit will probably make it seem even more paradise-like to Anna!
I just pray that it is not going to be the case of 'mother like daughter'. Although Anna will probably think it is paradise, it is also important to remember that this is Carolyne's special day. I can fully see Anna throwing a diva fit and deciding that it is all too much and demanding to retire to her dressing room, just as the bridal march begins and even if we do actually manage to get her down the aisle, it is very likely that we will still be in the midst of the miserable potty training. If current trends are anything to go by, she will be probably shout "Mummy, I need a Wee Wee. Get the potty" just as the music ends and everyone is seated. She shouts that particular phrase a lot at the moment but, unfortunately, when the royal throne is delivered to her, she then shouts 'No potty for me' and runs off. That will make a fun start to the marriage ceremony.
I have already informed James that in the week leading up to the wedding, we will have to hire a church and practice walking up and down the aisle. Otherwise, Anna will decide to run or barge past Carolyne so she can be at the front! James suggested that we tie IgglePiggle to the back of Carolyne's dress so that Anna can watch him as she walks up to the aisle. I'm not sure IgglePiggle would make an attractive addition to the wedding dress.... but I haven't ruled it out yet!
Monday, 12 January 2009
Question Time
Where has the [Christmas] tree gone?
Where is the Garage?
Where is Daddy?
Where is Daddy's work?
Where is my riding hat? (Long story!!!!)
Where has Mr Tumble gone?
Where is Radio 1?
Where is dancing Dani? (Anna's dancing Teacher)
Where is Thomas' house? (Referring to Thomas the Tank Engine - her new favourite toy!)
Where is the Garage?
Where is Daddy?
Where is Daddy's work?
Where is my riding hat? (Long story!!!!)
Where has Mr Tumble gone?
Where is Radio 1?
Where is dancing Dani? (Anna's dancing Teacher)
Where is Thomas' house? (Referring to Thomas the Tank Engine - her new favourite toy!)
Imagine these questions (and lots more) on a continuous loop for 12 hours and you have a picture of my day today!
Before I start, I must make clear that I am NOT complaining... much! Of course I am very very proud that my daughter is inquisitive, clever, observant and keen to know about the world. I sometimes just get a little baffled, wondering how I can explain that the Christmas tree has gone because it isn't Christmas anymore and why Christmas isn't every day, all in a way that 2 year old can understand.
A typical conversation will usually start while we are eating breakfast and go something like this...
Anna: Where has the tree gone (as Anna points to the vacant empty space where the tree stood)?
Me: It has gone in the garage because it isn't Christmas any more?
Anna: Where has Christmas gone?
Me: Christmas is only once a year when you opened all your presents and it is gone now
Anna: Where has the presents gone?
Me: The presents were under the tree but then you opened all your presents and you play with them now?
Anna: Where is the tree?
Me: It has gone in the garage?
Anna: Where is the garage?
So I then lead Anna out to the garage and explain that Daddy put the tree out here and it is having a rest until next Christmas. For a moment, I actually think that I have satisfied her curiosity and I can get on with cleaning up the breakfast debris until I hear... Where is Daddy? I then find myself explaining all about work and that people have to work and Daddy works in an office and where the office is and where Daddy's' desk is and so on and so on!
This will then continue all day. Deja Vu occurs on an hourly basis as I find myself answering the same questions that I was replying to an hour earlier. My days are certainly never dull!
Apparently last night, James informs me that I was even answering questions in my sleep. 'The tree is in the garage darling. The garage is next to the house. The house is on a street. The street is in Chester...'
James must have woke up and thought I had finally flipped! He might be right!
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
A Tigger-tastic Christmas
Christmas is over and normality has returned. James is back at work, the clubs are starting again and there is a pile of ironing stacked up in the laundry basket.
However, reminders of Christmas still remain such as the 20 stone that I put on over the festive period. (My New Year Resolution is no chocolate except Easter! The resolution starts once all Christmas chocolate has been consumed... which should take until December to be eaten!)
If it is any indication of how much Anna enjoyed Christmas, I am no longer greeted each morning with 'Hello Mummy, How are you'? as I draw back her curtains and say 'Good Morning' to my darling daughter. Each morning, from boxing day onwards, I am now told "Hello Mummy. I love Christmas and I love presents". I think Anna is trying to convince us to have another Christmas Day next week!! People keep asking me if Anna understands the whole Christmas concept yet. If the meaning of Christmas was just the involvement of lots of presents, Anna has it understood perfectly!
For me, the whole build-up to Christmas this year was just as important as the day itself, as I watched Anna's face when she met Father Christmas, saw the real reindeer and became fascinated with all the glitter and sparkly lights that accompany the festive period. It was simply magical and I can only hope that the next few years will be just as good, if not even better as her understanding becomes even greater.
For me, the most important part of Christmas is meeting up with family and friends and we were lucky in that we had 4 special occasions to do just that. The first was spending the day at Grandma Lynn and Grandad Flob's house.
In the last few weeks, Anna has become a very fussy eater (She gets it from her father!) so I was a little anxious when I heard that our alternative Christmas dinner at Grandma Lynn's house (to save us from having 2 Turkey dinners in 3 days) would be venison. In fact, we even had to lie to James and tell him it was beef until after the meal was over as there was no way that he would have liked it otherwise. Fortunately, he tried it and, because he thought it was beef, actually loved it. Anna loved it too! In fact, she finished the meal with a clean plate! After feeling very full, we then opened presents around the tree, in which Anna was thrilled with her Duplo. (James is showing a natural flair for building Duplo models, which Anna loves to watch. I just look at the Duplo bricks with no idea whatsoever and Anna looks on disappointed at me!)
On Christmas eve, we visited Grandad Peter (James' Stepfather), Auntie Sally and Uncle John (who arrived from Edinburgh 5 minutes after us!). Again, it was simply great to have everyone in the same room at the same time. Anna loved it too, mainly due to a MASSIVE cuddly toy dog which Sally's partner, Ben, had given to her as a gift. I am not exaggerating when I say that this dog would not fit on a single sized bed. Last time that we were at Peter's, Peters eldest daughter was also there with her 2 gorgeous children, Niamh and Finn, so Anna had great fun 'riding' on the back of this dog with Niamh and Finn alongside her. This time, Anna had the dog all to herself! It wasn't quite as much fun on her own but her smiles soon told us that she was more than happy with having to play with him by herself! The visit was made even better by Auntie Sally and Ben's present of a 'Night Garden' book which has huge pop-up pictures and a song at the end. Anna treated us all to her special Upsy-Daisy dancing, which everyone was most impressed by! Grandad Peter and Anna then sat on the carpet and happily completed the huge puzzle that her Uncle John had given her. Well, more accurately, Grandad Peter completed the puzzle while Anna argued that the octopus in the picture was a spider because 'it has 8 legs' (which were actually tentacles!!)
So then, after a long drive down the M6, we arrived in Hereford on Christmas eve. We were greeted with a 10ft Christmas tree outside, complete with flashing lights galore, reindeer in the window and fairy lights adorning the outside of the house. This was all for Anna's benefit of course, who was fast asleep in the back of the car!
Our plan had been to take her straight to bed when we arrived (it being 10pm and all) but, upon hearing Nanny's voice, her eyes shot open and it wasn't long before she was insisting that she showed Nanny her 'amazing' book (Anna's own words!) that her Auntie Sally had given her!
Last year, Nanny and Grandad's tree was magic because 'Night Garden' characters suddenly appeared from amongst the branches so it was only right that this year, another magical character emerged! So, as Anna held her breath, her Nanny started to bring something out of her 'magic tree'. Anna instantly recognised him! It was a 2ft Kipper!
This Christmas, I had looked EVERYWHERE for a Kipper toy but to no avail. I finally found a knitting pattern for a Kipper cuddly toy on EBay. The picture looked such a brilliant likeness to him that I had to buy it, hoping that Anna's great-great Auntie Eileen would knit it for her. I didn't realise how popular a Kipper knitting pattern would be and I ended up getting in a bidding war for it! You know me, once I have my mind set on something, I won't give up so I did win but you do not want to know how much I paid for it!! It would have bought several brand new toys! Thankfully, it was all worth it though once Anna became acquainted with it! Her face lit up - a Kipper of her very own! (Auntie Eileen did a superb job as I knew she would. She was determined to get it done for Christmas despite my insistence that she shouldn't worry and there was no great rush. Even when her reading glasses broke, she made sure that she got them fixed ASAP so Kipper could be finished in time! Anna is very lucky to have so many talented, creative and kind people in her family!)
Christmas day finally arrived and Anna woke up to find her parents peering over her cot, looking a little gormless with big cheesy grins on their faces! Anna just looked at us as though we had gone mad and turned over to go back to sleep (There are some days when I'm sure she is a teenager in disguise!) but after a little coaxing, we got her up and, when entering the living room, was presented with a pile of presents.
The first present that she opened was a book which, on hindsight, may have been a mistake. Anna will quite happily look at a book for hours at a time if she like its so, it took LOTS of encouragement to get her to open another present. However, when I hap
pened to mention that the big present had come from Father Christmas, it wasn't long before she was tearing the paper. It was a keyboard, complete with microphone and loud speakers. Nanny and Grandad's neighbours were soon being woken by the sound of Anna singing down the microphone and giving us a few delightful tunes on the keyboard itself!
(As you can see in the photo, Anna insisted that Kipper attended all of Anna's musical performances on Christmas Day!)
Now, for the observant amongst you, you may remember that Anna asked for 'Tigger' when she met Father Christmas so, being the reliable and wonderful man that he is, Father Christmas did bring Anna a Tigger too.
The whole reason that Anna had wanted a Tigger was because she had seen her Uncle Steve's, who bounces and sings a little song and Anna had fallen in love with it. Unfortunately, Uncle Steve had been given his Tigger a long time ago so that actual one wasn't available anymore. Instead, Father Christmas has found an all-dancing,all-singing Tigger who does cartwheels along the floor, handstands, sings, claps and does lots of other things that you would expect Tigger to do! So, did Anna instantly fall in love, whoop for joy and start jumping up and down with pure excitement at this wonderful new Tigger???? Well... No. She took one look at him doing cartwheels across the floor, walked over to him, picked him up and put him straight back in the box. Every time that we even attempt to get him out the box, Anna shakes her head and says 'No Tigger' and puts him in the first available box that she can find. She still adores to see pictures of Tigger and will jump up and down with glee but the new Tigger just isn't the same in Anna's eyes! We even got Uncle Steve's Tigger and put them next to each other to show Anna that they looked identical but Anna is having none of it. She picks Uncle Steve's from the line-up every time and plays with him for hours but the new Tigger is sent straight back to the box! Poor Tigger!
Due to Anna's new found fussiness and the fact that she refuses to eat chicken or turkey, Nanny Mary had cooked Turkey and Beef for Christmas dinner (as if proof were needed that Anna is a cherished granddaughter!!). Goo-Goo (Anna's great nan) had even made Anna her very own little mini apple pie and custard for pudding! However, Anna was far too excited for food and, instead, was rather excited about the crackers. In fact, she loved the crackers so much that for the rest of our stay in Hereford, which was 5 days, Anna was given a cracker for every breakfast, lunch and tea!
Other highlights over the festive period was Anna greeting my cousin Adrienne with 'Hello Princess'. Adrienne has been described as a 'Goth' in the past so that made everyone's day as she had never been called a Princess before. (Anna has only ever seen pictures of Disney Princesses such as Snow White so I'm not sure how she got a Goth and Snow White confused! Maybe she knows something we don't!). An
other highlight was Anna's face when opening Uncle Steve and Carolyne's gift! A train set, complete with 'Thomas the Tank Engine' and 'James.' Steve had been struggling to know what to get her but, after seeing Anna's reaction when she saw the train running around Santa's grotto, Nanny Mary soon had some ideas to pass on! Anna loved it and squealed with delight each time that Thomas whizzed past her!
(The photo illustrates Anna's huge beaming smile when discovering the train set that her Uncle Steve and Auntie Carolyne gave her!)
To finish the festive period in style, we had a surprise visit from Uncle Matthew and Ulriikka, all the way from Finland. So, New Years Eve saw us seeing in 2009 with them, along with Grandad Flob and Grandma Lynn. Anna had a fantastic time playing with Ulriikka, who had amazing patience when Anna insisted on dragging her to the playroom every 5 seconds. Unfortunately, despite identifying all of her family members correctly in photos, she still insisted on calling Matthew, Uncle John and calling Ulriikka, Carolyne! We then got in an awful mess when I tried to explain that Uncle John went out with Charlotte (Ulriikka was then called Charlotte temporarily) and that Auntie Carolyne went out with Uncle Steve (Matthew was then called Steve). Aghhhhh! By the time that Matthew and Ulriikka left on New Years Day, Anna was getting Matthew right but Ulriikka was still Carolyne!
Thank you so much to all of you who have given gifts or cards to Anna this Christmas. It is so appreciated and Anna is very lucky to have such wonderful people in her life
Since being home, the toys have settled in well and Anna is becoming fully acquainted with them all. (Except poor Tigger who was left at Nanny Mary's house for the time being! I'm sure he will be taking up residence in the Gibson household shortly!!) If you happen to visit in the near future, you will be greeted by Anna who will be carrying a toy mop and broom (given to her by Goo-Goo and her Uncle Phil). Anna is determined that the mop and broom go everywhere with her, including out for a walk to the local shop so that she
could brush the pavement as she went! Thomas is now running nicely around the outskirts of her play room and the keyboard has taken residence in our living room, which is most appreciated when I am trying to watch a brief glimpse of TV but instead, Anna has decided to give us her rendition of Twinkle Twinkle' sung through the microphone at full volume. Happy New Year everybody.
(The last photo is taken at the end of Christmas Day. As you can see, James was asleep and Anna was still full of energy!)
(Thank you to all of you who have e-mailed or text, making sure we are OK and asking about the blog. Apologies for not writing a post sooner but now that normality has returned, I hope to post more regularly again! There is still loads that has happened over recent weeks that I still have to write about but, as it has gone midnight, my bed is calling!)
However, reminders of Christmas still remain such as the 20 stone that I put on over the festive period. (My New Year Resolution is no chocolate except Easter! The resolution starts once all Christmas chocolate has been consumed... which should take until December to be eaten!)
If it is any indication of how much Anna enjoyed Christmas, I am no longer greeted each morning with 'Hello Mummy, How are you'? as I draw back her curtains and say 'Good Morning' to my darling daughter. Each morning, from boxing day onwards, I am now told "Hello Mummy. I love Christmas and I love presents". I think Anna is trying to convince us to have another Christmas Day next week!! People keep asking me if Anna understands the whole Christmas concept yet. If the meaning of Christmas was just the involvement of lots of presents, Anna has it understood perfectly!
For me, the whole build-up to Christmas this year was just as important as the day itself, as I watched Anna's face when she met Father Christmas, saw the real reindeer and became fascinated with all the glitter and sparkly lights that accompany the festive period. It was simply magical and I can only hope that the next few years will be just as good, if not even better as her understanding becomes even greater.
For me, the most important part of Christmas is meeting up with family and friends and we were lucky in that we had 4 special occasions to do just that. The first was spending the day at Grandma Lynn and Grandad Flob's house.
In the last few weeks, Anna has become a very fussy eater (She gets it from her father!) so I was a little anxious when I heard that our alternative Christmas dinner at Grandma Lynn's house (to save us from having 2 Turkey dinners in 3 days) would be venison. In fact, we even had to lie to James and tell him it was beef until after the meal was over as there was no way that he would have liked it otherwise. Fortunately, he tried it and, because he thought it was beef, actually loved it. Anna loved it too! In fact, she finished the meal with a clean plate! After feeling very full, we then opened presents around the tree, in which Anna was thrilled with her Duplo. (James is showing a natural flair for building Duplo models, which Anna loves to watch. I just look at the Duplo bricks with no idea whatsoever and Anna looks on disappointed at me!)
On Christmas eve, we visited Grandad Peter (James' Stepfather), Auntie Sally and Uncle John (who arrived from Edinburgh 5 minutes after us!). Again, it was simply great to have everyone in the same room at the same time. Anna loved it too, mainly due to a MASSIVE cuddly toy dog which Sally's partner, Ben, had given to her as a gift. I am not exaggerating when I say that this dog would not fit on a single sized bed. Last time that we were at Peter's, Peters eldest daughter was also there with her 2 gorgeous children, Niamh and Finn, so Anna had great fun 'riding' on the back of this dog with Niamh and Finn alongside her. This time, Anna had the dog all to herself! It wasn't quite as much fun on her own but her smiles soon told us that she was more than happy with having to play with him by herself! The visit was made even better by Auntie Sally and Ben's present of a 'Night Garden' book which has huge pop-up pictures and a song at the end. Anna treated us all to her special Upsy-Daisy dancing, which everyone was most impressed by! Grandad Peter and Anna then sat on the carpet and happily completed the huge puzzle that her Uncle John had given her. Well, more accurately, Grandad Peter completed the puzzle while Anna argued that the octopus in the picture was a spider because 'it has 8 legs' (which were actually tentacles!!)
So then, after a long drive down the M6, we arrived in Hereford on Christmas eve. We were greeted with a 10ft Christmas tree outside, complete with flashing lights galore, reindeer in the window and fairy lights adorning the outside of the house. This was all for Anna's benefit of course, who was fast asleep in the back of the car!
Our plan had been to take her straight to bed when we arrived (it being 10pm and all) but, upon hearing Nanny's voice, her eyes shot open and it wasn't long before she was insisting that she showed Nanny her 'amazing' book (Anna's own words!) that her Auntie Sally had given her!
Last year, Nanny and Grandad's tree was magic because 'Night Garden' characters suddenly appeared from amongst the branches so it was only right that this year, another magical character emerged! So, as Anna held her breath, her Nanny started to bring something out of her 'magic tree'. Anna instantly recognised him! It was a 2ft Kipper!
This Christmas, I had looked EVERYWHERE for a Kipper toy but to no avail. I finally found a knitting pattern for a Kipper cuddly toy on EBay. The picture looked such a brilliant likeness to him that I had to buy it, hoping that Anna's great-great Auntie Eileen would knit it for her. I didn't realise how popular a Kipper knitting pattern would be and I ended up getting in a bidding war for it! You know me, once I have my mind set on something, I won't give up so I did win but you do not want to know how much I paid for it!! It would have bought several brand new toys! Thankfully, it was all worth it though once Anna became acquainted with it! Her face lit up - a Kipper of her very own! (Auntie Eileen did a superb job as I knew she would. She was determined to get it done for Christmas despite my insistence that she shouldn't worry and there was no great rush. Even when her reading glasses broke, she made sure that she got them fixed ASAP so Kipper could be finished in time! Anna is very lucky to have so many talented, creative and kind people in her family!)
Christmas day finally arrived and Anna woke up to find her parents peering over her cot, looking a little gormless with big cheesy grins on their faces! Anna just looked at us as though we had gone mad and turned over to go back to sleep (There are some days when I'm sure she is a teenager in disguise!) but after a little coaxing, we got her up and, when entering the living room, was presented with a pile of presents.
The first present that she opened was a book which, on hindsight, may have been a mistake. Anna will quite happily look at a book for hours at a time if she like its so, it took LOTS of encouragement to get her to open another present. However, when I hap
pened to mention that the big present had come from Father Christmas, it wasn't long before she was tearing the paper. It was a keyboard, complete with microphone and loud speakers. Nanny and Grandad's neighbours were soon being woken by the sound of Anna singing down the microphone and giving us a few delightful tunes on the keyboard itself!(As you can see in the photo, Anna insisted that Kipper attended all of Anna's musical performances on Christmas Day!)
Now, for the observant amongst you, you may remember that Anna asked for 'Tigger' when she met Father Christmas so, being the reliable and wonderful man that he is, Father Christmas did bring Anna a Tigger too.
The whole reason that Anna had wanted a Tigger was because she had seen her Uncle Steve's, who bounces and sings a little song and Anna had fallen in love with it. Unfortunately, Uncle Steve had been given his Tigger a long time ago so that actual one wasn't available anymore. Instead, Father Christmas has found an all-dancing,all-singing Tigger who does cartwheels along the floor, handstands, sings, claps and does lots of other things that you would expect Tigger to do! So, did Anna instantly fall in love, whoop for joy and start jumping up and down with pure excitement at this wonderful new Tigger???? Well... No. She took one look at him doing cartwheels across the floor, walked over to him, picked him up and put him straight back in the box. Every time that we even attempt to get him out the box, Anna shakes her head and says 'No Tigger' and puts him in the first available box that she can find. She still adores to see pictures of Tigger and will jump up and down with glee but the new Tigger just isn't the same in Anna's eyes! We even got Uncle Steve's Tigger and put them next to each other to show Anna that they looked identical but Anna is having none of it. She picks Uncle Steve's from the line-up every time and plays with him for hours but the new Tigger is sent straight back to the box! Poor Tigger!
Due to Anna's new found fussiness and the fact that she refuses to eat chicken or turkey, Nanny Mary had cooked Turkey and Beef for Christmas dinner (as if proof were needed that Anna is a cherished granddaughter!!). Goo-Goo (Anna's great nan) had even made Anna her very own little mini apple pie and custard for pudding! However, Anna was far too excited for food and, instead, was rather excited about the crackers. In fact, she loved the crackers so much that for the rest of our stay in Hereford, which was 5 days, Anna was given a cracker for every breakfast, lunch and tea!
Other highlights over the festive period was Anna greeting my cousin Adrienne with 'Hello Princess'. Adrienne has been described as a 'Goth' in the past so that made everyone's day as she had never been called a Princess before. (Anna has only ever seen pictures of Disney Princesses such as Snow White so I'm not sure how she got a Goth and Snow White confused! Maybe she knows something we don't!). An
other highlight was Anna's face when opening Uncle Steve and Carolyne's gift! A train set, complete with 'Thomas the Tank Engine' and 'James.' Steve had been struggling to know what to get her but, after seeing Anna's reaction when she saw the train running around Santa's grotto, Nanny Mary soon had some ideas to pass on! Anna loved it and squealed with delight each time that Thomas whizzed past her!(The photo illustrates Anna's huge beaming smile when discovering the train set that her Uncle Steve and Auntie Carolyne gave her!)
To finish the festive period in style, we had a surprise visit from Uncle Matthew and Ulriikka, all the way from Finland. So, New Years Eve saw us seeing in 2009 with them, along with Grandad Flob and Grandma Lynn. Anna had a fantastic time playing with Ulriikka, who had amazing patience when Anna insisted on dragging her to the playroom every 5 seconds. Unfortunately, despite identifying all of her family members correctly in photos, she still insisted on calling Matthew, Uncle John and calling Ulriikka, Carolyne! We then got in an awful mess when I tried to explain that Uncle John went out with Charlotte (Ulriikka was then called Charlotte temporarily) and that Auntie Carolyne went out with Uncle Steve (Matthew was then called Steve). Aghhhhh! By the time that Matthew and Ulriikka left on New Years Day, Anna was getting Matthew right but Ulriikka was still Carolyne!
Thank you so much to all of you who have given gifts or cards to Anna this Christmas. It is so appreciated and Anna is very lucky to have such wonderful people in her life
Since being home, the toys have settled in well and Anna is becoming fully acquainted with them all. (Except poor Tigger who was left at Nanny Mary's house for the time being! I'm sure he will be taking up residence in the Gibson household shortly!!) If you happen to visit in the near future, you will be greeted by Anna who will be carrying a toy mop and broom (given to her by Goo-Goo and her Uncle Phil). Anna is determined that the mop and broom go everywhere with her, including out for a walk to the local shop so that she
could brush the pavement as she went! Thomas is now running nicely around the outskirts of her play room and the keyboard has taken residence in our living room, which is most appreciated when I am trying to watch a brief glimpse of TV but instead, Anna has decided to give us her rendition of Twinkle Twinkle' sung through the microphone at full volume. Happy New Year everybody.(The last photo is taken at the end of Christmas Day. As you can see, James was asleep and Anna was still full of energy!)
(Thank you to all of you who have e-mailed or text, making sure we are OK and asking about the blog. Apologies for not writing a post sooner but now that normality has returned, I hope to post more regularly again! There is still loads that has happened over recent weeks that I still have to write about but, as it has gone midnight, my bed is calling!)
Friday, 19 December 2008
Missing Rudolf
Anna met real Reindeer last Sunday. We had gone to get some essentials for our Christmas tree at the 'posh' garden centre and there happened to be some real reindeer there (They had obviously popped in whilst doing some last minute flight training). Having never seen Reindeer before, Anna said 'Look Daddy, a horse'. We then explained that it was a reindeer but Anna was having none of it. After 5 minutes of standing there trying to explain (with lots of patronising looks from fellow parents), I even found myself singing 'Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer' at her. With hindsight, I was probably confusing poor Anna even more when I was stood there singing about a Reindeer with a red nose when the real reindeer's clearly did not have a red nose at all.
Anna was adamant that it was a horse and started 'neighing' at the poor reindeer to try and prove her point. 'It's a reindeer darling' I gently said.
'No, it's a horse' Anna replied.
'It is a reindeer, Anna' I confirmed.
'No. It's a horse' Anna said again.
This went on for several more minutes.
Then there was silence for a moment while Anna reflected on the argument.
'It's a dog' said Anna.
So we then had several more minutes where I told her it was a reindeer while Anna told me it was a dog, before she then started barking at the reindeer. 'Woof woof' she said, hoping that the Reindeer would bark back, in order to prove her point.
There was then silence again and Anna seemed to have finally believed that it was a reindeer and she asked to move on.
However, there was no way that she was going to let me have the final say. 'It IS a dog Mummy' she said as we walked away, patting me gently on the leg so not to upset me when I was so obviously wrong!
Anna was adamant that it was a horse and started 'neighing' at the poor reindeer to try and prove her point. 'It's a reindeer darling' I gently said.
'No, it's a horse' Anna replied.
'It is a reindeer, Anna' I confirmed.
'No. It's a horse' Anna said again.
This went on for several more minutes.
Then there was silence for a moment while Anna reflected on the argument.
'It's a dog' said Anna.
So we then had several more minutes where I told her it was a reindeer while Anna told me it was a dog, before she then started barking at the reindeer. 'Woof woof' she said, hoping that the Reindeer would bark back, in order to prove her point.
There was then silence again and Anna seemed to have finally believed that it was a reindeer and she asked to move on.
However, there was no way that she was going to let me have the final say. 'It IS a dog Mummy' she said as we walked away, patting me gently on the leg so not to upset me when I was so obviously wrong!
Friday, 12 December 2008
The Magic of Christmas
On Wednesday, Anna met Father Christmas for the very first time!!!
As part of her Christmas party at Forest Tots, it had been arranged that Anna and the other 'Forest Tots' would go to Santa's Grotto, in the heart of the Forest and meet the man himself.
The Forestry Commission has actually constructed a Santa's Grotto in Delamere Forest so, as well as pick your Christmas tree to take home, the public can visit Father Christmas. At weekends, any member of the public can go but, during weekdays in the 2 weeks before Christmas, it is open to school children and groups.
I was feeling very nervous and apprehensive. Anna had never even talked about Father Christmas, let alone met him. Plus, I was fearing that if there were long queues to see him, Anna would quickly get bored and start causing a riot. Thankfully, all of these fears were pointless as the whole experience was magical.
Dressed in our wellies and warm clothes and accompanied by her Nanny, Anna walked into the Forest. The wooden lodge (Santa's home) looked very pretty and there were reindeer (sculptures) stood in Santa's garden. Luckily the carrot patch that Santa had planted for Reindeer snacks was looking good too.
At the door of the Grotto, we were met by a very friendly Elf who told us that Santa would ask Anna 3 things. What her name was, whether she had been a good girl this year and what she wanted for Christmas. The elf also reminded Anna and the other children that, although they might be lucky enough to get lots of presents, they were only allowed to say one special gift to Santa. Otherwise, if every child recited a long list, Christmas day would have been and gone and we still wouldn't have made it out of the Forest! After much shouting, to make sure Santa hadn't fallen asleep, we were lead into the Grotto.
I cannot begin to explain how magical it was. Basically, the Grotto had been lined with black sheets and had twinkling lights sewn in to look like stars. The path which we followed (all in the Grotto although it was made to look as though we were still outside) had been lined with real Christmas trees and, set amongst the trees were little creatures and scenery. For example, in one nook, there lay 8 toy reindeer's huddled up and in another corner lay some cuddly bears all peaking above the fence. There were penguins taking a dip in an ice pool and we saw polar bears. There was the nativity scene in another corner of 'Santa's Forest garden' and there was also a train set weaving in and out of the trees. Apparently the elves had made one too many train sets last year so had given it to Father Christmas as a surprise to put in his Forest garden. (Anna adored the train even more than the little animals peaking out from everywhere and, although interested in the other parts of 'Santa's forest garden, kept going back again and again to watch the train)
Then, after walking through Santa's garden, you opened a garden gate (a real one) and we entered Santa's 'garage'. This was where he was storing his sleigh, which was huge and stacked high with presents already.
The time had come to knock on the big oak door and we heard a 'Ho Ho Ho' as we carefully opened it.
Anna stood staring at this strange man in the armchair in the corner of the room. We had entered Santa's living room. There was an old-fashioned wood burner with stockings hanging over the fireplace and Santa sat in his old armchair in the corner of the room. Next to him was an old wardrobe to hang his suits.
At first, I really thought Anna would cry. She grasped her Nanny's hand tightly (I had been put in charge of the camera. Nanny is number one so Mummy doesn't get a look in!). Then Santa asked Anna her name and my mum (Nanny) gently took Anna closer to him. Santa asked Anna her name again and Anna felt confident enough to reply and tell him. Santa said 'Hello Anna' and Anna then decided that it was OK so began talking... and talking... and talking! When Father Christmas could finally get a word in edgeways, he asked Anna what she wanted, Anna looked a little unsure so Santa said 'I can bring you a dolly'. Anna didn't like that idea (she had been given a new dolly for her birthday from her Nanny and Grandad) so quickly replied 'Tigger'. She would like a Tigger like her Uncle Steve has got. Santa noted it down and, once Anna had chatted some more (she would have still been chatting to him now if we hadn't gently coaxed her away), Father Christmas kindly gave her a baby Christmas tree (only 10 cm tall) to plant in our garden and reassured Anna that he would see her on Christmas Eve as well as reminding her to leave out some mince pies, carrots and some sherry!!! It must be hungry work delivering so many presents.
I was still wondering on how we would actually get out of Santa's living room when he whispered to Anna 'Go through the magic wardrobe and you will find your way home'. I just looked at the wardrobe door and thought '...but I don't want to walk into a wardrobe' (It was so magical that I had even started to believe it all!!). Fortunately, Anna was a little braver than me and, once you opened the wardrobe doors (which was an actual real wardrobe but with no back on it), you could walk though and we found ourselves back in the real world once more.
So Anna has met Father Christmas and they are now firm friends. Let's just hope he brings her a Tigger now. Otherwise, Anna will be insisting that she has several more words with Father Christmas!
As part of her Christmas party at Forest Tots, it had been arranged that Anna and the other 'Forest Tots' would go to Santa's Grotto, in the heart of the Forest and meet the man himself.
The Forestry Commission has actually constructed a Santa's Grotto in Delamere Forest so, as well as pick your Christmas tree to take home, the public can visit Father Christmas. At weekends, any member of the public can go but, during weekdays in the 2 weeks before Christmas, it is open to school children and groups.
I was feeling very nervous and apprehensive. Anna had never even talked about Father Christmas, let alone met him. Plus, I was fearing that if there were long queues to see him, Anna would quickly get bored and start causing a riot. Thankfully, all of these fears were pointless as the whole experience was magical.
Dressed in our wellies and warm clothes and accompanied by her Nanny, Anna walked into the Forest. The wooden lodge (Santa's home) looked very pretty and there were reindeer (sculptures) stood in Santa's garden. Luckily the carrot patch that Santa had planted for Reindeer snacks was looking good too.
At the door of the Grotto, we were met by a very friendly Elf who told us that Santa would ask Anna 3 things. What her name was, whether she had been a good girl this year and what she wanted for Christmas. The elf also reminded Anna and the other children that, although they might be lucky enough to get lots of presents, they were only allowed to say one special gift to Santa. Otherwise, if every child recited a long list, Christmas day would have been and gone and we still wouldn't have made it out of the Forest! After much shouting, to make sure Santa hadn't fallen asleep, we were lead into the Grotto.
I cannot begin to explain how magical it was. Basically, the Grotto had been lined with black sheets and had twinkling lights sewn in to look like stars. The path which we followed (all in the Grotto although it was made to look as though we were still outside) had been lined with real Christmas trees and, set amongst the trees were little creatures and scenery. For example, in one nook, there lay 8 toy reindeer's huddled up and in another corner lay some cuddly bears all peaking above the fence. There were penguins taking a dip in an ice pool and we saw polar bears. There was the nativity scene in another corner of 'Santa's Forest garden' and there was also a train set weaving in and out of the trees. Apparently the elves had made one too many train sets last year so had given it to Father Christmas as a surprise to put in his Forest garden. (Anna adored the train even more than the little animals peaking out from everywhere and, although interested in the other parts of 'Santa's forest garden, kept going back again and again to watch the train)
Then, after walking through Santa's garden, you opened a garden gate (a real one) and we entered Santa's 'garage'. This was where he was storing his sleigh, which was huge and stacked high with presents already.
The time had come to knock on the big oak door and we heard a 'Ho Ho Ho' as we carefully opened it.
Anna stood staring at this strange man in the armchair in the corner of the room. We had entered Santa's living room. There was an old-fashioned wood burner with stockings hanging over the fireplace and Santa sat in his old armchair in the corner of the room. Next to him was an old wardrobe to hang his suits.
At first, I really thought Anna would cry. She grasped her Nanny's hand tightly (I had been put in charge of the camera. Nanny is number one so Mummy doesn't get a look in!). Then Santa asked Anna her name and my mum (Nanny) gently took Anna closer to him. Santa asked Anna her name again and Anna felt confident enough to reply and tell him. Santa said 'Hello Anna' and Anna then decided that it was OK so began talking... and talking... and talking! When Father Christmas could finally get a word in edgeways, he asked Anna what she wanted, Anna looked a little unsure so Santa said 'I can bring you a dolly'. Anna didn't like that idea (she had been given a new dolly for her birthday from her Nanny and Grandad) so quickly replied 'Tigger'. She would like a Tigger like her Uncle Steve has got. Santa noted it down and, once Anna had chatted some more (she would have still been chatting to him now if we hadn't gently coaxed her away), Father Christmas kindly gave her a baby Christmas tree (only 10 cm tall) to plant in our garden and reassured Anna that he would see her on Christmas Eve as well as reminding her to leave out some mince pies, carrots and some sherry!!! It must be hungry work delivering so many presents.
I was still wondering on how we would actually get out of Santa's living room when he whispered to Anna 'Go through the magic wardrobe and you will find your way home'. I just looked at the wardrobe door and thought '...but I don't want to walk into a wardrobe' (It was so magical that I had even started to believe it all!!). Fortunately, Anna was a little braver than me and, once you opened the wardrobe doors (which was an actual real wardrobe but with no back on it), you could walk though and we found ourselves back in the real world once more.
So Anna has met Father Christmas and they are now firm friends. Let's just hope he brings her a Tigger now. Otherwise, Anna will be insisting that she has several more words with Father Christmas!
Wednesday, 10 December 2008
The Royal Visit
Phew! Going on holiday, the aftermath of the holiday (unpacking the suitcases and the piles and piles of washing and ironing) and desperately trying to do some Christmas shopping (and failing!) has all resulted in not having any spare time whatsoever. However, for the first time in 2 weeks, I have finally found a spare a second to sit down and write on the computer!
So how was our trip to Edinburgh?
It was bonnie (as they would say up there). Anna loved it and it was lovely for Anna to see Uncle John and Charlotte in their new home.
However, it was only on reflection, whilst driving back (and having to go on a 50 mile diversion route due to heavy snow!) that it dawned on us how regal our visit had been.
Saturday saw us travel up to Edinburgh, book into the hotel and just have a casual look around the city centre. I was very dubious as to whether a hotel and Anna would be compatible but, once she had got over her initial excitement, it was fine. It was just unfortunate that the initial excitement seemed to last for the majority of the time spent in the hotel. Within 30 minutes of entering the hotel room for the first time, she had managed to turn the taps on in the bathroom, dismantle the welcome literature and find the phone and order room service (Well, she was attempting to order room service from the kind receptionist who she had just dialled until I intervened!). Anna in a hotel room, where she had 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom to explore was never going to be the easiest of combinations for the girl who likes to be on the move 24 hours a day. Due to this reason, we did not spend very long in the hotel!
On Sunday, we became tourists. We thought it would be a good idea to get our bearings around the city so, once we had strolled through the city park which had been turned into an ice rink, we got on a double-decker sightseeing bus. The tour was meant to last an hour and, for 45 minutes, Anna did actually sit still and take in her surroundings. She insisted that we sit on top deck though and we had to sit in the part which had no roof so we were frozen within 5 minutes. (Our car later told us that Edinburgh was -2 centigrade on Sunday morning/afternoon... cold would be an understatement!) Thankfully, Anna was wrapped up very snug, thanks to her Finnish balaclava/hat and gloves that her Uncle Matthew and Ulriikka ('Tati' which is Finnish for auntie) had kindly given her for her birthday, sent all the way from Finland. (Scotland can feel like the Mediterranean compar
ed to Finland so the Finnish know how to make good knitwear!!)
After 45 minutes, Anna had enough and was attempting to get off by climbing over the top of the bus so we quickly disembarked. Luckily, it was only 1 stop short of our intended stop anyway - Hollyrood Palace, which is the actual official residence of the Queen when she is on state visits to Scotland.
In fact, I only intended to actually look at the palace from the outside as I thought that Anna would not tolerate looking around a palace with all it's stately furniture and distinct lack of child-friendly things to do. However, after not eating breakfast (because she was too busy talking to all of the other people in the hotel Breakfast room!), she was telling us that she was 'hungry' (she has learnt what this word means and how to say it so now uses it at every available opportunity). With no other cafe in sight, th
e only option was to eat in the palace (which was Anna's plan all along we think!) so we ended up eating organic homemade Chicken soup with fresh bread and a cup of tea (in dainty cups and saucers). James kept asking whether the Queen had made the soup herself and Anna looked right at home as she struggled to keep the soup on her spoon before it had time to reach her mouth (there was a 'soup waterfall' cascading down her bib and creating a puddle of soup on the floor by the time that we had finished. The Queen would not have been amused!)
After making our escape (apologising profusely to the waitress who was far too polite and lovely to look horrified at the mess, despite feeling it no doubt!), we decided that we would walk the Royal Mile, which is basically a straight mile of cobbled streets which leads from the Palace up to the castle (Royalty would often travel from one to another using this very route). Not having planned it properly, it would have been easier to walk from the castle, down the hill to the palace but instead we found ourselves walking up hill. It really didn't matter because the Royal mile is so pretty and full of history (with little shops, full of character) that we didn't notice that we were walking up hill but, of course, Anna insisted that she walk despite protests from me and James that she really should get in her buggy which we attempted to get her to do on several occasions, failing each time.
Once we reached the summit, we were presented with Edinburgh Castle before us and, being St Andrews Day, we had free entry into the castle, which has seen Mary, Queen of Scots, give birth to a Royal heir as well as other royals who resided in the castle. Anna, again, looked very pleased with her surroundings and decided that a buggy would now be quite apt to travel in as her servants (James and myself) pushed her along as she waved at her public. Once done, we then walked back down the hill but this time, walked along Edinburgh's main high street (Princes Street) as we watched hassled Christmas shoppers racing around.
On Monday, we travelled to Leith, which is a port on the seafront and 2 miles outside of Edinburgh city centre. This is where Anna's Uncle John and Charlotte live but, as they were busy doing nursing and dentist things for the day, we entertained ourselves by looking around the Royal Yacht Britannia. which is now permanently docked in Leith. (The Royal Yacht Britannia is where Fergie, Diana and Charlie and Princess Anne all spent their honeymoon. It was decommissioned in 1997 and was the only time that the Queen has ever shed a tear in public)
John and Charlotte actually live in an apartment which overlooks the yacht and port. We remarked on how great it would be to wake up and see these impressive ocean yachts outside your window. John agreed but then told us that, each time that a cruise liner or other important ship comes in, they are welcomed in traditionally Scottish style by a host of bagpipe players, which is not so great at 7am on a Sunday morning!
Despite a Royal yacht not being the obvious choice to entertain a 2 year old, Anna was fantastically behaved as we toured the 5 decks. Again, I think Anna felt at home and was constantly giving the nod of approval throughout the trip as though she was trying to say 'Yes Mummy and Daddy, we will buy this one'.
That evening, we went to an Italian restaurant with John and Charlotte. Towards the end of the meal, a dodgy Keyboard player came out singing very dodgy songs on his keyboard. At this point, Anna decided that she would take over and so clambered off her chair, went and stood right next to the keyboard player and started singing 'Twinkle Twinkle' loudly. She then decided that she would add to the entertainment by dancing to the dodgy keyboard player and his singing. At which point, the restaurant all stopped what they were doing, including the chef in the kitchen who came out after the waiters had told him what Anna was doing, to watch Anna dancing, which of course she loved! (I think some customers genuinely thought Anna was part of the restaurant staff and was there to entertain!!!!)
Tuesday saw us heading home which took us rather longer than it took us to travel north. Due to an accident caused by all of the snow, our road was closed and we ended up on some very narrow roads which lead through forests and open farmland. However, although it felt frustrating at the time to go so far out of our way, with the benefit of hindsight, it was actually really good. We drove past a farm in the middle of nowhere where we saw a little boy outside with his Dad building a huge snowman and throwing snowballs and laughing very hard at the fun they were having. As we drove through forests with roads lined with Christmas trees, covered with thick snow, it was extremely beautiful and felt very much like we were travelling through a winter wonderland. My only regret was that we didn't stop to take photos as it really was rather special. It is a shame that I didn't appreciate it as much as I should until we arrived back in England and realised the we might not have thick snow like that this winter in Chester!
Although it may be hard to believe after reading this post, James and I actually aren't royalists or even huge fans of royalty but somehow we managed to mix in lots of Royal circles on our trip to Edinburgh. Anna didn't complain in the slightest. In fact, it is rather worrying that Anna felt as though she had found her natural home amongst these castles, Royal yachts and palaces.
So, despite the cold and snow, Edinburgh was wonderful and Anna, after getting a taste of Royal life, is on the lookout for her Prince Charming!
So how was our trip to Edinburgh?
It was bonnie (as they would say up there). Anna loved it and it was lovely for Anna to see Uncle John and Charlotte in their new home.
However, it was only on reflection, whilst driving back (and having to go on a 50 mile diversion route due to heavy snow!) that it dawned on us how regal our visit had been.
Saturday saw us travel up to Edinburgh, book into the hotel and just have a casual look around the city centre. I was very dubious as to whether a hotel and Anna would be compatible but, once she had got over her initial excitement, it was fine. It was just unfortunate that the initial excitement seemed to last for the majority of the time spent in the hotel. Within 30 minutes of entering the hotel room for the first time, she had managed to turn the taps on in the bathroom, dismantle the welcome literature and find the phone and order room service (Well, she was attempting to order room service from the kind receptionist who she had just dialled until I intervened!). Anna in a hotel room, where she had 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom to explore was never going to be the easiest of combinations for the girl who likes to be on the move 24 hours a day. Due to this reason, we did not spend very long in the hotel!
On Sunday, we became tourists. We thought it would be a good idea to get our bearings around the city so, once we had strolled through the city park which had been turned into an ice rink, we got on a double-decker sightseeing bus. The tour was meant to last an hour and, for 45 minutes, Anna did actually sit still and take in her surroundings. She insisted that we sit on top deck though and we had to sit in the part which had no roof so we were frozen within 5 minutes. (Our car later told us that Edinburgh was -2 centigrade on Sunday morning/afternoon... cold would be an understatement!) Thankfully, Anna was wrapped up very snug, thanks to her Finnish balaclava/hat and gloves that her Uncle Matthew and Ulriikka ('Tati' which is Finnish for auntie) had kindly given her for her birthday, sent all the way from Finland. (Scotland can feel like the Mediterranean compar
ed to Finland so the Finnish know how to make good knitwear!!)After 45 minutes, Anna had enough and was attempting to get off by climbing over the top of the bus so we quickly disembarked. Luckily, it was only 1 stop short of our intended stop anyway - Hollyrood Palace, which is the actual official residence of the Queen when she is on state visits to Scotland.
In fact, I only intended to actually look at the palace from the outside as I thought that Anna would not tolerate looking around a palace with all it's stately furniture and distinct lack of child-friendly things to do. However, after not eating breakfast (because she was too busy talking to all of the other people in the hotel Breakfast room!), she was telling us that she was 'hungry' (she has learnt what this word means and how to say it so now uses it at every available opportunity). With no other cafe in sight, th
e only option was to eat in the palace (which was Anna's plan all along we think!) so we ended up eating organic homemade Chicken soup with fresh bread and a cup of tea (in dainty cups and saucers). James kept asking whether the Queen had made the soup herself and Anna looked right at home as she struggled to keep the soup on her spoon before it had time to reach her mouth (there was a 'soup waterfall' cascading down her bib and creating a puddle of soup on the floor by the time that we had finished. The Queen would not have been amused!)After making our escape (apologising profusely to the waitress who was far too polite and lovely to look horrified at the mess, despite feeling it no doubt!), we decided that we would walk the Royal Mile, which is basically a straight mile of cobbled streets which leads from the Palace up to the castle (Royalty would often travel from one to another using this very route). Not having planned it properly, it would have been easier to walk from the castle, down the hill to the palace but instead we found ourselves walking up hill. It really didn't matter because the Royal mile is so pretty and full of history (with little shops, full of character) that we didn't notice that we were walking up hill but, of course, Anna insisted that she walk despite protests from me and James that she really should get in her buggy which we attempted to get her to do on several occasions, failing each time.
Once we reached the summit, we were presented with Edinburgh Castle before us and, being St Andrews Day, we had free entry into the castle, which has seen Mary, Queen of Scots, give birth to a Royal heir as well as other royals who resided in the castle. Anna, again, looked very pleased with her surroundings and decided that a buggy would now be quite apt to travel in as her servants (James and myself) pushed her along as she waved at her public. Once done, we then walked back down the hill but this time, walked along Edinburgh's main high street (Princes Street) as we watched hassled Christmas shoppers racing around.
On Monday, we travelled to Leith, which is a port on the seafront and 2 miles outside of Edinburgh city centre. This is where Anna's Uncle John and Charlotte live but, as they were busy doing nursing and dentist things for the day, we entertained ourselves by looking around the Royal Yacht Britannia. which is now permanently docked in Leith. (The Royal Yacht Britannia is where Fergie, Diana and Charlie and Princess Anne all spent their honeymoon. It was decommissioned in 1997 and was the only time that the Queen has ever shed a tear in public)
John and Charlotte actually live in an apartment which overlooks the yacht and port. We remarked on how great it would be to wake up and see these impressive ocean yachts outside your window. John agreed but then told us that, each time that a cruise liner or other important ship comes in, they are welcomed in traditionally Scottish style by a host of bagpipe players, which is not so great at 7am on a Sunday morning!
Despite a Royal yacht not being the obvious choice to entertain a 2 year old, Anna was fantastically behaved as we toured the 5 decks. Again, I think Anna felt at home and was constantly giving the nod of approval throughout the trip as though she was trying to say 'Yes Mummy and Daddy, we will buy this one'.
That evening, we went to an Italian restaurant with John and Charlotte. Towards the end of the meal, a dodgy Keyboard player came out singing very dodgy songs on his keyboard. At this point, Anna decided that she would take over and so clambered off her chair, went and stood right next to the keyboard player and started singing 'Twinkle Twinkle' loudly. She then decided that she would add to the entertainment by dancing to the dodgy keyboard player and his singing. At which point, the restaurant all stopped what they were doing, including the chef in the kitchen who came out after the waiters had told him what Anna was doing, to watch Anna dancing, which of course she loved! (I think some customers genuinely thought Anna was part of the restaurant staff and was there to entertain!!!!)
Tuesday saw us heading home which took us rather longer than it took us to travel north. Due to an accident caused by all of the snow, our road was closed and we ended up on some very narrow roads which lead through forests and open farmland. However, although it felt frustrating at the time to go so far out of our way, with the benefit of hindsight, it was actually really good. We drove past a farm in the middle of nowhere where we saw a little boy outside with his Dad building a huge snowman and throwing snowballs and laughing very hard at the fun they were having. As we drove through forests with roads lined with Christmas trees, covered with thick snow, it was extremely beautiful and felt very much like we were travelling through a winter wonderland. My only regret was that we didn't stop to take photos as it really was rather special. It is a shame that I didn't appreciate it as much as I should until we arrived back in England and realised the we might not have thick snow like that this winter in Chester!
Although it may be hard to believe after reading this post, James and I actually aren't royalists or even huge fans of royalty but somehow we managed to mix in lots of Royal circles on our trip to Edinburgh. Anna didn't complain in the slightest. In fact, it is rather worrying that Anna felt as though she had found her natural home amongst these castles, Royal yachts and palaces.
So, despite the cold and snow, Edinburgh was wonderful and Anna, after getting a taste of Royal life, is on the lookout for her Prince Charming!
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