Katy’s rambles about life

Stories…

Finished Family Under the Bridge - some of it washed right over her but she got enough of it to enjoy the story. I’m going to put it in the Christmas box to pull out again next year.

Holly the Christmas Fairy - another one for the Christmas box! She loved this one, it’s got just enough “suspense” and “excitement” to keep her wide eyed but not enough to get her frightened. I’ve read it to her in 3 days and she’s demanding the next fairy book is started tomorow. I think that give her a year or so of reading and these would be within her ability as there aren’t many long words, lots of pictures and generally fairly easy to predict. That is assuming she ever reads…… (yes I know she’s not 5 yet!!!)

Lion Storyteller Christmas - 3 a day from this one at the moment. The book is in 3 sections so it’s 1 story from each bit. It’s a nice variety of stories, the pictures are good and they are written to be read to small children so it’s a winner really.

Jesse Tree - still managing to keep up with this although she’s lost all interest in colouring the pics in so I’ve been graciously given permission to do that bit! Next year I will finish the embroidered symbols that I started early this year (in preparation for this Christmas you understand….) and we will hang those I think!

Life (but not as we know it…)

On Saturday night I took her to the local “village hall” to hear a big brass band concert. She loved the music but it was too loud for her little ears in the hall so we stayed in the foyer. Chatted happily to all and sundry, did the hands on hips and “I don’t go to school” routine to some poor unfortunate that asked if she was looking forward to breaking up from school for Christmas…..

Sunday evening was the church carol service which she totally abandoned me in and sat with the vicar’s wife instead. Sigh, such a poorly socialised, tied-to-my-apron-strings sorta gal isn’t she.

Major event of yesterday was the Christmas tree! It’s up, Tim draped 2 sets of lights on it then we let Becca loose with the tinsel. Then we tried to find enough branchy bits in the tinsel to hang stuff on.

Then Tim decided that we didn’t have enough lights and legged it to the garden centre for more…. there’s 25% off everything Christmassy there at the mo so he got 2 lots, shame 1 lot look like the blue strobes on the front of an ambi when you switch them on but hey! they look pretty good on static! he also bought Turkish Delight which I sat happily eating in a black skirt and dark blue top… the result?

(yes, I know it’s a vile pic, for some reason Tim can’t get my camera even vaguely in focus, don’t think it likes him…. either that or it doesn’t like making me look vaguely human…)

And finally… one of the piggies has ventured up to the higher levels of the cage

but the other one is still struggling to remember that those big wooden ramps are a bit handy for getting up and down to the first level (where the food is) and insists on trying to climb up by the side of said ramp and fall off the edge of the platform once she’s dined….. not the sharpest pencil in the box that one!

This morning was a lazy sort of affair really. Bit of housework snuck in but not much, bit of learning sneaked passed her in the shape of Class TV on BBV2 so she now knows a bit about Henry’s last wife and a bit more about microbes, quite a bit of cuddling got done too. And then there was a bath! It was deep, it was nearly as deep again in froth and she lounged in it for 1 chapter of Family under the bridge, The king of capri, 5 or 6 “picture books” and our day’s Jesse Tree reading before deciding it was too cold to stay in any longer (stone cold….) then she dived (still damp) under my duvet for a bit.

All very cuddly cozy and wonderful.

Then Daddy got home on half a day’s leave and she decided she’d better get dressed after all! Off we headed for Cheshire Oaks for some Family Therapy (retail style) Lunch was McD’s, Tim got a re-furbed phone to “tide him over for 12 months til” until the one he really wants comes a bit cheaper and also 2 pairs of nice new shoes to replace the numerous totally worn out pairs. I got a pair of soft boots for £10 that are all leather and so comfortable I didn’t want to take them off to pay for them. Becca got some books adn some craft goodies. Then we went in the Cadbury shop….. oh dear…. 2 carrier bags full of very naughty but nice snax for very little money but I suspect it will cost me a fortune in bigger clothes if I’m not careful Then we had tea at Pizza Hut adn home.

Bedtime Stories were How the Grinch stole Christmas (which she loved!!!) and 3 more from Lion Storyteller Christmas. Currently I’m number 1 story reader for bedtime as Tim is very Bah Humbug about reading Christmas stories, even “secular” ones.

Oh, and I also sneaked in grid-referencing at teatime as there was a puzzle in the kiddie pack at PH that had a sectioned off picture and you had to find the grid ref of several little bits they had at the bottom. She got it remarkably fast….. so, 6 figure grid references next week then?