Five At Last

After long deliberation, I’m retiring this voice. I think many of you knew this would happen eventually, and here it is: thanks for reading over the years, don’t go away completely though as I think we’ll just post pictures like mostly everyone else does anyway.

On Christmas Day night we played games - Wink, Ring Of Fire, and Charades. I was allowed to stay up for and participate in the first two, charades being too difficult for me. I enjoyed Wink, especially when I was the murderer - though lacking the ability to actually wink and the social engineering skills required to do it surreptitiously, I took to advancing on my victim, forcing eye contact, then blinking as hard as I could. Amazingly, I went undetected!

I played Ring Of Fire with a glass or two of milk, and got the hang of it quicker than some grown-ups who were playing with glasses of wine or beer, especially when a couple of the International Rules were introduced (when you get an Ace you can make a rule) - no use of ‘first names’ allowed, no mention of the word ‘drink’, and my cousin Felix had to be addressed as The Mighty Don..

We had our Christmas party at school last Thursday, then on Friday our headteacher retired and we sang her our special surprise song “She’s Not A Bossy Boss” which I have had to keep secret for obvious reasons.

We went for a neighbourly Christmas get-together this afternoon, great fun with the children upstairs and the grown-ups downstairs. Tomorrow we’re off to Milo’s for another do with lots of my school-friends, then on Monday we’re all due for a lay-in, though I bet it doesn’t work out like that as pre-Christmas excitement is hitting fever pitch and I literally can’t wait..

We had our shows at school last week - we did a puppet show for music club, a winter dance for dance club, and on Friday two performances of our school nativity play, based on Little Robin Red Vest - I was a Robin dancer (the teachers of Puffin and Penguin class adapted the story so we could all get a part). Granny and Grandad and James came to the puppet show (I don’ t think Grandad would have come if he knew it was going to happen, shows are one of the ‘things he doesn’t do’), Mum and Dad and James came to the winter dance, and Mum and Dad and Granny came to the play. Phew! This performing lark don’ ‘arf take it out of a girl.

Only one more week of school left this term: every day I ask at least once how many days there are between now and Christmas (the answer varies during the day depending on whether the answerer includes today and Christmas Day in the time-span, I like the shorter versions which exclude both). Me and James have a Christmas tree in our bedroom (I’m sure the other night when he woke up in the dark I heard him ask for the ‘Father Christmas lights’ to be turned on) and we have a tree in the lounge with the classier decorations and the lights around the mirror have been turned on, some red Rudolph lights on our picture of California Street, and some battery powered lights and gold stars on the banister in our hall.

Get some boys
Next get some eyes
Get some jam and a doll
Next get a box and some buttons

Mix them all up until
It’s all rolled up into a big ball

Then get a bottle of milk
And some flour
A bottle of juice
And a farting machine

add Pens and pencils
the end/

I have another new cousin, Isabella Turnbull. Congratulations James and Catriona!

Edit: I see that isabellaturnbull.com has just been registered..

Ah, December - chocolate every day because of the advent of Advent calendars: at least, up until December 24th that is, because that’s when my High School Musical calendar expires: James has a Dalek calendar which extends up until the end of December (presumably Daleks don’t ‘do’ Christmas) but he’s already eaten the 19th’s: that day’s going to be a real disappointment for him.

Dad was amazed that I can use the Application stack on our Macs to start up what I want (James often drags apps off the dock and they disappear when closed). I’ve been doing it for ages! I wish he would keep up.