Out To Play!!!

We found some giant snow drifts whilst out driving on the moor this afternoon.

Caitlin did her best to bury herself in them, but they were a bit too solid.

We had fun though.

Snow Day!

Hooray! School was cancelled for everyone today. Adrienne and Caitlin escaped yesterday but me and Ellie had to suffer in a grotty old classroom all day. So we made the most of it today and went out and played.

There were snowball fights (this one ended in tears when Caitlin got snow in her eye)...

snow angels...

Caitlin made a snowman (his name is Jeff)...

and even the rabbit came out to play.

Carl took some arty photos when he went to work.

And Adrienne went out with Brodie and took some arty photos too.

This is Pilton Park.

And this is Adrienne and Brodie posing for the camera.

Christmas Day 2009

Christmas Day - over now, but here's my annual photo-by-the-tree. Adrienne insisted on opening her present before I took the photo. She had the clothes she has on and wouldn't get dressed before opening her present either. Switchfoot clothes all the way from America. Then the other two had to open their presents too or it wouldn't be fair. Those were the only presents we let them open before lunch. Everything else waited till the afternoon.

Mum, Dad, Beth, Andrew and Francis came in too so it was mad here for a while. We just about had time to clear up the carnage and have a bite to eat before we all had to settle down in front of Dr Who. Only a week to go and then no more David Tennent. I think I might cry!

Motorway Hell

From Hampton Court to the M3 there were no worries. Then we hit the motorway and it was hell. The sleet turned to snow and it came down fast! Before long this was our only view - millions of cars going nowhere. From Sunbury to the A303 is 37 miles. It took us 4 and 1/2 hours!!!!

Ocassionally the cars moved a bit faster than 2 miles an hour - but not for very long.

Once we got past Basingstoke it all became a bit clearer. This was the scene in the car park of the first services we found on the A303. We bought a basket of food in the M&S Simply Food store, Carl went off to pay while we girls got in the queue for the loo. (One of us had already been in a bottle in the car - bet you can guess who!) The wait was made a bit more exciting when Hermione Norris came out of the loo about five people ahead of us. Caitlin didn't realise who she was until she'd gone past, but she was impressed nevertheless - she loves 'Spooks'.

We finally got home at 12.20, eight and a half hours after we'd started our journey.

London Weekend

The weekend started with such promise. We left home in no particular hurry and reached Kingston by 2.00, we had some late lunch and found the Travelodge just round the corner from the famous falling telephone boxes. I love this photo, Ellie looks like she might have knocked them over herself!

Once we'd settled into our room we made our way into town. I made us all get off the tube at Oxford Circus so we could see the lights. So we had a bit of a mad trek down to the Arts Theatre near Leicester Square, but we made it in time to see the show, "A Christmas Carol - The Musical". We had great seats, in what is only a tiny theatre, sixth row back in the stalls and right in the middle of the row. The kids loved it. It was on early and so finished by 7.40. We had a late tea in Pizza Express, then walked, slowly this time, down to Piccadilly. We looked at all the lights (Ellie wondered how London could afford it), saw Eros, then caught the tube and train back to Kingston.

The next day they all decided they wanted to go shopping, especially when I told them I'd take them to Hamley's, a shop with six whole floors of toys. They loved it (although Adrienne was disappointed in the gadget floor.) On the fifth floor is a corner devoted to film memorabilia, mostly Harry Potter. There are cupboards full of wands. Caitlin fell in love with a Time Turner, so I let her have it on the understanding that she paid for it out of her savings. I put my foot down however, when Ellie said she wanted a Marauder's Map. £30 for a bit of paper is just too much!

Then came the decision as to what to do next - London Dungeons, or Hampton Court Maze and Ice Skating. They chose the latter. This is where it all started to go horribly wrong...

We miss our train by about 30 seconds. The next one was delayed. By the time we got back to Kingston it had started to rain. By the time we got to Hampton Court it was sleeting. The ice skating was outdoors and the rink looked more like a lake. We decided to go home...

India Day

Hooray! Another dressing up day at school. I love dressing up days. Yesterday we had a celebration of Indian culture day as part of our topic on India. So here are Ellie and I in our Indian clothes. This was before we got to school, naturally (those of you who know me will recognise my untidy front room.) When we got in I headed straight for the loos, along with all the other female members of staff, to join the queue to have my sari put on properly by Stenita, our Indian dancer-in-residence. I hadn't done too bad a job, I just got the pleats on the skirt on the wrong side. Stenita was not convinced about the t-shirt I'd put on underneath the blouse to cover my belly though!

This is me in my evening wear. We all went back in to school in the evening so the children in Years 5 and 6 could perform their dances and the play for their parents. I wrote the play so I figured I needed a new outfit for the premier of my work. I'm sure JK Rowling doesn't attend the opening of the Harry Potter films in something she wore earlier that day.

This is Stenita doing her thing. She was the grand finale of the evening. Well worth waiting for.

Meccano Making

We had a quiet weekend where, just for once, no one had anything to do or anywhere to go to, so Ellie decided it was time she built the Meccano bike Father Christmas gave her last year. She loved it. She has now added Meccano to her Christmas list for this year, along with plasticine. I wonder if anyone can guess where she's getting her inspiration from?