Well, the cold turkey is almost gone, the Christmas Cake not quite gone, presents have been given, received and unwrapped and I am now enjoying being quiet and at home.
I had a lovely Christmas. Drove up to London on Christmas Day morning after the most frightful struggle to get the toy box in the back seat of my car. Thank goodness my new Nissan has four doors else I would have had to take the back down and that would have been All Too Much to Bear. No stalwart neighbours around to give me a hand as they had all departed hither and thither. Well, managed it in the end and off I set. On the A12 poodling merrily along when I glanced down at my bags and baggages and realised to my utter horror that the carrier with all the presents in was not in the car - had to get off at the next exit, shoot home and pick them up, back in and off again. Thank goodness I had not gone far along the A12 but even if I had not spotted their absence until I arrived in London, I would have turned round and got them. After all, as Jo March said "Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents".
Toy box a success and Florence grasped what it was for straight away when her daddy said to her that it was for keeping her toys in. She immediately pounced on the toys strewn all over the floor and started hurling them in. 'Mm' said James 'I think we need to approach this in a more structured manner'....
Florence was full of excitement this year and now old enough to know that something interesting was going on, totally entranced by the Christmas tree and thrilled to bits with all her new toys and books. Her parents had bought her a pedal bike which has a handle on the back so it can be propelled by parent/grandma/whoever until she learns to pedal it herself. She was getting the hang of it when we took her out for a short ride.
Kathryn called me from Australia in the morning and we had a super chat. She was with other ex-pat friends who had all gathered together and were 'throwing shrimps on the barbie' with lots of Margaritas and wine and it all sounded huge fun. Of course I got all tearful and had a lump in my throat but will be seeing her in 2012 so I must not repine.
This is just a short post, I am dropping in to say thank you for all the good wishes you left on my previous post for which I am most grateful. I have another round up of books to do before the end of the year, crime and thriller oriented this time, and then it will be on to the New Year and whatever is in store for us all.
Whatever lies ahead I know that I will have the inestimable joy of watching Florence grow and flourish. She lights up my life in the most wonderful way and is so funny and amusing to be with. She is learning her manners beautifully - I was holding a bowl of crisps and she came running over to take some but stopped when I looked at her, and gave me a beam and said 'Pees Gamma'. I then gave her the bowl, she took a crisp or two, handed it back and said 'Tadoo'.
My heart melted....
