the adlards

I received the following somewaht cryptic text message the other day:
Jo and baby jesus aka hot water bottle are jumping on sofa together – among other things

Well might you wonder …

It turned out that her bedtime stories the night before (as selected by her) had been various versions of the nativity story, which seem to proliferate inexplicably around Christmas time. On the day in question Jo had complained of having sore legs and Michelle had made her a hot water bottle which - obviously - bore a striking resemblance to Baby Jesus.

They danced together, they bounced on the sofa together, they fell asleep together. Then Baby Jesus woke Jo up after just half an hour of naptime. Bad bad hot water bottle.

Michelle went clothes shopping for me yesterday. Now that’s something that works very very well. I didn’t have to tramp through umpteen shops that all look the same making her angry, Michelle had a wonderful couple of hours shopping and I got bags and bags of cool clothes I would never buy for myself.

While she was out I filed my tax return which was somewhat less gratifying but hey-ho I’m off to work now, watching the sun rising like a crimson ball through the misted window of the train, to earn some more. Is that what they mean when they talk about balance in the universe?

During the week we promised Josie that we’d go on a train together this weekend, a very exciting proposition. Of course if you’re going to get on a train you need somewhere to go, so last night we decided we’d take the girls to the Natural History Museum. When Josie discovered this morning that not only were we going on a train, but we were going to see dinosaurs she was practically beside herself.

We had a really good time at the museum and, although a little shy, Josie held her own on the T-Rex viewing deck which was just a bit freaky. She’s learned how to roar like a T-Rex. Those tiger roars she used to do were cute; she’s got the right idea now.

We took a long walk back across London to give the girls a chance to sleep. We had the little stroller for Jo to sleep in and a Baby Bjorn for Soph. It was a beautiful misty afternoon, very cold and good for walking.

When I put her to bed tonight Jo and I were talking about the day. She wants to go to see the big dinosaurs again. She also wants to fall asleep in the little pushchair again. What was her favourite part? Finding a little dinosaur in her lunchbox of course …

On the way to the station this morning we were musing that when she was Sophie’s age Josie had travelled on trains, planes, boats, buses and cars and had visited Italy, Spain and South Africa in addition to various parts of the UK including many trips to London. Today was Sophie’s first trip to London. It’s certainly different second time around.

Pics from the day in the gallery.

We were at the park on Monday and Josie wanted to inspect the buds on the chestnut trees as usual. She knows all about Spring – of course she does, she has a book about chestnut trees and what happens to them at each stage of the year. Everyone knows all you need is a book and a little self confidence.

Probably more significantly she knows that Spring, when the new leaves come out on the trees, is when Willows Farm will reopen, the little animals will be born, and is when she’ll see Mark, Sarah and Elspeth next.

The first challenge in The Inspection of the Buds is to persuade Jo to pick a tree which leans far enough over the stream to provide a reasonable likelihood of her staying dry. When this hurdle has been negotiated each bud must be touched to check for stickiness whilst keeping up a running commentary worthy of Attenborough. “That’s right Josie. And what’s going to come out of the buds in Springtime?”
“Ducklings!”

Oh yes, she’s got Springtime taped all right.

We were going for a walk to town this morning:
Dad (having held things up for some time): Right, everyone ready to go?
Jo: Yes. All ready go now.
Dad: Right, let’s go.
Jo: Dad, you come too?
Dad: Yes Jo-Jo, today I’m going to town with you. Every other day I’m a slave to the machine.
Jo: Oh no Dad! Not the machine!

Mum and Dad fall about laughing

I trust yours has got off to a cracking start.

Sophie’s language development is proceeding at pace. In the last few days she’s added “dadadada” to “mamamama” and now calls whichever of us is not in the room at the time. Today she added a variation to call Josie. I’m sure the novelty will wear off, but at the moment we can’t get enough of testing whether she’s actually differentiating.

2005 is nearly over so I thought that – in the brief time left to me while the Three are sleeping and I’m still entirely sober – I’d treat you to one of those obligatory retrospective glimpses. Yup, that’s your cue to stop reading. May I suggest one or two of the excellent links to your right. Or perhaps the gallery. It’s very popular and has some interesting visitors – people who holiday in the same places we do, people who search Google for obscure terms, people who can’t abide my inane rambling. You’d feel right at home. Really.

2005 has been an intriguing mix of standing still and moving very very very fast. Quite often at the same time. It’s an interesting fact that you don’t have to be exerting yourself at all at the point you hit the big Improbability Drive button, you’ll still skip uncontrollably through time and space. You can, in fact, be concentrating on something else entirely and just sort of sit back on it accidentally. It still has the same effect.

Stated slightly differently, 2005 has been like one of those tiny desert towns with a highway running through the middle of it. You’ll be driving along at 90mph, reach for another sticky bun and you don’t even know you passed through. Unless you drive through the front wall of the general store. Always get someone to pass you the sticky buns if you’re driving. We’ve spent a large part of 2005 focussed on two little sticky buns while the universe has turned around us. For the most part we’re quite happy with the way it’s turned.

We have stronger friendships, a growing family which includes two unsurpassably lovely daughters, and of course we’ve chronicled a large part of our day-to-day life in this blog, another 2005 innovation. We’ve escaped with very little general store produce on our faces. If we’re feeling a little unsettled it’s because we’ve never been in the same place for this long before. While the time for sticky buns is, I think, over for the moment, I have no doubt one or other of us will sidle over to that big old Improbability Drive button early in the New Year and press it entirely on purpose.

Thanks Ben & Anna!

Today’s top conversation:
“Josie do you know where we’re going today?”
“To the park!?”
“No we’re going to get noodles. Where do we get noodles?”
“From noodle shop!”
“No, we go to Wagamamas.”
“Wagamamas … ”
“Yes, that’s right Jo.”
“Yes, that’s right! And Wagajosie …
and Wagasophie … ”

Mirth-induced apoplexy is no laughing matter. I know.

Dan came to visit today and brought his Mum and Dad with him. It was good to catch up with the Midgleys - Dan’s growing fast and they’re all doing very well.

There was also a spot of drain cleaning in my day; a blocked drain with a frozen scum layer over the top, but the less said about that the better.

Three new albums in the gallery