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Christmas Day
Posted by Webby at December 25, 2007 08:35 PM | Comments (0)
This Christmas was always going to be special, as it is the first Christmas that Evelyn was going to get excited about, the first Christmas when she really understood what was going on.
Having prepared the 'snatts and drints' for Santa and Rudolf last night, Evelyn was convinced that Santa was going to visit last night. When Evelyn woke, this morning, she was terribly excited that Santa had been and left a stocking, "...with tangerines innit!" at the bottom of her bed.
Evelyn was obviously very excited that Santa had been. She wondered, aloud, as she unwrapped the inevitable Terry's Chocolate Orange, if it was the fish tank that she so desperately wanted Santa to bring. Obviously a little disappointed to discover that it was "only chocolate", Evelyn didn't once complain. She was an absolute angel.
I couldn't wait to rush downstairs to prepare the camera to take the photographs of Evelyn as she saw her presents beneath the tree, and as we walked her through into the kitched where Santa had left her new fish tank and fish. The tank looks a little cloudy in the photographs, but it soon cleared up and I have added a more recent photo of the aquatic quartet just to illustrate the fact.
Ben and Jean visited for a party food Christmas tea in the evening (I'm sure I took photo's but haven't been able to find them yet).
Christmas Eve - Preparing for Santa
Posted by Webby at December 24, 2007 10:34 PM | Comments (0)
As the first Christmas that Evelyn has been aware of, this has been a very special time. It's been clear to Jilly and I that Evelyn and her nursery friends have all been getting very excited about Christmas, and the imminent arrival of Santa and his reindeer.
Evelyn was lovin' putting the sherry and mince pies out for Santa, and was adamant that we didn't forget Rudolf, leaving him some carrots and a few sprouts (it was my duty to bite the sprouts in half to further convice Evelyn that Ruldolf would like them!)
Move over...Jackanory
Posted by Webby at December 21, 2007 09:47 PM | Comments (0)Jilly, Evelyn and I have been doing our Christmas shopping over the past few weeks (admittedly, Jilly's done most of it) and, on a recent shopping trip, Evelyn chose, out of all the ones on display (including the toys and clothes catalogues!), a food catalogue. When we got home, I was looking through the catalogue (dreaming of ever having the money to afford to buy all the beautiful Christmas goodies), when Evelyn saw what I was doing. Quite bizarrely, Evelyn became really upset and demanded that I stopped reading 'her book'. Fair enough?
A few days later, Jilly was in the kitchen, when she heard Evelyn in the living room, reading a story to baby Lucy (Evelyn's dolly). It turned out that Evelyn was 'reading' to Lucy from the M&S catalogue.
"Once upon a time in the city", Evelyn began, "some very nasty prawns in sauce came down and ate the baby's head (turning the page) but then, the delicious big turkey came in and saved the baby by scaring off the prawns. The end."
BRILLIANT!
"I don't want you to be fat, Daddy...but you are!"
Posted by Webby at December 18, 2007 08:00 AM | Comments (0)So Evelyn and I collected Jilly from work, last night, and, as we arrived home, Evelyn began to speak.
"I don't want you to be fat, Daddy", she said, quite out-of-the-blue.
Not surprisingly, a little stunned, I told Evelyn that I didn't want me to be fat either.
"But you are!", she added.
Ouch!
And, just to be clear I'm not the only one of Evelyn's parents being humbled by her; Evelyn had a few choice words for Jilly, the other evening, after a slight disagreement over Evelyn's proposed sweetie consumption...
"I want a different Mummy!", Evelyn demanded.
Oh! The pain...
Gogol Bordello - Manchester Academy
Posted by Webby at December 17, 2007 09:20 PM | Comments (0)
So, Jilly, Kempy, Jim (the Wassock) and I went to Manchester Academy, last night, to witness the genius insanity which is Gogol Bordello. Perhaps their best known track, Start Wearing Purple was an absolute riot; the audience went silly as they began the track.
The support band was La Phaze, an excellent jungle punk rock outfit from France. See them here.
More to follow...
Deb & Kev's pre-Christmas visit
Posted by Webby at December 16, 2007 10:06 PM | Comments (0)Deb & Kev visited this weekend, and helped us to erect our Christmas Tree. Unfortunately, I didn't have the presence of mind to take any more photo's...though I know Debbie did.
Move over...Mister Maker
Posted by Webby at December 7, 2007 02:44 PM | Comments (0)
So I collected Evelyn from that new nursery tonight, and brought home the beautiful pictures that you can see above.
Recently, Evelyn has started drawing people with rainbow hair. It doesn't seem to matter who they are, they're portrayed as having rainbow hair. Personally, I believe it's the very first sign of Evelyn's political correctness; being born, as she is, the daughter of a Ginga!
The picture of beautiful colours I have posted just because Evelyn was so very proud of it, and because I think it's beautiful.
The picture of our house (and the population of Gingatopia), Evelyn drew and was desperate to show me when I arrived at that new nursery tonight. For those readers unable to identify the figures in Evelyn's brilliant drawing; clockwise, from top left, we have, according to Evelyn: "'Tee-tee', Evelyn, Daddy, and Mummy". Evelyn seemed only a little insulted that they weren't immediately recognisable! Evelyn made a special point of making it clear that the rectangle around the figures was our house!
I'm laughing, right now, at how beautifully smiley we all are!
Santa's Grotto
Posted by Webby at December 3, 2007 09:11 PM | Comments (0)As Jilly has been away this weekend, Evelyn and I have enjoyed a lovely daddy-daughter weekend. One of the things we found to do, that the terrible weekend weather couldn't spoil, was go on Evelyn's first visit to see Santa Claus, yesterday.
As our friends, the Wassocks, were also planning to see Santa Claus, Evelyn and I joined Jim, Dom, Tilly and aunty Jobley on a trip to Santa's underground grotto at the National Mining Museum near Wakefield.
Jobley, Jim and I kept the reason for our visit to ourselves, and didn't let on to the children that we were visiting Father Christmas until we were about to descend into the mine. All the children were behaved brilliantly had showed hardly any nerves as we 'crammed' into the cage to do down into Santa's grotto.
Both Evelyn and Dom were a little nervous about seeing Santa to start with, but soon relaxed and explained what each of them wanted for Christmas. Father Christmas seemed a little concerned about the logistical problems associated with delivering a fish tank (with necessary water) and fish to Evelyn, but we agreed that, with the aid of a little magic, he would manage.
To top it all off (bearing in mind that Evelyn has rarely, ever, mentioned Father Christmas before), as we got up this morning, Evelyn came into our bedroom, climbed into bed next to her mum and, snuggling up to Jilly, asked,
"Is Father Christmas coming today?"
