Father Christmas

That was the Christmas that was

Sunday 30th December 2012Thursday 3rd January 2013Baggie

And so Christmas is done for another year (unless you are looking forward to the Epiphany) and so indeed is another year! Yes 2012 seems to have flown by and after surviving the Apocalypse that never was we stand at the threshold of 2013. There will be another update looking back at 2012 and looking forward to the new year so tune in later in the week for that one.

So how was the Bagnall Christmas? Well let me take you back a dozen or so days before the big day. Peter Jackson’s eagerly awaited first film in the Hobbit trilogy was released. For those of you not in the know the Hobbit is the prequel to the events that culminate in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. That ‘first’ trilogy was released each December of the first three years of the millennium. For each of the films myself and a group of friends went to see the first UK public performance of the film at the Odeon Leicester Square (London). Therefore it seemed right and proper to do the same for these films and so the tradition has been re-ignited. Therefore Thursday 13th December 2012, around noon saw 15 of us waiting in the chill air at the eastern side of Leicester Square before hurrying inside for the 12:10 showing ready to renew the tradition, this time with my wife in tow (someone I didn’t even know when the last in the films (The Return of the King) was released – hasn’t it been an exciting decade!).

The next day was Éowyn’s last day at school and the obligatory Christmas concert. Éowyn had been practising the Christmas songs for weeks and had really been looking forward to it. The weather had changed from cold and clear the day before to overcast and heavy rain (the weather pattern that has settled over this corner of the globe for the last two weeks) and so the parents (and grandparents for Nanny and Granddad came too) were a little on the soggy side by the time we headed indoors. Nevertheless the concert warmed us all up. The children were all in costume (Éowyn was dressed as the Virgin Mary with a little baby Jesus doll) and they sang their hearts out and afterwards there were mince pies. To complete the concert morning there was the raffle draw. Éowyn won the first of the teddy bear raffle and so was able to take her pick of the soft toys on offer. So guess which one our first born picked? Yes, that’s right the biggest one there, a life-size dog! (A smallish dog but a dog nonetheless).

The inclement weather stopped us doing anything of note that afternoon, it was just too wet! The weather continued in the same vein over the weekend (which I was working so it wasn’t too intrusive!) but there was a break in the rain on the Monday and so we took full advantage. Our Merlin Passes have been underused this year (mainly due to the fact that it has been one of the wettest years on record) but Chessington World of Adventures and Christmas opening seemed like the perfect opportunity to use them for the final time in 2012. Yes, Chessington World of Adventures opened it’s zoo doors (and a couple of the rides) and welcomed Santa in the lead up to Christmas day. As we had not managed to take the girls to visit Santa is seemed to be custom made for us to take the short trip around the M25.

We arrived in time for the first Santa show of the day and decided to head there straight away. A little show was put on before the arrival of the man himself, who told the gathered children a little story about a little Christmas tree before handing out Christmas chocolates. The girls enjoyed themselves and wanted to go and see the reindeer straight afterwards. We then headed to the Bubble Works ride before wandering around the zoo. For free it was a perfect day out but if I was being critical it was not as good as the Santa grotto at Peppa Pig World. I wonder where we will see him next year? Definitely going to see him in Lapland when the girls (and the boy) are a little older.

The Christmas schedule over the last few years has been a meal around our house for the family and then everyone around Lucinda’s parents for Christmas dinner. However Lucinda’s mum was concerned that if her Dad had had his knee replacement that they were hoping would happen before Christmas that he would not be able to help her prepare the day (due to various norovirus outbreaks at the hospital his operation will now happen early 2013). Thus to take that worry off her and because Lucinda’s brother Steve and his family were unable to make it on Christmas day we volunteered to host Christmas day at Chez Bagnall for Lucinda’s parents and Mike and his family. Steve and his family were, however, able to make it on Christmas Eve and because our house is a little on the small side (and we were hosting Christmas day) Lucinda’s brother Mike volunteered to host Christmas Eve. It was good to see the family together at Christmas and it was nice to see all the cousins together under one roof.

I was at work for the lead up to Christmas however I did manage to get Christmas Eve and Christmas day off! Unfortunately Lucinda didn’t! Oh, the joys of shift workers! Indeed she was working from 0530 Christmas day and so would miss the girls opening their stocking presents. Thanks to modern technology she didn’t have to completely miss it. A video camera and a tripod and strategically placed children meant that she could relive joy on their faces as they opened present after present. Lucinda’s dad popped round mid-morning to take the girls so that I could concentrate on preparing Christmas dinner and the house for our dinner guests. I am pleased to report that the dinner went well and everyone went home sated. I have to say that after everyone left and we had put the girls to bed myself and Lucinda turned in. We were both knackered.

Boxing Day is traditionally a big day for football in the UK and this year was one of the biggest, indeed if it wasn’t for the tube strike putting pay to the Arsenal v West Ham United game it would have been a full house. As the Premier League is my biggest client I was therefore back in work, no rest for the wicked! The upside of the fact that it was a busy Boxing Day was the bonus that there were no football games on the next two days and so I took advantage of that hiatus to take a couple of days off work. I wasn’t going to put my feet up though, there was the small matter of seeing my mom.

As I have been working every weekend and my mom only has weekends off, I haven’t seen much of my mom this year. However 2012 is to be the last year my mom will be working as she has decided that she would hang up her work shoes and retire. She may be retiring from work but with a third grandchild on the way we will no doubt keep her very busy. And so we did on the Thursday. It was one of those flying visits driving up on the morning, spending the day with mom and my sisters and then getting the girls ready for bed and heading back down the M40 in the evening.

Éowyn and Amélie enjoyed seeing the Bagnall side of their family as they don’t see them that often. Éowyn loves seeing her Nanny Fran and Auntie Liz but Amélie’s favourite is definitely her Auntie Mary. Maybe it is some kind of middle child kindred spirit that they share but whenever we say do you want to go and see Nanny Fran and Auntie Liz, Amélie will say: ‘And Auntie Mary?‘ Hopefully they will see more of their Black Country family in 2013.

Football and televised football stops for no man (or woman) and thus neither does work for me and so with galleries beckoning I will bid you adieu and just take time to wish you all the best for the New Year and hope that 2013 brings you love, luck and happiness.

Love and Peace

Baggie

Who’s playing Mary?

A Gingerbreadman Christmas

Daddy?

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Shhhhh!

Santa’s photoshoot

Opening Presents

Opened present

Kerplunk?

Christmas day

Two little chefs

The power of the iPad

Hmmm, this is tasty

Just joking!

Peep-po!

When the Snowman brings the snow, well he might just like to know, he’s put a great big smile on somebody’s face

Friday 14th December 2012Friday 14th December 2012Baggie

It has been a while hasn’t it? Apologies but I have always had the caveat that ‘sometimes life will get in the way’ and strangely although we have nothing much of note I haven’t found time to spend the couple of hours it takes me to complete one of these updates.

So what has been happening since the excitement of October and the start of November? Winter has arrived, the wind has a decidedly Siberian feel to it, indeed the north of the country has had it first snowfall (although none around here) and Christmas is around the corner (as is the End of World). I have been trying to use my remaining annual leave, even though I have still been in at weekends (and a mid-week meeting) in attempt to make sure the house is prepared for Christmas. The annual Christmas card photo has been taken, the decorations have been retrieved from the loft and Christmas baubles have been decorated.

Since the birth of Éowyn we have unwittingly created two traditions (if five years of anything can be called a tradition), namely a Christmas card photo of Éowyn (and since 2010 Amélie) in suitable Christmassy attire and a self-decorated Christmas bauble. Genevieve Gallery in Englefield Green allows you to paint your own pottery and at Christmas that includes baubles, angels and reindeer decorations in addition to the usual cups, plates, teapots etc. When Éowyn was a baby we thought it would be nice to make a bauble with her handprint on, and so we have gone back each year since and thus have a record of her growing hands. This year however Éowyn rebelled. She did not want her hand painted and, in fairness to our eldest, her hands are now probably a little too large for even the largest sized bauble. She did, however, want to paint one. So a new tradition was born. Amélie still created a handprint bauble while Éowyn let her creative juices flow and made her own design. We will see how this new tradition develops.

The former Christmas tradition was altered by Amélie. Éowyn loves to dress up and so convincing her to put on a Mrs Santa Claus outfit was easy. Amélie on the other hand seems to have an aversion to dressing up. If you recall she refused to dress up for the Halloween party at the Manor House in Dorset and so it was for the Christmas photo. We did however manage to get her to wear a red dress and a hairband with reindeer antlers. You will have to pop back on the 24th December for the annual Bagnall Christmas message, to see the fruits of that labour.

The question that has been occupying our minds of late has been the crucial decision of which school to put down as our first choice for Éowyn. We have visited each of the schools in the area, we have read the Ofsted reports and we have asked around people we know that have children in each of the schools. The decision is still to be completely made although we think we are erring towards a decision and it is probably on the side of the school that was at the bottom of the list before we started that process. Until we fill the form in and find out whether Éowyn has been accepted we will not mention any names but it has been interesting to see how reputations influence decision processes regardless of actualities and how it is actually hard to eliminate that reputation from the forefront of your mind. I suppose because we realise the importance of education and because Éowyn is bright, we want the best for her. A school that will push her and stretch her abilities and have the resources in order to be able to do that. Obviously we will not know until she goes there and she settles in. Time will tell and obviously you will read it here first.

Lucinda as you will recall suffered from appendicitis back in October and last week saw her six week follow up appointment. The surgeon was very pleased with the way she was healing and has discharged her from his care. However he did give her a little more information about her surgery and it was quite worrying. Effectively the surgery could not have been any later for her appendix was not only at the point of rupture but had already begun to ooze its poison into her abdomen and consequently the surgeon had to ensure that she was thoroughly cleaned out before sewing her up. It is frightening to think that any extra delay on that fateful day could have had a more serious outcome.

As you may recall that hasn’t been our only medical story of the last couple of weeks. Amélie has suffered from probably the mildest case of Chicken Pox that our family has seen. It started with a few spots on her abdomen. The next day there were a few more so Lucinda took her to the walk-in clinic. The nurse said that she was 99% convinced that Amélie had Chicken Pox and told Lucinda that it would probably get worse over the next few days but the spots would scab over and then she would no longer be contagious. Sounds familiar to anyone that has had Chicken Pox or knows anyone that has had it. Well, that is not how Amélie’s case developed. The spots had peaked on that second day and then just disappeared over the next couple of days. So we are unsure if she actually had Chicken pox or some similar disease or whether she just has a really powerful immune system and shook it off without breaking stride.

Amélie’s immune system maybe strong but she is not immune to the terrible twos. Amélie has always been a cutey and relatively well behaved but lately she has been throwing a few strops and refusing to do things if she doesn’t want to do them. She is more passive than aggressive preferring to sit down in the middle of supermarket aisle or pavement than throw a tantrum. She will stand with her arms folded and her lower lip in a pout as a silent protest to whatever it is that you are asking her to do. Although it is frustrating when you are in a rush but as the same time it is very amusing and I find it hard not to smile. I can never let her see that obviously. I will see if I can get a surreptitious photo and post it here for prosperity.

Éowyn on the other hand has been relatively well-behaved but when she falls off the behaviour wagon she really jumps off with both feet. It is usually when she is tired and not getting her own way however one slight aberration to this wave of good behaviour happened a couple of weeks ago while she was upstairs and unusually being very quiet. Lucinda crept upstairs to find out what she was up to and there she was quite happily drawing on the wall. I am sure nearly every child does it at sometime in their formative years but it still not what you want to see.

It may come as no surprise that we are using the threat of that most benevolent of dictators Father Christmas to install a fear of misbehaviour into our oldest. I am not sure that it is working as well as it might but at least her behaviour hasn’t meant that I have to follow up with my threat that if she finds herself on the naughty list (and she likes the song Santa Claus is coming to town so she understands the theory) that Father Christmas will only bring her an orange, an apple and a lump of coal. I mean where will I get a lump of coal in this day and age!

We have not yet managed to see Santa (although he did visit Éowyn’s school) this year. Last year we saw him at Peppa Pig World, unfortunately there has only been one non-weekend day so far this year where he has been available (he is a busy man). With the fact that I now work every weekend I have been unable to take her, however there are still a few days available so perhaps we will catch up with him elsewhere. Nanny Fran has gone one better though and has gone to visit him in Lapland. We would have gone too but felt that Amélie was a little too young and it would be unfair on our unborn son. So we will probably wait a few years and take all three children, depending on the report back from Nanny Fran.

There may not be another update before Christmas but as mentioned there will be the traditional Bagnall Christmas message on Christmas eve so please feel free to pop by to see the girls in their Christmas attire. Also, give yourself a festive ten points if you can name the Christmas song from which the title of this update has been taken.

Peace and Love

Baggie

Cheese! (with Dad’s glasses)

Like mother. like daughter

Like father, like daughter

Getting ready for the Christmas photo

Taken by Éowyn

I see you Daddy!

What’s going to happen?

Looking a little concerned

Frightened?

A strange glow

A glowing smile

Ghostly smile

Not quite a grin

Popstar

Ghostly children

Christmas is over (or is it?)

Thursday 29th December 2011Friday 11th May 2012Baggie

So Christmas is over (unless you are a part of the Eastern Christian orthodoxy that celebrate Christmas on the Epiphany – which is probably more accurate for that is when the little baby Jesus received his presents), turkey has been eaten, festive drinks have been quaffed and the presents have all been opened. I trust that you have all had a good time and that Santa has brought you all that you wished for. Well if he hasn’t it was because you have been naughty so you only have yourself to blame! Unfortunately it wasn’t quite a ‘White Christmas’, on the contrary, it was the third warmest UK Christmas on record with the mercury reading over 14°C. A veritable heatwave but you can’t have everything.

It has been a busy couple of weeks in the Bagnall household since the last update so forgive the length of this installment. It has also been fun for Éowyn for the first time has understood the basic ideas of Christmas (i.e. that Santa rides around the world on a sleigh giving good children presents) and so the magic of Christmas has been re-ignited for Lucinda and myself. Now correct me if I am wrong but I was under the impression that most children believe that Santa has a list of children under two headings: naughty and nice, and that in a Big-Brother style surveillance operation that he is spying on them and that only the children on the latter list will receive presents. Therefore one would hope that in the build up to Christmas those said children would be doing their utmost to stay on the latter list or indeed hope that Santa has a short term memory problem and move from the former to the latter in time for the big day. Éowyn has to be different. For months she has been very well behaved, unfortunately in the last couple of weeks her behaviour has made a turn for the worst (although not to the extent of the bad days of the terrible twos when she would spent large percentages of the time on the thinking step).

The last day of Éowyn’s school term was the obligatory Carol Concert (our first as parents – although there were very little ‘carols’ per se, more Christmas songs). I took the day off work and we were joined at the school by Nanny and Granddad. Éowyn was dressed as a sheep (the head came off half way during the concert) and delighted us by singing her heart out to every song. We were obviously very proud parents and filmed it for prosperity. When she returns in January we will be taking full advantage of the free nursery hours given by the UK government (currently 15 hours per week) and upping her days from 2 to 3. She also left school with a traditional gift – a heavy cold. Indeed in the spirit of giving she has passed it on to all of us, including her little sister – more of which later.

Christmas week started with Amélie at Jo’s and Lucinda, myself and Éowyn heading on a mystery tour. We had not told Éowyn that we had pre-booked for her to see Father Christmas at Peppa Pig World (Paulton’s Park). As she was a she a little heavy with cold she slept for the entire journey down the M3 and only woke as we entered Paulton’s Park. The Paulton’s Park Christmas world is excellent with a trip through a sleeping child’s imagination through to the North Pole to visit Santa. The path is lined with animatronic creatures (from yetis to white tigers to sleeping polar bears to dwarfs and reindeer and a whole host of woodland creatures along the way). Considering that Peppa Pig World was fully open and the cost was the same as just going to Paulton’s Park it was excellent value. However it was bitingly cold when we first got there and as the warm air gradually crept in, it brought rain. Conscious of her cold we placated her with a few of the rides before curtailing the trip short and heading back home to the warmth of the moor.

With all of my Christmas present shopping complete the week leading up to Christmas was not as hectic as it usually is, a novelty for me. It was as well as it was quite a busy week at work (with a full Premier League schedule in the mid-week before Christmas) as well as squeezing in a funeral of a friend of mine, Mike Royle, who lost his battle with cancer the week before Christmas and a couple of days before his 50th birthday. My thoughts are with his family.

It has become (or is becoming) a tradition that on Christmas Eve we host Lucinda’s parents and brother Mike and family and it was so this Christmas. With Lucinda at work all day I was charged with the honour of preparing the house and food while looking after the girls. Fortunately, Éowyn was coming out of the worst of the cold which was good, however she had passed it on to Amélie and myself. Not having the chance to feel sorry for myself I dosed myself up and just got on with it. We were fortunate that it wasn’t ‘man flu’ otherwise we would have been in trouble. So the first of the great feasts of the yuletide began and the six months of dieting were forgotten. A good evening was had by all and Éowyn was so worn out that she went to bed after everyone left and was soon asleep. Amélie however was coughing heavily and didn’t finally fall asleep until 2300.

Christmas morning started with the girls giving Lucinda and me the best Christmas present ever: a lie-in (until 0830)! Very well received and thank you girls. So at 0830 Éowyn popped her head around our bedroom doro and said, ‘Mommy, Daddy, Santa has been and he has left me lots of presents. Am I allowed to open them?‘ That will probably be the last time she asks however we were not cruel but said that we would take the sack of presents downstairs to open them in the lounge. She was very pleased with her Cicciobello doll but her Woody (from Toy Story) was the number one favourite toy on Christmas day and would later come to Nanny and Granddad’s for Christmas lunch.

Éowyn was very good with her presents, clothes were given short shrift but the toys were looked at and filed for future playtime. After she had opened all of her presents we allowed her to help Amélie open her presents. As all siblings throughout history Éowyn found Amélie’s presents far more interesting that her own but that did not last long when we threatened to give Amélie Woody if Éowyn didn’t let Amélie have her presents back.

As I mentioned above, Christmas lunch was around Lucinda’s parents (a short walk to the end of the road) where a feast for 18 had been prepared. It also gave Éowyn the opportunity to play with her cousins who re as good as gold with a sometimes stroppy but always bossy three year old. After lunch was mass present opening with five cousins (Amélie was feeling poorly and spent the best part of the day cuddling either Mommy or Daddy). It was manic and I spend most of the time trying to keep an eye on what present she was opening so that we could thank the correct person later. Needless to say both we spoilt so a big thank you to everyone who bought them presents.

We left shortly after the present opening to take the girls back home. Éowyn was ready for bed after such an exciting day but Amélie was beginning to worry us. Her face looked sallow and she was feeling very sorry for herself and just wanted to be cuddled, which is not like her. She had not taken that much food over the previous days and her cough was sounding as bad as ever. We decided that if she was not better in the morning we would take her to the walk-in clinic at the local hospital. The next day (Boxing day in the UK) is traditionally Sales day and Lucinda had decided that she wanted to go to two of the bigger sales available in Staines, Next and Debenhams. So with this in mind we retired early.

Lucinda was not prepared for the sales the next morning, and will need to sharpen her elbows if she is going to go next year. The sale at Next started at 0600 so she arrived in Staines at 0545 (I told you she was getting up early) to be greeted with a queue that stretched half way down the high street. It took her over 2 hours before she even got into the shop but made good of the time she was there and came back with many of the things that she had gone there for. She then made it a double whammy and wandered into Debenhams to find the last of the sale items she had wanted (indeed it was the last one left in the store). So it was after 1100 when she finally arrived home laden with shopping bags.

Meanwhile I was becoming more concerned with Amélie and struggling with the cold myself. Amélie however was very lethargic and not her self at all. She was taking very little liquids and refusing most solids and I was worried that she was becoming dehydrated. When Lucinda walked in, she could see my concern and with the eyes of someone that has been away for a couple of hours agreed that we should take her to the walk-in clinic. I stayed at home with Éowyn and Lucinda took Amélie off. The waiting room at the clinic was almost as bad as the sales. Every seat was occupied and it was mainly babies so they couldn’t jump the queue by playing the baby card. When the doctor examined her he was concerned too. He said that she was borderline dehydrated and realising that Lucinda was very concerned attempted to get Amélie admitted to the local hospital (St. Peter’s where she was born). However when he ‘phoned the registrar at St. Peter’s and described the symptoms they said that she was not bad enough to be admitted (I am assuming that they must have limited staff over the Christmas break and possibly many admissions, so unless it was life threatening they would not admit any more). The doctor was very good though and wrote a fast track letter for us with the proviso that unless there was an improvement – not even a worsening but a definite improvement – in the next 24 hours we were to go directly to St. Peter’s armed with his letter. Well Amélie must have understood, for as she arrived home she began to eat and drink her milk (neocate). She was not going to be admitted to hospital.

A quick day in the office on the 27th was followed by a visit from Nanny Fran and Aunties Liz and Mary. More presents were exchanged, although Auntie Liz forgot her’s and so Éowyn’s and Amélie’s (and Lucinda’s and my) Christmas will be extended another couple of weeks. Do we mind – I don’t think so!

So, the year draws to an end and we are trying to work out where all the extra toys are going to fit in our modest house. Amélie, thankfully seems to be on the mend; Éowyn is beside herself with all the new things to play with, and Lucinda and myself are just knackered. We are proud that we were are getting better at this Christmas thing and were far more organised this year than last (which in turn was far more organised than the year before that, and so on and so forth) but are still a long way from making an excel spreadsheet and ticking all the boxes (does anyone ever manage that?).

Work and family beckon but before I leave you, I trust that you all had good Christmasses and may the Bagnall family be the first to wish you all the best for 2012.

Peace and Love

Baggie