You know it's coming when....

You know Christmas is just around the corner when...

Everywhere you go you hear this album playing. Shops, restaurants and workplaces dust off the old favourites such as Fairy Tale of New York (one of my personal favourites), Last Christmas, and Merry Xmas Everybody. We know all the words because we hear them every year. The first few times sends a festive tingle up your spine and then they just get boring again.
The Coca Cola advert appears on the TV. "Holidays are coming......." you know the one with the retro Santa and pretty truck. Is it just me or does Coke from a traditional coke bottle always taste much better than from anything else?
We dust off the Polar Express DVD that we play several times over Christmas. This year we have ordered a proper 3D version which will hopefully be here before Christmas. It really shows the true spirit of Christmas to me and the music is great too. Another of my favourites is The Grinch and will be watching that a few times too!
I've had a bottle of mulled wine in my cupboard all year but never thought of actually drinking it until the mince pies started appearing on the shelves. I do have to be careful with it as I tend to drink a little more than I should and 'hic' can get a little tipsy with the stuff. As for mince pies and Christmas cake, well I am partial to home made rather than shop bought but you'll never see me turn one down!
This has to be one of the funniest programmes on just before Christmas. There is nothing like being entertained by people scared out of their wits while scrabbling in dark holes full of creepy crawlies or gagging while chewing on a crocodile penis. Ant and Dec are as funny as the celebrities and the whole thing sets you up nicely for the long cold nights cosy and warm in your front room.

Then there are the xmas decorations plastered to the front of houses. Yes of course we did that ourselves for the first couple of years , but as the bulbs went out and the chore of making sure all three sets of lights draped across the eaves flashed in the same pattern wore thin, we went for the 'less is more' theme, ie can't be bothered any more.

But there are still those who spend the whole of November planning their lights - or as in the case of one home not far from us, just plug them all in because they never take them down. This picture is not unlike the house I just mentioned. I'm sure they could fit in a few more smaller decorations if they tried!

This year the snow has made it all seem more festive too. So last night I went to Mr Apples App store to get me a Christmassy ringtone and Christmas planner App. I was aghast to see that there are only 26 days left! REALLY??? I have only just ordered my first online present.

So today I got the cards down from the loft, added them to the new ones I bought because I forgot about the ones in the loft (as usual) and Im going to sit and write cards and add the obligatory newsletter.

At least thats a step in the right direction. yes?

Snow Joke

On Thursday morning we woke to find about three inches of snow. Not a surprise as the weather folk had been telling us to expect it for a few days. What was a surprise though was the dreadful state of the main roads. The council said they had been out gritting, but they must have used table salt as they were like glass under the slush. It took me three hours to travel the usual 30 minute journey.

Throughout the day we continued to have the odd heavy snow shower so by home time there was still a lot of snow lying.

Alexander refused to come indoors and get warmed up so by the time we dragged him in he was crying with pain. Since then he has come in to change wet socks and gloves I have to add! (lesson learnt).

Friday morning, after more snow overnight the roads were much better but there was still a good few inches lying on the ground. We live just a mile from the sea and normally get much less snow than those a little further inland so were quite surprised to see it hadn't melted away.

Again a few snow showers through the day and almost freezing temperatures meant it stayed where it was.

This morning we awoke to find even more snow. I measured 9 inches on the top of the shed roof!

This is the road leading to our estate. I walked to Asda to buy some essentials like milk and bread, having to use a basket so that I couldn't do my usual and buy a lot more than I actually wanted. Its only a 5 minute walk so no big deal and would take a lot less effort than scraping the ice off the car just so I could get more shopping in one go.

This is the conservatory. The snow keeps sliding off now and again so we also have a neat little snow drift on the ground. I love looking at the icicles. Hopefully neither of the dogs will get impaled by them! I've put lots of bird feed out so they wont go hungry on my account this winter.

I took the dogs out in the fields at lunchtime and this was the snow cloud making its way towards us. Luckily I had been round the fields and was back in the warm before it hit us. Another inch fell during this shower!

Tomorrow is supposed to be the worst day so far as the wind picks up and we get blizzards. Who knows what will happen on Monday morning regarding roads and travelling to work. I've brought work home with me so I don't have to risk it.

The kids are having a great time. Don't you just love having radiators and doors hung with wet hats, gloves, socks and coats. Wellies scattered willy nilly beside the front door and puddles of water all down the hallway.

Big Dude is out at a concert in Newcastle tonight. Im concerned about him getting home if the buses stop running or something. He isn't worried in the slightest and said he'll just ring if he gets stuck. I told him to ring when he gets out the concert, when he gets to the bus stop, when he gets on the bus and when he's almost home. I think I may be up late worrying unnecessarily tonight because of course he won't do any of that and will just turn up frozen on the doorstep after midnight.

Oh and by the way, my EMU 'Ugg' boots are fantastic! I love them. Its like going out in your slippers. My feet are usually so cold, but not this year! The Possum fur gloves are the warmest gloves ever. So thank you Merinz - even though you will probably be basking in your summer sun at the beach house.

Off to build an igloo!

A bit of a catch up

Its been a little while since I posted, mainly because I lost my 'round to-it'. Things are thankfully back to what I call 'normal' since starting full time work again, which makes me happy.

Never did I think I would be so miserable without a job to do. Yes I'm running around on an evening and weekend trying to fit in all the trials of parenting two ungrateful kids who think they live in a hotel, but it's the satisfaction of being able to go to work and get out of the house, achieve something useful and have the company of intelligent people. Life is good again!

And then there was Little Dude's birthday. The actual day was a Wednesday and therefore Scout night. It was also the night he moved up from Beavers into Cubs. So I made him a cake and he had a small party in the house for an hour before he went.

Here is the cake. I spent two evenings making this. I watch Cake Boss you know so I am now an expert cake maker! (I also think I have a bit of a crush on Buddy!)

The hardest part was trying to keep LD away from it while I was decorating it, but finally it was done and I hid it away in the dining room ready for the party the following day.

I also gave strict instructions to keep the door closed!

And then I heard " Er Gail?, Er come in here a minute"

Hubby had gone into the dining room to find that 'someone' (Big Dude) had been in and left the door open, one or both of the dogs had got in, climbed up on the chairs and probably ruptured their necks to have a taste of my delicious cake!

There was no way Jose I was going to bin the whole cake. Hell no, in this house we practically live on a diet of dog hair so once I rescued the bulk of the cake it looked like this..

OK so they got two wheels and a set of trucks, plus the Blind logo that I spent ages painting, but most of the cake was there and you got the jist of it! Luckily I had taken a photo of it complete so LD could see it whole.

The following weekend we took him to Native Skateboard Shop in Newcastle to spend his birthday money on a new deck and a few other bits and bobs. Later we took him and a friend to Redcar to the indoor skatepark where we stood and froze for a couple of hours.

I know its not so cold when you are skating around but they really should provide more comfort for us poor parents.

Last weekend was Remembrance Day. I always go to the local cenotaph and pay my respect. As you may know I served in the Royal Navy in the 1980's during the Falklands War and although was fortunate that no-one I knew was killed, I have very vivid memories of watching ships being hit and 'my' helicopters flying around rescuing sailors.

This year Alexander went to represent the Cubs and was part of the parade so I followed at the back with the other parents. At the ceremony I stood with my good friend Ann and her son who had just returned from several months on duty in Afghanistan. He found it hard, you could tell by his expression to stand in silence, no doubt the horrors of modern warfare flashing through his head. Normally I just about manage to control my emotions, this year, standing there with such a proud young man I shed a good few tears for those who had fallen and their families.

This weekend I also had a flashback from my Navy days when HMS Ark Royal sailed into Newcastle for the last time before being de-commissioned. Back in 1985 I travelled from Portsmouth to Wallsend with a Fairey Swordfish on the back of a lorry.

This is a photo of me on the Ark Royal sailing into Portsmouth. I am the black dot standing under the wing to the left of the plane at the back of the ship! The feeling of pride standing there as we sailed out of the Tyne and then into Portsmouth, crowds lining the bank waving and cheering at us was something special that will stay with me forever, especially as back in those days Wrens didn't go to sea and so to actually sail on a carrier was a one off.

We were there because the Swordfish was the first aircraft to fly off a ship and they thought it would be good to have that and a Sea Harrier onboard. We just happened to have a Swordfish in our hangar and I volunteered to go.

Here I am standing on the quay next to my 'old ship'. A little rustier than back then as she was still being painted and cleaned as we sailed down the coast.

Walking up the steep gangway I remembered the smell and feeling of excitement as I went aboard the ship for the first time.

We were only allowed up into the hangar deck and flight deck, pity because I would have liked to have seen more of the ship.

I was most impressed by the foul weather attire that the ratings were wearing, nothing at all like the shapeless things we had to wear. Todays sailors look more like North Face models!

Yesterday they also had a couple of Merlin helicopters and Sea Harriers on display but also a SeaKing which was one of the helicopters in use in my day. Hubby was actually an engineer on SeaKings but I worked on a different aircraft so Little Dude was keen to climb on and sit in the cockpit. Turns out that the pilot who was showing us the cockpit was also one of the young pilots who had flown onto the ship when it was approaching Portsmouth when I was on there. I would have logged his flight.

Again I looked around at the familiar pieces of equipment, the seat pins, the ringbolts in the floor and panels that had to be removed before you could work on the mechanics underneath. It seemed only moments since that was my life - in reality it is twenty years!

Little Dude loves all things Army, including guns! He has every UK Armed Forces figure, tank and snow mobile. He talks non stop about soldiers and what they do. We are trying to steer him to The Navy but not yet successfully. However, yesterdays trip to may have had some effect because he found out that sailors do also use guns. There were sailors at the gangways armed with rifles and a display on the quay where he could pick up a real life gun. He was impressed as you can see.

We all enjoyed the day although a bit damp.