Wot I did on me 'olidays
I wasn't sure how Christmassy I wanted to be this year - it's been a shit of a year and, in a lot of ways, I just wanted it over with without any fuss - but I figured we all deserved something good and that it was important not to give in to the darkness. We've had a very nice time indeed and are all feeling much improved for it.
On the 19th Mum arrived by bus and, at an ungodly hour the next morning we put her and both boys on the train to Blenheim where Dad met them and drove them all to Nelson. Crispin has done something similar the last two years but this was the first time Ferdinand had been away from me overnight. All reports are that the boys were complete angels and had a wonderful time though Ferdi did wind up in bed with my parents both nights. We got two very strange, quiet days in which to finish the shopping and packing as well as going to the movies to see Avatar in glorious 3D and spending most of Monday morning in bed.
Reunited in Nelson we had a couple of fairly calm days and lots of loafing about interspersed with baking delicious Christmas goodies. The kids are getting tremendously handy in the kitchen and I suspect that by next years Crispin will be in charge of truffles. Christmas Eve was carols by candlelight on the Cathedral steps, for which we had a perfect evening though the band was a bit under-amplified from the top of the steps and the song selection could have been better ( I hate Te Haranui with a passion and am also not a fan of the one song to the tune of another school of carollery.) then home for hot chocolate, stockings on the mantel piece and letters to Santa.
Ferdi's big present from us was easy to choose and incredibly "right-on" - a pile of proper baking equipment and a chef's hat and apron. Crispin caused us more trouble but, in the end, we decided to do the thing that would actually make him happy and found a second-hand (and therefore within budget) Nintendo DS. All our PC fretting about the appropriateness of giving an 8 year old a games console disappeared when Crispin was completely delighted and yet, still capable of putting it down long enough to join us at the table. We also got him a graphic novel adaptation of Beowulf which he declared "almost as good as Harry Potter". Odds are we'll still be buying him comics and video games when he's 30.
Christmas lunch was, as always, with family friends out at Cable Bay. They make the main course and we take the dessert. Everyone is vegetarian so we all eat the same stuff and no one has to make two meals. We may be hippies but we don't go short at Christmas and, apart from poking at bit of cheese on toast at the kids around 9pm, no one was able to eat any dinner.
Boxing day is my Dad's birthday so we started again with more presents then Ferdi used his new gear to bake a cake before a bunch of Dad's friends turned up for drinks and another afternoon of eating and drinking which left us, again, in no need of dinner.
Yesterday was very hot and muggy amde worse by my spending most of the afternoon in the kitchen making fancy food as we figured we needed a "proper" evening meal. The boys really needed to get out of the house so we drove out to Rabbit Island for a late afternoon swim. The tide was close to full and there were some fairly impressive breakers. Ferdi was a bit worried and clung to Jamie's back but Crispin was right in there with a confidence and joy I haven't seen for ages. He giggled and yelled "they can push me back but no wave will knock me down" and was just the happiest thing on earth. My heart has broken for that boy so many times in the last few months so seeing him so uncomplicatedly happy is a wonderful salve.
And now we're home and the come-down is likely to be pretty harsh but I think we've set our feet onto a somewhat brighter path.
On the 19th Mum arrived by bus and, at an ungodly hour the next morning we put her and both boys on the train to Blenheim where Dad met them and drove them all to Nelson. Crispin has done something similar the last two years but this was the first time Ferdinand had been away from me overnight. All reports are that the boys were complete angels and had a wonderful time though Ferdi did wind up in bed with my parents both nights. We got two very strange, quiet days in which to finish the shopping and packing as well as going to the movies to see Avatar in glorious 3D and spending most of Monday morning in bed.
Reunited in Nelson we had a couple of fairly calm days and lots of loafing about interspersed with baking delicious Christmas goodies. The kids are getting tremendously handy in the kitchen and I suspect that by next years Crispin will be in charge of truffles. Christmas Eve was carols by candlelight on the Cathedral steps, for which we had a perfect evening though the band was a bit under-amplified from the top of the steps and the song selection could have been better ( I hate Te Haranui with a passion and am also not a fan of the one song to the tune of another school of carollery.) then home for hot chocolate, stockings on the mantel piece and letters to Santa.
Ferdi's big present from us was easy to choose and incredibly "right-on" - a pile of proper baking equipment and a chef's hat and apron. Crispin caused us more trouble but, in the end, we decided to do the thing that would actually make him happy and found a second-hand (and therefore within budget) Nintendo DS. All our PC fretting about the appropriateness of giving an 8 year old a games console disappeared when Crispin was completely delighted and yet, still capable of putting it down long enough to join us at the table. We also got him a graphic novel adaptation of Beowulf which he declared "almost as good as Harry Potter". Odds are we'll still be buying him comics and video games when he's 30.
Christmas lunch was, as always, with family friends out at Cable Bay. They make the main course and we take the dessert. Everyone is vegetarian so we all eat the same stuff and no one has to make two meals. We may be hippies but we don't go short at Christmas and, apart from poking at bit of cheese on toast at the kids around 9pm, no one was able to eat any dinner.
Boxing day is my Dad's birthday so we started again with more presents then Ferdi used his new gear to bake a cake before a bunch of Dad's friends turned up for drinks and another afternoon of eating and drinking which left us, again, in no need of dinner.
Yesterday was very hot and muggy amde worse by my spending most of the afternoon in the kitchen making fancy food as we figured we needed a "proper" evening meal. The boys really needed to get out of the house so we drove out to Rabbit Island for a late afternoon swim. The tide was close to full and there were some fairly impressive breakers. Ferdi was a bit worried and clung to Jamie's back but Crispin was right in there with a confidence and joy I haven't seen for ages. He giggled and yelled "they can push me back but no wave will knock me down" and was just the happiest thing on earth. My heart has broken for that boy so many times in the last few months so seeing him so uncomplicatedly happy is a wonderful salve.
And now we're home and the come-down is likely to be pretty harsh but I think we've set our feet onto a somewhat brighter path.