Author: lolabump

We spent Christmas on our own this year: just the four of us, though Grandma and Grandpa did make an impromptu visit for New Year (or, more accurately, for helping me get the stump of the tree cut out).  It was a lovely time: we took things easily and kept it simple. Christmas day itself was very rewarding. We had a stocking each — the girls had fun helping to secretly choose the things for Mum and Dad’s stockings — and brought these upstairs in the morning and opened them in bed. Then we went downstairs for a traditional ham and egg breakfast and immediately went out for a walk along the river. It was a lovely clear morning (though a little cold).

Back home to get the lunch started (kept simple: roast chicken, roast and mashed spuds, sprouts, gravy, devils on horseback) and have drinks and snacks while opening pressies. Then lunch. Then, er, other stuff. Probably.

Top bank holiday weekend.

Friday evening: pizza and film (Wizard of Oz, for the kids) with the Edmonds. A farewell, as this was their last night in Cambridge before off to Dorset and then home to France.

Saturday: moved the greenhouse glass to the allotment; did some weeding of said; started cleaning gunk off the wall around the back door, in prep for painting arch; watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Sunday: out to Fulbourne car boot in the (latish) morning, after a relaxed breakfast; broke up more concrete path outside; thought about how to sort the trellis at the side of the house; primed the brickwork around back door; painted brickwork around back door; pressure-washed the decking and flags in back garden; had roast veg and bacon for dinner.

Monday: we were expecting rain and planned for such. Filled the gaps in/around TV unit; moved the sitting room light so it hangs in the bay (rose still in centre of room) and changed shade for the little French one; swapped to the crystal glass shade in the kitchen. Pot-roast a chicken in the new Le Creuset (my birthday present from Isa!). This worked very well – browned chicken, took out, fried whole pots, carrots a little; put bird back in and all into the oven with lid on. Took lid off for last 30m or so.

Lola and Neve spent a great deal of time together, playing a game that combined aspects of Harry Potter’s world with their little plastic toy dogs and a lot of complicated, shifting rules.

Back from a lovely week in Somerset, comprising early-morning walks, trip to Clarks Village (for Isa and me) or steam trip to Minehead for fish and chips and ice-cream (for grandparents and grandchildren), air-display over Minehead, featuring the Red Arrows, and much, much more!

Lola set her alarm for 05.47 this morning. When she came downstairs, I asked why she’d set it so early and she said, “so I could see you.”

*HUG*

Neve often wakes early and comes downstairs with me to get her milk. Today was one such day, she came out of her room as I was heading down to put the coffee on. She called me back to help her find some socks — a habbit successfully instilled in her by Isa.

She’s so funny; instantly awake and chatting away, wanting to show me some pics she’d taken on her camera, wondering whether her docorations (made from pongo last night) were dry, telling me how she liked my glasses case and then about how Emily Sutton would wipe her glasses on her skirt if they got wet in the rain. And then bouncing up and down on the sofa while she got me to sing along to Yellow Submarine and Nowhere man. And then remembering the Yellow Submarine film that she’d like to see only it’s a bit long isn’t it; and then talking about the Mr Ben cartoons (which I didn’t realise we had) and how they are probably shorter and how Mr Ben always changes his clothes and has an adventure. And then…

Oh, it’s time to go to work.

Back to work after a two-week break for Christmas. It’s the all-new office environment with Chris, Mike, Jez and Keith gone and a brave new international world ahead. Trepidation. Opportunity.

What is our Lola up to these days? Staying up late reading. Waking up early and reading. She’s had a chronic headache the last week or so. It doesn’t seem to intrude very much but, when asked, it’s still there. She’s been finding it hard to get to sleep, too; and obviously getting a bit scared. She’s come downstairs a couple of times; never really says she’s scared (usually just says can’t get to sleep and head is ouchy) but she is nervous and v quiet. Maybe she’s just worried she’ll be told off for not sleeping!

She got Cluedo (Sherlock version) for Christmas and is very happy with it. We spent a lot of time playing that, and Uno, and Catans (which Lola has gone off now she has Cluedo) over the holiday.

Twinkle has been in quite a lot. Lola spends time with him when he’s there in the sitting room but easily forgets him when he’s out in the hutch. Must try and address that… though it’s a very human trait. Bunny still sleeping in hutch as weather has been super-mild; we’ll see what we think when it gets cold…

Neve is fab; still hanging on to the toddler thing, very loving (“I love you, Mummy” still issued frequently; also Daddy). She does get a bit stubborn; may stamp her foot and refuse to do something. And when she gets upset, her voice goes quiet and unintelligible.

“Yes, Daddy.” “Ok then Daddy.”

“Yes, my Daddy”.

“I will!”

These are the kinds of responses you hear from Neve all the time. She is an incredible, lovable, happy, involved, involving, inquisitive and intelligent girl. She is smiley and chatty and so pretty; always coming for a cuddle or kiss. Her voice sounds great. She just makes me smile all the time. And also makes me prematurely nostalgic: aware that this period will pass and Neve will never be four again.

Tomorrow, she starts at reception. Just afternoons for the rest of this week, then lunch and afternoons for the next week, then full time.

Dear Neve-o Believe-o does say some fantastic things. A while ago everything was “Brilliant!” — said with great enthusiasm about a great many things; things others might have said were adequate. After a few weeks, learning perhaps from Lola, she changed the intonation and changed the word to its opposite sense. Everything now was greeted with an “Oh, brilliant” in a true teen-age way. A little while later, she felt the need to abbreviate and it became, “Oh, brilly!”

In general, she is a witty and sharp talker with an amazing memory for fact, a large vocabulary and a pedanticism regarding the naming of things.

Things that she says a lot include:

• “Don’t be silly, Daddy”.
• “Aminals”
• “I’m not Neve, I’m Sleeping Beauty”
• “Rellow”
• “Basically…
• There you go!

• Nevey.
• Little Nevey.
• Neve-o.
• Neve-o Believe-o
• Neve the Beve of Nevey-Beveland

 

• Lola.
• Lo-lo Konobo
• Lolly.
• Lola-bola.
• Lola-bola shmola canola.
• Lola of pie-land.

 

She does, in fact, know everything. Even though she might not actually remember if you ask her to tell you.

• Neve [of a burning candle]: if you light it again then it will burn more won’t it Daddy?
• Me: no, it’ll just keep on burning the same. It’s either alight or not alight.
• Neve: I know

• Neve [looking at an atlas]: What county’s that?
• Me: That’s not a country — it’s a collection of countries called a continent.
• Neve: Yes, I know.

(And, yes, I know that’s not a very good definition of continent.)

A typical exchange:

• Do you know what that is, Nevey?
• It’s a $thingy
• No, it’s a $other_thingy
• Yes, I know.

Reminds me of someone…

She is also somewhat prone to saying, “Don’t be silly, Daddy!”.

She does whinge. And says things like, “Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee” over and over when not getting what she wants. Except sometimes when she’s being sensible.

And sometimes, instead of saying “I know,” she’ll say, “That’s a good idea”.