It's Christmaaaaassssss!!

Christmas began in earnest for us on Christmas Eve when we had the Spareys, Ludkins and Duthies over for fish pie washed down with gallons of Champagne. I made everyone clear off by 9pm so we could 'prepare' the house for Santa. We put out the traditional glass of milk with mince pie for the big fella and a carrot and reindeer food for Rudolph. Come Christmas morning we were all suitably thrilled and amazed to see that Santa had reversed a semi-trailer of presents up to the base of our tree. Flo was particularly awestruck by the gifts, agog each time she opened a present no matter how small. After changing into our new clothes we drove to Maria and Lol's where a lunch for 24 was being prepared.

 While my Dad organised the troops to help plate up his production line of beautiful food, with the precision of a tank commander, Jack got stuck into a Beano annual and Ethan played under the specially built key-shaped table. The roast pork loin was a triumph as were the flaming puddings and we played wink murder, who's in the colander and charades until it was time for us to be decantered into Alexandra's car for our ride home. A top day. Merry Christmas everyone.

Santa's on his way

We've had a very festive week. We took the girls to London on the train and spent a very happy few hours wandering between the excellent Borough Market and the Tate Modern. The market's selection of foods and festive spirit was excellent and after sampling enough free cheese, bread, olive oil and mince pies to sink the Belgrano, we walked in the rain along embankment to the Tate. As is always the way with any visit to a gallery for us, we spent more time in the shop than looking at the actual exhibits, satisfying our love of design, leaving laden with several gifts. We had lunch in the top floor restaurant which was packed with people in paper hats drinking too much wine. There were other people there too - boom, boom! Yesterday we finally got our time slot to see Santa at Bodiam, so after a lunchtime nap for all - except bookworm Scarlett who finished a chapter book in a couple of hours - we headed back to the castle. Although there is no longer any snow in Hastings town centre where we live, only a mile or two up the hill the snow is still on the ground and in the countryside it's lying thick and beautiful across the fields. As dusk fell we queued up for a thrilling 5 minutes in a castle turret with the big man in red. No, not Mick ucknell, Santa. While Flo asked him a stream of questions about the logistics involved in him making it down our chimney (we have a wood-burning stove now which must make it trickier), Scarlett read out a long, long list of gifts she is hoping to get including a iphone (no chance), a DS (must be joking) and a large cuddly elephant (what the..?). Clutching some gifts from Santa, there was peace and harmony in the world, until we got in the car and the girls had a huge fight over their newly acquired presents.  Once home, we slipped into eveningwear and headed to Maggie and Popi's for a Christmas cocktail party. I had a great night but remember nothing about the taxi ride home.

Snow way, Jose

It's been a weekend of snowy catastrophes and fun. On Friday we had tickets for us and the Spareys to see the panto of Cinderella at the local White Rock theatre. Due to the ice and snow that hit town that day the Spareys' babysitter got stuck and couldn't make it to their house, so only Maria was able to join us. We made our way to the theatre by car, sliding the last part downhill on ice, stopping just before we joined the ring road. The panto was brilliant. I was expecting something along the lines of A for amateur, but it was great. Despite a seriously diminished audience size, the cast put on a hilarious show that we were able to scream, heckle and laugh through. Jimmy Osmond was very game and laughed at himself like a pro. While Flo was genuinely terrified of the ugly sisters, who had THE BEST outfits outside of Mardi Gras, Scarlett found the whole thing amazing, declaring me, uncharacteristically,  the 'best mum ever' at the end. On Saturday we were expecting to meet Liz and Charlie at Bodiam Castle to meet Santa in his fairy-lit grotto. Again the snow led to the whole event being called off and Liz and Charlie were unable to make the drive south to us due to heavy snow in Maidstone. Cathy and Dom and their kids were supposed to come over afterwards for Nigella's coco cola ham. In the end the gods were against us.Their son Gabriel was too sick to come so Cathy stayed at home with him. Dom made it over with Francesca who was clearly unwell with something unpleasant. They left early,  so in the end it was Rob and I with Maggie and Popi eating ham and cheese in front of the  fire with a couple of bottles of Champagne.  

Today, feeling quite housebound, the girls and I sorted through the playroom, making a pile of old but useful toys we will donate to charity on Monday. When Rob got home from work we drove north into  Kent for the carols at Scotney Castle. On arrival a large sign informed us they were cancelled and the castle was closed due to snow.  Grrr.

Driving home, Rob turned off onto the B road to Bodiam where we discovered the castle closed, the moat frozen,  but the footpaths open. We had a lovely hour walking around the castle, throwing snowballs, making snow angels, before having lunch at the local pub. 

Once home, we were invited into the home of some neighbours 6 houses along. We had only ever met them, heavily rugged up, building a snowman some weeks ago. We had such a great time in their home meeting a really great bunch of like-minded folk, who all live within walking distance.  This weekend we have also been trying out the sloe gin Moira and Fraser brought us earlier in the year, made from sloe berries they picked on Ashstead Common in the summer. It is a triumph, resembling the caprioska cocktail we loved so much in Sydney.

It's the baby Jesus part 2

This week was Scarlett's turn to shine as Mary, and very fetching she looked too in a two-piece blue outfit the style journos are calling "fashion forward". She delivered her two lines with confidence and panache, a performance the critics are calling "timeless", "profound" and "it was alright wannit?". As with Flo's nativity play, it is no longer enough to simply perform the well known story of the birth of Christ, comedy, tangents and diversions are all thrown in these days to please bored parents. No photos I'm afraid - supermum left the battery charging at home but took the camera anyway!) - but this short film. This week was also Scarlett's last at Claremont. she starts a new school in January that we are all really excited about. 

It's the baby Jesus...part 1

Flo did her bit for acting all over the world today with a performance as Mary critics are calling "Extraordinary", "Insightful" and "plop plop rasp". With a rather excitable donkey to contend with, Flo showed her maternal side as she gently lay the baby Jesus in the manger and then turned him upside down so his blanket fell off. In the foreground an angel lifted up her skirt to show everyone her tummy and her M&S tights. Marvellous.

The Festival of Rick

Totally top weekend with Rick and Justin (and Inca the wonder dog) making the journey all the way from Suffolk for the night to celebrate Rick's birthday. With all the heavy snow during the week we thought the long planned weekend would have to be postponed, but thanks to a night of warmer temps and heavy rain, all the snow had gone by Saturday morning and the roads were clear. Thankfully the train tracks were also free of ice so Jane and Anne, two of the boys' closest friends, were able to complete the surprise portion of the weekend, arriving by train on Saturday afternoon. Champagne corks were popped and the celebrations began. After games with the girls, they were dispatched to bed and the grown ups disappeared below stairs for pea and mint soup, 5-hour roast lamb and banoffee pie. On Sunday everyone rose late, except Rob who had to go to work at 7am, had a leisurely breakfast and then we all walked along the beach to the Old Town for lunch at Dragon. Back home we finished off the banoffee pie, read papers and Justin dozed on the couch in front of the fire. A short final period of recreational disco dancing and karaoke heralded the departure of Rick, Justin, Jane and Anne back into the cold night to London and beyond, while we watched the X Factor semi final results. My favourite, Mary Byrne, was voted out last night so I have now switched my support to Rebecca for next weekend's final.

It was a brilliant end to a great week. With the girls off school, and the car out of action due to the snow, we spent Wednesday at Maria's and joined forces again on Friday for a chicken casserole-off and a massive snowball fight in the garden. Ironically the snow has left us before either of my ebay orders of sledges and snowboots arrived. 

20cm overnight

All the local schools were closed again today, there are no trains running in or out of Hastings and I've only seen a handful of cars pass our house all day. We live on a fairly main ring road around the town so that's saying something. As you can see in this photo of our street, the light is green but there is no traffic. It interests me that this is a major news story and everyone is complaining about not being able to get to work.  The girls and I attempted a snowman build this morning in the garden but the snow, though very deep, is not the snowman kind, and kept falling apart in your hands. I'm starting to understand why eskimos have 50 words for snow. Maria's dog locked himself in the coal cellar and we had to go grocery shopping on foot, with Rob carrying it all home in his huge backpack. Scarlett, Flo and I had a lovely walk in the park this afternoon. Everything looks so beautiful but soon the snow came down again heavily and we were forced back home as Flo had got snow inside her boots and was too cold to go on. Our view of the town is stunning with the castle gently powdered like a cake. We are expecting guests this weekend but expect they might not make it down here. Scarlett's school nativity play has been postponed for a week and the school Christmas Bazaar scheduled for Saturday may also have to be moved.  I know the UK isn't Russia or Canada and that it doesn't snow heavily every year, but we do get snow here often and yet the whole country comes to a complete halt when it snows.

Ok - it can stop snowing now...

Not really because I love the snow, but am starting to recall some of the drawbacks of adverse weather conditions.
For example, I spent yesterday 8 hours (seriously) trapped on a broken down train from London to Hastings, much of it spent without light or heat.  The entire journey, including being moved from one train to another, and then walking through 16 carriages in the dark, before eventually being loaded onto buses for the final late night crawl into a deserted Hastings, took 10 hours. 10 hours!!! The whole story is too long to recount here, but needless to say a Blitz spirit endured and it was, mostly, a fun experience.

I finally arrived at my sister's house, where Lol's birthday was being celebrated, at 11.30pm. It was like walking into a Southern Comfort ad, where everyone is blind drunk and in high spirits, rugged up indoors against the fierce weather outside. Ended up being a brilliant and very late night. Today the schools are closed, we can't move our car, which Rob had to abandon near my sister's house last night and we'll be walking home later to light the fire and start putting up our Christmas decorations. Huzzah!