I just read Dad's blog, very funny. I guess we neglected to mention the increase in Luca's bad dreams of late. They mainly involve a short (but loud!) burst of crying before he calms quickly and informs you it was "the dinosaurs again".
Surprisingly in instances such as this he shouts primarily for his Dad, but if recent evidence is to be believed he'll need to adapt this and call for his Mum instead. Newly published studies (conducted by UK based company "Mindlab") have discovered huge differences in the main noises that rouse men and women from their sleep. The sound most likely to wake women is of a crying baby, while conversely this noise doesn't even register within the top ten noises that wake men (car alarms, howling winds and buzzing flies are the most prominent).
And Kelly, don't think this is just the Mum's - even women without kids are most likely to be woken by an infant crying.
Surprising results, and as such I, on behalf of all men, must insist on an apology from our partners for all the dunts in the back we've received as we've slept with the immortal words mumbled "Stop pretending to sleep - it's your turn to deal with the baby!"
Actually, I digress, Carole never did that - I got lucky!
Anyway, as that line of thought continues it's long journey to Japan, I'll get back to the point. Luca stayed with his Granny and Granda last night in order to allow Carole an early start at the Christmas shopping this morning. Coincidentally (and pleasingly) it also offered Carole and I a night off our responsibilities and negated the need for us to ferry the small man between cars after work - Carole had a fitness class that finished at 7pm, while I was kicking off a game of football at 7.15pm.
Our bodies duly punished and showered, we also took advantage of the situation to go out for a meal together to the "Fennel" restaurant in our town. It was a really nice place and the food was gorgeous - my starter of a goats cheese and red onion tart was devoured particularly quickly.
Then again, it was almost 9.30pm before we started eating so most likely a welly boot dipped in soy sauce would have been gobbled quicker than Veruca Salt's big bag of gobstoppers.
With the clock now declaring it to be lunchtime, it's likely Caroles now finished her Christmas shopping and is hopefully now wrapping the comics she got for my present.
Actually, I know she isn't buying comics, but I needed an excuse to lead me into mentioning that the comic shop in Aberdeen (Forbidden Planet) is very sadly due to close it's doors. Is this the saddest part of the recession? The realisation that one of the last remnants of childhood memory's and regressive fantasy will shortly disappear for good.
Even Luca enjoys spending time in there, although with his jam encrusted fingers and overly exuberant handling of the thin paper pages means I'm always seconds away from purchasing an appallingly expensive destroyed copy of a "Batman" limited edition.......
I'll "traverse la rue" to Banchory after work tonight to collect Luca/rescue his Granny (delete as applicable) and take him home to see his ever more snotty nosed Mother.
Yes, Carole has succumb to bug number 367 of the winter. I'm just hoping it'll pass in time for my works Christmas party on Saturday night. She was ill during my party last year too (and indeed designated herself as the driver that night due to her inability to hold a drink) so I'm hoping history doesn't repeat itself.
If it does I'd rather imagine Carole will just stay home instead and watch the plethora of movies we've not yet watched. The last we saw was on Monday, a film called "Carriers" which was about a virus (likely inspired by the swine flu pandemic) which almost literally wiped out the worlds population. It was devastatingly sad, in particular the moment where they left a 5 year old girl (who had the infection) behind to die, simply driving quietly off.
Carole now thinks I'm wet. "It's only a movie" she laughed while dunting my arm as I stared quietly at the screen.
**Useless fact of the day - Research indicates that plants grow healthier when they are stroked**
Wednesday, 16 December 2009
Monday, 14 December 2009
Usual dark and murky Monday
The latest in a long line of weekends of rain, wind and frost has just passed, with light (never mind sun) rarely seen. Will this be the darkest and coldest weather in recent memory? Probably so.
Thankfully, however, I've now finished my Christmas shopping - I think. Luca, Sima and I took a drive to Aberdeen yesterday to pick up a couple of things, but mainly to give Carole a bit of peace. She had the final part of her busy weekend on Saturday night, a "Simple Minds" gig at AECC. Pictures to follow as she got a number of surprisingly clearly defined photographs on her camera phone. Surprisingly she, Dot, Morag, Jinty and Flo managed to squeeze their way to the front, so for those of you particularly keen to see close ups of Jim Kerr the next blog will be an absolute treat.
For those of you less keen - you can skip the next blog and "Do Something Less Boring Instead" (I think Lucy will be the only one who gets that)
Anyway, back to Aberdeen, once the shopping was out the way we took the opportunity to take a stroll along Aberdeen beach. For those of you familiar with Aberdeen in winter I'm sure I don't need to describe much further. The wind battered us as we walked along the shoreline, with ever increasing waves crashing ever nearer our feet. Although personally nonplussed by this my son and pup were a little perturbed to say the least. Sima kept as far away from the water as possible - even at one point attempting to straddle a groyne as the water drew close - while Luca entered his cautious mode.
Initially he kept as close to the wall as possible, only eventually being tempted onto the sand by a promise of a "carry" from Dad. Eventually, however, he settled although he kept an ever watchful eye on the waves. "Daddy, waters too close" he squealed with regularity as the water occasionally trickled within 10 yards of our feet.
All said though, by the time we left he was distinctly unimpressed by our departure. "No Daddy, we go back to sand" he insisted continually while gazing thoughtfully over the watery blueness in front of him.
Our return home saw a tired boy greet his delighted Mum (she had barely seen him since Friday morning). "Mummy, Mummy. Mummy" he cried with glee before just as quickly insisting that the telly was switched on as "Luca watch Peppa Pig now"
We watched a nice, grisly hack'n'slash film after he went to bed - the remake of "Halloween 2". Most gruesome moment? I couldn't comment for fear of bringing your breakfast/lunch/dinner back up.
Tonight I'm doing my "Heston Blumenthal" thing again and attempting to cook something new - Asian Prawn & Pineapple. I've been a little remiss of late with Carole taking over the kitchen again (I think she's secretly been pleased with the lack of chaos I perennially cause in there) so tonight I'll make amends by creating something likely so inedible the stinky dog (Isis) will even turn her nose up at.
Although I call Isis the stinky one - her younger sister has recently began to battle her in that respect. In fact we were watching the TV last week with the Sima pup curled up across us, and were suddenly simultaneously forced into breaking the world record for holding our breath. How it's possible for such a little thing to produce such an aroma from it's hind end is utterly beyond me.
**Useless fact of the day - There is a theme park in Denmark called BonBon-Land that has a ride called The Dog Fart Switchback (AKA Hundeprutterutchebane). This dog fart themed coaster is the original roller coaster of the park. BonBon-Land is the 4th largest amusement park in Denmark and Denmark's 5th biggest tourist attraction in 2005**
Thankfully, however, I've now finished my Christmas shopping - I think. Luca, Sima and I took a drive to Aberdeen yesterday to pick up a couple of things, but mainly to give Carole a bit of peace. She had the final part of her busy weekend on Saturday night, a "Simple Minds" gig at AECC. Pictures to follow as she got a number of surprisingly clearly defined photographs on her camera phone. Surprisingly she, Dot, Morag, Jinty and Flo managed to squeeze their way to the front, so for those of you particularly keen to see close ups of Jim Kerr the next blog will be an absolute treat.
For those of you less keen - you can skip the next blog and "Do Something Less Boring Instead" (I think Lucy will be the only one who gets that)
Anyway, back to Aberdeen, once the shopping was out the way we took the opportunity to take a stroll along Aberdeen beach. For those of you familiar with Aberdeen in winter I'm sure I don't need to describe much further. The wind battered us as we walked along the shoreline, with ever increasing waves crashing ever nearer our feet. Although personally nonplussed by this my son and pup were a little perturbed to say the least. Sima kept as far away from the water as possible - even at one point attempting to straddle a groyne as the water drew close - while Luca entered his cautious mode.
Initially he kept as close to the wall as possible, only eventually being tempted onto the sand by a promise of a "carry" from Dad. Eventually, however, he settled although he kept an ever watchful eye on the waves. "Daddy, waters too close" he squealed with regularity as the water occasionally trickled within 10 yards of our feet.
All said though, by the time we left he was distinctly unimpressed by our departure. "No Daddy, we go back to sand" he insisted continually while gazing thoughtfully over the watery blueness in front of him.
Our return home saw a tired boy greet his delighted Mum (she had barely seen him since Friday morning). "Mummy, Mummy. Mummy" he cried with glee before just as quickly insisting that the telly was switched on as "Luca watch Peppa Pig now"
We watched a nice, grisly hack'n'slash film after he went to bed - the remake of "Halloween 2". Most gruesome moment? I couldn't comment for fear of bringing your breakfast/lunch/dinner back up.
Tonight I'm doing my "Heston Blumenthal" thing again and attempting to cook something new - Asian Prawn & Pineapple. I've been a little remiss of late with Carole taking over the kitchen again (I think she's secretly been pleased with the lack of chaos I perennially cause in there) so tonight I'll make amends by creating something likely so inedible the stinky dog (Isis) will even turn her nose up at.
Although I call Isis the stinky one - her younger sister has recently began to battle her in that respect. In fact we were watching the TV last week with the Sima pup curled up across us, and were suddenly simultaneously forced into breaking the world record for holding our breath. How it's possible for such a little thing to produce such an aroma from it's hind end is utterly beyond me.
**Useless fact of the day - There is a theme park in Denmark called BonBon-Land that has a ride called The Dog Fart Switchback (AKA Hundeprutterutchebane). This dog fart themed coaster is the original roller coaster of the park. BonBon-Land is the 4th largest amusement park in Denmark and Denmark's 5th biggest tourist attraction in 2005**
Saturday, 12 December 2009
So many photo's, so little time
A treat tonight for those of you partial to a few family snaps. I'll keep the text painlessly brief by simply giving a short description of each picture underneath:-
OK, not a good one to start on. What can I say? Holy silly pulled face Batman.
This is a little better. A common scene at home these days, as Luca has (finally) figured out that Sima doesn't really enjoy having her ears pulled and neck stretched in unnatural directions. With this change in place Sima has recently started to reciprocate the affection Luca shows toward her, resulting in touching photographs such as this.
And here's the one you've been waiting for. See? I told you the new haircut wasn't too drastic. Nice though isn't it? I had considered starting another poll asking whether you all liked it or not, but after the fourth time Carole whanged the garden spade over my head I kind of cooled on the idea. It's a shame Carole isn't smiling in this picture though isn't it?
Ah, that's a bit better.
This is one of Luca's favourite expressions, which conveys upset/anger/disappointment/mistrust/tiredness/hunger/naughtiness and any other emotion which requires a long and high pitched whine. In this case it was anger at my insistence of putting his big coat on. As with many, many things Luca "no like it". This picture was taken today near Pittodrie Stadium, home of Aberdeen Football Club. Yes, today was Luca's inaugural professional football match.
This slightly more chipper picture was taken 5 minutes later as we crossed the hill between where we parked and the football ground. Nice view isn't is? Yes, that's the North Sea behind him.
And here he is again, although this time a little less interested in posing for the camera. Did I mention he refused to walk up the hill, instead preferring his usual spot under Dad's arm and relaxing against my chest? Have I also mentioned how big he's getting now? Despite the temperature being little over zero I was actually sweating by the time we arrived at the game.
Here he is at the match. I have to point out that he's not quite as chunky as he appears in the last few pictures, I'm afraid I went a little OTT with the number of layers I made him wear. Also, this picture was taken during the 10 seconds where he sat on his own seat - for the rest of the match he plumped himself on my knee. I shouldn't complain, but your natural reaction during the ebb and flow of a football match is to move around (normally jumping up and down either in anticipation of a goal or merely to remonstrate with the referee) so with movement limited it was an odd experience to say the least.
This was Luca's eye view of the game - I took this picture with the camera right beside his face. Nice pillar eh? That said, after sitting very quietly throughout the first twenty minutes Luca started to enjoy joining in with the crowds songs and roars. In particular he took great glee at booing the opposition goalkeeper every time he had the ball!
Here we are on the way home. A little "The Blair Witch Project" granted, but I just wanted to demonstrate what I saw throughout most of the day - I took this picture with the camera in my right hand as he was being carried on my left arm. Or my aching left arm as it is now.
OK, not a good one to start on. What can I say? Holy silly pulled face Batman.
This is a little better. A common scene at home these days, as Luca has (finally) figured out that Sima doesn't really enjoy having her ears pulled and neck stretched in unnatural directions. With this change in place Sima has recently started to reciprocate the affection Luca shows toward her, resulting in touching photographs such as this.
And here's the one you've been waiting for. See? I told you the new haircut wasn't too drastic. Nice though isn't it? I had considered starting another poll asking whether you all liked it or not, but after the fourth time Carole whanged the garden spade over my head I kind of cooled on the idea. It's a shame Carole isn't smiling in this picture though isn't it?
Ah, that's a bit better.
This is one of Luca's favourite expressions, which conveys upset/anger/disappointment/mistrust/tiredness/hunger/naughtiness and any other emotion which requires a long and high pitched whine. In this case it was anger at my insistence of putting his big coat on. As with many, many things Luca "no like it". This picture was taken today near Pittodrie Stadium, home of Aberdeen Football Club. Yes, today was Luca's inaugural professional football match.
This slightly more chipper picture was taken 5 minutes later as we crossed the hill between where we parked and the football ground. Nice view isn't is? Yes, that's the North Sea behind him.
And here he is again, although this time a little less interested in posing for the camera. Did I mention he refused to walk up the hill, instead preferring his usual spot under Dad's arm and relaxing against my chest? Have I also mentioned how big he's getting now? Despite the temperature being little over zero I was actually sweating by the time we arrived at the game.
Here he is at the match. I have to point out that he's not quite as chunky as he appears in the last few pictures, I'm afraid I went a little OTT with the number of layers I made him wear. Also, this picture was taken during the 10 seconds where he sat on his own seat - for the rest of the match he plumped himself on my knee. I shouldn't complain, but your natural reaction during the ebb and flow of a football match is to move around (normally jumping up and down either in anticipation of a goal or merely to remonstrate with the referee) so with movement limited it was an odd experience to say the least.
This was Luca's eye view of the game - I took this picture with the camera right beside his face. Nice pillar eh? That said, after sitting very quietly throughout the first twenty minutes Luca started to enjoy joining in with the crowds songs and roars. In particular he took great glee at booing the opposition goalkeeper every time he had the ball!
Here we are on the way home. A little "The Blair Witch Project" granted, but I just wanted to demonstrate what I saw throughout most of the day - I took this picture with the camera in my right hand as he was being carried on my left arm. Or my aching left arm as it is now.
The big question for today was was it worth taking the little man to his first proper game before he even turns three? Only one answer to that - hell yeah. Even though I've just realised that my first ever game (about 30 years ago!!) was with Dad and Granda to watch Partick Thistle get thumped by Hamilton Academicals. Guess who Aberdeen's opposition was today? Yep. And guess who won? Well, put it like this, there weren't many Aberdonians smiling at the final whistle.
**Useless fact of the day - A giraffe can clean out it's ears with it's tongue**
**Useless fact of the day - A giraffe can clean out it's ears with it's tongue**
Thursday, 10 December 2009
When can I retire?
Back to work today after a couple of days off on holiday. I really didn't fancy it this morning, as Carole noticed when suspiciously eyeing me lying in bed 30 minutes before I was due to leave (with still the dogs to walk, shower, shave, etc).
"Do you have another day off?" she asked more as a stimulus to get me up rather than as a question.
I raised myself grumpily, but not half as badly as Luca. The world and it's oyster was his to be objected to this morning. "No want to wear that", "No want that milk", "No eat the toast", etc, etc.
We love him on days like this. I'll let him off though, as he's still struggling with a bug. Indeed, we kept him at home all day yesterday to allow him to recover. It felt strange driving through to Aberdeen, as other than for football or nights out with Carole I haven't driven into town without Luca in the back seat for quite some time now. I get used to the inane chatter coming from the back and rather missed the company he provides.
That said, it perhaps was best he didn't come. I was in town for a bit of Christmas shopping and was astounded with how busy it was. It was 11.30am on a Wednesday morning - I know it's Christmas but do people not have to go to work nowadays? (Yes, I'm aware that being off myself makes that statement a little nonsensical)
One shop in particular was enough to make you weep - Marks and Spencers. The desperation in the eyes of the elderly ladies as they shoved and swore their way through the store was a sight to behold. Indeed, while waiting at the till I had to step in and have a word with one particularly unpleasant woman as she rather viciously verbally attacked a young checkout assistant. Interesting to see how quickly this particular bully shut up when faced with me rather then the quivering young girl behind the till. I know it's Christmas and everyones stressed but why do people think they can behave in such a fashion?
Carole went out not long after I arrived home (Luca was dreaming his way through his afternoon kip by this time) and came back shortly afterwards with bags of Christmas decorations. So at last our house is looking a little more festive, and Luca (on awakening) absolutely adored putting baubles onto the branches of the Christmas tree - I'll post a picture of our beautifully gaudy Christmas tree in the next blog.
Which reminds me - I'll also post a picture of Carole too. I managed to get her to pose when she came home from the hairdressers on Monday night. She took my advice (I know, I'm as shocked as you are) and asked her sylist for a new cut. Personally I love it, let me know whether you approve when you see it. Indeed, this may be an opportunity for another poll.
And Liz/Val/Jane - don't worry, it's not a massively drastic change. I didn't convince her to get a mohican.
The mohican will be Luca's next haircut......
In a "Groundhog Day" repeat of last weekend, I may again suffer similar loneliness. Carole's out again, and this time she's going for it full pelt. On Friday night she has her Gordon House Christmas night out (she gets two Christmas do's as she's based in two separate facilities), on Saturday lunchtime she's out to lunch with the gym girls and on Saturday night she's off to see Simple Minds play the AECC.
Whew! I think Sunday may be a write off. I do feel a little guilty about not going with her on Saturday night, but when the gig was initially mooted she quickly saw the look of fear spread across my face before regaining my fixed grin.
Yes, safe to say I'm not their biggest fan. That said, there was another gig I wanted to take Carole to - Florence And The Machine, who are playing tomnorrow night at Lincoln Engine Sheds - but this plan was scuppered due to an overly busy (and already booked) social calendar. A shame though, as it would have provided the dual purpose of a great night and a visit for Luca to see his Grandma, Gramps, Nana, Grandad, Uncle, Auntie and cousins. Ach well, the best laid plans of mice and men as they say.
Anyway, Luca and I will keep ourselves busy on Saturday with a first. Weather (and illness) permitting I'll take him to Pittodrie for his first game of senior football. It'll be interesting to see how long he'll last watching Aberdeen versus Hamilton Accies on a wet and wintry afternoon. My money is on his patience lasting only until half time, and even that will surely be dependant on his supply of chocolate and Ribena.
Of course, as with all Luca related plans, it may be scuppered if he runs himself ragged at his Christmas party on Saturday morning. It's at his nursery and features a puppet show and Santa. Great fun? For Luca yes, for his Dad perhaps less so......
And lastly, Kelly - watch your PC this weekend. I'll try to Skype you when Luca and I get home from football on Saturday (around 6pm local time). We had our first Skype attempt on Monday night with his Granny and Granda, and despite the ZX Spectrum-esque blockiness of our images (anyone remember the old Speccy?) it was a success.
A relative success. Literally and figuratively.
**Useless fact of the day - Skypes present commercial value is around 5.1 billion dollars**
"Do you have another day off?" she asked more as a stimulus to get me up rather than as a question.
I raised myself grumpily, but not half as badly as Luca. The world and it's oyster was his to be objected to this morning. "No want to wear that", "No want that milk", "No eat the toast", etc, etc.
We love him on days like this. I'll let him off though, as he's still struggling with a bug. Indeed, we kept him at home all day yesterday to allow him to recover. It felt strange driving through to Aberdeen, as other than for football or nights out with Carole I haven't driven into town without Luca in the back seat for quite some time now. I get used to the inane chatter coming from the back and rather missed the company he provides.
That said, it perhaps was best he didn't come. I was in town for a bit of Christmas shopping and was astounded with how busy it was. It was 11.30am on a Wednesday morning - I know it's Christmas but do people not have to go to work nowadays? (Yes, I'm aware that being off myself makes that statement a little nonsensical)
One shop in particular was enough to make you weep - Marks and Spencers. The desperation in the eyes of the elderly ladies as they shoved and swore their way through the store was a sight to behold. Indeed, while waiting at the till I had to step in and have a word with one particularly unpleasant woman as she rather viciously verbally attacked a young checkout assistant. Interesting to see how quickly this particular bully shut up when faced with me rather then the quivering young girl behind the till. I know it's Christmas and everyones stressed but why do people think they can behave in such a fashion?
Carole went out not long after I arrived home (Luca was dreaming his way through his afternoon kip by this time) and came back shortly afterwards with bags of Christmas decorations. So at last our house is looking a little more festive, and Luca (on awakening) absolutely adored putting baubles onto the branches of the Christmas tree - I'll post a picture of our beautifully gaudy Christmas tree in the next blog.
Which reminds me - I'll also post a picture of Carole too. I managed to get her to pose when she came home from the hairdressers on Monday night. She took my advice (I know, I'm as shocked as you are) and asked her sylist for a new cut. Personally I love it, let me know whether you approve when you see it. Indeed, this may be an opportunity for another poll.
And Liz/Val/Jane - don't worry, it's not a massively drastic change. I didn't convince her to get a mohican.
The mohican will be Luca's next haircut......
In a "Groundhog Day" repeat of last weekend, I may again suffer similar loneliness. Carole's out again, and this time she's going for it full pelt. On Friday night she has her Gordon House Christmas night out (she gets two Christmas do's as she's based in two separate facilities), on Saturday lunchtime she's out to lunch with the gym girls and on Saturday night she's off to see Simple Minds play the AECC.
Whew! I think Sunday may be a write off. I do feel a little guilty about not going with her on Saturday night, but when the gig was initially mooted she quickly saw the look of fear spread across my face before regaining my fixed grin.
Yes, safe to say I'm not their biggest fan. That said, there was another gig I wanted to take Carole to - Florence And The Machine, who are playing tomnorrow night at Lincoln Engine Sheds - but this plan was scuppered due to an overly busy (and already booked) social calendar. A shame though, as it would have provided the dual purpose of a great night and a visit for Luca to see his Grandma, Gramps, Nana, Grandad, Uncle, Auntie and cousins. Ach well, the best laid plans of mice and men as they say.
Anyway, Luca and I will keep ourselves busy on Saturday with a first. Weather (and illness) permitting I'll take him to Pittodrie for his first game of senior football. It'll be interesting to see how long he'll last watching Aberdeen versus Hamilton Accies on a wet and wintry afternoon. My money is on his patience lasting only until half time, and even that will surely be dependant on his supply of chocolate and Ribena.
Of course, as with all Luca related plans, it may be scuppered if he runs himself ragged at his Christmas party on Saturday morning. It's at his nursery and features a puppet show and Santa. Great fun? For Luca yes, for his Dad perhaps less so......
And lastly, Kelly - watch your PC this weekend. I'll try to Skype you when Luca and I get home from football on Saturday (around 6pm local time). We had our first Skype attempt on Monday night with his Granny and Granda, and despite the ZX Spectrum-esque blockiness of our images (anyone remember the old Speccy?) it was a success.
A relative success. Literally and figuratively.
**Useless fact of the day - Skypes present commercial value is around 5.1 billion dollars**
Saturday, 5 December 2009
Bored - but Skypes back
It's around 11pm on Saturday night and I'm sitting in front of a computer writing a blog - how times change. What would I have been doing 5 years ago? I couldn't possibly comment in a family publication.
Actually, I'm older than I think (aren't we all?). 5 years ago I was only months from my 30th birthday so rather than boisterously bouncing between nightspots it's more likely I was simply sitting at home, listening to the latest obscure band I'd read about in the NME, drinking Jack Daniels and smoking my 14th cigarette of the evening.
Actually that doesn't sound too bad - especially the smoking bit. I'll never smoke again, but by God the craving never leaves you.......
I just noticed I'm chewing on a pen right now.
Not that I've wandered off on a tangent (I never do that) but perhaps I should revert to the initial point of this blog. Which was to advise that as of 6.45pm this evening Skype has been reinstalled onto my PC. Which in turn explains the grainy pictures generated from the webcam.
We are now available for Skype calls - so you can now see Luca whenever you wish. At least as long as I'm able to hold him in front of the screen.
Although the pictures are particularly grainy you may notice Luca's cheeks being a little redder than normal. It appears he's caught one of the many bugs going around just now. He's still got a little energy, but he's coughing frequently and his skin is much warmer than usual. He'll be fine, but I feel a little guilty as it's most likely he's caught it from his Dad. Extra guilt came around every time he stumbled toward me today with his arms outstretched while saying in a pathetic voice "Need a cuddle Daddy".
His Mum hasn't seen much of him today unfortunately. I took him out earlier to find a barber, but after witnessing successive hairdressers queued out the door we decided the weekend wasn't the best of times to get this done. (I don't remember barbers being quite this busy - does hair grow quicker in winter??). Instead we visited the library and shops (we read one of his new books at bedtime tonight) before bringing him home and watching him flake out into bed almost immediately.
Referring to the title of this blog, I am a little restless tonight. Carole's out at her works Christmas party and Luca's been in bed since 7.30pm which has left me housebound and without company. Even the dogs have been indifferent to me this evening - I decided to ruffle Isis' belly earlier, but this simply resulted in her getting up and walking away, of course farting as she left.
There's nothing lonelier than sitting alone in an empty kitchen on a Saturday night with only the remnants of a dog fart for company.
**Useless fact of the day - Contrary to popular misconception, the noise of a fart is not caused by the flapping of butt cheeks**
Friday, 4 December 2009
Please sir can I have some more?
Another blog within 24 hours? Who's your Daddy?
That question is obviously directed at Luca.
Actually, that reminds me - did I mention the brief period we went through a few months ago when he called me Gary for a few days? Carole and I try to remember to call each other Mummy and Daddy when he's around but Carole had obviously slipped, leaving our whippet brained youngster with Father tormenting ammunition. "Gary" he cried at me with glee. "No, not Gary, Daddy" I would exasperatingly call back at him. "No, it's Gary!" he'd shout before rolling around on the ground in hysterics.
Sorry, I digress. Liz left this morning to venture back to the land of cathedrals and pubs with glass floors (Lincoln). A real shame, but perhaps the timing works out well. I'd given Carole a copy of the zombie computer game "Left 4 Dead" yesterday which resulted in her staying up till the small hours glued to it. Indeed, with zombie shooting games being to Carole what heroin is to Amy Winehouse I've surely dropped a clanger there. Fire department be on guard, Gary will be cooking for the next week or so......
Many thanks to all who voted in the recent poll. As decided by majority vote Luca will now receive a short haircut. I'd hoped his Granny's would venture out with him yesterday to the barbers (Granny Jo came through for the afternoon to yap with Grandma Liz), but excessive coffee drinking and manic Grandson activity put the khybosh on that.
With this being the case, my Saturday morning activities now include finding a hairdresser for Luca. As it's been quite some time since I last visited such an establishment (10 years? At least) I've had to rely on the "Yellow Pages" to find somewhere.
Perhaps I could take Ross too?
Hopefully Saturday will be a little warmer than of late, with windscreen ice scraping being a regular task this past week. Luca, contrarily to most kids, noticibly feels the cold ("It's cold Daddy" he'll say as he snuggles into my chest, "We go inside quick quick") so I'd rather not have our usual weekend adventures with him shivering like a bald penguin. After the barber we intend on hitting the shops and library in Aberdeen on Saturday, while on Sunday we'll follow the same route when making tracks for the "Kids Club" at the cinema. It's "Monsters V Aliens" at the movies this weekend, and I have to admit I'm probably looking forward to it more than he is.
We're also - provisionally - booked to go to the pantomime on Sunday, but with curtains opening at 7pm I'm a little worried about Luca. He has a tendency to get very grumbly and awkward if his bedtime routine is shifted. I'm going to try to exchange the tickets (I got them free from my company) for a matinee performance instead.
Carole has her works Christmas party on Saturday night too - albeit if she can drag herself away from the laptop! That said, I'm not sure I trust her to go. I had a dream last night that she was having an affair with some bloke from "Edwards" pub. Now obviously this was just a dream, but was I justified in being upset with Carole when we woke this morning? Hmmm, perhaps not.....
However, I'm waffling more than a Birds Eye serrated potato. The purpose of the blog is to update on all Luca related activities. I've probably been slight in my descriptions of such this week, due mainly to my letting his Grandma spend as much time with him as possible. That said, he's still been a scoundrel whenever the opportunity has arisen. Indeed, his favourite tactic of late (when trying to delay bedtime) is to pretend he doesn't hear you when you tell him to come upstairs, and even when he's left with no choice he'll change the subject. For example:-
"Luca, bedtime"
"Luca, bedtime"
"LUCA, BEDTIME!"
"What is it Daddy?"
"IT'S BEDTIME LUCA!"
"Daddy, come here, we play dinosaurs now..."
And so on - I think you get the picture.
**Useless fact of the day - Bedtime is a parenting process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood... tradition in the West that involves, to a greater or lesser extent, rituals made to help children feel more secure, and become accustomed to a comparatively more rigid schedule of sleep than they would quite often prefer. It may involve stories, songs, nursery rhymes, and/or methods of coaxing the children into changing into their pyjamas**
I know, that's my worst useless fact ever
That question is obviously directed at Luca.
Actually, that reminds me - did I mention the brief period we went through a few months ago when he called me Gary for a few days? Carole and I try to remember to call each other Mummy and Daddy when he's around but Carole had obviously slipped, leaving our whippet brained youngster with Father tormenting ammunition. "Gary" he cried at me with glee. "No, not Gary, Daddy" I would exasperatingly call back at him. "No, it's Gary!" he'd shout before rolling around on the ground in hysterics.
Sorry, I digress. Liz left this morning to venture back to the land of cathedrals and pubs with glass floors (Lincoln). A real shame, but perhaps the timing works out well. I'd given Carole a copy of the zombie computer game "Left 4 Dead" yesterday which resulted in her staying up till the small hours glued to it. Indeed, with zombie shooting games being to Carole what heroin is to Amy Winehouse I've surely dropped a clanger there. Fire department be on guard, Gary will be cooking for the next week or so......
Many thanks to all who voted in the recent poll. As decided by majority vote Luca will now receive a short haircut. I'd hoped his Granny's would venture out with him yesterday to the barbers (Granny Jo came through for the afternoon to yap with Grandma Liz), but excessive coffee drinking and manic Grandson activity put the khybosh on that.
With this being the case, my Saturday morning activities now include finding a hairdresser for Luca. As it's been quite some time since I last visited such an establishment (10 years? At least) I've had to rely on the "Yellow Pages" to find somewhere.
Perhaps I could take Ross too?
Hopefully Saturday will be a little warmer than of late, with windscreen ice scraping being a regular task this past week. Luca, contrarily to most kids, noticibly feels the cold ("It's cold Daddy" he'll say as he snuggles into my chest, "We go inside quick quick") so I'd rather not have our usual weekend adventures with him shivering like a bald penguin. After the barber we intend on hitting the shops and library in Aberdeen on Saturday, while on Sunday we'll follow the same route when making tracks for the "Kids Club" at the cinema. It's "Monsters V Aliens" at the movies this weekend, and I have to admit I'm probably looking forward to it more than he is.
We're also - provisionally - booked to go to the pantomime on Sunday, but with curtains opening at 7pm I'm a little worried about Luca. He has a tendency to get very grumbly and awkward if his bedtime routine is shifted. I'm going to try to exchange the tickets (I got them free from my company) for a matinee performance instead.
Carole has her works Christmas party on Saturday night too - albeit if she can drag herself away from the laptop! That said, I'm not sure I trust her to go. I had a dream last night that she was having an affair with some bloke from "Edwards" pub. Now obviously this was just a dream, but was I justified in being upset with Carole when we woke this morning? Hmmm, perhaps not.....
However, I'm waffling more than a Birds Eye serrated potato. The purpose of the blog is to update on all Luca related activities. I've probably been slight in my descriptions of such this week, due mainly to my letting his Grandma spend as much time with him as possible. That said, he's still been a scoundrel whenever the opportunity has arisen. Indeed, his favourite tactic of late (when trying to delay bedtime) is to pretend he doesn't hear you when you tell him to come upstairs, and even when he's left with no choice he'll change the subject. For example:-
"Luca, bedtime"
"Luca, bedtime"
"LUCA, BEDTIME!"
"What is it Daddy?"
"IT'S BEDTIME LUCA!"
"Daddy, come here, we play dinosaurs now..."
And so on - I think you get the picture.
**Useless fact of the day - Bedtime is a parenting process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood... tradition in the West that involves, to a greater or lesser extent, rituals made to help children feel more secure, and become accustomed to a comparatively more rigid schedule of sleep than they would quite often prefer. It may involve stories, songs, nursery rhymes, and/or methods of coaxing the children into changing into their pyjamas**
I know, that's my worst useless fact ever
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Grumpy Old Man
Still struggling to shake off the after effects of this bug I've been carrying. Indeed I even took a day off work on Tuesday to recuperate. In the end, however, I felt a bit of a phoney as as the day went along I decided I didn't feel quite ill enough for a "duvet day" - but as Carole had set a series of "Raiders Of the Lost Ark" esque traps throughout the house to make sure I stayed home I wasn't left with much of a choice.
I think Liz was a little perturbed to have to put up with looking after two gurning babies as well.
Yes, Luca took the day off nursery too in order to spend a little time with his Grandma. As I lay in bed I listened to the sounds Liz was enjoying throughout the day such as:-
"Luca do it!"
"Luca want it - give it to me"
"Luca watch telly now, go get me chocolate Grandma"
And of course his absolute favourite word, which he uses at least once every sentence:-
"No"
He's a treasure isn't he?
I digress, he's great - but he can be a little awkward and rambunctious right now. Poor Grandma's had a crash course in dealing with his ever increasing complexities but to be fair has coped admirably.
Luca loves being around her too. Despite generally enjoying a 3 hour sleep every afternoon he instead decided that this wasn't required on Tuesday. And he used his "tricks" to avoid his kip.....
After Grandma put him to bed he stayed there for a short while playing with his teddy's ("Iggle Piggle's fighting Dolphin!") before quietly crawling out and sneaking through to Dad's bedroom to tell me he's "Had a nice sleep Daddy".
Playing one off the other - that's Luca's favourite and most successful trick......
Last night Carole and I took advantage of Grandma's presence to head out to the cinema, this time to see the disaster movie "2012". It was without doubt Caroles favourite film in some time as we watched the world collapse in front of us (albeit in surprisingly effective CGI). I have to admit that it was quite gripping, even to the extent where you found yourself lifting your feet off the ground as cracks appeared in the earths crust on the screen.
I had a big meeting at work yesterday with various management about 2010, and gratifyingly it looks like we're going to continue bucking the recession's trend. With a number of contracts already lined up and in place all that's needed now is for me to make sure the operational staff are equipped enough to handle it before saying "go". Good news and a welcome filip as an unpredictable financial year reaches it's conclusion.
Liz goes home tomorrow - a shame, has it been a week? - so after which Carole and I will start the coundown to Christmas. Although from Luca's point of view it already has as his Christmas Calendar is opened with gusto each morning. "More chocolate for Luca!"
We bought a new Christmas tree last weekend to replace our old tree (which was so old it was starting to molt and wither - despite being plastic.....). Indeed it's even older than old Isis, the ageing pooch who's farts can clear a building quicker than tear gas.
We'll erect it this weekend (stop that sniggering in the back of the class Jenkins) and put a few decorations up too. Though with a toddler, a clumsy big wolf and manic pup we're fully expecting a little damage, chaos and tears.
Though what would Christmas be without these?
**Useless fact of the day - After reading Kelly's blog, where she "mentioned" the fact she was sspending Christmas at the idyllic "Mission Beach". As such, I've poured myself into research to find something bad about it. However, the worst thing I've found is one visitor's quote which reads as follows:-
""Not too bad, but there's not a great deal to do, particularly if the weather is bad""
Yep, the best (worst?) I could find is one indifferent opinion.**
I think Liz was a little perturbed to have to put up with looking after two gurning babies as well.
Yes, Luca took the day off nursery too in order to spend a little time with his Grandma. As I lay in bed I listened to the sounds Liz was enjoying throughout the day such as:-
"Luca do it!"
"Luca want it - give it to me"
"Luca watch telly now, go get me chocolate Grandma"
And of course his absolute favourite word, which he uses at least once every sentence:-
"No"
He's a treasure isn't he?
I digress, he's great - but he can be a little awkward and rambunctious right now. Poor Grandma's had a crash course in dealing with his ever increasing complexities but to be fair has coped admirably.
Luca loves being around her too. Despite generally enjoying a 3 hour sleep every afternoon he instead decided that this wasn't required on Tuesday. And he used his "tricks" to avoid his kip.....
After Grandma put him to bed he stayed there for a short while playing with his teddy's ("Iggle Piggle's fighting Dolphin!") before quietly crawling out and sneaking through to Dad's bedroom to tell me he's "Had a nice sleep Daddy".
Playing one off the other - that's Luca's favourite and most successful trick......
Last night Carole and I took advantage of Grandma's presence to head out to the cinema, this time to see the disaster movie "2012". It was without doubt Caroles favourite film in some time as we watched the world collapse in front of us (albeit in surprisingly effective CGI). I have to admit that it was quite gripping, even to the extent where you found yourself lifting your feet off the ground as cracks appeared in the earths crust on the screen.
I had a big meeting at work yesterday with various management about 2010, and gratifyingly it looks like we're going to continue bucking the recession's trend. With a number of contracts already lined up and in place all that's needed now is for me to make sure the operational staff are equipped enough to handle it before saying "go". Good news and a welcome filip as an unpredictable financial year reaches it's conclusion.
Liz goes home tomorrow - a shame, has it been a week? - so after which Carole and I will start the coundown to Christmas. Although from Luca's point of view it already has as his Christmas Calendar is opened with gusto each morning. "More chocolate for Luca!"
We bought a new Christmas tree last weekend to replace our old tree (which was so old it was starting to molt and wither - despite being plastic.....). Indeed it's even older than old Isis, the ageing pooch who's farts can clear a building quicker than tear gas.
We'll erect it this weekend (stop that sniggering in the back of the class Jenkins) and put a few decorations up too. Though with a toddler, a clumsy big wolf and manic pup we're fully expecting a little damage, chaos and tears.
Though what would Christmas be without these?
**Useless fact of the day - After reading Kelly's blog, where she "mentioned" the fact she was sspending Christmas at the idyllic "Mission Beach". As such, I've poured myself into research to find something bad about it. However, the worst thing I've found is one visitor's quote which reads as follows:-
""Not too bad, but there's not a great deal to do, particularly if the weather is bad""
Yep, the best (worst?) I could find is one indifferent opinion.**
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)