A (grown-up) Child's Christmas in Wales
Dec. 27th, 2008 11:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
supertinksBack from our flying visit to Wales. I am currently cold, and a little bit hungry, and tired and I have a headache. So thats not great. But I've had a lovely few days.
Christmas Day was spent being lazy and decadent here in Reading. Jamie and I drank Buck's Fizz all day, starting rather lazily when we got up at half ten or so. Croissants and jam for breakfast, then lots of grazing on chocolates and things through till dinner, which was a massively filling duck roast with all the Christmas trimmings. There was FAR to much food, and Jamie and I abandoned all hope of pudding, opting instead to collapse in front of the telly and watch the Dr Who Xmas special, and the Strictly Come Dancing Xmas Special. Haven't seen Wallace and Gromit yet, as we had it recorded but by the time we'd eaten (we didnt sit down to eat till 9pm) and watched the other two, we were pretty tired and still full of food, so we went upstairs and lay in bed talking for a while, and fussing Mr Fidget, before going to sleep.
Boxing Day we got up fairly sensibly (well, I got up at 9am, left Jamie in bed), I dyed my hair red and then started sorting the last minute packing and finishing off wrapping presents etc for the trip to Wales. We put loads of food down for Fidget, but were kind of concerned that with the leaving of the window open for Fidget to get in and out, Crotchspider would have free reign to come in and out and steal all the food.
The drive down to Wales was nightmarish, because although the roads were clear and we were making good time, the sun was at entirely the wrong height (yeah, I know, driving west in the afternoon in midwinter is not clever), so there was much silliness as we tried to keep the sun out of each other's eyes when it was our turn to drive (Jamie did the first stint, from the house to Leigh Delamere services, I then drove from LD to Sarn Park services in Bridgend, and Jamie did the last leg from SP to his parents house in Loughor). Why is it when you are driving into the sun like that, you're always at the angle so the sun is streaming in the front window inbetween the sunshade and the rear view mirror?
Finally arrived, Jamie did a crazy parking thing with the Ka on his parents front drive (which is an almost vertical slope - but Stuart's car was in the back drive so we had to squeeze our car in next to Jamie's mum's car). Chilled out for the afternoon/evening, got fed lots of food. Had lots of fun playing with Bo and Rosco, who are still adorable, still growing, getting a bit podgy to be honest, but they've still got a lot of growing to do. No new photos of them this time, because they haven't really changed much since last time, and I didnt have my camera with me. Rosco was more chilled out, and less skittish, so I guess its just a once-he's-used-to-you thing. Jamie had lots of massive cuddles with him on the bed, anyway, so he's still super-friendly.
We mostly didn't do very much, watched TV, chatted, played with the cats. Jamie and I went for a lovely walk down by the river today, just to get Jamie out of the house for half an hour so his dust allergy could calm down a bit. It was very bracing! There were loads of cute dogs though, the kind of dogs that run up to you all happy and bouncy and demanding to be fussed. There was one in particular, some sort of labrador cross I think, called Shadow, who was having a ball thrown for him into the estuary, and he was coated in mud. He kept bringing the ball to us, instead of to his owner, so in the end we were throwing the ball for him as well! I think I'd like to have a dog one day (not with Mr Fidget of course).
We left Jamie's parent's at about 4pm, to go to the rugby. Ospreys v Scarlets. Jamie's parents were going to come with us, but it was so cold they decided not to come, as they are still recovering from the 'flu thing that's going around. So we went on our own. It was very cold, and the game wasn't as exciting as it could have been. Plus the Scarlets lost, so I was mildly grumpy for a little while. I don't like it when Jamie and I have to take opposite sides. One highlight was at half time, when some bloke was hauled out onto the field under the pretense of having won a competition, but it was really a plot to get him on the field so he could propose to his girlfriend infront of 20,000 screaming rugby fans. She said yes. It was lovely.
Game finished at about half seven, we were parked just across the road. Took us half an hour to get back to the motorway, where I estimated we would be home by 10.30. Jamie drove the first bit, but had to stop earlier than planned as his knee was giving him gyp. So we switched over at Cardiff West services, and I drove the rest of the way, stopping only to get petrol at LD. My prediction was accurate, we got hom just after half ten. Spoke to Jamie's parents on the phone, and now we've collapsed in front of the telly.
Fidget was amazingly over-excited to see us. Because I had to unlock two locks on the door, it took me longer than usual to get inside. When I finally got the door open, Fidget was waiting for me right behind it - I almost hit him with the door! He was crazy hungry, so I put food down before going outside again to help Jamie empty the car. Came back in, I put the kettle on and sorted out getting headache pills out and things, while Jamie took the bikes back outside (As we'd just left them in the bathroom/kitchen before we left yesterday). Fidget was eating in the kitchen, I'd already closed the window to the outside, and the door to the hall was shut. I look up, and who do I see in the dining room, but Crotchspider? So I'm standing in the kitchen, shouting "where did you come from! how did you get there!" while Jamie's coming back in from outside all confused. It was very funny. We kicked him out, and went looking for where he'd been. The armchair in the living room, with Jamie's jumper and Fidget's blanket over it, was warm, so we assume he'd been curled up asleep there. Funny thing is, I'd already been in there, turned on the light and put my laptop down, gone right into the room. And I hadn't seen him!
Fidget didn't seem surprised to see him, so I'm not sure if he knew he was there or not! But it makes it harder to know what to do about him.
Christmas Day was spent being lazy and decadent here in Reading. Jamie and I drank Buck's Fizz all day, starting rather lazily when we got up at half ten or so. Croissants and jam for breakfast, then lots of grazing on chocolates and things through till dinner, which was a massively filling duck roast with all the Christmas trimmings. There was FAR to much food, and Jamie and I abandoned all hope of pudding, opting instead to collapse in front of the telly and watch the Dr Who Xmas special, and the Strictly Come Dancing Xmas Special. Haven't seen Wallace and Gromit yet, as we had it recorded but by the time we'd eaten (we didnt sit down to eat till 9pm) and watched the other two, we were pretty tired and still full of food, so we went upstairs and lay in bed talking for a while, and fussing Mr Fidget, before going to sleep.
Boxing Day we got up fairly sensibly (well, I got up at 9am, left Jamie in bed), I dyed my hair red and then started sorting the last minute packing and finishing off wrapping presents etc for the trip to Wales. We put loads of food down for Fidget, but were kind of concerned that with the leaving of the window open for Fidget to get in and out, Crotchspider would have free reign to come in and out and steal all the food.
The drive down to Wales was nightmarish, because although the roads were clear and we were making good time, the sun was at entirely the wrong height (yeah, I know, driving west in the afternoon in midwinter is not clever), so there was much silliness as we tried to keep the sun out of each other's eyes when it was our turn to drive (Jamie did the first stint, from the house to Leigh Delamere services, I then drove from LD to Sarn Park services in Bridgend, and Jamie did the last leg from SP to his parents house in Loughor). Why is it when you are driving into the sun like that, you're always at the angle so the sun is streaming in the front window inbetween the sunshade and the rear view mirror?
Finally arrived, Jamie did a crazy parking thing with the Ka on his parents front drive (which is an almost vertical slope - but Stuart's car was in the back drive so we had to squeeze our car in next to Jamie's mum's car). Chilled out for the afternoon/evening, got fed lots of food. Had lots of fun playing with Bo and Rosco, who are still adorable, still growing, getting a bit podgy to be honest, but they've still got a lot of growing to do. No new photos of them this time, because they haven't really changed much since last time, and I didnt have my camera with me. Rosco was more chilled out, and less skittish, so I guess its just a once-he's-used-to-you thing. Jamie had lots of massive cuddles with him on the bed, anyway, so he's still super-friendly.
We mostly didn't do very much, watched TV, chatted, played with the cats. Jamie and I went for a lovely walk down by the river today, just to get Jamie out of the house for half an hour so his dust allergy could calm down a bit. It was very bracing! There were loads of cute dogs though, the kind of dogs that run up to you all happy and bouncy and demanding to be fussed. There was one in particular, some sort of labrador cross I think, called Shadow, who was having a ball thrown for him into the estuary, and he was coated in mud. He kept bringing the ball to us, instead of to his owner, so in the end we were throwing the ball for him as well! I think I'd like to have a dog one day (not with Mr Fidget of course).
We left Jamie's parent's at about 4pm, to go to the rugby. Ospreys v Scarlets. Jamie's parents were going to come with us, but it was so cold they decided not to come, as they are still recovering from the 'flu thing that's going around. So we went on our own. It was very cold, and the game wasn't as exciting as it could have been. Plus the Scarlets lost, so I was mildly grumpy for a little while. I don't like it when Jamie and I have to take opposite sides. One highlight was at half time, when some bloke was hauled out onto the field under the pretense of having won a competition, but it was really a plot to get him on the field so he could propose to his girlfriend infront of 20,000 screaming rugby fans. She said yes. It was lovely.
Game finished at about half seven, we were parked just across the road. Took us half an hour to get back to the motorway, where I estimated we would be home by 10.30. Jamie drove the first bit, but had to stop earlier than planned as his knee was giving him gyp. So we switched over at Cardiff West services, and I drove the rest of the way, stopping only to get petrol at LD. My prediction was accurate, we got hom just after half ten. Spoke to Jamie's parents on the phone, and now we've collapsed in front of the telly.
Fidget was amazingly over-excited to see us. Because I had to unlock two locks on the door, it took me longer than usual to get inside. When I finally got the door open, Fidget was waiting for me right behind it - I almost hit him with the door! He was crazy hungry, so I put food down before going outside again to help Jamie empty the car. Came back in, I put the kettle on and sorted out getting headache pills out and things, while Jamie took the bikes back outside (As we'd just left them in the bathroom/kitchen before we left yesterday). Fidget was eating in the kitchen, I'd already closed the window to the outside, and the door to the hall was shut. I look up, and who do I see in the dining room, but Crotchspider? So I'm standing in the kitchen, shouting "where did you come from! how did you get there!" while Jamie's coming back in from outside all confused. It was very funny. We kicked him out, and went looking for where he'd been. The armchair in the living room, with Jamie's jumper and Fidget's blanket over it, was warm, so we assume he'd been curled up asleep there. Funny thing is, I'd already been in there, turned on the light and put my laptop down, gone right into the room. And I hadn't seen him!
Fidget didn't seem surprised to see him, so I'm not sure if he knew he was there or not! But it makes it harder to know what to do about him.
