Let's start with this fantastic picture...
This is the only picture we got from joining in on our friends' family tradition of going up Cronk ny Arrey Laa on the shortest day of the year. Needless to say, doing it after work, it was dark. It was very nice though - a nice marker of the season. Though it was rather too scary for us all when those ahead on the walk lay down and then effectively leapt out on us - terrifying!
We're already booked in for the longest day of the year, when we imagine that the ascent will be somewhat different!
After that all-too-exciting opening picture, we move onto the rather horrifying ones of Orry's foot and mouth:
This did not go well. The first night it came on was horrible, with Orry wailing in frustrated agony at achieving neither a relief from his itching nor sleep. He would flinch about in the bed, in an agony of tired pain. Of course, this was our bed, so Cori got as good as no sleep that night. (I am generally unwanted by poorly children, so I tend to end just being ejected from the bad to make space for them - such is the dad's life).
Orry was ok after the initial horror of it though, and he was then just a diseased-looking child, happy enough.
But we've jumped the gun a bit, as here is Orry & Finn before the pox hit, looking very cool:
You know from their trolley-pulling that we're heading off towards the shop for the weekly grocery shop. It's done by me, Finn and Orry, in a task which they quite enjoy, strangely. It's rewarding to take them to do it, even for its occasional blips, as the admiration that the boys get for being 'such good boys' in their task doing is lovely.
Perhaps less lovely is Orry's whim to now always want to door open when having a poo, when he'll then try and keep you there chatting to him as he does his thing. Not the most pleasant of occupations for the rest of us!
A terrible double-leg injury fixed by the doctor - phew!
And a delighted Orry at a sign near the real hospital:
Sometimes in the morning we run out of time, or we fail to have bread in for sandwiches, for Finn's lunch. Happily, working next door, this is an excuse to have the occasional happy lunch together, normally in my work kitchen, but when meetings are going on, we will take it to the public space, and eat like we're in a rather large hall of a dining room, at a tiny table:
Before moving onto the real Christmas things, it's worth reminding ourselves of the piece of Hop tu Naa that hangs outside the door yet, getting older and creepier:
I adore the thing decaying there, but Cori despises it, seeing it only for being a rotting vegetable on a string outside our front door. There's no romance in her!
Christmas, however, has heaps of romance about it...
Of course, the run in to Christmas begins with getting across to Maughold, with children wearing novelty hats and sleeping on the journey (all three is a rare treat - we didn't want to leave the car, just as they didn't when we woke them!)...
... to get to the Christingle Service - as strange and repetitive as every year, but at least it's only once a year we have to suffer having to shout out 'Santa Socks!' when the vicar works in a bad chocolate-related pun in his sermon, or arguing with Orry about his eating all the sweets off the Christingle even before he's got back to his seat - ah, traditions, the things childhood memories are made of!
And then it was home to get the kids to bed and make ready this lovely thing for them to be waking up to:
When it came to it, we forgot to prepare the children for what the expect in the morning, and we hadn't discussed it either. So it was that it was only with the final presents under the tree that we debated whether Father Christmas left the stockings downstairs in their their room, or in their beds. In the end it went to the foot of their beds (against Cori's tradition, but very much continuing the magic of the Christmas morning wake-ups that I knew as a child).
But it didn't work out perfectly, as when we woke up at 7am or so and went through to them we found that they hadn't dared open then up yet, and had merely been feeling them to try and tell what they were in excitement but awaiting permission to open them. We felt very guilty. But they had an excited time opening them up and munching something in there.
Then it was on to the present opening...
The older boys were very 'helpful' with Oshin's presents (whether he liked it or not!), but once their presents were upon them, they weren't so bothered by the baby presents, especially when they got things like Lego & books (Finn) - including this wonderful book from my own childhood (here being read at the breakfast table a little later):
Or, for the child who isn't really bothered by particular things at the moment, the genius present of a Giant Noodle:
This was something fun which Cori thought of from the kids' suggestions when she got Orry the Little Noodle for going to Legoland with. So she created the pattern and spend many a long evening cutting, sewing and stuffing.
A fine thing it came out, even though we knew that his interest in it would be limited, as he's not so into soft toys (beyond his favourite, Little Noodle), and that damn Snowy was only days into his glow of affection. But still, it was a fun thing to get him:
Another great idea of Cori's for Orry was something from her own childhood - the Saxoflute!
(Notice Orry's dancing feet there, Finn's admiration for his new Lego!)
As you might imagine, this changeable tooting instrument thingy was a massive success, with both the boys making new versions of it and tooting around the house. Very delightful/noisy/annoying.
Here is Orry demonstrating the instruments full range of notes as he accompanies Finn's singing of one of their carols from the Christmas Show - 'Nollick Ghennal erriu ooilley' (We wish you a merry Christmas):
The whole family also got a present which the boys loved - a projector:
This, again, was Cori's idea. For it to work in our home, she had to make a screen, which was a large sheet of fabric on a pole, which we hang over the alcove of the bay window. Perfect!
Oshin was a fan of the goings-on of Christmas, but he was probably more interested in his own toes than any of his particular presents!
Of course, we heading north for presents at granny's before a lovely Christmas dinner at the cousins'.
A lovely Christmas Day.
Boxing Day / St. Stephen's Day / Wren Day was, as ever, a very action-packed Manx day, with Hunt the Wren and Cammag, with music in pubs in between.
Unlike the past couple of years, we headed to Ramsey for the Manx dancing in the streets around the (mock) dead wren on a pole, which was nice, as we got to hang out Finn's friend from school:
Finn danced only the first time or so, after which he was one of the wren pole team, with his mate. By the time we got round to the Mitre, we were very glad to get in for a warm-up cup of tea and a biscuit, made all the more delightful with music, which Oshin was enthralled by:
After that, they all stayed in Ramsey as I headed off to Cammag in St. John's. Unlike last year, where the match was being played, this year the music session in the pub afterwards was being filmed, so the game was just for fun, and I successfully managed not to get my shins broken, which was good. The music was good too - a fine conclusion to a good Wren Day.
After the excitement of Christmas, we didn't do too much, other than a few little trips out, such as one I took to Glen Helen with just Orry (as others were ill or else sick of the one inclined to be naughty!):
The pictures might look delightful, but this was the trip where he declared he needed a poo, far up the glen. And so it was that Orry pooed at the side of the path in one of the Island's beautiful glens, and my hanky came out somewhat worse for wear!
We also made a rare trip to the Museum in Douglas, and made the mistake of going past the dressing-up area. Our hoped-for trip to the museum ended up being an inadvertent trip to a dressing-up place. All very fun for a bit - with a bit of joining in too - but all very dull after 10 minutes. Such are museums with areas created for children (effectively a space in the building away from the museum, which you get stuck in with kids!):
Beyond that, here is a rare picture, of Oshin sleeping after being put down after a walk out with me (hence the funny position of him) - success! - Though only for about 10 minutes...
I was out filming for work on the 27th - a tradition that involves an over-salted disgusting cake with soot and egg shells in. The people in the film sent me home with some. It was traumatising, so after a tiny bite, I took it round to a friend interested in Manx thing, but only her husband was in, who was understandably somewhat baffled by the gift!
But, to close the December blogs - at last! - here are those two boys having a lovely episode of play - just the sort of thing a Christmas holiday is made for!
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