My brother bought a killer tennis table top

Christmas Day went relatively well. Had mum and Dad round for Christmas lunner (like brunch but later .. lunch /dinner) and the siblings turned up for dessert and exchanging of presents. Some good ones this year deserve mention. We got Dejenari her favourite Bollywood idol so she could cozy up to him in bed and got Dad a nestbox with colour camera so next time the bluetits decide to nest, he can peek in on them without disturbing them. Zoo now has more toys than ever, so much so that I have put a ban on him receiving anymore. Clothes, shoes or money will be gratefully received instead!

I think Dad may have wished for the same as he spent the evening telling us that he was going to return all our expensive gifts. Goliath bought him a huge table tennis tabletop that took up most of the front room and that wouldn't fit in his car. He asked whether we could hold it temporarily so we pushed it to one side and continued with our festivities until Dad shouted out and we turned to watch Zoo trying to climb up the blasted thing only to pull it over onto himself. I had visions of us spending the rest of Christmas Day in A&E. He was saved by both parents rushing to his rescue and a well placed highchair. Nonetheless we checked him over for any broken bones or bruises ... He was a bit spooked but otherwise not a single scratch!

Once the panic was over, everyone laughed at the fact that we were getting left with the killer table tennis table. Suffice to say I insisted that it was placed outside in the garden shed just in case it decided, vampire motorcycle style, to kill us in our sleep!

Storm Chasers

After commenting on how wonderfully mild the weather has been and the fact that our winter is nowhere in sight as the trees still have their autumn colours, I was surprised that the weather took a turn for the worse. Torrential rain and gales are currently the norm. The cats hate it ... they dash out first thing in the morning, dig around, do the neccessaries and dash back in as fast as they can, spending the rest of the day looking mournfully out the window.

Last Saturday night the gusts managed to blow off part of the roof and most of the garden fence too. The sky was blood red whilst driving to work on Monday morning and I wondered whether the "Red sky in the morning, shepherds warning; red sky at night, shepherds delight" phrase would prove correct. Tuesday started off as usual, cats dash out, cats dash in, watch the rain batter the windows. The weather seemed to lighten up with hints of sunshine about half past ten. I opened the door to let the cats out, but they were obviously not going to be conned by a mere ray of sunlight.

Cream shoud have heeded their warning, animal instincts are notoriously accurate. However he decided to brave it and make a journey to the shops. Within two minutes of his leaving the rain started again. Another two minutes and black clouds gathered and the heavens opened. Then I heard an almight crash of thunder, the house shook, the cats raan under the bed and Zoo woke up from his morning nap screaming.

Cream returned to the house drenched but not quite drowned. He should consider himself lucky though as just three miles down the road a tornado had landed!!

One Year On

Can't believe it's been a year!! To celebrate decided to take Zoo and Mujnu down to Topsy Turvey at Brent Cross (an indoor soft play area). It was great fun, the grandparents came too and watched the kids playing together and the place was so big that the adults could go into the ball pits and clamber through tunnels too. The only restriction was in relation to the slides but after watching three adults come sliding down them, Cream and I decided to go for it too! We were both sweating within minutes ... it was cheaper and better than going to the gym. My only concern was at one point when Mujnu decided to climb up a zig-zagging staircase and I was sure that I would get stuck half way. To my relief I must have lost a stone running around and manged to squeeze through.