Something new for me!

Today we did something pretty radical (for us!) We signed up for a family 'Slice card' - which entitles us to unlimited use of many Oxford pools - and, perhaps more importantly beautiful new gym at the local leisure centre.

Robin has already had his induction and I am signed up for mine in the morning - we're also intending to take the kids swimming as much as we can over the Christmas break to get them more water confident.

Hopefully this will have great health benefits for all of us, here's to a trimmer 2006!

Important Announcement

For Nicky G, Carla S, Heidi, Anni, Mum, Abi in particular...... I saw this information on a sign being put up in the Westgate shopping centre.....

New Primark Superstore Opens 9am Thursday 9th February 2006

May well see some of you there........

(I had taken a picture of the sign intending to just post that - but as I have only just inherited the camera phone from Robin I have not yet figured out to get the image off the phone! D'uh!)

The tree.

As I was feeling so Christmassy I thought I'd quickly pop a piccie of our tree on the old blog.

The decorations are not evenly spaced, and some are on the floor, and the Christmas cookies are disappearing fast... It's a well loved family tree!

Last few days of term......

It's the last few days of school before the Christmas holiday's, and things are hotting up...

This week we've had 2 Christmas plays, Christmas lunch, loads of lovely Christmas crafts - and Joy still has a Roman feast to come!

It jogged my memory and made me think a bit about how I felt when I was Joy's age, this time before Christmas was so exciting at school, and I really enjoyed the activities like making snowflakes, calendars, rehearsing for plays.....

This year Elias too has been doing similar things in Nursery - I particularly like the reindeer above (aw cute!) I suspect that Joy will start bringing home her craft things in the next couple of days!

So Elias finishes tomorrow afternoon, and Joy finishes on Friday afternoon, and that's it for school until next year! (Scary thought!)

Nikki's Seven things......

I should really be doing important house work - but have chosen to be distracted by Heidi's last post, and, at her request do my 7 things........

Seven things to do before I die.
1. Learn to scuba dive
2. Go blonde (??? not entirely sure on this one!)
3. Go to the weddings of my children
4. Spend a few months getting lost in America
5. Have a novel published (preferably successful too!)
6. Own a hot tub
7. Have a home of our own to enjoy with our friends and family

Seven things I cannot do.
1. Sit ups
2. Sit down in a messy room without tidying it up
3. Maths
4. Run
5. Say no to a roast meal.
6. Bake a cake that rises properly
7. Play any instrument well!

Seven things that attract me to my husband.
1. He is handsome
2. His amazing technical skills
3. His commitment to me and our family
4. He believes in the same things I do
5. His love of books and film
6. His barmy sense of humor
7. His ability to think 'outside the box' to solve problems

Seven Things I say the most.
1. What the????!!!!
2. It can't be time to get up already!
3. Honey.......
4. You're being a bit of a doo-dah
5. I love you
6. Sit up! (to the table that is!)
7. We're going to be late!!!!

Seven books I love.
1. Frank Peretti - This Present Darkness
2. The Message - Eugene Peterson
3. The (cold) Winter Bear
4. Real Fast Food - Nigel Slater
5. Guess How Much I love You
6. All the Narnia books
7. Calvin & Hobbes

Seven Movies I watch over and over again
1. Ocean's Eleven
2. While You were sleeping
3. The Incredibles
4. Pay it Forward
5. The Fifth Element
6. Gosford Park
7. 24 (sorry, a bit of a cheat here!)

Seven People I'd like to join in too........
1. My Robin
2. Anni
3. Nicky
4. Titi
5. Abi
6. Antony & Sarah
7. My Mum

Warning.
This is harder, and more time consuming than you think it's going to be, plus, I am guessing there are far more appropriate answers that will come to me once I've published this! Still, it's a bit fun!

'Tis the season... to be stuck at home with a cold.

Well, it's December the third, a special day as it's my sister's birthday (Happy Birthday Anni! I hope you don't mind me using your picture!) I hope she has had a lovely day. I thought this picture of you was suitably stylish and Parisien to use!

We bought a Christmas tree and have been decorating it and making Christmas cookies. We have a twinkly, cinnamon smelling house... aaaah!

Sounds great until you factor in the cold that is making me SUFFER just now - my nose is sore and runny, my throat is sore (as is most of my upper airway) and my head feels like it's full of cotton wool - making it almost impossible to think straight. I am enjoying a brief time without a dull headache which has been with me since Thursday. And don't get me started on the sneezing......

But I am not the only one - just about every person I have talked to this week has one or more family member under the weather - I've never talked to so many croaky people! My hope is that this will clear up soon, and we'll all be well enough to enjoy the run up to Christmas in full health.

I can enjoy the lovely tree though, as I'm finding the need to sit down a whole lot more than usual - what a fabulous consolation. (and I must have used a LOT of cinnamon and ginger in the cookies as I can actually smell them!)