The Rooke Family Blog: A frantic festive round up...

So apologies for the blogging backlog. Pre-xmas flashed by in a blur of coughs and colds and a whole heap of organisation for our house renovations which started early in January (more to come in future blogs).

So a frantic festive round up…

Early December saw me left in charge of Emily for the day whilst Mummy swanned off to a spa. The supreme being was coming down with a cold but we still managed to make the best of the start to the festive season with some balloon keepie-uppies, den building, dancing, musical statues, drawing, stop-go, colouring, tele-watching, truffle making, Christmas tree buying, sofa leaping, snoozing, curry eating at the neighbours and finally some Christmas lights switch on watching. Phew, what a day! I was exhausted, as was Emily thank goodness.

Truffle making

Sofa leaping

Snoozing through Christmas tree buying

The Great Kirky Lights Switch On

Next up was an attempted surprise trip to celebrate my brother’s 50th birthday. Storm Desmond had other plans however and, after getting up ridiculously early to start my journey by train, I arrived back home some 11 hours later having progressed not much further south than Penrith. Best laid plans and all that…

Still to cheer myself up I decreed that the Christmas tree could be put up a week early and spent my Sunday bringing Christmas to Kirkintilloch.

Train tracks or Rain tracks near Penrith?

Our first Christmas Tree in Kirky

And then the Southern Rookes appeared, with much hilarity and a lovely weekend had by all. My niece, Chloe, fresh back from her first term at Oxford was quick to pass on her new knowledge to Emily. And my brother, now fully in on his non-existent surprise birthday, was pleased that we’d managed to rearrange for February.

Chloe taught her this!

Frosty horse delight

A gathering of Rookes round the tree

Cousinly fun

And then Christmas was upon us. As I said the last few days were full of frantic home improvement planning and trips round half of Scotland picking up things bought on Gumtree, as well as a pre-Xmas gathering of all Tanya's family.

My parents then arrived and we had a lovely family Xmas. I would say it was quiet, but between more house organisation, visits to and from friends and family, last minute Christmas prep, a highly excited supreme being and the chat from the Queen of the Rookes (my mother) – it was anything but. However it was lovely spending our first Christmas in our new home. All visitors welcome next year as we’ll have a new kitchen/dining room by then.

The Gedik, Gurney and Rooke gathering

Very suspicious on Christmas Eve

Happily unwrapping amid Christmas carnage

I blame Chloe for all these faces

Oldest and youngest Rookes

Final stop on the festive tour was North Berwick for Hogmanay. With my steak pie all cooked and plans for it to be traded in for Big John’s whisky – we were off. Big John had other plans though. Personally, I think getting yourself admitted to hospital to avoid eating my food and giving your whisky away is a bit excessive. But the Big Man is never one to do things by half and so off he toddled to get some peace and quiet in hospital (don’t worry – all is fine now). Still, before he went he managed to do the annual Loonie Dook (as did T and I), and we did get to see in the New Year with Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham providing their usual set of raucous party tunes (not). God knows what other events they’d have taken over if Scotland had become independent!

Happy New Year everyone!! May 2016 treat you well...