All the Christmas parties...

After over-Christmasing earlier in the month, we've all managed to find a second wind for some Christmas party action to see us back in the mood for the big day.

I went to a work Christmas party for the first time in many years - and it was a really great laugh. Plenty of drinking and plenty of dancing - pretty much what you'd expect. It involved about half my teams and we rocked Bar Home in the Merchant City till late. But I was glad to be safely tucked up in bed way before midnight (well it started at 3.45pm), having witnessed plenty of Christmas casualties as I walked across Glasgow to the bus. Next up was Tanya for a much more sober, chilly but still joyful affair with her wild wild swimmers to celebrate the Solstice. What better way to do it than a plunge in icy water and a sing song round the fire.

Then it was the kids turn. Niomi had her first sleepover in a very long time with her friend Olive - a really big deal for her and we were delighted that it went well as she was quite nervcited in the build up. They were still awake at 12.45am though - so later than both their parents nights out. Alongside this Emily managed to negotiate us into letting her have 4 friends for a sleepover which was an equally late night of girls giggling away. House full of 8 women and me? I just hid in the bedroom.

Still, much joy has been had in the last few days before Xmas - let's hope our candle hasn't burnt down too early as there is still much joy to come with more Rookes arriving! Bring it on...

Some of the many at Bar Home

Videoclip: Winter solstice ladies night...

Or you can watch the video here

Ho ho ho - some of the girls (and me)

Santa Pasta Party

Sleepover for five...

Actually make that seven!

Christmas party Rookes

Merry Christmas...

 

Over-Christmased…

Apparently you can have too much of a good thing when it comes to Christmas. Our festive run up this year has seen some Christmas casualties when it’s all got a bit much. The girls have been a little frazzled at times – combination of an end of what is a 4 month school term in Scotland (Emily’s knackered), elf nonsense (they’ve been sent back to Santa for freaking Niomi out), and concerts, parties, Christmas events galore have meant that at times we’ve had to keep things more low key. I mean I love Christmas, but it is a kind of weird time of year. Everything changes and looks different, expectations and excitement levels rise every day (and year on year), sugar levels (and everything Christmas) start peaking earlier and earlier as its 'chocolate for breakfast' month, bedtimes get later and later, and, well, everything just kind of goes a bit wonky. It’s no wonder they get a bit frazzled. But even in a reduced capacity we’ve still experienced Glasgow Green’s Christmas, had stir-up Sunday, ridden the Alpine Coaster in Edinburgh, met up with Ly for my birthday, had a daddy/daughter day out to a slightly sinister Beauty and the Beast, and listened, danced, and sung to endless Christmas classics so it’s acutally not been too low key at all.

And if Christmas wasn’t enough, my personal frustration with the world at the moment is our seeming obsession with being timetabled and booked into slots. This year just seems to have entailed timed slots for everything we want to do and not enough slots to do everything we want. The latest bookable nightmare appears to be Emily’s parents evening when we tried booking 36 hours after it opened and failed to get an appointment for English, Chemistry, Physics, Geography, Design/Tech, History and Modern Studies. I mean this wasn’t tickets for Oasis we were booking – this was parents evening – but apparently there’s not enough slots. If I’d known that all parents had to line up at the school gates and race, with the last one to get to a teacher missing out, I’d have put my trainers on. Honestly at times the world appears to want to schedule me out of existence – its ridiculous. Want happened to spontaneity and flexibility. Rant over.

Ho, ho, ho and carry on.

Videoclip: Christmastreetastic...

Or you can watch the video here

Christmas fairy

And more fairies on the ferris wheel at Glasgow Green

Ready for the school concert

The Alpine Coaster

Over-Christmased

Birthday love

The Birthday Crew