Another one bites the dust

I last saw daughter number one outside the place where the family had spent the three days of Christmas on a self-catering basis. We can’t do the twelve days of Christmas. Let’s face it, can any family? Aged parents had made a speedy getaway with the man-child and pal; I was trying to work out what the knocking noise was in my car and said daughter was screaming at the grandchildren because the dog was trying to eat the hamster. The hamster wasn’t a Christmas present: they just brought it with them on holiday. Forgot to bring any food for it which defeated the object of leaving it at home to starve. Daughter number one had also forgotten to bring any underwear for herself or any clothes at all for her daughter. Man-child had forgotten a change of socks and I forgot to retrieve the pudding wine from the fridge on the occasion of any puddings.

Lots of snowy walks across fields took place……..one of the best reasons for going somewhere in the middle of nowhere. For many of us, myself included, it was the first white Christmas in our lives. The little dog laughed to see such fun and finally learned, probably from exhaustion, that sleeping on settees was forbidden. Beds are an exception to the rule: having risen at a ridiculous hour to do something or other, I returned au lit and woke again at sensible-o-clock to find him asleep at the end of the bed. The weak but determined sun shone across the Arne peninsula, the snow was pockmarked with the prints of giant rabbits and Santa’s Sika and there was a fracas in the kitchen on Christmas morning.

An everlasting game of Monopoly caused boredom and friction and excitement in no particular order. One Christmas quiz was well-received; the second provoked cries of derision from the younger generations, being largely concerned with ye olde Morecombe and Wise questions. The Beetle game was derided for not utilising traditional pen and paper and all the plastic beetles fell to pieces. The person who received an electronic Keyboard was unable to play it due to an incompatible plug……..probably a great blessing to everyone else and we all received far more lovely gifts than we deserved.

Cocooned in the best of Dorset’s landscape, we were warm and well-fed and watered. We still have Christmas money to spend, book-tokens to exchange and 85 episodes of the Sopranos box set to watch. Some have a show to attend, others are off to the panto and numerous tomes await perusal. Three loads of washing are complete and man-child and I have ordered a take-away curry. Lovely family Christmas. Thank-you G & G.