New Year

A Happy New Year to both my readers...

We had a great New Year: a counter-cultural family came to stay (as they do every new year) and so we went for lots of walks in the day time and played lots of games as the evenings drew in, as well as musical and dramatic entertainment from the kids.

This year's show was Peter Pan, including the adaptation of a current hit (originally by Elton John) for the Crocodile (played by Goldie decorated with green tinsel) which began:

It's a little bit funny - this ticking inside...

And as they are a Catholic family too, they came to Mass, joined in saying prayers and so on. As ever, what we strive for is that mix of Faith and Fun: it seems to be a winning combination.

Making our own entertainment

Having no TV, and with these long winter evenings, the kids get adept at providing entertainment for themselves and us. With visitors, they really go to town.

So every New Year's Eve they do a show, written in rhyming couplets, by one of the dads, with - traditionally - very strained rhymes, with lots of dressing up and songs.

This year, we were treated to Harry Potter The Musical: all seven books in one fifteen minute performance. The songs included (to the tune of America from West Side Story):

That rotter Snape has killed Dumbledore!
What did the Draco boy stumble for?
And what did Dumbledore mumble for?
Now there is no Albus Dumbledore!

I liked the way he was so kind.
I liked his razor sharp clear mind.
I liked his humour and weird speech
I liked the fact that he didn’t teach!

We all remember our Dumbledore!
What was that wizard so humble for?
What did he take that big tumble for?
Now there is no Albus Dimbledore!

and (to the tune of Singin’ in the Rain)

I’m reelin’ from the pain
Just reelin’ from the pain
What a horrible feeling
I’m wounded again
I’m just like the clouds
So dark up above
The pain’s in my heart
And I’m empty of love
Let the evil spells chase
Every one from the place
Come on with the pain,
I’ve a frown on my face
I’ll limp down the lane
To a tragic refrain
Just reelin’
and wailin’ from the pain...

Goldie played both Fluffy ( a three headed dog - so she had two ballons attached) and a Hippogriff (with some gold wings from the dressing up box) and the kids were even more imaginative when it came to their own costumes. A splendid time was had by all, from the 7 year-old to the 18 year old... (not to mention the audience, ranging up to 85 years old!)

New Year

We had some counter cultural friends to stay over for a couple of days to see in the New Year with us. All the kids (seven) were done up in leather armour with wooden swords for most of the walks... It was a great sight to see them skating about on a frozen pond in all their kit! Other more responsible parents were at the edge of the pond, warning their children how dangerous it was going to be when the ice cracked, We tested the ice and then let the kids run riot on it. (We did have a rope, space blanket etc in the rucksack just in case, but were confident with the ice several inches thick that we wouldn't need it).

Back at home we played charades, and other similar games which all could join in with, and once the smaller kids were in bed, taught Ant and Bernie how to play bridge, which they both enjoyed.

It's always good having other Catholic families to stay, as they join in with family prayers, grace before meals and so on, which is good for their kids and ours, in terms of making it demonstrably a normal thing for fun people to do...

New Year

We were invited to stay with another counter-cultural family over New Year. They too have no TV (always a good indicator!) and do things a little differently. So when we arrived we found that they had set up a Quest in the woods behind their cottage. Our kids had been asked to bring Elven gear so came kitted out in cloaks etc, and were presented with beautifully made scabbards, daggers, swords pouches etc. Then all the children (our four plus our hosts’ three,) along with my wfe and I and two dogs set off on the Quest. This involved following a number of clues through the woods and undertaking various challenges, in order to collect the three essential whatever-they-weres. The challenges including swinging on ropes, walking on logs, going over or under fallen trees, following a rope trail blindfolded and so on.

It was a huge success, and got all the kids enthused about a long walk in the woods on a wet and windy afternoon, when they should have been watching commercials on telly...

Later our kids performed their traditional New Year’s Show (this year it was Snow White) with a tasteless script and songs set to tunes all the kids know (eg: (To the tune of Silent Night) Apples for sale, Apples for sale, Red and sweet, Such a treat. Don’t open your door, I don’t need to come in, Just open the window, I’ll pass you one in. Red and juicy sweet apples - Juicy sweet apples for sale.) Again this was a lot of fun for all.

What’s heartening is that our 16 and 13 year old daughters both enter into all of this with great enthusiasm for the benefit of the younger kids - neither of them are embarrassed or reticent about wandering through the woods in the rain in elven cloaks with younger kids, singing silly songs, dressing up, etc etc.