I've Just Found my 2007 Round Robin it gave me such a he he he moment I thought I should pass it on

Well here comes Christmas and I feel this year it has crept up on us with it’s fluffy socks of cosy weather and shouted it’s getting late, to give us all a fright. No autumn wind bracing you ready for the onslaught of winter, no winter sky to remind you that the season will soon be upon us, no cold starry evenings to hold a mug of hot chocolate and bask in the glow of the open fire. So Humbug! I’m not ready for fun and frolics; in fact I’m not ready for anything, but to drop (Angus is teething and his teeth are slowly and laboriously breaking the skin on his swollen gums).

So what have we been up to this year? Kev built a lovely house for his sister and we hope to build one for us this year. We have been in this house for seven years and for all this time I have been planning the extension and am feeling a little miffed as they may not come to fruition. This house is feeling a little on the small side since Little Blue (Angus) arrived. Am I bothered? Am I! You bet!

Axl has taken up the guitar and drums and would love a drum kit for Christmas. Apart from the noise issue, we have a little fella who I can only equate to an octopus on speed and as my monster from the deep will have to share his big brothers bedroom in the New Year, a drum kit fills me with horror. Just imagine a twenty month old, dear little devil that loves sound, hitting, bashing and climbing, he’d be standing through the base drum wearing the hat symbol like a halo with a blink of an eye. You think I jest? Oh! I kid you not!

We went to London with some friends and in my infinite wisdom, when we got to the Aquarium, I let my very own monster of the deep out to explore. I was prepared for a dash and a sprint but what I was not prepared for was the games of peek-a-boo with the veils of the Muslim ladies. They, it has to be said took it with a pinch of fun, I on the other hand didn’t know what to do or say, I just went rather red. I added this to my ever-growing list of "to be aware offs". Then he held a hand of a man dressed in a caftan (long dress robe thing). He was just too quick, though I could see what he was trying to make sense of, a man in a dress, whys that then? But I couldn’t get there before he lifted up the man's gown (thank god it was not a Scotsman kilt) and he was immediately reassured the world had not gone completely mad, he had trousers on underneath. Angus shrugged his solders and cheerfully babbled his way to the shark tank, while the man bemused, smiled after him and not quite believing such a small lad was quite so forward. Looking around to see whom he belonged to his eyes befell on mine, I tried my best to look apologetic but I feel quite certain I looked contorted and in pain. I’m a mother get me out of here!

Ellarose is the apple of her fathers’ eyes and growing into a young lady. At times she is wise beyond her years but out of the blue throws a wobbly to prepare us for the teenage years. We have now been in training for several years so I should feel confident that I have enough grounding to take the horrible hormone era in my stride. Alas I feel wholly inadequate and only hope we all live through it, sanity intact. Shopping with her is a pure joy, a little one sided on odd times and always expensive.

We managed to acquire eight tortoises and one decided to lay four eggs that we are now incubating and they should hatch anytime now, but as I’ve been saying that for the last month or so, so its anyone’s guess to when they decide to honour us with their presence.

One of the adult ones, Tornado (we did not name them) originally came from Tunisia and is now in her sixties and had to have an op to remove a cyst on her leg. I now find myself force feeding her; as she wants to hibernate, and bathing her once a day to keep her warm and her skin healthy.
It’s not easy to force feed a tortoise you know, they are strong critters and as stubborn as a mule. It’s a good job I like a challenge and am more stubborn than any bad tempered mule or Testudo (name of type of tortoise). Now I knew that there would be more to looking after them than just shoving them in a box once a year to hibernate, but I didn’t bank on all the conflicting advice you can get, and how much of it there is. We are slowly getting to grips with their environmental needs, which are a weedy garden, something to climb and chalk to nibble and a house to live in. We had so much fun over the summer months bathing them, watching these prehistoric animals trundling along in our garden and playing hide and seek. We found to our cost that they move faster than you think, keeping us on our toes.

Fred is the worst escape artist; he wedges himself between the boarding to keep them in and the door of the greenhouse. He pushes against the door managing to derail the wheel at the top that the door hangs on and makes good his escape to a nice lump of ground and digs in for the winter. I would love to let them go native and hibernate in the garden, but rats think hibernating tortoises are a tasty snack. So I have to trundle down to check on them in the morning and the evening to make sure the temperature says steady, still I do nothing to do all day.
Will close now, so my round robin doesn’t grow too fat and your boredom threshold is not pushed to the max. Much love the Rodwell clan xxxxx