It seems unbelievable that we’re in December again, and that Advent has begun in earnest. It is slightly more believable that despite having the idea of a Christmas-online-newsletter-
The year started well, with Craig getting the news just before Christmas 2011 that he had passed his final exam and (at long last) qualified as an actuary.
After a busy start to the year, Gwen and Eilidh took a trip to see Eleanor, James and Bronwen in London for a few days, before heading west to impose themselves on Auntie Lynne in Bath. That short respite proved invaluable for Gwen, when she got a call from Craig the day before she was due to come home to tell her that he’d dislocated his shoulder playing football, and therefore wouldn’t be able to offer his chauffer services to collect his girls from the airport, wouldn’t be able to help out with housework, wouldn’t be able to change nappies, etc. The accident also meant that Gwen was lumbered with Craig’s company on Saturday mornings as he was ruled out of playing football for three months.
Shortly afterwards, we were celebrating Eilidh’s second birthday with a family meal. That means she’ll be three in just over a month – where on Earth does the time go?!
A potentially life-changing event (the first of a few this year) occurred on Gwen’s birthday in March, when her present from Eilidh was adoption of Squirrel Monkeys at Monkey World in Dorset (which entitles Gwen to unlimited entry for the year).
Easter saw us head down to Lymington to spend the week with Brenda and Roger. Sadly, the weather wasn’t as warm and sunny as we had experienced the previous year, with temperatures about 10 degrees lower than the corresponding time in 2010. The wetter weather didn’t stop the fun, though, and our first visit to Monkey World proved well worth the journey from Hampshire. Eilidh was also taken by her visit to Bournemouth Aquarium, and she talked about “fishes and turtles” for weeks afterwards.
The following week saw the next life-changing event: a new phone for Gwen with easy access to email and internet. She has now been able to take multi-tasking to a new level, including sending emails and checking Facebook and BBC news whilst making a cup of coffee at work or using the bathroom…
In May, Craig experienced a day never-to-forget when, after packing Gwen and Eilidh off down to Gwen’s parents for the second time in a month, he headed west to Glasgow to see Hearts trounce Hibs 5-1 in the first all-Edinburgh Scottish Cup final since 1896 (which Hearts also won!). Craig hopes that Brenda and Roger won’t be too offended if he says it was worth missing the trip down to theirs’to be at the game and subsequent celebrations! Gwen and Eilidh managed to squeeze in another trip to Monkey World on a sun-soaked south-coast – all in all, a great few days!
Over the last year, Gwen has been working towards becoming a trainer for new GPs; she completed the course in September, so is now qualified to be let loose on the up and coming young doctors.
Our summer holiday this year was a tour of the north west coast of Scotland. Starting from Judy and Russell’s house near Kyle of Lochalsh, we went up to Laide and Gairloch, before going across to Lewis and camping for a few nights near Stornoway – it turns out that Eilidh loves her sleeping bag and camping! The weather was so good that we managed to spend a couple of gloriously sunny and hot afternoons on near-deserted beaches – quite lucky, as the rest of the UK was being drenched in heavy rain at the same time.
Over the summer, we got quite into the Olympics - Eilidh in particular was inspired by the gymnastics!
Over the summer, we got quite into the Olympics - Eilidh in particular was inspired by the gymnastics!
After the summer holidays, Craig, having been a Cub leader for 16 years felt that the time was right for a change, so is now helping out with Scouts. Most people make the transition from Cubs to Scouts when they’re 10½, so Craig doesn’t feel he’s too far behind!
In early August, we found out that we were expecting baby number 2, due in early April. All is going well, and Eilidh seems to be understanding what is going on; she is very much looking forward to the arrival of “Little One”, and we think that she’ll be a very good big sister! She certainly enjoys being around Bronwen and Kieran, her little cousins, and encouraging them to get up to mischief!
Gwen has been managing to play in a few concerts over the year, but she’s not the only one in the family to take up the performing arts. Eilidh has been going to Baby Ballet lessons since she was a few months old, and they had their first show in October. We thought she was a star in her little rabbit costume, although she refused to wear the hood of her costume– she doesn’t like wearing things on her head!
That’s about it for 2012, though still a bit of time left for fun. If you’ve made it this far (through the newsletter, or through the year, whichever way you want to take it), and even if you’ve not, we’d like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and best of luck and good fortune for a happy and prosperous 2013.
Love
Craig, Gwen, Eilidh and Little One
PS If you're in the Livingston area, we'd be more than happy to see you!
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