Chickens in a box

Everytime one of the children is ill your heart sinks because you know you're on borrowed time. I think in my case my immune system is pretty much invincible because I'm exposed to germs all the time, but unfortunately Eddie is a sitting duck. Sure enough, by Friday morning he was a vomiting wreck, consigned to bed for the duration of the day while I tootled about taking the chilren to nursery/pre-school before heading off to St Martins to see if I could help out a couple of mornings a week. By mid-morning I'd secured a couple of dates to go back to school and spend more time with the children, while Eddie had managed to down a couple of Paracetamol and go back to sleep. Fortunately he rallied by the afternoon and we had a lovely evening with Richard and Sonya, so nice to relax in the luxurious surroundings of our new and improved sitting room with friends and fine wine :) A busy weekend has followed, and Eddie has been fantastic - taking Will to get all the shopping yest...

Back from a totally exhausting trip into Reading on a Christmas shopping mission. Approached with military precision we managed to get something for everyone....except James....I think a solo expedition into Hungerford may be in order. We did manage to squeeze in lunch followed by Bond and were just heading home when nursery called to say Will had been sick. Racing down the M4 we got to nursery to find him full of beans, but unfortunately it was short-lived and he proceeded to vomit everywhere on the way home and then again in bed. Heartrending. Fortunately he seems to have expelled whatever it was that was causing the sickness so here's hoping tomorrow's a better day.

Fresh from my Christmas pudding extravaganza I'm now drowning in a sea of jam jars as I finally make medlar jelly - something I've been threatening to do since we moved here. With Eddie in the US and the house buffeted by gale force winds and torrential rains there's something very comforting about pootling about in a steamy kitchen making jams and jellys. Even James likes it - happy playing on the floor with whatever he can get his hands on; mould cleaner, Domestos, Silvo, Fairy, the odd raw potato......

Both William and James are thumbsuckers, it runs in the family (and I also refused to give them dummies so they didn't have much of a choice)... They also both suck their left thumbs, although it remains to be seen whether or not either one will be left-handed - at the moment our money's on William. Rabbit and William are still inseparable and he would have to be absolutely exhausted to suck his thumb without Rabbit. James on the other hand couldn't care less and has never shown the slightest interest in any of his cuddly toys. But one thing he does do, and I've only just noticed, is that as he's sucking his them, he circles the inside of his sleeve with the fingers of his right hand. Tiny details. Completely fascinating. .