whooo hoooo 3 sleeps till Christmas. There's snow on the ground and I've got Christmas all wrapped up and under the tree. Turkey still in freezer - should read instructions really. Might take week to defrost in this weather. Have not driven car since last Thursday...scared of the snow. Walked all way to town yesterday with little rucksack on my back. Going was fun, coming back was total drag. Not as cold as my weekend though. Boy was that cold. Took thing two to Prague for weekend. So beautiful but minus 13. Counting my blessings that our journeys were so good as lots of flights cancelled on Friday. I got sat next to a ranting DJ on way out. Just grinned and beared it as he moaned constantly about cheap airlines, the weather, the uK, security and how the airlines are all (allegedly) racist. Just glad I'm not like that. Though I think I do moan quite a bit these days. Must try harder to not moan. Arrived in Prague jumped on first bus and then hit the metro and arrived in destination of choice. Wenceslas Square for Xmas markets, decided to embrace Prague totally and bought a sausage off a stall, yuk. Took big bit out of it and it bright red with yellow bits in it, yellow bits I suspect could be mustard, which I detest. So horrid. Put it in bin and went for MacDonalds as it too cold to start searching for anythign else and anyway we still had our suitcase in tow. Got in cab and made way to Hotel Gloria, considering room cost £40 for both of us for 2 nights including breakfast, hotel amazingly good. Clean, brand new bathrooms and TV and mini bar. Bargain of the year in my book - apart from Marks and Spencer 1p bazaar, which would take a lot of beating. Thing two and I still cold and slept in several layers, woke up boiling. Made a discovery which kept us amused for some time. THe duvets in the Hotel are spectacularly static. We went under duvet and had a light show. She very enamoured with breakfast, which I'd give 1/10, but she thought it was wonderful and ate tons. Decided to make most of daylight hours, went ice skating, disaster, I got on and promptly fell over and am still wearing the evidence in form of giant dark purple bruise on left knee. Thing two got cold and started crying so we headed for hot chocolate and coffee with Bailey's. Of course best way to stay warm in minus 13 is to walk and keep walking, so we walked across the Charles Bridge, buying things as we went (got to keep her spirits up). Straight up the gorgeous winding cobbled streets to the Castle for more hot chocolate and cakes. Jumped on tram and came back down, had KFC and then went for frozen boat trip. All passengers on boat huddled round gas burning stove on boat, all ignoring irritating commentary in 14 languages. More markets and then gorgeous meal. Was torn with what to choose from menu. Braised Cock or Pork Loins with roast peppers. Chose the pork. And that was that. Would give Prague 7 out of 10. Very nice but had not realised what that sort of temperature would actually feel like. We both wore entire contents of suitcase to go out in including pyjamas under clothes.
Rather sad to come home and sure know I'm back. LAst night the things had a fight, was vagually aware of small screams getting louder coming from kitchen, was waiting for finale of crying to appear in front room, which it did, in form of thing two claiming that she'd been dragged round kitchen floor by thing one, thing one claims she only tickling thing two. Thing two then rather incredibly took matters one step further and right in front of my eyes she picked up the cat and hurled it at thing one, cats claws got stuck in thing ones stomach, cat stayed stuck for some time with thing one going nuts and then chasing cat round house hollering at it and us. OH MY GOD. Things are no longer allowed to be alone in the same room. Not sure how I am going to get through the next 2 weeks at home with them. Went to bed with headache after numerous screaming matches with thing one, who I am most tempted to put in car and deposit with her father and let him deal with her.
Today I am taking thing two to the Museum to do christmas craft activities and then i think I might walk to Sainsbury's and do my Christmas food shop.
It would seem that my mother in law is planning on buying thing one a new coat even though she already has one which has had hardly any use and which I only just got out of the dry cleaners. MIL think coat that I bought not warm enough... thing one loved that coat and chose it herself from Next and it was not cheap.
mint x
Ps would still like to leave country. Do not know what the answer is but have established one thing. I am a good mum but a lousy dad.