Snow at last...

This morning we woke to the sight of snow dusting the fields as the sun slowly rose. Enough for a snowball fight before school this morning, but it has all melted away now. Dylan was thrilled, and helped Jason scrape the ice and snow off the car windows (before he discovered the snowballs accidentally landing in your wellington boots make your socks uncomfortably wet). Sam was less impressed. It was cold, it was wet and it made him slip over even more than usual - what was all the fuss about?

We had a teasing light snowfall on Monday morning. I watched the flurries and imagined the excitement in Dylan's classroom at that moment - although it was melting on impact. But when I picked him up from school that afternoon he and his friend Sam said they didn't even see it, and were very disappointed.

We have had a few play dates in the past weeks, and it is great to get to know some of Dylan's new friends and their families. We even had our first visitors to Yew Tree Cottage - but embarrassingly, the cottage decided to finally fall apart that day. On top of our usual plumbing variables, we had sporadic blackouts and the dishwasher broke down. I think something has come unstuck in the wiring after the horrific gale storm last week. I have a stream of electricians, plumbers and repairmen booked to come and sort things out over the next few days... which means lengthy afternoons hanging around at home waiting.

Thankfully we didn't suffer any serious damage in the storm last week - the tar roof on the wood shed lifting off was as bad as it got - but Jason saw 3 lorries overturned on the motorway on his way home from work. I was just glad to have him back in one piece.

Australia Day excitement is mounting at Hilltop school - I am busy baking lamingtons and anzac biscuits, and making photo collages for our presentation to the entire school. We have received some fantastic things in the post from family and friends, and I know Dylan will have a very special day. At home that evening, we will have fireworks (snowfall permitting!), a roast chook dinner and cuddle around the roaring log fire...

Bright and Sunny

I detected a hint of an English accent in Dylan’s voice this morning… It was a beautiful sunny day, starting with a pink and purple streaked sunrise over the velvet green hills. We still needed our coats, gloves and scarves though, on our walk along Carsington Water, it was only 5 degrees. But it felt like the most glorious day – in fact, it was the first day this year it hadn’t rained.

After a brisk windswept walk past the moored yachts and floating ducks, we had a fabulous Sunday roast lunch at the Red Lion in Hognaston, which came highly recommended. Over 500 years old, with sagging beams and uneven floors, but excellent food – the boys loved it and Sam devoured all the cauliflower.

Last weekend the boys experienced snow for the very first time - although it was man-made. We went to the "Winter Wonderland" experience at the local indoor snowdome, where skiers can swoosh down a pseudo-mountain and kids can throw snowballs and sled about. Dylan loved being pulled on the sled, Sam was not so happy with the icy cold texture of this snow stuff.

Yesterday we acquired our first pets – two goldfish named Tom and Hunter, who live in a tank next to Dylan’s bed. Dylan is a devoted carer (so far), and loves watching them dart about. He is also very excited about starting football (soccer) lessons tomorrow after school.

We also have our first playdate this week, at Dylan’s friend Sam’s house after school on Tuesday. I am very excited about this! I met his mum Caitlin at the PTA-run toddler group last Tuesday, and it is wonderful to finally have another mum to ask advice of (or generally moan too…) The other mums were very friendly, and many have also moved to Ashbourne from other areas or countries, so they know how hard it can be to settle in with children.

I did have a stepford wives moment when I became slightly overwhelmed by their enthusiasm for the town, the school, and the fact that they handmake their playdough for playgroup. However, the PTA meet regularly at the pub, so it can’t be too bad!

Sam had his first day at his school last week, and he loved it – not even a whimper of protest when I left him there for a morning session. He is such a sociable little boy, I think he may have been getting bored of me, especially with big brother at school every day. So I think this will work out well all round. Although, given the strong northern accent of the carers at his nursery, I wouldn’t be surprised if his first full sentence is “eh up, ma duck?”

Homesick Dylan

Dylan is coping bravely with his first few days at school - although he doesn't realise the daunting prospect of 13 more years of education ahead of him. As we drove to Hilltop Infants School in Ashbourne yesterday for the first day of term, I heard him say wistfully from the back seat, "This isn't how I imagined my first day at school would be, mum..." My heart lurched, what had I done wrong? I asked him what was missing. "It's just so very cold, mum." he said sadly. Well yes, and it was also still reasonably dark outside (at 8.30am). The playground at lunchtime isn't all that appealing at this time of year I guess.

He was excited on the way back home - "mum, did you know there are very, very, very, very, VERY strong winds called hurricines (sp) and they can knock over a HOUSE!" Weather is the school theme for January. But he was quieter today on the return journey. I asked him if he liked any of the boys or girls in his class in particular (I am desperate to start issuing playdate invitations) "I can't really understand them, mum, they all talk a bit funny. I wish my friends from Australia were all here."

I think maybe Dylan has the hardest job of all of us. At least Jason knew what to expect from his work. And I just can't convince Dylan that the weather actually will improve - as a Sydneysider, the concept of seasons is a little hazy for him. He asks me "but why do they have outdoor playground in Engalnd, mum?" He is counting off the days until spring on his calender - although spring doesn't always guarantee warmer weather here anyway...

On another note, Jason saw this nativity set on sale in the Derby Cathedral Gift Shop window:
Nativity GBP10 - Joseph missing
Maybe Joseph didn't believe Mary's story about the Holy Ghost, then?

And so that was Christmas...

It was a warm and cosy Christmas Day for the Howard family, cocooned by the roaring log fire and the Aga while the chilled sheep watched us enviously through the windows.

A big roast dinner makes sense in that kind of weather. I successfully roasted vegetables and potato gratin, and steamed the pudding, in the aga - but the turkey, self basting in it's protective plastic film, stayed in the 21st century oven.

Santa did manage to find us (unlike many other delivery men in the past few weeks) and left a new scooter for Dylan and a Lightning McQueen ride-on car for Sam. It took us most of the day to unwrap, and put batteries into, the mountain of toys under the tree - I think we may have over-compensated for dragging them away from their family and friends!

New Years Eve was a much more low-key affair - like most of the UK, we did not venture into the gale-force winds outside, and a variety of nasty illnesses kept both Jason and I away from even a tiny glass of champagne. We celebrated feeling better in 2007 with a walk around the delightful village of Milford, in the heart of the Peak District national park, where we fed the ducks and watched the shivering ramblers queue outside a villagers kitchen window for takeaway cups of tea. She was doing a roaring trade with her boiling kettle - where are those mobile cappucino vans when you need them?

Yesterday, Dylan and I had a special "date" at the local pantomime, Peter Pan. I had forgotten what a unqiuely English experience this - full scale tack-o-rama for the kids, with a mix of irrelevent song and dance numbers (Peter Pan ended with the cast singing 'Footloose', a Gloria Estefan number and something from Les Miserables also featured) and classic vaudeville slapstick. The requesite theatre 'legend', ex-boy band member and b-grade TV star were leading cast members. Even though the performance went on for over 2 hours, Dylan loved it, especially the silly pirates and their magic tricks. We celebrated his last night before school term with a meal at Little Frankie's, a pseudo-italian-american family restaurant in Derby.

While Dylan and I were at the theatre, Jason and Sam shopped 'til they dropped at Jason's new favourite store - Costco. What I will do with 60 pita breads, 24 tubes of tomato paste, a 3kg bag of basmati rice and 48 bottles of ginger ale is beyond me, but they both enjoyed themselves.

Hopefully 2007 will bring us some new friends, lots of adventures both here and abroad, and finally back home to Sydney - with a container load of all our new possessions (and possible some leftover tomato paste...)