7 Quick Takes: 6th December 2013

I will write some proper catch up posts later, but for now a few snippets ...

1. Marie and I have been doing pre-Christmas things. We went to a Christmas Gift Fair and the German Christmas Market in Birmingham, then followed that up with a day in London which ended up at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. Here is an ice squirrel from the Magical Ice Kingdom there.

2. Yet again the pre-Christmas season means lots of trombone playing. This year I have also added in a bit of flute playing. The theory was that playing flute in a local concert band would fit into my week more comfortably than playing violin with my usual orchestra. Not sure yet how the theory will work out in practice, but I am enjoying playing something different.

3. At seven Rose has finally started losing teeth. She was getting very disgruntled as everyone else in her class had already had multiple visits from the tooth fairy. Her second came out on the way home from school this week, leaving her bloody but triumphant. Whereas with her sisters the tooth fairy just left money in exchange for a tooth the tooth fairy now also leaves a note. The tooth fairy could live to regret this.

4. We are now well into the season of dark mornings and evenings. I hate that it is dark when I drive home from work, but there are a couple of silver linings. Driving to work in the morning I often see the most beautiful blue and pink sunrise, and coming home in the evening there is a startlingly bright "star" low in the sky - Venus, maybe?

5. I have decided I should have been a hobbit. I have realised that to function properly in the mornings I need breakfast, second breakfast and elevenses!

6. Talking of hobbits, I'm looking forward to seeing the second Hobbit movie though I think I will probably have to wait until the Christmas / New Year break. Hoping I can find a daughter who would like to see it with me as it really isn't Tevye's thing. I liked the way the wove the background to Lord of the Rings into the plot of the Hobbit in the first movie, though the darker, epic feel is very different to the book. Not sure what Tolkien would have made of it.

7. Must get up! I have half an hour to get showered, dressed, wake up school-going daughters, make them breakfast, make myself lunch, and get out of the door. It can be done, but only just!