Tigger!
Amy started the year as Tigger. Not only did she spend her whole 5th birthday in her new Tigger costume but she even sat at the front of the audience at one of Steve's choir concerts in full Tigger outfit. She's told us she is going to another one this December as a Wizard.
Eggs...
This newsletter is being authored with Amy at my side and she would like you to know about the Easter eggs she made. So here they are - a bird, rabbit and Nemo!
Violin
Amy has kept up her violin and is taking lessons at school. She is getting on very well and has even written her own compositions! Tom is also very musical…
Big boy now…
No, we're not referring to Steve's paunch… Tom is 1 and can say "Yes, Amy, Please, Bob, Mama, Dadda, O-oh! Where's it gone? There it is!" and "Claire." "Bob" is Bob the builder (who Tom carries everywhere) and Claire is one of the staff at Tom's Nursery. Tom will also put anything in the bin you ask him too, will dance to Tom Jones and is very good at cuddling Amy to make her better when she is feeling sad.
Holidays
This summer we went to London and spent two days in Legoland. [Amy typing now] I liked the water ride best and I liked all the rides and I liked the water fountains as well. [End Amy typing]. Tom had less fun because he was stung by a wasp but once he was over that he enjoyed throwing Duplo around and going on the little rides. We also went to Windsor and Marwell Animal Park and visited relations and had much fun (particularly with giggly cousins!)
The rest of summer was largely spent in the paddling pool.
Trees fell doon!
Eee man! We woke up one morning oblivious to the fact that two large Willow trees at the bottom of the garden had fallen into the river during the night. The neighbours had to tell us when we got back from work. We had told the council numerous times that we thought they might fall down only to be told not to worry! It was good fun watching the men on a floating pontoon cutting the tree up with chainsaws - and we even made the local paper (such are the excitement levels in Morpeth).
Fish
We bought some pets for Amy that would not cause Wendy an allergic reaction. So now "Emma, Sophie and Anne" (3 comet goldfish) are living with us. There was a fourth fish ("Tommy") but he only lasted a week, so we buried him in the garden. Far from being upset, Amy was very keen to observe nature in action and wanted to see the various stages of decomposition - so we had to keep digging him up until we couldn't find him any more! Steve also has a microscope so all live food that goes in the fish-tank and all the algae and protozoa thriving amongst the fish plants are keenly observed by Amy.
Very Bendy
Amy goes to Gymnastics lessons and can bend in ways that make you wince. She has even been called upon to give a particularly bendy demonstration to the class. She is also a keen swimmer now and is completely happy to jump in, swim underwater and do all the splashy things that we never thought we'd see back in the days when she used to grip limpet-like onto us whenever we went in the water.
Reprogramming electrical items
All our TV channels have migrated to random numbers, the stereo comes out on one speaker in mega-bass and whenever we play a CD the little culprit presses the pause button, says "where's it gone?" and then presses it again with a "there it is!"
The old folks
Wendy and Steve are much the same. Steve has been singing at Windsor, Gloucester, Alnwick, Carlisle etc. and Wendy has been continuing her orchestra and has joined a "reading group." Or at least they meet up with books and come back with all sorts of new gossip and a little tipsy.
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