T'was the week before Christmas.................

T'was a week before Christmas.............

..............much to Nanna's delight and not before time, grandad has got it up at last!!! Nanna has been asking him to get it up for a week or so now and finally, to everyone's joy, he's done it. He said it looks good in the dark when the outside light shines on the top of it, casting an admiring shadow upon the wall. Nanna has been impressed with it for ages and she likes the glistening balls that hang encouragingly beneath but I must say, it's not your conventional type of Christmas tree. Ours is green like the ones on Christmas cards but grandad's is more like a branch than a tree and its white, we'll sort of snow covered white-ish. I think I mentioned it last year but as I was only 18 months or so, I wasn't really up to the level that I am at two and a 'arf. Nevertheless it appears that Christmas is on its way in Chez Grandad and we're going to have a great time between families and friends alike.

Today, grandad's dream came true at last. No, not the Cameron Diaz one. OB slept for nearly two hours. That's almost a whole nights worth in one morning. Because OB can't walk, he needs a bit more attention in keeping him giggly and happy. If we prop him against the sofa, he looks around for something to grab then either gets down and crawls to it or falls over. Millie tends to keep out of the way the best she can as OB likes her and chases (probably not the best descriptive word to use here) her between rooms. When he catches up with her, she simply turns around and walks into the other room. OB tuts, giggles to himself and then crawls back towards her. And so the minutes pass between them.

Whilst OB retires to the baby bed, me and grandad make all sorts of things with the bricks and PlayMobil, we have some snacks - usually my snacks - and watch a little bit of telly: Mr Bloom the bedgie patch man, Mr Maker the drawing man and Mr Kojak the grandad lookalike man - which I have no idea what's going on. In unison with OB's snooze, me and grandad take the opportunity for the only cup of tea we can get. Grandad has his manky green mug and I have the spotty one. Halfway through our refreshment, OB generally wakes up. We change his bum for one that looks exactly the same and then think about going to town for Millie to have a walk.

This week in town, it's been snowing. Not all over town but in a little corner in the Lion Park, there was a massive icy patch. People were sliding along and banging into the sides, falling over and laughing (which seems a stupid thing to do) and generally having a good time. There were little huts selling sausages that were over twenty feet long, enough sweets to make mummy and daddy feel both good and chubby for weeks and some selling warm mulled wine which, after several glasses, helps with the falling over procedure. One man who operated one of the many kids rides had no punters, it looked like he'd never had any and with all honesty, the charisma he displayed, he never looked like he ever would. His ride consisted of little hanging seats similar to the ones in Cardiff that swung majestically in the breeze the other week, nearly depositing its occupants to the floor some 60 metres below. Admittedly these seats were little more than 60cm from the floor but it was still a danger in the eyes of prospective clientele. For me, hey, live dangerous I say but grandad had no change on him.

Back through town on our return to the car, both me and Millie decided a tree needed watering as we attacked it from both sides to the amusement of passing shoppers. Millie wee's rubbish, straight down. No fun in that at all unless it's on someone's shoes but my wee goes anyway I want it to and quite often some places where I don't. It's funny how my aim tends to stray a bit when I decide to look around at things and grandad found this out the hard way as I piddled over his jeans as he took in some attractive scenery.

Suitably relieved and refreshed in equal measures, we continued our stroll back towards the town. I saw Batman and Superman there and I think it's fair to say that they seem to have fallen on hard times or the crime rate in our town has significantly decreased. Both were there, I'm my town, selling wrist bands to put extra food on the table, a scene not likely to be emblazoned on the front page of any comic. No BISH, BASH, BOSH, KABOOOOOM, WHACK here sonny. Oh no, just to everyday crime fighters trying to make ends meet, a notion that warmed the cockles of my little heart.

Further on, a music man was merrily playing away on his guitar, singing some lovely songs. His ever faithful assistant, probably his wife, would tap her toes whilst reading her book then every now and again, she would jerk up on her feet and do some form of dance ritual like a puppet with crossed strings, moving to music that must've been from somewhere completely different!!! Nowt strange as folk as they say up north.

As soon as we got back home, grandad's boss - not nanna, the other one, the one he listens to - called to remind grandad to take his paperwork in. Grandad had forgotten it earlier, we had a quick bite to eat, changed OB's bum again and shot out in the car. When we got there, the boss man was out and the door locked so I stuffed grandad's paperwork through the letterbox and we popped over to see nanny Vi. I wasn't sure what door to knock so grandad told me to just follow Millie. When Millie travelling faster than a greyhound with the squirts, that was nearly an impossible job but I managed it. Nanny Vi's door was locked too but just as grandad began to use that colourful language, the door open, nanny Vi saw me and shouted "Hello darling, who are you?". Now I know I'm not a daily visitor to nanny Vi's but I found it a little worrying that she'd forgotten who I was. Even the little man in town with the change in his pockets knows who I am!!!!!!

After a while, it was time to return to normality but first we had to go back to grandad's house to make tea for mummy and daddy. Grandad done this on his own this week as I was too busy fly fishing with Mr Tumble. I like Mr Tumble. Mummy came home earlier and didn't tell grandad so she had to wait for her dinner, silly mummy because I had to wait too!!!! Back to grandad's on Friday and next Monday when nanna will be here to 'help' too after that I'm on a breather until Boxes Day.

Until next time

Dogg