Chavtastic!

Lucy woke up this morning, chose her outfit and accidentally did her best to do an impression of Vicky Pollard with her pink tracksuit, trainers and chosen top. All that was missing was the phrase 'bothered!' Thankfully she has not armed herself with an attitude or fast talking and helped her mother cook a fantastic roast dinner, has done her home work and been a pleasure to spend time with today. Anna and I had a lovely drive to Grandma's singing and giggling with a big splash through the ford in the car. My time away from my family gets more and more at present and this Sunday time has with the girls has been great. We spent an hour in the garden making 'baddy' food for Captain Hook, Megamind and all the bad guys from every Pixar film we could think off and then set up a rogues picnic. Great fun, especially the mud. Thanks girls. Finished off with some silly dancing to high school musical this afternoon. With a sad heart I will see you next weekend as I have to go away again. Look after each other and your Mummy....

Secretive natures....

Lucy loves school and is so happy. She never talks about it but when I picked her up today she could not wait to tell me her news. This week she has been appointed a school counsellor. She attends meetings and talks about making the school better! She is a chip off the old block and I am sure that the Hammond socialist ways will shine through as she fights the system and the good fight. I hope she will contribute greatly and possibly dominate the odd meeting with the family disruptive nature! I look forward to hearing about this, if I can get the information out of her. Taking part in this will do wonders for her confidence. She whispered gently in my ear that she was looking after her sister at school and was keeping her promise to her daddy she made a week ago.

Anna too, is also loving school, though will still not part with her mother easily in the morning. In speaking to her on the phone whilst I have been away for work, I ask her how things are going, all she says is 'I don't quite remember', then the phone goes dead. Charming! Slightly worried that she is worn out already and it is only week two of this term. You'll get used to it Wiggle, I promise..

Sisters are doing it for themselves!

This has to be right up there with the best photos I have ever seen. I have blinked and my girls have grown up and both now going to school. Amy sent me this whilst I was working away and other pictures  and it drew tears to my eyes. I gather 'reluctantly' would be the word to use to describe how Anna embraced her first day, but she has soon settled in after a couple of days and already loves it!  Word on the play ground is that she is something of a celebrity with her arm in a cast, now sporting her posh blue one she is the cool kid in town! Once again I am very proud of my girls, but sad I missed out on the experience of being here. Anna has already reverted to type and is using her school bag to hoard things in, let's just hope she does not pinch half the school and bring it home!
On a different note - thank god we made it through this week's witching hour with event..


The witching hour...

Friday night at 7pm is proving to be something of a jinx in the Hammond house in recent weeks. Last week, Anna was sick and yesterday the girls gave Amy and I a double whammy to deal with as we were supposed to be going out to dinner: Lucy lost Oddball and was hysterical and Anna, not to be undone by her sister, fell on her hand awkwardly on the trampoline and broke her right wrist. Cue half the night in hospital, exhausted parents and a very tired family. Having found Oddball on Lucy's behalf in the middle of the night, she was the only one of us who slept well. Anna was fantastic and very patient, brave and a real gem in a great deal of pain and eventually arrived home at 2.30am. I was very proud of her.

 

After this pretty horrible evening, I have to say I expected an even worse day today surrounded by tired and cranky women. However, it has been a lovely day capped off by some truly quality time with Lucy this afternoon making play dough cookies and making our own shop 'Sooooper Coooocies' as Lucy spelt it on the sign!

 

The big question is what on earth will happen next Friday at 7pm? Only time will tell..

After well over a year of searching....

After well over a year lost and unloved in the toy wilderness 'little Woody' has finally been found. This may be a very trivial thing for some people and should not really carry  any consequence, but you have no idea how many hours I have dedicated to looking for him for the last year since Anna lost him! The sheer delight that I greeted his appearance with from the cupboard under the stairs was one of relief and general parental neurosis. God bless Mrs Hammond and her once a year purge on tidying the house and having a good clear out. My concern came though when I realised much to my dismay that I probably cared more about his reappearance than Anna did. I know I am not right, but I was glad to see him!

Bigger and better!

The theme of the week in the Hammond house is definitely bigger and better. Mrs Hammond desperately (and I use the word desperately) wants an IPad for her birthday and the build up to the two days of consumerism in October coincidentally around the time of Amy and Lucy's birthdays is hitting fever pitch. Lucy is also not missing out by pointing out that every toy advertised on the  television she would like for her birthday. Anna thinks this is small fry and at the cinema she asked Amy if we could have a television as big as this! I, on the other hand have very big aspirations - I would love a bigger house and am currently working on this! Watch this space....

All good things must come to an end....

My quality time with my family has come to an end. We got back to Norfolk yesterday after an amazing family holiday in Cornwall and I now have to role my sleeves up and go back to work in the morning. I will take away with me so many lovely memories of the last two weeks: taking Wiggle on her first roller coaster and log flume and the shear giggles of delight as she sat next to me; delicious cream teas; the day on the beach at Sennon Cove and the walk I had with Lucy hand in hand, just the two of us, talking about nothing much is very special to me. 

The collective family Hammond's addiction to two pence slot machines, candy floss and Cornish ice cream. Collecting shells and treasure on the beach with Lucy and the appalling sand castles we made! I would not say we had that much skill but it was fun! Pizza Express in St Ives with the amazing and stunning view of the harbour - we became regulars by the time we went home! The way watching my girls play on the beach makes me simply breathless - the wonderful innocence of their childhood...

Anna's need to try out every beach in Cornwall naked and her great one liners such as "Now that's a real digger!"; teaching the girls how to play pool; Lucy's desperate attempts to survive two weeks without Sky television and the way she almost cuddled the remote control when she got back yesterday, and last but not least some precious time with my beautiful and very expensive wife. I know one thing: all three of my girls have definitely emptied my wallet in the last two weeks. Till the next holiday my lovely family...