Scooby dancing

I've just worked out how to make GIFs so expect more.....In the meantime, here's Scooby dancing. Kind of!

Jason's famous homemade mince pies

Jason makes his own mincemeat a few weeks before Christmas and lets it settle in jars. He gets his recipe from Delia. It's a very tasty mincemeat. He makes his own pastry too, just delicious. Here's a picture of his tasty stack before he bundled them into packages as gifts. They are very much appreciated by the recipients. Yum.

A bauble for Nicola

Lorenzo got baubles from school, one with mum on it, one with dad.... and one with Nicola! Kids can do something so small that means so much. He mentioned it nonchalantly as well. I was nearly in tears.

Out filming at night, lots of snow

We were out nearby filming Jason's wee video for "It's Christmas Time", the festive ditty from Sweeney Straddles the Sun....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVbOBROJdaY.....and I took these wee photos. I was carrying the ipod, speakers, video camera and tripod so I didn't get a lot of time to take photos. Someone had written Glasgow 2009 in the snow.

Scary stuff

I haven't cleaned the windows since moving in 4 and a half years ago as I have vertigo when I go near edges (I feel like I will fall or voluntarily jump off - I don't know why, but it's a horrendous feeling - see this post...http://jasonandnicoladojapan.blogspot.com/2009/04/ferris-wheel-or-15-minutes-of-fear.html for more detail about my vertigo) so the other day I'm in the house, dressmaking, and the buzzer goes. "Do you want your windaes washed?" After a brief negotiation via the buzzer system, up he comes and out on the ledge he pops. I was sweating. Scared out of my wits. I couldn't be in the room when he was out on the ledge but I did stop long enough in the hall to take this snap. I was momentarily mindless while he was in the house, not able to concentrate on anything. He was cool as a cucumber, though; he's been doing it for 30 years. No ropes, nothing. I noticed he had a limp but didn't think much of it; it wasn't until I was paying him in the hall later that he confessed that he had broken his leg falling down the stairsin his house three weeks ago. He had been told to rest up for six weeks but was bored out his mind so was back at work with a stooky on. Unbelievable. I've got a brilliant view out the windows now though, crystal clear!

Cuddles

Every half hour or so, Danny would walk right up to me on my chair, lie on my lap and get a cuddle. Sometimes just for thirty seconds, sometimes for ten minutes, the cuddles varied in length but they were always welcome and were often acompanied with a headbutt...http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cat-headbutts/124537727018

Danny talking

I might put this one up on youtube as well because it's v cute. Danny loves talking.

If I had kept saying "Hi" he would have kept saying it back.