I like extreme sports and even participate in a very tame version of them (ultra-distance marathons in inhospitable climates). I got sent this link last week by my brother and if it’s a real clip which I’m beginning to think it is then it has to be one of the coolest things I’ve yet seen on video. I have sent it to a BASE jumping contact I have for verification.

Don’t try this at home, kids. And if anyone suggests you have a go, just say no.

Crystal Active Holidays

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Self-employment has many perks and many disadvantages, often both coming together. The best example being you can take time off when you want, but you don’t get paid for it.

I was honoured to be asked to be Father Christmas at Monty’s nursery at the end of term on Friday morning. Their costume was superb (I looked on the box and saw it was bought at Woolworths for about twenty quid). False beard, spectacles, red fluffy trousers and jacket, black boot covers and a hat were all included.

My biggest concern was that Monty might recognise me. In the end I needn’t have worried. The power of suggestion is very strong in small, impressionable children. If they want you to be Father Christmas then that’s who you are, no matter what. If you look like someone’s Daddy, or even your own, then that’s just a coincidence.

Probably the only mistake I made was using a chair thoughtfully placed in front of the children. It meant I was sitting up higher than them like a teacher would, and was therefore a little intimidating to them. In hindsight it would have been better if I had sat on the floor with them so they could gather all around me and clamber all over me, making me a more friendly version.

Having said that, I think Father Christmas went down well at the nursery this year. It’s a great role. It was my first time as Santa - I hope not my last.

New Portable DVD Player now in Red. Perfect for people on the go.

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At first I thought I’d get a definite “No, Daddy, I don’t want to do that,” but on Sunday Monty took his first ride on a horse ever. He’d always been a little intimidated by horses, but the circumstances were different this time. We were at a party in Surrey hosted by some cousins. During the morning before lunch, children were being offered pony rides. The fact that we didn’t make a big deal about it probably helped Monty feel happy about the idea too.

After taking the obligatory photos I held his hand and walked next to Monty and the pony. I was surprised at how much he enjoyed it. When Charlotte asked him how it was he said he’d had a good time, pointing out how bumpy it had been. So far so good.

Let’s hope he has a few more positive experiences like this. I get nervous about riding as I haven’t done much of it and, as a boy, I once rode a horse which got a bit too flighty for me. It nearly put me off for life. I’d hate to see Monty, Tilly and Scott have the same experience.

Lone Ranger

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Wandsworth Twins Club Christmas Party

One of the great benefits of having twins is that you have exclusive rights to several clubs and organisations. One of these is the Wandsworth Twins Club, a well-organised gang of locals who all have twins. On Sunday we went out en famille to their annual Christmas Party, held at the One O’Clock Clubhouse in Battersea Park.

It sounds blatantly obvious, but the room was filled with twins of all ages and their parents. What surprised me was how content everyone was, including even the smallest babies. I was deeply proud of our quiet and very well-behaved twins throughout the afternoon. Mind you, I’m sure I would have been equally proud if they’d misbehaved and caused chaos. As it was, they slept soundly through most of the festivities.

There were two outstanding entertainers at the party, a local guy called John Cronin who plays guitar (among other instruments) and sings for kids at parties and playgroups. He’s a very popular entertainer. Monty knew him well from a playgroup he used to go to and kept pointing him out to me saying “There’s John”. After each song Monty clapped and cheered and called out “Well done, John!” I’ve no idea where he gets that from. It sounds quite comical coming from a toddler. It’s really great to see someone as talented as John creating such a lively and fun environment for so many children. I have a great deal of respect for him - he makes it look so easy. All the time I’m watching him entertain all these kids I’m hastily crossing off “children’s entertainer” from my list of back-up careers. I just couldn’t do it.

There was also an extremely talented face-painter called Tracy who decorated one young boy as a tiger - I was amazed at how good it looked - I’ve seen a fair amount of face painting now, and think she’s right up there at the top of my recommendations. Apparently she’s a twin too, as is her mother. She had done such a convincing tiger we asked Monty if he’d like to be painted. In no time at all she turned him from happy boy to even happier lion. All afternoon he kept demanding to look in mirrors. It brought a smile to his face every time. I had to make sure he got an extra long last look at himself in the mirror before scrubbing it off at bathtime. Nevertheless, for the few hours that he wore the lion he looked terrific.

I couldn’t help being a bit envious of this generation. It was with regret that I found myself saying “They didn’t do that in my day”.

And then on to Father Christmas, a taller, slimmer version than any I had ever read about, who did a superb job of dishing out presents to all the children (discreetly placed in Santa’s sack when we arrived). I was taking notes as I’m next up for the Father Christmas role at Monty’s nursery later this week. Thankfully, although I don’t have a deep booming ho ho ho voice, my shape is about right for the Coca Cola Santa we all know best. Monty was delighted with his pirate hat and eye-patch and did a convincing “Arr, Jim lad” at frequent intervals.

When I was young… (I don’t believe I just said that) I remember it feeling like a lifetime passed in between Christmases and then each one was such a fantastic and exciting time of year. Now I have children of my own I can see that I’ll get to experience that fun all over again, even if somewhat vicariously through Monty, Tilly and Scott. I just hope their Christmases are as exciting as the ones my parents created for us.

* If you’re interested in hiring John Cronin at Fruity Tunes click here.

** And if you’d like your children magically transformed into lions, tigers or anything else have a look at Tracy’s site.

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The Conclusion

I haven’t used this blog to write up television reviews in the past however I do use it to write about things which interest me. Last night I got a second chance to see the concluding two parts of Heroes which I’ve now followed for the entire series. I would have watched them on Wednesday night but I was babysitting. Charlotte cruelly abandoned me and went out to a friend’s party leaving me with my three children. Alone. Outnumbered. Surrounded.

Heroes has been a great addition to my weekly TV schedule this autumn. Original, exciting and well-paced, Heroes is the kind of series that comes around once in a blue moon. I had a genuine feeling throughout the series that it was virtually anybody’s guess how it would end. It’s an American TV series and therefore I expected it to go to several more series, rather like Prison Break or 24. I was worried it would be a weak ending inviting me to watch further series before resolving the central storyline.

When I saw the concluding episode of Prison Break (Series 1) I remember being furious that the producers had left many parts of the plot unresolved, including the main story, and with the prisoners in a worse predicament than they had been in at practically any time in the whole series. I felt ripped off and annoyed that they hadn’t at least closed the door on several of the more important parts of the plot. I could understand that they wanted the characters to undergo future hardship and more challenges before resolving their stories, but nevertheless felt cheated. And then Sky bought the later series and lost me as a viewer forever.

Same with Lost, although I cared less, as by the end of Series 1 I wouldn’t have cared too much if a Tornado had hit the island killing all the plane crash survivors in one fell swoop, especially that stupid labrador (OK, I know I sound mean now). But a cult show is one thing; spinning out a story forever just for the sake of the television ratings is quite another.

Look at Fawlty Towers. Love it or hate it, one of the reasons that programme became such a great success is because there were only ever 12 episodes. Full stop. No follow-up needed. OK, now I realise I’m switching genre somewhat, but my point is this. If you want to have a programme where you make it run and run, then I can see how you could do that with Heroes. As long as there is a strong main storyline underlying the entire series and as long as that storyline is concluded satisfactorily at the end then I’d be happy to see a new series with some of the characters picking up where the preceding series left off.

Heroes was confidently written; it’s not often that a writer can get away with killing off that many superb heroes without alienating the audience. Remember the sweet waitress who fell in love with Hiro? Did she really have to die so violently and so early in the series just when we were beginning to get excited about her new-found special powers and when she and Hiro were evidently about to fall in love? Throughout the series I couldn’t help secretly hoping that somehow Hiro would get a chance to turn back the clock and save her life. And yet he couldn’t. And that’s what made me all the more involved and all the more concerned that the characters should be extra vigilant and do away with that pesky Sylar… tsk tsk.

The individual storylines were sometimes witty and light, yet always engaging as I watched these seemingly normal people become aware of their special powers. And for some it wasn’t an easy discovery. The menace of the evil Sylar kept me on the edge of my seat right up until last night’s whirlwind conclusion.

Congratulations to the Beeb for bringing such an unusual and highly engrossing and watchable series to our screens.

“Save the cheerleader, save the world” became an important mantra throughout the series. I hope the programme buyers/schedulers can find more of this type of “cheerleader” programme for it’s schedule in the future. This one was SUPERB.

Heroes - Complete Series 1 (HD DVD)

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I was shown this site by some friends over the weekend. It’s got nothing to do with twins, however, it’s a fantastic story of travel with an unusual spin.

A guy is travelling around the world dancing for his digital cam at every opportunity - he’s visited over 55 countries and the collection of videos he has makes very entertaining viewing. For extra fun check out his Video Outtakes.

Check out the site here.

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It’s day 9. So far so good. A few minor accidents but nothing too traumatic for any of us. Monty’s doing well and still proudly announcing his endeavours to everyone he meets. For every wee in the potty he earns a sticker and for the more major efforts he gets a toy car - we bulk bought some good small ones the other day especially for that purpose. Now I have no idea how we stop rewarding him with cars - I see tantrums and a deliberately constipated 2 year old on the horizon…

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5 days and still going strong

It’s one of those things that just wouldn’t have been exciting to me two years ago.

Yesterday morning I was woken from a deep sleep by Monty running into our bedroom. Charlotte had got up with him earlier and I was having a lie-in.

“Daddy, Daddy, wake up,” he shouted, excitedly. “Look, I’ve done a wee-wee in my potty!” I’m quite proud of my response, seeing as it felt horribly early and I wasn’t primed for this.

“Well done!” I replied “Clever boy, Monty!” I still hadn’t even opened my eyes. “Look, Daddy. It’s here.” My eyes flashed open in a nano-second. Oh my God, I thought, he’s brought the potty in and in his excitement he’s bound to spill the contents over the duvet or, worse, me. Luckily Mummy wasn’t too far behind and she was able to stop him from dragging the potty up on to the bed.

We’ve only been training Monty for a few days. We’re still having one or two accidents but generally it’s been ok.

We’ve been utterly shameless in creating a reward scheme (bribes) - he gets a sticker for a successful wee-wee in the potty and a toy car for a poo. Who would have thought I would ever get excited about this kind of success? But excited I get. It’s the look of pride on his face every time he achieves a success and his tone of voice when he announces to the world what he’s done. He tells everyone he sees, as well.

Awww, sweet!

Twins

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Steam Museum, Bressingham
Dad’s Army Exhibition
Blooms of Bressingham

All of the above attractions are in the same place just over the border from Suffolk into Norfolk, so it’s not strictly a Suffolk thing.

Trivial geographical detail aside, Bressingham is well worth a visit; better on a sunny day, but there is plenty to do and see if the weather is dodgy. We visited the Steam Museum on the recommendation of a local woman in the village we’re staying in. And it was a great recommendation. The Museum houses several train sheds with large engines and carriages. We didn’t even get to see these, I’m sorry to say, as the weather was great and there was a lot to do outdoors. The entry cost was a little high (£10.50 each for adults and £3.00 for toddlers) and there were a couple of rides which charged an additional £1. That said, the rides were good, including a large carousel (free) which Monty thoroughly enjoyed.

The real attractions were the three steam train rides on offer, again no extra charge. And this is why it’s best to visit when the weather is ok. The steam trains do tours of the extensive grounds and pass through Blooms Nursery next door (apparently it’s a well known nursery in the area). I can’t stand gardening so I can’t say Blooms is the most exciting part of the venue for me, but keen horticulturists would probably have a field day.

The steam trains are mainly narrow gauge small trains driven by enthusiasts eagerly stoking the engines with coal. Monty really enjoyed the rides - he’s a typical lad and loves all kinds of vehicles. Trains are right up there with tractors and fire engines as his favourites.

There’s a shop, cafe and ice cream hut so plenty of food/coffee opportunities for me (always a plus). I didn’t see the Dad’s Army exhibition, but apparently it’s very good with a lot of original props and memorabilia from the show and a purpose-built high street with Captain Mainwaring’s bank and Corporal Jones’s Butcher’s shop.

And, as I mentioned, the gardens are supposedly excellent. I didn’t look. OK, so maybe I’m a bit of a philistine, but gardens really are NOT my thing. To be fair to me, we only had two and a half hours there so we really only had time for the outdoors rides. And we were really lucky to time it well, too, as this was the few days of the year when Thomas the Tank was visiting. So we all climbed on a carriage and got pulled along the tracks by a full-size real steam Thomas. Again, Monty loved this and a kind driver allowed Monty and I to get up and have a look inside the engine room too.

All in all, Bressingham is one I would recommend to families with small children. You might not get a whole day out of it, but certainly a long morning or afternoon.

For more information have a look at Bressingham Steam Museum website.

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(alias Things to do when you’re on Holiday in Suffolk V…)

I’m really not sure about the timing of this but Charlotte decided that it would be a good idea to try to get Monty’s potty training started whilst we were on holiday. The house we’re staying in belongs to my parents so it’s familiar to Monty. And the weather isn’t great outside so it’s not like any of us feel like we’re really missing out on outdoors activities.

If it was up to me, to be honest, we’d probably never train him so there would never be a good time. Luckily it was my turn for a lie in this morning so by the time I got woken at 9.00 Monty had already begun his training. Charlotte was already looking frazzled and gave me an update on progress (or lack of) and growled as she did so. I could see we would be in for a long day. The thought occurred to me to go out on a long trip for the day all by myself. Courageously I decided to stay. I should get a medal for this.

Anyhow, it’s 1.20 pm in the afternoon and both Monty (and Charlotte) have gone of for their mid-day nap-naps. So far so good. Monty did a poo in his potty shortly after lunch and before his nap. I reacted appropriately (we’re doing this a la Gina Ford) and gave Monty lots of approval and hugs. We’d bought loads of small toy bribes for the occasion. Shallow? Yes. But it seems to be working so far. And Monty was very excited about this event, grinning broadly and telling us proudly that he’d done a poo in his potty, as if we didn’t know.

I’m amazed to find myself blogging about this. I’m even more amazed to find myself excited about his progress. Again, it’s one of those events where, when I was a single man with no responsibilities, I would never have contemplated going through all this. Yeah, I know this is all part of parenting. But inside I sometimes still feel I’m not ready for this. And the idea of having twins in less than three months can be very daunting.

Doubtless there will be further progress reports over the next few days so watch this space - it’s interesting stuff………..really!

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