A wet day in Aberdare Town Park. Even when it's wet it's a beautiful place. Full of memories for me of when I was a child. Today we only had three slices of bread, so not enough to feed the fishes, only the pigeons had their fill. The ducks too missed out, as they were too slow for our crew.

Bradley was a bit scared of the ducks, mind he was a bit scared of the pigeons too, until he found that he could chase them away. Here, he has his back to the wall for protection.

We took a trip down to Quicksave to get some milk and some other bits and pieces. Most of the time Nanna was racing ahead, I think she forgets that it takes ages to pull up the rear flank. Mainly Bradley - here in the middle picture you can see him looking over into the river. Come on Bradley! OK. Bye. Waaaaaa. And He runs to catch us up.

And the weather was appalling. Just after the right picture was taken it began to rain. You can see how dark it had become.

Middle pix. Again Nanna is too far in front. Where's Bradley? And finally we make it to Quicksave, and they get a ride or three, until the 20p pieces run out.

I guess it's most marked with Bradley - how fast kids grow up. As my Mam, hasn't seen Bradley for three months she noticed his speech straight away. And so have I since then, he's come on leaps and bounds. Though you have to guess at what he's saying, his dictionary is quite big. Coming out with stuff I had no idea he knew.

They both tore into the wrapping paper. But I sensed an anticlimax once Esme had opened everything, particularly as Bradley still had plenty left to unwrap, and some of the toys had to be assembled by myself. Well, OK that's Xmas for you.

Watching the skating in Telford. I haven't done this since Bradley was only a few months old. Esme and I used to do it regularly. Today the game was to climb over all the chairs to get to the top. Esme found this pretty easy - Bradley, well he did it, but boy was it a struggle.

To throw the bread a long way takes a lot of preparation and determination.

Whereas Bradley prefers to just pinch a little bit, and drop it close to the geese. Which, is a little bit dangerous as these geese will snatch it out of his hand if given a chance. He's been in tears a few times because of this. They've even shocked me a few times and those beaks have rasping 'teeth.'

Piece and quiet for a few minutes as Esme watches TV. She's going to grow up to be a good looking woman.

Esme looks such a girl in this left pix. Why do kids like bouncing on beds so? And why am I so jealous? Bradley likes his new one piece PJs. Especially that they've feet with stars as grips.

They become facinated by the video camera. I hope that I'll be able to train them to use it well. And the other little digital camera. And as soon as they're ready I'll get them a cheap DV. Must try to get Bradley to not eat the camera though.

Sometimes they get on well. Even when they're fighting, I suspect that most of it is bluster. Creating noise just for the sake of us parents, with smacks and pinching that doesn't really hurt.

It's hard for a four year old to decide which smile is the best smile. But better if there's someone else in the picture, namely her new Xmas doll -- Baby Chu Chu.

Soon they'll be in bed. Ah! "Say goodnight then." Says Amanda. They started at 8:30am this morning, or at least Esme did. Don't think she could rouse Bradley - took me a few attempts. He was very snotty, that and the fact that he fell out of bed twice.

He's a good kid, and his speech is kicking in now, tells me a long story when I ask him what happened at school, no idea about the detail, but usually something to do with the actions of a song they've been singing. He can also count to ten, at least I heard him saying it to the telly as something was counting on CBeebies.

Hmm. Tungsten, fluorescent what is the light in the kitchen? ";->" I know, just got it wrong again Betty. I'll play with some Photoshop filters and just drop them on the widget things, maybe even tie them into Radio with some nice borders...

This has printed out perfectly on my photo printer. Looks like one of the old masters in colour tone. Mind Esme's colouring suites that type. Her rosy cheeks really do look sweet.

Digital camera for xmas - YaY! Tankx Santa. £129.00 with 16 megs, tripod and some cables. Took some pix in the bath, as usual, at least they're pretty still there. Gotta get a handle on the controls - esp the exposure and colour balance. I'll get the hang of it soon.

Scene 27

"JAILER: We've-- we've got lumps of it 'round the back."

---

MR. BIG NOSE:
Who are you calling Jewish?! I'm not Jewish! I'm a Samaritan!
GREGORY:
A Samaritan? This is supposed to be a Jewish section.
PARVUS:
It doesn't matter! You're all going to die in a day or two.
GREGORY:
It may not matter to you, Roman, but it certainly matters to us. Doesn't it, darling?
MRS. GREGORY:
Oh, rather.
GREGORY:
Under the terms of the Roman occupancy, we're entitled to be crucified in a purely Jewish area.
PHARISEE:
Pharisees separate from Sadducees.
WELSH MAN:
And Swedish separate from Welsh.

---

If life seems jolly rotten,
There's something you've forgotten,
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing.
When you're feeling in the dumps,
Don't be silly chumps.
Just purse your lips and whistle. That's the thing.
And...

Brian Denies Messianic Attributes - Life of Brian Scripts

"SIMON: Don't you 'shhhh' me. Eighteen years of total silence, and you 'shhhh' me!

BRIAN: What?

SIMON: I've kept my vow for eighteen years. Not a single, recognisable, articulate sound has passed my lips.

BRIAN: Oh, please. Could you be quiet for another five minutes?

SIMON: Oh, it doesn't matter now. I might as well enjoy myself. The times in the last eighteen years I've wanted to shout and sing and...

BRIAN: Shhhh.

SIMON: ...scream my name out! Oh, I'm alive!

BRIAN: Shhh.

SIMON: Hava Nagila!

BRIAN: Shhh.

SIMON: Hava Nagila! Hava Nagila, ha ha ha! Look out. Oh, I'm alive! I'm alive! Hello birds! Hello trees! I'm alive! Get off. I'm alive! Hava Nagila. Hava n'ra n'--"

Scene 16 Crucifixion: Could Be Worse... - Life of Brian Scripts

"MATTHIAS: My legs are old and bent. My ears are grizzled. Yes?

CENTURION: There's one place we didn't look. Guards!

MATTHIAS: I'm just a poor old man.

clomp clomp clomp...

My eyesight is bad. My eyes are poor. My nose is knackered."

Scene 15: Bloody Boring Prophets - Life of Brian Scripts

"BLOOD & THUNDER PROPHET: ...And the bezan shall be huge and black, and the eyes thereof red with the blood of living creatures, and the whore of Babylon shall ride forth on a three-headed serpent, and throughout the lands, there'll be a great rubbing of parts. Yeeah..."

Life of Brian: Scene 10

"CAMPAIGN FOR FREE GALILEE:
Shhh! Shh. Shhh. Shh.

DEADLY DIRK:
Campaign for Free Galilee.

FRANCIS:
Oh. Uh, People's Front of Judea. Officials.

DEADLY DIRK:
Oh.

FRANCIS:
What's your group doing here?

DEADLY DIRK:
We're going to kidnap Pilate's wife, take her back, issue demands.

FRANCIS:
So are we.

DEADLY DIRK:
What?

FRANCIS:
That's our plan!"

The Welsh accent always has me in stiches. Valley Boy. Who was Deadly Dirk? Turns out to be John Cleese.

We went to the small park in Dawley. Bitterly cold though it was I couldn't get them to come home. The camera seemed not to like the cold either, at least that's what I think caused the jpeg artifacts.