Almost over.

Another year almost over, and almost a 7th birthday for my son.

Seven years, how can he only be 3 years from double digits?  How can this boy, who has lived with me all this time still be a bit of a mystery.  Just as I think I know him, he changes, he grows.  Yet he is mine, and I'm his, and for now that remains true, one day, not so very far away, that will change, as it should..but for now, I'm holding on.

Today, he arrived back home after an extended Christmas break with his dad.  The longest he's ever being away from home, and oh how my heart ached for him, and missed his chatter, cuddles and demands to play tickle.  I am pleased to discover he's enjoyed a full on Christmas surrounded by his paternal family.  Blessing after our Yule was so low key because of the flu.  The bloody flu.

My perspective is Yule was ruined.  Rye, however, is happy enough, he received fab gifts, he played, had fun, we cuddled, I did as much play as I could muster while feeling like death.  Still, not the Yule I had planned.  We were suppose to travel back South on the 19th and stay with our friends until the 23rd.  

Rye was struck down with illness after Yule, and it looked touch and go as to whether he'd be visiting his dad.  He slept for 24hrs, fever, sweating; and then with the resilience of children, he full of beans again.  The storms meant that his father came and picked him up a day earlier than planned too.

Christmas Day, I was still ill, but definitely on the mend.  I managed to come down stairs and enjoy my first vegan Christmas Dinner with my housemates.  I was very pleasantly surprised; the dinner was delicious, and afterwards we sat in the communal lounge and watched christmassy films; until finally Dr Who was on Iplayer.  Oh how I missed my boy at that point. 

Still, he's back today, and now it's just regaining my strength, and excitement builds as I plan for his birthday.

Food is ordered, vegan sausage rolls, spring rolls, wedges, rice and pasta salad, dips, biscuits and an iron man cake.  I have cheated and ordered an icing topper - although it's unlikely to arrive in time, as until today I had no idea such a thing existed... so just in case I've ordered yellow and red icing so I can make him an iron man mask cake.

My biggest excitement is when he sees his main gift set up.  

With any luck he will be chuffed to bits.

Right best go, fan on this laptop is going nuts, so I expect the machine will shut down any moment.  (sigh)

Winter Solstice and unexpected Christmas.

Plans out the window, nontheless a wonderful Yule

Twizzling cones

Our Yule eve consisted of a deeply moving and uplifting ritual at the beach.  Formal ritual is not my bag really, however I do enjoy group rituals, and Yule is my favourite.  We stood within the stone circle on the shingle beach, it was dark, we all held candles while a friend of mine, took us through a ritual of rebirthing the sun and casting out those things we wished to remove from our lives, and inviting in those we'd like to embrace.  Wonderful stuff.  Afterwards we went to a friend's house for a festive supper. Nom nom.

A very simple "tree" this year

 We arrived home after midnight, took a wee while for an excited little boy to drift off to sleep, once he had, the Yule day prep began.  The Winterking came and left Rye his wrapped gifts and stocking.  Sadly one gift had to put aside, quality assurance determined that it doesn't work, we suspect dead batteries, alas the batteries it requires though are not ones I generally keep in the house.

 Discovery of the remote controlled Monster Jeep, squeals abounded.  Seems all remote vehicles are scaletrix, Bless him.

 Insisted on bringing his stocking downstairs to look through it again. 

 A thoroughly lovely day, although we never did get around to Yule dinner.  I was up until twenty to four in the morning preparing everything for the WinterKing, and when Rye asked for cuddles on the sofa while watching Cars dvd... well it was lethal and we both fell asleep. 

The local autistic support group had hired out soft play in the evening, so I decided to take Rye to that and we could get something to eat there.  He was excited about going, but in the end didn't enjoy it as much as he could... first indication my boy was getting ill.

A nasty cold that hit hard and fast.  I offered to Rye's dad to have christmas at my house and I would go out.  He refused and instead said he would pick up Rye on Christmas Day morning, if he was well enough, if not he'd cancel and give him his presents when he next has him.  Furious and disgusted does not begin to cover my reaction.  There was a glimmer as initially on Christmas Eve Rye looked like he was feeling better, by the evening tho, he was running a temperature and looking awful.  No christmas with his dad.  Panic!  I don't do christmas normally.  Thankfully friends pitched in, one brought around a few gifts so Rye would have something to open, I remembered a huge myriad wooden train I'd bought second hand ages ago, and we would go to my friend's house for Christmas dinner.

Cue Christmas morning.  Rye squealed when he saw presents at the end of  bed.."Santa did come!" he excitedly said.

 Then downstairs to find the train under the playsilk.  He was thrilled!

 Think he likes it :-)

Later we went to my friend's house for christmas dinner.  Rye refused to eat, so rather than make him sit at the table, I let him sit and watch tv while we ate.  He did perk up a fair bit and enjoyed playing with his Aunty Jen and Lulud, Jenny's dad had fun pretending to the be Gruffalo, and Rye squealing and giggling. 
Really lovely to share their Christams, and it was lovely to have my boy with me too :-)

Once home, Rye began to flag, and he wanted to watch more of the Tom and Jerry dvds that my friend gave him.  Soon he was asking to go to bed!!!  Unheard of and the beginning of a long and worrying night.  Rye's temperature spiked, he was covered in sweat, and on the edge of delirium.  At one point, I was about to get dressed and take Rye to hospital, but I managed to get him to take some paracetmol suspension, and a little while longer, he calmed and slipped into normal sleep.  Phew.

So yes not to plan, but despite illness, disgust at an ex, who really doesn't "get it".  Ok Rye did need to stay home, but I offered the ex the use of my house; he still hasn't realised that it's not about what he wants or prefers.  Saddens me that he thinks it was ok to cancel christmas simply because he couldn't have Rye at his own home.  Ah well, onwards and upwards. 

I hope everyone had a merry christmas and here's looking forward to the New Year :-)  (Rye's birthday!)

Christmas Eve Hooky.

Oh gosh, my boy was so excited when his dad turned up just after two.   He has been looking forward to seeing his dad all day, and I'm so pleased, Rich managed to get off work a bit earlier to pick him up; because seriously, I thought the boy would pee his pants with anticipation if he had to wait any longer, lol.

The first year Rye spent Christmas with his dad, it did feel a bit sad, but these days I quite look forward to it.  A couple of days to relax and just do whatever the heck I like.  It helps that Rye so looks forward to spending time with his dad too - and honestly, I do the parent thing, which I love, 99% of the time, so its nice to have a few days off and let Rich be the parent for a change. 

I called Rye this morning to wish him Merry Christmas, bless he wasn't the least bit interested in talking to me because his dad had treated him to an electronic Thomas track - ah well at least he was happy - I did get a "Merry Christmas, Mama," before he dashed back of to play - thus missing me saying, "I love you, darling."  Kids eh.  Still, he's happy and that is the main thing.

So what does one do when there's no children in the house for christmas.  Hooky fun of course!
I have been chomping at the bit to make a start on the Granny Stripe blanket that Lucy on Attic 24 designed, for ages.  Having lots of other things to do I've been putting it off, but last night, last night I had hours of uninterrupted hooky fun and this is how far I got:

It hooks up pretty fast, and I'm loving the stripey goodness.  I have altered the pattern slightly, in that I'm doing 3 rows of one colour before changing, rather than 2.  Well 3 has pagany signficance, don't ya know :-)
I am loving it.  I didn't want to put it down, but bed was calling.  Isn't it lovely.  Once finished it should fit my double bed.

Ohhh, and I also hooked Rye a birthday crown.  Really love it; although I should have used a more contrasting colour for the "4"  I'll have a go sewing around it in yellow, that should help to make it pop out more.

Hehehe, I do hope he likes it.

Ohhhh and finally, I treated myself to Wendy Andrew's Luna Moon Hare book, I'd forgotten about this book until I saw Sarie and a few others mentioning it at the recent Solstice.  I also couldn't resist treating myself to a few other bits too.  And at some point I will buy a wall hanging, beautiful!

Right, I must dash, I'm having Christmas Dinner round at a friend's house and gosh, I'm hungry :-)

Merry Christmas, folks, have a good one.

Christmas.

Mmmmm, fabulous few days.

Christmas Eve Rye's dad picked him up at around 4pm and then Nina and I went back to hers.
We enjoyed a delicious curry with oh-so tasty lime pickle with popadoms - yum, couple bottles of wine, christmas music, good company, laughs and giggles.

Christmas Day a leisurely day, I think it was after 10am when we woke, coffee, toast, chatter, opening pressies and lazing on the sofa bed.... then in the evening we popped over to my brother's house for Christmas Dinner.  Oh it was lovely to see my family again, and nice to eat a christmas dinner I wasn't cooking :-)  My brother teased me mercilessly about Rye, home ed etc, it was all good naturedly of course - lil bugger!

Boxing Day, Nina brought me back home and we waited for Rye to get back.  I had initially planned to give Rye's his presents on the morning of the 27th, however the traffic was quite bad coming back and Nina wanted to get an early start on the 27th - and truthfully, I couldn't wait to see Rye with his presents.

He was a little tired after a long journey in the car (his dad had taken him down to Portsmouth), but he loved getting his pressies.  Nina bought him a 3ft alphabet train jigsaw, which we had great fun with.  We helped Rye to put it together and then we sang a rendition of "Old MacDonald", based on the animals on the train.  Rye loved it.  We also had a fabulous time with the treeblocks my brother bought Rye, and with the money from the painting, I picked up some lacing beads too:

 

He loved building these castles an tunnels with us :-)  He also liked knocking em down - boys!

And finally in his new dinosaur pjs.

And sadly Nina had to return home this morning after breakfast.  Rye played with his toys some more - really need to do another toy swap and move some of the stuff to his bedroom- and then I decided we were going to have a nap.  He kept telling me, "I don't want a little nap," so I told him I did, and laid in bed, and I must have actually dozed off, because I woke up thinking it was very quiet and wondering where he was.... bless him he was laid on the rug beside my bed fast asleep.  So I picked him up and we snuggled down in my bed and had a nap........ a long nap, waking up at quart to six this evening!

Christmas with Nina is beginning to become a bit of a tradition :-)  We're hoping to get a cabin in Scotland next year and take Rye - be great if we do manage it, snow, snowmen, snow ball fights, real fires (hopefully), good food, good company - lol I'm getting all excited already.

(there are a lot more photos on my face book and a wee video I took of Rye playing with the treeblock sac lol)