Take your partner

The snow and ice has returned with a vengeance for Christmas. It snowed fairly heavily last Saturday and Sunday and then froze hard. The temperature hasn't been above freezing since and it seems likely to stay that way until the New Year. We're back to taking forever to get the boys dressed to go out, de-icing the outside and inside of the cars, skittering about on the roads and ploughing through grit and dirty ice wherever we walk.

Angus is getting cold very quickly when he's out, as is Rowan, so our outdoor activities are curtailed to gettig children to and from school and nursery. I'm starting to get a red ring round my legs from my wellies. Didn't Billy Connolly have a joke about that: you could always tell poor people who couldn't afford shoes from the welly marks on their legs.

We did have a lovely afternoon on Sunday, up the road at the Powers' house. There was a few neighbours in but we hung around after so the kids could have a good play. Angus was funny, picking up olives from a dish, licking them (maybe in the hope that there might just be a grape in amongst the salty trove) and then feeding either me or Sharon. He had a ball, wandering about and sampling food.

Sean had the best time though, having discovered a more than able dance partner in Jessica. Rather than have to put up with the wriggling Rowan and drag, lift and throw him about, Sean had someone he could work with on moves, lifts and choreography! They extended their routine throughout the afternoon until their show was ready, at which point both sets of parents were invited to view and mark. Tens all round! It was great to see Sean really enjoy something. He can be very graceful in his movements, more so than his brothers, and he has loved dancing since he was little and first realised he could twirl a kilt. We're trying to persuade him to go to a dance class with Jessica but he is reticent.

Also on dance, the Strictly final was held on Saturday night. Sean and Finn both watched and voted and then watched the recorded results on Sunday morning with Sharon who had been out at her Book Group Christmas night out the day before. It was a very good final with Sean's pick, Kara and Artem winning. We'll have to fill the Saturday night gap with something else now.