Screwed

For those times when you just put the bottle lid on too tight. Hot water bottles are a big part of our life at the moment: two each at bedtime and (for grown ups who don't get to hang out in the kids' superheated room all day) one shoved up your jumper most of the day (best to remember to remove it before you go shopping).

This afternoon we escaped to Edinburgh to transfer our broken car to a garage that can fix its second problem, then I headed off to 'do all the Christmas shopping' while Mr B took the kids to his parents. Well, I didn't quite manage the list... But I did find a lovely new dress...

Met up with them all at Auntie Betty's ("everyone in Scotland has an Aunty Betty" my taxi driver assured me "even my Aunty Betty had an Aunty Betty."). Lovely dinner there. Betty has adopted the very sensible tactic of just buying lots of pre-prepared nibbly things from M&S and bunging them in the oven - so we feasted royally. Even Conor ate loads, which is usually a problem whenever we're eating away from home.

The kids proudly showed off their knowledge of French, and we managed to leave before they turned into pumpkins (they need to be in bed on time or things can get very tricky). Then home to watch James Herriot with a blanket on our laps. Rock and roll.