Games

Really lovely day today.

Betsy came with me on my run this morning, cycling alongside. It was rainy and muddy with a feirce wind. We spent the entire time talking about Life of Pi. What it means, what it can teach us, how it might inspire us.

The rest of the day was spent hanging out, just us. We played lots of games including the Avatar board game Betsy got for Christmas. The rules, on Boxing Day, had seemed impenetrable, and as you can see from this picture, Betsy and Chris were not confident of success today! But perhaps it was the after effects of all that turkey and red wine the night before that held us back on Boxing Day! They made me want to cry then, but today, (with back up rules via a website called gamesgeek.com), we tried again, and success! It is actually a good game, despite the huge cardboard tree in the centre of the board which I kept knocking over.

We also played Don't Say It, Harry Potter Scene It and Destination Hogwarts.

Although we are a close family, we four are different personalities in many ways, but we get on so well. I am always amazed by Betsy and Al's relationship; Jeremy and I grew up fist-fighting and screaming, and I can't say that I didn't dread that for them. But Betsy and Al seem to appreciate each other and look out and look after each other. It's almost puzzling! Betsy says lots of her friends wish they had a brother like Al, but what I think they mean is that they wish they had a relationship with their brother like she does.

Betsy and I also watched Baz Lurhman's Romeo and Juliet - a Christmas present to Betsy from Jeremy. Betsy is in the midst of a Shakespeare moment and drinking in any books, information, stories and details she can get.

Aside from books though, the only Shakespeare she has actually seen is a school workshop of The Tempest. So to watch this particular film, a visceral assault on the senses, a feast of music, passion, intense imagery, romance, violence and hatred was mind-blowing. She said she absolutely loved it and I hope she did. It's really spectacular, I had almost forgotten.

Very happy day. Though I notice that the children's bedtime gets later and later as the holidays go on!