Didn't sound good!
Got up and went to investigate, expecting to find a mangled mess of Builder at the bottom of the stairs. Our stairs are notoriously steep. Falling down headlong would not be an amusing thing to do.
Fortunately, The Builder had gone down on his bum and was sat at the bottom of the stairs, propped against the book case (and calling it all kinds of things that I couldn't possibly repeat in a family friendly blog!) Mind you - it's just as well it was there. Otherwise he might have kept going and flown right out through the front door. I think that's what Marlo thought might have been going to happen. He had been asleep on a tiny coffee table by the radiator, well within the trajectory of anything that was flying down the stairs and out through the front door. By the time The Builder fetched up by the bookcase, Marlo was on the drinks cabinet, peering around the corner looking worried. He can move quite sharpish when there is need, can that cat.
Unlike Molly Meldrum*, who appears to have been gadding about on a roof when he fell from a ladder in Melbourne, The Builder was bruised and bloodied but not broken so no need for ambulances or other emergency actions. And the day could proceed more or less as planned.
Although - can anyone tells me just what happens to whole days? One minute it was breakfast time and there was loads and loads of time to do fun things like baking and making stock and stuff. The next minute it was time to go and collect Gareth and Cally from their place, then Tabitha from the supermarket and then head to Paul and Carol's place for their Christmas party. Freyja, alas, did not go. She hadn't ever received an invitation (though one was sent). I hadn't enquired if she was going partly because I didn't realise that it was a family party we were going to (in which case I would have expected her to be invited); and also because UEL has exams this coming week and I had rather thought that she might be in London. She, of course, hadn't mentioned it to me because she didn't know about it. Sorry Freyja :-(
In the meantime, it was most definitely a family party. Jane and Neville were there. So were Ruth, Andy, Nicky and Jo, not to mention Andy's 88 year old mum, Molly. Claire was there with her boyfriend. Penny, Steve, Joseph and Imogen were there. Helen and Ian lobbed in later, after the pantomime rehearsals. And Jane's oldest friend Zoe (an honorary Gill) and her partner were also there. It was a lovely evening. Lots of good food and nice wine. Cally had a great time playing with Joseph and Imogen. Walter the cat beat a hasty retreat when everyone started arriving but came back later to be made a fuss of. The party ushered in Christmas quite nicely. And then we had to go. Tabitha started work this morning at 6. And I had to be up and ready to leave for work by 7:15. Early nights were called for.
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| December sunset near Sheffield Click on the photo for the Christmas Party album |
In other news, the Gill clan is to augmented by 1 in March for James and Kim are in an Interesting Condition.
The Hyde clan is also to be augmented by 1 in June when Austin and Kaori are also expecting a Happy Addition. Theirs is due on Austin's birthday. This would have the equally Happy Consequence that the baby's birthday would be nice and easy to remember!
And Freyja features in the Sheffield Steel Roller Girls' Calendar for 2012. If you fancy one, you can buy them here
*Australian pop guru
Gareth is in the calendar too :)
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