Get out!

The jobs list for outside has got huge, not helped by the recent storm adding to the ever growing list. So what better time than to prevaricate and assemble Christmas lights

or spend a jolly hour on the bedroom project

rather than face the reality of outside where the bike shack needs some serious attention after 80mph winds stripped it of its water resistant coating.

It was fix that or eat, I chose well. 
 

Believe!

Things were a bit difficult Sunday when we set out to host our Christmas party, a few obstacles lined the route. 

Then there were the abandoned vehicles meaning unnecessary detours as Angus, our big truck can swim.  

Eventually we managed to get to the right place in time to assemble the magic

and lay out the buffet for the hordes of kids and carers intent on stuffing themselves. 

The tree was a focal point, each decoration made by one of our foster children. 

Father Christmas arrived and emptied his sack, gifts galore. 
 Thankfully the trip home was less eventful which was just as well as we were all worn out after enjoying ourselves so much. 

A tad windy

Forsaking the temptations of the woodburner yours truly set out into the teeth of storm Derraugh

which had turned our link to the world into an adventure playground for the K9s.

The woodland was littered with fallen trees and occasionally I had to dodge flying debris and dogs.

The river was very high

which was entertaining.

More felled timber

and lots of water

but on the windy side the most damage

with felled trees 

of substantial age falling.

Not impressed with the wind we decided to go up to the summit of the Bonsai Mountain to see what it was really like in the wind.

Along the way there were a few hazards

which luckily fell before we walked under

and on the summit 

it was amazing, like being in a jet aircraft with no canopy, the noise and the wind speed was literally breathtaking. We all got blown over, Sven nearly took off. 

Back at the ranch the electric was still off so a meal was cooked on the woodburner, four cheese pizza

with a fabulous Argentinian red bought for just such an emergency!

 Meanwhile back in front of the woodburner ... Belle has claimed the new toy duck. 

Back in the game

He who cannot be named was once again playing rugby for the Army at a very wet Cardiff Arms Park and as yours truly can now drive himself took the apprentice to see big brother in action. 

It was a great game, the Army absolutely destroyed the prison service team

9 tries to 3. 

The only downside was that the burger van took the night off so no food!

Consoled with 0.0 Guiness and pickled onion crisps 

we applauded the winning side.

Posing much? 

Our oldest and the apprentice, one of them is definitely growing!

 

Back in action

The upside of getting the all clear from the doc is that yours truly can return to "normal" without being told t take it easy.

Hence walkies with the cause of my current hurt is back on 

with her doofus bestie

we checked out the river, rising, rained much? Lots. 

There is still lots of colour in the woodland despite the grey.

As the rain got heavier we got stuck in indoors and the bedroom makeover made some progress. 
 

Thats that then

So the very nice consultant says that that bit of bone, a not insubstantial part if you are the owner of it, has no chance of ever repairing and reattaching to where its supposed to be so it will be left to roam my arm and yours truly can return to normal life. The down side is that he could not say when it will stop hurting and I would be able to do things like ride my bike/motorbike or not shout when doing press ups. So, thats that then.

Games night at the scout hut so they could earn their warhammer badge. The terrain we had been making for a few weeks and which looked like loads on the dining room table looked less of a jungle spaced out on the games table and more like an oasis. 

The scouts divided into two teams, one the pious space marines fighting for the emperor across the galaxies, the other the vicious xenomorphs, the Tyrannids an unstoppable biological life hating killing machine with one aim, domination.  

The marines had to get to the space ship and escape the planet. 

The Tyranids just had to rip them to bits.

The two factions soon began to mix it up and the scouts really got into the game.

Which was by any standard an exciting one as on the very last move of the game the Tyranid commander threw three 6's on 3 dice which meant a tyranid burrow opened up by the drop ship spewing out a horde of aliens as the marines were in touching distance of safety. Seeing the marines being taken down the crew of the drop ship took off hoping to circle round and pick up any survivors off table. Again there was a dice off, the last chance for the marines to snatch some victory from this overwhelming defeat. To the cheers of the Tyranid scouts the marines lost and the dropship crashed giving total victory to the aliens. It now seems some of the scouts are changing their Christmas lists and asking for warhammer models, get em while they are young!

Meanwhile back on solid ground, the pups are getting mighty big.