Happiness is....

Spreading a little good news first of all.....

I ran a Competition for 3 people to win a Scottish calendar and having used Random Generator, I can say that the lucky winners are:

1. Tezzie at http://notalwayspictureperfect.blogspot.com/
2. Jamie at http://lyricaljourney.blogspot.com/
3. Kirsty at http://life-n-reflection.blogspot.com/

I hope that they bring each of you a lot of good luck and happiness over 2011 - Yep I cannot believe I am wishing Happy New Year already!!!

For me I have had a great week, but this week has had 3 massive surprises which have been:

1. Having one of my pictures featured in Lenscratch which I am really so shocked and chuffed at.  Mine is the 10th photo in the blog post (see the pram!)
2. Winning Leigh's last Freakshow Friday which means I now get to display her new badge too.
3. Snow falling which makes everything look so picturesque.  For Dexter this has meant no school Monday and today as the whole of Edinburgh has closed all it's schools (along with much of Scotland) so he is one very happy child as he gets to go out on the sledge with his Daddy who celebrated his birthday yesterday, but actually it has been the whole weekend as we have had such a great time out in the snow.

Also, a big YAY from us as Santa has granted one of Dexter's Christmas list wishes - his Auntie Dee Dee is coming over to spend it with us and will be arriving Christmas Eve.  Dexter shouted when he heard this news "Yes, Christmas is so much nicer when your family are with you, and I love how Auntie Dee Dee makes up great stories - I can't wait".  He also said "wonder what she is going to bring me as she always gets me great presents too"!

Hansel and Gretel from Berlin around 1939

I warn readers in advance, this post does not have a 100% nice happy ending.  I found these two dolls in a charity shop.  When I first saw them I thought - goodness these are strange old dolls (look like pre WW2).  Their hair is painted, Gretel has yellow hair and Hansel has a red/brown colour and their faces are actually very pretty.  They wind up, but when you do that they don't walk, they shake as though they are having a seizure - yep very strange.  I know they are old and in their day would have been regarded as really pretty, but me finding them in this charity shop they made me think about their past and then to thinking about my own Mother who was a WW2 war orphan and this led to this post which is a made up story using the Hansel and Gretel fairytale as a faint base line......   

Hansel and Gretel hope to get on a boat to America where fairytales had happy endings

This is their story....

Hansel and Gretel lived in a wood which they often played in

They had lived in the city in a beautiful apartment, but had moved to this small house with their Stepmother and Father who used to be a Doctor but now was told by the authorities that he could no longer practice his profession.  Their father knew that the Germany they had loved was changing and he wanted to make a good life for his family.

Their Stepmother was not a nice person, she had liked living in the nice apartment and didn't like living a simple quiet existence.  She didn't want to move either and she was not the person their Father thought he had met when their real mother had died.

Hansel and Gretel had big and innocent hearts, and often wondered why their Father worried so much.  They were happy just being with him, he was lovely - why would want to hurt him, them, or anyone else?

Having moved to their new house, they often played in the forest, but Hansel was always more sturdy than Gretel, who used to complain about being tired

One day whilst in the back yard with their father, they heard some men approaching wearing uniforms.  Their father looked worried and told Hansel and Gretel to go and play in the woods and not to return until much later as he didn't want them to see these men who he said were bad.  Hansel and Gretel listened to their father and played hide and seek in the forest.

When they returned, their house was empty, nobody was home.  Both their beloved Father and their step-mother were gone.

They were now on their own

So they chopped some wood and made a roaring fire

ate the fruit and berries they found in woods and hid from everyone

and waited for their father and step mother to return

but they never did.

Hansel died whilst cutting wood in the forest and Gretel was then forced to seek help from others.  Luckily she was taken in by some people who were organising safe passage for themselves and other orphans to places they would be able to live their lives normally and without harm.  Gretel was very lucky indeed and grew up to have a family of her own who loved her very much and are so thankful she survived.

Snow, snow, snow, snow...

Comfy boots that keep me warm in this snow!

Today is Anders birthday, and in all our years together I have never seen this much snow, fall so quickly and bring Edinburgh to a stand still in November!   It feels like Bart Simpson's prayer has come true as the schools are all closed.  Sad thing is Dexter's class were meant to be going to the theatre today, but alas, no - instead Anders has taken Dexter and his pal Ben sledging whilst I am in the office working as it is still a normal working day!   How come Canada, USA, Sweden, Norway, Iceland - they can all cope with snow, but the UK - nope!  I am not complaining as it is really really lovely and I feel very comfy about having all this snow - and I can't wait to get out in it again.  On that note I will say put on the fire, put on some warm soup/drinks, wrap up tight and have some snow ball fights!

Tia, Jasmine and Dexter in the snow

The snow came down and we have had a ball.  Talk about great material to work with, snow falling and three beautiful children.  I was so happy as I was hoping to capture some really nice pictures of Tia and Jasmine so I could give them to their parents as part of their Christmas Present. 

Tia

Jasmine

Dexter

There is still time to enter into my competition Competition Entry.  Ends on the 29th and open to worldwide entries.

Winter Wonderland with Dexter and Rovers

Anders and I went with Dexter, Tia, Jasmine and Jo to Winter Wonderland.  The snow had just started to fall and it really was beautiful.  Dexter went on this ride which was a huge ball like that in the old 60's series "The Prisoner" where the balls were called "Rovers" and were superbly creepy!  Once you go inside this ride you do come out alive (unlike in the Prisoner), in this ride you roll up and down within this "Rover" on a huge inflated bouncy castle type thing.  Dexter loved it, and it made for some interesting photographs too!

My name is not Number 6, my name is Dexter!

Orange Alert!

The Rover has captured me!

Yep, he had a great time rolling about inside the rover and did not come out skeletonised at all!

There is still time to enter into my competition Competition Entry.  Ends on the 29th and open to worldwide entries.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday!

The snow has come early and I love how it changes things so dramatically.

Apparently it is the first time in 17 years that it has fallen in November in the UK.

It looks right at home resting on old Greyfriars Bobby

Anders, Dexter and I love it.

When it is cold outside, you wrap up warm and indulge in eating comfort food!

I have a lot more photos to share which I am rather excited about, but they will have to be for other blog posts and stories as I have to put them into something less random!  Hope these have given you enough of a tease though to want to come back to see them?

For now however - it is.....

The prompts this week for Scavenger Hunt were:
black and white: historic: I ate this: off-centre: the end!