How good can it get. It’s nearly Christmas and Alex and Dave have arrived with Joe and Amber our grand kids to stay until after New Year. It’s lovely to have the house full again.


The big thing of course is that because they have been living in the Bahamas for over three years now and only coming over here in the summer they are cold. And when I say cold I mean shivering cold. This is the first time they have experienced frost for over three years, I am afraid that their shorts, T-shirts and sandals aren’t what is required at zero degrees.


So I drive down to Gatwick Airport to pick them up, park the car and go off to meet them. They come out of Arrivals huddled in everything they have but still with chattering teeth so the plan is to get to the car as fast as possible and get the heating on. A good plan if only we could find the car. I was sure I knew where I had parked it an hour earlier but it wasn’t there and then I realised we were on the wrong level. Now we are walking around with two trolleys, seven suitcases as well as hand luggage and it’s minus four degrees and they are all getting colder.


We find a lift and go down a level and there it is, not there! It must be here and then I realise my problem I am in the wrong car park. Back to the lift, drag the trolleys to the next car park and there it is exactly where I left it. By now the family are no longer managing to seem amused by the missing car as they are freezing and tired having just spent nine hours on a plane. But at last 45 minutes after we went into the car park we are on our way. What do they expect I am a pensioner you know!


The first job when we get home is a visit to Beverley. Hats, gloves, jumpers, coats and shoes all need to be bought for the kids who have naturally grown out all their previous winter clothes. As soon as we arrive back home the kids are getting changed into winter gear.


I explain that they don’t need to wear the gear in the house but they just carry on shivering. We have our central heating full on, a fire in the breakfast room, a fire in the dining room and a fire in the lounge and still Joe and Amber are walking about in their new hats, gloves and scarves and sitting under blankets watching cartoon network on the plasma.


But it’s great fun. Mind you Alex has arrived just getting over a very bad cold, that bad that if it had been me it would definitely have been at least flu and probably pneumonia and is also sitting on the settee under another blanket saying she needs her Mum to look after her. Christine is of course very happy to oblige.


It’s great to have them all back for Christmas. Can it get better than getting up at seven o-clock, walking into the kitchen to be met by Amber wearing a big pair of pink slippers that look like boots with a matching knitted hat and gloves and a blanket wrapped around her saying “can I have a hug, granddad”. Can it get better? Well only by sitting under Joe’s blanket with him in his hat and gloves watching Ben 10 doing battle with a Pokemon or something like that. I have no idea what is going on and asking Joe is not an option he needs to thaw out and come round slowly. He is not at his best first thing in a morning.


Christine and I are of course sitting here in our Bahamas gear trying to keep cool as the radiators throw out more and more heat and the fires keep using more logs but what the heck it’s good to have them back.


The lists have gone to pot, everyone is eating whatever they want not what’s specified, Christine is down the supermarket shopping for things which never appeared on a list. The menus are all mixed up and they have only been here three days. But of course there is only me that thinks it is chaos everybody else is just getting on with things and Christine is cooking whatever she wants each night. When I mention the daily menu list she just grins and continues with whatever she is doing. When I ask if she ever intended to stick with the list she just smiles to humour me and continues with her jobs.


My responsibility was to ensure we had enough booze. How was I to know that we would get through nine bottles of white wine in two nights particularly as Dave and I were going to the Cornerhouse in Beverley on one of the nights to see Kev and the crowd. I am just going down to the supermarket for replacements.


I am taking a holiday now the next posting will be after New Year so Merry Christmas everyone, I hope it’s a good one and that next year is as good as this one.