Photo diary: week 5, project 365

Thank goodness it's finally February. January seemed never-ending. The spring flowers are already starting to appear in the garden.

Last week was a mix of warm and cold here. We've been shivering on what appears to be the coldest day for the last seven years, and we've got snow as well.

Every Sunday evening Eddie has a guitar practice before his lesson on Monday. This time he was learning Seven Nations Army chords. We even watched a video on Youtube on how to play it.

Monday was another abysmal day for me, as I had to go back to the "demon dentist". Friends saw me moaning on Facebook about how awful I felt afterwards. As the tooth is very much at the back, the access is quite tricky, and the dentist put some sort of contraption in my mouth. If you've seen the Willy Wonka film with Johnny Depp, it was similar to that, a terrible frame to keep a mouth open wide. Plus there was a plastic sheet on top.
I couldn't breathe properly, was panicking, and it made me gag. On top of that torture, the local anesthesia has frozen half of my face, including the muscles of one eye, which has totally freaked me out.
There is still one more visit to complete the job. I don't know how I will find any courage.
I have a phobia of dentists as it is, but after this treatment I am even more terrified of them.
Didn't take any photos on Monday, as I was feeling crappy.

On Tuesday I cooked a ready-made French meal - Cod loin with black rice. It wasn't too bad, but nothing "to write home about" either. Won't be buying it again.

The crocuses in the garden are beginning to shoot spears out of the ground. I picked a little bunch of crocuses and snowdrops, and the scent was so wonderfully delicate when they started to open up indoors.

Eddie enjoys reading the Beast Quest series. I've spotted this bunch of BQ book in the Oxfam shop and took a photo for Eddie to decide if he wants me to buy any of them. I did buy only one book.
When we visited the shop today, all the books were gone.

Friday, yay! Finally we have got snow. Eddie's been wishing for snow for a few weeks. Ever so hopeful that he'd be able to have a snowball fight.

I woke up on Friday morning, checked up the school websites, both were closed. I went back to bed, telling Eddie to keep sleeping, as there was no school. And of course, he couldn't go back to sleep after that, too excited about the snow.
Before we even ventured in the garden, I could see a lot of trails in the snow. That must have been a cat, who wandered everywhere in the garden, then left over the wall.

And another photo from yesterday. We found these two foodie snowmen by Cafe Rouge.
When we walked there today, they were gone. It's not because they've melted, no, it's some nasty b^*&%^$s who demolished them.

Today Eddie got his much-coveted snowball fight.

An InLinkz Link-up

The snowman and the snowdog personalised book from Penwizard

There might be still four more months till Christmas, but bloggers have been on the lookout for Christmas gifts wish list ideas as well as attending lots of Christmas-in-July etc events. While I am not that well organised to plan my posts for December, I keep an eye on the latest gifts to add to the wish list. Take my younger son, he likes nothing better than adding the items to his list for Santa which is forever changing. Back in June he wrote a letter to Santa with a modest request of "lots of Lego". He also loves books and films, and we have watched The Snowman and the snowdog so many times, I have lost count. We are both big fans of this warm-hearted story, and I knew Eddie would love a personalised version of The Snowman and the snowdog from Penwizard.
It's not the first time we received a personalised book from Penwizard (three years ago I reviewed the book Peppa Pig Goes to Eddie's Birthday Party, and if you care to have a look at my little man, you'll see how ecstatic he was with his gift, and also how much he has grown up since then. My baby is not a baby anymore).

Creating a personalised book online is an easy and quick process. Visit the Penwizard site and choose a book from a wide range. You could order a hardback at £24.99 or a softback at £17.99.
Choose a gender for your book hero, add their name, and create a character by selecting a skin colour, hairstyle and pyjama style.
You may add a personalised message to the book if you wish (I opted out).

The story is of course well known, and is based on much-loved characters created by Raymond Briggs. It never ceases to move me. When it is retold with a child's name and personalised character, it makes it even more special for children.

When the book arrived, Eddie couldn't wait to open the packet. His eyes were sparkling like stars when he read his name on the cover. He couldn't believe it. Seeing his name printed on the cover was like a mini-miracle for him. I wish I had the camera ready at that moment.

We sat on the sofa in the entrance hall and had to read the story there and then, with Edgar's name appearing through the narrative.
The illustrations are beautiful and warm.

This brilliant Christmas story is poignant and touching, and I find myself sniffing at the end, when the snowman melts, a big softie that I am.
We love the story, and we love the personalised book.
It will make a wonderful gift for any Snowman and Snowdog fan.

Disclosure: we received a free book for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are Eddie's and mine.

Light the night with the Snowman and the Snowdog

Last Christmas Eddie and I fell in love with The Snowman and the snowdog. We had it recorded on Freeview and for a couple of months after Christmas, my little man watched it every day. At some point we had a disaster when the film has vanished from the Freeview box. I have been waiting for the release of the DVD with impatience, and finally it is here. It premiered on Channel 4 on the 30th anniversary of the original film.

Christmas is just 42 days away, and though I haven't started the gifts-hunting properly yet, I began looking for bargains and gift ideas. Imagine my delight when a whole plethora of The Snowman and the snowdog-inspired gifts appeared in many shops and supermarkets, from Thorntons and House of Fraser to WHSmith and Sainsbury's.

The Snowman and the snowdog take over our little local Thorntons shop

Apart from the DVD, which I plan to give to Eddie for Christmas, I have bought (and still plan to buy) a few other gifts from the range.

It was inevitable with the chocoholic mother, that my two boys will inherit my love of chocolate. And what could be more exciting than a proper Advent chocolate calendar. I've got this tempting Thorntons advent calendar (£2.99 at Waitrose)...

...but also have my eye on a bigger version from Thorntons, The Snowman and the snowdog advent calendar (£5.99+ free icing), you can make it personal by having your child's name written on a scrummy chocolate plaque. Yummy!

Then there is this gorgeous looking Snowdog, with the sock-ears. Seems almost a shame to eat it.

I loved the story, found it very moving and emotional. I know some people didn't like it as much as the original Snowman story, but I think the new version is a worthy sequel (and I'm often the one who hates sequels).
When the Snowman takes Billy and the dog on a flight over the frozen landscapes, it makes me think that's what the souls see when they depart the land of the living. You watch the rolling images below in a detached way, and the music of the stars and the wind takes you higher and higher (love the soundtrack too).

I thought it was clever that the film moves on with the times, and you can see the modern landmarks. The plot itself reflects our times as well, with Billy having no father figure in his life, and the house where the original flying boy lived is no longer bordering on the fields but is set amongst the rather crowded neighbourhood as the town has expanded.

More chocolate

There are soft toys too in the range, and your little ones will treasure a cuddly Snowman which is available in Thorntons (couldn't find the link online but took the photo below in the local branch of Thorntons) and House of Fraser. The snowman at House of Fraser comes as The Snowman Collector edition, presented in an illustrated box (£24.99). Simply beautiful!

And who can resist this adorable snowdog with mismatched socks for ears and a satsuma for a nose? You can even get it as a gift set with a chocolate Snowman in Thorntons (though you can buy it separately as well). A wonderful Christmas stocking filler, and one to cherish for a long time. I  remember the days, when my older son was a tot, we had several soft puppies that went with us everywhere, including on trips to Russia and Italy.
I have also discovered that Build A Bear has a Snowdog kit, so that you can sew your own dog, isn't that very quaint and lovely?!

Light the night with the Snowman and the Snowdog,and eat some chocolate on the way...

P.S. I am going to do a series of posts on Christmas gifts. Hope you will find them helpful. I am certainly enjoying myself, browsing online and looking for ideas in the shops.

After I have done this post, I found on Madhouse Family Reviews blog that there is also a fantastic Snowman puzzle - read her Ravensburger The Snowman puzzle review. Something else to add to a Wish list of any Snowman/snowdog's fan.


Disclosure: nothing to disclose, I haven't been paid or offered any goodies for reviewing. With some bloggers being ever so vigilant on the disclosure issue, I feel like I need to justify anything I say by adding this.