life with nelly: Halloween... Half term ... and some exciting times across the pond

Nelly has been going through a big clingy phase and not wanting to go to nursery and pre-school...so a week of half term was a great respite for us all - no wailing in the car on the way and no tears ....instead a house full of cousins and friends popping in to keep Nelly entertained...! After a week off she has gone back and today when I picked her up from her half day in nursery one of the carers said 'It was lovely to have Nelly back again today! '

After a week of older children's company her language has improved enormously...she is really good company ...but as I read on another blog recently it is so difficult to leave behind those early days, thinking about Nelly this time last year when we moved here she still needed us so much she was still a baby....

Halloween - Grandma came to stay and we dressed Nelly up as a spider and put out our pumpkin lanterns at the end of our drive. Apparently in our village they will not come trick or treating unless you place a pumpkin outside - which is great so we could regulate the amount of time we would have to man the door and ration the sweets! Nell was both scared by some of the childrens' masks but excited and wanted more children to come to the door for sweets - nevertheless she woke at 3 having a nightmare! I think it was the blood dripping Edvard Munch mask that did it for her...!We will wait and see what she thinks of Bonfire Night on Friday in the village with all those bangs and flashes!

As I type Rob and I are tuning in to US election coverage -and thinking back to that night in May 1997 when we were on the verge of electing Blair after years of Thatcher - remembering that excitement and thinking how exciting and momentous this night will be for the US and the world...