Suffolk Silvestr

In our family we have a double dose of Christmas and new year because of the Orthodox calendar which the parents in Kiev mark with an enviable vigour and excitement. The boys' birthday falls on Orthodox Christmas. During this extended festive period we took them to the pictures, the theatre and the museum - all for the first time.

Here's Gregor meeting his match in the Ipswich museum, which was very warm and welcomingly cosy, and a good stopover before the theatre just over the road. We went to see a 45 mins puppet show called "Shoe Baby", about a baby in a shoe who has lots of adventures. Both boys were mesmerised and the music was great.

Back to normal and we braved the cold weather to go shopping. Alastair decides he wants to help collect trolleys at Asda. It's those men in florescent jackets, you see, they do something to these young, impressionable boys.

The view from Asda, part of Lowestoft port, just a bit west of the harbour. If you continued along you'd reach Oulton Broad, the southernmost part of the Norfolk Broads waterways.

And with the new year comes great intentions, here clearing up the garden with the little helpers. Hmm, didn't notice that enormous scratch on my car till now!

And after the cinema, where we watched Bee movie, Gregor was trying to fly like a bee. Alastair wasn't as taken with this as Gregor, which is no surprise as it was twice as long, very wordy and distinctly lacking in music. Still, the rest of us enjoyed it.