Never Been such Devoted Brothers,

They came, they saw, they conquered! The English team from Shipley arrived and won us over- two very well behaved boys entertained us as we took them to the pantomime and watched while they laughed and enjoyed themselves.

How much of the dialogue and in -jokes recounted in a thick Edinburgh accent they got, I’m not sure, but I translated some for them. Sid, (7 in a fortnight), was particularly tickled with the phrase ‘I ken where yous live’, but of course they didn’t get the irony of the two ugly sisters In Cinderella being called Ruth and Nicola.

So with a minimum of calorie intake and a pull of a cracker, they have taken off like a whirlwind to visit their cousins on the other side of the Meadows. Now His Lordship and I are sitting in the peace and quiet watching the 7o’clock News and sharing some Christmas chocolates. We are out of practice in dealing with the energy of young children.

The photo shoot, gained with difficulty I may say, would indicate the recent multiple attendance of the tooth fairy in Shipley.