Journal

The last days of Can A Lot

Behold ye!

This mighty structure hath protected many a fine man from the slings, the arrows, and the catapults of enemies from far and wide who would dare come and challenge the hallowed ramparts of Castle Can A Lot.

Gazeth ye at the fine construction – employing the highest quality materials from sources as far afield as Australia and China. Well, from what I couldst tell from yonder advertisements upon the box of moving pictures, Fosters comes from down under and ye Asda stir fry sauce is probably from the lands of the far east. But I digresseth.

Many hours of hearty work, and drinking, were put into the building of Can A Lot over the festive season. Take a step back, clicketh ye picture, and beholdeth once more the majesty of Can A Lot.

Who would have thought that such a solid construction could have been felled by the great dish washing incident of early 2006?

Not I.

However, once the crockery of doom had collapsed into the eastern rampart of Can A Lot, ye writing was on ye wall. And ye materials were on ye kitchen floor.

Castle Can A Lot may have gone to ye great recycling bin in the sky, but in the final days of this fine metal and glass structure, some breathtaking images were captured. Clicketh ye and be agast: Can A Lot; entrance, Can A Lot; North Rampart

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Journal

Meet Elisha

Elisha on the bed in hospitalAt 2:30 in the afternoon on the last day of 2005, our daughter Elisha emerged into what had been a bit of a miserable day until that point. In what seemed like a big thumbs up from the world, the clouds broke into a lovely afternoon sky through the window of the room we’d been encamped in since the night before.

As anyone who knows me will agree, I’m not so big on babies. However, Elisha, at just under seven pounds, looked kind of cute from the moment I saw her. Actually, she looked kind of gross the moment I first saw her, but once she’d been cleaned up I thought she looked very cute indeed.

Rob, Fliss and ElishaAfter a group photo and a minute or so getting to know mummy Fliss, she was handed over to me to hold and entertain while Fliss was tended to. As if recognising that first impressions count, Elisha was quiet yet inquizative – my favourite baby traits, it has to be said.

Holding your baby for the first time is quite an odd experience, really; up until that point we’d been strangers – heck, I didn’t even know what sex she was until she arrived on the scene. But, after seeing her and holding her in my arms, I knew that I’d do anything for her and everything to protect her from that moment forward.

Six hours later they let us leave the hospital and take her home. Although it was cold in the house and we were tired as could be, it was great to be back in comfortable surroundings with our new daughter. A fantastic neighbourhood firework display as the midnight hour approached was the icing on the cake of what had been a memorable day for us.

The first night went as expected – Fliss was up a few times and ended up in the spare room, while I woke for a few moments each time Elisha stirred before falling back asleep. Easy on the eye roll – we’d decided that was the best course of action when we went to bed. ;o)

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