My Christening

My Mummy and Me

 To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what it was all about.  I had this fabulous vintage silk dress, Daddy dressed for work, Mummy wasn't wearing jeans - most disconcerting! - Auntie Allison turned up almost before breakfast (she hasn't done that since my birthday) and off we all went to Old St Pauls.  Everyone who was anyone was there.  Gran Kat and Granddad John made the longest journey - 1,188 miles each way.  Nanna (accompanied by Granddad) made the most heroic, as Nanna has recently broken her elbow and it stills hurts a lot.  Cousins Cath and Darrell did the longest drive, 502 miles round trip.  Auntie Dawn and Phil did the quickest flit - only touching down in Scotland for 21 hours..  Plenty long enough to wet my head, whatever that means, but it's not that bad here y'know!  Godmother Gill paid hookey from her course.  Lots of people who don't usually go to church made an honourable exception, and Nathan and his mummy came, even though his big sister had broken her arm.  All in all, one can conclude my Christening must be terribly important.  My carbon footprint just got bigger!

Father Ian christening me!

No one is allowed to take pictures in the service, but nobody told Alistair that. So here it is: me being christened by Father Ian, watched my Mummy, Daddy and my two Godmothers.  They are Auntie Allison, who caught me when I was born (very helpful) and Auntie Gill, who is the Sunday School teacher at Catherine's church.  My Mummy chose them because they are kind, wise, clever and both immensely talented, and they are going to help me grow up to be like them.  I am so lucky.  


This was confirmed to Mummy by Catherine's friend Sophie (aged 6), who towards the end of the service, whispered; "Is that really Mrs Hales?" (Auntie Gill's alter ego for going to work at the school).  On being told it was indeed, she grew excited.  "I love Mrs Hales" Sophie declared, and wanted to go speak to her, before asking if she could have her as a Godmother too.  Unfortunately not - she is MY Godmother.  I got in there first!  And you can't have Auntie Allison either!


So anyway, I digress.. my Christening...  Father Ian took me off my mum.  I wasn't especially keen on this, and I was about to yell blue murder, when without warning he tipped a pale of water from the font onto my head.  This was so surprising I forgot to scream.  By the time I had collected myself, I was already being handed back.  Then we got to walk up to the altar, where Godmother Allison accepted a candle.  Mummy was stifling a tear at this point.  Before we knew it, we were coming down the aisle greeting everyone whilst they welcomed me to the church - even though I've been lots of times before.  


Afterwards we took hundreds of pictures.  Daddy even looked quite cheerful for a change.  I think it was relief actually.  I didn't mention that I was the only one without a speaking part, so I can understand the pressure.

Afterwards, everyone in the world came back to our house - well that's what it felt like!  It is also (incidentally) where I was born, so very appropriate for my Christening Party.  Mummy had to make a tower of cakes, so that everyone could have one.  I had two.  Well, it was *my* party!


I also got zillions of presents.  Godmother Gill got the award for the most beautiful wrapped gift, but all of Mummy and Daddy's friends are incredibly tasteful and generous, so I now have a fine collection of books, Bibles, bracelets and other fine things.  


I really can't imagine why we don't do this every weekend?  Such lovely company; such a nice selection of things to eat on my highchair tray and such enormously good fun!  I do love to be the centre of attention!

Though Mummy did kick off her shoes at the end of the day and say: "phew that was more stressful than the birth!".

With lots of love and kisses to everyone who made 

my special day so very joyful.  

This (Baby) Life

"Delight is the name of the game in this gentle and beautiful performance" said the blurb.  Part of the Bank of Scotland's Imaginate Festival, this performance of dance, movement and sound by Sally Chance Dance, is specifically aimed at babies aged between 4 and 18 months.  We'd never tried the venue before - indeed, Madeleine had never experienced any performance art at all.  As you know, we like to get out and about. Why  not, we thought.  The £8 was burning a hole in our pocket.  We phoned the ticket hotline and off we went.


Lets get the easy bit out of the way first.  The performance space at North Edinburgh Arts Centre  is great - bright, modern and airy - the Cafe looked swell too - passable coffee, clean floors and lots of toys.  The performance itself was just plain weird.  

Weird, in itself, is not necessarily bad.  Three performers - one of whom om-ed and played a child's xylophone, a shaker and a couple of big brass pots.  The other two were silent and moved a lot - think backward rolls and bottom shuffling.  Sometimes the adult audience laughed.  The babies stared.  I think they were thinking: "what are these wierdos up to".  The only props were some egg rattles and some knitted blankets, which they sometimes nursed like a newborn, or threw up in the air, or climbed into bed with.  It was weird.

Madeleine stared a lot.  And, as the other-mummy pointed out, none of the babies cried or had to leave.  Were they having fun?  Not discernibly, it has to be said.  Certainly Miss M has seemed more excited by The Singing Kettle or Blitzy Boy.  Actually, to be totally fair, she appeared a lot better entertained by my neighbour's preschoolers pretending to be lions the other day: RRROOOARRRR.

I'm going to sit on the fence.  I could be persuaded that whilst it raised no laughs, perhaps it is important to have your cultural boundaries pushed (even if you are only 9 months old).  Certainly, it was an experience.  Possibly not a delightful one - but an experience never-the-less.  And to be fair, if the brief was to produce a performance of gentle movement and sound for young babies - which it was - I'm not sure you could come up with anything much better than this.

So we've been.  We're glad we saw it.  It wasn't awful.  Just don't make us go again!

This (Baby) Life is showing until Saturday at the North Edinburgh Arts Centre.