Amber's Dragons

This year, Mum made us wear balloons for hats. And of course, that evolved into targeting the sweetest natured person in the family to turn them into a balloon-person. His Lordship is COVERED in about 100 inflated water bombs - and though I had to find him a straw so he could drink, he patiently sat in his balloon suit (roasting slowly as his body heat trapped in the bubbles!) until my sister's birthday party started. Hehehhehe!

No-one seemed to notice that Tesco's accidentally messed up the party food order; in fact, the Cornish pasties instead of quiches were a hit with me, and the samosas were lovely. It was a slightly odd mix of flavours, but Mum saved the day with food on sticks. A party is incomplete if there aren't any food on sticks!

And, as usual, the fireworks were a fiasco... But then it wouldn't be my Stepdad's fireworks display if it wasn't. This year included the usual dangerously aimed rockets, but the grand finale ...

Was my 16 shot barrage box.

Of course, the instructions were disregarded and the hefty clump of explosives was placed on top of the wet, sloping tin roof of the shed. I ran across the lawn shouting sensible advice like "No! It needs to be sunk in the ground - sunk in the GROUND!" but it was lit and too late. Sadly I missed the fireworks going off - I was too busy running back to shove our guests to safety behind the fence: the explosive force caused the box to bounce down the roof before dropping down the side of the shed and ricocheting brilliant red balls of fire wildly around the garden.

Apparently the dragons had a good New Years party too... I can only assume they have terrible hangovers to be sat so quietly together in Sandy's tank. And yes, those are REAL dragon hats, with pompoms - I came up with the design when making a party hat for Noa's birthday.

As I was ordering new bulbs for the dragon tanks (they need replacing at LEAST once a year), I spotted that my favourite supplier was stocking the vivarium I wanted to replace Terry Tackety Toes's with.


He has been waiting for almost a year for a new tank since the bottom panel completely blew out - it's literally just waiting to give up on me. The new one is a meter high, so I may need a new cork backboard for it, but I'm going to have great fun rigging it up - fitting the mist system, repositioned lighting, new plants, perhaps a fountain...

Terry will be most cross though, he HATES change - It's a territory thing; he has spent a long time examining EVERY part of his home and can bounce around it without any thought. He gets very upset if I move something or put a new plant in - in fact, he spent two days carefully staying as far away from the Lilly I put in, before creeping up on it, fuffing and bipping at it. But now he likes it, and is sleeping in one of the bigger leaves.