Victoria Hill

Hello again, dear friends!

Isn’t everyone at home just growing up so fast? It seems like 1 minute they’re all crawling babies drooling on themselves, and the next, why, then they’re bringing their own crawling, drooling babies onto the scene. I love watching them all, though, its kind of peaceful, drifting from house to house, keeping up with my flourishing family. It’s kind of funny when I think that it all started with one girl wishing me luck on my freshman Finals!
‘Of such inconsequential beginnings dynasties are begun.’ As the saying goes, although I can’t remember just who said it. It doesn’t really matter, I suppose, and so far it seems to be true.

I’m looking forward to getting some company up here, to help, but I suppose it won’t be too long now.

I’ve always watched my family closely, but I’ve only just noticed how much Jamie (the living one) resembles his father. It’s like they’re twins, separated by age or something, and is rather incredible. I wonder why I never noticed it before? Could it be I’m just getting a little long in the tooth to be doing this?

Anyway, what I wanted to tell you about today was a wedding.

Now, this of course, is my eldest great-grandchild, Charlie, who graduated from college a few weeks back, and who was helping a friend for a few weeks before he returned to the little house he has brought. It’s next to Belle’s, and just across from my little Missy’s twin boys, but I suppose you already know that, right? Anyway, Charlie got settled in all right, got the house sorted, found himself a job in Politics of all things, and then got ready for Camryn’s arrival, and the wedding, which meant sorting out the guest list, and hiring a caterer.

It wasn’t as big as when Andy and Brian got married, but it wasn’t that small, either. Royce and Allyn weren’t able to come (school night), and the same for Rosie and Matt, and a few of their friends from college didn’t show up even though they had been invited, but nobody really seemed to mind about that.

Josie and Payton, knowing that the newly-weds were going to be slightly strapped for cash, decided that they were going to pay for the honeymoon (Charlie protested slightly at that, saying it was a lot of money, but my Josie just thinned her lips at him, and he kept quiet after that), so now they’re in the Bahamas, enjoying the sun for a few days before they come back to the neighbourhood and settle down.

Well, I think I’ve bored you enough for today.
Be well, all of you.
Bobby Denzel

(There might be real wedding parties soon, because I’m finally starting to get the hang of them, or, at least I think I am! Also, I know this is kinda short, by my ma wants the lawn mowed.)

Well, things have been busy around here, Dear Diary!

When I started this thing for a joke, I was Sasha Gregory, youngest daughter of Bobby and Joy, youngest sister of Josie and Missy, an aunty, and soon to be mom! Now I’m Sasha Hanby, mother to Molly Gregory (1st Marriage), and Belle (with Sheldon the sweetie). But not only that! Now I’m also a grandmother of three!

Yes, three! Molly adopted two little ones, and now, Baby Belle and her man Vasyl have just had their first, and only, child!

Oh, I wouldn’t go through that again for all the tea in China, as my daddy used to say! Well, for one thing, I’m too old, and the other reason is I didn’t really enjoy looking like a whale!

And there she is, folks, safely in her daddy’s arms! They’ve named her Heather, and isn’t she just adorable?

Belle is adamant, though. Heather will be an only child, which is a little unfortunate, but it is her choice. Vasyl seemed a little disappointed, but, as he pointed out, Chucky will be getting married soon, and when his first is born, it’ll be the start of Generation 5 here in Victoria Hill. It seems like the family has been here forever, my daddy was one of the first residents here, you know. It feels kind of strange, sometimes, to think that I ended up with fatnose (Pierce, the Honker From Hell, well, you get the idea) first. If I hadn’t of gone to college, I would have found Sheldon first, and instead of all that mucking about… well, it’s no good dwelling on that now, I suppose.

Well, I’m going to make a start on dinner, my daughters and grandchildren are all coming! Boy, am I going to have a full house tonight!

(Note to self: update family tree!)

“It’s my birthday, it’s my birthday!” Erin sung to herself as she got ready for school, and her parents began to hold their heads. She had been singing that for the past three hours, and it had got real old, real fast.
“Why won’t she stop, Mama?” Fin asked, trying to hide his head under a couch cushion.
“She’s just excited that’s all. You’ll be the same on your next birthday.”
“No I won’t! Tell Mama I won’t be like that, Dad!”
“Allyn, young Finlay won’t be like that.” Royce barely even looked up from his crossword.
“You’re all just jealous because it’s not your birthday!” Erin stopped singing, and started sulking slightly. Didn’t they even care? She picked up her school bag, and flounced out to meet the bus, not even looking at her family as she went.
“Uh-oh. The Incredible Sulk rides again. You better get a move on Fin, otherwise the bus will leave without you.” Royce put his paper down, and handed Fin his bag, and the little boy raced out the door.

Allyn stood looking at her husband, who had disappeared behind his paper again. She was still slightly ashamed at having a Private Investigator check Royce out, but the woman had come back empty handed, telling Allyn that if he was having an affair, it was well hidden. Allyn hadn’t been surprised. After all, Royce had been a cop, so he would know exactly how to get around things without being caught. Worse still, Allyn didn’t even know if he was having an affair. He hadn’t come home smelling of strange perfume, or anything like that. Maybe a direct confrontation was in order.
“Royce? We have to talk…” she started out, not sure where she would go from there.
“You think I’m having it off with my secretary.” How did he know that?
“Well…”
When he looked up at her, he was angrier than she had ever seen him. His blue-grey eyes were flashing, and it seemed to Allyn as if storm clouds were racing across them. He rose from the sofa, and stomped into his new office. Since they no longer needed the nursery, he had decided to use that, instead of building a whole new one. He came back downstairs a few minutes later with a thick case file in his hand, and he threw it onto the table with a loud slap.
“Have a look through that, Allyn.”
“But I…”
“I have been working, these past months, on the case of three children. They’re nice looking kids too, there’s photos in there. Their parents are both a waste of air, and spend most of their time cracked out! There were originally four, but the baby died of malnutrition while the parents were stoned out of their gourds!” Royce was starting to shout now.
“Royce, I…”
“And do you know what their neighbours said? ‘We knew about it, but it wasn’t our business to get involved.’! Now, we’ve been trying to find the three kids that haven’t starved to death, and the thinking is that the parents sold them for drugs! But, of course, nobody wants to get involved these days, they’re all too busy sitting in their own goddamn pity-pits, too damn selfish to realise that, somewhere, there are three children, who should have been protected, doing God knows what because of their goddamn parents! I’m out there, every day, wading in all sorts of human detritus trying to find these kids before they end up addicts, or worse, dead, and you have some second-rate rent-a-cop follow me because you think I’m having it off with some bimbo too damn stupid to tie her own goddamn shoelaces? What the Hell is wrong with you?” He stared at her for a moment before snatching up the case file, and then stomped back up to his office, muttering that he’d been down when the kids got home. Allyn heard the door slam, and then she dropped onto the sofa, and put her head in her hands. How could she have misjudged him so badly?

At 12:30, Allyn decided to face the lion in his den, and walked slowly up the stairs, to her husband’s office. She could hear the fax machine beeping away, and the printer humming to itself as it did it’s job. She tapped lightly on the closed door, and when Royce bellowed that the door was unlocked, she walked slowly in.
“I was just going to make some lunch. Do you want me to bring yours up here?” When he turned to look at her, Allyn could see that he was nowhere near as angry as he had been before.
“Yeah, that’d be good.” He turned back towards his computer, and Allyn began to leave the room.
“Allyn? I’m sorry I flew off the handle before, but…”
“I know. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions like that.”
Royce smiled at her, and Allyn grinned back, a little uncertainly at first.
“There’s one thing before you trot downstairs to make lunch.”
“What?”
“If I was having an affair, you’d be the first to know. I mean, I’d have to get you to organize it all, wouldn’t I? Otherwise, I’d stuff up somewhere along the way!”
Allyn smiled again, and kissed the top of his head before heading back out the door. Everything, she knew, would be all right.

The kids burst in through the door like a whirlwind, both of them yelling and shouting about their field trip up to the lake. They had gone swimming, according to Fin, although Erin reckoned that it wasn’t swimming, just paddling. It took Allyn quite a while to calm them down enough so they could do their homework, and in the end, she and Royce ended up helping, even though neither child really needed it. They were just so hyper they couldn’t settle down to the work. Once they had finished, and settled in front of the TV, Allyn sent Royce out to get KFC for dinner. They didn’t have take-out often, but since it was Erin’s birthday, and she had wanted fast food, Allyn had decided it was all right. Then it was time for the birthday cake.

(Sorry if this is a little off, but I made the mistake of watching the news. The only thing it did was make me want to put my foot through the TV. Every day, people do the worst things to their children, and nothing happens to them! Oh, sure they get a slap on the knuckles, but that’s about it. This update was supposed to be longer, but I’m too ticked off to write any more.)

“What kind of cake would you like for your birthday, Danae?” Rosie asked her daughter as she got ready for school.
“I don’t really want a cake, Mama.”
“How come?”
“I got toothache after eating a piece of Eric’s, remember? I don’t like toothache or the dentist, Mama.”
“Well, if you’re sure.” Rosie watched as her two children raced out to the school bus, almost forgetting their lunches in the process. Rosie ran out the front door, and handed them over just before the bus was about to pull away from the curb, the bus driver laughing, and the two Carlson kids yelling their thanks for all the world to hear.
Then it was Matt’s turn to head off, and the work car stood outside, the driver honking the horn, while Matt tried desperately to find his favourite tie. In the end, after ten minutes of honking, Rosie went out and told the driver what was going on, just as her husband came hurtling out the door, the tie crooked, and his shoelaces untied.

“Hey, Rosie!” A voice shouted from across the street as the car pulled away.
“Hi, Ella.” She called back, and Ella came across the road looking slightly harried.
“Listen, I’m trying to find something for the twins to do, have you got any ideas?”
“What, no school for them today?”
“No, both of them have come down with Chicken Pox, and they’re already bored out of their minds.”
“Poor things! Well, come on in, and I’ll see where Danae’s hidden the board games.”
“You’re a life-saver, you know that?”
“Have a seat, and I’ll be back in a minute.”
Rosie ducked into Danae’s room, and presently, she could be heard digging around in the closet, muttering to herself the whole time. She emerged ten minutes later, with an armful of colored boxes, and Ella could see they included Monopoly, Yahtzee, Risk, and a few of Danae’s jigsaw puzzles.
“Thanks a bunch, Rosie. I’ll make sure they take good care of them.”
“No worries. Would you like some coffee before you go?”
“No, I better get going. Ralph is with them at the moment, but he’ll be heading off to work shortly, and we can’t leave the boys by themselves, God knows what mischief they’d get up to. I’ll give Danae a call tonight, to say Happy Birthday.”
“Hey! You’d better watch that Aunt Sasha doesn’t change her mind!”
“What do you mean?” Ella called from across the street.
“She hasn’t given them nicknames yet, you’d better watch out that she doesn’t curse them with ‘The Spotties’, or something!”
“Thanks a bunch, Rosie!”

‘Right, now to wrap Danae’s presents,’ Rosie thought to herself as her cousin disappeared down the street, and into her own house. There were so many things to take care of that day, and it didn’t help that it took her an hour just to find where she’d put the wrapping paper, and then there was the case of trying to remember just where she had hidden the presents from her daughter. In the end, Rosie gave up, and was about to phone Matt to see if he knew where she had hidden the gifts, until she saw a couple of things poking out from under her bed. Now, why had she hidden them there? That would have been the first place Danae had looked. Rosie figured that it didn’t matter all that much, and grabbed the books, the clothes, and the make-up kit from under the bed, and took them out to the kitchen table, where she’d left the wrapping paper.
It took her ages. The tape kept breaking in places it wasn’t meant to, and it kept sticking to her fingers. Then there was the fact that the wrapping paper wouldn’t behave itself no matter how much she tried to keep it in order. It all got sorted out eventually, and the troublesome presents were left to sit on the kitchen table until Danae had finished her homework, which she started as soon as she had raced in from the school bus.

“Can I do that too, Mama Rosie?” Eric asked, as Danae got ready for her transformation into a teenager.
“One day, Little Man. But now its your sister’s turn.” She answered, no longer even slightly hurt at being called ‘Mama Rosie’, instead of just plain old Mom.

“Right! I look good! Now, where’s those presents?”
“They’re on the kitchen table.”
“C’mon, Eric. Help me open em!” Danae grabbed her brother’s hand and rushed out of the room, leaving Rosie slightly baffled.

(They muck around to much with birthday cakes, so Danae doesn’t have a choice in the matter. Also, Danae is a family sim, they’re so easy to monkey with!)

“Annie, where are you? It’s nearly time!” Payton shouted up the stairs to his youngest daughter, before running back into the living room, grabbing the camera, and turning to face his granddaughter. He was looking forward to the little chats he and Francesca would have before the Grim Reaper came for him. He was about to shout out to Annie again, and Josie promptly shushed him.
“She’s lying down, Payton.”
“But it’s Little Fran’s birthday, and she can’t miss it! Everything is okay with her, isn’t it?”
“Payton.”
“What?”
“You saw me go through this three times, and Annie once. Well, twice now. Use your head!”
“Wait a minute! Is Annie…”
“She’s pregnant, yes.”
“Well, why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“She only found out an hour ago, you silly old fool!”
“Listen, you grey-haired old bat…”
“That’s not very nice, Poppy!” A small voice interrupted, and Payton muttered loudly under his breath when he realised that he had missed Frannie’s transition.

“This is all your fault for distracting me, Josie!”
“Oh, yes, blame the little wifey. I ought to knock your lights out for that, Payton. And you know I can.” Josie cracked her knuckles at her husband, and then they both burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Annie asked, as her daughter pounced at her from across the room.
“Oh, just another one of our friendly arguments. Nothing to worry about. Have you named…”
“No dad! Jeez, I only found out a little while ago, and I’m already supposed to have named it?”
“Don’t be so stubborn, Annie.”
“Don’t be so pushy, Dad.”
“Poppy, will you read to me?” Francesca interrupted, and Payton waltzed the little girl over to the bookcase, grabbed a book at random, and was only vaguely surprised when he realised it was another one of Josie’s ‘Hocus’ tales, this one concerned, not with Helgin and Rumbles, but with a character called Grumpy the Goblin.
“Is that about Poppy, Mama?” Payton heard the little girl whisper, and couldn’t help but laugh.
“You might as well read it to all of us, Payton. That one has never been read out loud at all.”
“What am I? Just the Storyteller?”
“Yeah, now get on with it!” Josie swatted him, and then settled on the sofa between her daughter and granddaughter.

Woohoo!

Hey there family! I’ve finally graduated! College was a blast, but I wouldn’t do it again, believe me. Some of the stuff I learned in class is going to be utterly useless to me, but some of the stuff I learned from my roommates will definitely come in handy!

I’m glad Chrissy liked my present, it took me ages to think of something she could possibly want, and, actually, the MP3 player was Camryn’s idea. A pretty good idea, if I do say so. Camryn also picked the wrapping paper, after pointing out that girls rarely like Freddy Krueger on their presents, which I thought was rather funny. She’s been to our house five times, and she still doesn’t know that her soon-to-be sister-in-law is a closet horror movie buff! Nevermind, I’m sure Chrissy’ll grow out of that particular phase!

The final exam was disappointingly easy compared with the rest of them, and I was really surprised at how many actually failed it. It was like they wouldn’t believe it was so simple, so they complicated it themselves! Still, I passed, and so did Camryn, and we’ve brought a little house right next to Belle and Vasyl’s, so it’s just across the road from Andy and Brian’s, give or take a house!

You know that CD I was telling you about, Dad? ‘Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of War of the Worlds’? Well, I managed to find it at a music store just off campus, and I’m sure everyone in my dorm is sick of ‘Forever Autumn’ and ‘Thunder Child’ by now! (That, of course, is a real CD! My dad gave me the record version when I was about 9 or ten, and I dunno what happened to it! So when I saw it advertised on TV just before Christmas, it got added to my wishlist, and Ma and I searched for about an hour before we actually found it!)

Not that it bothers me in the slightest, I’m not really into the screaming stuff they call music either! Basically, we each turn our stereo volume up, hoping to drown out the other’s distasteful music! Still, we’re all good friends here, and our different tastes in music aside, we all still have a good laugh!

Anyway, I’ve got to go and pack for home.
See you all at dinner,
Love,
Charlie and Camryn

“Are you sure you won’t be late tonight?” Allyn asked, as Royce got himself ready for work. The new home office hadn’t been built yet, due to delays, and a builders strike, so Royce was still wandering off to Paddy and the office downtown every weekday.
“I don’t think I’ll be late. I shouldn’t be unless a major crisis knocks on my door, but you know I’ll call if I’m delayed.”
“I know, it’s just that its Fin’s birthday, and…”
“I’m well aware of that, Allyn. I’ll do my best to be home early, okay?”
Allyn nodded, and Royce kissed her lightly before heading out to the garage.

As Royce backed the truck out of the garage, he muttered under his breath. It was Friday, and he was starting to get used to going to work on a Friday in a bad mood. He didn’t know exactly what was up with Allyn. Did she really think he would forget his own son’s birthday? Contrary to popular opinion, counsellors didn’t really earn a lot of money, and since Allyn refused to work, Royce’s hours were longer than most. And then she grouched at him when he was late for dinner, or when she wanted something, and couldn’t have it because it wouldn’t fit into the budget. Still, she seemed to be getting a little better at that now, although she still complained when he was late for dinner. He also was having slight second thoughts about the home office. Allyn would be out there every two seconds, and he would never get any work done. Still, he would have to put on a smile for Fin’s birthday.

Allyn, watching from the house, could see her husband frowning as he backed out of the drive, and momentarily wondered if ‘working late’ was really the truth. She had some doubts about Royce’s young secretary, who seemed to need him for every little thing, and Allyn began to wonder if maybe there was something else there. Could he be having an affair? Maybe it was time to do a little checking up, just to see what old ‘Concrete-Head’ was up to. But not today. The last thing Allyn needed was for Fin’s birthday to be ruined because of accusations of infidelity, and besides, it being a Teacher’s Only day at school, Erin was home. Her detective work would start tomorrow, after Royce had taken the kids out to Spring Lake. Now, it was time to get started on the birthday cake.

As for Erin, she was upstairs in the nursery, playing with her brother. She was not a stupid child, and knew that something wasn’t right, her suspicions being confirmed when she had got up in the night for a glass of water, and heard her parents arguing in their room. She hadn’t stopped to listen to what they were saying, dashing back into her own room, and hiding under the bedcovers. Still, she was sure they would have worked it out by now, like Erin and her best friend and cousin, Kitty. They fought sometimes, but were always best friends again by the next day, and anyway, who could be upset on a birthday? Erin, for one, was definitely looking forward to it. It would be good to have someone to hang out with on the weekends when all her other friends were too busy to come over.
“Erin, have you made a start on your chores?” Allyn’s voice floated up the stairs, and in through the open nursery door.
“I’ve made my bed and tidied my room, Mama.”
“Well, why aren’t you doing the rest?”
“I was just playing with Fin.”
“When your father and I let you have your own little garden, it wasn’t so you could let everything in it die, Erin!”
“I know, I’m heading out there now. Can I take Fin out the back with me? I’ll watch him and everything?”
“Yes, yes, just get on with it!” Allyn was starting to sound angry by this point, so Erin took her brother’s hand, and led him downstairs to the back door.

The birthday boy looked at everything around him when his sister lead him down the back steps to her little garden. He hadn’t been out here before, his mother preferring to keep him upstairs in the nursery where he couldn’t get into any mischief, something Royce didn’t understand. The back yard was fenced, and no harm could come to a small child out there, but somebody would still have to watch, whereas Allyn preferred to sit inside and watch her silly (in Royce’s opinion) soap operas.

Fin, however, didn’t go far. He stayed beside his sister the entire time, and didn’t even try to hide when Erin came out of the house with the sun hat his mother forced upon his head every time they went for a walk down the street. The only peep Erin heard out of him was when a small butterfly landed on one of his toes, and then he was quiet again, just watching, as the small butterfly wandered up to his knee, then back to his toes, before finally flying off again. (I had a butterfly do that the other day when I was out in the sun reading. The difference is, one of our cats spotted it, and pounced halfway up my leg trying to catch it.)

Allyn was still thundering around in a bad mood when Royce arrived home from work at 5:30, so, instead of being nagged, he ducked out to the back yard, where Erin and Fin were still enjoying the sunshine.
“If we’re going to do this damn birthday, the three of you get your backsides back inside before I throw this damn cake in the garbage!”
“Okay, Mama!” Erin picked up her brother and started towards the house, leaving Royce staring up at the kitchen window, a rather troubled expression on his face, before he too went inside.

(I dunno what’s up with Allyn, she’s usually quite mild-tempered, but now all she seems to do is nag the hell out of poor Royce. I hope she’s not doing a Sasha. I don’t need another mental sim! Also, Spring Lake isn’t actually a location in my game yet, it’s a town in one of my horror stories.)

“An, an, Charlie, guess what?” Jane listened as her very excited daughter talked to her brother on the telephone.
‘What? Give me a clue.’
“It’s my birthday, and I’m going to be a big girl, and it’s Mama’s birthday today too! You didn’t forget, did you?” the little girl’s face fell.
‘Of course not! When Ma let’s you open your presents, look for the one with the ‘Peanuts’ wrapping paper. I have to go now, sis, but I’ll see you at the weekend. Oh, and tell Ma I said happy birthday.’
“Okay, Charlie. Bye-bye.”
“Bye!”
“Mama, Charlie said Happy Birthday!” Chrissy shouted as she slammed the phone down, and then rushed about, and Jane knew she was looking for her presents.
“You won’t find them, Chrissy. Your Dad’s had them stashed at his office, so he’ll bring them home with him.”
“Aww. Why has Daddy got them?”
“Because otherwise you’d find them, and want to open them. You have to wait until after the cake for that.”
“Aww.”
“It’s not long to wait now. Have you done your homework?”
“No, Mama.” Chrissy settled herself at the kitchen table, and opened her homework book.

Jane wasn’t really looking forward to getting older, but she knew it couldn’t be helped. She had looked in the mirror that morning, and tried to imagine what she would be like with white hair, and hadn’t been able to. Jane knew that Charlie would be graduating in a few weeks, and then he and Camryn would be getting married. That was another thing that was bothering her. She wasn’t really looking forward to being a grandmother, although she didn’t know why. She didn’t even know if Charlie was planning any children at this point.
‘In other words, it’s pointless to worry over something I can’t control,’ Jane thought to herself as she heard Jamie’s car pull into the drive.

“Daddy!” Chrissy ran screaming out to meet him, almost knocking him down the stairs, and Jamie immediately passed the large bags he was carrying to his wife, while he hugged their daughter. Chrissy’s interest was now diverted to those bags, which, she rightly assumed, contained her presents and her birthday cake, which was store-bought this year, instead of home-made.
“Can we have the party now daddy? Can we, please?”
“Hmm, I don’t know. Have you been a good girl, and done all your chores and your homework?”
“I don’t have chores, Daddy!”
“You don’t? Why didn’t anyone tell me that?”
“Daddy!”
“Okay, okay!”

“Here I go! Mama, once I blow out the candles, can I open my presents before I eat my cake?”
“I suppose so, just blow out those candles before they stink out the whole house, Chrissy.”
“Ooh, is somebody upset that they’re getting older?” Jamie whispered to her, and she swatted him hard on the arm, then they turned their attention to their daughter.

“Jeez, the world sure looks different from up here,” the now-teenaged Chrissy laughed, as she made a mad dive for her birthday presents, and soon, the living room was covered in brightly-colored wrapping paper, in all different shapes and sizes.
“Oh, cool! Look what Charlie brought!” The ‘Peanuts’ wrapping paper was quickly thrown into the pile, and Chrissy held up her brand-new MP3 player. The rest of the presents were quickly ignored, as she settled down on the sofa, settled the earphones in place, and turned the volume up.

Jamie had to wave several times before he got her attention. The volume was immediately turned down, and Chrissy looked up at him.
“We’ve still got your mom’s birthday to celebrate before you wreck your ears.”
“Oh, right! Sorry dad!”

“Neat look, mom!”
“Yeah, it suits you. Don’t worry, dearie, I’ll still love you even though you’re old and cranky!” Jamie joked, and Jane just flapped her hand at him like he was a fly she wanted to swat.

(Chrissy’s a family sim. I like them, it’s so easy to keep their Aspiration levels sky-high!)

“Come on, Ma, pick up the phone!” Belle spoke out loud, even though she was the only one in the house at the time.
“Hello?”
“Dad? Hey!”
“Hello Belle! Is everything all right?”
“Everything is just wonderful. Are you getting used to your ‘Grandpa’ look, yet?”
“Well, sort of. It’s kind of nice to be able to relax at home, and not worry about work, but I do miss it terribly sometimes.”
“Well, I have some news that might just help that a bit.”
“News?”
“I had to go to the doctor’s today, and he told me what Vas and I had already suspected.”
“Don’t keep me in suspense, Belle, tell me!”
“We’re expecting our first child. How cool is that? Vas was practically singing when I called him at work, and told him, and I’m pretty excited about it, too! I’m going to be a mom, Daddy!”
“That’s wonderful, Belle! You know, your mom told me the other day that she could see you with lots of kids. You just wait until I tell her, I’m sure she’ll be doing cartwheels all over the place! Just be prepared for the Knitting Factory to start up again!”
“Where is mom, anyway?”
“She’s gone to meet the bigwig that owns the new theatre. He wants to buy some of her paintings to hang in the lobby.”
“Oh, right. Well, I better go and give Molly a call, so I can tell her that she’s going to be an Aunt, and that Kitty and Anthony will be getting a cousin.”
“All right, baby. You take care now.
“I will, dad.”

After she hung up, Belle stood staring at the phone for a few moments, thinking. When she had first started feeling sick, the thought that she might be pregnant had never crossed her mind. But, when she went for her regular check-up, she thought she had best mention it to the doctor, anyway, and had been absolutely surprised when he told her the news. She had walked home, rather shocked, and once the front door had closed behind her, the news had finally sunk in.

She had called Vasyl, and had a hard time making herself understood, because she couldn’t stop laughing, and when she had calmed down enough and given Vasyl the news he had been waiting for, he had hollered out the news for all to hear. He had wanted to come home from work, but Belle had pointed out that he only had three hours to go before he was finished for the day, and that he had better stay put. They had talked for three or four minutes, and then Vasyl had to get off the phone, and Belle called her parents. So that left Molly. Belle decided to wait until she knew that Molly’s kids were home from school before she called there, then the three of them would know the news at almost the same moment.

“Well, baby, what do you think we should name you? Or should we just wait until you’re here before we do that? We won’t even break the tradition and find out whether or not you’re a little gent or a little lady. How does that sound to you?” she babbled away, as she took her favourite novel from the bookcase.
‘God, I just found out, and already I’m acting like a mother hen, clucking and fussing all over the place. But I suppose that’s what happens. Daddy was pleased, and I bet Ma will be too, she just loves grandchildren. And Vasyl’s thoughts practically revolve around children.’

Vasyl came bounding in when he finished work, and swept his wife into a huge hug, all the while babbling on about their child, and Belle wondered just how he was going to make it until the birth. He was already utterly hyper about it, and the waiting would probably drive him a little crazy.
“Vasyl.” Belle tried to interrupt his babbling.
“I have to go call Molly, so I can let her and the kids know,” she said, disengaging herself from her husband, who was still babbling away to his son or daughter.

‘How can I wait that long?’ Vasyl thought to himself, as he listened to Belle while she talked to her sister.
‘I wanna know what this kiddo’s gonna be, I wanna know who it’s going to look like! Whoever invented the concept of waiting should be dragged out into the street and shot!’

Hey, guys!

Just letting you know that there is now a Family Tree For all of Victoria Hill’s crazy inhabitants!

http://www.tribalpages.com/tribes/scally

It’s also on the bottom of the links list. Thanks a lot, Claire, for pointing out that I really needed one of these, I was having a lot of trouble keeping up with them all myself!

“Don’t you just love the smell of baking birthday cake?” Andy asked his brother, holding the phone with one hand, and baby George in the other.
“I do, but you’ve only got one to worry about. Jill and I are baking one each! Do you know how hard it is to bake a cake while you’re talking on the phone?”
“That’s my bro! Always grouching about something! How’s the twinnies?”
“They’re thriving, thanks for asking. What about George?”
“He’s fine. Although I don’t know what he’s going to think of his nickname.”
“Aunt Sasha came to see you, too? What’d she name him? She’s stuck the twins with Hankie and Giggles.”
“Hankie? Oh, man, that’s cruel. But it’s better than Gherkin.”
“Gherkin? Poor George, that’s horrible!”
“I know. Cherry just about had fits when she heard it. How come Ella didn’t get her twins saddled with anything silly?”
“Yeah, they just ended up Dilly and Danny. It ain’t fair.”
“I know. I got to go, Cherry’s giving me the Evil Eye here, and the cake’s all ready.”
“Catch ya, bro.”
“Later.”

Andy hung up the phone and laughed. No matter what Brian happened to be doing, he never changed, not one little bit. He was still the same crazy kid he used to be. Andy, for one, hoped he’d stay that way. But there were more important things to worry about, like his son’s birthday, for one thing. It wasn’t every day that you got to celebrate a birthday like this, and the little one wouldn’t stay little. And besides, Andy wanted to see who his son looked like, something that nobody could really tell at the moment. Also, they needed to take pictures, lots of pictures, so they could show George off to everyone else, and to embarrass him when he grew up and got older, wiser, and bigger. Andy was also looking forward to the fact that, after this, George would do more other than eat, sleep and fill his diaper. Also, he’d be able to watch him more.

The boys had given up their competition for now, and were more concerned with making sure their children were happy, healthy, and all the rest, and not getting the better of one another. For now at least.

“Are you going to stand there woolgathering all day?”
“Hmm, sorry Cherry. Right Gher…George, are you ready?” He stopped himself from using that hideous nickname just in time. Cherry would have killed him if he’d let it slip. She’d looked like she wanted to kill Aunt Sasha after she’d come up with it.
“Well, I’ve got the camera all ready, now I’m just waiting for you.”
“Ah, sorry. Can’t help drifting away like that occasionally. Here we go.” he held his son over the cake, and took a deep breath.

“Hah, he looks like me! Look, Cherry! I’ve got my own Mini-Me!”
“I told you we should have named him Andy Jr!” Cherry shot back, pleased. She had hoped more than anyone that their baby would look like his father.

Next door, Brian was starting to panic a little. His cake definitely didn’t smell the same as Jill’s did. In fact, his smelled awful. He looked back over the ingredients he had mixed, and realised with horror that the little red jar he’d used wasn’t baking powder. It was curry powder. Jill, meanwhile, had realised her husband’s mistake, and quietly laughed as she watched him getting into a bigger flap. She had prepared for this eventuality, and had a backup cake, just waiting to be taken out of it’s box.
“Dammit, how did I manage to do that?”
“Don’t worry, Brian.”
“Don’t worry? It’s the twins’ birthday, and I’ve messed up one of the cakes!”
“Look, calm down! There’s a cake in the box on the counter.”
“What?”
“I figured there might be some drama, so I prepared.” Jill lifted the lid, and showed him the perfect cake that sat inside it, just waiting to be eaten. Brian immediately dumped his cake in the garbage bin, muttering under his breath all the way.

He was still muttering as they held the twins beside their cakes, while Eddie readied the camera.

Well, my friends, your old, long-winded spook is back. You know, that nickname is really starting to grow in me. I think you’ll know why I’m here, too. That’s right, another birthday, another grandchild getting bigger. But, you know, I’m getting a little lonely doing this all by myself, so hopefully old Payton will be here soon, and then I’ll have some company.

Right, on to the real reason I’m here: It was my little man Eric’s, birthday today. I think Danae will be quite pleased to have someone other than her parents to talk to. It wasn’t so chaotic as his 2nd birthday, what with all the rushing around and all that, but the house still managed to get into a slight mess. Birthday cakes and Rosie have never gotten along, so Matt and Danae baked my little man’s cake when Danae got home from school. I wish I’d been able to get a photograph of that, it looked so sweet, and reminded me a little of the times my Josie would bake when her sisters were little. She’d always let them help, even though she knew that the mess would be tremendous. And of course, I wasn’t much help to her back then, I was always off in my own little world, thinking of the wife who deserted me, and my little man who never got to see the light of day.

Oh, I am sorry. Just let me wipe my eyes and blow my nose, and we’ll continue. It probably seems a little funny that a ghost can cry, but we can, and I know I can see my son whenever I wish, but I always wonder what kind of man he would have become.

Now, where was I? Oh, yes, little Eric’s birthday. Well, the cake got baked eventually, and the table was all set up ready. Rosie fetched Eric from his crib, where he had been utterly mesmerized by his mobile, and brought him to the cake.

It took Danae and Matt a few seconds to realise that they were supposed to cheer, but when they did realise, they both jumped off that sofa like there were people-eating ants inside the cushions. At first, Eric didn’t seem all that interested in the cake, and instead he had a bit of a laugh trying to catch the bow that Danae always wears in her hair. She didn’t mind a bit, because if he actually did manage to catch that blasted bow, which was never very often, he never tugged hard enough to hurt her. I actually think Danae’s going to miss that little game of theirs, but she’ll be able to play Tag and goodness knows what else with him now.

There it is, folks, the finished article! After his transformation, Eric looked at himself, then looked at his family, and that smile vanished from his face in an instant. Like he’d just realised he was different to the rest of them, or maybe he thought that he didn’t belong with them. Danae quickly set things to rights by giving her little brother an enormous hug, and yanking him towards the sofa so they could have a yap while they stuffed their faces with birthday cake. Poor little man. Never mind, he and Danae are practically inseparable now, and where one goes, the other goes too. He may have green skin, but like everyone else he has a family that loves him very much. Danae herself commented not long after he was born that she didn’t care if he was purple with pink polka dots, he was still her brother.

There he is, smiling again like he should. He and Danae were playing a game at the time, a story game. What they do is one starts a story, and the other adds to it, and so on until the thing is so silly, and the kids are blue in the face from laughing. They’re quite imaginative, these two, and I love to listen to what they come up with. This one started out with a Hamster named Potato Chip, who lived with an Oil Drum, if I remember right.

Well my friends, I must go now, so please, keep yourselves safe until I talk to you again.

Yours Hauntingly,
Bobby Denzel

(No pictures. Blogsome’s just mucking about, and I am not waiting for 10 minutes for one lousy pic to load.)

Diary! How good to see you, won’t you come in?

Okay, I’ll stop being silly now, I promise. There was another birthday in the family today, and that’s why I’m so excited! My sweetie Sheldon now has hair just like me, or at least I think he does. You see, he still hasn’t taken off his old mailman’s cap, even though its been years since he was a mailman! Isn’t he just sweet? I’m going to stick the birthday photos in now, just in case I forget!

Here he is, Sheldon the Young, with his cap. Now I’ll just wave my magic wand, say the magic words,

OLDIE MOULDIE!

And, Hey Presto! Out pops Sheldon the Elder, still with his cap! He reckons he’s going to be buried with that cap, and I don’t like to burst his bubble, but if he doesn’t let me wash it soon, it’ll be walking right off his head! Still, it’s getting a bit ragged in spots, so I suppose it’ll fall apart before he’s buried. I wonder what he’ll do then? He’s so attached to that dirty old thing.

Well, I’ll say goodbye now diary, and I’ll talk to you again soon!

Well, hey there family!

Now, I know I said I’d write last week, but jeez, the things that have been going on around here! It’s hard to believe that I’m already a sophomore, the time just seems to go so fast, that I don’t know how we all keep up with it! I’m really enjoying it here though, and I’ve made heaps of friends. Uncle Royce was out here the other day, and I had a good old natter with him, before he had to go talk to the Dean about something or other. I think the guidance counsellor out here refers a lot of the students to Uncle Royce, so I guess that keeps him pretty busy.

I don’t see that much of the others, although Aunt Rosie has brought Eric and Danae up to visit a couple of weeks back, just after Eric’s birthday, so that was okay, and it sounds like they’re all doing fine. I suppose it won’t be too long until Chrissy arrives, and it’s a bit of a shame that I’ll miss it, but hey, I’m not staying here past graduation just so I can see my sister arrive!

By the way, dad, last weekend when I was home, I heard you saying to mom that you wouldn’t be surprised if Camryn and I got engaged. Well, you were right! We’re going to tell Mr and Mrs Shaw (her folks, of course) when we stay with them this weekend. It’ll be good to meet them, in a couple of years they are going to be my in-laws after all!

Camryn and I don’t really spend too much time at the dorms, we mostly hang out at the Student Union, or the library, because it’s just way too hard to study at the dorms. Everyone seems to exist in their own selfish little circles, with absolutely no regard for anyone else. I know we could rent a place, but we want to save the money for when we buy our own home, back in the neighbourhood. It actually seems rather silly, talking about all this now, as we still have a long way to go, but, well, I just can’t seem to help it! Another reason the dorms aren’t that great is that some of the dorm-mates are just real dips, you know, the show-off type, and there’s this one guy, Addison, I’m sure he’s just here because he didn’t have to pay. Everyone calls him the ‘Freeloader’, although I don’t think he’s going to be here much longer. All I’ll say is that it’s not tobacco that wafts out from his room each night!

Well, I better go now!
Love ya all to bits!
Charlie

(This is a little late, but Blogsome was doing something or other too techie for me to fathom yesterday.)

‘Well, I’m glad that’s all sorted,’ Belle thought to herself as she surveyed all her new furniture. When she had brought the house, it had only the basics, items that weren’t suited to her tastes at all, so she had gone on a spending spree. There were still a few other things to get, but they would just have to wait a little while, as Belle didn’t really want to go over-budget, and end up by having the whole lot repossessed. Some things were needed, like the new stove, and the bed, which weren’t there when she moved in, and Belle didn’t want to be stuck sleeping on an air-mattress or cooking on a camp-stove forever. Not that she’d had to cook much, since she had dinner with her parents, or Molly most nights. Everything really was going well. Her mother had stayed friendly, Molly’s house was full of laughter instead of doom and gloom like it used to be, and, better yet, Vasyl would be arriving from the college that afternoon. He had passed his exams with not one mistake, and had already gotten himself a job in the military. Belle only had to wait for him to arrive.

(I thought that was such a good idea, plonking the TV and game on that table, but Belle kept sticking the bills underneath it.)

She passed the time by fooling around on the games console that she had brought from Andrew and Brian, who had decided they no longer needed it, and it wasn’t like her Aunt Missy and Uncle Edward ever played on it. It would be a good thing to have when her niece and nephew came over for a visit, too. Not too mention some good old fashioned competition with Molly, now that she was actually able to carry on a conversation for two minutes without offending anyone. The game proved to be an excellent addition only 10 minutes after she’d sat down, when Molly and her children came over for a visit on their way back from school. Out of the two, it was Anthony that was the quiet one, well, quieter than his sister, anyway, and Belle and Molly had a lot of fun, just watching the two of them try and outrace each other.

Vasyl arrived at 4pm, and after meeting Molly and the children, he and Belle were left to get on with their wedding.

“My god, don’t they grow up so fast!” Josie commented to Annie, as they prepared little Francesca’s birthday cake.
“I know! It’s kind of hard to believe she’s two already.”
“Is she going to have a little sister or brother?”
“We don’t know yet, mom. We’ll have to wait and see.”
“Is it ready yet?” Payton asked, sticking his head into the small kitchen, excitement shining on his face.
“No, but it won’t be long now. Let’s have some coffee while we’re waiting.” Payton had a good reason to be excited. He would be the one to hold baby Francesca up to the birthday cake, always assuming he could keep still long enough, that is. He paced up and down the dining room, coffee cup in one hand, stopping long enough to peer through the kitchen door to see if the cake was ready yet. Annie felt quite relieved when the silly thing was ready, just because that meant her father would finally stop pacing around the room.

The family gathered around Payton as he held the small girl to the cake. The timer on the camera was set, so they could get a good picture. Birthdays had always been big events, and it was even more special this time, as they didn’t know just how much longer Payton would have with them, one of the main reasons why it was him that would be holding little Frannie up to her birthday cake.

After the cake had been eaten, Payton sat down with the small girl, and began to teach her to talk, while Cooper and Annie helped Josie clean up the dishes, and all the wrapping paper that littered the floor. It was a blessing for him that he was able to teach Frannie the things she needed to know, and he began to hope that he would see her next birthday, as well.

(Payton has actually reached the end of his age bar thingy, but he’s showing no signs of popping off to the great SimAfter just yet, the blooming nuisance!)

“Andrew, come quickly, I think this is it!” Cherry called out, as she struggled off the sofa, and her husband came running from the bathroom.
“What is? What are you…? Oh, my God!”

The moment they had been waiting for was finally here, and their baby was on the way. 9 months of waiting was finally over, and now they would get to see if their first child was George or Georgia, names that they had both agreed on, much to the disgust of Brian, who was adamant that his first child would have those names. Now all it came down to was who’s baby came into the world first.

Next door, Jill had also gone into labor, and as she cried out and clutched her stomach, Brian got ready to hold the newborn, which meant first turning off the television. He wanted to be able to call his brother, and rub his nose in the fact that, although he, Brian, was the younger by 5 minutes, his child had been first into the world.

Typical of the Hutchings twins, their children arrived at exactly the same moment.

As Cherry delivered their healthy baby boy, George, Jill was busy bringing…

(Another set of blasted twins!)

Georgia and Henry into the world. Now the race was on to see which son would be the first to call Missy and Edward, who had gained three more grandchildren all in the same night. There would be time for showing off to each other later, once the new arrivals had been fussed over. Not to mention all the other relatives that had to be told that the family had just expanded by three, then, of course, there would be all the time in the world to show off their children to the residents of Victoria Hill.
‘No, that’s not fair,’ Andrew thought to himself as he sat beside George’s crib, watching his small son as he slept.
‘They aren’t trophies we can use to get the better of one another,’ Brian thought as he fed his son, while Jill changed their daughter. They would not use their children to see which one of them was the best, that was definitely not the right thing to do.

“Kitty, could you come here for a moment, please?” Molly called to her adopted daughter, and Kitty obediently left her room.
“What’s up, mom?”
“Well, I thought I’d ask how you’d feel about having a new brother or sister.”
“You’re going to adopt another child?”
“I’d like to, but I thought I’d see what you thought of the idea first.”
“Well, it would be nice to have someone my age to chat to.”
“So you don’t mind?”
“I think it’s a great idea!”

Molly was glad of her little girl’s enthusiasm, and once Kitty had gone back to her room to finish her homework, Molly got straight on the phone to the adoption agency. The process was a lot quicker, seeing as how the authorities knew she was a good parent, and she was informed that the new child would be arriving the next day at 10am. They still wouldn’t tell her whether it would be a boy or a girl, but Molly didn’t really mind either way. She and Kitty chatted about the new brother or sister over dinner that night, and right up to Kitty’s bed time. The little girl was just as excited about the new arrival, and wanted to chat about every single little thing that might even be slightly related to it. All in all, Molly was glad when bed time finally rolled around, and, as always, Kitty went without complaint, something she had been taught at the orphanage.

Molly decided that, although it was late, she would call and let her mother know that she was going to have another grandchild. Their conversation went a lot better than the last one, and Sasha was absolutely thrilled to be getting another kid to spoil rotten. Another family dinner in honor of the new arrival was arranged for the next night, and their conversation was definitely a lot more enjoyable for both parties. Molly had kept her word, and had not argued with anybody in quite some time, and, as a result, had more friends than she had ever had. The maid, the paperboy, and the mailman were now all quite happy to stop and chat with her now that she had completely changed her attitude (or more precisely, I changed her attitude). The phone call dealt with, Molly decided it was time for her to head to bed.

Kitty rushed into her mother’s room at 5am the next morning, all ready and rearing to go, and, not matter how hard she tried, Molly couldn’t persuade her to go back to bed for another hour. There was no other choice but to get up, and get breakfast ready, while Kitty had her shower. The topic of choice at the breakfast table was the new sibling, and Kitty was a little upset that she couldn’t skip a school day to meet him or her, but was definitely reassured when Molly told her that it would be something to look forward to when she got home from school. They did the dishes together once they had finished their pancakes, and then Kitty flopped in front of the cartoons while Molly headed for the shower. She spent a lot of her time with Kitty, only painting when her daughter was at school.

Kitty herself was all ready for school at 7am, and was absolutely hyper right up until the bus actually arrived. She kissed her mother goodbye, and as she ran out the door, Molly could hear her yelling to bus driver and all the other kids about her new brother or sister that would be arriving that day, and Molly smiled. She decided to paint a little before the new child arrived, and, to make sure she didn’t miss the time, she set her alarm clock. In the event, the Social worker was a little late, and Anthony arrived at 11am, the social worker muttering something about being stuck in traffic. Once again, she checked to make sure the house was suitable, and gave both Molly and the young boy the benefit of her laser eyes, then left them to it with barely a look over her shoulder. They stared at one another for a moment before Molly once again hugged her new child, and Anthony was then shown his new home.

During lunch, Molly told him all about his older sister, Kitty, and when he asked if she had been adopted too, Molly told him the truth. But when he asked why she didn’t have her own children, she told him a small white lie, and said she couldn’t have any. He seemed satisfied with that, at least, and was quite surprised when Molly sat down on the sofa with him while he watched ‘The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy’ (my favourite cartoon since I rediscovered television).

When Kitty arrived home, and was introduced, she grabbed Anthony’s hand, and dragged him out to meet the bus driver.
“This is my brother,” Molly heard her say before both children came back inside, and while Kitty went to do her homework, Molly told Anthony what his chores would be. He seemed quite happy to know he was only expected to make his bed, do his homework, and dry the dishes. He’d had loads more chores back at the orphanage. Dinner was certainly a lot happier than usual, not to mention a lot noisier, especially once Molly decided that they didn’t have to help with the dishes that night.

(Well, there it is, Munchkins’ family is complete! Maybe now she’ll stop whining at me every two seconds.)

“But why do I have to go to school today? I want to see the party!” Erin grumbled, sticking her bottom lip out in the air.
“You will see the party. It’s not until this afternoon, so you just get yourself out to the school bus. Hop it!”
“But, mom…”
“Fine, stay home. Then you can just stay in your room while we celebrate your brother’s birthday.” Allyn was in no mood to put up with her daughter’s tantrums, especially not today.
“But, that’s not fair!”
“Erin, that’s enough!” Royce stomped out of the kitchen, picked his daughter up, and carried her out to the school bus.
“God, surely I wasn’t that bad as a child,” he commented to Allyn as he came back into the house, the paper in his hand.
“Quite a handful, isn’t she? A-U-N-T.”
“What?” Royce looked up from the crossword.
“4 Down is Aunt.”
“Oh, right. Now, let’s see, 4 Across.” Royce frowned at the pen in his hand.
“A-P-O-S-T-L-E.” Allyn supplied helpfully, then went to get the baby, who was crying upstairs, while Royce put his crossword down, and went to answer the telephone, which was jangling itself stupid.

When Allyn came back downstairs, Fin in her arms, Royce was busily trying to straighten his tie, comb his hair, and put on his jacket all at the same time.
“That would be easier if you did it one thing at a time. What’s going on?”
“Paddy called. I’ve got to go into work for a few hours, but I should be back around lunchtime.”
“I thought you were going to get an office built here at home?”
“I am. I’ve got see if I get permission, now.”
“That’s silly, I mean, we own the house, and the land, we should be able to do what we want with it.”
“I know. I’ll see you later, love.” Royce kissed his wife and son, then walked out the door.
Allyn had to admit, things would be better when Royce had his home office, he’d be always there for the kids if they needed him, when she needed him. Which would probably be quite often if Erin kept up this behaviour of hers. There was absolutely no reason for her to be acting this way, and it wasn’t sibling rivalry. So just what was her problem? And what was she going to be like as a teenager?

After Fin had been given his breakfast, and taken back upstairs for a nap, Allyn set about wrapping presents, and all that other stuff associated with birthdays, including putting all the birthday cards on the table (especially Erin’s, which had what looked like a boy in a tree drawn on it), finding the musical candles, and making sure she had the right ingredients for the birthday cake. True to his word, Royce arrived home around 12pm, with a stack of files, a letter to say he could build his office, and a set of plans, which were put on top of the bookcase as he helped get everything ready. Erin arrived home at 3pm in a much better mood than when she left, and immediately set about doing her homework before the party. She didn’t even have to be told to do it, which was something new. She even offered to make her parents their cups of coffee.

“What do you suppose happened there?” Allyn asked Royce, as she prepared Fin’s birthday cake.
“I have no idea, but I hope she stays this way. I think this one is nice, don’t you?” He held up one of the office plans he was looking at, and Allyn shook her head.
“Royce, this is really not the time for me to look at those. How about we wait until later.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“Dad, can you help me with my math?” Erin asked, poking her head around the kitchen door, and Royce heaved himself up from the chair.
“Come on, then, kiddo.”

Soon, everything was ready for the party, and Allyn went upstairs to get their son.

(Gosh, doesn’t he look like Allyn? They have almost identical smiles.)

I’m back! Did you miss me? Oh, I can hear you from here, groaning. I’m not that bad, am I?

Anyway, I’m here this time to tell you about another one of my family members: Young Charlie Greaves. A fine young man, if I do say so myself. Always ready to help out others, including his little sister. He is, of course, Jamie and Jane’s eldest child, and Josie and Payton’s oldest Grandson, which makes him my eldest Great-grandson. Have you got all that? Right, then I shall proceed.

Charlie left his family home today, to go off to college.

I think his sister is already misses him like crazy. She’s been going absolutely crackers since he left, and spends most of her time looking at the telephone, as if willing it to ring. Never mind though, she’ll be a teenager soon, and then it will be her turn to go.

Anyway, back to young Charlie. He’s decided to study Literature, for what reason I really don’t know, but its his choice, I suppose. I guess I should keep my mouth shut on that subject, as I studied literature while I was at college, and so did my three girls.

I don’t know if you noticed it or not, but Charlie has definitely inherited Payton’s slightly over-large, hooked nose. Not that it really matters, but to some people, looks are everything. Not to this family, but some people are like that. I’ve noticed that the newer generations seem to be taking smaller dorms, instead of the larger one that I myself always preferred.

Oh, well, I’ll stop blabbering now.

Until next time,
Bobby Denzel

(Stinkin’ computer! Another shorty, as I have someone coming to look at this disobedient bucket-o-bolts!)