January 2011
Last January I quoted, ‘The North wind doth blow and we shall have snow....’ and haven’t we just – had more snow during the last few weeks than we could possibly have wished for. I know that we have wonderful snow-filled scenes which look beautiful – on Christmas cards and photographs, but not too good when we need to be out and about.
Regardless of the snow, bitter winds, flu (several varieties), viral infections, coughs, colds or sneezes – you name it, the list goes on, attendances at Little Dragons have been amazing. Our Christmas party was extremely well-attended and made even more exciting when a certain visitor, 
warmly clad in bright red, managed to arrive safely and was warmly welcomed.
Likewise when we held the Crib Service on the first Tuesday of the school holidays, around 20 pairs of tiny feet, accompanied by the bigger feet of slightly older brothers, sisters, mums, dads and grandparents made the effort to join us as we lit the Advent candles and placed the crib figures in position. Many little hands were ready to help, especially when it came to placing stars around the candles (so many, in fact, that we had to repeat the procedure several times).
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So, we now come to another year – 2011. What will the year bring for all of us and, more importantly, for the little people who come along here to St. George’s Church each Tuesday to enjoy playing alongside each other, well supported by their caring relatives friends, friends and Dragon leaders. Without a doubt their lives will be very different from that of many who are reading this article. What will their lives be like in twenty-five or thirty years when many of them will have families of their own? Will they have a Little Dragons group for their little ones to enjoy? The only certainty is that neither I, nor the other Dragon leaders, will be around to enjoy each session with them. Although ...
... recent newspaper and TV reports indicate that we are all going to live until we are around 105; – except, I presume, those who disappear off the face of the earth powered by obesity. So, who, knows? Perhaps I’ll see you then!
Val Butterworth
