Flaming June

So it is June.  Who organised that?  I’m sure someone is bypassing the odd day here and there while I am not looking.  They say as you get older the days seem to pass more quickly because the day:life ratio is widening; thus as a fraction of your life a day becomes gradually less significant and hence relatively shorter.  I think that there is probably a deeper metaphysical conclusion I can draw from that basic maths statement but I will leave that for another blog.  From a Geophysics point of view the days are getting longer since the Earth is slowing down as it loses its kinetic energy as a consequence of tidal acceleration.  Don’t say you never learn anything here.

As I mentioned in the last update, Nanny Fran has had a operation to repair a ruptured patella tendon.  All is seemingly going well and she is recovering at home.  Therefore last weekend we popped up to West Bromwich to visit Nanny Fran and hopefully give Auntie Liz a little bit of a break.  (Not sure how much of a break we gave Auntie Liz or whether we just added to her workload!)  Unfortunately Nanny Fran didn’t have a plastercast which we thought that she would so Éowyn was unable to graffiti it. 

Éowyn thoroughly enjoyed herself at Nanny Fran’s and entertained us constantly.  She is quite happy at Nanny Fran’s considering she doesn’t go that often, especially since Nanny Fran has a toy corner and she knows where it is.  Unfortunately the weather wasn’t very good and Éowyn could not enjoy herself in the garden, instead she had to entertain herself by running out of one door from the lounge, around the house and back through the other door to the lounge.  That is so much fun!  She also made us laugh when she decided that Nanny Fran seems to have so much fun with her crutches that she decided that she would have a go and took them for a stroll across the lounge.  She really can be a cheeky monkey!

Again it has been one of those weeks where my days off has coincided with Lucinda’s working week (I say week, if you can call 2 days a week! 🙂 ).  It is something we are both conscious off and are aware that we need to keep an eye on for our own relationship as much as for Éowyn.  Being primary child carer on those days does give me an appreciation of the work involved in looking after an active toddler, especially when every day off is taken up looking after her and you don’t get a chance to sit back and do something (or nothing) for yourself.  Don’t tell anyone, but I actually enjoy it immensely.  It is great playing on the floor, having tea parties, playing with Play-Doh, scribbling in colouring books and playing ball.  Not quite so happy when Daddy becomes a climbing frame or trampoline!  Nanny and Granddad have a perfectly good one of those in their garden.  I’m also getting into ‘In the Night Garden‘ and ‘Zingzillas‘, will have to see what Éowyn thinks of Camberwick Green, The Clangers and Chorlton and the Wheelies.

Lucinda’s pregnancy is still going well, although the new little bubba gave us a bit a fright the other day.  Lucinda had been busy all day and when she finally sat down she realised that she hadn’t felt the baby move or had recalled feeling the baby move and so we both became a little concerned, frightened even.  So before we trundled off the hospital to check everything out, Lucinda drank a cup of hot tea.  Nothing.  We became more concerned the final chance before heading to St Peters was to make Lucinda drink a bottle of ice cold water and lay down.  The little bubba didn’t like having a cold shower and gave its Mommy a kick.  To say we were relieved was an understatement.  It is so easy to forget that pregnancy is a precious gift and that it is important to take care of yourself and listen out for the bubba.

The keen-eyed among you will have noticed that there is a new link in the panel on the right hand side.  Paso Dance is a new venture by a friend of mine, Roberta.  She has taken the big leap into the wide world of business organising dance holidays.  There will be holidays for all skill levels, so if it is something that you do or something that you would like to do, click on the link and take a look.

Again I have out done myself with another 18 photos below.  Please enjoy and see you soon.

Peace and Love

Baggie

Mommy's birthday

Another month has nearly passed and Lucinda is a year older (on paper – she hasn’t really aged a year in the past fortnight!) and the UK has seen its summer.  It has been a busy couple of weeks!

Life is settling back down to a slight slice of normality at least for a couple of weeks or so.  Work is in a lull at the moment before the great upheaval that is about to happen with new channels and upgrades to HD and tapeless workflows.  We are still in our recruitment drive but not at the same frenetic pace as it was.  This means that I am able to leave on time and see Éowyn and Lucinda every evening (except when I am updating this website!) which is worth a fortune.

To celebrate Lucinda’s birthday we headed to Brighton for a day by the seaside.  The weather was especially kind (and only got better through the week!) as we left the confines of the M25 but as we got to Brighton (and the god of traffic jams ensnared us in its metallic web on a number of occasions) we were upset to discover that the South Coast of Britain was not enjoying the same warm weather and bright sunshine that the Capital, a mere 70 miles  away, was promising.  Nevertheless we are hardy folk and happy strolled around in our shorts and T-shirts.  Fortunately we had been blessed with enough foresight to bring a warm set of clothes for Éowyn which we duly wrapped her in.  The sun-tan lotion on the other hand stayed firmly at the bottom of the bag.

Since the weather wasn’t great and the traffic had delayed our arrival, we headed straight for Harry Ramsden’s for some good ol’ Fish and Chips via a quick paddle in the sea.  Then we headed to the Sea Life Centre to show Éowyn the fish.  She really enjoyed herself and particularly enjoyed touching the creatures that they bring to the children.  I am not sure that the starfish enjoyed itself as much though for after she gently stroked it and it didn’t do a lot she gave it a real poke in the middle.  We quickly moved on.

The journey back was tedious too and we were glad to be back home.  A day trip to Brighton is so much more exhausting with a toddler and next year we’ll have two!

After a lovely day with my wife and firstborn I was back at work and then the usual thing happened, that I was off at the weekend and Lucinda was working.  Therefore I was primary carer.  It was great fun though.  The weather was fantastic (peaking at 30°C) and so we could (with hat and suntan lotion) keep popping outside.  I cleaned off and re-inflated the paddling pool and we splashed in there during the relative cool of the morning, retiring to the house during the hot part of the day to play Play-Doh and drawing.

Éowyn is in a really fun stage where she is learning at a fantastic pace and is really picking up words (we have to watch what we say!) and stringing them together.  So it is fun to teach her new things like the colour of her pens and names of animals.  She likes to sing along to her nursery rhymes and do the actions.  Her particular favourites are “The wheels on the bus”, “Wind the bobbin up” (as if kids today know what a ‘bobbin’ is) and “Twinkle, twinkle little star”.  She is very good at the actions and loudly joins in with the “All day long” bit at the end of “The wheels on the bus”.

The weather has been fantastic, if a little too hot for me (mainly due to the lack of any air movement) but it has brought out bigger badder insects for the new decade.  We have had a number of wasps enter the house.  When I say wasps I mean more like flying rodents (with stings).  They are huge and have to be despatched quickly, for I don’t want them stinging Éowyn.  If the wasps are the front line, the sneaky night invaders are the mosquitoes.  The intense buzzing noise just as you are about to drop off to sleep must be one of the most irritating noises in the world.  A rolled up magazine quickly takes them down, hopefully before they have filled their stomachs with your blood.  This is a battle that is quite common in the village, especially since we live quite close to a stream, there is a little lake on our northern boundaries and we back on to the King George VI reservoir.  However the invaders for 2010 are bigger and smarter.  They must be close to an inch long and have stripes like a tiger, they get short shrift from my rolled up magazine though.  So be careful out there.

Before I leave you to enjoy the photos just a couple of special mentions.  The first is to Nanny Fran, who is recovering after having an operation on Monday to repair a ruptured patella tendon.  She was in and out quite quickly (no beds for an overnight stay!) but will take a couple of months to be back to match fitness.  And the second is to our friends Kirsty and Nick who have had their second child Jessica Valentine today (26th May 2010).  Congratulations from the Bagnalls!

Please enjoy the photos

Peace and love

Baggie!

20 Week Scan

Just over a week and another update.  Bring it on.  I’m getting good at this.  This one, however is just a quickie, it is the day before Lucinda’s birthday and we have been for our 20 week scan.  The good news is that everything is looking hunky dory.  The newbie is a little wiggler and wouldn’t keep still for the sonographer making her work for her money, but as far as she can tell all the major things that they check for are all looking normal.  Apparently the new baguette currently weighs 14oz (400g).  It is amazing what they can do these days.

I plan another update soon with photos of our first born but until then…

Peace and love

Baggie

Baguette Deux Scan Deux
Baguette Deux Scan Deux