Walking

Doesn't time fly?

Monday 1st February 2010Monday 6th September 2010Baggie

It may still be cold, although the snow (for us at least) has not returned , but I must have turned around for a second because February is already upon us. My resolution to update this blog more regularly has failed in the first month. I will however make amends by posting lots of photos of Éowyn. I trust that will make up for the hiatus.

It is probably fair to say that the reason that the blog isn’t getting updated as often as it should is that we are settling into a routine. I work, Lucinda works and when we both work Éowyn goes to Jo, her childminder. Éowyn is also much more demanding (in a nice way) on our time when you are looking after her. No longer are you guaranteed two naps during the day which would allow you to have a little ‘me’ time. Hence when she goes to sleep at night you finally get a chance to do the little jobs that you have wanted to do all day but never got the chance so some things miss out. This blog being one of them.

I think I have said at every stage of Éowyn’s development that ‘I’ve enjoy this stage better than the last.’ So it is no surprise that I am saying it again. But I thoroughly enjoy every day that I spend with her. She is developing new skills everyday and is so much fun. Although I do not think that we are too far away from the temper tantrum stage. She already turns the waterworks on when she wants something that you are denying her and will quite often refuse her dinner and you have to resort to forcing that first mouthful through her flailing arms. (However once she realises that the first mouthful is something that she likes then she quickly gobbles down the rest). Unless of course she is in one of those moods that means only she can feed herself and woe betide anyone that denies her that right.

That paints a very negative picture and one that is somewhat contrary to the start of that previous paragraph. She really isn’t all that bad at all. In fact I think that we are quite lucky. Most of the time she is very well behaved. She enjoys playing with her, far too many, toys. She pays very little attention to the telly (which is good) except when she picks up the remote control and changes the channel. Usually followed with a ‘Uh-Oh’ and quickly handing the remote back to you. She loves to read and will spend hours sitting on your lap making you read one of her many books to her. I think I know the 10 Friendly Fish and the Gruffalo backwards.

She also picks up things incredibly quickly and not just things that you teach her. We now make her walk from our house to the car parked in the street. It is a walk of 50 metres at most, but a good stretch for her. Last Friday she was walking to the car as usual, but insisted on carrying Lucinda’s big bunch of keys. As she approached the car I jokingly said ‘Come on, you have to unlock the car for us.’ more as prelude to taking the keys off her than anything else. But she stood there, flicked through the keys until she came across the car key. Pointed it at the car (the correct car in a line of cars) and pressed the unlock button on the remote central locking. Lucinda and I looked at each other as if to say have you taught her that, when Éowyn simply handed me the keys and went and stood at the rear door waiting to be picked up and sat in her car seat. She obviously, must have watched us do it and locked it away for future use. What else has she watched us do that she is saving until the moment is ripe?

Although the weather has been cold, it is has been quite dry this weekend, so we took full advantage and headed to Savill Garden, in Virginia Water part of Windsor Great Park. There is a small adventure playground and we thought that it was about time that we introduced Éowyn to it. Again we made her walk from the car, which is a long way when you only have little legs. She thoroughly enjoyed the playground, even if she was a little on the young side for much of it. She especially enjoyed the swings and got upset when we took her out of it and she had to go back for a second go. Before we set back off for the warmth of the Bagnall home we made he walk a little into the park. She spent the whole time pointing at the many dogs (Virginia Water is the place that many people walk their dogs at a weekend) and saying ‘Woof Woof’. Very proud of her, but I think that you may have got that from this entry already.

However, enough of me waxing lyrical over my daughter here is the real reason many of you are here, the latest photos and I did promise more that the usual to make up for the lack of entries.

Peace and Love

Baggie

Wheeee

I’m flying!

Wiv my Mommy

I want to go on the swing!

Wrapped up warm!

Mommy and me!

More fun than my toys!

Up to something!

Gee up!

Peep Po!

I’ll get that bubble!

Very comfy!

Just texting…

Text me back!

Come on! Text me back!

Welcome to 2010

Friday 15th January 2010Sunday 1st January 2017Baggie

I suppose you could say that is a little late, but what’s two weeks between friends! Christmas is over and it is back to the business of getting ‘back to normal’ for although Christmas does not mean a break from work for either Lucinda or myself, our jobs are different over the festive period due to the fact that the majority of office based jobs and schools are on a break and it does make the journey into work a lot easier as the traffic is considerably lighter.

I can not go further without mentioning the weather. The coldest start to a January in my lifetime, with snow falling in some part of the UK every day for the last 4 weeks and a return to the kind of winters I remember as a child. My inner child has been delighted. Unfortunately as a country we are not prepared for this kind of weather event and many parts of the country grind to a halt to the bewilderment of those from countries that would consider our snowfall ‘a dusting’. Disappointingly the temperature is set to rise over the next few days and so the snow that is lingering in the sheltered corners of gardens will no doubt disappear, however the long range forecast is for a return to the colder weather. A little more snow in my corner of the world would be gratefully received. Not too much mind you, just enough to make everywhere look pretty. Thank you.

For the first time in a while neither Lucinda or I saw the New Year (decade) in. I had been working all day and Lucinda had to get up at 0400 on New Year’s day to work at the airport. So the thought of staying up just to watch the arbitrary turn of a man made concept seemed to lack appeal. It is not as if it has any basis on any observations (like the ancients’ notion of basing the year on solstices and equinoxes), for our society one measures a circle, beginning anywhere. Seemingly the reason that the beginning of January marked the turn of the year is lost in the midsts of time (unless anyone can tell me otherwise) although it possibly dates from 153BC and the Roman Late Republic (and hence it’s spread throughout Europe). Interestingly 1st January was not adopted as New Year’s Day in England until 1752 with the adoption of the Gregorian Calendar, until then we celebrated New Year’s Day on 25th March (the Feast of the Annunciation). See that was Quite Interesting.

Therefore New Year’s day morning it was just Éowyn and me, but she was very kind to her old father and stayed asleep until 7.30, much to Lucinda’s disgust as she had been up with our little one the previous few nights and had been made to get up early on her days off. How times have changed that we think that 7.30 is a lay in! We were kindly invited to Lucinda’s brother’s for New Year’s Day afternoon along with Lucinda’s parents and Uncle Bill and Auntie Sally. After an initial few minutes of shyness, Éowyn was soon enjoying herself with her cousins and chasing their cat around trying to stroke her.

So although New Year’s Eve was a a non-event, the 2nd January was very different. My good friend Sanjiv’s brother, Jay, was getting married to his long term girlfriend Emma at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane opposite Hyde Park in London. It was a black tie affair and with the grandeur of the setting it all added to make it a fabulous wedding and we felt privileged to have been invited. There had obviously been a lot of work behind the scenes to make all the little details (and the big ones) seamlessly meld together. It was great to meet up with Sanjiv and with Si and Stef to whose wedding we’ll be going to in the summer. To take full advantage of the day we decided to stay the night at the hotel so that we didn’t have the worry of trying to get back home. This obviously meant that we needed baby sitting cover for the night. Again, Nanny Fran (and Auntie Liz) came to the rescue. So a big thank to Mom for looking after Éowyn so soon after Christmas weekend.

With a return to the usual routine comes a return for Éowyn to go to Jo’s (her childminder). I’m not sure who missed who the most. Éowyn certainly enjoys herself at Jo’s, and is now quite happy to go and wave us off but I think that Jo genuinely enjoys looking after Éowyn, which is a huge bonus for us.

Éowyn really enjoys interacting with adults and other children. She especially likes singing and quickly picks up the actions to the songs. Perhaps that’s why her great-great uncle David and great great auntie Sally bought her a musical instrument collection consisting of a xylophone, tambourine, hand bells and a pair of maracas. Needless to say she really enjoys that present and makes sure that we all have an instrument to join in. Recently she has begun to make towers out of her Duplo bricks (like we would for her) and then knock them down. As they crash to the floor she holds her hands to her month in mock surprise and horror before doing it all again. But her favourite ‘toys’ are still her books and she will quite often choose one and bring it to you for you to read it to her.

So last week saw the decorations return to their boxes for another year. Éowyn tried to help (she has recently begun to help to tidy, including put things in the bin – whether they need to go there or not! -and putting her toys away if you ask her nicely) and was quite sweet with one of Lucinda’s many snowman ornaments (see photos below). And so with the Christmas decorations down (doesn’t it make rooms look bare? – I think that is partly why there is such a dearth of photos from which I could choose for this update) and the snow and ice making way for leaden skies and drizzle the new decade begins and we look forward to the many surprises and opportunities that it brings. May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at you back.

Peace and Love

Baggie!

At the wedding

Lucinda at the Grosvenor

Footprints to our door

Got your nose!

Ducks in the snow

One last hug for the snowman

Jay and Emma

The Wedding Cake

The first dance

That was the decade that was

Thursday 31st December 2009Friday 11th May 2012Baggie

Another year draws to a close and for the first time in many years we are actually getting seasonal weather. Snow and cold weather seems to be blanketing much of Europe, North America and little ol’ us and again the country grinds to a halt. At least it makes everywhere seems a lot prettier, what a fantastic way to usher in the new decade. Yes, the new decade! Unbelievably another decade draws to a close and new one is just around the corner (or probably already here by the time you are reading this). And what a decade it has been both personally and in world events.

The world has changed significantly during the noughties (not sure what the new decade will be called: Twenty-Tens; Tweens; Tenties probably won’t find out until the retrospective TV programmes and newspaper articles of 2019) almost as significantly as my life. I don’t think that I need to re-iterate the major world events of the last ten years as I think we could name the most notable and infamous incidents. From a personal point of view this decade as seen me promoted (twice – more later); buy a house; sell a house; fall in love; get engaged; get married and become a father. I’ve visited a number of incredibly beautiful places around the world, made new friends, lost some friends, cemented older relationships and incredibly now support a team that has been in the Premier League and been seen in a F.A. Cup semi-final.

As mentioned above I have been promoted at work so as of the 1st January 2010 I will be Head of Live Operations at mediahouse, for IMG. This will include responsibility for all our live programming clients , including Premier League (worldwide distribution), Football League (for the BBC) and ESPN to name a few. It is an exciting position and as I will be moving to a five day week (although not necessarily Mon-Fri 9-5) it means I will be able to see Éowyn everyday which will mean so much more now she is becoming more aware as she is growing up.

We have been a little busy since the last update, hence the delay between this and the previous update so forgive me if I omit some of the finer details. Like everyone much of the latter part of December has been gearing up to Christmas and all the malarkey that is associated with it. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your point of view) Éowyn is still a little too young to appreciate all that is going on. although she did begin to take an interest in the Christmas tree and the presents underneath it. The only decoration that is was interested in, though, was a Christmas bell. For some reason she took a shine to it and kept taking it off the tree and either giving it to one of us or putting it in her toybox.

As befitting new parents we didn’t really go out and celebrate the way many of our single and younger friends did. However we did get ourselves glammed up and her to Royal Holloway College for a Christmas Dinner Dance. And so that we could enjoy ourselves my Mom (and Sister Liz) made the trip down (fortunately the Snow had eased by that point) and baby-sat for the evening. Again I’m not sure who enjoyed themselves the most: Lucinda and I, Éowyn or Nanny Fran and Auntie Liz? It was a close call.

Nanny Fran stepped to the rescue for child-minding duties again over Christmas. Being shift workers Bank Holidays (including Christmas) mean nothing in the jobs either Lucinda or I do, in fact they can be the busiest times for both of us. This year we were both down to work Boxing Day (26th December for non-UK residents) and the day after. So we decided to ask Nanny Fran to look after Éowyn for those days. Therefore we decided to drive to West Bromwich on Christmas Day, have Christmas day with my mom and sister (and Éowyn’s Great-Great Uncle Albert), leave Éowyn with Nanny Fran and pick her up after our shifts had finished. Although it was a lot of driving it was really nice and meant that we had two Christmasses.

As it was a little difficult to see Lucinda’s parents on Christmas day and drive to West Bromwich, we decided that we would have Christmas day with them and Lucinda’s brother on Christmas Eve. So we invited them around our house and I cooked a roast pork (we didn’t want Turkey two days on the bounce) dinner and we opened presents. We thank our lucky stars that we are both so close to our families and it is a shame that my family is not closer for such occasions, although Nanny Fran is seeing an awful lot of Éowyn recently, which we are most grateful for.

As for Éowyn she was obviously a little too young to understand Christmas, but she did see Father Christmas (with Jo, her child-minder) but was scared of him (fair enough, he is a bit of a strange character) and got into the swing of opening presents. She wasn’t really bothered about the presents as such, but enjoyed ripping the paper off (although some people wrap their presents a little too officiously). In fact she would rip the paper off, then rip it again and hand you each little bit. That will soon change, no doubt. We would like to thank everyone that sent us a card or bought us a present and especially to those of you who bought Éowyn a present, she is lucky to have you all, as are we.

I wish all of you a light filled 2010 and all the best for the coming decade. In the words of Ann Landers: ‘Let this coming year be better than all the others. Vow to do some of the things you’ve always wanted to do but couldn’t find the time. Call up a forgotten friend. Drop an old grudge, and replace it with some pleasant memories. Vow not to make a promise you don’t think you can keep. Walk tall, and smile more. You’ll look ten years younger. Don’t be afraid to say, ‘I love you’. Say it again. They are the sweetest words in the world.’

Peace and Love

Baggie and Lucy xxx