Stokes Anecdotes

Tomorrow is crazy hair day at school

2011-10-10T15:07:00.003-06:00

We borrowed this idea from another little girl we found in a google image search. I'm not quite sure how to hide the wire at the back...

Sunrise on Mt Timpanogos

2011-10-10T15:00:00.002-06:00

I took these pictures from our backyard last Friday morning. It was the day after the first snowfall of the season. The light catching the tips of the peaks was beautiful. I wish I had a better camera. This was our excuse for being late for school that day...

A health recommendation from Oliver

2011-04-28T22:21:00.004-06:00

I took this little video at lunch-time a couple of weeks ago. Oliver came out with a delightful gem of three year old logic. I had the camera right there, so I asked him to say it again so I could film it.

Ivy then added her own endorsement. Clearly, living in the USA she has infomercial exposure.

Out-takes: The first time I asked him to repeat it, Oli forgot his own line.

Happy Easter Sunday

2011-04-24T21:18:00.005-06:00

An Easter egg hunt before Church

And a cuddle with the cutest family pet ever...Thumper.

After church we went to dinner and more Easter egg hunting at the Ricks'.

Happy Easter

2011-04-22T22:20:00.004-06:00

We observed Good Friday with friends who came to decorate eggs with us.

I forgot to take pictures of the work in progress, but here's a picture of how the kitchen looked when we were finished.

Ice Castles

2011-02-05T15:12:00.000-07:00

This afternoon was a perfect little family outing. My friend Mirjam told me about this place. It was amazing.

Toward the end Oliver got very cold and had a great solution in mind; "Lets get hot chocolate!"

After our hot chocolate and an early dinner, the sun was setting, so we drove past one more time to see the Ice Castle all lit up. The ice formations reminded Tim and I of the limestone formations we saw as kids on family outings and school excursions to Jenolan Caves.

Announcing a recommencement of normal services

2011-02-05T14:11:00.000-07:00

It really has been a patchy family photo album this past year, and I know that especially for those we love and those we are so far away from, its nice to see what we get up to from time to time.

Don't forget to leave an occasional comment or send us an email. We love to hear from you.

Alison xxx

Why, Oh Y?

2010-05-31T13:38:00.012-06:00

In the US today it is Memorial Day, and a long weekend public holiday. There are flags in front of almost every house to mark the occasion. Today makes me think of ANZAC day - a day we set aside in Australia for the same purpose of commemorating those who have died at war. Lines of a poem I memorised in Primary school come to mind. These lines are usually recited at each ANZAC day ceremony:

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,

Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them

Since is was such a beautiful day, and Tim was home, we decided to visit one of Provo's most prominent landmarks, and "hike the Y." It is quite an amazing and intriguing landmark, and we

had been wondering what it was made of. The theory we came up with was that the Y is made of marshmallow, so we went up there today with our friends Steve, Max and Jack to find out.

The hike is 1.9km each way, and even though this steep ascent was a first introduction to hiking for our kids, Ivy and Oliver were amazing! We took it slowly and stopped regularly for sips of water and yummy carrots that Steve had bought.

Ivy managed to walk all the way up by herself, and Oliver walked most of the way too.

At the at the top, the view of the surrounding district and Utah lake was spectacular. We sat on the Y to take in the view and relish the achievement of being there,

and to celebrate we ate marshmallows, cherries and a few sweets.

Then, the tired little Stokes caught piggyback rides all the way back down. It was a great morning, and now whenever we look up to the mountain and see the Y, we'll know exactly what its like to be up there.

Grounded

2010-04-20T20:37:00.007-06:00

Ivy, Oliver and I were supposed to begin our holiday on Sunday and fly to Paris to meet up with the Ricks, but it didn't happen. The Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland erupted, and along with all the other European flights, our flight was cancelled. We were to spend a week in Paris then catch the Eurostar to London. We have been rescheduled on a flight to London early next week, and will miss all of our time in Paris and half our time in London which is definitely disappointing, but at least it is better to be stuck at home than to be stuck in an airport somewhere for days waiting to get home.

Today was another experience of being grounded which I would have missed if we were in Paris. We closed the deal on our new home.

We'll get the keys later in the week and start moving on Saturday. We are looking forward to being here for a while after living at various temporary addresses in recent months, and having a back yard will be a special treat for us. To borrow from Voltaire, we look forward to cultivating our garden, as well as barbecuing, playing in it and spending sunny days there.

Ahem, I seem to have lost my voice

2010-04-16T15:18:00.011-06:00

Its not as if nothing has been happening in our lives lately. On the contrary SO much! We have moved continents twice in 6 months. Of course, there are a lot of logistics involved and therefore busy moments, but we have also had many photo ops and funny family moments that haven't made it here to our online family album. We have tried to maintain our basic routine, but have had to be pretty flexible and I've gotten out of the habit of updating our blog. Its ironic that the previous post by Tim was called "Disappearing Act".

We are in Provo in Utah, and have been house-sitting for our friends Steve and Laura while they are in Paris. We are off on a trip quite soon, but when we get back we will be moving to a more permanent address and look forward into settling in to a familiar routine with our familiar things around us.

Here are just a few pictures of the things we've been up to:

Our first Saturday in Utah we were jet-lagged and slept all day. The very next week was our first opportunity to play in the snow together, and we went snow tubing at Soldier Hollow.

We made cupcakes for Valentines Day, and when Ivy saw all the merchandising in the shops she thought Valentines Day was another version of Halloween and in a way it is.

An audience with the King of the Faeries at the Provo Library Fairy Tea. Ivy and I attended the event with our friends Melisse and Elsa.

Ivy and Elsa were two very cute faeries

On Tim's Birthday Oliver gave him "a wocket."

We celebrated Easter with our neighbours and now very good friends the Tuttles. We secretly wish that when we move we could take them with us and still have them as our next door neighbours.

Last Saturday we went to Rock Canyon to set off the "wockets."

Disappearing Act

2010-01-29T04:02:00.003-07:00

So it looks like we will be leaving Australia soon. Speaking of disappearing...

Kookaburra

2009-12-02T05:34:00.006-07:00

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,

Merry merry king of the bush is he,

Laugh Kookaburra laugh,

Kookaburra gay your life must be

Just as we finished dinner the other day, a kookaburra landed in the tree outside.

He then joined us on the deck. We fed him some leftovers before he went back into the trees.

There are lots of lovely birds in our garden. We hear the kookaburras almost every day. If you've never heard one before they sound like this.

Staying Cool

2009-11-28T05:47:00.004-07:00

Today was very warm, and in the afternoon we popped over to the beach at Mona Vale for a late swim then fish and chips for dinner. It was a great afternoon/evening.

Last weekend was HOT. The temperature was over 41 deg C (105.8 deg F). It was like being in an oven. How did we cope with the heat after being completely acclimatised to cold wet London? By cooling off in a fountain.

We met Grandpa at Darling Harbour in Sydney.

We had planned to go to a Thai Food Festival, but ended up here instead.

Web Access

2009-11-26T19:00:00.004-07:00

Our internet access is slow and unreliable. The signal keeps dropping out and its taken me three attempts to get this posted. Check this out!

Its not really as primitive as that here in Australia. They do have standard internet equipment too. Since we knew we would only be in this place short term, Tim bought a dongle for mobile internet access. The little memory stick has a sim card in it and the theory is you can get internet access from anywhere. (Unless you happen to live at the bottom of a hill surrounded by big trees and the signal is weak).

Its a good thing we have MacGuyver in the house (aka Tim) to save the day and boost the signal with his wire sieve and sticky tape.

Needless to say we are having a standard broadband connection installed early next week.

Place holder for another belated update

2009-11-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

I'm just adding these, so I can go back and update and still keep my blog in chronological order.

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T23:21:00.005-07:00

Here we are all dressed up for trick or treating.

Later in the evening with Darth Vader and Batman (aka Max and Jack).

During our visit to the US we've done lots of Halloween oriented activities, and have had lots of fun doing them with our great friends. I will post more when I get a chance.

Full of Nostalgia

2009-10-23T21:48:00.002-06:00

I had to walk to Fulham Road late on Tuesday afternoon the day before we flew out of Heathrow. It was a beautiful sunny Autumn afternoon, and every aspect of being there made me feel so full of nostalgia that I had a knot in my stomach. This is what happens when a little Aussie backpacker trip is extended and lasts for 10 years.

On Fulham Road there were lots of things that reminded me of the happy times we have spent there, and friends we have made - shopping trips, birthday dinners and lunch with friends. The sun was low in the sky, and as I passed two Mums with tiny babies out walking it reminded me of daily trips out walking with Viv when our babes were tiny too. Our aim was to get them to have a late afternoon nap, but it was also a breath of fresh air before facing another night of broken sleep. I think when I started to push a stroller around was when I really got to know Fulham.

Place holder for a seriously needed update

2009-10-23T21:06:00.003-06:00

This is where I will post some photos of things we've been doing since moving day....

Moving Day/s

2009-09-09T15:40:00.009-06:00

The movers packed absolutely everything in its own box. I loved the image of the Mackintosh chair all wrapped in cardboard. It reminded me a bit of a sculpture I had enjoyed a few days earlier when I went to Tate Modern with Rosie.

For Ivy and Oliver a lot of the time was spent playing together and amusing themselves. They were brilliant, and after the main truck had been to take our stuff, Tim helped them find something new to do.

The day the truck came, Ivy and Oliver enjoyed softplay at Eddie Catz with Granny and Ross, but they were home in time to see the last of our things being loaded into the truck. It was strange to see it all packed up, and Ivy broke down and wept when they carried out our table. Although we have been talking about it, and trying to prepare the kids for moving day, Ivy was tired, and feeling insecure, and it was gut wrenching for Tim and I. Eventually she was consoled, and she felt much better after we unpacked some of her things into a drawer just for her where we are staying at Sue's house.

Most of the moving and hard work was done last week, but yesterday was the final day. The sale was completed and we handed over our keys. We have so many lovely memories in our flat, and it was a little sad to say goodbye, but we are looking forward to new adventures, and as Ivy keeps telling everyone, "a house with our own garden and a paddling pool".

Meantime, we are planning to stay in London for a few more weeks. Ivy will start the new term at nursery school, Tim will finish off a few projects, and we have visits planned.

Bye Bye Grandma and Rosie

2009-09-09T15:39:00.005-06:00

They caught an evening flight, so in the afternoon Ivy and Grandma had time to get the fairy lego out and play.
We had to take one of those family group shots before they left, then body slam hugs for Rosie.It was great to have them here to visit, and we will miss them but we were keen to get to work with packing and preparing for our move, and it wont be long before we see them again down under on the other side of the planet.

Happy Birthday to me

2009-09-03T06:28:00.006-06:00

Well, it was on Monday, but we celebrated it on Saturday in the gardens of the Bishop's Palace which we fondly refer to as Fulham's backgarden. This is because every weekend it is full of little families like ours picnicking, climbing trees, kicking a ball, riding micro-scooters, celebrating birthdays etc. It is quite a scene. We did the birthday on Saturday because Grandma and Rosie were due to fly to Perth the following day. Rosie made delicious little cakes, and Tim made a yummy salad.

When Monday came 'round we were too busy to do much. We were in full swing of our sorting and culling tasks preparing our belongings ready to ship them back to Australia.

I am a Robot

2009-08-18T13:37:00.005-06:00

Here's what Oliver likes to do with a bucket. Although he is just learning to talk, part of the game includes the repetition of a little robotic mantra.

Although my skeptical Mother called it an expensive bucket for bathing babies, its not really a bucket, its called a Tummy Tub and it was one of the best bits of baby kit we bought. I recently sold it on ebay, and we had it sitting around for a little while - long enough for Oliver to think of a way to re-purpose it.

Organ Donors From Turkdean

2009-08-16T06:51:00.010-06:00

I mentioned that during our visit to the Cotswolds last weekend, we followed what has become a regular pilgrimage to the All Saints Church at Turkdean. It is a happy coincidence that Alison's Aunty Cicely lives just a few miles away, because the church is quite special to the Stokes family. Tim's Grandfather, Joseph Owen Harding is on the roll of honour for members of the parish who fought in the first world war. Grandpa Harding's parents were members of the parish. They lived in Lower Dean, where Grandpa Harding was born and he grew up in the Turkdean Parish area until he went away to the war, then eventually moved to Australia.

Various descendants of Joseph Owen Harding at Turkdean:
Joan (Grandma) in 1995
Jay in 2005

Tim and Ivy with Col in 2007

So, it would merely have been a charming little anecdote about family history until last week when Tim was in the church and noticed the old church organ sitting to one side with a note saying "free to a good home." Apparently they have upgraded their accompaniment to a new electronic keyboard, and the organist is saved the work-out of having to pedal to pump out a note. Anyone who knows Tim knows that he has a special passion and enthusiasm for music and is an amateur collector of instruments. He has a natural talent, and although he can't really play any of them, he can at least manage to pick out a tune on all of them. So, when he saw that this organ was available, Tim couldn't resist. Now, Tim has an organ!
Technically its known as a Harmonium, but there was some intrigue and a lot of discussion about how big Tim's organ actually was and whether he could even get it to fit in the car. Its not actually as big as Tim would like to think though, and we managed to get it safely all the way back to London.

What a fun Weekend

2009-08-12T19:01:00.013-06:00

Last weekend we spent a fabulous long weekend with Aunty Cis in the Cotswolds.

We had lots of fun in the water at Boughton-On-The-Water. The weather was warm and the setting was picturesque and idyllic, but the fast flowing Windrush River was cold, and their feet were very pink when they got out.
Next we took our giant children to the model village -

We went Motor Museum too where the real Brum lives.
(And I had always thought Brum was from Birmingham).

It was a novel thing for Ivy and Oliver to spend hours in the garden. They found worms, and wood lice, butterflies and bees. They watered the plants, and themselves. We ate lunch in the garden on Friday, and after that, Ivy wanted to eat lunch out there for every meal. She is now hooked on al fresco dining, and we are all looking forward to having our very own garden to hang out in.

On a previous visit Ivy went boot scootin' with Cis and stole the stage at the seniors line dancing class. Unfortunately we don't have a picture of that, but the cowboy theme continued when Cis gave Oliver his very own singing pony named Dobbin, and let him borrow her line dancing hat.

We managed to fit a lot into the weekend. We visited the tiny parish Church at Turkdean with a surprising result (more of that to come). Ivy bought a hobby horse (also named Dobbin) at the country fete at a lovely retreat called Glenfall House. We also went to the park, and the highlight of that visit was the rabbit house.

Now THAT'S creative

2009-08-06T23:30:00.001-06:00

Whenever I think about this, it makes me chuckle to myself:
The other day, when I went to use the loo, I was welcomed by this happy little face lurking on the lid.

Five Minutes Later

2009-08-06T15:55:00.003-06:00

As soon as she walked in the door from her birthday party, Ivy took off her fairy dress-up costume and changed into this. The Nurse's outfit and medical kit were (obviously) a complete hit.

Happy Birthday, Ivy

2009-08-05T15:29:00.010-06:00

I must post pictures of Ivy's birthday party now, or we will be celebrating her next birthday before I get around to doing it. It has been nearly 2 weeks now.

Ivy had been talking about her birthday since Oliver's birthday in January. She would tell friends and strangers all about Oliver's Mr Happy cake, then tell them that she would be having a Fairy Cake. At least I knew what I was planning for. I felt under such pressure to plan a proper party for her this year, now that birthdays have become so important, and she knows what they are all about. Our flat is too small to invite more than one friend at a time, so I was really pleased to find a local community hall available for hire located next to the Thames and with the perfect space for a three year old's party.

The Cake:

Delicious, I'm told. I had fun making it. I practised, and felt very satisfied with the result.

I broadened the theme, and made a "fairy garden" Cake. Its hard to see in the picture, but the fairies were 3 little fairy-shaped candles. The only other fairy at the party was Ivy, wearing her favourite dress-up outfit.

During the preparation, every time I opened the 'fridge door, I thought I heard it sing!

The Party:
It was wonderful to have some of Ivy's very favourite people, and their families come and help celebrate her birthday.
Tim organised some fairy garden games, like pin the spot on the ladybird, and "Fly away home" (musical chairs where the "bugs" had to land on a cut-out leaf). Our first guests to arrive helped Tim to make some beautiful flower decorations for the hall. I wish I had a better picture of them hanging up, but they did look very pretty when we took them all down again after the party.

Say cheese....Smile

2009-07-08T15:25:00.003-06:00

This picture certainly made me smile

"Get Ready To Wiggle"

2009-07-05T13:47:00.005-06:00

We have had a lot going on in the past two weeks culminating in a trip to the see the Wiggles in Concert on Friday.
Ivy loved the ballet dancers and Dorothy the Dinosaur wearing her pink tutu
Oliver loved the show too, and stood on Daddy's lap and danced along with all the songs.

It was a very hot day, and after the show Ivy and Oliver enjoyed an ice lolly from the "ice cream car."
Then we got to meet Murray at the stage door. He was very nice, and politely said Mummy looked familiar when she mentioned their teaching course at IEC Waverley about 200 years ago.

School Sports Day

2009-07-05T13:32:00.004-06:00

Ivy was an outstanding competitor in her school sports day last Thursday. She ran in the potato (egg) and spoon race, a race where you had to balance a toy frog on your head, a race involving jumping through hoops, and a sack race which she WON!

Silly Mummy forgot to take a camera, so it was lucky one of the other Mummies sent a few cute pictures of sports day.

Mummy ran in the parents relay and was on the winning team too. (Conveniently no pictures of that!) When all the events were finished, Oliver had lots of fun running up and down the lanes, played with the potato and spoon, then tried to balance the frog on his head.

Grandma is in Town

2009-07-05T13:15:00.003-06:00

We are thrilled that after many many many invitations, Grandma has come to stay with us in London. Ivy and Oliver had to wait a whole week while Daddy went to Australia to pick her up, but both children so happy to have her here with us (and also happy that Daddy is back too).

A childhood dream

2009-04-29T16:39:00.008-06:00

Yesterday, Ivy helped me vicariously fulfill a childhood fantasy and had her first ballet lesson. When I was about three, I desperately wanted to go to ballet, but as a single mother, my Mum wasn't in the position to be able to send me. Instead we attended a season of ballet films at the local cinema, and for my birthday I was given a copy of The Splendour Book of Ballet which I treasured.

In March Ivy had a trial class, and we have been looking forward to the beginning of the new term for weeks. One thing that tells me I am not just pushing my own agenda is that Ivy loves to dance and often asks me to play "Ballet Music" (classical music) on the ipod. I was definately sure that this is her interest when she showed me this drawing.

The extra leg? Perhaps its a way of depicting the movement of the dancer in a similar way to the Futurists or as in Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase.

I think the most exciting part of the whole event for me was taking Ivy to be fitted for her ballet uniform. We went to the tiny little shop in the Dance Attic Studios. The shop has an olde world charm with its fitted shelves neatly stocked full of beautiful ballet kit and accessories. There's a lot to take in. Ivy was attended by Nancy a dancing veteran whose care and attention to detail made me feel like a princess on Ivy's behalf.

St Georges Day

2009-04-23T16:05:00.006-06:00

Today is the National Day of England.
St George's Day seems to creep up on me every year and although there are campaigns to raise the profile of St Georges day and make it a bank holiday there don't seem to be many very widespread or well known St George's day traditions. Its quite a contrast to St Patrick's day which is not just celebrated in Ireland, but all over the world.

Oliver and I had the opportunity to observe St Georges Day today when we passed by the farmers market in Lyric Square.Behind the stalls was a brass band playing music to celebrate the day. Very patriotic.

First Day of School

2009-04-23T15:34:00.005-06:00

Yesterday was Ivy's first day of nursery school. It is a major milestone and was a huge deal for me. I was filled with a weighty sense of the significance of the occasion. I took my camera with me to try to capture the moment, but when we arrived I was too busy feeling like the new girl to remember to take the picture.
Ivy was a cool customer and while I hesitated and waited to be shown around, she put on her apron and got straight down to the business of playing. I wasn't concerned that she would be upset or miserable, because we have been talking about it for a few weeks and she has been completely sold on the idea. When I went to say goodbye, all Ivy said was "Now I want to paint."

When I went to pick her up the children were playing outside, and I watched her playing and having fun for a few minutes before she noticed me standing there. She was pleased to see me and gave me a big hug, and had enjoyed herself so much that she didn't want to leave. I'm happy that the afternoon went so well and I am impressed with Ivy's confident approach to this new chapter.

I remembered to take a photograph of her when we arrived home, but by then Ivy was tired and didn't really want to co-operate.

We did manage to take this one outside the front door of the nursery school today.

Hatfield House

2009-04-22T08:23:00.005-06:00

Last week we went to visit a "Princess House" with Pam. Elizabeth 1 lived here under house arrest during the reign of here sister Mary. We did a tour of the house which would have been interesting if Oliver was not so keen on climbing on every antique chair he could see. Hatfield House is the home of Lara Croft and has been the set for many other films. It really is a beautiful location.

Update part 2 - Weekends

2009-04-22T07:43:00.008-06:00

The weekend before Easter we hired a car to get to Russell's Birthday Party. Having a car for a whole weekend was great and just the week before, Ivy had been asking if we could go all go in a car together. On Saturday morning we did some shopping, then stopped in Richmond Park.Ivy and Oliver went for a "jog" along the cycle track and kept getting in the way of the bikes.
Pooh sticks on the bridge.

Oliver found this in the rough. The golf course is next to Richmond Park.

He also found this one too, and we had fun kicking it back toward the carpark.

***

We went for a "Sunday drive" all the way to Brighton the next day. We ended up driving through Brighton past the Pavilion and the Pier, and played on the next beach along called Rottingdean. It was a true English beach with pebbles, and although it had been nice in London the previous day, the weather was cooler and quite windy, and we ended up wearing our coats to play on the beach.

***

The following weekend was Easter. On Good Friday we had Eva and her Mummy and Daddy over for lunch, and homemade Hot Cross Buns. Eva, Ivy and Oliver made Easter hats and had a wonderful time playing together and trashing our flat!

On Saturday Ivy and Oliver made the little Easter baskets which they used to collect the chocolate eggs the Easter bunny delivered for them.***

Last Saturday we had a lovely afternoon when we went to Hyde Park and took a rowboat out on the Serpentine.

A Long Overdue Blog Update

2009-04-21T15:25:00.010-06:00

I have unposted pictures and anecdotes mounting up and becoming a burden.
There's nothing like a deadline though. Tomorrow our church women's group is having an evening on digital photography, blogging etc, and I have been asked to contribute so I feel the need to post some pictures of what we've been doing over the past month:

Happy Birthday Tim!

Happy Birthday Very Hungry Caterpillar!

We attended a special story time at our local bookshop to commemorate the 4oth Anniversay of the Hungry Caterpillar. Eric Carle, the author of the Hungry Caterpiller will also celebrate his 80th Birthday this year.

Ivy with one of our favourite friends...

Happy Mother's Day
22nd March

These are definately the kind of slippers a little girl who is 2 would choose, aren't they? In the UK Mothering Sunday is celebrated in March (not May as in other places), much like the UK celebration of World Book Day.

Playdates and Outings

...With Miles at the playroom in the National Army Museum

...At Alistair's house

Boat Race: Oxford v Cambridge
29th March
Well done Oxford!

We live just a few minutes walk from the river, and the boat race goes straight past our local playground. It was lovely weather and we squeezed into a narrow gap in the crowd lined up along the railings to watch the event. We then walked across the park to watch the rest of the race on the big screen. Afterward we joined in with the festivities in the park. Ivy made a crown, went on a bouncy castle and a teacup ride with Daddy and Oliver.

Make Hay While the Sun Shines

2009-03-17T16:50:00.007-06:00

We have been enjoying a spell of sunny weather over the past week. There is definitely an air of Spring about and it has been beautiful. I've lived through enough London springtimes to know it may not (probably won't) last, and so we have been at the park almost every day. Actually, we visit the local playground regularly, but it has been a while since we managed to get there every day. London's weather has taught me to go outside and enjoy it whenever the sun shines.

Today we took our lunch with us too.

It feels great to finally feel the warmth of the sun. It is so much easier to get going without having to deal with all the winter kit.

Ivy and Oliver both reached little milestones in the playground today. Unfortunately by the time they got to the slides, my camera battery ran out of juice. Ivy conquered the big-kids slide with its challenging climb and steep slide. I was nervous. She just looked so little climbing to the top of it. She was quite nervous coming down at first, but that didn't stop her and by the time we left the playground she was a pro. Oliver conquered the (other) slide too. Instead of causing a traffic jam at the top while pausing for help, he worked out how to slide down by himself. The kid can climb better than he can walk, so it was game on.

World Book Day

2009-03-05T15:20:00.002-07:00

Today is World Book Day (in the UK and Ireland only).

You what?

I know.

It doesn't make sense to me either, but I think it has something to do with local term dates, and school celebrations. In other countries World Book Day is celebrated on 23rd April, so really today should have been more accurately named National-World-Book-Day. Even that's not correct is it? Because it doesn't include Ireland. Is there a collective term for the UK and Ireland that the Irish approve of? Perhaps not, but I personally think "the World" is a bit too general. It doesn't matter, because in Australia they can trump any old "World Book Day." They have a whole Book Week instead. I loved Book Week when I was at school and can still remember the fun.

Despite the naming issues we celebrated today by visiting a local bookshop for the World Book Day story-time. It was great to find a new place for story-time since we have a fundamental scheduling issue with the story time at our local library being slap-bang in the middle of nap time. Ivy loved the storytelling and looking at the books, but Oliver was more interested in toddling around and touching everything.

Ivy really did have her own little book day today. As well as the four great books she listened to at the bookshop, she had an insatiable appetite for reading at bedtime, and we got through most of our latest selection of library books. Tonight's story session was as good as it ever gets. Ivy and I cosily snuggled into the armchair, reading beautiful stories and discussing beautiful pictures. It was the way I have always pictured it would be if you don't count the constant distraction of Oliver repeatedly climbing up to sit on my knee then exasperatingly wriggling back down the instant we were all comfortable. At least now that Ivy has finally developed the attention span for a satisfying session of story reading I can have faith that Oliver may do the same in the future.

Reunited

2009-03-03T14:48:00.008-07:00

A few weeks ago when we lost yet another bunny, and were down to only one back-up, I let Ivy think it was gone for good and that she would have to find an alternative until we could replace it. In the toy-box we found at least 2 other suitable bunny-types and even though she missed her special bunny, Ivy bravely clung to the inferior substitutes. Weeks passed. A couple of times Ivy reminded me how much she missed her original bunny, and asked when we could go to the "bunny shop". I really hadn't meant to let so much time pass. Eventually Ivy found the back-up bunny after it had been carefully planted in a basket of toys. She was elated, and jumped for joy. I wasn't prepared for the level of emotion this reunion would bring. She jumped higher than ever before, and I felt awful about withholding the back-up bunny from her.

For Ivy, the reunion with her bunny is an extremely significant thing, probably more significant than a trip to the Dinosaur Museum or watching fireworks, and warrants special mention here among our anecdotes.

I was reminded of the whole event again today when we returned our library books. A big hit in our previous selection was a book we chanced upon called That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown by Cressida Cowell. It is very apt because it involves a little girl and her very special (and grey) toy rabbit. It is also outrageously funny, and we read it every day for a week.

Emily Brown's toy rabbit Stanley is coveted by a very spoilt Queen who sends the armed forces to negotiate its acquisition. Emily rejects the escalating offers for Stanley until finally the Queen sends her special forces to steal Stanley in the night. When we read how Emily felt when she woke up to find Stanley missing, Ivy wanted to linger on this page. Luckily there is a satisfying conclusion to the story and a joyous reunion for Emily Brown and Stanley. I love how reading picture books with children offers them a chance to explore their feelings, and I suppose the same is true of reading good literature for anyone.

First Shoes

2009-02-23T07:33:00.005-07:00

In my mind Oliver's first shoes are a huge deal as they represent a milestone and the beginning of a whole new stage of development. Of course he'll always be my baby. Is he officially a toddler yet? He's not a little baby anymore...

The Tale of a Whale - No Dinosaurs

2009-02-21T16:50:00.013-07:00

About two weeks ago Tim and Ivy were out together and happened to be passing the Natural History Museum. Tim decided they could pop in for half an hour and they had a quick look at the model T-rex then looked briefly at a few of the other exhibits.

A couple of days later, I was tidying Ivy's crayons and drawings away, and found this drawing.

I was intrigued and a little excited by it because she has only been using figuration in her drawings for a little while, and it seems with each drawing her pictures become more and more sophisticated. When I asked her to tell me about the picture she said it was a whale in the dinosaur museum. Tim was amazed by the picture because he had actually seen the whale.

Today we all went to the "Dinosaur Museum" for another visit. Sadly it didn't turn out to be the best plan. Last week was a half-term school break, and we hadn't counted on every other family in London making a mad dash to the museum before school goes back on Monday. The museum opens at 10am, and we arrived at 10.20 to find a queue spiralling out of control around the diplodocus skeleton in the main entrance hall, with a guide time of 45 minutes wait to see the Dinosaur Gallery. So, no dinosaurs this time. Instead we looked at a couple of other exhibits including creepy crawlies, and the bird exhibit (a taxidermist's heaven) where we met the dodo.

We braved the crowds a little longer to look at the blue whale because I needed to appreciate just how great Ivy's drawing was. The exhibition was spectacular, and Ivy's drawing really did do it justice. It gave me goosebumps.

The great thing about living where we do is that the Dinosaur Museum is free and is only a 20 minute bus trip away. We'll definitely go back for the dinosaurs on a quieter day. In the meantime we have plans to meet Ivy's friend Miles at the Science Museum on Monday.

First Steps

2009-02-20T16:34:00.005-07:00

Its hard to pinpoint the actual day Oliver took his first steps. His development has been so gradual its almost sneaky. If I had to pick a day it was last Friday. He had taken a few wobbly steps here and there in the weeks before, but Friday was the day when walking seemed to become the preference over crawling.

It amazes me at the different approaches Oliver and Ivy took towards beginning walking. Ivy didn't even bother to crawl properly, instead she got around by alternating her left knee and right foot. She walked on her first birthday, and even though she was wobbly and fell every third step, she kept picking herself up and walking on. She wasn't interested in going back to crawling. On the other hand, Oliver has been on the move since he was tiny. He rolled early, then learned how to slide around on the wooden floor on his belly propelled by just his big toe. Eventually he became an accomplished crawler. He has been standing and cruising for months, and climbing on everything, but always keeping a steady hand on something or someone. Now he has finally decided to let go he can walk further than 3 steps at a time.

This week Oliver's favourite game has been to walk from Mummy to Daddy and back again over and over again. Gradually we have increased the distance, and last night he must have walked a whole mile before bedtime. I love to watch his awkward wobbly walk. With hands out front for balance, straightened legs and flat feet, he looks like Frankenstein's monster. Its very very very cute.

Daddy's sense of humour

2009-02-13T01:36:00.006-07:00

I went out to take Oliver to an appointment earlier this week, and Tim was home, so Ivy stayed home with him. They must have had fun, because I found these pictures uploaded to the computer later that day, and wished a) that I was here to see it and b) that we had a video recording of the fun. I already knew that in Tim's book chin-men are one of the funniest things ever. It looks like Ivy gets it too.

The big snow of 2009

2009-02-02T15:55:00.013-07:00

Today it was reported as having 'the worst snow fall in 18 years'. I would have expected less editorial from the BBC! Other, perhaps younger, reporters would have said it was 'the best snow fall in 18 years'. The weather girl provided a more balanced view by adding 'Great for making a snow man!' to her lengthy report of all the disruptions to traffic and transport in London. It would have been much quicker for her to provide a list of what was still running rather than what wasn't.

It's fun but also a little worrying that a great city like London can be brought to it's knees by snow. I can imagine reports being laughed at in many other cities, across europe and around the world, where snowfall is just another form of precipitation and not an excuse to stay at home. Having said that, after 10 years of living in a climate that is conducive to snow, the novelty has not worn off and so we found ourselves at home and following the weather girl's advice. Here we are out the front building a snow man.

Mega Button

2009-02-02T13:58:00.006-07:00

Ivy and I went to Peter Jones at Sloane Square on Saturday in search of a button, and had to buy this one.

It is huge, probably the biggest either of us have seen and measures in at 5cm/2inches. It also came with a big price tag. I can't believe I paid £3 for a single button, but it was the perfect button to finish the hat I knitted (most of) while watching the season premiere of 90210.

If you are two, and particularly insistent on dressing yourself, we recommend wearing the hat with one ear sticking out like a pixie. The hat was finished just in time for London's record snowfall today. I'm so glad we haven't moved yet, or we might have missed it. More from Tim about the snow...

Gnashers (at last)

2009-01-29T13:32:00.004-07:00

Last weekend, we had one unusually grumpy baby who kept suddenly and inexplicably bursting into tears. It was very sad. Monday was a revelation when one of his top teeth erupted through the gum. It looks like he has at least two more on the move up there too. At last.

The two bottom teeth came through at 7 months, then nothing. I was starting to get worried, and it has been challenging catering for a one year old insistent on developing his independence, refusing to be fed baby mush. Its remarkable just what he manages to gum through and swallow - just about everything. I will feel more confident letting him do it when a few more teeth come through.

A brief comment on the photo. It is not a picture of Oliver crying out in pain. This is one of over 100 attempts at taking a passport photo that would meet the requirements of the Passport Office and the Australian High Commission.

Where did January go?

2009-01-29T13:28:00.002-07:00

I've been distracted to say the least , on tenderhooks, waiting with baited breath to hear news of progress on the sale of our flat. We have a buyer, but the process has stalled while we chase around ironing out the last few conditions of the sale. I really need to make more effort to keep up to date.

Happy Birthday, Oliver

2009-01-02T15:45:00.008-07:00

Wow! He's already one, and has diligently and quietly been working his way through the baby milestones. Yesterday I was thinking how strange it was to think back to a year ago to the day, when I hadn't actually even met him yet.

Oliver is sweet, happy, affectionate, cuddly, easy-going and funny and shares many of his positive characteristics with his Dad. Its such fun to have him around. It is a wonderful and profound blessing to be his Mum.

Some memories from the birthday celebration: A before shot. Mr Happy cake design compliments of Aunty Penny and (ultimately) Roger Hargreaves.

Oliver was excited by the cake and the candle, but couldn't wait while we posed for photos and sang. He had to sample Mr Happy's feet straight away.

Mmm. Want some?

All washed down with a swig from the sippy cup...

Here's one messy, but satisfied customer.

Balloon Faces

2008-12-11T16:04:00.005-07:00

I love the art work on these. I often save Ivy's drawings and I think they are getting cuter and cuter as her fine motor and planning skills develop. Ivy made the yellow balloon face for herself, and found it so satisfying that she wanted to make one for Oliver too. I love the orange balloon face best, but I think the mowhawk on the yellow one is quite fetching.

Fresh out of the pan, sweet Gingerbread Man...

2008-12-09T17:46:00.006-07:00

Granny came to visit on Tuesday, and we all made these together.We are working toward making a gingerbread house for Christmas, and needed to test the recipe which we borrowed from Martha. The flavour is sensational. We highly recommend it.

Battersea Zoo

2008-12-09T17:45:00.006-07:00

On Monday we braved the cold and visited Battersea Zoo with Elise and Amelia to celebrate Elise's birthday.

The True Meaning of Christmas

2008-12-09T02:46:00.001-07:00

At the church Christmas party on Saturday, the children were invited to dress as a character from the nativity. Ivy was adorable dressed as Mary. Ivy is a method actress, and here is her portrayal of Mary.

Mary dancing, and rejoicing

Mary celebrating by indulging in a lollipop.

Mary rejoicing with an angel (aka Eva)

Oliver had a shepherd outfit lined up, but how on earth do you get an 11 month old to keep a tea towel on his head?

More of Life in London

2008-12-01T14:46:00.005-07:00

"Look Mummy! I'm a Horse Guard".
Ivy is a Londoner in the know, but when she held the recorder up to her shoulder, I must confess I was surprised she remembered the Horse Guards. We've been trying to get out and do "London" things whenever we can. Back in September we had a day out at the National Gallery. We met Granny at Westminster tube station and walked up Whitehall to Trafalgar Square. On our way we passed the Horse Guard Barracks, and just happened to be in time for changing of the guard.

Aunty Cis also has a few pieces of Horse Guards memorabilia around her house, as her husband Chuck was in the Grenadiers. When she first saw the figurines, Ivy thought they were pirates.

Life in London

2008-11-28T16:19:00.003-07:00

Mostly people who live here complain about the weather, but to a two year old with pink wellies it is perfect. The pavements here are always slightly uneven so when it rains there are plently of puddles to jump in. Ivy really likes to linger over each one and make the most of the opportunity to splash. We caught some puddles on our way home for lunch today, and Ivy made 10 minutes walk out of the 200m from the traffic lights to where she is standing. You really have to learn patience when you are on toddler time.

Some things I want to bottle and keep forever

2008-11-27T07:21:00.001-07:00

1) Watching Oliver crawl. Its so cute, and I know every parent thinks the same thing, but the main point of this blog is to keep our family album. I love the way his hands move, and his little bottom wiggles back and forth. I love the big smiles as he races towards you. Its SO cute.

Oli is cruising around all the furniture or wherever he can find something to hold on to now and has great balance, so it won't be long before he starts walking and this cute crawl will be a thing of the past.

2) I love the red zip-up all-in-one pyjamas. These were a hand me down from Ivy's little friend Charles so they are have been worn in until they are deliciously soft. They look very cute on Oliver, and I always look forward to getting him dressed after the bath on days when these pjs are freshly out of the wash. Tim calls them the super-hero suit.

3) Ivy singing. She has a wide repertoire of songs, and they are all recognisable from the tunes although sometimes the songs come out in a charming combination of English and mumbo-jumbo. Today she was singing "Toowee Slumptious" aka "Truly Scrumptious" at the top of her lungs. Unfortunately I missed the kodak moment.

My baby can (almost) read!

2008-11-18T06:51:00.004-07:00

"Look Mummy! Its got names on it!" Ivy exclaimed as she brought her half eaten Jammie Dodger to me. Sure enough embossed into the biscuit are the initials JD, just next to the gooey jammie bit that is framed by a heart. I was excited by this little observation because it shows the teacher in me that Ivy is starting to gain some awareness of print.

It is unfortunate that to be able to record this moment I first have to admit to offering Ivy a snack full of empty calories. Its just an occasional little treat, and we started buying them because we had seen them in a Charlie and Lola story, so its not all bad. Both the literary and literacy skills of my two year old were enhanced by the consumption of one little Jammie Dodger. A carrot couldn't make the same claim, could it?

More emerging literacy: Last week Ivy found my filofax and was busily pulling things out of it. She carefully unfolded a hand-written receipt, and as she looked at it said "words" then folded it back up and threw it in the pile she had busily strewn across the couch.

Fireworks

2008-11-07T15:50:00.014-07:00

Last night we walked down to Bishops Park to see the fireworks: Oooooh, Aaaaah, Wow! A photograph can never do them justice, can it? We only stayed for the "kids" fireworks, and they were fantastic. At bed time we stood on Mummy and Daddy's bed and popped our heads out the loft windows to look at the "big" fireworks. It turned out to be an awesome display, and I take back any hint of derision.

Granny and Ross came to watch the fireworks with us, but the things they wanted to see most were Ivy and Oliver's faces which were just as bright and sparkly.
We love the flashing butterfly wand:

"Look Mummy! I'm a Princess!"

"I know you are, darling!" xx

Merry Christmas, Its Bonfire Night

2008-11-05T15:18:00.007-07:00

"Remember remember the 5th of November".

Tonight just after he settled into bed, Oliver was woken by a loud barrage of fireworks. Then, about 20 minutes after he settled back down, it happened again. At that point I would have blown up Guy Fawkes if I knew the consequences of his actions would lead to this! Just kidding, but I'm sure there have been generations of mother's who have had to contend with this.

We didn't do anything official to celebrate fireworks night, but from the velux windows in the loft we can see across the neighbourhood, and it was fun to look out and see sudden bursts of colour leap out from between the buildings and light up the sky. We are planning to do bonfire night properly on Friday at Bishops Park. Its nothing like the New Years Eve fireworks on Sydney Harbour, and in truth there is never an actual bonfire, but the Borough Council puts on a decent display, and there is a good turn-out, a bit of local community spirit, and a fun atmosphere. We have our fingers crossed it won't be too wet.

Father Christmas arrived at Harrods last weekend, and we went to visit him on Monday. I know how crazy it seems to be doing this so early, but we won't always live in London, and its all about the souvenir photo. Father Christmas is in popular demand at Harrods and has been booked out since September. For Ivy's first Christmas we queued for 3 hours - it was an ordeal, and last year they introduced this new booking system so we missed out altogether. Ivy enjoyed our visit, and greeted Granny with excitement when she met us at the tube station. While we waited for our turn we met Captain Hook, the Fairy Godmother, and Mrs Christmas. Mrs Christmas officially bestowed Ivy with the honorary title "Fairy Twinkle Toes" and told Granny and I that we must help her remember it, but Ivy doesn't seem convinced of her new title.

Fancy Dress Day

2008-10-31T17:47:00.009-06:00

As kids, neither Tim nor Alison remember doing much to celebrate Halloween, and we are both a bit ambivalent about celebrating it now. Its not just its association with evil and horror, its pagan origins or its uneasy adaption to Christianity, but the commercial hype and excess that surrounds it, and the feeling that something that is not ours culturally is being imposed on us. Nevertheless, on some levels we really do appreciate it. We participated with some of our friends today, and had a wonderful day.

First at Eva's house

Then at Miles' house

In the evening we shared some time together as a family

Across the road in the alphabet streets of the Bishop's Park estate, there is rarely a time in London when the community spirit is so strong. Rather than evil spirits coming out, there is a spirit of generosity. People go to a lot of effort to decorate, and there are lots of children and families about trick or treating.

York and Leeds

2008-10-31T14:48:00.019-06:00

It is slow progress with this project so far. I've been meaning to write about our visit to York and Leeds all week and its already Friday. I'm developing more and more admiration for my friend Laura who has the discipline to write a blog entry every day.

We left Fulham at bedtime last Friday, later than we had planned, but we'd had to prepare the flat for Estate Agent viewings over the weekend. We arrived in York late and tired, and fell into bed in Penny and John's cosy guest room.

On Saturday morning we went to Leeds to visit Ali's cousin Hannah & Tim and to see the progress on their house renovations. The upstairs is just about finished! The new bathroom was plush, and the wood has been glossed and is silky smooth. Well done to Hannah and Tim. They have worked hard and their house feels lovely and homey. The carpets are going to be installed this week, and we know from doing our flat what a big impact it will have. They just have the kitchen left to do. It will be exciting to see how it turns out.

Hannah had planned some lovely kid-friendly outings for us in Leeds. First stop was Tropical World.

Inside was a lovely warm contrast from the cold wind outside.

The place was massive. There were 5 or more large glass houses, plus lots of other exhibition spaces. We saw butterflies, fish, birds, snakes, meerkats, monkeys and lots of other animals.

Ivy wanted her face painted like a pussycat.

Miaow.

We had lunch in a pub across the road, then headed toward Harrogate for soft-play, but had to abandon the idea when Ivy was car-sick. ("Ewww!")

Back at Aunty Penny and Uncle John's house, John braved the chilly air outside and fired up the barbeque for dinner. Yum. And Penny had prepared 3 different types of desserts. Yum.

On Sunday we had a lovely relaxing morning. Outside, was sunny but cold. We dawdled at a 2 year old pace to the local shop to get the paper, and stopped while she jumped in every puddle but one. After Oliver's nap we went to church at St Mikes, then came home for afternoon naps followed by a traditional Sunday roast, which Penny (and her aga) excel at.

It was great to spend time with Penny and John and relax in their lovely home. They are great hosts, great company and wonderful examples to us. Penny and John are well provisioned for young children too, and it is always an honour to make use of the cot which John built when Hannah and Beth were babies. I'm sure one day Hannah and Beth will appreciate using it again too. There is also a lovely collection of (now vintage) baby toys and the funkiest retro red highchair. Since Ivy has just about grown out of the baby toys, Penny brought out another vintage item to play with. It was a Pumpkin shaped Princess Palace, which was beautiful and and in perfect condition with all the pieces in tact. Ivy played with delight.

The only downside of spending such a relaxing day is that since we were not out on a "special outing" we forgot to have the camera poised. This is a lesson learned - good blog keeping requires good illustrations.

Starting our blog

2008-10-27T04:03:00.002-06:00

I decided last week that I should start a blog of my own when I clicked on to Lara's blog to see what the Sorich family were up to and saw the announcement that mini Sorich is due to arrive in just 20 more weeks. I was surprised and shocked and delighted to hear the news, and slightly miffed that I hadn't heard it sooner than now, when I realised that was silly because I have the blog address and can catch up with these guys anytime. I think its called "blog stalking". Perhaps the art and practice of letter writing is a fading, but with technology like this, it is interesting to see how communication is evolving and it is wonderful to be invited to see the "photo albums" of our friends and hear their latest news.

The day after I read Lara's blog, Ivy was being very cute and entertaining over breakfast, and it was of those funny moments where I thought to myself, "I must write that down". This lead me to thinking about how to be better at keeping up to date with a journal and/or a photo album and the blog just might be the perfect way to do it. The added bonus is that we will be able to invite friends and family to see our "photo album" too.