Stuart's 30

My little brother turned 30 on 15th July, Anna took him away for the weekend and so this weekend there was a family barbecue. So on the first Friday of the school holidays we braved the M18, M1, M42 and M5 with no major hold-ups.

At the BBQ on Saturday were Anna's parents, her grandparents and brother, it was good to meet and we hope it's not the day of Stuart and Anna's wedding in December 2007 before we meet again.

We stayed at Chris's flat which is almost in Southmead in Brstol... OK Chris it's not almost in Southmead...

The flat is very nice, 2 bed with 2 bathrooms, 1 en suite, Elspeth did her usual trick of managing to commandeer the lion's share of the bed, relegating me to the floor and Sarah to the margins... she's just like her mother!

Bristol Zoo on Sunday with Simon and Jacqui - the zoo is brilliant, Elspeth saw the lions sunning themselves and the penguins and the seal pup, Bristol's penguins are in a great enclosure where you can walk beneath them in a clear tube and they feed above you, on a baking day it provided some respite from the heat. After the zoo off to the Boston Tea party for coffee with Stuart and Anna before braving the motorways in reverse... honestly sometimes I just go back to work for a rest...

Ade and Dawn and Colchester Zoo

We spent a great weekend at the end of our Eastern Adventure [ok Southwold] in Colchester with Dawn and Adi, the highlight for Elspeth was Colchester zoo and feeding the Giraffe, or was it the Zeedonk?

To come ---

More pictures

Growing up

It's a cliche I know, but boy don't the little ones grow up quickly... we were at dinner the other evening when Elspeth declared, I'm not 3 I'm 13... the number of white hairs on my head doubled... I've realised it's just as much the realisation that I'll be in my 40's when Elsepth is 13 than the fact that I don't want her to grow up that fast... still Jemima is no longer the small bundle that she once was... She giggles when tickled and always wants to see what is going on around her... it's so strange, I know Elsepth was similar but even at 15 weeks old there are significant differences in her behaviour admittedly I cannot recall a lot of Elspeth's as I was at work but Elspeth seemed quieter...

Pick your own

Holidays are times when you forage for yourselves... so we went picking strawberries, we even ventured to pick the raspberries at the bottom of the lines of strawberries, somewhat disappointed at the meagre handful returns for the endeavours [various viscous stinging nettle strikes - I'm sure they didn't sting that much when I was a child!!] on paying we were advised that the rasps wouldn't be ready for a while... that explains it then. Strawberry picking isn't the same as when we were children, the strawberry plants were all in poly tunnels in wide guttering elevated about 3 feet off the ground with their own watering system, not scrabbling around on the ground. I suppose it stops losses due to animals pinching them and saves the backs of the pickers

Holidays

Well we had a week in Wrentham near Southwold in Suffolk, a cottage with enough room to swing a very large cat and then some more room. Nana came along for the week and on the first weekend we were joined by Liz and Derek and Auntie Dawn and Ade, and there was still plenty of room for the cat. In the garden there was a "cabin" which was basically a large wooden triple garage which had been converted into a huge play area complete with train set, music centre , tv, video and x box. A very spacious retreat.

Southwold beach was a favourite, the sand, the beach huts, Warbleswick was deserted and had Elspeth not run a mile when she saw a crab in her shoe I'm sure we could have "crabbed".... I do need a bigger spade if I'm expected to make sand boats though.

Framlingham Castle on Thursday was a great day out, there was no holding Elspeth back as she scaled the steep steps and walked the walls, decending first with Sarah and then repeating the whole 100 and something steps to the top with me.

Colchester Zoo and a weekend with Ade and Dawn at Ade's parents to follow...