One year old today

Happy birthday little man! Oh my how you've grown :)



We've had a soggy old day in this neck of the woods. The birthday treat to the local rescue zoo was a bit of a damp squib, not much to see apart from a very cute baby wallaby. Most animals were sensible enough to hide deep in their various enclosures well away from all the rain and the scary looking wet people. Then our celebration lunch out was a rain check too as the place we wanted to go was closed. Doh!

So we just stayed home and played with new toys this afternoon. Grandma and Grandad came for tea and to play and we did a little mini celebration for the munchkin .... here is R enjoying his smoosh cake :)



I'm just out of shot panicking slightly about the impending clean up! Proper party shennanegans coming up at the weekend so more birthday news to follow in a few days.

Toodle pip
J
x

Memories, miles and millions of boxes

After a long period of wondering and waiting things are starting to happen at the Peapod Patch. We've finally got a buyer for our house - hurrah! Things are not done and dusted till we sign on that dotted line, but (dare I say it*) things are looking promising and it looks like we will be on the move. Once we have got ourselves into rented accomodation we can then be much more flexible about re-locating further north, once the right career move comes along of course.

*I'm working against my natural pessimism by actually stating in the open that we have a buyer for this place!

Unfortunately, things are not looking quite so rosy on the jobs front with another turn down this last week. Oh well - everyone says keep at it and the right one will turn up eventually. I sure do hope so. The process of applying for jobs, doing all the thinking and preparation and then driving miles and miles to be interviewed is completely draining ... especially when you don't get the job after all that effort :)

The up side of the long journey to attend the job interview was a lovely few days spent with my Mum. One evening we fished out a box of family photos and trawled through them ... ah the memories. Not to mention the terrible fashions and the even more terrible haircuts! Makes me very determined not to do home cut hair for my little monster. I will have to dust off the scanner when I get chance and share a few of the best ones :)

So that is the miles and the memories covered. Just the millions of boxes to tell you about. The prospect of moving sends the better half into a frenzy of happy packing madness - he just loves boxing up and he has to be physically restrained from boxing up all the essentials far too soon. We are heading out on daily scavenging missions to acquire cardboard boxes ... bins, skips, back of shops ... beg, borrow, steal - you name it we'll be there jamming them into the car. My late Dad who was king at the art of 'acquiring' would be proud! The house is disappearing under piles of brown flat pack and acquiring that strange smell that only cardboard can provide ... lovely!



The haul from today!

Toodle pip
J
x

Adventures in a tin shack

The post holiday blues have firmly settled on the patch this week as we returned from our first proper family holiday.



We spent a few days exploring Pembrokeshire which was just what the doctor ordered. The weather was very kind to us with the sun shining pretty much all weekend long. Our Tin Bungalow was utterly fabulous. Quiet location, fab interior decor and a lovely garden. None of my photos do it justice - it was truly fantastic. The only downside was the massive electrical storm we had on the first night, a tin shed in the middle of a field is not the most comforting place to be when the lightning starts a flashing!

The little man had lots of lovely first experiences...

Paddling in the sea...


Digging sandcastles...


Eating a whole yummy ice cream by himself...


Taking big train rides...


Taking little train rides...


And making new friends


(Explanation required: this dopey half dead fly was hanging around in the conservatory while we ate breakfast and R was fascinated by it .. shouting, pointing and generally going nuts about it - consequently we named him Felix and nominated him as R's new friend!)

A fun time was had by all...


I'm looking forward to next years hols already!
Toodle pip
J
x

Tea party of the year ...

So our baby boy turns one in a few weeks time and the tea party invites have gone out to various Nanas, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. We've quite got into the spirit of planning a proper celebration for the munchkin, which is most unlike us - this baby lark is obviously going to our heads :)

Much of the effort is (and will be) going into the home made feel that represents us lot as a family. Lots of homemade edible goodies will be made for the day itself, R will be getting a home made present (if I ever get the blinking thing finished in time) and I've a home made birthday boy outfit almost done and dusted.

But the first home made thing I can share with you all is the party invite...



A hand crafted embroidery portrait of the birthday boy himself!

This was inspired by an embroidered portrait of the White Stripes we've had hung about the place for years. It was quite scary doing his face, I traced the basic shape and positioning of features from a photo and agonised for ages about what colours to choose for skin, lips, eyes - there were a few 'oh my god he looks just plain wrong' moments where I thought I'd created a picture of a funny looking alien but I think it turned out ok considering. The finished article was then photocopied onto card and bingo - one dozen party invites!

We also let the little man loose with some poster paint and he signed every one with a lovely splodgy hand splat. When I say let him loose I mean we pinned him down painted his hand red with a brush and then forced him to splat 12 pieces of paper in quick succession before plonking him in the bath!! I cannot imagine the carnage that would have ensued had we really let him go with the paint.

Toodle pip
J
x