Hunting for rabbits

Being a rare occasion to see sunshine on three consecutive days over a bank holiday weekend, we headed straight off after breakfast to make the most of the brilliant blue skies for a day out at Clumber Park. A little tired, Grace spent much of the walk glued to Daddy's shoulders or hip although when she did cut the ties and run, she had a ball tearing around in the woodland and heath. Notching up a catalogue of cuts and bruises on the uneven ground, she demonstrated her stealth and carried on regardless, Mummy's little soldier. Highlights for Grace were on three levels... standing on a tree stump, sitting in a rabbit hole and devouring a simply massive 99 at the ice-cream van half way round. I wish all days were like these!

Grace - amazed at finding a tree stump!



99 heaven



A quiet moment, deep in thought, sat in a rabbit hole

Daisy-woof at Clumber Park

Grace and me

Full steam ahead!

Apparently I am a very poor judge of time. Talking to my good friend Frances on the phone last week, I was telling her how it must be a good 20 years since I'd sat on Santa's knee on a Santa Special at Nene Valley Steam Railway. She chuckled. As a lanky teenager, sitting on Santa's knee with my 16th birthday looming was the last thing on my 'things to do near Christmas' list.

In making that closer to 30 years, we went on a trip down memory lane...

Hop hop Mummy!

LOOK! Hop hops EVERYWHERE MUMMY!

Still hopping after the wallaby walkabout...

Down on the farm

We headed off to Canon Hall Farm in Yorkshire today for Grace to experience some new sights and sounds. Still a little cautious, Grace overcame her fear of touching rabbits, got her shoe nibbled by a goat and was petrified by the noise the pinkies in the pig pen made. She got over it by munching on a ham sandwich for lunch. Karma.



 

Spring has sprung

I know it's Spring when I see the first lambs of the season, and there's nowhere better to see them than at our local farm. Grace and her little friend Scarlett had a wonderful morning exploring the farm animals, with the chickens and the donkeys being firm favourites. For the time being, the cow shed is off limits for us as Grace appears to be terrified of the collective Moo as the sound bounces off the walls and makes a right racket. Most scary indeed!

The Deep

Mesmerised by the fishies in the aquariam, Grace, Matt the Husband and me, we had fish n chips for tea.

The Fat Controller

No you cheeky so and so's, it's not me - the diet is going ok as it happens, thank you for asking. It's THE Fat Controller. Yessirreee. Of we trotted for a family day out to see the man himself AND Thomas the Tank Engine and Co.

Here he is opening the event at Kirklees Light Railway

Coming out of the engine shed

Thomas, yay!!

Having a nibble in the carriage on the way back to base

Talking to Dillon the Donkey

Lotherton Hall

Been a busy been bee with Buzz and Matt the Husband this fine bank holiday Monday. Up early and out for a walk at Temple Newsam estate with Daisy-woof so she could stretch her legs and we could enjoy the fresh morning air. Grace seemed to wake on the wrong side of bed this morning cheering up briefly for feeding the ducks and moorhens on the pond.

A dose of calpol later, we met with the Village Ladies at Lotherton Hall for our weekly jaunt and picnic. Husbands in tow today, we enjoyed our natter while the men pushed the buggies and got to know each other on their first meeting. Grace and her friends Scarlett and Berry were a picture as we made our way round the bird garden - the laughing kookaburra's had us all grinning and the babies clapping their hands with delight. It's a nice trip if you've never been and good value being included in the price of a pay & display ticket so make the trip if you can. We missed Emma and her little girl Grace today, not seen her for a few weeks as she's holidaying in Wales lucky Bee. Still, we'll have lots to catch up on when we see her.

So Matt the Husband is out for Monday night ice-cream for me as I write this, Grace is tucked up in bed, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow which with luck and the wind behind me will be another fine day. Night all! x

Cotton Eye Grace

My beautiful, beautiful girl - 10 months young as we speak. Dressed by Matt the Husband for a public appearance at Honley Country Show last weekend, he somewhat suitably dug out a country-looking outfit complete with denim dungarees and sun hat which left her looking like a hay bale slinging cow girl from the farm, oo arr oo arr.

Believe it or not this photo of Grace with Charlie is taken on the same day - typically inclement weather that day - sunshine enough to leave the bridge of my nose a little scorched, rain heavy enough to have us running for cover and wind windy enough to be looking to the dog looking for someone or something to blame....

Clampits in Cleethorpes

Once lumped in with Grimsby as one of the crap towns in the UK, I was under the impression that Grimsby goes with Cleethorpes like butter goes with bread. Doing my research beforehand when The Aged P's suggested it as a meeting point, I was somewhat concerned that we had slim chance of rustling up a Burberry baseball cap between us and worried we would stick out like a sore non-chav thumb. It was actually a lovely day and we didn't have any run ins with the locals apart from a bitterly miserable woman at the beach front kiosk grumbling at how the wind had 'ruined' the bank holiday for business. Ignoring that, we had a faultless day. Possibly with the slight exception of:

1) Me ending up looking like a scarecrow after forgetting a hair band to keep the mane under control, and

2) Matt the Husband getting Mother's wheelchair stuck in the sand dunes in his comical attempt to be a superhero

Nevertheless, Grace had a great time and did ever so well eating al fresco while having her cobwebs blown asunder with the gale of a sea breeze.

Daddy Day Care

Matt the Husband has taken the reins and is now graded fully competent at occupying baby Grace for a full shift. Examples of days that went well and he kept his cool/sanity/both include...

Boltons Abbey - 12th century priory ruins and parkland in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.


Nostell Priory - built on the site of a medieval priory, now a National Trust property.


Circus - in the garden on the site of the dandelion weeds of the Langers family property.


Bless him, his hair is turning grey by the day and even Daisy-woof looks worn out at times. As the great man himself has just said - jack of all trades.... master of none. Mwahahahaha!!!

Tropical World

A little treat for Mother's Day saw us making a trip to Tropical World in Leeds. Grace spent a very flushed hour in the humid tropical heat that had even me feeling a little weak and dizzy, and that left Matt the Husband dripping like a tap as he stubbornly refused to take his jumper off, silly moo. Highlights for Grace were the bats and of course the meerkats. I felt especially proud taking this photo as for me it marks the turn from baby to little girl enjoying life and getting to know the world around her.

Brrrr...idlington Beach

Grace hanging out with her Daddy


Grace smiling for the camera


The 3 Bears


So beautifully sunny but oh so windy! We had a lovely time letting Daisy play in the waves while we sauntered along trying to shield Grace from the gusts trying to blow her and us away. It's the first time Grace has been in the harness facing forwards yet she settled in quickly and enjoyed the ride facing outwards! She delighted in watching Daisy running about like a lunatic and even put on her special smile for a photograph or two. Our tired girly slept all the way home in the car (Grace and Daisy). It's not our first trip to the beach although both have been equally windswept - last time Matt the Husband very nearly lost the buggy to a strong gust over the cliff edge on South Beach. Today had no such dramas, thank goodness!