Lily

this is her blog really . Yes its been an outlet for me and I love posting all manner of things here but initially I set it up to document her life for everyone we were far away from. I recently went right to the beginning of lilyland to read my entry. I had just been plunged into motherhood!!

One of my favorite things to do is go through my pictures of Lily and relive all her little stages. She will be 2 in August so I am going to do a little month by month in photos of our life with the lilster. If you will forgive my self indulgence here is her life so far in my favorite photos.

13 August 2006 at 1:36AM Lily Grace Humble came into the world after I was induced on the 12th. Kristian told me all along that she would be here on the 13th as 3s are his obsession but when I began pushing at 10pm on the 12th I believed him to be wrong. but no ....

lily and her daddy. just hours old.

she came home to our flat in Hervey road and we began to get to know each otherBy the September of 2006 my mum had gone home and I had to learn to cope with just Kristian and I . Life returned to normal and Lily and I created our own little routine. It was not a good time for me but I look back at the photos with such fondness. they are part of our history

Lily has always loved bath time!!

In the October my brother and Lily's uncle Drew came to visit us in England. She was coming up 10 weeks. We had a lovely time with him even tough I seemed to be very sleepy most of the time. Lily had started to smile and was interacting with us a bit. I started to love motherhood. Lily's first laugh was when Andrew was visiting which I think is so apt as anyone who knows my brother knows hes all about the laugh.

November came and then December. Lily was being just divine . sleeping through the night and quite placid. She started to play with her rattle a bit and grasp things. Her first Christmas came and we were smitten. we went to Harrods to see father Christmas . it was the best day!

By February 2007 Lily was 6 months old already. It was a cold February in London and we had snow. I love this photo of her and Kristian. It was still snowing when we went out and her little down hood slipped down so the snow was in her hair a bit and resting on those long eyelashes.In March of 2007 we had our first trip to Cape Town. Just Lily and I. We had the best time and all of our special people got to meet Lily for the first time.

the next 6 months passed in a blur as we had planned another trip to Cape Town for Lily's first birthday. But she started eating proper meals and crawling at 9 months. she began pulling herself up on the table and cruising around a bit as well. Her speech was coming along and her mama and babas were getting clearer and more frequent.Her Nana fi came to visit and her mummy turned 30. Her personality was shining through and we would spend hours talking about her after she went to bed. still do!

Then it was time for another holiday and our little miss turned 1. We all had a wonderful time that holiday . 2 weeks after we came back to England Lily started to walk. All my Capetonians were so upset they had been coaxing her along for weeks and then they missed it.

After returning to England (again) Christmas was on our doorstep and we went to Holland on a little break in December. Winter set in again and Lily was walking beautifully. Now time for her to concentrate on her talking.

By this stage Lily was coming on 18 months and an absolute joy. We went to cape Town again this March and she really interacted with everyone there. She still talks about them every day. Her memory now is amazing and she can recall things you told her weeks before. We go to her nana in Bournemouth every few weeks as well which she loves..

since we returned after our august holiday Lily has started talking . She copies every word you say. Its only been 3 months but the rate she is learning how to talk is quite alarming. her current favorite thing to say is " oh dear" and "naughty di (fly)" (she hates flies) she has started saying 2 or 3 things together now like bye bye daddy. She never stops talking for a minute. Cute as a button as well with all her ringlets tumbling down her back and those big blue eyes. butter would not melt.
here's my current favorite taken on Wednesday in manor park. In 2 months my baby will be 2. What a ride its been. a joyous , wonderful , emotional ride , and its just the beginning. I cant wait for the rest.

outdoor antics

This is what we do in the british summer time

This is what we do when we have just woken up and have the novelty of a garden and some sun. Don a jersey , sunhat , slippers and zebra

this is what you do on an evening in summer when sex and the city is at the cimema. Go to the west end!

lunch at the new table

you know how I love just putting photos up and seeing how people react but the last time i did that i got into trouble as everyone thought Sandi was pregnant when actually I stuffed a pillow under her top so
Kristian went to his cousins bachlors hence the fab facial hair!!

longhurst road

I live here now. Its not been without a few tears though and my lack of blogging is because I just feel so overwhelmed at the moment. I have arrived here and cleaned everything within an inch of its life all the time wondering if we have made a massive mistake moving into an older house. I love quirky but I am not sure if I love old.

Its been a huge adjustment and my taurean nature is not really coping all that well. Lily is not really playing ball either as she perhaps feels my " taurean nature" and has decided now would be a perfect time to be 2. whining , crying , waking up through the night. I cant really blame her though she only a little thing and she just got her own room and big bed for the first time

So we will continue to settle ourselves here. we did some painting over the weekend to neaten up everything and yesterday Lily and I planted some containers for the front sills. We had a ball and got covered with mud. Lily loves water and will play with it for hours. It all ended in a monster tantrum when we had to go inside for a minute and her bike could not come with us. Please tell me this all passes!!

On a decidedly fabulous note I travelled by train into central London on Tuesday night to see Sex and the city movie. What a fabulous film that was. girls all the way. I went with my friend Jenny and we had a little pasta beforehand and a little more wine. Then in the cinema a little more wine as they let you take it in ,Yippeee. I laughed , I cried and I had a lot of fun. Just what a stressed mummy needs.

Its all my attention focused on my Cape Town trip now though and I am making lists all over the place but getting very little done , probably as I am running around trying to placate my whinging daughter who I love dearly. So anyone keen to babysit.? i wont be gone long...promise

I am back....31 and tired

Hello
My broadband connection is restored and i am online, in touch with my world again. I nearly wept with joy when I was connected last night.

So I had a birthday and moved house. Its all too much for a grounded taurus like me and i have cried many a tear in the last 2 weeks. I promise all my news will follow when I have looked through my hunderds of emails.

suffice to say I am alive and well and so looking forward to catching up on everyones news
xx

a tearful goodbye

I am spending my last night in our flat tonight. I am so ready to move and have more space and a garden and my own furniture ,but I have so many memories here. I brought my baby home here and have got her through babyhood and into toddlerhood. All of us in the 1 little bedroom. Madness you may say, but there was no other way and I have enjoyed every moment of hearing her little sleepy breaths while I wait to nod off.
Lily goes into her own new room soon after we have assembled her bed (gulp) and we will get our own room where I can lie in bed and read at night. Its the thing I am looking forward to most.

Today saw a hilarious visit to Ikea to get some of our furniture. We ended up with 5 large flat trolley things packed with flat packed stuff that we had to locate and put on the trolley ourselves. Cue a rolled over toe , irritable Kristian , near hernias and a manic dash to get the one section of Lily's wardrobe that I did not pick up.
All in all I nearly wet myself several times and all my muscles ache and we have not even started moving.
that's tomorrow. We have a van and hundreds and thousands of boxes (not really only about 25)

and goodbye to all of you for a week or so until my broadband connection is restored. Yes , i may sound flippant but actually inside I am traumatised by the thought of over a week without the internet. I have plenty to do though so it will fly and then I will have lots of pictures and news to share with you. Its my birthday on Monday as well so I have to fit some frivolity in there too

So its goodbye from me... I will miss you all so....

a recipe

here's a good recipe for pre toddlers and toddlers
I make it every week in different forms and freeze little portions up.

I call it rice rice its so original !!

take 3 handfuls of basmati rice and set aside
chop 1 red onion finely and fry in a little butter
take 3 veggies of your choice and fry alongside the onion
this week we had butternut ,spinach and peas
add a can of tinned ,chopped tomatoes
add rice
add some boiling water from the kettle just so it can all simmer away
add a pinch of sugar to cut through the tomato
if you have parsley you can put some through
let everything simmer until rice is cooked

top tip: if you are cooking pumpkin or butternut steam it a bit first to help it along its way

when its done you can stir some nice Cheddar through a bowl so it melts and its yummy.
sometimes I add little bits of chicken or fish
and sometimes (not often) I add vienna sausage. its processed you know and we are all trying to be healthy but oh those are yummy!!!
Its a great recipe for any veggies you have and its so healthy

other veggies I use
sweetcorn , red pepper , pumpkin ,

Lily's been having this since 9ish months as I found rice a great way to introduce texture. it sort of all sticks together which is easier than pasta.

lets all share our recipes that are good for toddlers and mummies who like to eat the leftovers
xxx

stuff about babies and toddlers part 1

On the family life blog Caroline has put down all her advice to other mums . Its a bonding experience having a child and its ones natural instinct to share knowledge and support with fellow woman. Its happened everywhere from toddler groups to the bus. I think its nice to have advice and suggestions from friends you trust and then make your own way.
I do think that motherhood is a rite of passage though and no one baby is the same so what works for your baby may not work on another. Its all about getting to know you baby or child and trial and error.
I am at the moment in a bit of a tizz about potty training. I don't really like potties and I want lily to have one of those little toilet seats and go on there. Also when is she ready? do I just take a nappy off one day and say right , tell me when you need a wee?
You see one thing I have learned from becoming a mum is that it will all become clear and Lily will tell me in her own time when she is ready. It still does not help that bit of self doubt that creeps in.
I did not take well to new motherhood and I am not ashamed to say it. I had a traumatic birth and my inability to breastfeed left me feeling low and ashamed. lily had colic and there were many , many days in her first 3 months that I wished I had never had her. Its terrible to admit but its the truth. I was pushed to the limit by it all and just wanted to run away. I felt very lonely and had no one to support me or pop in for tea. I was alone 8 hours a day with a crying baby.
hence my first bit of advice is to not read every book going and worry over your baby's differences to the norm. There is no norm. I learnt this the hard way but the minute I relaxed and was led by Lily , she relaxed and we created a little routine all of our own. Now I only do what feels right to me. I never force things.

Colic: If you are unlucky enough to have a colic baby try and remember that it will pass after 3 to 4 months. this feel s like a lifetime. Colic is not a crying baby as all babies cry. Its a baby that cries for 3 hours or more without stopping except for milk. they tend to go all the colours of the rainbow and headbutt you whilst bringing their knees up all the time. We thought Lily hated us. This is not an indication of your babies personality its a colic thing! Things that help and here's my number one tip... the hairdryer works like a dream. I know one other person that swore by it too. Its the only way I could calm Lily and eventually get her to go to sleep. i had the thing on the cool setting for hours
I also started using a drop in her formula called colief which was magic. I only found it at 10 weeks though but its very good.
I used my pouch sling constantly as did Kristian as it was the only way Lily would sleep. as soon as we put her down the screaming would continue. The movement and the closeness to us was very soothing. also I think her tummy being on mine and the soft swaying eased the colic.
It will pass.
Breast vs bottle...the endless debate
So here's what I think. breastfeeding is very good for your baby. If you are happy to breastfeed and it works for you then go for it. I will certainly try again with a new baby. I only breastfed for 4 days but it was a constant battle. my milk just never came in until day 6 I think and I was a wreck. Lily fought me tooth and nail and by the end I sat sobbing on the bed , breast exposed. This is not good for mum or baby. If its not working don't feel ashamed like I did. all that matters is that you share a bond with your baby and he / she is loved, warm and fed. I always held Lily close to me when feeding. I used SMA gold formula and tommee tippee closer to nature bottles. I am at peace with my decision now and don't feel bad as I have a healthy little girl.
I tell you what I do know though. drink lots of water , persevere with latching and get some help and support (crucial), know that there will be growth spurts so dot think your milk is running out , it just has to re adjust.

sleeping: sleep becomes a major commodity with a baby and toddler I may add. You will do anything to get some. sleeping through the night is such an overused phrase. Lily does not have any night feeds but she still wakes me in the night for her muzzie (blankie) or teething or a snotty nose or a bad dream. she goes through phases. I guess what I am saying is get used to it. your baby will cut out feed as it goes on . I really don't think dreamfeeding works. If you have a good feeding routine going and your baby is getting enough nutrition through the day she should start cutting out feeds and sleep though eventually and then she will start to teethe....

products I love:
fischer price kick and play bouncy chair. great product I could not live without. somewhere for baby to sit anywhere. at friends, in the garden , in the lounge , in the bathroom while you bath. and they can sleep in it. my best buy
bumbo chair: Lily still sits in her bumbo. some babies hate them she loved hers and sits on the kitchen counter in it.
stackable cups, fischer price rolling balls with animals in them, touch and feel books , teaset ,little push along wooden toys, baby pram, crayons and massive drawing pad all these were and are great toys that keep Lily entertained. the crayons are great she just loves drawing
simple baby body and hair wash, only in the UK but a great hypoallergenic fragrance free wash that makes the hair soft and lovely and caused no rashes and things
johnsons body cream in the tube I like this plain cream not lotion. its lovely and thick and keeps the skin looking and smelling lovely
sudocrem its a bum cream/ barrier cream but can be used for rashes and marks. i use it on myself too. it a fantastic product
pampers nappies , sainsburys wipes sorry Uk again for the wipes but I use pampers just because they fit Lily well. Its trial and error with that though I used cotton wool and water for wiping when lily was tiny though. In fact when they are tiny cotton wool and water and nappies and a bit of plain wash for the bath is all you need. some bum cream occasionally and you are good to go
ashton and parsons teething powders get them they work
tiny love symphony in motion mobile Nicola (cheeky monkeys) recommended this and since i see loads of people do. I got it and it was great Lily loved it and the music is classical and soothing. its brightly coloured so keeps their attention. she would lie in her cot for ages looking at it. we used it right up to 6 months
sheepskin for your pram this might not fly with you if you are veggie but its very warm and snugly for baby. I know its colder here but if you have a tiny baby in the cape town winter it may be a good thing. I got the treated one from the chemist and cut it to size. worked brilliantly
baby bjorn sling I loved mine and its currently in Sarah's pile of stuff for her mummy and daddy to use

weaning
quite a tricky time I thought. From 4 to 6 months we must magically know when our babies are ready for solids. cue ..panic
but you do..
I was still feeling very bad about the breastfeeding thing so I decided to go all out with weaning. haha well actually it holds a bit of truth but I really wanted to make all of Lily's food. the thought of jars makes me feel sick. saying that they are fine and very convenient its just my gag factor that comes into play. I wanted Lily to have real flavours . I wanted to know what she was eating and give her a large variety of food. Its quite easy. get yourself a little hand blender and one of those ice cube weaning trays. use your steamer in your pot or an actual steamer if you have one. then choose lots of veggies and fruit that look nice. peel , chop and steam and puree with a little of the cooking water to water it down if too thick. start with plain flavours like carrot , butternut ,sweet potato , pear , apple and when that has been accepted with no reaction you can mix flavours up a bit.
here's my favorites
pear and strawberry
butternut and pear
apple and blueberry
sweet potato and broccoli
carrot and butternut
then as 9ish months comes along start adding proteins like fish or chicken and try out cheese
I think the most important thing is to give finger foods from early on. little bits of soft fruit, toast , grated carrot or apple, peas etc

so that's my baby bit. My older baby and toddler up till 2 will come later. but as you can gather I can carry on adding every week because that's how often I learn something new.
Its a steep learning curve but its the best thing ever. Try and enjoy every minute and not worry if you have enough baby wash. you can always go out and buy. that's advice I should have taken.
all the mums that read this blog have made their own way with a little help from their friends and family and all the future mums will do the same. In the end I can give you all the advice in the world but you will probably just appreciate me making you a cup of tea and laughing and crying along with you.
Here's to the mums.....

this week its ....sunny!

Finally the winter has left us and summer weather is all around. Monday was a holiday here and the most glorious day. Everyone who had been hibernating came out to play and our heath was packed with hundreds of people picnicing or just having drinks.

I shared a jug of pimms and lemonade with a friend of mine who was in London for the day and it left my spirits soaring. Its amazing what a bit of sunshine can do for one.

Yesterday was also sunny and my brothers ex girlfriend and good friend of ours came to visit after arriving in London 3 days earlier. Lily loves Leila and has been talking about her (ie saying her name) since we arrived back from SA. Suffice to say she had a ball with her , refusing to sleep the entire day.

Oh and here's the outside of our house we are moving into next week. note to fellow bloggers who are moving house. post picture.

Its the grey looking one with the blue door in the middle. Victorian I am told.

So now all I need is all the furniture and a vacuum cleaner, ironing board and the likes and we are good to go. As I type this I am supposed to be looking for vacuum cleaners online that will not cost me a fortune , but I wont and then lily will wake from her nap and another day will go by vacuumless.

one last thing. I have this light lilac bag closed by a lovely looking sticker. Inside is an item wrapped in black tissue paper and secured by another lovely sticker. Inside this tissue paper lies a fabulous faux fur wrap for my wedding day... did I mention I was getting married...

Fridays photo bright colours

I sense a theme emerging this week. apologies for the extreme lateness!

lily's toy basket

chronicals of an IKEA mad woman

Its been quite busy in Wendy's world recently and i realized I have not blogged for a while. I like the release of writing down all my news and sharing it. The year seems to be flying by at an alarming rate. I have begun my countdown to Cape Town and its on 75 days , that's nothing!!

I know it will fly as I have lots of organizing and packing to be done, and then the actual moving , cleaning and unpacking process. I also know that on the other side we have a lot of work as you see I have discovered IKEA. Its my new addiction , along with mindless Internet surfing, blog reading and looking for the perfect wrap to wear on my wedding day.

I knew about IKEA but it never really made a huge difference to me as we have always rented furnished places. I know its reasonable and good. Nothing prepared me , or my family , for my delight on visiting said warehouse. Its an experience not to be missed, all set out beautifully in rooms. You can buy anything for your home and garden there. I was running from one section to another exclaiming on the top of my voice." Look Kristian this chair is £13" and many other phrases. Eventually Kristian suggested a lunch break to calm me ,but to no avail as I had picked up the catalogue. I now spend hours on the website or in the catalogue deciding what to buy. I have spent thousands in my head.

But hey, if you think it was just me , no, my daughter was also affected by this euphoria and eventually I really thought we would have to dart her to calm her down.

We have chosen some lovely furniture . We have a bed and a wardrobe and chest of drawers all picked out , as well as a lovely extending white bed for lily with a lovely white wardrobe.

downstairs we have picked a sofa as well as a tv stand and a table and chairs for dining with a little chair for lily to sit at the table too. hang on i see this as an opportunity to go online to IKEA to show you our choices.....

Lily's furniture was too white and did not show up but this is what we think we are getting for the bedroom, however this may change if I insist on looking at everything over and over. Perhaps once we have bought it and set it up that would be the best time to take photos. I think it may take us 4 years though as its all self assemble. Kristian , myself and self assemble are a no no. It took us 36 hours to put our cot together!

On the wedding front things are coming together nicely. I have a dress fitting on the 15th July the week after I arrive and mostly everything else is organised or booked. We are so looking forward to it. There are so many good things happening over that 2 month period. I think it will be a time we all remember vividly and fondly. We are so happy that we will be there to meet baby Sarah , Steven and Veronica's baby girl. We will also be there for little Amy's first birthday. It seems like just the other day I was having a cuddle when she was barely a week old. My dad will have his birthday when I am there and Veronica will have her birthday. Then we have the hen night and bachelors and our little girls birthday as well. 2 years will have passed since she was born.amazing.

Lily is doing well bar a few tantrums that have been coming my way. Shes talking very well now usually with one word but occasionally 2 or 3 words like "der it tis". I of course think she the cleverest little girl ever but all parents think that. I have a theory, which I may have shared with you, that we all think that ,because the growth and learning that takes place is just mindblowing , in such a short space of time.

here's a few photos of her and us in the park on Sunday playing in the trees and having fun and a few in blackheath village sitting on the heath.

Lily sitting on a bench at the pond. hows that coat!!! Lily running with the imposing church in the background We must stop to smell the flowers Mummy and lily in the tree Daddy contemplating life with lily

So you are up to speed with my life. lovely chatting ;)

xxxxxxxx

My week

My week started off in a very stressful way. I have been waiting for our references to clear on our new house we are renting. Yes, house!! Its all very exciting as its a whole house with a garden and everything. I can barely contain my excitement. At the same time we have had a loan denied that was crucial, a wedding photographer forget that she was doing our photography, out car fail its MOT and then have to have a new exhaust fitted at huge expense.
I could go on but really it just makes me feel tired.

But yesterday was good. We got our loan approved from our bank and booked our flights to Cape Town. So now we will be going to our own wedding.
I arrive on 8 July my little Cape Town people!!!
Cant wait!!

Fridays photo... branches

this was taken on the one sunny day this week in... you guessed it.. Greenwich park with my sony cybershot

oops I did it again

I started writing that post 20 things about me and then did fridays photo after it. So I finished it and published it and now its... right under Fridays photo if you would like to read it.

fridays photo.... shoes

without a doubt one of my favorite things in life. inherited by my daughter by the looks of things. I have vivid memories of all shoe based things. I can remember going to my aunts house , Mora , and getting lost in her shoe cupboard. she had so many pairs that were so pretty. one pink suede pair pops to mind. Oh how I wished my feet were big enough to wear them.

Then I remember my dressing up days. I used to go to Carolines house and we would lock ourselves away for hours and dress up. she had this pair of patent black heels with a sort of black netting that would be sooo in fashion now. I loved those. I don't think they were dress up shoes though. I think we stole them from her mums wardrobe. Sorry aunty Sandra.

To this day nothing gives me a bigger buzz than a new pair of shoes. Lily is the same she just loves all her shoes and when she gets new ones she walks around looking at her feet all day. She got a tiny pair of lilac crocs in cape Town and those are her current favorites. She takes any others I put on, off, and tries to put the crocs on. Her other favs are these little red ballet pumps. So the other day we were slouching at home and she insisted I put these on. you can just see she is loving wearing them...................

20 things about me

things about me

1. I am a true Taurean. both sun and moon sign.I like my roots to go deep and change makes me feel very unsettled. I am stubborn ,loyal , affectionate and love beautiful things. oh , and I think I am right all the time.



2. I have a toothbrushing phobia. I cant bear seeing others brush their teeth even on tv or in a cartoon and I don't like my toothbrush to touch other things. I only use mentadant p toothpaste and will not use another kind. My brother has the same thing so we were obviously both affected by some toothbrush trauma as children.



3. Having a child has fulfilled me more than I could ever have imagined. Before Lily I was always searching for something, now I feel I have it.



4.I love tradition and old treasures. Following tradition is very important to me as is creating new ones. I would much rather have a lovely antique bowl than a brand new one.



5. I hate the actual process of travelling especially by car. I get so motion sick and hope one day in my lifetime some sort of time travel is invented where i can just transport from one place to another in seconds.



6. I am not a religious person but I am a spiritual person. I have explored everything from pendulums to past life regression in some little way. I believe in spirits and angels.



7. I am terrible to get into a heated discussion or argument with. when i feel strongly enough about something I am like a dog with a bone and cant let go. close friends of mine know to move away when I start.



8. I am an ultra sensitive person and cannot watch or hear anything that upsets me as it lives with me. I much prefer to be an ostrich much to the annoyance of several people who have to pass a film with me before we can watch it.



9. I love old music like Billy holiday and Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra and Rosemary Clooney. I also love George Micheal . Nothing puts me in a better mood than a bit of Wham.

10. I am naturally curvy and have accepted that I will have a lifelong battle keeping my weight down. Its in my genes you see.

11. I look to my mum and dad for everything from advice to comfort. They are my role models and they have always given me love , acceptance and unconditional love. I know they are proud of me and there is nothing as important than knowing that.

12. I love travelling. We had many great holidays as children that were so important to my childhood memories. Nothing educates you like travelling does. I would love to see India , Thailand , Mexico, Japan , America (north and South) , Canada to name a few . Europe is a fascinating continent which I love seeing and exploring as is my home continent , Africa.

13. I love Cape Town, my heart lies there an always will. I feel different when i am there. I am comfortable in my skin

14. I love parties and dressing up. I like things to have a sense of occasion.

15. I am straight laced , law abiding and sometimes prudish. I cant bear to break the law or jump a queue. Sad I know but I cant help it.

16. I feel lucky that I found Kristian when I was so young and we have been able to build a life and family together. We have our ups and downs but we are perfectly matched as we just get each other.

17. my friends are very important to me. My close friends feel like family to me. In fact they are family to me. When they are in crisis so am I. if they are happy I feel happy. I am lucky to have them.

18.I love shoes. I really really love them. all types. I wish I had money to buy hundreds of pairs

19. I am a tv addict. I would love to tell you I am not bothered and read books all night , but no... I cant get enough of my favorite programmes. Lately we have taken to watching those bid tv channels selling awful , cheap products. We roar with laughter. Its very funny... honest.

20. All I really want from life is to be happy and fulfilled and for my daughter to be happy and healthy.

xxxxx
W

the north wind doth blow...

and we shall have snow... in APRIL!!!!!

yes really. On Thursday I sat in St James park with Jenny and Lily on the deck chairs and ate a sandwich and drank a skinny cap. The sun came out and at times it reached the balmy temperature of 18 degrees. then 3 days later I woke up and stumbled to the loo with an 18 month old trailing behind me whining "bot , bot" (bottle) and my eyes nearly popped from my head I tell you as i saw this..

Lily's new word for the day is snow. We have just returned from Greenwich park where we had so much fun playing and making a snow man. Everyone was out and about sledding down the hills on trays , boogie boards and proper sledges. there is a real excitement in the air when it snows here because contrary to what a lot of people think it hardly ever snows. here's some photos of our day

and not a word about my hat. I thought long and hard before posting that photo. note to self. next winter buy a new hat

walking towards the observatory and view point the kiosk is "the honest sausage" that makes me laugh and laughlooking down towards Greenwich and the university

fridays photo.. on a saturday sigh!

Happiness is... being on a Cape Town beach looking across the sea towards table mountain. there can be no better feeling than this. This is Kristian in August last year on the beach. we had a wonderful time...