Kites & People a plenty. I was especially impressed by this fella…
A rough calculation by me had it at 200 metres or over 650 feet long. It was also subject to permission from the aviation authority before it could be flown, it was that long!
Although Ben seemed more impressed with the motorbikes…
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Our littlest boy is 1/2 a year old today! He’s such a gem, just like his older brother Ben was at the same age. Sleeps all night, smiles all day and only cries if your 5 minutes late with his dinner. I must say, I think Rach and I have been so lucky to be blessed with 2 such fit, healthy, gorgeous, brilliant little boys.
Happy half day Rio!
This is Rio:
This is Ben at the same age:
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As I sit here, my keys somewhat less illuminated by the glow of the lcd screen than my face, I peer over this laptop into the darkness at hazy shadows. Probably made that little bit hazier by my tired eyes. Even so, I can just make out the shape of a new born baby’s cot and a loving mother sleeping soundly by its side. Whether I can see them or not seems irrelevant though, as I can sense their presence. More than that, I can feel their presence alongside of me. It’s a strange, but pleasant feeling.
For the second and probably final time in my life on this mortal coil, I have witnessed at first hand the birth of my new son. Such a special emotion that will never be replicated in my life ever again. A moment, along with the birth of Ben, that will forever be a part of me. A minuscule fraction of time in the grander scheme of things that, when you hold that little bundle of life for the first time, you wish would never end. To quantify the emotion is difficult enough; I guess you just have to experience it for yourself.
The mechanics of the process are well documented. Similarly the biology. So well understood infact that doctors can propagate life from within a test tube when in many circumstances such propagation within the mother’s body has proven impossible. Amazing as that may be though, it’s still just propagation. Where does the spark of life originate from that creates the egg and the sperm in the first place? Take a moment to marvel at the wondrous complexities, not just of the propagation of, but the creation of life.
Because today I held in my hands my new son Rio :0)
No Drugs -> Giggle Gas -> Pethidine
Delivery -> Hello Rio -> Lunch
Father & Sons -> Grandad & Grandsons -> Nana & Grandsons
Uncles -> Aunties -> Great Grandmas
ps. Thanks to all for your kind messages, thanks to the blueberry team, special thanks to Kim Parkinson from the Jasmine team of the Maternity Hospital, and finally thanks to Rach for being a super Mum.
pps. Happy birthday to TONI who shares her 30th with Rio’s birthday. Sorry we missed you Toni but we had a good excuse! See you this Saturday night for late celebrations ;0)
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Happy Birthday to our little mate Ben. He’s the BIG 3 Today. I can’t wait to get stuck into the CAT lego construction kit, Buckaroo, Operation, Tin Can Alley, the Bosch drill set etc. etc. Just so I can explain how they work to Ben you understand ;0)
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Rachel and Ben at the aquarium on Lake Windermere last week, just short of Ben’s 3rd birthday…
And the same pic 2 1/2 years ago…
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Wow, ‘Baby’ Jenna hits the BIG 2. A small gathering of the rich, famous and privileged made the guest list @ Chez Ornz to celebrate Jenna’s entry in to the ‘terrible twos’.
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Just found these 2 fab pics in some deep dark corner of my memory card. Taken on Christmas morning, I just love Ben’s reactions:
Note the somewhat apathetic – dummy in – look of indifference. Not over enamored with his new hoover. (Please note, I had nothing to do with buying him this present!)
Ahh, that’s better. An altogether renewed enthusiasm for his Black & Decker toolbench. Dummy out – full on attention – and ready to pounce on Dad’s prezzie!
I must admit, he does like playing with his mini Dyson, but these pictures just made me laugh.
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So away we all went for a jolly to the Canaries to see Jo & Steve get married in the gorgeous sunshine of Lanzarote. Jo, Brod and Brod’s family and friends drew the long straw and got to fly from Humberside, while Me, Ben, Rach and the rest of Jo’s family got the short straw and had to bus it down to East Midlands.
We played the usual game of 10 minutes after leaving trying to think of what you’ve forgotten to pack. We thought Rach’s mam was winning after remembering not to remember the bride’s father’s shirt, but then Rach decided to top that by forgetting Ben’s Pram! Oh joy, an over-excited 2 year old toddler heading to the airport for a week in a sun soaked ‘rote and no pram. Both problems were remedied upon our first day in ‘rote when Pat bought a new shirt for Steve from a huge Zara store not far from our appartments, and we hired a buggy from reception for the week for 15 euros.
We were staying in the old town part of Puerto del Carmen just above the harbour, with the Broderick’s down the road in the new town part. We all met up before the wedding and had a great night out in one of the hundreds, and I mean hundreds of Irsh bars dotted around the resort. Needless to say, much of our time was spent in said Irish Bars. Oh, and an hour or two in the sports bar next to our apartments where you could place a bet behind the bar. Handy.
Me, Bill & Steve spent the day before the wedding out at sea doing a spot of fishing off the coast of Fuerteventura. It was a wonderful boat trip in wonderful weather, but don’t believe the pictures – all we caught was rays. SUN rays not STING rays!
And so to the wedding which took place in, yes you guessed it, an Irish bar! Well not so much a bar but a fabulous little complex overlooking the sea which comprised of a large open air veranda where the ceremony took place, a huge dining area, and then just a stumble to night do in the Irish bar. It was a fantastic day, the bride looked heavenly, the groom handsome, the bride’s maids beautiful and the page boy cute! Everything went swimmingly, including Steve’s (the father of the bride) long awaited speech.
The last few days of our hols were spent entertaining Ben in the swimming pools, he loved them. They were pretty cold but with the temperature hitting 27 – 28 degrees every day, they were a welcome cool down. The little pool where he could stand up all the way across was where he spent most of his waking hours, but with the addition of a small rubber ring, he loved being towed along the big pool by Jo and Rach.
More poolside funnies included Rach’s grandad Roy teaching Steve how to perform the perfect dive. And while there was nothing wrong with his technique, the integrity of the elastic in his swimming shorts left little to the imagination!
A great fun holiday with loads of family and friends, I hope we can do it again next year. You can see the rest of the pictures here.
One other thing that I thought was postworthy, after a night out, several tots of ‘wizzie’ on our patio and the inevitable onset of singing and joke telling, we got on the subject of Monty Python sketches. Specifically the Philosophers Drinking Song. While I did a reasonable job of remembering some of the lyrics, Bill managed to recall about 80% of the song. A tremendous feat when you’re sober – made all the more remarkable when you’re pissed! So if it’s been a while since you’ve heard it try this. And the words we spent all night remembering?…
Immanuel Kant was a real piss-ant who was very rarely stable.
Heidegger, Heidegger was a boozy beggar who could think you under the table.
David Hume could out-consume Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.
And Wittgenstein was a beery swine who was just as sloshed as Schlegel.
There’s nothing Nietzsche couldn’t teach ‘ya ’bout the raising of the wrist.
Socrates, himself, was permanently pissed.
John Stuart Mill, of his own free will, after half a pint of shandy was particularly ill.
Plato, they say, could stick it away, half a crate of whiskey every day!
Aristotle, Aristotle was a bugger for the bottle,
And Hobbes was fond of his Dram.
And René Descartes was a drunken fart:
“I drink, therefore I am.”
Yes, Socrates himself is particularly missed;
A lovely little thinker, but a bugger when he’s pissed.
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We took a trip down to Rand Farm today and what a great little place it is. Not massive by any means but great for the littl’uns with all the usual array of farm animals as well as gerbils, rabbits, tortoises and even a chipmunk or two. There’s a nice little eatery, a great big shop, an indoor soft play area and a huge outdoor play area. Not to forget several tractors! We had great fun :0)
Under 2’s go free which was a bonus for 22 month old Ben, and it’s only a fiver or so for adults. It’s not the kind of place you think of going as an adult, but there’s a whole new world of fun to be had once you’ve got a little boy as an excuse!
< --- Click the cow and go there now.
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Bov’s company Oliver Construction are building a new doctor’s surgery just down the road from our house, and Ben just has to go down and see the ‘diggers’ everyday. He absolutely loves to watch them and he’s always pointing out the window saying “DIGGA – DIGGA”
So Bov sorted it for him to have a sit in the cab of one today. As you can imagine, he loved it. The only problem being he’s going to expect it every day we go down there now! He also made a new friend while we there. MIXA! He’s fascinated with the washing machine so you can imagine how long we had to sit and watch 3 bricks go round and round in a cement mixer for!
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You know there comes a day when you’ve got to hand the spoon over to them and let them learn to do it for themselves. And then there’s times when you think to yourself ‘No hang on, I’ll give it another week or two!’ It is funny though. Click the pic for a biggy.
And after much trial and error I’ve eventually managed to sort out the text wrapping pictures issue. So now I can post a little picture and have the text wrap round it like in this post.
And it’s not just pictures on the left that can be text wrapped. I can also now add a picture to the right hand side of a post and have the text wrap that also. And as with the picture of Ben ‘feeding’ himself, or should that be PAINTING himself with yoghurt, if you click on this picture of him as a baby with my Dad and his Grandad, it will also take you to the bigger picture in the gallery.
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It didn’t start off well. 2 days before we left for Portugal Rach was taken to hospital with severe stomach pains. A large dose of pethidine cured the pain but several tests and such couldn’t locate the cause and she was kept in for 2 nights observation. Luckily, they gave her the ok to go on holiday just hours before we due to leave. We made it.
Upon our arrival at East Midlands airport we got our boarding passes and queued up for 45 minutes to checkin. Get to checkin and and we’re asked for Ben’s boarding pass. He hasn’t got one. Several tannoy announcements later and after a frantic rush round of Easy Jet chekin staff they sort the problem out and we’re away. Huzzah. Things can only get better. And they did.
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I’ve been really busy just lately so it’s a case of catch up now. A few special moments from Ben’s 2nd Christmas:
Hover over the icons to see a description – Click on the icons to see the BIG picture.
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Just back from a couple of days with the folks in Torrisholme. Been to check out the old boy’s new shop STORE (as we must call it!) We stopped in a little hotel in Morecambe, overlooking the bay, somewhere I haven’t been before. Morecambe literally being 2 roundabouts away from Torrisholme. Morecambe’s a bit like Cleethorpes really – in need of a thorough ripping out and refurbishment. Well, maybe that’s a little unfair. It’s ok for a day out but you wouldn’t want to be confined there for a fortnight! Its one saving grace is the gorgeous view overlooking the bay to see the hills of the lake district in the background. That’s lovely.
It’s always nice to see the olds, and as usual I returned with a boot load of beer. Which is always appreciated, especially around Christmas! While we were there Rach & I had a trip up to Windermere and the familiar Bowness Bay…
…Where Ben loves to feed (and chase) the ducks and watch the boats.
While we were in Windermere we popped in to the rather fantastic & huge kitchenware shop (next to the train station) called Lakeland Limited. We were in need of a couple of new frying pans because ours were just about knackered so we popped in to see what they had. Glad we did, otherwise we may have missed this little beauty.
And seeing as though the other 2 pans wore out because we are FULL ENGLISH BREAKFAST fans, this was a must.
I couldn’t wait to try it out…
Check those egg recesses out! Quality.
Eggs fully recessed! Nice.
And the end result :0) NOT available at your local Little Chef!
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Sunny (& windy) Scarborough.
Just back from a week touring Scarborough and the North East Coast with Rach & Ben and Ben’s Nan & Gramps. Had a fantastic time and staying at a lovely private cottage in Cayton just outside Scarborough. The cottage was about 1/2 a mile down a private farmtrack so it was really quiet and private. It was gorgeous inside, fully equipped, mature gardens, but best of all was the Hot Tub!
It was a nice mix of chilling out and exploring. Most of the chilling took place in the hot tub, and the exploring…
First trip was out to Cayton Bay, bit of a surfers paradise apparently. Ben was eager to test the water and as proved to be the case all holiday, was first to wet a toe. A natural water babe, it wasn’t long before Ben was on his knees in the rock pools for a spot of crabbing.
Next it was on to the picturesque town of Whitby.
Where in the harbour we were welcomed by the Grand Turk. [Hornblower. It is a replica of a 22 gun frigate.
After a brief sojourn down to the end of the harbour, with it’s wonderful views of Whitby Abbey and the houses overlooking the harbour entrance, we had a trip up the windy hill for a closer look at the Abbey. You can read more on the history of Whitby Abbey here.
There’s definitely an aura to the whole place. Perched high on the cliffs overlooking the harbour entrance with a monastic history dating back to 657AD, you can only begin to imagine what’s gone on there over 1,400 years. You approach the Abbey from the east, walk on the grass through the colonnades and then admire the ruins from the west.
After seeing the Abbey and the new visitors centre, no trip to Whitby would be complete without visiting Robin Hood’s Bay, where Ben tested his sea legs on one of the local fishing boats ‘Stephanie‘. More on Robin Hood’s Bay.
Next it was on to the wonderful North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
Sir Nigel Gresley A4 60007
Wonderful indeed! beautiful scenery complimented with the sights and smells of wonderful steam engines.
We boarded the train at Pickering and headed off for our first stop of Levisham. We didn’t get off the train here, instead we stayed on until the next stop of Goathland… or Aidensfield as anyone who watches Heart Beat will know it. Can’t say I do watch Heart Beat, but for those of you who do you may recognise the garage, the shop, and the Aidensfield Arms or Goathland Hotel as it’s really called. You may also recognise this teethy little monster after filling his face at the Aidensfield tea & bun shop, after which Steve totted up the number of times he had to get his wallet out in the past 24 hours. A new record according to Trish!
Even without it’s tv fame, it’s a beautiful little village on the end of a steam train journey that’s well worth a visit. On the way back to the station to pick up the next train to the end of the line Grossmont, we found the lovely little river Esk. Ben, ever the water babe was mesmerised by the little waterfall.
We caught the final train to Grossmont where Ben filled his boots (and his nappy) in the Thomas the Tank Engine shop, then we hitched a ride with a different engine, through the valley, 18 miles back to pickering. Just in time to stock up…
Very handy!
Next day we were off to Castle Howard.
Click for BIGGY.
I could write pages on our trip here, but best not, however you can find out more detail on this magnificent place here.
I loved the giant fountain in the grounds, and the ‘friends‘ shot just for good measure. The view of the castle from the end of the garden was rather spectacular too.
Water plays a big part in the grounds of the castle with a number of pools, feeding each other via waterfalls, and at the front of the castle is another series of lakes that look imminently fishable.
I’d like to know what’s in here, but I won’t be hanging round for 2,000 years to find out!
We toured the castle which was fascinating. But as it is still habbited by the Howard family, who were walking around while we were there, cameras are not allowed in the castle, understandably enough, for privacy reasons. So no pics of the lavish interior and the wealth of artwork on the walls.
After our visit to Castle Howard we drove across the North York Moors, taking very much a similar course as the steam train, up to Staithes. Another gorgeous little fishing village very similar to Robin Hoods Bay.
One thing we did notice as we crossed the moors, or didn’t notice as the case may be was the famous ‘Golf Balls’ at RAF Fylingdales early warning station. Remember these?…
Well they aren’t there any more! Instead they’ve been replaced by what, according to the train conductor, seems to have attained the name ‘The Giant Sandcastle’…
Slightly further down the coast we had a look at Runswick Bay, similar again to Staithes & Co. where Ben tried out his new, and slightly large, froggy wellies. They lasted long enough to undergo a quick paddle in the sea, but not long enough to walk back up the hill in.
It was a busy day that lead to one tired little boy. Still after he woke up from his ‘bad hair day‘ nightmare, he mustered the energy for an evening in Scarbrough on the slots and the dodgems.
Next day saw us down at the Sea Life centre.
Sea Life Centres.
A rather impressive one at that. I’ve been to them at Hunstanton, Blackpool, Great Yarmouth and Windermere, but the Scarborough one seems to have a lot more there including outdoor exhibits of penguins, otters and rescued seals. I was most impressed with the hypnotic Lion fish. I could have watched them for hours.
A great break that we all thoroughly enjoyed. After all the things he saw and did Ben seemed most enamoured with this simple pine cone he found. Small things hey! Still, it all led to one happy baby.
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We had a little bit of a Barbeque garden party for Ben today. A few of his little mates popped round including Ellie, Jarrod, Isaac and lil baby Jenna. It was a lovely fun day for the kids and Ben got some great prezzies. Later on the big kids had a game or 2 of garden Badminton. Gaz proved to be the daddy at baddy and thanks go to him for overseeing the bbq, a job he’s becoming very adept at just lately. I took a load of video of the day which I’m yet to process and edit, but here’s a couple of pics of Ben, Mummy & Baby Jenna.
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Wow! Is it really a year today since this?
Today we took Ben to Elsham Hall so he Dad could feed the Carp. They are fantastic, well worth the trip just to feed the fish! Ben had a great day too, he particularly liked sticking his fingers up the pony’s nose in the childrens farm. He was more fascinated by the doves flying around the eves of the animals stables than the animals themselves. He had some fun on the multi coloured climbing tubes and slides too.
After Elsham Hall we had to pay a visit to Toys’r'us in Hull. Ben loved it. We must have spent nearly 2 hours in there it was great! He specifically loved…
…But gorgeous as it was and as much as I’d love to have bought it for him, it was way too big for him. If he sat on the seat he couldn’t reach the floor let alone the pedals! He did love it though, he must have spent 10 minutes stood in it shifting the gear lever back and forwards! So amongst other stuff I bought him a mini quad version. He took to it straight away and can motor up and down the front room and garden at a cool 3mph!
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