Sherrin!

We have so many recent pictures to show you and stories to tell after our trip home. But, before I start with them all, here is one taken just before we left, demonstrating that William has learnt how to blow through a straw.


You may ask how the 24 hr flight went...? Well, on the way out, it could have been worse. He didn't scream too much, and was generally happy. However, he was so excited to have his own set of headphones, which could be plugged in and out as often as he wished, that he only slept for a few hours. We arrived pretty exhausted, and Andrew was probably thinking regretful thoughts that he'd offered to fly home by himself with William. However, William was great on the flight home, and slept for most of the first, and some of the second, legs of the flight.

The non-Aussies reading this may not know what a Sherrin is. It is the brand name of the makers of the Aussie Rules football. One of the first of many friends that we visited while home were Sam and Ryan (who, interestingly are the inverse of us - she is Welsh and he is Aussie), who we'd last seen in Abergavenny at their wedding. Well, Ryan has a Sherrin in great condition, and signed by some of the Essendon Football team - William liked it alot! Ryan was very trusting to let William play with it.

Weeeeeeee

I won't say what it is exactly that we've been applauding William for recently, but so far, there have been 8 occasions for cheers:

14th April

16th April

18th April

20th April

22nd April

25th April

27th April

30th April

Then we went and travelled to the other hemisphere, and slowed down progress somewhat. But trying to get back into the habit of it now in Oxford. Of course, April was also the month during which he vomited 11 times......we did a lot of washing that month.

William conquers another mighty peak

At a very young age (I've forgotten exactly how old he was at the time - brain cell loss due to getting up at 5am in the morning too often) William was taken up Red Pike in the Lake District - his first 3000 footer. A few weekends ago, he completed his next major peak - Pen Y Fan in South Wales. This time he walked some (about 10%) of the way himself. Not bad for a 20 month old.

The weather was beautiful, and we enjoyed a picnic on the way up to take in the view! Here we are at the top.

William fell asleep on the way down, so missed seeing the little lake with a dragon in it. However, he awoke at the very end of the walk, just in time to throw some stones in the river with Grandad and to splash daddy!

Farmer William

The first time that I took William to Farmer Gow's, Andrew was working, so he wanted to go again so that he could see it all. Unfortunately this weekend William was a bit unwell with a fever, so we didn't stay that long. However, as you can see, much fun was had riding the tractors and feeding the goats.




William and Zoe are first cousins, once-removed. Here they are by the Usk at Crickhowell 3 weeks ago.


I bought these pjs for William the first time I left him (when I went to a conference in Canada, for 5 days). I like them!

Naughty mummy

While buying a book about Toddle Taming online recently, I was tempted by these VERY cute (and soft leather) shoes, which I naughtily bought for William. Only naughty as he doesn't need them, but not too great a crime.

We took William to the circus tonight - I think he loved it, as he just sat still and stared at the whole thing - for 2hrs! He didn't eat any fairly floss (but we did). He was pointing alot when they got daddy up to dance with a tutu on in the main ring. He he he. Unfortunately no good pics of that - Andrew was twirling about too quickly!
[Andrew on left with pink tutu, and pink fluff on his head.]

Oh, and while I was letting W run around with no clothes on (before his bath) later this evening, he did a wee in daddy's shoe. :)

Finally, a picture of my intarsia knitting, in progress. Pretty complicated with 5 bobbins of yarn, but coming along ok.

All three of us!

Wow - the second ever picture of all three of us - taken on a walk around a reservior when we went up to Leeds to visit Martin, Ruth and Megan a few weekends ago. It was a fun trip and we went for lovely walks on both Sat and Sun.

More gratuitous pictures of William, taken aroud Iffley Church, near Iffley Lock in Oxford.

New noise

William can a make a few different animal noises now.

His favourite is "Raaaa" like a lion.
He can make a little popping/mhup sound like a fish blowing bubbles under water.

And he learnt a new one the other week while I was away in Baltimore:
"Ooo ooo ooooo" like a

(drawing courtesy of William)

The monkey isn't the only picture of Williams that we have up on the wall in the kitchen, as you can see from this photo of William and I eating spaghetti together (below). If you know the Disney movie, 'Lady and the Tramp' well, then this scene will be familar.