February Weekend

It was a great weekend because Daddy was off work and Uncle Marcus came to visit with Misa.  On Friday, Daddy went to Ikea and got me a lovely new cot and a place to keep my books.  Daddy is like me...he gets bored quickly in the shops, so he did very well.  I had lots of people around me on Saturday and Sunday which makes me very happy and smiley.

I had lots of tummy time

In fact I learned that rolling around isn't just fun, it helps me move about...I am now officially mobile...well sort of!  Next stop, crawling.

Cousin Misa is very pretty

We all went for a walk at Kingston Lacy on Sunday.  I had a go in my new Vaude baby carrier and it was great.  I even got to try out the rain cover because it started raining.  It was so nice I fell asleep.

This Robin was so friendly Daddy managed to get this shot on a 35mm lens!

Pretty bamboo

This is me being smiley

I love my little train teething and rattle toy

Cousin JB visited too

JB & Uncle M played Lego mini-figures ninja

Granddad made me laugh by tickling me and pulling me along the floor

Uncle M took a great shot of me and my Daddy!

Granddad gave me lots of cuddles

Cousin Misa got lots of cuddles too

Mummy got Misa a little box of beads so she could make her own necklaces

Food and Reading

Mummy has been giving me a taste of a few grown up foods over the last month or so, but recently I have started to actually eat them.  I have eaten some thick home-made vegetable soup and baby porridge in the last week.  When Mummy and Daddy sit down to dinner with me in my little chair I sometimes make little sucking and clicking noises, copying the action of eating, which makes then laugh.  When they feed me they do have to be patient as I get easily distracted and look at whatever is going on, especially when Daddy gets his camera out!

This is me eating baby porridge

I love having books read to me and have some lovely ones that Mummy and Daddy have found when we have been out.  I have lift the flap books, pop-up books, touchy-feely books and even a mirror book.  They are about animals, farms, dinosaurs, people, fish..all sorts.  This one is about machines like cars, trucks, diggers and aeroplanes...real boy stuff!

This is me being being smiley and laughing a lot when I was put on the futon for a few minutes.

Me & my Mum

Sessions of baby worship are held regularly throughout the day and evening

Its fun being a baby-o!

When Daddy came home from work last night I had just come out of the bath and Mummy had put me in my dinosaur jimjams on the floor for a wriggle.  Daddy said I look exhilarated just to be alive as I was wriggling and kicking like crazy, rolling into a ball, squealing and laughing for over half an hour as they watched me.  Its fun being a munchkin.

5 Months old!

Wow, how time flies.  I was 5 calendar months old on Sunday 12th February!

Mummy had to go away and do interpreting on Friday and Daddy was already at work so I had to spend over 7 hours at Nana and Granddad's house.

Everyone was so pleased that I was very good.  Nana has a special magic trick and managed to get me to drink from a bottle.  Daddy tried it several times recently but I wouldn't drink, so he doesn't have the magic!  I loved all the attention from everyone, including Jenny and Terry who bought me a great little monkey toy.

On saturday Mummy went away again and Daddy left me at Nana and Granddad's for 2 1/2 hours while he did Taekwondo.  We then all went to Breamore for a little walk and look around.  Cousin JB came along too and was throwing stones in the puddles!  Daddy then had to take me to the Police station in Poole because Mummy was delayed and needed to feed me.   The ladies made a lot of fuss of me and I was very smiley while we waited for Mummy to come out of the interview she was helping with.

On sunday Daddy lit a nice fire in the wood burner and I was fascinated!

This is me asleep taken at f1.8 on Daddy's Sigma 85mm lens

Granddad says this church is over 1000 years old, which I think is quite a lot older than me.

These poor people are a lot older than me and Granddad! 

When I grow up I hope cousin JB shows me how to splash in the puddles! It looks like fun.  That is one very nice house

New Wood burner Stove

Today was quite exciting and a bit frustrating.

The exciting bit was that we had some workmen in the house who took out the old fireplace and put in a new limestone one.  They fitted a nice wood burning stove so we can have some cosy evenings and reduce the gas bill!  It took a bit over 6 hours, which was quite quick really.  Daddy is very pleased with the way it looks and only has to repaint the part of the chimney breast above the new mantlepiece because the new one is a bit lower.....not much work to get it looking perfect.

Here is how the old fireplace looked...we did like it but it couldn't take a stove because the marble resin and wood surround would not take the heat.

And here is new one.  The stove just fits into the original opening and keeps the original rear fire back, but the surround and hearth are all new.  You can see the bit above the mantlepiece that needs repainting.  The plastic bag in the stove contains the tools and a heat-resistant glove.

Anyway, the day was a bit frustrating because Mummy got called out to do interpreting for 3 crooks at Poole, so Daddy was left to look after me.  Daddy plays with me, reads to me, changes my nappies and is just fine most of the time, but he doesn't have boobs!  I did like watching the workmen for quite a while.  I was getting more and more hungry, but despite getting a bit grumpy I did sleep and was quite good really.  I still won't take a bottle of milk...its just not the same as a boob!

When Mummy got home I got fed and was all happy again.  Daddy took some photos of me in my little devil suit .  I didn't think I was that naughty though!

Granddad very kindly offered to pay for the new stove as he said it was our Christmas Present.  I'm a bit confused as Christmas was a while ago and Nana and Granddad got me some nice things already, but maybe the grown-ups didn't get anything.  Anyway we all love the stove and can't wait to get it working.  Apparently we should wait a few days to let the materials cure and then light a few small fires before using it properly.

Here is another photo of me in control of my electronic baby gym and chewing my teething toy.

Nasty Needles

Yesterday I had to go to the Doctor's surgery for more injections.

I hated it before, especially the second time and needed a boob to calm me down.  This time I had 3 nasty needles and Daddy had to hold me still as I'm a very strong boy and can kick hard now!  Mummy was pacing about wringing her hands, saying she wished she could take it for me.  I did cry for a minute as it hurt a lot, but Daddy gave me a big cuddle and I calmed down very fast.  In fact I even gave the nurse a few big smiles before we waited to go to baby clinic for a weigh so I'm definitely bigger and braver than before.  The little girl ahead of me screamed for ages!

I am doing fine and the lady said my weight plot is a nice smooth curve, slightly below average but well-within the best area and consistent with what it has always been.  I laughed and smiled when I had all my clothes taken off and had to lay on the scales!  In fact I wriggled so much the reading was wobbling all over the place.

We then walked to have a coffee and get some plants for the fish tank and I fell asleep.  Later, Mummy had to do her tax return so Daddy has a good trick of playing my Ralph McTell Alphabet Zoo CD and rocking me.  So far I have fallen asleep on track 2, Boris the Bat, each time!

I am definitely teething and chew Mummy and Daddy's hands and anythingI can find!

Daddy took these shots on his D700 camera with a Sigma 85mm lens and bounced flash combined with the natural light.

I love these rings as I can bite then hard!

I love waving them about and bashing them too!

I was still smiley all day despite the nasty needles

Ski Holiday in Claviere, Italy, January 2011

Dad & I had our now traditional ski holiday in Italy again this year, after a nice experience last year.

We had a late bargain deal to the Grand Claviere Hotel through Crystal Holidays.  The hotel was very convenient for the slopes with easy access to and from the piste...almost doorstep skiing!

The big news was that after all the years of waiting and the age limits being pushed up, Dad got his free ski pass!  This is actually a nice benefit as the full pass is 186 Euros.  If they think that 75 year olds won't use the lifts as much, of course they are mistaken in Dad's case, as we stayed out skiing pretty much all day every day, with a break or two, depending on the cold.

The weather was glorious sun and blue skies all week, with a few snow clouds rolling in one afternoon for a very light snowfall during the evening.  It was quite mild the first 2 days but then dropped colder and 2 days especially were cold with temperatures dropping to minus 10-15 Celsius.  Nothing like as severe as last year though, where it went to minus 25!  The pistes were well-covered with firm, compact snow, but very few icy patches and virtually no worn patches.  With good piste skis the conditions were generally easy and the italians certainly groom the runs daily.  Our pass enabled us to ski at the French resort of Montgenevre, literally a 4 minute ski away from Claviere.  This is a large resort and quite different in character to cosy Claviere.  The French don't groom their pistes as often for sure, but conditions were still very good and it made a change to get some skiing in the open environment above the trees.

My only photo kit was my trusty Nikon D80 and the 18-135 kit lens with a UV filter.  It survived a few knocks riding in my backpack all day and worked fine even at below minus 10.

Evening view from our balcony toward Montgenevre

Looking toward Sansicario where we stayed last year

View toward Claviere & Montgenevre in the valley, taken from the top of the women's downhill run at Sansicario

The nice Soleil Boeuf restaurant at Sansicario

Always a colourful sight

It took a while for me to stop looking out for Dad's purple ski suit as he changed it for a Columbia jacket this year

The colours were simply staggering...the sky especially.  I only used a UV filter, not a polariser

Not quite a bristlecone, but I love the effect of dry cold air on the trees, giving them an old, gnarled appearance

I love the texture and colour contrasts between trees, snow and sky

Claviere is Italy's oldest ski resort and this is the remains of the original lift...should be a heritage site! 

The national divide...right leg in Italy, left in France!  Chilly and high, but spectacular views at Eagle Rock.

Looking into Montgenevre from Eagle Rock.  It looks cold and indeed it was!

Late afternoon light falling on Claviere

Late run down the black piste leading into Claviere

Another morning, wrapped up and some serious skiing to be done!

My distinctive Burton Ski jacket...I haven't yet seen another!

I had my eye on his lovely old hut all week

High up at Montgenevre

Chairlift to Eagle Rock

The colourful lichens on the rocks add some drama to the views high up

The lift for this run only opened at the weekend so we had a chance to do it saturday.  Nice views toward Claviere and the mountain that dominates it

The traditional skis shot before handing them back to the shop...great piste skis

I decided to get a ski helmet for the first time and found it fab.  Neither of us actually fell over during the week so I didn't get to test it!

Fair to say dad had rather good value from his free lift pass!

Another fantastic ski holiday and I look forward to doing it again next year.  It would be nice if a whole bunch of us could go with the kids as well.