Christmas 2011

We are all a bit busy this year with Daddy working Boxing Day and being called out on Christmas Eve, Auntie S and Ruru working on both main days.

On Christmas Eve we went into Ringwood and saw Santa.  Its a special visit as all the children take a little gift they have wrapped and give it to Santa so he can deliver it to a little boy or girl who is less fortunate than me.  It was nice with lots of music and Santa arrived on a carriage drawn by big shire horses.

We have had a lovely Christmas morning which started with me getting into Mummy and Daddy's bed for a play before going for breakfast.

We then opened our presents and I had some lovely things, so thank you everybody!  I have really got the hang of opening presents now!  Daddy took some photos and video of me of course.

I was very excited and have been in hyper-drive all morning!  Daddy took me to the convenience shop on my trike as we needed milk and then I played again with my new things.  After that JB and Auntie S came round and brought me some more presents...I'm quite liking this Christmas idea!  Daddy gave me lunch while Mummy was cooking but I still wouldn't sleep.  Daddy then took me for a long walk with JB and I eventually fell asleep after a long fight against it...as usual!!!  I don't like to miss out.

The grown-ups all had a big dinner that was very nice indeed and I ate all my lunch and dinner too.

This is me giving my present to Santa on the stage.  Mummy had to carry me

Santa left in a hurry as he had a lot of work to do!

I had a ride on my rocking Rudolf this morning

This is my bag of animals that came with the farm!

Mummy LOVES her new nightie

Mummy got me a lovely Brio train made of wood that she got from a special toy shop in Winchester

My new farm has a big bull and lots of other animals

December 2011

Its the lead up to Christmas and I'm getting a bit excited by all the stuff going on.  There seem to be lots of lights everywhere and colourful things in the shops which I try to grab when I'm being pushed along in the trolley.

Today Mummy has been putting up the Christmas tree.  Daddy took some photos of me dressed in a Santa suit on my reindeer rocker that Mummy got from a baby sale.

I have spent a lot of time at Nana and Granddad's house in the last couple of weeks and love going there.  I don't get upset or grumpy when my Mum and Dad leave me there and if James is staying over that is even better!

I'm walking quite well now and I saved my walking for the exact day that Daddy returned from Mexico, when I walked from the kitchen to him when he was unloading his bag in the hall.  Since then I have walked a lot and the other day I walked all the way from Nana and Granddad's study to the kitchen.  I love walking and have a big grin when I do well.  I'm also pushing my walker and the Buzz Lightyear wagon around the house.

Daddy took me to Messy Play and Twinkle Toes sessions at the Hub in Verwood last week and we had a lovely day.  I was very good and enjoyed doing all the playing and musical things.

Afternoon walk in La Paz, Mexico

I went for a walk along the waterfront this afternoon.

This has been a trip where I have really wished I had a high quality compact camera for its rapid deployment and discrete appearance. Carrying a rucksack with a dslr and a few lenses has been hot and hasn't suited the kind of shooting that feels comfortable here (open bag, take out large camera, advertise I am a tourist etc!) I was glad I brought it when on the boat but I would prefer small and discrete here.

I know the iPod camera is really a toy but decided I would allow myself to use only that on my walk for a bit of fun. I unwittingly changed the film type by accident so lots were heavily vignetted black and whites instead of what I wanted.

The cars here are a real mix with some old and wonderfully decrepit American stuff and lots of trucks with Tonka toy wheels. Tyres only become unserviceable when the tread has all gone and the ply cords have worn through! It is common for really tatty cars to have no lights or bumpers. I was expecting driving to be mad but it's quite courteous and drivers always give way on pedestrian crossings.

I had to have a margarita while I was here so did that today and picked up some little pressies to bring home. They needed to be little as my bag is already on the measly 23kg limit with dive gear and very few clothes that I have worn and washed literally every other day! I actually left my dive bag back in San Jose to collect on my way back as lugging it to La Paz on the bus would have been a pain indeed.

I also included a couple of pics of the Baja Paradise pension where I'm staying. 89 US Dollars for 4 nights is pretty cool I reckon. Simple, basic and clean with a great shower and the most reliable wifi yet!

There is a metal frame sculpture of a Tiburon ballena (whale shark) in town. I don't understand the writing on it but I think they are proud of the sharks and it's a conservation awareness thing. Along with yes, good day and thank you, that's the shameful limit of my Spanish!

My bargain accomodation

Ply cords visible...nearly time for a new one!

A little hello from Baja

This is just a quick hello from La Paz. I'm hoping to post a proper blog with nice photos of the diving trip to Socorro when I get back home.

Baja looks really nice and is largely unspoiled with lots of desert and semi desert and many mountains inland. Being alone I haven't justified hiring a car and have struggled a bit with the language barrier, which has made organising some things tricky, but I would have a better idea if I came back. It's a bit off season too with many Americans having finished their thanksgiving break and the seasonal cool wind starting to whip up and cool the Sea of Cortez. It could be a nice holiday destination for anyone.

It was very welcome to hear a good news story about the state of large pelagic sea life for a change. The captain of our dive boat, Nautilus Explorer, stated that the numbers of sharks and mantas they are seeing is improving year upon year. From the mid to late 70's unlimited fishing, (mainly by the environmentally catastrophic Taiwanese) destroyed the Sea of Cortez by long-lining it to death. The huge schools of Hammerheads and large mantas totally disappeared. Fishing also badly damaged Socorro and on one occasion in the mid 2000's the Nautilus Explorer highlighted a national scandal and cover up by filming gill netting of rare sharks, mantas and dolphins at a prized dive site (the one where we saw 5-7 mantas each dive!) The public outcry and prosecution that followed caused the government to implement proper patrols in the protected areas of Socorro and in the Sea of Cortez. Hopefully this can be aggressively maintained as the area has some stunning sealife. Sharks numbers have increased greatly over the last 5 years at Roca Partida and small numbers of hammerheads are again being seen at the original Sea of Cortez hotspots where they used to school in hundreds or thousands. It is thought they are both migrating and breeding there.

I'm going out on a boat to look for whalesharks in La Paz bay tomorrow. They come here seasonally to feed on plankton blooms in the shallow water. Most are smaller ones (still big for a fish!) but apparently there was a 10 metre one today.

Here are a few snaps I took on the iPod camera back in San Jose at a couple of colourful little restaurants, including a Mexican Christmas tree!

Stourhead & Early November 2011

We all went to Stourhead on Daddy's last weekend off. It was quite a sunny day, though not especially warm, but it was very busy.  We had to park on the remains of an old airfield nearby as there were so many cars.  I had a nice ride in my pushchair all the way around the lake.  The colours were not as good as last year as its been a mild Autumn so far, but it was still very nice indeed.

Here are some recent photos of me at home.  I was off my food for a week or two as my top teeth were coming through and giving me some grief, so I was a bit grumpy.  Now I'm back to my usual self and eating like crazy.  Daddy said I had a tummy like a little Buddha when he bathed me last night!

Mummy and Daddy say I am in the "Monkey see, Monkey do" phase of copying everything they do.  I comb my hair, I pretend to talk on the phone and I copy the games Mummy and Daddy play with me, like peek-a-boo with some of my toys.

I'm a strong-willed little boy now and if I can't have my own way or get grumpy, this is the special face I have!

I have wild hair and I try to comb it

I'm an enthusiastic eater

I often need distracting like playing with baby wheels cars

I love baby wheels...these are my pig and bee

Wimborne Food Festival 2011

Before Daddy went to work on Sunday we went to the nice Food festival in Wimborne.  It was very, very interesting as there were so many bright colours, people and strange food smells.

I have been a bit poorly with a nasty cough and cold, which made me grumpy, but I'm feeling better now and I'm back to my usual happy self.  Mummy and Daddy also have it....oh dear!

Today Daddy was off work and I was such a good boy.  I followed him all over the house doing the vacuum cleaning, which I love.  I try to fix it with my hammer as I go along, but Daddy looks a bit worried when I hit it too hard!  I am managing to stand up on my own, which is quite exciting and the other day I picked up a computer mouse, held it like a telephone and said "hello Daddy" which made Mummy and Daddy look very surprised.

The cakes were huge.  Daddy got some monstrous slices of fruit cake and I helped him eat them....I love fruit cake!

Mummy couldn't resist some nifty kitchen gadgets

Daddy said he should take some curried goat home as a special treat for Granddad.  In my story books goats always eat socks and underpants so I don't think they will taste too good!

Is that man going to eat all of that!?

This funky band were just great

Time out for a banana

Even Mummy doesn't cook meals this big

There were some of these funny dancers again....I don't understand it but its fun to watch

Mummy bought some wild boar sausages from another stand....these are Irish ones

People were eating a whole pig!

Daddy had a chickpea curry and Mummy had this Thai green curry