the last few weeks in pictures

fins first trip on a train!

pestering uncle adam (who has bought a flat with aunty karen, well done!)

watching mummy do the race for life ( if you owe me sponsor money please send it!)

playing with mates.....

fins first go on an adventure playground

having a picnic at pallant house art gallery

BUSY

We have been very busy and have some news!

1= david has got a new job as an air traffic controller, so only fly on his days off! haha. he has done very very well, and i am very proud of him.

2=fin can WALK now. yes, be afraid.

3= i have an interview on monday to teach at southdowns.

so busy! pictures to follow.

haha.

Fin is growing teeth at the moment, that is not what is funny, but this is!

Fin at mummy group

This is fin at mummy group, he was playing on the rocking horse thingy with philip, photos are cute and taken by lou (mummy of charlie) so ta to her!

Lots of new fin things!

Since monday my boy has been on a miles stone mission. On monday/tue my mum agreed that it isnt me imaginging it, he can indeed say a few words. This is his conversation reportoire: tickletickle, mumma, dadda, nanna, cat (sounds like Dat) and hello (sounds like hiya or hullo.) fab. Then yesterday at mummy group he took his first steps on his own between me and a plastic rocker. So so so proud!

What a fantastic weekend!!

This weekend we went up to Derby (6 hour drive!!) for my Aunty Sue and Aunty T's 25th Anniversary celebration weekend. They had hired a "cottage" more like a mansion, with a pool, bought a shed load of food and wine and invite the Spires and Jones mob and their mates all up for the weekend. It was ace, we saw a lot of sheep and baby sheep on hills, there was a pool, i kicked ass at the guess the lyric game and we went out for scrummmmmmy dinner on the saturday. fin was perfect, being very charming and flirty with everyone, and he has taken a bit of a shine to Tina and Karen, which was really cute. It was so so nice to see all of the family, and we had a fab time ( so did dave) so thank you to Sue and Tina, and congrats on your 25th!

WEEKEND

AS I TYPED, FIN WACKED THE KEYBOARD, AND NOW VAIO ONLY DOES CAPITALS.... GRRRR! WE ARE ALL FINE. FIN HAS HAS LAST WEEK AT BRAMBLES NURSERY THIS WEEK, AND THEN STARTS AT LITTLE WHALES...AHHH. I AM STARTING TO SINK UNDER A MOUNTAIN OF MARKING (MOST OF THE ESSAYS QUITE GOOD SO FAR, VERY ENCOURGAING)AND DAVE IS THE SAME AS EVER. LAST WEEK WE WERE ALL ILL WITH THE PLAGUE, WHICH STARTED WITH FEELING HOT AND COLD AND ENDED UP LIKE A NASTY COLD, ALL SNOTTY AND EUGH. (LUCKY ME) I AM PLAANING TO KNIT FIN A PRESIE FOR HIS B-DAY, SO IF ANYONE FINDS A PATTERN FOR A CHARMING TOY PLEASE LET ME KNOW. WAS THINKING OF SOMTHING LIKE A MONKEY....(AS HE IS ONE!)

the plague

i have it. i am feeling like crap. so to cheer myself up i shall recall what we have been doing: gin is now crusing along the furniture, eating picnics, saying "ta" and "dat" (instead of cat) and being delightful.

Now that i have accessed the camera!

sunny day!

my beautiful boy!

Snoozy cat and baby. (not hygenic, but cute)

a cheeky chops!

I am a bad blogger!

Yes, i know, i am rubbish- sorry. I havtn posted for a while as I sill cant find the camera lead, and i like to have pictures on the posts. BUT it is now deemed lost, for sure. i havnt been doing much, messing aroubd with the phd, and this weekend david was away working so i have a lto od bean time (am very tired) but my reward is david get us tickets to go and see the manics- yipppeee......

anyway, last week i also stared my diet (cue grumpy me) and went, wait for it, running! i almost died. FACT

I have also been invited to give a paper at a conference in portsmouth on memory, which is greaqt for the ego. dont know what it will be about yetm but im sure i can find dummat!

Fin Beans first visit to the Thames

Today we are in London, seeing Davids mum for a mini Mumas day. (at my mums tomorrow) He got taken to see the kiosk which Terry and Chris own, and to see the Thames for the first time! He also went on a bus for the first time, lots of firsts today....

postcards

Evening, sorry for the gap in blogging again! I am rubbish. (also lost the lead to get my pictures off my camera! so no visuals tonight) but we have had another lovely week. This included: good teaching, mummy group, swimming, going to the art gallery with an ace friend (hello john!) and playing in fins new ball pit. all hair the toy making people who realise that i do need to have enough room to squish in there with him! Dave has painted our bathroom green (nice mint green) and i have tarted up the garden. this coming week is the last week of teaching before easter (thank god, im knackered) so roll on mummy day. (please everyone remind dave, becuase if he forgets he will be wearing his dangeling bits as earings)

also, if you ar planning on going anywhere, please do send fin a post card, i have started a scrap book for him to keep them all in like i did when i was little, when my dad would send them to me form places he went in the navy. i used to lovbe looking at them and seeing on the map where he was, and i would like fin to do the same. havea nice few days!

adventures with nana and grandad...(and sidekick mummu)

friday

thank god. no really. i am still ill, and fin is ill again, and i have the worst hair ever. it is official. also, the house is being wrecked by a boy who wont eat off a spoon and likes to throw things!

this seasons look for the men in your life!

fin and grandma at the aquarium

bum week

I am having a bum week, and i find it cathartic to moan. here is why:

1- my work do not value me in any shape or form. I have no office space, no access to a computer, no where to do any marking or prep, or see students. I am reduced to sitting in the lobby, and made to feel (and look like) no one cares about my input or effort. do not get me started on the pay.

2- my phd is just going on and on and on. my supervisor didnt really rate the last chapter, but on the up side did give me some better feedback, so i can go about fixing it. but it is just dragging on.

3- our house if TINY! and i broke my favourite mirror. grrr

4- i have a stinking cold.

5- I need, but cannt afford a hair cut.

all of this is making me feel rubbish. I know i am veyr luck to have a husband, and a baby and a house, i am just lacking perspective this week. next time i post i will have pictures of rome and fin.

work.....

I am now back at work, yuck yuck! i am not enjoying it at all like i used too- jsut seemd like i spend the entire day planning how to get fin too/from nursery, or thinking about him while i am there.... in fact, todays seminqar was a total disaster- spome crazy person had stoled my photocopying, so i didnt have anything for them to do for the first 20 minutes. crap! i tell you, i wouldnt pay tuition fees for that lesson.

plau the boy is still really not well, he is off his food and has a hackinh 40 B & H a day cough- think i will take him to the doc this afternoon and demand that they make him better- hate it when hes ill. really then, so far, today has been rubbish. got to teach tonight 7-9 so i will be death on a stick tired- RUBBISH!

congratulations to adam and karen!

this morning my brother proposed to his lovely girlfriend live on our local radio station and she said yes!!! ahhhhhhhhhhh.

it was a lovely proposal and ity made me cry! ( and her afterwards- god women, we have more hormones sometimes than a womens rugby team!) but i am sooo happy for them...... and if they need a page boy....

I am writing this in Rome!

goddam me feet hurt! we must have been walking around for the last 3 days for miles and miles-...... ouch! but we have seen every church in the near and far, and ever site that the guide book thought was worthhile. and eaten a lot lot of food. david thinks the food has been a bit of a pricy letdown, but i have been scoffing mushroom pizzas and risotto.....mmmmmm......

i really think the only downside has been my ever hurting poor left foot )doctor said i probably broke the beckham bone a while agoand it is too late to fix!) and the gut wrenching missing the baby. although i know he is safe in the hand of nana and grandma, i still meep at every baby we see, and have been buying him a lot. so far he has aquaired: a lovely blue preppy outfit fro outside the vatican; a moblie with clouds; and a totally garish snow globe with teh trvui fountain in it! (which was bought under the influnce of wine at lunch today)

to be honest i am quite looking forward toi coming home, although this coming week i have my *gulp* first day back at work, teaching my C & C at soton.... and i have to leave my scrummy boy at nursery, i suspect i may cry then as well!

anyway, dave is on his way back with cake and wine, so i am going to enjoy my last grownup day- ciao!