Reid, Bird, Callington, Milton, Scudder Thing

Aunt Gillian, Uncle Mike, Rachel, Rory and Malcolm came over on Sunday with Tim's mum and dad, Paula, Dave, Lucy, Tim, Poppy, Peter and Megan.  Everyone brought food and drink, and all we had to do was move our furniture to one side to allow the children to run around.  Euan, Poppy and Peter were so excited that Mum and Dad to had to take them to the park to let off some steam, before we tucked into the food and (some of us) settled down in front of the rugby.  It was lovely to have the family together other than at a wedding, and we hope it'll become a regular thing.

Scotland are definitely making some progress, but worse teams have come away with more victories and it's turning out to be another difficult year for players and fans!  As one optimistic friend noted: perhaps they're saving themselves for 2013 when (all being well) we will be on tour again, watching Scotland in Paris.

September on the farm

Time once again to step back a few months; this time to look at some of our holiday snaps from Gladwins Farm in September.  The holiday was so good that we've had to separate the photos into six albums, each one of which you can access by clicking on the pictures below. Bear with us as we take you through the holiday (or come back and view the photos one album at a time)!

The farm was absolutely perfect for our little family, and for Euan in particular.  As well as being able to feed the pigs, sheep, goats and chickens (and collect eggs for breakfast), and take walks through the woods, he could play in the wooden wendy house, on the tractors or on the swings.  For rainy days (we only had one) a stable had been converted into a playroom and there was an indoor swimming pool.  Here we are, feeding the animals on our first morning on the farm.

  The following day, we put Euan in the rucksack and took a walk from Dedham to Flatford Mill, across the Suffolk countryside of "Constable Country". Our reward at Flatford Mill was a National Trust museum dedicated to the artist, on the site where he painted The Hay Wain.  We took the obligatory photo to match the painting (see whether you can tell the difference in the album below) and enjoyed a lovely National Trust cuppa and a stroll through the wildlife garden.  We returned to Dedham for lunch by the river, watching cows climb into canoes, and serenaded by a Barry-White-A-Like (better than it sounds) who fascinated Euan! 

The next part of the holiday saw Grandma and Granddad take the (relatively) short trip up to visit us at the farm.  There was a little rain in the air, so we had a chance to try out the play area and build up our appetites with a few competitive games of table tennis before a pub lunch at The Anchor in Nayland.  We took a walk through the woods, fed the sheep and played all afternoon on the swings.

Next up was a particular highlight for us all: Colchester Zoo! We weren't sure how long Euan would last, but we all had a nice long day at a brilliant zoo.  As you can see from the photos below, we saw monkeys, cheetahs, elephants, penguins and seals (the list goes on), and brave Euan even fed the giraffes!  He was eventually undone by a bee sting in the rabbit enclosure, and we made a sharp exit past the wolves and back to the farm for tea.



In all the excitement, we haven't shown you much of the Farm itself, so here are some pretty pictures.  We can't recommend the place enough. Great location, friendly owners and animals, plenty to do nearby and even the chance to head to the seaside for tea and cake with the grannies amongst the beach huts of Frinton - the resort that time forgot.  We're tempted to go back, get a bigger cottage (or two) and enjoy the private hot tubs!

Last album now, and this one is from Jimmy's Farm.  Bored of animals? Not us!  Jimmy's Farm has a menagerie of small and furry animals, including free-ranging goats, ducks, llamas, guinea pigs, ferrets and rare breed sheep, but specialises in rare breed pigs (and sausages) :( .  Jimmy Doherty is something of a TV celebrity, being a friend of  Jamie Oliver and the star of a couple of his own shows.  Euan, not shy when it comes to celebrities, made friends with Jimmy's daughter whilst chasing ducks.  As you can see, we really enjoyed the woodland walks too!

Jimmy also runs his own family-friendly music and comedy festival, "Harvest".  Some of Tim's favourite acts performed in 2011 (Fat Freddy's Drop, The Feeling, Gilles Peterson, Mr Scruff...).  Anyone fancy going in September 2012? 

Enough?  Phew.  Sorry. It was just such a great holiday!

Family

It is often said that Christmas is a time for family.

There are, of course, another 364 days in the year, during which we can enjoy the company of our family and - when that isn't possible - just be grateful for them.  Fortunately, I have plenty of daily reminders of how lucky I am, starting every morning with Euan pretending to be asleep when I walk into his room (even when he's been calling my name for 5 minutes) or bouncing off the bed with a mouth full of Shredded Wheat Bitesize.

This Christmas has proven to be a rare chance to catch up with a large part of our close and extended family.  We had plenty of visitors during Christmas week before enjoying a restful New Year in South Creake.  It was there that we heard the very sad news that Tim's Granny had passed away.  The news, although not unexpected, was difficult to take.

I travelled up to Aberdeen for the funeral, which was a mixture of present sadness and happy memories.  It was a special time for catching up with our cousins and with Linda, Robert and Leslie, and we had a lot of stories to tell.  We said goodbye to Granny in a beautiful and peaceful place.  It was when, during the service, Dad and the pastor recalled how proud Granny had been of her children and all her grandchildren (and great-grandchildren) that I really struggled to hold it together.  I have a wonderful family at home, around the country and back in Aberdeen and we are all lucky to have each other for the time we have together.  Granny will be missed, but is with us in the family she leaves behind. x