Harpenden Christmas Festival

This is us at the Harpenden Christmas light switch-on and Christmas parade, "papped" by the team from Heart FM.  We missed most of the parade, and didn't see Toyah Wilcox switch on the lights, but caught up with lots of local friends at the fair and the Christmas market, drank hot chocolate and mulled wine (topping up after a delicious brunch), and gave the moustache one last airing before the end of "mo'vember".

At The Barn, Norfolk

Click on the photo of the two rugby players for the full set

Going back to the much warmer days of August, we've just uploaded our pictures from the weekend we spent with Rach, Toby and Archie at The Barn.  The boys had a lot of fun together, and we had a picnic on the beach down at Holkham.  They really enjoyed their ice-creams too!

Granny and Grandpa, Grandma and Grandad

Uncommonly good...

Tim always gets these 4 names mixed up, so Euan never really knows who is coming to visit, or who it is that's about to appear on Skype.  Last weekend, Granny and Grandpa came to stay.  Euan had been on antibiotics since Thursday for a chest infection and was feeling a little low, but he soldiered through and had a great time.  He was more than happy to show them his nee-naw car and point out the moo in the sky, and to read (half) the words from What the Ladybird Heard and Cows in the Kitchen.

Dinner, once Euan had gone to bed and we'd raced out to get some emergency greaseproof paper, was quite a success (if we do say so ourselves), with a delicious Jamie Oliver spinach and feta pie (taking somewhat more than the prescribed 30 minutes' preparation), home-made ginger puddings from mum, and a fair bit of wine (mainly Tim). 

So what we needed the next day was a bracing walk through Verulamium Park to St Albans Cathedral, feeding the ducks, watching Grandpa make a fool of himself on the outdoor gym, and finishing off with a double helping of waffles (savoury and sweet) at The Waffle House. So that's what we did.

This Friday, Grandma and Grandad are coming to play , and we're sneaking out for dinner with George, Harriet, Arada and Matt (celebrating the end of George's exams) before celebrating Grandad's birthday (Saturday) and the Harpo Christmas Carnival and Christmas Light Switch-On on Sunday.  Lovely stuff.

August: First up, Tallulah Elder

So now we're onto August at last

We embarked on our national tour with a long trip up the M1 to meet Tallulah Elder and catch up with Jez and Debbie.  We blogged about the trip here and took some photos whilst out and about in Knaresborough.

Just a handful of pics of Jez, Debs, Tallulah and Mr Buggs

Schoolfields, July 2011

Time once again to catch up on some fun from earlier in the year.

Just half the gang. Click on either photo to see the full set

Back in July, we managed to get the old Durham crew together for our second annual get-together.  Our numbers had grown so much that we couldn't find a holiday cottage big enough for us all, but Tim, Eug and Adella kindly invited us over and we all squeezed very comfortably into their beautiful house.

The barbeque got out of hand. Click on either photo to see the full set

All the kids had a great time together, and we were able to enjoy a delicious lunch at the local pub and a couple of quiet, and warm evenings catching up over a beer and a burger once the toddlers had gone to bed.  Looking forward to the 2012 get-together already.

Out on the Wee-Ride

Here's the second of the two new videos.  Don't forget the password!

On Sunday we found a lovely route from our front door to the park at the other end of town, passing along the Nickey Line and along rural bridleways. It's the perfect way for Jo and Euan to get into town on bike and using the new Wee-Ride.

Euan loved his first trip on the bike, and couldn't wait to put on his hat!  We might need some gloves for him as Winter sets in!

Football

Just trying out the new toy.  I'm posting a couple of videos here, via Vimeo.  They're password protected, and I'll send round the password with the usual family email.

If you need the password, just ask.

 

Euan and Granddad playing football in the garden... 'til Euan spots the camera!

Family portraits



Click above for all the family shots

Just before we left Norfolk, we set up the camera on a tripod in the garden and switched on the timer.  These are the results. I can't decide which was best (or whether there is a single picture where everyone has their eyes open), so you can take a look at all of them and see what you think.

Family weekend in Norfolk (Pt.2)



Click on the looney above to see part 2 of our Norfolk pics



For the second part of our trip to Norfolk, we packed a picnic and drove 5 minutes down the coast from the house at Burnham Overy Staithe to the never-ending beach at Holkham.  The temperature was in the mid-30s but the sea breeze kept it deliciously warm as we built sandcastles with Paula and Dave and went paddling with Granny and Grandpa. 

Check out the July post for a shaky video of everyone down by the sea, and click on the photo above or here to see the photos.

Back at the house, the children played amongst the flowers whilst Dave took control of the barbeque, before we tucked into a huge feast.  There was strawberries and ice-cream for pudding.  Before we said our goodbyes on the Sunday we took a few, rare family portraits for the album.  They'll come next.  Then it was off to Burnham Market to buy a hat for mum and some fudge for the folk back at work, before the journey home.

Lovely.

Family weekend in Norfolk (Pt.1)

Click on the picture to see the first half of our Norfolk photos

Having taken a leap forward into September to share the photos from Paula's wedding, it's time to go back to June and recall the hot, hot days we spent in North Norfolk as a family.  We first blogged about this in July but have now been able to upload the photos.

Autumn has arrived, and the countryside round Harpenden is looking magical.  It's probably the best time of year to look back at the sunny days of summer.  Here are the photos from the first half of the weekend, when we took the model railway with Lucy, Tim, Poppy and Peter (and, although we didn't know it at the time, Megan) to the beach at Wells-Near-The-Sea where we enjoyed a paddle before heading back for chips on the harbour-front.  After that, it was bath and bedtime for the children, and a chance for the grown-ups to celebrate the get-together with a glass of champagne (and to take a look at our wedding album!) and dinner.