Wednesday

I'm posting a quick update while Alice has her afternoon nap - I can see this is something I'll have to get used to doing because by evening I'm ready to collapse and relax ;-). 

 Yesterday, Emily and I were picked up by a friend to go and see the lavendar field near Croydon. Unfortunately the weather wasn't in our favour but I did manage to get a few photos while we were there.

 I've never seen a field of lavender before and it is quite stunning.

 Next year I'd love to go back on a sunny day because I think it would be quite spectacular.

After the lavender fields, seeing as we were already virtually there, we had a quick trip to Ikea. I've never managed to get round Ikea in less than a few hours but my friend said it'd only take about an hour and, with her way of going round - it did! I think Emily and I will have to go back again to have a more leisurely look around :-)

 In the afternoon I took Mum and Dad round to see Claire and Craig's new flat. They moved in on Saturday and have done really well at getting things sorted out. There are still a few boxes left to unpack but I don't think it'll take them long. The flat is really lovely, they have a smallish lounge/kitchen area - seen above - where they've already had friends round for dinner. There are two bedrooms, a family bathroom and Alice has an en suite shower room attached to her bedroom. It's an ideal starter home for their little family.

 I had been worried that Alice might find it a bit strange not having everyone around and also being in a smaller house but it doesn't seem to bother her at all. She is quite at home there and when we popped round she was happy to see us.

We're working out the arrangements for when I have Alice and it seems to be going well. I pick her up from Claire at work and bring her home with me for the day. In the evening Craig comes to pick her up, either with or without Claire depending on what time he finishes work. If he's working late Claire walks back to our house and he picks them both up. Alice enjoys being here with us on those days but always has a big smile ready for her Mummy or Daddy when they come to pick her up. I think the time was right for them to move to their own home and I'm so proud of the way they're managing.

This also means that our house is feeling fairly quiet these days. Most evenings it will be just Emily and me for dinner and, at the moment, the TV tends to be off and we read or I work on my log cabin quilt. It's taking a little bit of getting used to but it's all good!

xx

I'm still round

However, life as I know it, has changed! Claire went back to work just over a week ago and I now have Alice on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I'm now thinking about what I'm going to do with her on those days, when she'll need to sleep and when she'll need to eat :)  

 However, it's a fun change - who could resist this little face!

 Both Hugh and Emily are enjoying spending time with Alice as well.

This photo was taken for her Mummy to see her on Uncle Hugh's shoulders

 While I hang out the clothes (or bring them in) Alice sits on the patio and plays with the peg tin

 Or chews on my phone cover or one of the pegs ;-) 

 When Jon's working from home he gets to spend some Grandpa time with Alice. She loves when he's playing his guitar and she can "strum" the strings.

 We've started going on outings and yesterday Emily, Alice and I went to Wakehurst Place to feed the ducks. The sun hat didn't stay on much longer than for me to take the photo so I was glad I'd put sunscreen on her before we left home.

 Emily enjoys getting a chance to push the buggy and sometimes I'm sure people wonder who the mother is - in this case, neither of us lol!

 I wasn't able to get a photo of Alice's face while we were feeding the ducks but she got quite excited when they came up the hill to eat the bread.

 And this is the view from the other side of the pond - Wakehurst Place is a beautiful place and, for us, it's only about a 10 - 15 minute drive. We also have Standen just up the road from us but I haven't taken Alice there yet. I renewed my National Trust membership yesterday so that we can visit the various properties in this area. It'll make lovely mornings out with Alice.

Next, a couple of photos from our outing to the park last week. We met Theresa, Tyler and Alyssa (but I took the photos before they arrived).  Alice loved the swing but once Tyler and Alyssa arrived she wanted to go where they went. I don't imagine it'll be too long before she's running along behind them :)

And finally, on Saturday Claire, Craig and Alice move into their new home. They're renting a flat (top half of a house) on the other side of town which is close to the town centre. Claire will be able to walk in to work and then, the plan is that I'll meet her at her work and bring Alice home with me. Our house is going to be a lot quieter (and hopefully tidier!) than it is at the moment. It's bad enough when one person isn't here but for three to go at once is going to be quite strange. Emily and I will more or less be here on our own when Jon is in Milton Keynes (Hugh will be here but we don't see that much of him as he does his own thing and works shifts) so it will definitely be much quieter.

So, for a while, blogging is likely to be sporadic as I adjust to my new routine. Hopefully it won't be as long again before the next post though!
xx

Norma's son

Norma's son, Kyle, has lived in the UK for the last 10 years, so while she's over she tries to see Kyle and his girlfriend, Emma, whenever she can. This year they had taken a few days off and we got to see quite a lot of them. 

 These first photos were taken in Kyle and Emma's garden when we went round for afternoon tea one day.

 Kyle is Norma's eldest son - her other two sons, Ciaran and Caelen, still live in South Africa at the moment.

 We also went round to Kyle and Emma's for Kyle's birthday on the 9th.  He had decided to have a braai/bbq and was relieved that the weather held out for him :)

 Opening presents

 Mum came with us but Dad stayed at home as he hadn't been feeling well that day.

 Norma

 Craig, Claire and Alice

 Alice enjoyed the breadsticks that were put out

 Her t-shirt was quite appropriate as it said "Daddy's little sweetheart"

This was taken round at our house on a different day when we had Mum & Dad and Kyle & Emma round for a braai/bbq.

Still working through the photos so there should be more to come :)
xx

Alice Rose :)

I know it's been a while since I posted any photos of Alice so I thought I'd make up for it with this first batch.  These photos were taken on 03 July and since then she seems to have grown even more and her hair is definitely thicker.  I'm just going to work my way through the photos editing them and I'll post as I get to them.  In the meantime, here's our precious little girl - I know, I'm such a proud Grandma ;-)

 I love these little feet and hands :-)

 She'll go up on all fours but she's still not crawling. If you try and show her what to do she'll just collapse onto her tummy lol!

 Cuddles for Mummy

 This is what she wants to do all the time now - walk holding hands (our poor backs!)

Alice and Daddy

xx