Spring holidays - the highlights reel NZ version

Hi everybody, (yes thats you Mum)
Sorry I've been away for so long, as I explained I went home to NZ for three weeks and then we went to Italy for a ten day holiday in Tuscany with the inlaws.  I've had a great time and over the next week or so I'll post in more detail about what we did, but for now, here are the highlights from NZ.

Spending time with Nana and Pops.  It was so great to introduce Chicken to her Pops, and for her to catch up with her Nana, and she totally remembered her too!

Catching up with old friends.  Jonelle and I have been friends for fifteen years now and she had her second baby a week after Chicken (they were due on the same day incidentally)  Good times.

Catching up with family.  Nic is my cousin who lives in my hometown with her husband and two boys.  I spent a few afternoons introducing Chicken to her cuzzies and catching up on family gossip.  We also had a birthday party for Leo where the whole family (and some very welcome extras) came to our house for lunch.  So good to see everyone again!

Catching up with my god-daughter and our BFF's.  Emma totally loves Chicken and it was really nice introducing her to our BFF's (and Emma's parents) Neil and Ange, and their boy Tyler.

Catching up with our Ldn friends.  Everyone came to Ange and Neil's for a pot-luck lunch and we had so much fun catching up.  I got to hear everyone's news, (how was that keg party Vicky?) and we got to meet Naomi, Rose and Jono's beautiful little girl.

Introducing Chicken to her Dad's family.  We spent 24 hours visiting Andrew's family and introducing Eilidh to her two great-grandmothers.  We also got to see my Aunty Barb and Uncle Murray - hey guys!

So that's it, a three week whistle-stop tour to catchup up with old friends and family, I had so much fun (count how many times I've used the word so, far too many!) It was really sad leaving because I really miss these guys, when I'm here in the UK there are lots of cool people to distract me, but as they say, there's no place like home.

I am a bad person, yes I am

Dear imaginary friends, and friends and family,

I'm so sorry I've not written lately, I've been a bit busy.  You see my parents decided that they couldn't not see their Possum (my Chicken) so they brought us a ticket home, which is where we've been for the last three weeks.  Yes, I am a very very lucky girl!  I had a great time hanging with Mum and Dad, and catching up with my friends.  I never realise how much I miss these fantastic people until I have to leave (cue many many tears)

The downside to this (but totally worth it, sorry) was that Chicken and I didn't get to see Andrew for the time.  Granted, he went to America (Texas and Chicago) for work and to Norway for a long weekend to visit Jon (his 2nd best man at our wedding) but we still missed him and he definitely missed his little girl.

I'll post more about our trip later but I've got to go pack.  Yep that's right, I'm off on holiday again, lucky, I know.  Andrew's parents Moira and Graham have come to visit us for a month and we are off to Italy for ten days tomorrow morning, very very early tomorrow morning!  We're staying in a town called Punta Alla on the coast, an hour or so south of Pisa.  I've never been to Italy before and I'm sooooo looking forward to it.

The house we are staying at also has the internet, so you never know, I may just blog from there.  Or if not, I'll see you in ten days!

Until then, I'll leave you with a super cute picture of Chicken on Easter Sunday.

Daddy's little girl

Today was our last family day for a while, because tomorrow Chicken and I are off to NZ for three weeks (excited much!!) We didn't do anything special, tidied the house, folded laundry, went to the supermarket, got my eyebrows threaded (since they don't do that in NZ), and generally chillaxed in the heat 27c/80f .  It was a really nice day, especially the part with  ice-cream mid afternoon!

While I was packing Andrew kept Eilidh entertained downstairs.  I could hear this chatter from her and the occasional comment from her Dad, while she doesn't look a lot like me, she sure talks like me!  It all went quiet and I came down stairs to this - I mean how cute!!

When it got time for Chicken's bath, I got the camera out  because I was feeling a little sad that this would be the last time Andrew would bath her for a while.  It's their special time, Dad and his little girl, where they catch up on the day and hang out.

I know we'll Skype everyday so Chicken will still get to see her Dad, but I'm sure they're both going to miss their bath times!

PS since it takes 24 hours to fly to NZ I won't be able to blog until Tuesday, see you then!

Friday Five - New photos

Another Friday Five linking up with Kat at Living like the Kings

Today Andrew's been off work and we've had a nice family day out.  We went to a (very busy) pub by the river and had a drink and we also picked up a new camera!  Last Easter when we were in NZ I rather stupidly left our 'good' camera out overnight on the beach.  I'd been taking pictures of Emma our God-Daughter and then decided to help her build a sandcastle so I put the camera down above the high tide mark.  Then of course it started to rain, really rain!  So what did I do?  I picked Emma up and raced back to the beach house, completely forgetting about the camera.  The next morning I remembered and raced to the beach, and thankfully the camera was still there!  The memory card was saved but the camera of course was full of sand and not working.  So for the last twelve months we've been using our basic point and shoot and our iPhones.  While I'm in NZ Andrew is visiting a good friend in Norway and decided that since we'd both need a camera it was time for the upgrade.  I've been doing lots of research about what sort of camera to buy and finally settle on the Panasonic G10.  So far I'm really pleased and I can't wait to work out how to use it properly!

So for my Friday Five I'm choosing my favourite photos I took today!

Three Word Thursday

Well three key words anyway.  In the immortal words of P-Diddy 

"I'm coming home!"

Yep, that's right in three more sleeps Chicken and I are getting on a plane at LHR and heading to New Zealand for three weeks!  I am the luckiest girl on the planet!  I am also super excited, can you tell by my overuse of the exclamation marks!!!

Not only am I supper super excited I also have to pack, which is of course not exciting.  Normally when we go home I pack the night before (usually while drinking a glass of wine) and I just throw stuff in my rucksack and hope for the best. 

Not so this time, I'm really going to have to think about what to pack.  Chicken and I are both allocated a bag each but I don't honestly think I could carry two bags, and push the pushchair at the same time.  This means one bag between the both of us, and well, we are both clothes horses, hehe.

The clothes I think I can handle, its getting colder in NZ, so I'm going to take the clothes Chicken has been wearing here for the past month or so - long sleeved t-shirts, trousers and a few jumpers.  I'll also need a couple of her sleeping bags and body suits for bed.  I'm also going to take home all the clothes Chicken has grown out of to store under my bed, along with all our unopened wedding gifts (man I really want to use all our cool stuff!)

Its the other bits and bobs that I'm sure I'm going to forget!  I was thinking about this and chatting to my friend Ange (who took her daughter to NZ for a holiday when she was a baby) and she said, don't stress, they have it all there, and I'm sure you'll be in the supermarket within twenty four hours.  So this is what I'm going to do, focus on packing a useful carry-on bag for the plane, nappies, wipes, spare clothes, liquid paracetamol etc   and then I'll worry about the rest when I get there!

Until then I'm going to enjoy a couple of days as a family, Andrew is off work for Easter so we're going to chillax in the cracking sunshine!  Hope your Easter is great too!

Books from my childhood

A couple of weeks ago I was in a second hand book store and was browsing in the kids section, looking for books for Chicken when I came across a couple of titles that took me straight back to my childhood.  They were Five on Finniston Farm, and Anne of Green Gables.  I've since read these books again and I think I enjoyed them even more as an adult.  This got me thinking about books I want to find for Chicken to either read to her or have her read when she is older.  I realise that this is a long long way away, but hey, you can never start too young!

I think I first read Anne of Green Gables and the subsequent series when I was fourteen as a part of my high school English class.  Luckily I went to a girls school, as cool as Anne is, I can't see boys getting into it!  I do remember watching the TV series before that, and wanting to wear my hair in a pouf like Anne when she got older.  I just love her character, her feistiness, caring nature and the love story that develops between her and Gilbert, whoops did I give too much away?  Maybe this is why I feel the need every couple of years to dye my hair red?  I also found myself crying like a baby (and I can't even blame the hormones) when something sad happens at the end, even though I knew it was coming - does anyone else do that?

I starting reading Famous Five books when I was much younger, we used to go camping a lot but I was very jealous of four children who were allowed to go off by themselves!  Somewhere at my parents house there are probably quite a few of these books hidden away.  Recently these books were given a modern makeover, and I think that the one I read was one.  I have to say, I'm not a fan, the classic language is all part of the charm of these books, and when I try and track down the others (for Chicken of course...) I'll aim for books published before 2010.

I think I'll also be on the lookout for Charlotte's web, Bridge to Terabithia, No One Went to Town, and quite a few others.  First though, we'll start with picture books, Dr Seuss' The Lorax or Where the Wild Things Are anyone?

A list of ten things on Monday

1.  My house was a mess at the start of the day, it is now much (but not completely) cleaner.

2.  I have my ante-natal group coming over for lunch tomorrow, hence number one, I'll do the hoovering tomorrow.

3.  Chicken and I had a huge nap this afternoon, from 5pm till 6:30pm, good thing we're not too big on routine!

4.  I have pin-wheel scones and a cake to make tomorrow before the people arrive.

5.  I'm probably only going to manage the scones, and I might squeeze in some biscuits (much quicker than cake!)

6.    Andrew mowed the lawn tonight so we can sit outside if its nice.  I should have found out how to put up the gazebo to make shade for the babies.

7.  Now I've said there might be sun, it will probably be cloudy!

8.  I have a £4.55 worth of fines to pay at the library, I hate library fines!

9.  We are going to go for a walk on the moor tomorrow, hopefully my shoes don't get too muddy cause I'll have to get them washed in customs in New Zealand!

10.  Thats right, I'm going to New Zealand.  On Easter Sunday Chicken and I are going home for three weeks.  My wonderful Mum and super Dad have missed their little Possum so much they had to see her again, I have the best parents ever, thanks G, and Pops!

And now for a few cute photos taken at Kew Gardens last week, Chicken enjoying the warm sunny weather!