No photos....

I haven't posted before without a photo but for various reasons I am today (in process of swapping laptops and cameras - I'm such a Luddite...) This has stopped me from posting things I've wanted to - so I'm just going to get on with it - a bit of general catching up.
Very exciting news is that Eve is Whoops-a-daisy angel in the nursery Christmas play. She's been singing and practising a bit and is completely unphased by it - I am really looking forward to watching it. She starts school (in the next door classroom) after Christmas too, so this is a really nice note for her to leave nursery on. Today she wore her pyjamas for Comic Relief day, and took in her little butterfly purse with 50p to give to her teacher for the 'poorly children'.
Noah is talking in sentences now - and clear enough for friends and family to understand - Mummy, I'd like cookie, I fell down and bashed nose, Evie really funny. But the funniest thing he's said this week was on Sunday as we were leaving the swimming pool. Four youngish men were going in, wearing various scarves and bandanas. Noah stopped in his tracks, beamed at them and then turned to me, nodding wisely, 'Pirates' he said then ran off after Harv and Eve.
And Thom has somehow managed to burst his eardrum! I knew something was up on Wednesday as his ear was a bit leaky but our GP could see no sign of infection so we put it down to swimming at the weekend. Yesterday was a little gunkier, but Thom was a perfectly happy little fellow and I kept reassuring myself that the GP was happy with him. This morning, about 9am, was bleurgh! Thom was still perfectly happy and had slept through the night - NO sign of pain at all!! But GP said, in spite of the overwhelming lack of other sympyoms - pain, fever, screaming, listlessness) he has probably burst his eardrum. It will heal itself in a couple of weeks all being well - and as it's already burst the antibiotics prescription probably won't be needed. Dr F said that I have very stoical children......
But that's the irony of children, isn't it - Noah's ears have been inspected countless times to check for glue ear and infection etc as cleftie babies are so prone to it - and it's Thom the non-cleftie who gets the poorly ear!
And finally me - my physio referral for my knee pain over the summer has worked WONDERS - I had an appointment at 8am today for massage and ultrasound - no waiting, fantastic treatment, a lovely chat with Beth, my physio, and even though I've been thinking of my knee as 'healed' for weeks and weeks it really does feel even better since this morning. I LOVE our local orthopaedic hospital!!

Just for fun........

Noah + ice cream + grubby vest = very happy boy

Halloweening

Days by the Seaside

We're spending the week at Grandma and Granda's house in Southsea, with the added bonus of James, Harv's nephew staying too....... the poor chap has bruises from Noah's overenthusiastic and sometimes poorly timed play fighting, (which I think I might've exacerbated by providing a pirate dressing up costume, complete with sword.........)
Yesterday we went out for lunch at the Tenth Hole, pedalled a pedalo swan on Canoe lake, played on the beach, climbed trees, and visited the park.
Noah's dresscode at the moment is stereotypically toddler - he wants to wear his vests ALL the time until they are filthy, a la Bruce Willis in Die Hard. He doesn't want to wear ANYTHING else on his top half - once favoured t-shirts are spurned and offers of jumpers and sweatshirts are spurned with ferocity. He does, thankfully, adore his 'Dragon Coat' - so there is one way to keep him warmish, at least.
Thom is very determinedly teaching himself to walk. He's been crawling since he was six months and started pulling himself up on the furniture a couple of weeks ago - where did my little baby go?? It is SO difficult to change his nappy at the moment! He falls over a lot more than I remember Eve and Noah doing. Eve and Noah were chasing each other around Rosemary's sitting room today and Thom was bouncing on his heels - he's so keen to join in - I was wondering whether it's a common feature of younger siblings but I'm sure a few friends have said their little ones were later crawling and walking, and put it down to their older brothers and sisters fetching everything for them.
Eve is loving being here - she'd potter around on the beach all day, every day, I think. She's fascinated - at home she exclaims about 'cute little baby slugs and worms' - and here she's embracing armfuls of seaweed, collecting pocketfuls of shells and happily paddling in the sea.

Autumn mornings

Harv hates the cold and wet but I LOVE this time of year - maybe because I was born in it? I even like the darker mornings. Eve spotted this beautiful cobweb as we were about to set off to Lisa's the other morning so we HAD to take a picture - you can just see Eve in the mirror behind it.

I've been making.....

Piccalilli for the Christmas hampers.
Thom's winter trousers which are my biggest project yet - I even learnt a new casting on method for them; a knitted lemon and tangerine for our little friend Elsa Mae; a hat, this time for Edie; and the barely started piece will be a hat for my friend's bump.
And an autumn hat for a little chap whose mummy I know from Eve's school.

My bargain yarns and my beginner's knitting

My lovely Thom in his jumper, hat and scarf - don't look too closely - slightly wonky in various places, but the overall effect is kind of engaging.....; my bargains - gorgeous yarns all for £9; I have even cleared a drawer to keep all my knitting things in - I LOVE finding / creating storage space; and what will become a hat for Kez's bump who is due on my birthday - it's very exciting knitting for someone who hasn't arrived yet - I like thinking lovely things for Kez and her birth and her baby as I'm knitting.