"I just can't believe I am real. It's amazing. And how people build stuff. And how you get no roof on a car. And how plants grow and how lovely they look. And how high the trees grow. And how amazing that they make buses and things to travel with. Fences. How they make cocoons. How wind is strong. And roots are strong. And lots of stuff. And how cows are made and things.
And the earth is amazing. And how did the earth get made. I think the earth was made by lots of stars and one star got bigger and bigger and bigger until it was the earth. And horses started to grow and other things.
When I first got DDU, the beloved campervan, I designed and converted it as a romantic wagon for two. Then with the advent of Emily I was forced to rethink both seating and sleeping arrangements and managed to squeeze her in a bed over the front seats. No more romantic wagon however as this only worked to a point, with her regularly jumping into bed with us during the night.
Now, the advent of Niomi has meant a further radical rethink, which broadly speaking means 'he that drives, cleans, maintains and loves the van the most' gets not to sleep in the van anymore (along with his wife). Yep, you guessed it. The kids get all the luxury and us old-timers get to sleep in a sleeping bag on a mat outside in the awning. Romantic wagon becomes romantic tent. That said we did opt for slight luxury versions of both and they are pretty comfortable, but even so - something doesn't seem right in all that. To add insult to injury they both seem to want to join us in the mornings as well so no-one is snoozing in the van by getting up time. Anyway, that's how our first campervan adventure as a foursome seemed to go, but despite all that it was a roaring success...
Always room for just one more
After Banchory we headed to Lunan Bay - a glorious 2-mile stretch of sandy beach in between Montrose and Arbroath. I'd found a lovely tiny shabby-chic campsite which was to be our home for a few nights. Given this was Niomi's first campervan experience we approached it with suitable intrepidation. But, true to form, Niomi seemed to take her first taste of life on the road easily in her stride. We all delighted in the fresh air and had great fun on the beach and dipping our toes in the frosty North Sea. We even popped in to see our friend Carol and her husband Mark, dogs Ghillie, Monty, Belle, Baxter and Chester, cats Max and Miles, numerous Belgian Booted Bantums and other hens, one Harris Hawk, and a variety of tropical fish. Plus one quite amazing garden to boot. It's quite a household. Massive thanks to them for hosting us for the day and for kindly donating some lovely plants for our garden.
One final note in all our adventures. If travelling with a 4 year old and 2 year old wasn't enough. We did the whole trip with Emily's 'not to be disturbed' butterfly chrysalises in tow. And whilst we were away they all hatched into 5 lovely Painted Lady butterflies (now released in our garden). Congratulations to Emily on her first pet success :-)!!
The last time I was in Banchory we were preparing for the arrival of Niomi. And as part of that preparation we made her a 'book'. The book contained lots of photos about us and what we were like, and I'll always remember the photo towards the end which was just after Emily climbed Scolty Hill for the first time (see post 'Banchory Firsts'). It was here we told Niomi that 'we like climbing hills and I'm sure you will too.' Brave words.
And so we thought it time to put that to the test. I've been to Banchory many times before, but never as a 'proper' holiday. And as Nana and Baba were away, we thought we'd take advantage of free accommodation and introduce Niomi to Banchory's delights. Well we've had a ball so far - it's brought back so many memories and created many new ones. The sun's shone nearly the whole time, apart from when I got the barbecue out. I've managed to indulge in the delight of photography, and what more beautiful subjects than my 3 lovely girls. And I think we can say that Niomi did enjoy her first hill climb/carry. She ate her way to the summit and answered positively to questioning about her enjoyment of the affair. That said, we were forced to beat a hasty exit from the top as the 'wilful one' neared her naptime.
Déjà vu...the terrible twos. We've definitely been here before
Seeing language develop in toddlers is an amazing, and sometimes very funny, experience. Toddlers are wondrously curious and beguiling. They’re also irrational and convinced of their own omnipotence. But you can’t blame them (and you certainly can’t reason with them), it’s just the stage they’re at. In this early stage of cognitive development, toddlers just think in fundamentally different ways from older children and adults. And if you can fundamentally get your head round that – then you’re half way home and dry in understanding a 2 year-old.
And so the same must be said for their sense of humour. Early on, babies respond to things that look or feel funny - a silly face or raspberries on the belly. But in the toddler years, kids understand more language and also have a good grasp on how the world is supposed to work - the right way to wear a pair of pants, for instance. So, if you put your pants on your head, you're likely to get an uproarious response. Pure slapstick. Anything that disrupts a pattern or expectation is funny to a toddler. Like the appearance of bird poo on your swing for instance.
Now, as adults, bird poo on the swing is pretty annoying - certainly not comical. You have to go clean it and dry it before any swinging can take place. But for a toddler, like Niomi for example, bird poo on your swing can be just downright hysterical, and so it goes on…
Videoclip: Comedy bird poo
Still as Niomi starts to develop language so the understanding between the 2 sisters starts to develop as well. They’ve been having some lovely moments recently, and can both be great fun to be around. Nana and Baba have also been visiting so they've had loads of attention. All in all the sun's been shining all over.
The wonderful Nana and Baba, daughter and granddaughters
It seems "April hath put the spirit of youth in everything" (William Shakespeare). So with the arrival of Easter and some better weather we've all been getting in the spirit of things. Grandma and Grandad arrived to enjoy themselves over the Easter break, with much tea and cake consumed. Emily and Niomi have been full of beans and are now pretty much living in the garden. And Mummy seems to be leaping about having come out of hibernation. All in all its feeling good for the soul.
Competitive poo sticks
Tearing about
Fairy racing
Still in love after nearly 62 years of marriage
Sometimes however everyone's soul gets tested. One of the good things about the blog is you can look back and read about all the trials and tribulations there are in bringing up kids. Obviously 99.9% (ish) of the time life is just a bundle of joy but sometimes the equilibrium gets upset. I'd forgotten just how important in a toddlers life 'Mummy' can be, and just how much a separation of more than 6 inches can cause distress. What's now amazing me is how much this can be echoed very quickly into a 4 year olds life.
Picture the scene. Lovely summers evening - patio doors open, sitting about to eat dinner al fresco. 2 year old decides she needs to sit on Mummy's lap. Parents enforce rule about no lap sitting until eating finished. This doesn't go down well and results in loud howling. Lap rule relaxed in order to ensure the neighbours can still enjoy the balmy evening air. Relaxation of lap rule causes major distress to 4 year old resulting in further howling due to the unfairness of it all. Dilemma as lap only easily seats one, and Daddy's lap is really not worthy of mention. Dilemma solved by 2 year old joining in the howling due to the fact that 4 year old is howling. Mummy and Daddy sit with head in hands - making mental notes to apologise to neighbours next time they see them. Beautiful al fresco dinner abandoned rapidly in an effort to restore calm.
Was this a new thing I thought? But then I looked back over the blog. This sort of thing happened back then apparently but my brain appears to have blacked it out in order to not put me off having more kids. I only remember the good times it seems. And besides, as I wrote back then, nothing is ever permanent.
Still these things don't last long...and 99.9% (ish) of the time we have lots of fun. The latest games are 'helping' me mow the grass...
It's spring and we're so lucky as the garden has been full of flowers for a few months already. When we moved here a couple of years ago we noticed that as spring progressed there were masses of spring bulbs that erupted as the year went on...and we've just added to that effect for a really, really colourful exit to winter and start to the gardening year. First came the snowdrops and crocuses, then the daffodils, muscari, scilla and tulips. We've a magnolia, cherry blossom, azaleas, rhododendrons, and many more, all just waiting to bring spring colours to lighten us up as we forget all about winter. I did a daffodil survey with Emily the other day, and we reckon there must be somewhere close to 1,000 daffodils with 15 different types in flower. It's quite a show...
First came the crocuses and snowdrops
Tiptoeing through the daffodils
Not to be outdone - DDU's being waiting patiently since Christmas for his floral facelift. And with the upturn in weather - his floralification is complete. Truly now he is a van of the 60's.
Flower Power 1
Flower Power 2
And with better weather comes better adventures. The Southern Rookes paid a visit (Niomi was quite taken by my brother), we've been to the seaside and the Gurney's in North Berwick, and to the farm near Stirling. More new experiences for the free spirited Niomi and more great family times for the memory banks. Now let's hope the weather just keeps getting warmer...
