Frances and Katy...

Well, my baby sister Katy has arrived - and in her honour we are creating a new blog. So to follow us in all our doings, please see http://www.francesandkaty.blogspot.com/

It's September!! (aka waiting for baby)

Now, Mummy and Daddy have been telling me for ages that the baby would be coming 'in September'. So when the calendar got changed over to September I was very excited and went around clapping my hands and saying 'It's Septembah!' in a most excitable way. Mummy and Daddy had to do some hasty retrenchment and say it wasn't coming til the end of September and also it might even be October if it was late. Mummy tried to explain that babies didn't really do timetables but I was sceptical.

Anyway, the parents have been compensating (and perhaps just trying to enjoy themselves) by taking me on lots of jolly outings before the baby comes. Before Mummy stopped work, Daddy took me to the Natural History Museum, where I was ecstatically happy because 'Tyrannosaurus not broken any more!'. I explored things with great gusto and also enjoyed the Darwin centre bit with the screens and butterflies. It was great. I have also been expressing interest in Egyptian Mummies (courtesy of Harry and the Dinosaurs Go To The Museum) so Daddy took me to the British Museum. Mummy was frankly a bit sceptical about how suitable this would be for those who are 2, but she was completely wrong and I loved it and want to go back. I kept saying I was scared of things but it didn't stop me wanting to go and see them again and again and I was VERY excited afterwards.

Daddy also took me to a few meetings he had - including one where we stumbled across some very strange giant rabbits:

The city farm continues to be a popular trip: 

 And we have also done a lot of rather stylish baking:

One of the most exciting things we did was to go to the O2 centre to see In The Night Garden. I was absolutely thrilled by this - the whole experience was brilliant. I even touched the Haa-Hoos (sp?)

Once Mummy was on maternity leave we did more outings all together. We went to the London Eye, which I thought was very good - and we went on a boat to get there as well. 

We also went to the Science Museum, which was brilliant, but Mummy and Daddy didn't take any pictures. Other than that, there's been a lot of quality time in parks. Mummy is finding my climbing quite terrifying now - this is how high I can get, all by myself. I can't get down though, and have to be rescued - on this occasion Mummy was a bit alarmed that I might go higher than a nine-months-pregnant person could reach to retrieve me...

 I also enjoyed some excellent swinging with Daddy on the Big Swing.

In other news, Mummy and Daddy have started taking me to a very superior music group called Colourstrings. It is meant to develop my musicianship, apparently, but I like it because there are drums and we do dancing. I was also very struck by the fact that (unlike most other toddler music groups) there are times when we have to be 'vey vey quiet'. Daddy likes this aspect a lot.

I continue to enjoy swimming very much indeed. It is even better now that I have discovered that afterwards I can watch Toddler Soccer, and then hide in the very green lockers and pop out shouting 'peekaboo!':

Summer fun (involving a lot of water)

 

Over the summer we've had lots of outdoor fun at various points, which I wanted to record. I've played a great deal in my paddling pool, for instance, both full of balls, and full of water. I've also spent a lot of time in the park - both climbing things (see above) and investigating the smell of lavender, and the fact that it attracts bees.

I've also enjoyed Mile End Children's Park very much indeed:

Some strange bunch of people also painted a series of blue lines in Stroudley Walk (art, allegedly....), which are marvellous for playing STOP, WAAAAAIT, GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (a game entirely of my own invention).

I've had a nice time in the garden with Graham and Mette, including conducting Graham while he played his guitar, and having stories read to me by Mette.

We've also done really quite a lot of eating outside. I am very keen on this and was often to be heard coming down at breakfast time saying enthusiastically 'yummies outside!' and having to be dissauded because (for example) it was hosing down with rain. Which is not to say that getting wet has ever been a problem for me, but the parents seem to take a different view.

I'm becoming a very useful gardener, and am particularly good at watering things (especially when it doesn't matter all that much what is watered). I don't consider it done properly unless I am thoroughly wet at the end of it, though.

Rounding off our outdoor fun, we spent the bank holiday weekend down in Somerset with Rachael, Rupert, Matthew, Stephen, Susie, Helen, Barney, Hannah and Sophie. This was fantastic. I really enjoyed being the smallest of 7 children. We played in the garden a lot, and did an obstacle race (which, because of Charlie and Lola, I was very excited about and called an Octopus race). We played a lot of hide-and-seek, and as I will tell anyone who will listen innumerable times, we found a spider in the bathroom! We also played sardines and all hid in the shower which was hilarious.

The weather was kind and we got out the slip-n-slide and also played with the squirty floppy flower. And, as if that wasn't enough, we also made cakes and biscuits. It was truly marvellous and I was sad when everyone had to go home, and asked after them a lot.

The weekend was also notable because Mummy was having some funny feelings in her tummy which made her think the baby might come, so she and Daddy got rather agitated, especially on the Monday after we got home. But it was all a false alarm (although it did mean they got on with packing some bags and things that they hadn't really done).

Weekend in Cambridge

The next weekend, we went to Cambridge and stayed with Andrew and Victoria and Charlotte and Elizabeth. It was excellent. We all played really quite nicely together, on the whole. On the Saturday, we went to a farm with a Maize Maze - which in fact we ignored completely because there were so many other good things - bouncy castles, and trampolines, and a massive inflatable slide, and a ride round the farm being pulled by a tractor. I sat next to Ellen and held her hand which was great. 

Daddy and Owen got quite competitive on the go-karts. I have to admit that Owen was faster than my Daddy but we had lots of fun anyway.  

Then on Sunday we went to the park with Charlotte and Elizabeth, which was also really good fun.

I really like Andrew, Victoria, Charlotte, Elizabeth, Clare, Owen, Ellen and Catrin and after we got home I kept asking after all of them and checking when we could see them again.

Out to lunch, and a lovely wedding

The next excitement after coming back from France was going to lunch with Ben, Susan, Josh and Hannah. I had a completely brilliant time. Josh and Hannah lifted me up and and down onto the sofa, and Josh showed me games on his iPod Touch, and we played with coasters, and then we had lunch, and then I had a nap in Josh's bed, and afterwards we played in the garden - where there is a fountain! It was completely brilliant. They even gave me a special duck to take home. It has a slot it in and Daddy says it is a piggy bank. I looked sceptical about this, as it is clearly a duck, but happily accepted some money to put in it and now tend to hoover up any loose change left lying around with cries of 'money for your duck!'.

The next Friday was Duncan and Charlie's wedding. I am pretty au fait with what a wedding is due to looking at Mummy and Daddy's wedding pictures a lot. Weddings involve a lady wearing a big white dress. There is also singing, and some talking. Mummy was keen to emphasise that some of the talking is just for certain people to do, and required quiet.

I wore a Very Nice Dress that Petra gave me and I was really very good in the churchy part. I liked the singing a lot and sat on Daddy's knee, and sometimes stood up on the chair when everyone else did. I was a bit confused about whether Charlie was at all similar to Charlie in Charlie and Lola but I did agree that she looked very nice in her big white dress. After the service I stomped round the church with Daddy and made him read me hundreds of Sunday School books which he found a severe trial.

Then we went to another place for the party bit of the wedding. There were quite a lot of other children and we ran round and round and round. It was raining very hard and periodically I climbed on the windowsill for a look. There were many cocktail sausages which I was very positive about. Then we had some lunch and after that Daddy took me to Charlie and Duncan's house for a sleep and I very obligingly went to sleep on the sofa. When I woke up Daddy had changed into Mummy and we went back to the party. I rampaged around with the other children. Someone (not me, honest) took a tablecloth off one of the tables and I spent a very long time with it wrapped around me being a dress, and then lying down under the buffet tables pretending the tablecloth was a sheet, playing 'going to bed'. I also played various games with the other children involving dragging the sheet round and round and round. It was great. I was hugely over-excited. After that we went to a pub and Mummy and Daddy got me some supper and then I was rather tired so they put me in the car to take me home. Altogether, I enjoyed it very much.

In other news I am getting quite keen on using personal pronouns, although I always refer to myself as 'you'. This occasionally leads to slightly whimsical sentences (you sit on Mummy's lap?). Granny Mary always pretends not to understand, with the result that I am getting a bit better at saying 'me' when I am with her...

France

Daddy went off to France on the Tuesday after Lizzy's party, and Mummy and I flew out on the Friday. Granny Mary came to stay, and took us to the airport early in the morning. I was very, very, very good, although I was a little bit scared on the aeroplane (which was a teeny tiny plane, as we were flying from London City Airport). I can say 'London City Airport' and also 'Nantes Airport' and I knew Daddy would be there when we got there and he was and I ran to him shouting 'Runnin to Daddy! Runnin to Daddy!' which pleased the passers-by no end. And Daddy, of course.

Daddy drove us to a place called 'De Opera' - it was a long way but Mummy and Daddy had got me some stories to have on CD in the hire car. I thought this was fantastic and became quite seriously addicted, especially to Charlie and Lola and Thomas the Tank Engine (with terrible songs) and Jack and the Beanstalk read by Lenny Henry. Paddington is good too but quite hard work and I can't always concentrate hard enough.

When we got to the Opera there were a LOT of people. We had lunch. It was Cheese Pie which I wasn't very impressed with but Mummy and Daddy were reasonable about that, as many of the adults seemed to agree with my assessment. I had brie instead, in enormous lumps. There seemed to be a lot of worrying and running to and fro going on. I also managed to push my chair away from the table so that it fell down with a massive crash, and I landed on gravel and metal chair. That certainly drew attention. I was shocked and upset but otherwise absolutely fine, although Mummy got a bit tired with people asking if I was drowsy, since it was time for my nap, so I was definitely drowsy but it was rather hard to say if it was significant or not...

Anyway, we stayed the night at the Opera and Mummy and Daddy were a bit astonished to find that I appeared to remember the room from the previous year ('Cessie sleep in dere' - pointing). After breakfast we drove off to find the Manoir (which I pronounce Man-wire) where we were going to stay.

The Manoir was pretty good.

There was a pool, a climbing frame with an enormous sandpit, a go-kart, many balls, and quite a lot of animals - donkeys, sheep, a goat, dogs, ponies, and a cat. Not that long after we got there, Sophie and Richard and Lucie and Oscar arrived. Lucie is a Big Girl who is Three. I think she is fantastic. She mainly speaks French but she understands English so we communicate pretty well really. Oscar is a Little Tiny Baby. I was quite keen on him too.

Later in the evening Stephen and Natasha came. They are very nice too and I remembered them. And the next day, Sarah and Olly and Max and Felix arrived - so we had our whole party complete.

We did lots of Very Nice Things. We spent quite a lot of time eating outside, which was good apart from the wasps ("Go away wasp!" I said, very sternly and very frequently).

We also spent quite a lot of time playing at the Manoir, with a paddling pool, and in the big pool. I decided to be frightened of swimming in the early part of the week and spent a lot of time running around the edge (and being told not to) and also being very jealous if other children played with my many inflatables. However in general it was nevertheless a joyous experience, and by the end of the first week I had forgotten about being frightened and was enjoying playing 'Humpty Dumpty' and 'The Grand Old Duke Of York' and saying 'swimmin on yer own' with great satisfaction if only limited accuracy. Actually, with my rubber ring on I can swim on my own, but I am not utterly convinced quite yet.

The parents decided Lucie and I would share a room, which I was very excited about. Lucie was fine about it too, until she had to put up with my extended lunchtime nap singathons... Still, after a few days we figured it out - Lucie said 'Tais-toi' and 'C'est ne pas droll' quite sternly and then eventually resorted to 'Frances, time for sleeping'. I responded 'Would you like de light off?' (Lucie has a reading light, and I quite often ask the question I would like to be asked, if you see what I mean) and Lucie said 'Ca va', and all was well.

We all spent a lot of time on the climibing frame/sandpit as well, which was excellent. There were diggers and spades and many excellent things. The owners of the Manoir were lovely too. They let us ride their donkeys. I got very scared and didn't stay on long enough for Mummy to take a picture but Max and Felix and Lucy had nice rides and I watched and was pleased for them:

I said to Mummy that I would like to try it again another day when I am bigger.

I continue to think Lucie is pretty excellent: 

I also enjoyed playing with Max and Felix. We went into Bauge to meet Granny Jenny and Colin and beforehand we all ran round and round and round and round until we were exhausted: 

Another day, we went into La Fleche and went to the market; and afterwards we went to the zoo. Granny Jenny and Colin came too. It was brilliant. There were gibbons, who did swinging. There was also a sea-lion show which I found completely gripping. There was no way in the world I was having a nap, so I was a bit starey by the end of the day (although there wasn't a major meltdown which Mummy was quite impressed by, really). 

There was also a polar bear who did swimming underwater. Even the grown-ups thought this was pretty excellent. Nowadays if someone swims underwater (or if I try it myself) I say 'You swimmin like a polar bear!'

The zoo also provided further opportunities for admiring Baby Oscar:

I also continued to be very fond of Lucie. We made finger-puppets together from a set that Alastair gave me for my birthday, and I also liked being read stories with her.

Towards the end of the first week we saw a bit more of Daddy. He kept popping in whenever he could but he was working at lot. We went to see him do some conducting, and watch the opera. It was really good and I sat very still and quiet just like Mummy wanted, but I found it a bit intense.

Frankly, I preferred it when Daddy came to the Manoir and flung me around in the pool.

I also enjoyed our day on the 'beach' at La Fleche. The lake and the beach are both artificial but that doesn't matter. It still allowed some very good sandcastle-building - you can't see it in this picture, but Mummy and Daddy and Uncle James built a castle with a marble-run down the outside - apparantly Grandad Frank used to do this for Mummy and Uncle John and so Mummy has to do it at every opportunity. I think it's pretty good although I don't always put the marbles on quite gently enough to avoid major avalanche...

I also enjoyed stomping through the water. Mummy thinks Daddy and I may be related...

Daddy also proved to be an excellent story-reader to multiple persons. I rather like being on one knee while someone else is on the other, it turns out.

Stephen and Natasha said 'goodbye' on the Thursday and we were very sad to see them go. Then, on Saturday morning, everyone else said 'goodbye' too. Mummy and Daddy moved all out stuff from the Manoir to the Cottage, where we were staying an extra week. Then we went to Villandry, which is a big Chateau - and there were Sarah, Olly, Max, Felix, Sophie, Richard, Lucie, Oscar, and even Granny Jenny and Colin! This was most exciting. The Chateau was quite nice too.

I ate a truly enormous sandwich and then an ice-cream. I asked for vanilla, but when I saw Mummy's raspberry cone it was so clearly superior that I asked if we could swap. Mummy's such a sucker.

After that, we went round the gardens and the house. I liked the fountains best. There were a lot.

I also liked the gravel. There was a lot of that too. I said 'Yer picking up stones!' and put them in my pockets until my trousers fell down with the weight. 

After that I took the camera off Mummy and took a surprisingly competent picture of Colin. Technology - there's nothing to it.

The second week was a bit quieter than the first (and I was a bit sad that the other children weren't around) but on the other hand we saw a lot more of Daddy. I also enjoyed some playing on my own - Mummy and Daddy are both big fans of the fact that I will just potter about on my own for ages. It helped that the owners had found a particularly brilliant play kitchen for me - I really like play kitchens.

Because Daddy missed out on the zoo the first time round, we went again - and we took Uncle James and Granny Mary, too. I saw the sea-lion show again and it was still excellent. James and I fed the goats, who were a bit naughty - they kept jumping over their fence and chasing us for the food. 

Daddy and I had a bit of a contretemps about the total time it is appropriate to spend on a bouncy castle, and also about what a suitable course of action is when asked to get off; but other than that it was a brilliant day again.

On the Wednesday of the second week we went into Angers and met up with Sophie and Richard and Lucie and Oscar again. We had the most fantastic meal and then I went on the carousel, on a swan. I had a ticket, which excited me possibly more than the ride itself.

Then Lucie and I played in the park together for ages with the Daddies while Mummy and Sophie did a bit of shopping. When Mummy came back she had bought me a Real Necklace a bit like ones she and Granny Jenny have. I was very pleased with it, but also rather tired (and very resistant to sleeping on the way back to the Cottage).

Other features of the second week included lots of nice time with Granny Jenny and Colin and Granny Mary. Granny Mary came and looked after me one night so that Mummy could go to the opera, and I had a very nice time (and Granny says I was good, too). I went to see Granny Mary in her flat and they also came to the Manoir to see us, and we went to the market and the beach at La Fleche again as well. We also had nice meals out:

And nice meals at the cottage, outside: 

And made sure we made the most of the pool and the sandpit before we had to go: 

When it was time to go, Mummy and Daddy and I packed up all our things (I was really helpful) and we drove back to Nantes. We stayed one night in the Nantes Airport Hotel to avoid a very very early start - this was fine except that Mummy sat on my camp-bed and went right through it! She and Daddy hurriedly put it back together and reassured me that this wouldn't happen to me, as I am not 33, and nor am I 7 and a half months pregnant. Luckily for them I took this reassurance as gospel and went happily to sleep. We flew back without incident and I proudly declared 'You not scared of de aeroplane dis time!'.

I have insisted that Mummy finish this post with an important picture of me eating a rake. This is because every time I see it, I fall about laughing and say 'You eatin a rake! Dat's funny!' and then giggle some more.