Tarzan goes back to school

Greg was telling me at bedtime how excited he was about his school trip to Jones Lane Park tomorrow. They are going to be exploring man made and natural materials, in a very hands on manner by all accounts!

You can't stop him talking about things that happen in school at the moment, he's like a sponge....

Rocky ridge

I found this still on the mantle piece tonight and thought it should go on the blog for posterity. It was Lewis' Fathers Day card which transported me nicely out onto the trail head....

Some nice details for the trained eye: Continental Vapour tyres (with the orange flash), long valve inner tubes, SPD pedals and my beloved PACE forks!

Me and Mrs Mippy

Tonight I had Mippy all to myself, as CJ was out at a School Governor's meeting, whilst the boys were at a Disco. We had fun playing with her salt dough pastries, which I had to eat with my cup of tea. Then we did shopping lists which she 'spoke out loud' whilst she wrote imaginary squiggles.

"Dad you're really mad, you are!"

"Yes, Miranda..."

A good Pasting

This one's from yesterday in the spirit of high jinks... She manhandles the boys tirelessly and they both love being taken advantage of!

What's on the box!

Just got in after a tiring day walking the coastal path near Swanage. We managed about nine miles or so, and there was an awful lot of ups and downs along the way.

We had lunch up on the hill overlooking Dancing Ledge, with a huge view of the twinkling water all around us. As Lewis said "This is the best picnic I've ever had!"

By the end of the day we were back in Swanage for beer and chippies at our regular haunt, although we still had another mile or so to walk back to the car...

The amount of wildlife we've seen has been amazing; wild flowers, birds all manner of insects.

Smokin'...

It's been another scorcher today. We've made the most of it by kayaking this morning in the saltgrass at Calshot. It was like a mill pond with birds everywhere, lots of Curlew, Whimbrel, Shellduck, Oystercatchers and Black Headed Gulls. Lewis spotted a Kestrel too which made him happy.

This afternoon Lewis Greg and I went for a bike ride on the trail around Beaulieu and over towards Denny Wood.

Supper in the garden was a barbeque of Kofte, Peppers, Mushroom, Potatoes, Sausages and Haloumi Cheese washed down with Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc - all very nice.

Overdosed on Bobby Womack today :: Communication, Pieces, Home is where the Heart is, and The Poet all in one day....

Summertime and the living is eeeeeezzzzzzzy!

I'm loading this one for a bit of fun as hopefully we'll be going camping soon..... and my Mum who is the eternal optimist, was concerned that we'd 'over do' the loading of the old jalopy!

If only she knew that I had plans to get two kayaks on there and Mippy's bike with stabilisers as well....

R O C K and R O L L!

Tonight I'm listening to Robert Johnson recorded in 1927

The kindness of strangers...

This letter came in the post yesterday for Lewis, needless to say he was very flattered...

Butter wouldn't melt...

Also taken on Sunday morning as she pretended to look out of the bedroom window whilst I took a few portraits. It's a very self confident look she gives off, but nowhere near as natural as Greg's smile.

Greg and Lewis have been competing in Sports Week at school, and both were pleased with their performance in the running. Greg especially so with his first place...

Outback

Lewis has been out to a series of concerts at the Anvil in Basingstoke today with school. Tonight he said to us at dinner time "Do you mind if I go and look up a bird I saw when we were travelling through Michedever Forest"

There's not much I enjoy more than a walk across the forest or plains of the New Forest, and it's great when you get to realise that the things that matter to you, matter to other people too....

Photo credit to Caroline ....phew err!

Picnic table

Not my favourite car, but it's a good record of Lewis' ongoing interest in drawing vehicles in three dimensions!

Look me in the eyes ....

She's as wriggly as a barrel of monkeys, and as unpredictable as a grasshopper on a chilly pepper. But this morning whilst breakfast was being prepared I suggested taking a few photos, and Miranda said that would be fun. The only problem was a fake smile that I could not shift, and then the sun came out and for a few minutes I worked her magic...

Jumping for Joy

When we got home from our bike ride this morning there was a message for Lewis from someone who had read about his sponsored bike ride, and wanted to contribute some money. They had tracked him down via the newspaper newsdesk.

It's been a lovely sunny day here, the heather is coming out in the forest and all the greens are still nice and bright. It was a bit muggy for cycling though, and we were all short of breath.

Windswept

Just found this one of Miranda in my 'ready to go' folder, from a little while ago. It was taken at Swannage I think, and judging by the coat on a considerably cooler day than today. It's been something of a scorcher today, although we did have a bit of rain this morning too.

Kung Fu Panda

This one entirely for Gregory's amusement, as I was in London today looking at a project on Piccadilly Circus at the former Tower Records/Zavvi site and came face to face with this charming character. So I practiced my Kung Fu skills on him, and lived to tell the tale.....

Father's Day

OK, so I was unaware of the coincidence but it was a good excuse. Sunday was a trip down the Solent with the wind in my sails. Ian and I had lunch in the calm of Alum Bay with a spectacular view if the coloured sands on one side and the Needles on the other.

Bliss, almost.... but now it's all downhill until mid winter.

It's Daddy!

A portrait of His Nibs by Miranda with a Space Hopper. It was on my Father's Day Card which I received early as I'm off sailing early in the morning!

Ready, steady ...Go!

As I arrived home with the bike on the roof of the car, Lewis shot out and said he could tell I'd had new tyres from inside the house.... "and you've got me some new patches for my punctures - great we can go for a ride on Saturday then!"

It's a real achievement for me to remember to organise certain things like repairs on the bikes, before the next weekend falls into place. But for Lewis, it's at the fore front of his thoughts.

If this weekend goes to plan we should even get some sailing in too.

The oldest Swinger

You can really feel the energy in this picture as they all push themselves forwards (or is it backwards). Miranda of course still fairly immobile on a swing, but she tries her best to push the pace! Makes you think about all the G-Forces on the swing when you see a picture like this.

Blue Mipday

I've been thinking about doing some cyanotypes recently as the days get longer and the sun brighter. I've even found some recipes for toning the little blighters. I've also found a few useful video tutorials on the web, so now I don't have any excuses. Watch this space!

Kidstuff

We went for a walk in the woods on the weekend to wing on the Tarzan rope. Miranda insisted on bringing her buggy which made progress very slow, but the boys quickly took control by carrying it up the hills, and then racing back down again so they didn't get bored. This reminded me of some of the fun we used to have as kids racing my brother Chris' go cart at Penyrallt.