Read to your bunny often....

Greg brought home one of the red Biff and Chip books from school today, and he took it is his stride. How lovely to hear him confidently reading a story out loud - well done Greg!

And with Miranda starting to chirrup words, ....we seem to be making lots of progress at the moment.

Enemies at dawn, soul mates by dusk

We've had a heavy duty day in the garden, having removed the green house yesterday, and cutting some trees down today in an attempt to prune some of the old and unsuitable elements. So for sundown we went down to the beach for a blow, and this shows the boys as they usually are (not!) It would have been a perfect way to end the day, but the b**%dy chip shop was closed...

Up to mischief...

She often has that look when you make eye contact, ....ahh! yes I've just been caught again.. But now she's independent and mobile, she heads off looking for interesting things to do on her own. Two you can keep your eye on, but three is more of a challenge, especially if you want to take a few photos at the same time.

Self portrait with Mipp

Ok so it's a little late in the day, and I just remember that I've not posted! Well it was a lovely evening and Lewis and I had a bikeride out on the Forest, so now it's nearly time for bed!

A la recherche de temps perdu...

I've been re-cataloging the images on my computer, and found a lovely strip of negatives from what I recall was Juliet's birthday party in the early 70s. Doesn't Penyrallt look a bit different to nowadays!

Cousins and Crocks!

My Mum and Dad with a few of the cousins, taken on the weekend. This River was directly adjacent to Cantref Farm where we stayed at, and you can see a few of my photos of the river here http://flickr.com/photos/jonbrown/

Didn't get any photos of the kids today as we heard the hooting of horns coming from the waterside, and as we knew the Liberty of the Seas, which is the biggest cruise liner in the world was due to sail tonight, thought we'd better run for it! Probably would have been a good photo opportunity!

Keeping it in the family

No matter how much Caroline tries to get Miranda wearing dresses, she's resisting the social stereotyping by grazing her knees regularly and immersing herself in the serious business of Tonka toys and Hard Hats. One of her other amusing pastimes is wearing two old bike tyres around her like South African necklaces (or a Michelin man, I'm not quite sure which) but I have yet to get a decent picture of this....

Held in high esteem!

Here's one from the weekend which captures the flavour of the moment. Greg being elevated by Dylan, and loving every moment of it! The boys love having older cousins to lead them astray, and they are able to exploit the attention for all it's worth...

It's been a long time a comin'

We've had a top weekend in the Brecon Beacons with the extended Brown Clan, celebrating my Mum and Dad's 50th Wedding Anniversary. What an achievement and what a top weekend!

Gathered here are Gill and Julian, and from the left.... Tony, Dylan and Joanna, Elsbeth, Christabel, Francis, Juliet, Rena, Lewis, Miles, Miranda and Caroline, Jeremy (my Mum's brother) Christian, Nich, Alison and Otto (hidden behind Gran), Gregory at front and George, Roma and myself at RHS...

It's a gooooooal!

Greg having a big hair moment as he blasts a shot off! It's been a fabulous day again here in the sunny South, so any excuse to show off the sunshine as it glints in his hair.... Miranda is getting much better with her ball control skills too, we sat down on the Pergola tonight and threw it around in a circle for at ten minutes - a new world record!

One that got away!

This little gem from a visit to Hurst Castle some weeks ago now - she was playing peekaboo through a vision panel in the six foot thick walls of a turret. Needless to say no photos were taken today, which is just as well as this one would not have seen the light of day!

The Juggler

I've been out all day and got in late so here's one from last week. Greg practicing ball skills for a change!

Lego City

Lewis has been busy creating Lego City in his bedroom - this means making as many vehicles and garages as possible, without ever taking one to pieces! And as I demolish them they reappear faster than the last time...

One of those moments!

Rarely does one have a camera to hand when one needs it! This one I had to recreate, although it's not quite as I saw it the first time around!

Today it's been a fantastic day, sunshine and a gentle breeze, so we had a bike ride in the Forest and then a few drinks in the garden....that's it!

Have you got my best side?

If I was to choose a favourite photo of my clan I might possibly choose one of these images. I have many like this, taken as we walk through the woods - we don't get out every day but most days I tell myself how lucky we are to live somewhere like this. So this is a view that means a lot to me - peace, tranquility and togetherness - it's DIY I'm putting off until I retire!

Straight as line...

One day he might be kicking for Wales or Southampton or just for himself.... Who knows...., but to witness the precision and single minded determination that typifies Greg with a ball, is to believe the impossible dream. Game on!

Tiger!

Here he is basking in the sunshine after eating his tea. He was waiting for me to appear so that he could get out on his bike. Fortunately I managed to get a quick few shots before he was on his way to get his helmet. I think this is one of my favourite shots of the kids I've taken recently, just the right balance of candid and engagement going on here!

Having a Ball!

Miranda has gone from hardly being able to pick up a ball, to throwing it to me over the last few weeks. What a difference a warm and light evening makes to rounding off the day. As I bash in my log, she is howling in her bed but hopefully the light is at the end of the tunnel.....

Tonight she is tired, but she's in a routine of howling at bedtime instead of sleepytime.

Raw energy

There are moments when you can catch Greg's furious energy, and he almost looks like another person. What exactly he was doing here I cannot recall, no doubt he was playing up to me and my camera, but just witness that exuberance!

Easter Monday

Easter is now gone, but we've had a nice weekend at home. Today we spent the day in the garden mostly, having been awoken at the ungodly time of 4.45am by Miranda, here she is closer to 4.45pm and looking rather good on it.

We spent the day attending to garden chores and maintenance type jobs, but although the kids moan a lot we feel like we've made some progress. Highlight of the day was the construction of a new barbeque followed by lunch 'al fresco' at Smokey Joe's Cafe.

Fun and Games!

Mrs Mippy trying her hand at Greg's new game of Ludo. It would appear that she already knows the rules, but don't be fooled by that authoritarian bluff... Now if she was playing battleships... there's a thought!

It's a goal...

Greg has a sense of rhythm like no other. He kicks and throws that ball just where it needs to go. Today he was drop kicking the ball to me and every time it arrived into my hands at quite a distance, which is not bad for a four year old.

On the road again!

We've had a bike ride in the forest again today as it's been gorgeous down here. The sun shining and the wind blowing through the trees! It's barely April but we have nice suntans and tonight we shall go to bed tired and satisfied.... Greg is on his big bike now (Lewis' old one) and today he managed a good ride with no complaints - we even came home to a big game of football!

The going is good...

It was a fabulous day today so we decided to go for a walk as the kids are on holiday. Mrs Mippy wasn't too keen on the captivity of the carrier, so we let her loose on her own. She soon discovered that off roading is a bit more difficult than the pavement! We walked from Cadman's Pool over to Fritham via Slodden and Amberwood Enclosures. The food at the Royal Oak was as always good, and we had a few pints of Archers Beer before walking back.

Pop, Snackle and Crack

Mrs Mippy chasing us with a sea shell from the garden, as Greg and I play football. She looks a bit like a ballerina here (albeit she's wearing a Terry Nappy) despite her rather chubby little legs. Her poor little knees are a bit grazed at the moment as Mummy insists on dressing her in a skirt, but at least her legs are getting a bit of a tan!

Action Man

Greg letting off a little steam with one of his Star Jumps! I was looking for a picture to load, as I've been away over the weekend and out in a meeting all day today, so no new photos to hand... choose that one Dad, it's me doing a Star Jump - "Yes Greg I know I took the photo ...remember!"