Nick does Springwatch

Here are some naturish shots from our week in Southwold.  This may bore you. Tough titties.

Flowers from the charming alleyway behind James' cottage (note the careful phrasing there!):

And from Minsmere, RSPB Reserve:

Avocets, not just a missile

A large billed something

A Little Egret

A Stealth Bomber

A Damselfly (note wings sit parallel with body, Dragonfly's stick out)

Southwold

Not as grey as it looks

We have recently returned from a great week in Southwold.  It was the first full week I have had with the family since my paternity leave so I had a brilliant time just relaxing, playing and eating.  We didn’t really do a whole lot, though we did visit Minsmere RSPB reserve and take a walk down to Dunwich.  I even only went for two runs – very poor form.  We did ensure that Adnams brewery will be well in profit this year though, through rather generous alcohol consumption.  I also got quite into the World Cup and got away with watching a fair amount.

Willow seemed to enjoy the holiday, as much as a baby can, and was a charm as usual, though one does have to keep an eye on her now she is on the move. She only fell off the bed once.  I think the change of scenery put her off her food a bit but she seems to be back on it now we are home. 

Southwold is a lovely little town – it is very ‘nice’ and seems quite unspoilt given its reliance on tourism.  We’ll certainly be going back.  A massive thank you to James for letting us use his house there; Puffin Cottage. 

This is now cool

A large percentage of time was spent doing this

'Mummy, I am telling you, that was a Flamingo!'

Mummy signs 'Duck'

On our way to Dunwich

There is nothing like a faceplant to wake you up in the morning

I have a tendency to roll out of bed and onto my bike in the mornings – I am rarely full awake when I set off.  I grant you, that has changed somewhat since the LadyBabe’s arrival and her beaming smile does make me feel a bit more alive when I finally drag myself out of bed. But regardless, I am still not overly with it.  So it came as a bit of a shock when I found myself face down in the dirt at about 0804hrs this morning.

I cycle out to the road from the back of the house via the small woods, it must only be 200 yards.  I often have to stop and clear the crap out of my mudguards once I hit the road though, and have snapped a mudguard before when a twig lept up into it – the trials of wearing road mudguards off road, tiny clearances you see.  But today it must have been more log than twig.  I didn’t even have time to put my arms out (probably a good thing too, or hello broken collar bones) as my front wheel locked and I took flight.

I lay in a daze for a few minutes musing on the fact I was about ten feet from the road but all but invisible to passersby, before dragging my sorry ass up, checking for damage to the bike (amazingly no broken spokes despite the mudguard being wrapped round them) and checking my facial wounds (unimpressive despite the pain).  My helmet vents were packed with mud and when I cleared them I saw the cracks. 

This is the second helmet I have written off, escaping with little or no injury both times.  He says, as the whiplash begins to set in...

So, in short, always wear a helmet.

On the plus side, I can now replace my embarrassing Livestrong branded helmet.

Kids in the Garden

The title says it all, but it was very nice to see the garden so busy:

Mimi, Wills, Lani and Willow