tira

Janu's lovely mate Tira. I happened to meet Tira when she was just a few days old, and then properly when both were around 4mths old.  She lives just down the road and joins us at the allotment/community garden, comes to playgroup with us and generally rubs along with Janu. She is like a spark of fire, compared to Janu's slow & steady.

up

Velwell

  Visiting biodynamic farms just down the road, organised by our friend Minni (pictured introducing the day). 

D& J

Final leg on our whirlwind road trip, a night with Adrian's Uncle David (Tippy's brother) in Stroud, Glos.

checkmate

Janu makes friends with a little girl at a pub, teaching each other some moves.

fishing

"I Love You thiiiiiiis much!"Lately he's been taking to pressing his hands together and saying 'nuffing' and cackling wildly! Or holding this just a few inches apart and saying sagely, 'that's enough'.

chocolate button mtn

as in, the bribe we offered to get Janu to walk even a few steps up the mountain. it didn't work. Look at his expression, and his very still stance (he seriously didn't walk a single step).  And then when the choc comes out... smile! I know, I know we shouldn't reward recalcitrant behaviour (or poor spelling) but he does a fine line in whinging. As I recall, I was whinging too because Adrian wanted to take a 'shortcut' home. Which I was very dubious of. It took us RIGHT back to the farmhouse where we started. So Annoying.  

run!

Janu has experienced some scary swans in his short life, so we had to make a run from these confident geese. (How can birds get the better of us so easily?!) This is one of the many lakes in the Lake District - absolutely stunning (even in the sub zero temperatures - have I mentioned it was cold?).   

aaawk

we had a stale loaf of bread in the car with us, and would screech to a halt when we saw birds in a cluster to feed.  Mr Water is not deterred by sub zero temperatures. 

Helmsley

Just outside York was this wee town, Helmsley. I think it was -3 outside.

mathy

We met up with our friend from Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Mathy is living in Oxford (a welcome respite from a few years in London). We caught up and hopefully he and wife Ranjani can come stay with us in the summer for a visit. 

NRM

this national railway museum (NRM to locals!) was possibly the highlight of the trip! Why are trains exciting? Am I being infected by a 3 yr old? It was absolutely enormous - we saw about 1/3 of it in a couple of hours. trains, reconstruction, demonstrations, mini trains, all the funky signage from old days...

york

Getting back to our holiday - a sunny day in York.  a client I used to work with (with mental health and drug issues) used to talk every day about York, so it was interesting to be there finally. I felt like I was looking at it through her eyes, living her dream.  We lived our own dream though, visiting a viking museum, climbing city walls, art gallery scoops, exploring cobbles, finding an artisan baker and street markets. scouring charity shops for more scraps for bunting - some lovely green linen given in the oxfam shop!

aminals

forgive my detour back to Tolchers, but just to let you know granny, that your xmas pressies of all the sea creatures is still a hot favourite. here janu is playing with them in the sink. he also asked for them yesterday playing in his paddling pool in the yard (yes, summer is here!)

 from this sink vantage point, he also washes his hands and face each night, and his small white teeth.

N-upon-T

this is where janu was directing us - newcastle upon tyne! what a place! janu absolutely loves cities - he says he wants to be a 'traffic man' when he grows up. we think he means the people that give tickets to parked cars - an admirable occupation if there ever was! We had a great time in various big smokes - coffees on top floor art gallery cafes, street markets, industrial scapes, brilliant bridges and buses and bustle. felt like country mouse goes to the city.