Someone wanted to see the red geraniums...? (A)

The gap from where 2 of the plants were stolen.

My beautiful family (A)

These pix, actually taken by Paul L, a couple of Sundays ago, made me see (again) how lovely my family is - everyone there with Tom in regents park rose garden, and then on the way home, Stell asleep in the sling. I feel blessed, I am blessed, Thank God for my lovely wonderful people....I am enjoying them so.

Tonight Sally, who is staying in the basement, cooked us dinner and we ate on the terrace. The only thing to spoil my day was that someone nicked 2 of the 5 fantastically growing geraniums from our window boxes. I guess it is typical but i do feel sad. Shall i post a pic of them pre-theft??

Goodbye Shannon (A)

And thank you for all your hard work!!

Three monkeys (A)

Watching these monkeys was a reminder of primal parental protection - at one point the boys had gone under the bars toward the actual mesh cage....and the dad monkey (there was a new baby) came rushing toward them, jumped on the mesh and bared his teeth. it was terrifying...as he intended! Thank God the boys had backed off and were out of his reach...amazing huh

My primal parental protection kicked in at that point and i roundly scolded tom, who i felt was to blame for the boys being so close!



These penguins inhabit the 'members lawn' which we are fortunate enough to be able to use...i love the 3 boys standing there...and i only just caught seb before he raced off.

A local florist (A)

Walking home from the zoo we go past 'Flower station'. Lovely (big) collection of flowers here. In fact when the older 2 boys arrived home with tom they had brought me some home!



It was previously a petrol station. Residents live above it in that mansion block.

stella explains (A)

some of you say i am beautiful and gorgeous (thank you all)...but what you must realise is that i am more than my pretty face...i am learning all sorts of wonderful things:

Here i am staring at my own hands (! where do they come from? and why are they here?)

i have also learnt to suck my thumb...(ahh, maybe this is what they are for...)

...sometimes i get it wrong (ouch!)

...sometimes VERY wrong

....o no, mum, will they still think me beautiful now?? (yes, darling, all the more, for being so vulnerable and honest....and a good sport!)

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Sun 8th Aug - Holding Hands (A)

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

A few little stories (T)

1. Sebastian came up to our room last night at around midnight, and said "the dark is bothering me". I took him back and switched on his night-light, and he was content.

2. We've been playing a bit of backyard cricket. The rest of us (well, me and Eddie) deliver underarm lobs from a standing start, but Sebastian has taken to having this huge run-up, I guess having watched a bit of the cricket on TV with me.

3. Speaking of Cricket, Eddie and I have seen 4 Test playing nations at Lords in the last few weeks, as they hosted the Australia v Pakistan test, as well as England v Bangledesh. We go up on the bus after the tea break (after school) and it is cheap (he is free), and we walk home afterwards.

It has been a nice summer, but in case you have the idea this is any island paradise, it is raining pretty thoroughly today.

Monday, August 09, 2010

Great friends (A)

These two are great friends

Saturday, August 07, 2010

Euro Fighter Typhoon (T)

Sebastian in the cockpit of a Euro Fighter Typhoon, at Farnborough airshow a week or so ago.

Sunday, August 01, 2010

Ta Da! (A)