Joe returns to Bristol

You wait ages for Baby Joe visits; and then, like London buses, two come along at once.  Actually, this was essentially the same visit because - as luck would have it - I was doing an RPS Advisory Day in Bristol on Saturday.  This meant I was able to take Frances and Joe back home on Friday, and spend more time with the family once the event was over.

Joe's rather wonderful hat was made by Frances for National Book Day, and is (of course) based on Winnie the Pooh.  Unfortunately the little man has a habit of rotating his hat by up to 90 degrees, causing him to resemble anything from Captain Pugwash to Lord Wellington. 

Frances and Christopher are very keen gardeners, so Joe will need to get used to visiting the local Garden Centre on a regular basis.

We see Joe again some time in May when he and Frances will be coming to stay.  Can't wait.

Baby Joe at four months

Frances, Christopher and Baby Joe came to Cambridge over the Easter period, and it was astonishing to see how much Joe had grown since we last saw him back in February.  He's a big lad, and is already wearing clothes aimed at babies who are considerably older.  Probably the biggest change, other than his sheer size, was that he now gives everyone big, beaming smiles which melt the heart.

On Easter Sunday, Harriet and I were on "grandparent duty", looking after Joe while Frances and Christopher went to have tea at the newly re-vamped University Arms hotel.  We took him to the Botanic Gardens, which he seemed to enjoy.  We certainly did. 

Isla discovers the seaside 2: Cromer

Since the outing to Wells had been such a success, I decided to take Isla to Cromer for a rather different experience.  Here she met cliffs, pier and promenade for the first time, and there were lots of friends to play with on the beach.  In particular there was a very energetic Jack Russell puppy, about the same age as Isla, who decided he wanted to give Isla a run for her money.  OK, so he really wanted to get his leg over; but, let's face it, he couldn't reach even when he did manage to catch her up.  None of this stopped him from trying, however...

After an exhaustive run on the beach and a walk on the pier to cool down, it was then time to a Natural Surroundings - a favourite dog-friendly lunch spot, with wonderful home-made cakes.

Isla discovers the seaside 1: Wells

In early April Isla and I went to Norfolk for a couple of days, the primary excuse being that I was giving a talk at North Norfolk Photographic Society.  Since the talk was in Holt, I stayed at Mary Walsh's excellent White House Farm in Hindolveston, which happens to have a dog-friendly annex.  It was the first time I'd taken Isla away on an "adventure", and I was slightly nervous as to how she would behave.  I needn't have worried, though, as she was absolutely fine and didn't disgrace herself once.

I was determined to introduce Isla to the joys of the seaside, so on Thursday morning we headed to Wells-absolutely-nowhere-near-the-Sea.  As luck would have it the tide was out, so there was mile after mile of empty sand to play on.  Isla acquired a particularly good stick while walking through the woods behind the beach huts, and held onto it all the time we were there.  When I say "held onto it", what I mean is that Muggins had to keep throwing it for her, and she would then proceed to retrieve it.  So, an endless throw/fetch cycle, interspersed with bouts of frantic digging and a bit of swimming, so it's no surprise that she was completely knackered afterwards.  Indeed, she slept for the whole afternoon!

Can we go to the seaside again soon, please?

Guernsey 2: Horse Riding

The second day of my trip to Guernsey in March couldn't have been more different to the first.  Not only had the wind dropped - considerably - but the sun was shining.  We went for a trip around the island, ending up on Cobo Beach where a lady was riding a horse up and down the sands.  It was an absolute treat to watch her; and, even better, to be able to send her some pictures a few days later.

 

Guernsey 1: Kite Surfing

In mid-March I was invited back to Guernsey in order to judge Spectrum Camera Club's annual competition.  This was part of their end-of-season dinner and prize-giving, so - quite literally - I had to sing for my supper.  I've made lots of photographic friends in Guernsey over the years, and it was lovely to catch up with them again.  Particular thanks must go to Carl, Gill, Chris and Sue for making me feel so welcome.

The weather was very cold and windy on the Saturday of the competition, so we headed to Vazon Bay to see if there were any spectacular waves owing to the rough sea.  There weren't; but, instead, we found a couple of kit-surfers (Belgian or Dutch, given their accent) who were having a wonderful time.  The strong westerly wind meant that it was possible to surf in both directions along the beach, although the receding tide meant that - occasionally - it was necessary to skirt some very sharp looking rocks in the shallows.