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Northampton lift tower in Gorillaz video?


Tuesday, 24 March 2009

Was watching music TV a couple of nights ago and "Feel Good Inc" by Gorillaz from a few years ago came on. As I was watching it something looked a little familar about the tower in the video - its the Northampton Lift Tower (or Northampton Lighthouse as its sometimes known!).


With a massive sign saying "Feel Good Inc" and a window with a monkey of course but we have to allow them some artistic license...

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Toby finally gets mobile


Sunday, 22 March 2009

After enduring 8 months of broken sleep and a small amount of whinging during the days (it was loads - seriously Toby, we love you, but there have been more content babies!) Toby has finally done what he has been trying to do since about three days old and on his 8 months birthday managed to crawl. I say this as if it was a first, actually he had been crawling for a good week but only backwards - clearly not as satisfying, though he did amusingly keep getting stuck under things. Still, he did cheer up immesurably since he could finally do what he wanted and attack the world, one toy, sister and cable at a time. No more whinging, just time to find the stair gates.

Anyway, since we only seem to only produce intrepid children he was happy for a good 48 hours and is now trying to walk. And climb the stairs.

But they were a happy 48 hours...

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Northampton Balloon Festival cancelled


Wednesday, 18 February 2009

What an enormous surprise! Northampton takes another faltering step towards being just another faceless boring town as the Balloon festival goes the way of St Crispin's Street Fair and the Northampton Show in Abington Park and gets cancelled by the Council to apparently save an astonishing £3 per council tax payer. So this leaves us with ... yes, the Carnival is the only fun to be had in the town now unless its just snowed or you're out for a curry on the Wellingborough Road.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/northamptonshire/7895364.stm

My New Years Resolution not to moan on my blog is going badly. But my other one not to just use the blog to mention which child has which tooth is going better (Toby has two, and he can give a right nip with them...)

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Snow finally arrives and nearly destroys civilization


Monday, 2 February 2009

Thanks to the weather for providing the first proper snow since about 1870 and the chance for me to play in the snow. Sorry, I meant for Harriet to play in the snow, with proper parental supervision. She made a couple of lovely snowmen - okay, so I made them, she is only three and it would have taken ages. Its only a shame that the wet and dull weather has returned and the snowmen have disappeared, leaving their carrots behind of course.


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Toby reaches six months and own feet.


Wednesday, 28 January 2009

Toby (also known as "the boy" or "child number 2" if he is in trouble, which is often) has reached his 6 month milestone - Happy Half Birthday Toby!

In that time he's proved to be a bad sleeper (slept through twice so far - the last time about three months ago) and a clingy baby, but on the upside he has a lovely smile and very bendy legs, as seen in this photo. I'm not sure what career this is going to lead him towards!

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Free entertainment for car obsessed toddlers - Coventry Transport Museum


Saturday, 10 January 2009

We had a brainwave today about what to do with a toddler who is obsessed with cars, buses, tractors and the like - take her to the Transport Museum in Coventry to run about.

She enjoyed this greatly overall but ran straight past 90% of the cars. The highlight for her was not Thrust 2, vintage tractors, the De Loreon or old Formula One cars. It was a broken old Peugeot 106 with no front doors that she was allowed to climb in. She was in it for ages, giving Heather and I a rare chance to actually read the information on some nearby cars, including Princess Diana's actual red Metro!

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Toby - the Amazing Teething Baby


Monday, 20 October 2008

Well, after 13 weeks of hell (sorry, 13 weeks of getting to know our little bundle of joy - not to mention getting to know 3am, alcoholism and premature ageing) we have finally worked out that the current problem is teething. In fact we reckon he was teething by 8 weeks, which was about 10 seconds after he got over the shock of being born. The current evidence is:
  • Constant dribbling
  • Keeps going off his food
  • Night waking just when we think he's got over all that nonsense
  • Hands permanently in mouth (see photo)
  • The two teeth that clearly have about one layer of skin over in his mouth.

At least at this rate he should have all his teeth by about 7 months!

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