Family Blog

... and another Birthday

the very next day.

Happy Birthday Rosie-Lee.

Download file 'rosies_bday_leni'
Download file 'kite_flying'

Marlas 3. Birthday Party in the Park

Thanks to everyone for a lovely time and all the presents.

Download file 'eggspoon_adult_winner'
Download file 'eggspoon_start'
Download file 'the_race'
Download file 'egg_spoon_confusion'
and later at home:
Download file 'with_robin_and_littlejohn_in_the_sandbox'

A Holiday

Camping at East Wittering. The Nunnington Farm Site was full, so we went on to the overflow site, scotts-farm-camping.co.uk. Us, the Wheeler-Jones family, Autumn and Rosie and a lot of builders from the greater London area [or people who had borrowed builder vans, which seems unlikely].
It was supposed to be a short stroll through a residential area to the beach. We had however Jude with us, who finds bits of tarmac more interesting than keeping up any sort of pace. Appealing to his competitive streak and innitiating races to the next breezeblock wall, we did get there in the end.
Plenty of pebbles and sand, sand castles, ach was whole cities, kites, boats, sun, wind, tons of very big people and a horse on holidays.
I got acquainted with the weaver fish i.e. stood on one. Dylan made sludge. Leni sucked pebbles. The sea was pleasant when present. Rosie was best in the waves. John and Jonathan had an esky with stubbies for beer o'clock and were happy.
The evenings started with feeding and early bedtimes for the kids, followed by more home cooking, smoke [barbie and cancer sticks], plenty of satellites and Mars, which was the closest it's been for the last 60.000 years. Autumn is very clever with the night sky, mainly because she's californian and they've got more of it. Everything is bigger and better over there and Autumn was compelled to close most nights singing the star spangled anthem of theirs.
Sabine and Beau with her friend Tanja and Lilly-Flor joined us for a two night stay, but didn't get much rest with one unwell Beau and one wind-up chatterbox Lilly-Flor.

The children had fun. We got a tan and lots of laughs. Life was good.

Download file 'camping'
Download file 'stubbed_toe'
Download file 'jones_boys'
Download file 'dustman'

Good Hair Day

Download file 'electric'

Abwesenheitsnotitz

We will be going Camping to Nunnington Farm from Tuesday [19.August]. Phone us, whoever wants to join.

Marla is doing more and more clever stuff with her speaking [unlike myself]. She is so into getting the grammar right with the 'isn't it?', 'aren't we?', 'doesn't he?' as in: I nearly fell asleep then, didn't I? or: Leni is smiling at me, isn't he?

Leni first word has been: 'Hello'
What else?

We've been to Lorcans wild birthday party today. I took Leni back home earlier this evening. Marla and her Dad are still grooving. It's nearly 11!

Heidis 60. Geburtstag

We've just come back from Munderkingen, Germany. It was my mothers 60. Birthday. It was ferrociously hot. We had a swim in various lakes every day to keep us cool. Heidis Birthday was great. Kaffee und Kuchen under the trees in the garden with most of her brothers and sisters, our grandmother Martl, Petra and her friend Haller [who entertained with little speeches], Wolfgang, Günter and Liese with Frieder and Lotti and many more. A bbq with delicious food in the evening and drinks until early morning - for some. Jona and me went to bed earlier [our girls don't show mercy in the morning]. Unfortunatly I didn't get any more pictures of the party later, so if you did, mail them to me please.
The Kids had a whale of a time with Marla following the older kids around talking English at them. They often left her standing there, not knowing what she wanted, but Marla tirelessly ran after 'her friends' until bedtime.
Chris and John, Heidi got your 'surfing grandmother' birthday card in time. Well, if that won't get her going to visit Australia nothing will.

Uwe got his 'Seepferdchen Abzeichen'.Download file 'fruehschwimmer'

He arrived from Freiburg with Christine, his girlfriend and amateur videoartiste [with emphasis on amateur].Download file 'christine_utti'

Download file 'icecream'

Leni Mathildas Welcome Party

Thank you everybody for making last saturday afternoon so special [next time I'll insist on a group photo]. Thank you, Dana and Michael, for becoming Lenis ‘supporting adults’.
When I was searching online for something poetic and celebratory to write for this blog entry [copy and paste... I'm tired and running out of time - such is family life] I found [familiesonline.co.uk]:

These are wonderful, warm and joyous occasions, a time to gather family and friends, to pledge our love and commitment, joy and hopes for our child’s future and to formally give their name.

and this.

But you dear friends, could write your poems and messages for Leni as comments below.

Download file 'LENI_TAKING_OFF'

Oma Heidi...

...finally got it together to come over from Munderkingen, to see her second grandchild Leni. She had to laugh lots, when we picked her and her friend up at Heathrow. Apparently Leni looks exactly like me as a baby.
We had a lovely time. Heidi and Inge were relaxing and often helping out around the house and garden. We went for a shopping trip to Kensington, walked through Holland Park and met Marla and Jonathan in Hyde Park at the Diana Memorial Playground. We had an Indian Meal at Raj's in Harlesden and we went to Portobello. Marla and Leni enjoyed the attention. Leni hat sich immer richtig an Heidi hingeschnuckelt. So ein süßer Mops.

Somerset House

Michael, Marla, Leni and me went to some ‘Free Time’ event at Summerset House on the Strand. Fountain play with dancers, asian puppett show, Sudanese drumming workshop, theater in a sau, Kandinsky mobile workshop and interactive painting thingy. Well worth visiting again for something else. There is always something on...

Download file 'leni_drumming'
Download file 'marla_drumming'