Windmill Hill City Farm

Eve and I have been loving exploring our new area.  It was such a beautiful morning yesterday that even though I had not had much sleep (Eve = teething pain, cold/cough, bad dreams) I took Eve out in the pram and wandered down through Victoria Park to Asda to get a few baby supplies.

I'm just loving living south-side, there's so much to do over here. I walked past Windmill Hill City Farm on the way to the supermarket. I have always wanted to go there so I thought I would stop off on my way home.  Eve was asleep when I arrived so I walked into the allotment garden and sat down on a lovely carved bench and had a chat to my sister who is 2 weeks away from the due date of her first baby.

Next to the table was a high chair so it seemed like the perfect place for lunch. Recently I've been concentrating on giving Eve her lunch at home so that she has space and time to play with the food, so it was really nice to eat outside on this occasion.  Thankfully I had the sling with me so I put Eve in it and we ambled round the gardens and past the various animals. The calves seemed to be her favourite.

Eating a biscuit whilst being carried about in the sling

It's such a great city farm. I have spent so much time around St Werburgh's City Farm on the other side of town, which is really nice but in my opinion Windmill Hill's is even better. Possibly due to more volunteers; it seems that much more love, care and time have gone into this one.

I enjoyed walking around the allotments the most, there were many inventive ideas, and some beautiful trees. Eve was excited looking around, as you can see from her legs kicking about wildly...

Windmill Hill City Farm aims to improve the lives of local people through its services and facilities. It runs activities for people with health and social care needs, gives opportunities for personal development through courses and volunteering and hosts other organisations with similar aims and services. It also offers great activities for children and groups.

http://www.windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk/

For the first time in a while Eve slept through the night from 11pm to 6.15am such a welcome treat for my tired brain. Her cold seems to be going which is good. However, even though we've made a cordoned off section of the lounge with the play-pen we spend a lot of time checking that she's not pulling the Playstation, Sky box or stereo out of the tv unit. She is desperate to pull them out and investigate!

Up n at 'em!

Enjoying a tasty sycamore leaf...

After all the hectic house moving where Eve had been plonked in front of the tv far too much, we've finally started getting back to normality. 

She's growing so fast and I suddenly realised that if I don't get making some art works with her soon we won't be able to have 'baby prints' and things as she'll no longer be a baby. (I call her 'the girl' most of the time - but 'Eve' to her face of course) She hasn't really been a baby to me for months. Once she got to the 5 month point and could sit up with ease, eat 'food' and sleep in her big cot bed the baby days seemed to blur into the past...

Eve adores relaxing in the big swing and nearly falls asleep in the sunshine every time I put her in it

She's been doing a semi shuffling crawl for quite a while now.  On Saturday morning, under the watchful eye of Granny T she finally got her left leg under and is now crawling properly, faster and faster about the lounge. I often find her sitting up in her cot when I go in to get her in the morning. This week whilst in the bath she started patting herself on the chest, and is desperately trying to learn how to clap her hands from Daddy and I.

Daddy works late on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings so I thought I'd do some hand and footprints with Eve before she went to bed. I decided to do them whilst she was naked in the bathroom so I could stick her straight in the bath after the prints were done. I've got to say this is definitely a good idea. We tried to do some when she was smaller on the table in the lounge with one of us holding her whilst the other pressed her hands and feet down. Even with both of us working on this 'project' it was still really messy and a bit crazy.

The prints we made when she was small were given as gifts to both her Granny's. I've bought some chunky easy grip crayons and am attempting to get her to make some 'art works' on paper. These can be turned into birthday cards for friends and family.  Of course most of the time the crayons go straight in her mouth but slowly she is getting the hang of it. At first I sat her on top of the table with all the crayons - not the best idea as she just ended up chucking them all over the place! So I sat on the bench next to the table with her on my lap. I let her pick up whichever crayon colour she wanted and let her do as she wished - but occasionally I would show her how to make some marks. She enjoyed it but her concentration span was a matter of minutes before she got bored.

Sam was away djing on Saturday at a wedding so it was lovely to have my mum here for a catch up over the weekend. We went to a Sproggs nearly new sale in Brislington. Mum bought Eve two gorgeous little coats for the winter and a play pen. A perfect find for her first day crawling!

Granny T and Eve

It was beautiful early on Sunday morning, so after Granny T left and Eve was having her nap, I made Annabel Karmel's recipe 'Salmon Footballs'. Cooking and singing in the kitchen is such a joy. The footballs were easy and great fun to make. I cooked the potatoes and fish the night before and then just mixed it all up in the morning and fried them in a wok.

Eve really likes being able to feed herself so I thought it would be a bit more exciting than just spoon feeding her fish pie.  Eve enjoyed eating them though it did get a bit messy...

http://www.annabelkarmel.com/recipes/salmon-footballs

Night weaning...

Eve looking at the plants in our courtyard garden

Night weaning.... not the most enjoyable thing. We've had such a hectic summer. We've travelled lots with many strange sleeping situations for dear little Eve. I know that we have kind of brought this situation upon ourselves, but it couldn't really be helped. She was in such pain with her teeth for most of the summer, and quite often wouldn't eat much 'solid food'; comforting milk was all she wanted. She wasn't sleeping well due to being in unfamiliar places, so she was waking up a lot and the only way she would go back to sleep was with milk. As a parent if you're only getting an hour or so sleep at a time you'll do pretty much anything to get the baby to go back to sleep - especially if you're not in your own home.

I now have six weeks until I go back to work and am starting to slightly panic, knowing that we don't have long to try to get her sleeping through the night. Eve started sleeping for 12 hours a night when she was 9 weeks old which lasted for 3 months.

The past few months have been quite tough as I had gotten used to having ample sleep each night, which then suddenly reverted to the sleep pattern of a new born as she was waking up twice a night.

I took Eve to be weighed at Knowle Clinic last week, she weighed 18lb 2oz (one day before her nine month birthday). Her weight is fine. She eats well each day and is getting more adventurous with food. We spend a good half hour or 45 minutes on lunch and dinner so that she can play with food and gain more confidence.












I made Eve a tiny omelette for lunch the other day, she munched it down which was most satisfying for me.

We had a really good time at Knowle clinic and chatted to a lovely Portuguese midwife/health visitor called Carla. She was so kind and supportive.  She phoned me as soon as I got home to tell me that she would come on a house call within the next week or two to help me with our night weaning plan. I really appreciated her caring and helpful nature.  I'm hoping that she can help work some wonders! 

Last week we tried two nights where I tried not to give Eve milk at all when she woke up - both resulting in her screaming for over an hour each time, before giving in to let her drink a small amount of milk.  I've never seen Eve so completely upset, she's always such a happy, content baby. By with-holding milk she writhes around going crazy. I was almost in tears I felt so bad for her. I know night weaning is for her own good including our own well-being but it's incredibly upsetting and tiring. We comfort her, try to soothe her and give her water, but all she wants is the white gold...  I've even tried to give her a dummy but it's too late in the game and she doesn't want anything to do with it.

It's so difficult - everything you read says not to leave a baby crying - but then at the same time it says you shouldn't give in and give them milk as they will see it as a reward.  

I have lots of chats with Eve in this lovely rocking chair

After those two stressful events we decided that if she woke up we would try comforting her, soothing her, offering water and then a small amount of milk.  We decided that we can't let her cry for ages as some methods suggest. The plan is to reduce the amount of milk each night. She's doing really well, after some big chats with mum and dad she is now having one feed of less than 60ml (occasionally waking up later in the night).

I've read on a forum to try giving her Ready Brek after her evening meal in the hope that it fills her up more.  The first time I gave it to her she pretty much ate the whole bowl - which made me realise that she's just not eating enough at dinner time. It seems to be working - she drinks less milk before bed and wakes up at 10pm for a cuddle and a bit of milk and sleeps through the rest of the night waking up between 5 and 6.30am.

I'm sure this process will keep improving, let's hope in time for nursery and working.  Here's to all the parents out there night weaning - hang in there, we can all congratulate ourselves with a large martini soon.... soon!

Sleeping aside, we've been having a wonderful time at our new home. It's child friendly with wooden floors, making it easy to mop up after meals. Eve has enjoyed playing with Daddy in the courtyard. She is always interested in plants - I hope that she'll be a keen gardener one day.

My lovely sister-in-law has lent us their Fisher-Price Jumparoo. It's great to hear Eve shrieking with delight, jumping about in the Jumparoo whilst I'm making dinner in the kitchen.

Fisher-Price Jumparoo

This morning we popped over to our old flat to drop off our keys. It's been completely gutted, right down to the floor boards, with the kitchen and bathroom completely ripped out. It was strange to see it like that. It sure is an end of an era - but, a new one has just begun and we're all so happy and hopeful for the future...

Saying 'Goodbye' to Tyndalls Mansions after 11 years

Clevamama Clevabed protective mattress covers

We've had a few leaks recently which has been bugging me as I've been doing way too much washing. Also the leak incidents have of course woken Eve up, interrupting our sacred sleeping time. I figured it was time to get a waterproof mattress cover.  I guess that now she's getting older it's something I'll need in the future anyway, so I decided that I might as well buy it now...

I found this one on Amazon for £9.99 (70cm x 140cm cot bed fitted sheet) - and I've got to say it's really good. The price is competitive, the postage was swift and when the product arrived I was very impressed.  

The fitted sheet has a light mesh that wraps around the mattress, with a soft brushed 100% cotton top sheet for high absorbancy.

It's 100% waterproof and breathable.

It acts as an allergen and dust-mite barrier.

It's available in sizes: cot / cot bed / single bed

It's great having this peace of mind, plus I can put Eve in a washable nappy and know that if there is a leak the mattress isn't going to get messed up.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clevamama-ClevaBed-Mattress-Protector-Single/dp/B006J4HH3E

I give this product 10/10!

Moving South-side...

Arnos Vale Park

Yes, we're back online at last, hurrah! After a few weeks of some serious house moving we are now pretty much on track at our gorgeous new home south of the river. We worked full days for 12 days moving stuff between properties - I'm such a hoarder, somehow we've already managed to fill this spacious building. How lucky we are - especially as even though it's been hectic, house moving has meant that we've all got to spend lots of time together, which has been lovely. We are so pleased to have found a nice landlord too.

At i-play (soft play), the Broadwalk centre, Knowle

We are loving the Totterdown and Knowle area. There are lots of amenities nearby; a doctors surgery and pharmacy were number 1 on my list of course - a lot of time is spent at those places when you have a little one. Both are a couple of minutes walk down the road. There are lots of cool cafes and charity shops, plus I've found a soft-play place for kids underneath the Broadwalk shopping centre in Knowle. There is also a swimming pool not far away too.  We've had to cancel our Lido membership (sob!), however Sam and I are hoping to have 'dates' there together when we have some free time in the future. Another huge bonus is Hillcrest primary school which is literally just across the road from our house. I lived behind my primary school when I was young, so I'm really glad that Eve will be able to walk to school by herself when she's old enough to do so. 

It's great getting used to how quiet it is round here - no more screaming students in the middle of the night (that used to be me at one point, ha ha!) It's just perfect being at the end of the road, with Arnos Vale Cemetery behind us. There's hardly anyone around except the people that live here.

Daddy and Eve at the entrance to Arnos Vale Cemetery

Sam was away djing on friday night at Silverstone for the Moto GP, so on Sunday morning after breakfast we took Eve for a walk through the cemetery, down to Arnos Vale Park. It's an incredibly beautiful walk through the cemetery to the children's park. Hundreds of old graves and new mark the way as you amble down the small pathways. I noticed one as old as 1778. Whole swathes of graves are buried amongst the undergrowth. However, having blackberries growing out of 'your' remains can't be a bad thing...  

I'm hoping to volunteer as a gardener.  I would just love to get involved with the Arnos Vale Trust. 

We stopped at The Atrium Cafe which is near to the main entrance of the cemetery. It was a sunny, fresh morning and stopping for a soya decaf cappuccino was such a treat. I don't have them often, so that plus a gingerbread biscuit whilst chatting with Sam was super nice.

The cemetery was established in 1837. It was laid out as an Arcadian landscape with buildings by Charles Underwood. It includes a number of listed buildings and monuments.  During the 20th century the cemetery fell into disrepair, and local groups began campaigning for its restoration. In 2003 it was featured on the BBC programme 'Restoration'. The cemetery was a South West region runner-up and has since received a £4.8 million Heritage Lottery Fund grant.  

Queen Victoria was new to the throne when Arnos Vale Cemetery opened in 1839 as a ‘garden cemetery’, inspired by the Pere-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris and later, London's Kensal Green Cemetery. By then, Bristol's old parish graveyards were overcrowded, and a health hazard. 

The Bristol General Cemetery Company was set up to provide a stylish yet spacious alternative. It bought land in the (then outlying and picturesque) village of Brislington, and put forward plans for a cemetery that would be filled with sunlight, fresh air, trees and shrubs, and with its architecture and landscaping designed to echo classical Greece.

ore: Site History

There are more than 500 war graves for British Commonwealth service men and women for both World Wars I and II. 'Sailors corner' is near to the entrance closest to our house, and 'Soldiers corner' is near to the main entrance on Bath Road. It is without doubt the most beautiful and inspiring cemetery that I've ever seen. We often went for walks through cemetery's with my mum when we were small. I think that being surrounded by history, nature and people's life stories are important for children.

Raja Rammohan Roy's tomb surrounded by headstones

Mary Carpenter, the social reformer, and Raja Rammohan Roy, the Indian social reformer are both buried there. Have a look at the website or Wikipedia to see other notable people who are buried in this cemetery: 

http://www.arnosvale.org.uk/

In the last couple of weeks Eve has started brushing her teeth - or should I say chewing the toothbrush! She has also mastered holding vegetables better and can now eat them right down so there's only a tiny bit left at the end.

Bath-time has finally become lots of fun. She loves splashing around. The anti-slip bath mat is brilliant and has definitely been the best bath item that we've tried over the past 8 months. I actually picked one up in a baby charity shop for a couple of quid, in pretty good condition. But you can usually buy them from Mothercare or various places online for about £12-£15

Eve adores eating marmite toast with Daddy at breakfast time. When I'm having breakfast with her, I make her Ready brek with homemade fruit puree mixed in whilst I eat porridge. Simple wholesome loveliness, bliss!

During the house move we didn't have tv so we put 'Thundercats' dvd on for her. Her face lit up as she took in the wonders of Lion-O and the rest of his buddies. Of course the theme music is what she liked the most - just as we did all those years ago. Sam and I had tears in our eyes as we watched her mesmerised by the cool artwork and sounds. We're both big cartoon and manga fans so there will be plenty more of that to come for Eve. Sorry to all tv disliking parents :-)

Ulysses 31 another childhood favourite of ours,

 which Eve has also watched on dvd during our house move

Perrett Park, Totterdown

One afternoon last week, whilst Sam was at work, I went for a walk through Victoria Park and then back towards home via a wonderful natural amphitheatre - Perrett Park. Eve woke up so she had a go on the swing in the kids park at the bottom. Watching her delighted face as she swung back and forth made my day. 

The site now occupied by Perrett Park was purchased by Bristol City Corporation from Lady Smyth of Ashton Court for £1,000 in 1900. £500 of this money was provided by Councillor Perrett after whom the park is named.

Eve loves practicing to walk with one of us holding her hands. She is absolutely thrilled as she trots around the lounge! She also tries to pull herself up on the sofa and arm chair. If she's not wearing a nappy and I'm giving her a meal in the lounge on the floor she loves to try climbing all over me.

Daddy and Eve having a swinging time!

Wilderness Wonderland

We arrived back from our escapism of Wilderness Festival on monday morning, however upon returning home Sam and I both had really bad colds. Looking after a baby when both of us were ill was no fun at all. In fact, it's impossible to really be sick when you have a baby. We felt so guilty that we could not take her out or play with her much. But at least we knew that she'd had a blooming good amount of fun at the festival.

After recuperating this week we finally feel much better, though Eve seems to have caught it, but not too badly thankfully. I'm glad her immune system is good. I put some mild baby vapour rub on her chest and back in the evenings after baths, and then a few drops of baby Olbas Oil around her cot whilst she sleeps. This seems to be helping though the poor girl is slightly grizzly with a runny nose.

Our time in the Wilderness at Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire was incredible though. We were so lucky with the weather, and enjoyed four glorious days there with our friends.











We met up with some old buddies en route to the festival and drove in convoy to the site which was great fun. Both Dads drove the motorhomes with their captain hats on!

The first evening I was really tired as Eve had not slept at all well the previous night, so I chilled out by the motorhome with Sarah and our two babies whilst the rest of our gang went out for good times. During our daytime sessions we had lovely meanderings around the festival, eating tasty food, watching cricket, swimming in the lake and generally having a great time.

I went off for complimentary yoga at The Sweat Lodge on the second morning. I took Eve with me in her pram as everyone else was asleep back at the ranch. She was such a good girl. She fell asleep not long after we arrived at yoga and thankfully stayed asleep, only waking up just before the end of the class, and made lovely little oo-ing and aaah-ing sounds.

It was the first time I had done a yoga class since having Eve, as I've just not had the time to do so before, or anyone to look after her. It felt so good.

Usually I do yoga five times a week at home, and am making a mental note to try to get back on track with yoga and pilates once we are in our new house. Mama's need some time to themselves - sometimes...

The Sweat Lodge was great, at the end we were given a warm flannel soaked in essential oils to wipe down with. Oh the little touches!







After yoga I headed back to meet everyone at base camp. We got dressed up and headed into the festival - this time as 'The Flintstones'!

Barney and Betty, Fred and Wilma

We dressed up the babies too - Eve of course was Pebbles with the bone in her hair, and Jake was Bam Bam...

Dear Eve suffered with her teeth the majority of the time that we were there, though she soldiered through and really enjoyed being shown the wonders of the playground garden that is Wilderness. It was lovely seeing her face light up as she saw new, exciting things.

Nature's best teething toy - Corn on the Cob!

More baby buddies - Anne with Huey and Torgo with Jake

It's such a lovely family festival. It's really well organised, the food stalls and various events and happenings are fantastic, with great music being played all around. Looking about people-watching was enjoyable; no matter what age everyone was having a good time.

The babies just had too much fun - all worn out! Eve, Huey and Jake

I was in bed pretty early with Eve on three of the nights whilst the others went out partying, but I didn't mind as I was tired by 7pm anyway. I got to let my hair down on the Saturday night which was the most fun I have had in ages. It was the perfect evening; still and beautiful with everyone revelling under the setting sun.

Photo by Samantha Milligan

As the sun started to go down we saw a huge hare and horse with people parading behind them. As the evening wore on we somehow got swept up in the crowd walking behind the horse through the festival, around the lake and up the hill toward the helter-skelter castle.

Photo by Sebastian Barros

It was a fantastic celebration of life, nature, paganism and the ending of the summer.

The most amazing thing about the burning of the helter-skelter castle was at it set on fire the throngs of people watching all around the hill started calling up to the people at the top to sit down. As we looked back everyone started sitting down so that all could see the majesty of the burn. It was a powerful reminder of communal consciousness and what we can do if we put our minds together.










Photo by Danny North

The night before really had been the 'calm before the storm' because we woke up on Sunday morning to torrential rain. It was kind've nice though, Eve and I stayed in bed and caught up on some sleep. I was surprised at how well she slept in the motorhome and definitely recommend it to anyone thinking of a different type of holiday.

Sleeping in the motorhome

Thankfully the skies cleared a bit in the afternoon so we had a final wander about and said cheerio to friends who were heading off that evening. Autumn now seems to be upon us, the temperature has become cooler and I'm already thinking about packing Eve's summer dresses away. It's nice dressing her in little dungaree dresses though. 

Beagle with baby Jake and Olivia with Eve

A couple of days after returning home, Eve's first tooth finally appeared - hurrah! At last! We can feel the second one under the skin of her gum. Our next mission is our house move, which we are all excited about....