November

This month so far is a little more quiet than the last.  At the end of October I had Mummy’s cousin Nicole visit from Germany which was great! She really likes me and gave me lots of attention.  I played with her a little bit and gave lots of cuddles.  She has a friend that has lots of snakes and she was showing me all these cool pictures which should have prepared me for the snake encounter at the farm.  Mummy, Nicole and Daddy went to a West Ham football game on the Saturday as Nicole is a West Ham supporter.  Whilst they were braving the cold and the football hooligans I went to Rae Rae’s house.  Rae hadn’t seen me much over the summer as she has been working in Ibiza – where I am told is a very fun and warm place. She is back now so I asked Mummy and daddy if I can spend the day with her.  She is an interior designer so she has lots of interesting books, my favourite being the Chanel book.  She also took me for a babycino and I had so much fun, I hope I get to spend more days with Rae and her boyfriend Craig.

News this month is that I have acquired an English accent. I sound very posh when I say ‘Mummy’ and ‘My daddy’.  Mummy thinks I picked it up from watching Peppa pig which is my favourite show EVER!

Even bigger news is that Mummy and Daddy bought me a new big girl bed last weekend.  I love my new bed and after 2 nights I was happy to sleep in it. I love the freedom although I don’t think Mummy loves it as much.  Once I finish my bottle of warm milk I sneak out of my room very quietly tip toeing up to the door way into the lounge room where Mummy and Daddy watch TV.  Sometimes they catch me and send me back to bed. I am very proud of my new bed and all my new bedroom furniture, I am a very lucky girl.

Mummy has started talking about Santa and Christmas, and all the shops are lit up with pretty fairy lights.  I remember last year I met the big guy in the red suit, I wonder if I will see him again? Those of you who like to spoil me with presents mummy said she is working on my gift list this week and will post something in the next few days. My Omi and Poppy will be here this Christmas so it will be extra special – I can’t wait!!

H x

My great visitors

The reason my daddy can live in London is because his daddy and his Grandparents were all born in England so daddy has a UK passport.  G Nan is from London and G Dad is from Liverpool – that is why we all support Liverpool FC.  So I was very excited to find out that my G Parents are coming to visit and stay with us! When ever I chat to Nan on skype she always tells me how much she can’t wait to cuddle me, now I know what she was talking about – she was coming over here to give me lots of cuddles.

Of course with everything we do,  their arrival did not run as smoothly as Mama had planned.  We had an early night, the night before as we had to be up for the first tube to get to Heathrow.  Mama double checked the email from G Dad and we made our way to Terminal 3.  We are lucky the tube ride is not that long and we were running right on time (that is a first).  We were all very excited – daddy especially! So we got to the arrivals gate and waited….. and waited….. and waited …. and waited.  An hour later, we were still waiting…… another hour later we were still waiting and getting very worried.  Where was G Nan and G Dad?? Mama was sure their plane had arrived but we didn’t have all the details, so we started asking around. Finally Mama found out that Emirates didn’t depart or arrive from terminal 3, we were at the wrong terminal! We had to go to terminal 4. Phew!!! That was a relief that nothing had happened it was just a mix up, but now we had to hope that G Nan and G Dad were still waiting there for us.  Another 30 mins later we found them! We found them, they were waiting at the coffee shop having a brew.  What a way to start the day! They both had lots of cuddles for me, it was so nice to see them again in person.

I was spoilt rotten when we got home, Nan had so many presents for me! She still had some Xmas presents from last year, A big Koala and Kanagaroo, a new dolly…. the list went on.  I am such a lucky girl and loved every single present.  I am really good at unwrapping now. It was a beautiful day, London put on it’s best show weatherwise, just for them.  We spent the afternoon walking around Chiswick and of course daddy had to get G Dad to the pub to watch a liverpool game at reasonable time. Usually G Dad watches them live in the early hours of the morning in Australia.

Nan and G Dad hadn’t been back to London for many years, so it was great to show them all my favourite places and for them to see how much London had changed.  The first day we went for a walk to Buckingham Palace and tried to get tickets to go inside.  Unfortunatley they were sold out that day, so we booked them for another day. It was still nice to visit the Queen and wave to her from outside the palace.  Next stop was a quick bus trip to Harrods – Nan’s faourite shop and G Dad’s worst wallet nightmare. We had lunch first at a little french bistro at the back of Harrods.  I had my favourite – frites!

Then after lunch we went straight to the toy shop and it was like every little girls dream.  There were huge soft teddies, massive doll houses, dinosaurs and my favourite was a porsche just my size.  I had to have a little spin in it, and I think it suited me….. perhaps Santa will see how much I enjoyed riding it and I have definitely been a good girl.

Another day we took a trip to Borough Markets for some lunch and Pimms. Of course I wasn’t allowed any pimms but everyone else enjoyed a fresh glass.  After lunch we walked along the Thames river, over Tower Bridge and then all the way down to the Tower of London.  We took a tour around the tower, it was pretty impressive and everyone was laughing at our beefeater – he was a funny little man. The best part was the room with the Crown jewels.  The Queen is very wealthy and she has some seriously big shiny diamonds.  They were bigger than my very wide eyed gaze, they were hynotising.  I think Mama was taking notes and ideas…. not sure why, but she said daddy would know why.

I am having so much fun with Nan and G dad.  They have been looking after me when Mama goes to work, daddy always has a big smile on his face and I get so many cuddles.  They have also taught me some new tricks, I am now really good at using the Ipad, my favourite games are the talking Tom, Ben and parrot.  My oma showed me Talking Tom when we went to Salzburg and since then we have literally put a whole pet shop on the Ipad.  Nan and G dad are going to Uncle Alberts for a couple of weeks, I am going to miss them but I think we are going to come visit one weekend. I am really good at saying Grandad and I follow him around like a shadow.  They are very impressed how I am potty trained and using the toilet like a big girl, they quickly race me to the toilet when I yell ‘WEEEEEES’.

I am going to miss them when they are uncle Alberts but I am looking forward to them coming back.  I am not sure how long they are staying but I think they should move back to their home country.

H x

Olympic Mania

What a year to live in London! First we had the diamond Jubilee and then from 27th July until 9th September we have been lucky enough to host the 2012 Olympic Games.  It really has been an exciting year to live in London, the city has had the most amazing vibe all summer.   Mama tried to get me involved with some of the Olympic festivities.  The first of which was a BBQ for the Opening Ceremony.  WOW that was really special, did you all watch it?  I was allowed to stay up for a little bit of it but went to bed once the athletes started their walk around the arena.

Unfortunately we didn’t have any tickets to see the events so we made do with watching a lot on TV and going to some of the free events, one in particular was something close to Mama’s heart – the Womens Triathlon.   My mama used to race during her high school years, Omi says she was pretty good at it and trained a lot.  In fact she used to train with one of the girls that was representing Australia, Erin Densham.  That is why the race was so special for Mama.  We met up with Kiki and her brother Michael and found a good spot to see the girls cycle and run past.  My Nanny Mindy sent us lots of Aussie things so Mama dressed us both up, we looked very Aussie! The race was in Hyde park and we watched the nail-biting finish on a huge TV screen that was set up in the middle of the Park.  Erin was doing really well and led most of the run, so we cheered her on all the way to the finish. What a champion, she finished with a Bronze medal, we are very proud of her.

We missed part of the Olympics when we were in Salzburg, but Mama and daddy got back in time to watch the closing ceremony which was just as exciting and entertaining as the opening ceremony.  But Olympic fever wasn’t over just yet, the para olympics were just around the corner and the hype for these games was huge, perhaps bigger than the olympics.  We tried to get tickets for the Basketball but Mama left it too late, everyone wanted these tickets once the olympics were over.  We watched a lot of the events on TV and found the whole thing very inspiring.  The para Olympians are truly amazing.  Well done to everyone that competed, it was fun to cheer on so many different countries, Australia – Our home country, England – the country we live in and where Nan and Gdad are from and finally Germany and Austria for my Oma, Opa and Omi.

H x

Here are a few photo’s from the triathlon day.

Cat whisperer

We took a trip to Clapham today to meet Rafferty Clarke. He is so teeny tiny and lovely, mama had lot of cuddles but I was more interested in Rafferty’s pet cat Luca. Luca doesn’t usually like kids but I worked my charm and next thing he was cuddling up to me. Shame we are not allowed pets in our new flat because I would have loved to take Luca home.

Slip slip slap!

We are making the most of our little garden and the nice weather. Mummy and I had a picnic and now I am playing with my blocks. I hope daddy finishes work early so he can join us.

H x

Ready for my swimming lessons

Come on mummy!!! I had my second ever swimming lesson today. Last week I laughed an smiled the whole through and everyone called me a water baby. This week I was the star of the show, when the teacher told us to blow bubbles like a fish for old macdonald, on cue I blew my first bubbles in the water. Everyone was very impressed. I love kicking and splashing in the water, it so much fun. At the end mummy put some funny arm bands on me and let go and I swam all by myself. I think mummy should take me swimming on the weekend do I can show daddy how good I am.

H x

Salzburg – Day 3

We had seen so many sights of Salzburg in the last two days and Tante Inge loves to shop so she had mentioned earlier in the week that Oma had to take us shopping for a belated birthday present. I am a lot like mummy, I love new clothes but am not always a fan of shopping.  I am stuck in my pram for hours and mummy gets more excited over the clothes than I do.  I love presents and I love to have nice new clothes but shopping would not be at the top of my list of fun things to do.  Luckily Oma and mummy like to shop and we only had a limited time in the mall.  We made a beeline for Zara and H&M as they have the best kids clothes.  It was the most successful shopping trip ever!! We found so many nice things for the summer, Oma had to stop mummy at one point otherwise she would have put the whole shop in the basket!  I got very spoilt and couldn’t wait to show off my new clothes to Tante Inge.

We met two of Tante Inges friends at the hospital and had planned to have a nice Austrian meal at a guesthouse. They were very nice people and made lots of silly faces at me.  I do attract lots of attention where ever I go, and lap it up as best I can. Unfortunately there was a little bit of a language barrier which bothers mummy more than me, since I can’t speak anyway.

This lovely guesthouse had some very yummy things on their menu. Oma once took my Aunty Melissa on a big trip to Salzburg and oma said that where ever they would go, my aunty would order the dumplings.  I had to get myself some of these delicious dumplings, they were definitely the talk of the trip. Mummy could only compare them to Opa’s but she was very excited for the experience.  I am not going to lie to you, I was more interested in the roasted tomatoes but they were very yummy.  I guess I just wasn’t that hungry.  Mummy didn’t mind, she gobbled them all up and ate some of Oma’s dinner aswell! She really likes Austrian food.

You would think any ordinary person would be full after these dumplings but not my mummy, she ordered a huge traditional Austrian dessert.  This dessert was something special, It reminded me of the Alps that surround Salzburg they were that big. The Salzburg Nockerl is 3 large peaks of soft meringue, but with a texture a little bit like a souffle. It is very sweet and it sits on a bed of yummy warm red fruit sauce and dusted with icing sugar.  On the menu it said it is served for two, but I think mummy totally underestimated it’s size.  It was HUGE! The photo’s don’t even do it justice. This dessert was almost bigger than me! Luckily everyone at the table had a bit of a crack at it.  I tried a little bit as well, not bad but I think it was the kind of dessert daddy would love.

Today was our last day in Salzburg and I think we finished with it a bang at this guesthouse! We had such great weather the whole time and wonderful, delicious food.  Best of all we saw my oma and I met my Tante Inge.  I am so lucky to have my Oma show us all around the city she grew up in, it was the best trip ever. I really hope we go back and next time perhaps daddy can come too.

Thank you Oma for such a great few days, I will never forget it and either will mummy. We were very sad to leave but I know we will see you again in a couple of weeks.

H x

Long lost family reunion

Mummy and daddy had a night out on Friday, they went to see the Black Keys at Alexandra Palace so I was left with my Uncle Luke and his friend Reese.  I was such a good girl, mummy had fed me and I was ready for bed by the time they left for their gig.  Uncle Luke gave me my bottle and I went to sleep and didn’t wake till morning.  I think they must have had the easiest babysitting job ever!

On Saturday night there was more Birthday celebrations but this time it wasn’t about me anymore. We went out to Morden to Lucille and Henry’s place, their parents were hosting two parties, an earlier one for Henry’s 3rd Birthday and a later – adults only one for Henry’s daddy; Jason. There was an Olympic theme to the party so daddy dressed up as a cyclist and mummy was all dressed up to compete in an equestrian event.  As I also own a lovely pair of leggings that look like rjodhpurs I joined mummy in the equestrian theme.  I think we looked fantastic.  Jo organised a nanny for the night so all the adults could party and have a few drinks whilst we were being taken care off.  I think mummy and daddy indulged a little too much as they were both looking a bit rough the next morning.

Sunday was a very special day.  My G Nan and G Dad are English, they were born and raised here and still have a lot of family living in the UK.  Unfortunately when they moved to Australia many years ago they lost contact with all of their family.  Daddy had been looking on Ancestry.com and was hoping to get back in contact with some of the Stanley’s and nan’s family in London.  Nan had been collecting all the family details, dates of birth, names etc for daddy and out of the blue she recieved a letter from the Red Cross.  Her brother Albert had been trying to find her for years and they had finally tracked Nan and Gdad down.  So Nan called up Albert and they reunited over the phone.  Nan was so excited she let us know Albert’s details and Daddy contacted him to arrange a time to meet up.  Daddy was really happy as he really wanted to meet more of his family.  Uncle Albert and his wife Brenda were going to come along to my birthday party but sadly the snow made it too difficult and so we organised the following Sunday.  We met at the same Pub as my party and had a really yummy lunch.  I was such a good girl and got lots of cuddles from Brenda and they bought me such a lovely outfit for my birthday (I am so spoilt!).  Daddy and Luke were really happy to finally meet Nan’s brother after all this time.  Unfortunately mummy didn’t feel well so she had to go home during lunch but Daddy, Luke and I really enjoyed ourselves and spent the afternoon catching up.  What an interesting and fun day! We are so lucky as uncle Albert invited us to one day visit them on their property in Sussex.  I heard they have cows and some cottages so it would be a really fun farming weekend. Silly mummy forget to get some photo’s before she went home so we promise to get lots when we meet up next.

The rest of the week has been fairly quiet other than a little free trial day at the Little Gym. Mummy took photos here, it was so much fun.  Lots of soft mats to crawl around on, we practised walking and climbing which I am very good at, we also played with some balls and popped some bubbles.

Stay tuned as we are off to visit Oma in Salzburg next week.  Mummy will hopefully find the time to blog everyday we are away.

H x

Playing on the balance bars at the Little Gym

Ball work

Race you to the top! climbing up Mat hill

I love climbing through tunnels.

This little gym is tiring, might just take a nap on this ball.

Happy Australia Day!

Happy Australia Day everyone! Sorry my well wishes are a little late for Australia time but I am sure you all had a great day, I wish I was there to join you. I hope the weather cleared up back home and all my family and friends were able to celebrate Australia day properly – snags on the barbie, fresh prawns, pavlova and listening to the triple J hottest 100 (yes, I am very cool and I know all about this, mummy told me all about it and we used to listen to triple J in the car when we were in Oz). I would have voted for anything by ‘Foster the people’ or ‘Lana Del Rey’ for top spot but I already know who won, as we were on the phone to my Aunty Jen.

I had a big sleep in this morning as I am feeling much better.  I was sick again last night when mummy gave me my medicine but I am feeling fine today.  When I woke up mummy dressed me up straight away in a nice red shirt with an Australian flag and the words ‘Australian, born and bred’.  I think I look quite cool, so I grabbed my Koala bear (from Nanny Mindy) and asked mummy to take some photo’s of me.

What do you think? Do I look very Australian?

Look at me, I am AUSTRALIAN!

Hear that Koala bear, mummy’s going to make us a meat pie!

Big cuddles for my furry friend

Happy Australia Day to all my Family and Friends. xxx

At the moment we are watching the Australian open, then we are going for a walk outside – it’s a beautiful day here in London. I think mummy is going to cook a meat pie for dinner and make pavlova for dessert, she has even promised to make a baby friendly version for me too. I can’t wait to eat my first meat pie, I’ve heard how yummy they are.

Mummy reminded me also that it is a very good friends Birthday today, he is so lucky he gets to share his birthday with such an awesome country day. Happy Birthday Leroy!

What did you do to celebrate Australia day?

H x