Relax folks, I'm BACK

Since we last spoke...

Monday 21st December
We went to Stickney in Lincolnshire to stay with Grandma Anthea and Grandad Tony - journey there was pretty good and the whole gang (except Adam) were there to greet us - nice. Wow was there snow here - see pictorial proof c/o Daddy.



Tuesday 22nd
Our only full day in Lincs involved Daddy, Katie and Joe playing outside in the snow and a shopping trip to Boston where I slept a lot and grew very red cheeks... Mummy, Daddy, Anthea and Tony had a Chinese take-away for tea. Yum.

Joe modeling this years icicle...


Katie and Joe take the time to chill out


Wednesday 23rd
We hit the road again - at a reasonable hour and headed north to Liverpool. We went close to Humberside, Leeds and Manchester before arriving at Granny Jean's at around 4.30pm. Granny Jean was working until 7pm so I had to wait a bit to see her, but it was lovely to catch up eventually. Grandad Ozzie came to visit much sooner (I think) and we shared a cuddle once I remembered who he was : )

En route to Liverpool (just)


"Are we there yet?" - I'd like to say I was singing along with The Wiggles, but actually I was yawning...


Me and Grandad


Thursday 24th
Today was Uncle Steven's 38th birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY STE !! - great to see Steven, Lisa, Kate and Steph - briefly today, but we got to catch up more on Saturday...

Relaxing at Granny Jean's


Friday 25th - CHRISTMAS DAY!
My second Christmas and I'm definitely more aware of it this year - but - I was very under the weather and woke up being sick at about 1.30 am... Mummy cleaned me up and I got into their bed but had a very restless night and was up again around 5am for over an hour feeling very sorry for myself and needing lots of looking after...

So - rough night over - we got into Xmas day... and in the morning I went to visit Aunty Pat with the folks and Grandad Ozz. Pat's lovely and let me wander all over her house (I even got upstairs at one point) and fed the olds with some lovely nibbles (and beer if they wanted it). After that we went back to Granny Jeans for xmas lunch and we didn't get into opening presents until late on but needless to say I was spoilt rotten - I won't list them all here as it would take WAY too long but I must say a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who bought me something - I LOVE everything and everyone for being so kind and will do my best to get thank you cards sent out as soon as possible...

Trying out my present from Anthea and Tony


Saturday 26th
The lunchtime after the day before...


Outside Ozzie's second home


Kate singing "Poker Face" whilst I look on


Sunday 27th
We were due to visit Mario, Vicky, Emily, Ava and Madge for tea today but I wasn't feeling up to it so we took a raincheck until our next visit - a real shame as i only got to see them briefly on Boxing Day in Kings Road.

Trying out my noisy walkway from Granny Jean


Monday 28th
Home time and after taking a bit longer than planned to get away, we had what could be referred to as a "b******d of a journey" (in Dad's words) taking over six and a half hours to get home (including a stop of an hour plus). And I was sick in the car - major bummer. Thankfully this wasn't too far from home but it still wasn't pleasant

Tuesday 27th
Woke up in my own room for the first time in a week - a nice feeling and I'm definately feeling / acting more "myself" today. However... we still went to the Doctors to get me checked out and it sounds like I have a "low lying infection" that I'm not shaking off on my own, so I've been prescribed Amoxycillin for my sins. Keep in the fridge, 3 doses daily at regular intervals and at least it's A. liquid and B. lemon flavoured.

After the quacks we wandered around West Ealing in the rain so I could have a sleep and didn't do too much else all day, but Mum and Dad watched Gran Torino in the evening and said it was pretty good.

Wednesday 28th December
So - here we are today... Mum and I spent it indoors as it rained again for most of the day and Dad just nipped out for a paper... We had another sick incident but I'm pretty sure it wasn't connected to my illness, but it ruined the flow of an otherwise chilled out day...

Christmas comes but once a year

(my head isn't actually that shape under there!)

And my second ever one is just around the corner. I think I can honestly say I've been a pretty good girl all year, so I hope Santa can find it within himself to look out for me. Fingers crossed.

Am still coughing and sneezing and have a grumbly chest, but am a lot better than I was this time last week (thank you for asking) and I've managed trips to Westfield and Ealing Broadway this weekend and behaved impeccably, despite rosy-cheeked teething issues yesterday and temperatures below zero today.

Anyway, Mum & Dad have some presents to wrap (they say Santa's Elves are so busy they requested extra help from "normal" people so my folks are doing their bit to assist) so I'll sign off for now.

This may be my last blog for a week or so, so if I don't see you in the next few days, have your selves a merry little christmas and may Santa bring you all your heart desires.

Stay safe, love,

Samantha
xxx

Sundays are definately...

...the best days to catch up on my blog.

My weekend in brief (the olds have cards to write);

Had a lovely day yesterday seeing my young friend Isla, Catherine, Dan and Matt - photo above shows me and Isla knocking out a tune on the old joanna. You should've seen the piano / bongos action whoah!!

I had a bit of a changeable day today, went from being a right mardy bum to laughin my head off at the silliest thing (i.e. Dad) but it gave Mum & Dad plenty of photo opportunities, which they took!

Lots of love,

Samxxx

Catching up...

Hi all,

New video clip below for your enjoyment, and for this message I'll add a couple of photos from the weekend alongside a quick news update...

Although still coughing from time to time, my appetite has returned somewhat over the weekend so I feel firmly on the road to recovery and had a couple of visits to the 'sandpark' (real name to follow) to play on the swings and I even went down the big slide with Daddy (3 times on Friday and twice yesterday).

We popped in to see Kate and Edward on Friday and then bumped into Kate and Alfie (in the park) on Saturday...

I might be going to Westfield with Mummy this week for some Xmas shopping and we've just ordered the official family Christmas card so look out for that soon...

Bye for now, stay well,

Samantha
xx

Playing out

I know, "ready, steady... go" is my new catchphrase (well, the "go" bit at least) - hope you like it...

Photo opp.

My nearly favourite past-time

Proof to Andy, Sarah & co., that I'm brave enough to go in now ; )

THANK YOU to Shaun, Janet, Jonathan and Joe...! Daddy stacks them up, I knock 'em down...


I have to add, health-wise it's been a rough couple of weeks... 2 Monday's back I had my MMR jab - one needle per arm... ouch. But Mummy said I was a very brave girl for going through it...

After that I started to get a few cold symptoms which turned into a full on snot-fest with added chesty cough and loss of appetite. Add to this the Tamiflu the quack prescribed (which I only managed to keep 2 doses down, the other 2 made a quick reappearance with a load of recently consumed tea - sorry olds...) and our house was not a fun place to be. Mum and Dad both came down with a similar cold and were coughing past themselves (still are) and I had them both taking days off last week to look out for me to save me giving Monty my germs.

Aaaaaanyway - I think I turned a corner today as there was definitely less snot around, so fingers crossed the road to recovery is just around the corner.

Now if only we could get the hot water and central heating working again life would be peachy...

Samantha
x x x

Saturday morning blog!

Am currently trying to sleep whilst TWO chainsaws are trimming trees down the road alongside our house. Think I just heard Daddy mention something about "re-shooting a scene from Scarface using said implemenets" if they wake me up, but he used a few words I didn't recognise...?

Quick film clip for you, photos later...

Quick update

Not seen much of Daddy this week, he had a lot on in the evenings. He went to see a film on Monday and had gigs on Wednesday and Thursday, but I saw lots of him on Saturday as Mummy went out yesterday afternoon to learn how to shoot arrows with her friend Julie who was visiting from Harrogate!

Not bad...

Me watching telly (I know - "Square Eyes")

And me doing... guess what

catching up

some more recent photos, this time from Liverpool last weekend - I might even try a video (or then again, I might not...)

helping Daddy out with his lager on Friday night at Waterloo Rugby Club

Being entertained by Grandad Ozz (not Harry Hill's TV Burp)

Parklife

Two days, two parks, in November no less. So check me out...
On the slide in Elthorne Park

En route to Lammas Park

On the swings...

feast of photos

Wow, where does the time go? I'm 13 months old on Wednesday, so much for my first birthday celebrations that I was trying to drag out as long as possible...

Aaaaanyway, it was Halloween on Saturday - technically my second one, but the first one I could dress up as one of my favourite Cebeebies characters... we were hoping for a few more callers at the door so I could check out other people's outfits, but in the end I only saw one group of (3) older (than me) kids, who all looked great, and seemed suitably scared by Daddy's pet crow but didn't seem to notice Mummy and Daddy's glow-in-the-dark t-shirts...

So - over to the pics...

Modelling Mummy's new (glow-in-the-dark!) t-shirt


Helping Daddy lace his shoes...


Upsy who?


Getting ready for trick or treaters


Having a drink with Daddy

Autumn is here

and the nights are drawing in...

aside from more teeth coming through, I've had a lovely week, even though Mummy & Daddy went out on Thursday, and Julia kindly looked after me for the night.

First pic is of their night out - one of the olds favourite bands - Doves - played some BBC event with the London Bulgarian Choir and by all accounts it was pretty special.


We were meant to be going to see Isla, Catherine and Dan yesterday, but Dan and Isla weren't so well, so we were advised to keep away, and instead we had a walk towards Ealing. Once I'd had a nap, Daddy spotted Steve and Sylvie walking past so we asked them in for a cuppa and I could show Sylvie 'round the house and talk at her for a bit ; )

So pic. no. 2 is Sylvie and I playing with a ball...


And finally for tonight is a nice pic of me this morning captured in the bright autumn sunlight streaming through the front room windows. How lovely.


Until next time, night night,

Samantha
xx

Something new

70 and counting

Wow - 70 posts, look at me showing off...

Sorry it's been a week between the last one and this, the olds have been pretty busy / tired / lazy of late, but don't worry, I'll have a word and try to put them straight.

In the meantime, i've not had that many photos to approve for the blog, but here's a couple you might like...

Hi to Granny Jean who's in Australia visiting Aunty Dawn - and also to Dawn, Andy, Jack & Cole!

Being a good girl and brushing my teeth before bed, whilst modeling a groovy pair of specs...

Is that Daddy with a camera? Have it!

Again showing off my dental hygiene, nice bodysuit/babygrow - thanks dad! Where's my NIN one?

Girl on film

some recent pics for y'alls...

having a word with the young 'un...


snotty nose : (


telly fun

Birthday Girl !!

I am now most officially one.

Fantastic.

I must say it's gone in the blink of an eye, but I've also crammed so much in that there's way too much to remember.
Thanks to Daddy for this blog!

So - 365 days young as of yesterday. We were in Liverpool for the weekend - at the Royal Hotel to be precise and I had a party with around 60 of our closest family and friends attending. Coming soon - a roll call of everyone who came along, but for now - a huge thank you to everyone who came along - it really was great to see / meet each and every one of you and an even bigger THANK YOU for all of my lovely presents - I was totally spoiled rotten.

Special thanks to Mario for the loan of the stereo, Clan Lewis for the loan of the CDs, Granny Jean for putting said Clan up for a couple of nights and Ian and Sarah for putting Granny Anthea and Grandad Tony up and also for the "after hours" party back at your place!

And now... a few pictures.

Rueben says "aaaarrrrrrrrrr!"


I take control of the music


Maddison looking angelic


Ava behaving herself (for a nano-second!)


It's been a hard days night


Birthday Girl on Sunday morning


Bossing Steph and Kate over lunch


where's the camera?


Samantha
x x x

PS - Happy Anniversary Dawn & Andy for yesterday and a very Happy Birthday to Izzy today!