Sunny Days in Autumn

I know that if you read Duffs on the Go, you will have got the idea that it does nothing but rain in England. This is not true - we had a sunny day last week! In honour of the sun, and lack of opportunity to climbing this year (I think we have made it out only about three times so far!), we took Angus out to try his new climbing harness.

At first Angus really hated having this strange piece of something wrapped around him and he screamed a bit and wriggled in protest. He really does hate being fussed! Once he realised that the purpose of this was so that he could climb like Daddy, and to Daddy, who was holding the rope to belay him to the top, Angus was very happy in deed!

This is what he did:
He had a great time, and really enjoyed swinging, jumping on the rope and at times he was really climbing and looking (a bit!) for footholds. A lot of the time, though, he wanted to swing and just play - and why not. There is plenty of time yet to try out the E4s!

I'm Tagged!

So I have been tagged. I don't always do these, but I am concerned about the spy software that I have been informed about from my "tagger"!

Here are the rules...
1. Post the rules on your blog
2. List six random things about yourself.
3. Tag six people at the end of the post.

Six random things about myself:
1) I aspire to many things - but don't really have the will power to achieve any of them.
2) I could live on a diet of biscuits, fresh bread, tuna mayonnaise and cheese - just not very healthily!
3) I really like my new short hair and found the long hair a real pain.
4) Mountain Rescue is a total buzz and I missed it when I was in Germany.
5) I would love to live in Scotland, with the German weather and bear festivals.
6) I find baths and beach holidays boring.

So now I tag 6 people but I only know one more person who blogs!
Dr Karen

Anyone else reading this who blogs, can you be my other five?

A Picture to Warm a Grandfather's Heart

I have to post this for Angus's Grampa. Since before I was born, my Dad has owned a steam engine. He bought a second one several years ago, a roller, although that is still being restored.

Look what I saw when I came downstairs the other day: Angus is already showing an interest in the family steam business. The picture he was studying so carefully is a line up of thirteen Burrell Showman's engines from a magazine that he has learned the contents of by heart. A lovely thought for a Grampa with more than a passing interest in steam!



The picture below is my Dad showing Angus his (now more correctly my brother's) engine at a steam rally last summer. Look how proud his Grampa is!

Vegetables and Fruit

I love Freecycle! Check out the link and my previous posting Clearing Out the Clutter, March 26th.

Freecycle, if you haven't met it before is all about not having to buy new stuff and not having to throw out old stuff just because you haven't got a use for it anymore. It's about not buying in to the idea that you have to have new, just because you do and just because there is no useful forum for getting hold of second hand. It's very liberating! You know the scenario, you need clothes' hangers, for example, and just know that someone down the street will have a superfluity of them but you don't know who, and so you go and buy some. It's stupid, because that person down the street will be throwing them out next week to create more space.

So, I put a posting on their website asking for toddler toys. Angus has been getting a bit bored with his toys and needed a bit of stretching and some more age appropriate stuff. I asked if anyone had toys that their child had outgrown. I had a couple of replies and ended up with the world's ugliest but Angus loves it rocking horse, and a Little Tikes kitchen unit with two carrier bags full of fruit and veg, plates, pans, cutlery, the whole lot! Needless to say, the rocking horse has been cleaned and will need to be spruced up, but he adores the kitchen. Ken has been given cups of tea, his soft toys are being fed a very healthy diet and Angus has learned to make a very delicious casserole of mixed veg, watermelon, cheese, grapes and fried eggs. Yum.



This is Angus the morning after he got his kitchen. He refused to come down stairs for his breakfast and insisted that he wanted to eat it in his kitchen at the breakfast bar using one of the chairs which came with a little red table also from Freecycle!

Daddy Mark Blue Walk

Angus has been really funny with Ken being away. The first evening when Ken was away he insisted in sitting in Ken's chair for dinner. He then proceeded to test every dinner rule we have: singing Old Macdonald at the table, throwing food, tipping his water on the table, getting up and walking around, and lots of "bam bam" (hitting things with his spoon - or anything else he can get hold of). Dinner was not peaceful and ended up with Angus being moved away from the table and then finally being strapped into his high chair.

He cried.

I felt guilty.

I didn't give in.

He went to bed without a struggle but did ask after Daddy.The next morning he woke up cheerfully at 7.30. He wanted some milk. I went downstairs to get some and by the time I came back up stairs he was standing beside our bed saying, "Up, up!" So I lifted him up. He crawled over to Ken's side of the bed, grabbed a cushion and then did an imitation of Ken getting comfy for a cup of tea (a Saturday ritual when we are all at home). He sat on Ken's pillow, cushion behind, pulled the duvet over himself, tucked himself in, said, "Daddy," rearranged the cushion then followed this with "Milk - pease (sic)". Hhhmmm. Dad's away and now I am man of the house?

Everything followed reasonably uneventfully until last night - Monday. He had asked after Daddy earlier in the day and I told him that Daddy would be coming home tonight after he was asleep. I don't know how much this registered but I do know that he became really excited and didn't sleep until after 11.00! At dinner Angus also looked at Ken's chair (he had been put back in his high chair - no arguing!) and I reiterated when Ken was coming back. He looked at me and said, "Daddy, Blue Mark walk."

Ken arrived back at 11.30. He was really tired, unpacked his kit, put a load of washing out, and went to bed. Angus woke up unacceptably early for a child who hadn't gone to sleep until after 11.00. Ken was awake at 6.30 to catch an early bus for work. Angus woke up, I took him downstairs to see his Dad. He looked at me, said, "Down" and walked straight over to Ken, patting his knee. "Up," he said, and then gave Daddy a hug.

Happy son, happy Daddy.

Ken left for work; Angus said, "Bye", then turned to me and gave me big hug too.

Happy wife.

Then I tackled the laundry.

And the wet tent.

And the pans, water bottles, thermos, sleeping bag, dog bedding, ....

Angus went and tackled Mark in bed.



We did do some proper cooking while Daddy was away! In case you are wondering, Angus is mashing spuds.