Andrew and Pip dared each other into swimming in the sea during a break in the rain.
We visited possibly the worst tourist attraction in Britain. At one level it’s good that places like this still exist. On another level we could have done with not spending quite so long in the Museum of Mildew and the themed gardens (highlight: the Roman garden, signified by a piece of marble effect formica).
We also spent the Bank Holiday Monday at one of the best attractions. We expected rain, and got sunshine. Everyone left at 4:30, and we got the whole zoo to ourselves for the last hour or so, when all the animals perked up. Indie rode on Thomas the Tank Engine twice, and got a sticker from Sir Topham Hat, the Fat Controller.
After Drusilla’s we called in at my cousin’s in Brighton for bath time.
Finally Lucy came round and I took some photos of her Olympic craft activity, for the Olympic Local Leaders website.
Last SaturdayI was the 1,031st person ever to cross the finish line of the Olympic Stadium running track, in the National Lottery Olympic Park Run. If I’d been 8 seconds faster I’ve have been in the first 1,000. It was a good race, a little quiet in places with no spectators outside the stadium, but emerging through the tunnel onto the running track inside the stadium, in front of 10,000 people, was a fantastic moment.
V invited us to Kew Gardens with Dave and their four boys. I thought it would be cold, grey, and too early for any flowers, but it was amazing. The sun was out and there were hundreds of crocuses and snowdrops out. The orchid house was packed with flowers, and the rain forest greenhouse and aquarium were superb too. No wonder it’s popular with photographers – I could have spent all day in the orchid house on my own.
The Valentine boys ran around non-stop as soon as they were let out of the car, pausing only for pop corn. Girls are a lot slower, although they seem to need carrying more than boys. They had their picnic dinner sitting on a newspaper on the floor of a district line tube packed with rugby supporters.
We spent Christmas with Sally & David in Kent this year. My family came down too, including Liz’s dog Beanie, and Gin & Jo. Lucy & Peter stayed until breakfast on Christmas Day, and Victoria, Stuart and Oliver came in their motor home, bringing Uncle Robert – so it was pretty busy.
Indie was totally crazy for the entire period.
I cooked Christmas lunch, but it was a pretty straight-forward affair – I had two days to do it in, and an army of helpers.
Father Christmas bought everything the girls had wished for, so contrary to appearances they must have been good through 2011.
Happy Christmas to you all. Here’s our seasonal broadcast, featuring Laurie as Mary, Pip as the angel Gabriel, Big Baby as Jesus, the Green Beast as the Donkey, and Indie as the Chicken.
Laurie wasn’t happy with the first take, so we have a second version she considers perfect.
Both are best viewed with sound on. I hope these improve your festive experience.
I ran the Nike Run To The Beat half-marathon yesterday. I’ve only done one half-marathon before, the 2005 Windsor Half Marathon, when I was a child-free 30 year old. As the colleague I was supposed to be racing yesterday dropped out, I decided to race my 2005 self.
In 2005 I ran the 13.1 miles in 1h 55m 8s. In 2011 I ran it in 1:52:58, 2 minutes 10 seconds faster. Victory is mine.
I did it in my (un)lucky red wig, so there might be some decent photos tomorrow.
The third leg of our Grand Tour, after Scotland, was a night in a cottage in Whitby. The town was lovely and I’d like to spend more time there one day – we arrived at five and left at two the next day. Just time for fish and chips, the lifeboat museum, the pier and the beach, a replica HMS Endeavour trip and the Abbey.
We’ve completed the first leg of our Grand Tour. We left London after work last Friday night, at 8pm, and drove to a cottage in Eskdale Green in the southern Lakes. We arrived at 2am after a ridiculous final five miles where the roads were packed with hundreds of sleeping sheep and cows.
We visited Pip’s Mum’s friend Lord Pennington at his castle, via a steam railway. I presume we have now been on all miniature railways in the UK. We balanced rocks at St Bee’s, and crossed Hardknott Pass in the car. Birk’s Bridge would have been a perfect spot for a dip if it hadn’t been so late.
I dislocated Indie’s elbow one morning, so her arm hung limply by her side all day. We drove her to A & E that afternoon. Going round the final mini roundabout to the hospital she leant against the side of her car-seat and popped it back in again.
On our last day we tried a Moss mountain climbing expedition, on Catbells by Derwent Water. I carried Indie all the way up and down in the back-carrier’s final outing, and Laurie did the whole four-hour trip (450 vertical metres of steep climb and scrambling) under her own steam. The family parked next to us in the car park gave Laurie a pair of walking boots which helped a lot, once she got over the disappointment of her first pair of non-pink shoes.
