Anna and Will

Finally, after a bit of a delay, here's the story of our weekend in the Lake District for my cousin's wedding!

Apart from an overnight stay at Nana and Grandad Thomson's house, it was Audrey's first trip away from home. I was pretty nervous about how she would cope with it, but she took it all in her stride. The train journeys were much easier than I thought they would be - I was somewhat dreading what it would be like if she was really unhappy for a lot of the journey, if she couldn't sleep or was too bored to settle. But she was a little star, enthralled by the scenery rushing past the windows and so quiet and content that her good behaviour was complimented by several strangers.

We arrived and got settled in the hotel room, which was wonderfully comfortable. Audrey slept beautifully in that room, almost better than she did at home!

The hotel was set in the most beautiful surroundings. I wish we'd had more time to explore, it was just our sort of place and I was itching to go on a good long walk along the water.

Audrey had a sneak cuddle with the bride on the day before the wedding. Growing up I spent my summers camping with this woman, she's part of my childhood and when I think of family, I think of her. Seeing her get married and seeing her holding my baby all in the same weekend was an intense experience. It makes me feel connected back through the generations, and onward through the generations to come, and I really appreciated our place in the story of our family. In my mind we'll always be twelve years old, crammed in a tent at the bottom of Nana's garden telling ghost stories by torchlight. But look at her. The day before her wedding.

Later that day we met up with Aunty Kate...

... and Aunty Holly.

Not to mention my cousin Gillian's little boy Xavier! Who charmed the socks off Audrey Bea.

As more and more people started to arrive at the hotel, my camera was largely forgotten. There were too many people to see and to hug and to catch up with, and if I'd tried to get a photo of everyone I'd have been there all day. Seriously, my family? Sprawling. I have some great photos from the day of the wedding, but there are soooo many more people I don't have pictures of. Like, the bride in her dress. Oops! Also my Uncle Peter and Aunty Jacqui and my cousins Gillian and Laura and Simon and even Will, the groom. Oops oops oops! Next time, I'm gonna get a huge group shot of everyone or else.

Here are the pics I do have of the day though.

Audrey looked so gorgeous in her wee dress and headband. The picture above is her meeting her great-grandma, my Nana Betty, for the first time.

It was wonderful to see all the love she got from her aunts.

Here she is meeting her great-grandad, my Grandad Emrys, who has always been and will always be 99 years old, and who sings in Welsh. When you least expect it.

It was wonderful to see my sisters, and for them to spend time with their niece. We went swimming in the pool - Audrey's first time swimming! And they gave my girl a lot of love.

It was the first time they'd seen her in months. She's certainly a lot bigger than she was last time! And so much more interactive and playful.

Ian looked very dashing in his kilt. It was wonderful to be away together as a family for the first time.

Four generations of women: My Nana Betty with her two daughters, my mother Patricia and my Aunty Christine, and their two daughters, myself and my cousin Charlotte, and our two daughters, Audrey and Poppy.

My sisters joined us for another family photo.

Xavier made a very handsome pageboy.

Audrey had such a great time charming everyone and looking beautiful in her party dress.

She dealt so well with meeting so many new people.

I had been really worried that she wouldn't cope well with all the new situations and the disruption to her routine, but she surprised me and was adorable all weekend.

 And it was good to be part of Team Baby!

And to meet up with family, like Audrey's grandad Terry.

After breakfast the next morning we were off home. The train back was also wonderful, with the exception of a nappy leaking incident which we won't speak of!

It was such a wonderful weekend, a real celebration of family. We wish all the happiness in the world to Anna and Will.

A quick plug

Just breezing by to plug a few things for my work.

Most of you know that I run a rescue that helps small animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, degus, chinchillas etc that are abandoned, unwanted, sick or mistreated, and looks to find them new homes. The work I do for the shelter is unpaid, and the shelter is run entirely by volunteers. It's hard and often thankless work, but rewarding in ways that are hard to put into words. I've seen some of the worst humanity has to offer, but I've also seen animals take their first glimpse of sunlight after a lifetime of neglect, I've seen them feel grass under their feet for the first time, I've seen the life come back to their eyes when they realise that not every human being is going to hurt them.

It's gone from a job I do to something that defines me. Who am I? I am this. I am a person who cares about animals, who hates to see them suffering and who does something about it.

We're holding a St. Andrew's Day Ceilidh and Supper to celebrate all the work we do, you can read more about it on our website here.

Also our 2012 calendars are now available for pre-order, you can find them here. They were very popular last year, so hurry to get yours this time around!

Thanks for reading this, we'll now return to your regularly scheduled cute baby pics!

Memory Making

We've just had the most wonderful weekend away in the Lake District for my cousin Anna's wedding, and I have so many photos and memories to share that it's going to take a couple of days to get it all down in a post. In the mean time, here are some other lovely memories from the past week.

Audrey tried solids on her birthday - she had some banana! She's since tried all sorts of foods: melon and green beans and rice cakes and apple and mashed potato and carrot and sweet potato. She especially liked sucking the pieces of apple, and she loves nomming on rice cakes as well, which is convenient as all the other foods make an incredible mess! Here she is all clean and ready for her first taste of banana on her half birthday.

She looks kinda anxious! She didn't stay anxious (or clean) for long.

Last weekend Grandad Steve came to visit, bringing my grandparents, Audrey's great-grandparents, with him. It was like an episode of the Generation Game!

She had such a wonderful time with her grandad, and it was wonderful to see them together. Great-grandad and great-grandma brought her a gift, a beautiful dress, but she was far more interested in chewing on the wrapping paper!

We went out for a meal all together, and Audrey perused the wine list.

Unable to decide, she just ate the list itself instead.

It was amazing to think that there were four generations of us there at that table. Such a special time. I love every moment we get to spend with family lately, making memories for Audrey Bea.