Things can change but for the better

Jamie with his Dad at Xmas Dancing Tots 2012, Quay Arts, Newport, Isle of Wight.

The house we were going to rent got taken off the market so we now have a better option to work on: a 3 bedroom semi in the village of Hambledon which has a garden and a paddock for the chickens, at least for the short time in the next year or so. It's Sunday and Samuel is just escaping from work at 5.30p.m. This will at least be in the South Downs where we decided it would be a nice place to live. I'm researching the area more. In Hambledon on a clear day there are places where you can see the Isle of Wight! That will keep my connection to the sea then! As I write this Jamie is watching "beebies" for a good hour or so having had some houmous and bread for tea. We went to the Advent Carol service together at Newtown earlier and also visited Sainsburies which had a charity santa earlier. I'm going to knit for a  bit until Samuel phones to tell me what he is doing trying to make it back to the island.

Apple, Tower, Seal, Pear....

Lovely words our little darling can say. Shame he is still teething and in bed early having had the runs. He has been so cute playing with other toddlers: Harry, Joshua and Alice then at nursery.Here is a photo of them playing together a few months ago. A couple of weeks ago Jamie spent the whole morning laughing at Joshua's house in Medham.

A family in transit

We are back from a great holiday in La Gomera, Canary Islands, Spain where we are photographed. Jamie is now 18 months old and has changed a lot since the holiday. He is able to pronounce words better and has bonded with my old ragdoll which he calls "daisy" like "upsy daisy" in the night garden children's programme. He no longer cries when I leave him at nursery and is still playing when I return. We are in transit because we think it is no longer a good option for Samuel to commute daily to the island, especially when Sue, our neighbour who shares lifts is leaving her job so I would have to get up at 5.30am with Jamie for Samuel to get ready to catch the ferry. I've done it this week and I'm exhausted by this time and  Jamie is having meltdowns in the evening. To consider doing this with another child seems crazy if that is what we choose to do. Samuel could of course get a scooter and make his own way or we could move nearer to the boat but he resents missing out on seeing Jamie in the morning and early evening.

Back into the present moment

Jamie has been asleep now on the sofa for at least 40 minutes and I have just renewed my caravan ads online. I could make some small neat ad cards and then put one in Sainsburies and places like Shanklin and Sandown. I have decided that the first posters I've made have not been working and maybe I need to be more contactable e.g. use my mobile more consistently rather than just giving my home number. The house is tidyish. I'm a bit tired but not too badly.

How hard is it to get into the habit of blogging with a toddler even when you love writing?Quite hard!

Newtown Creek on a Sunset Walk with Jamie Summer 2011

GoodBye Newtown Community Warden! And so with a year of facebook brief updates and scribblings in my diary the year with Jamie the baby has flown and within that year he has learnt to walk and been a proper cute little "mummy's boy" though he is well-bonded with Samuel too. I decided to hand in my notice. The decision took some agonising but I felt even before Jamie that I was in need of change. I had a favourite nursery in mind but there was no promise even at this nursery for regular hours of care and so I am a "stay at home mum" but now I own a caravan on the neighbouring holiday park so I hope to have an additional occupation too through cleaning and letting it out to holiday-makers.