Bluebells

The last few weeks bluebells have been filling the countryside around us, and last Sunday we had a walk around Crackley Woods, just outside Kenilworth, where they were abundant. The bluebell is apparently Britain's favourite flower and as Ben dived into their midst, we did wonder whether it was illegal for him to pick them. A bit of internet research suggests that picking bluebells, along with most other wild flowers, fruit and foliage, is not generally an offence, although it is illegal to pull the bulbs up, and the commercial sale of any part of them is unlawful. Still, we didn't let him do too much damage!

Day tripping

In recent weeks we have taken advantage of the better weather to play tourist and visit some country houses. First we had a day out at Coughton Court with Mark's Mum, who came to stay with us for a couple of days the weekend before last. Here we are enjoying the gardens. Ben also enjoyed the swings and the slide and playing with the fountains!

Then we visited Mary Arden's House and Palmer's Farm in Wilmcote near Stratford. Mary Arden was Shakespeare's mother and we enjoyed a day out looking round the two farms, visiting all the animals, watching the Maypole dancing and playing skittles. Below is a picture of Palmer's Farm, which until recently was mistakenly thought to be Mary Arden's House. The latter is just a few yards away.
Finally, Debbie, Ben and her parents went to Snowshill Manor in the Cotswolds this week and enjoyed a picnic in the glorious sunshine. Snowshill was the home of a clearly eccentric collector of anything and everything - Charles Paget Wade - and it was quite an experience exploring this Tardis-like house with every room packed full of curiosities.

In the garden

With the arrival of the sunshine we have finally been forced to spend some time in the garden sorting out the weeds and putting in some plants. Neither Debbie nor Mark is a very keen gardener so it has been a relief this year to have some help from Ben. Here he is helping Mummy with the weeding (no comments on the view please!) and doing some watering.

Run, Run, Run

Last weekend we headed down to London to cheer on Debbie's cousin Rob in the 2008 Flora London Marathon. We were thrilled and proud to watch him up there with some of the best - finishing in an amazing 2:40:42 and 5th in his age group. Despite some apprehension about taking Ben into central London on such a busy day, we all thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would recommend it to anyone. The atmosphere was fantastic, and we soon found ourselves rooting for everyone, and joining in the cheers and clapping for each participant as they went past our spot on Victoria Embankment at around 24 miles.

Ben conveniently slept in his pushchair for his own record time, and woke just in time to congratulate Rob and admire his medal - and to stand with Grandad shouting "run, run, run" to the masses approaching their final 600 metres.

After negotiating the crowds, we had time to test out Ben's new reins in Trafalgar Square, where we took him to see the lions - there was something special about watching him toddle around such an iconic site. After a brief rendezvous with Kay and Dave, followed by tea at the Tilleys (our generous hosts for the weekend), we returned home exhausted but buzzing from our great weekend.

April (snow) showers

We all had a surprise when we woke up this morning - snow! Apart from a powdery covering over Easter, this was the first proper snow since February last year, and we had begun to give up hope of a chance for Ben to play in snow this year. As it happens, the novelty wore off quite fast, and he decided it was much more fun playing with his new dustpan and brush set inside. And we think he may be the first child in history to determinedly refuse attempts to encourage him to eat the snow. Oh well, maybe next year...

Kay is back!

At the end of February Kay returned to the UK after 2 years working in Ecuador, and we finally got to meet up with her and Dave last week. We all spent a lovely day in Stratford, catching up and sharing lots of laughs. Ben loved having his godparents to stay, and was particularly keen to tell them all about the Hoover - his current (longstanding) fascination. Then Debbie had a real treat - a girlie day out shopping with Kay while Ben was with his childminder! Like London buses, another girlie day followed soon after as Debbie travelled up to Manchester on Saturday for the all-important bridesmaid dress hunt. Meanwhile Daddy and Ben had a boys day at home, including a trip to Homebase!

On Sunday we got a glimpse of spring sunshine, and headed down to the castle to give Ben a chance to explore and make the most of his new-found mobility. We have looked forward to photos like these for ages - playing chase and catch, and Ben literally getting "into" everything.

Easter

Last Easter there was so much sun that we have had to buy Ben a sunhat and suncream. No such problem this year. It was the first time it had snowed at Easter for 10 years although there was the excuse that it was the earliest Easter since 1913.

After marking Good Friday with the traditional walk of witness in Kenilworth we headed off to Mark's parents in Suffolk for the rest of the weekend.

Whilst we were there we took in a trip to the Bentwaters Cold War Musuem - for Mark who grew up just a few miles from RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge, the twin US airbases in the area, it was fascinating to find out some of what went on on our doorstep until really quite recently. It seems such a long time ago now, but a reminder that the Cold War was a reality whilst we were growing up in the 1970s and 1980s. A photo of Ben next to some Rapier missiles in the snow seems somewhat incongruous.

After several months of practicing, Ben is finally well and truly mobile. He has been walking unaided for the past week or so and rapidly making up for lost time! After a lovely Easter lunch we decided to go for a ride out to Bawdsey. It wasn't quite the weather for going on the beach so after a brief walk around the car park we came home again - but there was enough time for Ben to show off his new found skills outside for the first time. He even got cross with his Gran for holding his hand!

Mother's Day

Last weekend we celebrated Mother's Day again. Debbie was truly spoiled, with a bacon and egg breakfast in bed and a good half hour or so reading a book and listening to Aled on the radio, while Ben and Daddy played downstairs. Then we headed off to Debbie's parents for a lovely day with them - including a trip to the park. Ben was very excited by the giant abacus there - after a miserable week of sickness, this was the happiest we had seen him in days. However, it was to be shortlived. Strangely reminiscent of last Mother's Day, Ben took the opportunity to fall ill again later that afternoon, and by the time we arrived home had a fever, which lasted for another couple of days. We hope it's not going to be an annual occurence!

Fairtrade Fortnight

For the past eighteen months or so we have been part of a campaign to make Kenilworth a Fairtrade Town. It all began as a discussion in our Homegroup from church, and from humble beginnings of a few people wanting to do something practical to make a difference here in Kenilworth for producers in the developing world, we now have an active campaign and are well on our way to achieving the goal. It's been Fairtrade Fortnight the past couple of weeks, and we've been out and about raising the profile of the campaign. We've been handing out leaflets about Fairtrade products in the centre of town, promoting a Fairtrade Town Trail and recruiting supporters to strengthen the cause. On Friday night we even had our MP baking Fairtrade muffins at the local Youth Centre! Ben has been doing his bit too - generally attracting interest by smiling at everyone, and sleeping quietly in the corner when the exertions of social action got too much.

Holiday

We have recently returned from a great week in the Lake District with our good friends Lucy, Mark and Tabitha. We were spoilt with some of the best weather in February for years - Tuesday was the second warmest February day ever! The views were stunning wherever we went but the above photo is probably our favourite - the result of an early evening dash by the two Marks to Coniston to catch the sunset, while the girls dealt with the childrens' teatime.

It was warm enough for us to stop for a picnic on Tabitha's first birthday, on our way around Grasmere and Rydal Water. Our progress was slowed by the need to take photographs every few steps in an attempt to do justice to the blue skies and crystal clear waters. We were amused by the gender divide in the photo below - Debbie is looking forward to a day when Ben does the map reading and she can just enjoy the views without getting told off. Tabitha will just be looking for the camera if this photo is anything to go by!

The following day we decided it would be nice to take the children to the seaside. It was just as sunny, but not quite as mild! Ben tried his best to keep a stiff upper lip but ultimately cracked and joined in with Tabitha's protests. No sandcastles that day!

Apart from the beautiful weather and the amazing scenery we also really appreciated our evenings after the children had gone to bed - eating good food, drinking good wine, and enjoying good company.

Ups and Downs

It's been a quiet few weeks in the Dawson household, so we thought we would give you a brief glimpse of our day to day lives. It's tiring looking after a 14-month old. Tiring saying 'no' all the time. Tiring dealing with the resulting tantrums. Tiring being woken up before 6:00 most days. But then you get a smile like this, and suddenly it doesn't matter that you're tired.
Climbing is the latest discovery. Any slightly elevated object is fair game...

... the box we meant to store away in the garage

... the magazine basket (dangerously close to new TV).

This week Ben has been climbing up on a chair, standing up on it, and then gleefully turning to us and saying "down" - pre-empting our constant refrain! It's hard to keep a straight face.

All Nations

This weekend we visited Ben's godparent 'Uncle Dave' at All Nations Christian College in Hertfordshire where he has been studying for the last 18 months. The college is housed in a wonderful old stately home, in beautiful countryside. Sadly the persistent rain meant we couldn't get out to enjoy it, but we spent a lovely afternoon sheltering in the huge lounge at the college - catching up on news, drinking coffee and (Mark) reading The Times on the velvet couch. Aunty Kay will also be studying at All Nations next term when she returns from Ecuador, and so Ben thought he would try out the seats in her new classroom for her. Apparently they're very comfortable! Ben was slightly suspicious of the new addition to Dave's chin at first - and we think Kay may be too!

Christmas

We can hardly belive that our Christmas and New Year have come and gone so quickly. We've had a lovely time with family and friends - celebrating Christmas in Suffolk with Mark's family, and then playing host to Debbie's family for a few days.

Early on Christmas Day, Santa brought some presents for Ben. Rudolf was having a well-earned rest for this part of their gruelling night and so some Suffolk Punch horses stood in for the Hollesley leg.

Ben had a mixed Christmas Day. He loved the horses, but was a little overwhelmed by all the presents and the attention. He managed to open a few presents in the morning before retiring to his cot and then resurfaced to have some turkey dinner (well to throw it on the floor anyway). We did manage to capture him smiling with a cracker and he perked up a bit in the afternoon when he got to open some more of his presents. On Boxing Day he finished opening his presents, and thrilled us all by quite clearly asking for "cheese" (his first "proper" word?) which he had spied on the table while we were eating lunch.

Back home in Kenilworth after a relaxing few days being looked after by Mark's parents, we welcomed first Debbie's parents and then Val, Pete, Rob and Louise to visit. Ben had plenty more presents to open and sometimes just had to sit and rest from all the excitement!

He seems to have been going through another period of rapid development and his walking gets stronger every day, as you can see from the picture of him at Kenilworth castle with his Nan and Grandad. He's just about begun to stand by himself for a few seconds before he falls over, and he has also started saying more and more words in the last week or two - he points at the Christmas tree and says "tree", much to the amusement of his proud parents - again, again!

Christmas is Coming

It has now got to the middle of December and we haven't got our Christmas decorations up yet, we haven't written our cards (sorry to those of you who live abroad), we still haven't finished the Christmas shopping, and to date we haven't sung any carols. The Christmas spirit is lacking in the Dawson household we hear you cry.

But no. We have been indulging ourselves with visiting the world's Christmas markets and tasting mulled wine. Compare and contrast:

Above is Lille, below is Birmingham:

Carefully considered view was that the wine was better in Birmingham, the sausage in Lille. Not sure what that proves.

Lille was a pre-Christmas treat for us both but especially for Debbie as Mark had booked a day trip on the Eurostar as a surprise whilst Uncle Stephen and Aunty Lucy looked after Ben. We travelled from St Pancras International for the first time and were very impressed. Only 1hr 25m to Lille from London! It rained most of the day but we had a lovely time anyway wandering around the Old Town and visiting the Musee des Beaux Arts, frequently taking refuge in bars and cafes for a warming cup of chocolat chaud.

Birmingham was serious Christmas shopping whilst Ben was with the childminder, but after a long day we thought we deserved a cup of Gluwein at the German Christmas Market. Very festive!

One

It's been a while since we last updated our blog so forgive the long entry but there's lots to catch up on. Yesterday we celebrated Ben's first birthday with a family lunch and a lovely afternoon party for him and some of his friends. Our house is now crammed full with new toys and books - Ben is pictured above with his new rocker, Stanley Snail. It was a special day for all of us, and felt like a milestone for Mummy and Daddy too - we've survived the first year, spurred on by Ben's beaming smile and boundless energy! Our 'graduation' as parents was marked by the challenge of the first birthday cake, which we were pretty pleased with for a first attempt. Ben has been entertaining us by roaring like a lion on demand for a few months now (inspired by his favourite bathtime book), so a lion it had to be...


Following that theme, Mark took the afternoon off today, and we treated Ben to a birthday trip to Twycross Zoo. Here he got 'up close and personal' with his roaring friend - far from being frightened (as he was of the giraffe) he actually started giggling when the lion began to exercise his vocal chords, and then he had a go at roaring back!

Of course, we thought Ben looked more at home with the primates... this photo makes us laugh.

Our celebrations have been mixed with sadness, as we have been coming to terms with the loss of Debbie's Grandad, and Ben's only Great Grandparent, last weekend. We are so glad that he got to meet Ben and see him change over the last year. Ben may have had a bad day last time we visited, but he cheered up enough to roar like a lion, much to his Great Grandad’s amusement. Grandad was fantastic fun, a big tease, and had a great sense of humour, but he was also warm, generous and devoted to his family. We will miss him so much.

Snow?!

We were a bit surprised when it started snowing as we were driving back from Shropshire on Sunday and even more surprised when we looked out the window a bit later on to find a winter wonderland in our street. But as we wondered whether we ought to get that winter coat for Ben, the snow began to turn to rain and it was all gone by the morning.

Fireworks

Last year Ben enjoyed the Kenilworth Castle fireworks display bouncing around in his Mummy's tummy. This year he was able to see the fireworks in all their glory. He seemed to be enjoying himself despite being up well past his bedtime.

Walking and reading

Things never stagnate with a baby in the house. One moment they are sitting quietly, reading their books:
... the next moment, they are on the move!



At the grand old age of 11 months Ben is changing every day and looks more and more like a little boy and less and less like a baby as he practices standing against anything in sight at every opportunity, opens kitchen drawers and cupboards and has a go at climbing the stairs.

Come on England!

Ben followed the lead of the England rugby team by having some broccoli today - though he didn't manage it for breakfast as they seem to (Broccoli v foie gras)! Obviously we're hoping Ben will be cheering our boys on in his sleep tonight!

Baptism

This weekend was a very special time for us as a family, as we celebrated Ben's baptism at our church in Kenilworth, during the Harvest service. It was a lovely day, and a great opportunity to say thank you to God for the wonderful gift He's given us in Ben and to join with family and friends in praying for his future. Thanks to everyone who came and shared the day with us.

One of Ben's godparents, Kay, was unable to be with us in person as she's living in Ecuador, but we were able to share a beautiful letter she had written to Ben. This is part of her prayer for him:

"Daily, I ask God's richest blessings upon your life.
For your childhood years I pray that laughter and joy will be your constant companions.
That you will know such safety and security in your growing up
And will have that freedom to discover and delight
In all the beauty God has given you in this world."

On Saturday we also had the opportunity to get to know our beautfiul goddaughter Tabitha, who has grown up so much since we last saw her in April. We love the photo below of Ben and his 'God-sister', who he definitely took a shine to!

Big boy now

Last week Ben graduated to a foward facing car seat - here he is looking very pleased with himself. Now he is even more of a distraction to driver and passenger as we try to point things out to him as we go along! Seems a far cry from when we were first taking him out in the car: