Exploring

Our blog entries continue to be slightly in arrears! Two weekends ago, we joined Stephen, Lucy and Craig for the day aboard the canal boat Explorer. They picked the boat up from Napton on Friday evening and we joined them the following morning at Braunston, travelling to Crick in Northamptonshire. It was cold, but mostly clear and sunny and we had a thoroughly enjoyable day, honing our muscles on the locks and catching up on reading time.

Meanwhile, we had left Ben with Gran for the day, not attracted to the idea of containing him on a boat for a whole day. He had the best of times, playing with the diggers and the animals at Hatton Country World. He came home with one of these hard hats, so we now have our own little Ben the Builder all the time.

On Sunday, we decided that it would be fun to join up again with Stephen and Lucy, as they were heading back to Napton on their own, to give them a hand with the run through the six Braunston locks. This time we took Ben along for his first canal boating experience. He was remarkably well behaved and loved helping to push the lock gate and exploring the boat, which even had beds to jump on! Here he is navigating a lock with Aunty Lucy - we thought it was worth training him early so we can sit back and enjoy a rest on canal boat holidays in a few years time...

More photos of our trip are on Stephen and Lucy's website.

Royal Parks Half Marathon

A couple of weeks ago we returned to the London for the first time since April, and once again it was to watch someone competing in a race - this time Stephen competing in the Royal Parks Half Marathon. It was a gloriously sunny October Sunday - also notable for being Mark's birthday.

We travelled in from Oakwood on the train after staying overnight at Tim and Celeste's (whose hospitality we had also taken advantage of for the London Marathon - this is beginning to be something of a habit!) This was Ben's second trip on an underground train and although in this photo he appears to be taking it all very seriously, he seemed to enjoy it.

We joined up with Mark's Mum and Dad, and Lucy to watch the race, seeing Stephen pass us at around 8 miles before forcing our way through the crowds to to see him cross the finish line.

He did extremely well, completing the course in a very creditable time of 2:05:14, and finishing 4077th out of 7431 finishers. We were all very proud of him, and just a little bit in awe - it's relatively recently that he's taken up running.

After a brief detour to the Serpentine to feed the ducks, we all travelled back to Enfield for a meal at the Halfway House, to celebrate Mark's birthday and Stephen's fantastic achievement.

Blackberrying

It's that time of year when the blackberries are out in the hedgerows around Kenilworth. So on a sunny Saturday afternoon, what better than to wander along the nearby lanes filling our basket with them. The blackberries were actually a bit thin on the ground, but we think we have enough to make an apple and blackberry crumble together with the apples from Debbie's parents garden.

This photo captures Ben discovering the delight of playing with shadows for the first time - co-ordinated with Mummy in more ways than one!

Wet play

Now that autumn has clearly arrived, "raining, pouring" has been Ben's constant refrain - and it really hasn't stopped this week. Trying to entertain a little boy indoors on days like this is quite a challenge, so yesterday we finally resorted to braving the elements and going to inspect the flood by the castle. And we learnt an important lesson - now we all need wellies.

The end of the summer

As the rain has continued to fall all week it looks like we have seen the last of summer. We were fortunate though that last weekend we were in Suffolk with Mark's parents where we enjoyed some beautiful sunshine and Ben got to make probably his last visit to the beach until 2009. On Sunday we also took a trip to Sutton Hoo and the farm nearby where we went round a Maize Maze and Ben got to drive a tractor.

We headed home, leaving Ben to stay with Gran and Grandad for a couple of days, stopping off in Woodbridge to see our former fellow Kenilworth residents Richard and Clare who now live just a few minutes from Mark's parents and where Clare is beginning to show signs of the little bundle of joy due in February.

Wedding No.2

On Monday we had the rare privilege of witnessing the marriage of two of our closest friends - Kay and Dave. The festivities began at the Slug and Lettuce on the Sunday evening where many friends gathered for a pre-wedding tipple, to wish the couple well.


On Monday morning whilst Debbie was getting ready with Kay and the rest of the bridesmaids, Mark joined Dave, the best man and the rest of the ushers in a surprise limousine ride to the church with a glass of champagne along the way.

Whilst they all greeted the guests and made sure of the final arrangements, Kay, Debbie, Amanda, Lindsay, Angela and little Caroline continued to make themselves look beautiful before finally getting to the church on (South American) time. (Only 20 minutes late).

Here Kay has just arrived with her Dad and is being teased about her timekeeping by the church pastor, her old boss.

The South American theme continued through the service which was a wonderful celebration, full of personal touches and poignant moments. The wedding party even salsa danced around the church as they processed out after the service. Debbie was glad that she been provided with waterproof mascara and that Mark had had time to nip to the car for some extra tissues just before the start of the service.

Kay and Dave have both worked with children for years and so they made sure that children were involved throughout the day. Here James' daughter is trying to muscle in on the photographs and caused great entertainment by falling for the "catch Daddy's mobile phone" trick every time, leaving just enough time for the official photographer to get the snap she wanted.
Other children served lemonade and popcorn (another South American tradition) to the guests and hungry bridesmaids.

Then it was time to head off to the reception venue. When we arrived we found the newlyweds relaxing in their wedding car with a glass of champagne, savouring the moment.

The rest of the day flew by in a blur, with more photographs, catching up with old friends, eating good food and ceilidh dancing. Debbie even managed to conquer her nerves and stand up to say a few words about her special friend.

A wonderful day. We're so thrilled that Kay and Dave have finally tied the knot after what seems like years of waiting. Actually, it is after years of waiting. We have been subtly (and not so subtly) dropping hints since Millennium New Year about how perfect they are for each other. It has been a complicated story, involving Dave spending two years in Peru just after they first got together and then Kay spending two years in Ecuador just after they finally rekindled their romance. They got there in the end!

They're an amazing couple, driven by a passion for justice and a heart for the poor, and a wholehearted commitment to Jesus and to serving him abroad. Thankfully for us before they go, they are going to be living in Kenilworth for a little while. We're looking forward to boys nights in the pub (Mark and Dave) and girlie giggly chats (Kay and Debbie), and Ben is looking forward to getting to know his Godparents (and watching Kay doing the ironing!).

After some soul searching we decided to leave Ben with his Nan and Grandad for these couple of days. We missed him lots and in many ways would have loved him to have been a part of the celebrations, but the crumpled face as he said goodbye showed us what a great time he had had on his "holidays".

Wedding No.1

Our Bank Holiday weekend was a weekend of weddings. And what a lovely time we had too. On Friday Lucy and Chris tied the knot in Debbie's home town of Wellington. Lucy is an old family friend and sister to one of Debbie's bridesmaids, Sue. It was fantastic to share in her special day and see her looking so beautiful. Nice too that the sun came out for what seemed like the first time in August.

Ben looked dapper in his new outfit which Mark brought back from a trip to Scotland (with work) last week. Ben seemed to enjoy himself, joining in the singing (at both opportune and inopportune moments) during the service, repeatedly shouting "digger!" during the father of the bride's speech, and staying up until after 9:00pm for the first time since he was a little baby. Mummy and Daddy found it slightly harder work and were glad that Nan and Grandad were on hand to share the load.

Pictured below are Sue, Mark and Beth, taking a break from their bridesmaid and usher duties. Creeping into both these pictures is The Wrekin, where at the summit Mark proposed to Debbie all those years ago.

Five (not four) go mini (not crazy) in Warwick!

The annual mini (or crazy) golf competion between Penns and Dawsons returned this weekend after a year in abeyance. This time the Dawsons had a Ben and a broken ankle between them to deal with but nevertheless managed to put in a credible second-placed performance on the championship course in Warwick. Revenge next year will be sweet.

Although somewhat distracting for the competitors, Ben enjoyed his mini-golf experience, and we're sure that next year he will be a strong addition to our team.

Poorly leg

Mark's leg continues to improve and he's now fairly mobile. Ben hasn't quite appreciated yet that it is getting better and still tries to bring Mark his crutches and as this video shows, continues to be fascinated by Mark's swollen ankle and scar. Perhaps he is going to be a doctor when he grows up?!

I do like to be beside the seaside

Last week we had a fantastic holiday in Northumberland with our friends Mark and Lucy and our goddaughter Tabitha. We stayed in Seahouses ... in a house very close to the sea! Seahouses is a pleasant fishing cum holiday village, perfectly placed on the coast near Bamburgh, the Farne Islands and miles of beautiful sandy beaches. After weeks of rain and cold we were taken by surprise by the almost wall to wall sunshine which showed the coastline at its best and resulted in several stunning sunsets.

The weather also meant we were able to enjoy a few visits to the beach, re-familiarising Ben with the sea and sand he had discovered for the first time as a little baby last summer in Cyprus. This time the bucket and spade came out and Ben set about the serious task of digging, ably assisted by "Uncle Mark", whilst Daddy rested his leg.

Daddy's leg wasn't too bad in fact, although he did make the mistake of leaving his crutches behind in Kenilworth, which necessitated a (successful) trip to the local hospital to try to borrow some more. But with or without crutches he was able to join in with the fun and do most things apart from coastal walks - a good reason to return in future years. Here he is walking along the Seahouses harbour wall with Ben.

Meanwhile four rather frazzled parents enjoyed the chance to relax together each evening with good food, wine, many laughs, and a few games. The resident pool table was the icing on the cake.

As well as spending some time on the beach near Bamburgh Castle, we also toured around a little bit and visited Holy Island, Berwick upon Tweed and Alnwick Garden, as well as a boat trip to the Farne Islands to see the seals and puffins.

Ben loved Bamburgh Castle, waving "bye bye" every time we went past and rather endearingly learning to say "Bamba Castle".

But most of all Ben loved Tabitha. It was lovely watching the two of them getting to know each other better. Despite her tendancy to steal his toys, Ben had a bit of a holiday romance and three days since we left, her name is still on his lips ("Babitha"), and he only has to see a photograph of her and his whole face lights up!

"Lawnmower"

We think this video speaks for itself!

Ben the Ball

This photo taken by Uncle Stephen reminded us of our slightly mean nickname for Ben when he was a chubby six month old. Bless him! Taken on Sunday after enjoying a birthday barbeque for Mark's Mum with all the Dawson clan.

Carnival!

Kenilworth isn't quite Rio de Janeiro and the weather wasn't quite as tropical, but nevertheless, Carnival has come to Kenilworth. We all wandered up the road on Saturday (yes, even Mark, on his crutches!) to see all the floats go by. Ben was especially pleased to see the fire engine and to receive a free lollipop. It is days like this that remind us why we love living in Kenilworth - the community spirit is great!

Carnival time has also come to our garden, with the addition of a swing and a slide for Ben, which has rather unfortunately coincided with our showery July weather.

Daddy's Day

It was a quiet Father's Day this year, with Daddy stuck on the sofa, but Ben and Debbie tried their best to make it special, with a few little presents and bacon sandwiches for breakfast! We love this photo, which seems to caputure the best of life at the moment. Mark being at home all the time does at least mean more family time together, and Ben enjoys making a "chair" out of Daddy's lap and bringing him books to read. This week Mark was told he could start to bear some weight on his ankle, so it feels like he's making progress. Before long he'll be the one chasing Ben around the garden, as Ben giggles "coming, coming..."

Making progress

When we uploaded our photos this weekend we found a few pictures from our trip to Upton House and Gardens including this prescient one of the place where I fell, behind the trees roughly where the arrow points.

Mark has been making good, if slow, progress and getting used to his crutches. Although he is enjoying all the sport on TV at the moment, catching up on his reading and working his way through his DVD collection, he is open to other suggestions to keep him occupied if anyone has any ideas!

It has been a slightly strange couple of weeks for Ben, with Daddy just sitting on the settee with his leg up, not really able to play very much. Sometimes Ben brings books for Daddy to read to him and once or twice they have sat and watched TV together but Ben is a little boy who is pretty much always on the move. He is fascinated by the crutches and has been known to carry them off leaving Daddy even more limited in what he can do. They're a bit big for you Ben!

A walk in the woods...

For those who've not yet heard the news, our walk in the woods at Upton House and Gardens (near Banbury) on Tuesday ended in rather dramatic style, with Mark being air lifted from there to hospital in Coventry after falling awkwardly and breaking his ankle. Despite lying on a muddy slope for an hour and a half he was lucid enough (thanks to the morphine) to suggest that Debbie took a photo of the air ambulance. Debbie felt this was a step too far, so this photo from their website will have to do! It's been a challenging week for us all, but we are glad that Mark was able to have an operation on Wedesday evening and is back home now. It will be a long old road to recovery, but atleast we're on it.

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.