Russ and Pietro came round on Thursday - good to see them and we had a great time, managing to eat in the garden – although the BBQ we’d planned ended up being done on the cooker because the disposable barbecue didn’t do anything….

The trophies which line their bookshelves (where the Doctor Who merchandise allows them room to be seen) proclaim Russ to be an excellent tennis player – but testing his skills on Wii tennis told a different story…

Anyway, I hope we managed to distract them for an evening.


Weekend away – another one
We left on Friday for afternoon for our weekend in the New Forest. We booked in to the Three Lions http://www.thethreelionsrestaurant.co.uk/Hotel_Fordingbridge_New_Forest.html - a place calling itself a “restaurant with rooms” rather than a B&B. we’d been to the Three Lions three years ago and noticed that not only do they have a great chef (Michelin stared no less) but also that they have a jaccuzzi in the back garden and baby monitors in the rooms that stretch to the restaurant. All this, aligned with a total ban on mobile phones made it a great choice for a weekend away..

A very relaxing weekend in which we had great food and took George for a long walk in a specially designed rucksack baby carrying thing some friends had given us. It’s a great – although hugely cumbersome device which makes it feel as though George is precariously balanced somewhere among the overhanging treetops, but which is actually quite safe and even almost comfortable for a couple of hours.

My shoulders still feel it, but George absolutely loved being high above the ground, bobbing about looking at ponies and trees and all kinds of non-London scenery. He was laughing and giggling – especially when I had to climb over stiles with him – for about 3 hours. It was only towards the end of the walk that I felt a solid weight on my back, lolling from side to side as he fell instantly to sleep.

By the way – we found the route for our walk at www.go4awalk.com – a useful website providing maps, walks and descriptions for rambling all over the country…