Walking with Dinosaurs

Zach and I caught the train a few stops out to Crystal Palace to see the Victorian life-size, concrete dinosaurs. A truly amazing and bizarre display, not quite as glamorous as the ones I grew up on, but we had great fun spotting different ones through the trees and running around in the mud and puddles. We then stumbled upon a city farm with pigs, horses, alpacas, goats, chickens, rabbits, ferrets, and a whole range of lizards, snakes and spiders - all of them real. Kind of a surreal experience, but one that went down pretty well with the boys.



Z at crystal palace station which is very grand (I guess built to accommodate all the visitors to the great exhibition back in the day).



A clue we were headed in the right direction....



We found them!



Pretty pleased with the discovery.



Jurassic foliage?








And then the animal farm....





These are from Australia!



Tarantula, yuck!







Then we stepped back in time... and to Paris....?

Our little Trooper

Zach has been a little legend this week. He coped amazingly with the hospital visit and operation and now being one handed. We're so proud of you Zach.



Before op.



After op.



We've discovered Zach is definitely right handed, but e is giving the left hand a good workout regardless!

Martha moo

Martha L O V E S the bath and splashing!

Getting ready for bed, Martha takes the opportunity to tell me about her day.

Morning shave with daddy

Remember, remember the fifth of November!

Zach and Martha enjoyed their first fireworks this year! Zach was really excited beforehand (even without knowing exactly what fireworks were, he said to Becca we were going to see how the "fire works"...!). As we walked across Clapham Common, getting closer to the fireworks, Zach said "be careful. Be really careful" a few times. I told him they were very far away and to prove it stretched out my arm upwards towards them. He did the same and seemed more relaxed about the whole thing. Martha loved them - she was squealing with delight.

I've been going to the Clapham Common fireworks for eight years! Unbelievable, considering I was originally only intending to stay for six months and it's almost the longest period in my life of doing something annually in the same place (about to take over Sydney where I lived for nine years)!

family pics

Was so lovely seeing Papa & Gran for a few days. Here are a few pics from Papa's camera.

Martha - 9 months old (and ever more expressive)

Dad taught Martha some new mimicking tricks which she loved.

Halloween 2010

We had a fun halloween weekend, carving jack o lanterns and dressing up for a party at Zach's friend Bethan's house.




















Chinese lanterns let off. They went so high and so far - as far as Surrey perhaps...!?




Dressed up at the party - tiger, victim, psycho 50s housewife and pumpkin.


We've been having some gorgeous autumnal weather too. I think this is the best autumn I've had here. The colours have been so vibrantly beautiful.