Natalie's Wedding

We went to Natalie and Steve's wedding with the boys down at Farnham (near Farnbourgh). 

She's an Everton football fanatic so it was blue and white with all the tables labeled as players names.

There were about 12 kids under 10 including thier own little girl (Sophie - who's Zachary's little friend).







We had a lovely time and the boys got complements for their wonderful behaviour.







We stayed overnight at a Travelodge hoping that we could sightsee the next day but the weather was horrid (much like the previous 2 weeks) so we came straight home.

Happy Birthday Alan

We surprised Alan by singing Happy Birthday to him and forcing him to have cake.

Visit By Robert Stringer

Robert was over for an awards ceremony and he popped in.


It was lovely to see him.

London To Brighton Bike Ride

Mike left the house at 5.30am to enable him to meet a friend (Holgar) at the starting line of the London to Brighton bike ride at Clapham Common for thier 6.30am starting time.



The boys refused to let Mike sneak out as they insisted on getting up as he was leaving.  This meant that we were able to leave at 7.30am to drive down to Brighton and meet Mike at the finish line.


I expected the drive to be extended due to the hoards travelling down however we managed to beat this due to our very early start.



On our arrival at 9.00am I received a text from Mike to say he was half way and would be at the finish line at around 12 o'clock.


The boys and I managed to get the park and ride bus into Brighton's marina where we loitered amoungst the 1,000 odd boats before descovering a trash and treasure market.  There we purchased 3 kids books before enjoying a wonder around the 30ish shops (laid out like Knox City's open air section). 


At 11.30am we discovered a kiddies play area where Zachary could stretch is legs.  Unfortuantely, they had a sprinkler in the middle where kids could run around under.  This would've been great but it was absolutely freezing and I didn't have a towel, change of clothes.  This sprinkler was a magnet for Zachary so it was fortuante that Mike texted to say he'd be at the finish line shortly so we left after only a short while.

We managed to stand just the other side of the finish line with a reasonable view when Mike came whooshing past.  Zachary saw his dad and began shouting "Daddie,  Daddddiiiieee.  DADDIEEEEE!!!!" very excitedly.

A few minutes later we were all happily reunited.


Holgar had finished 30 minutes earlier and was sitting with a group on Brighton's stoney beach waiting for their remaining friends to finish.  We wound our way through the hordes of people, bikes and stalls to meet him. 


Annette and Max (Holgar's wife and1 year old son) had left a little later than us and got caught in the traffic so hadn't arrived yet.  Once they had (and we'd spent an hour or so playing on the pebble beach together) we parted and made our way to the car.  This was not as easy as you'd think as it was around 3.00pm with the majority of riders having finished and now mixing with the throng of spectators, etc.


The drive home was uneventful however, we were all very very tired and went to bed early.

Amelia's 1st Birthday

Travis and Zoe's little girl turned 1 and to celebrate they had a picnic in their local park.

There were beers for the men though Amelia and Alexander decided to ransom them.



Holland Park

The day started out dry and clear so we decided to go to Holland Park.

It has a sandpit and the boys were lucky that a fellow enthusiast allowed them to play with their toys.

Unfortuantely Alex tried to eat the sand and anything else he could find.

Afterwards we saw the fish in the pond before walking in the wooded area. 

We stumbled across a seating area and of course, Zachary chose the best one. 


I wonder what his subject think?

Chinease Gender Predictor

This is brilliant....

Being Australian, I've been exposed to various traditions and every culture has a 'how to concieve/predict what gender your child will be'.  Not to mention, old Aunty X's physic ability to 'just know'.

I've recently discovered this - Ancient Chinese Tradition of Chinese Confinement.

It involves sticking to weird rules like – stay in the house for 30 days, avoid washing your hair and hands, don’t touch cold water, and drink lots of brandy. Ok I exaggerate.

During my research on how to increase chances of selecting gender using natural techniques, I came across the Ancient Chinese Gender Chart.

The legend states that the Chinese Gender Chart is over 700 years old. It was discovered in a royal tomb in Beijing and now resides in the Beijing Institute of Science. Apparently it is 90 – 99% accurate, but it is only for entertainment purposes.

There isn’t much scientific evidence, but some say it has something to do with the phase of the moon and the acidity in the woman’s uterus.

How To Use It :

You can predict your child’s gender by using your LUNAR AGE at the time of conception. (To work out your lunar age, just add 2 years.)

Then find which month you conceived, then you can work out the gender of your baby.

My Analysis :

For me, my two boys should be girls (based on the Lunar Age). However, if we take my actual age then this chart is 100% accurate.





Please try it and let me know how you go.