For a couple of months now, Anna has been walking around with things dangling from around her neck. It normally is my mobile phone charger wire or the spare cable from the TV. I always wondered what she wanted a wire hanging round her neck but assumed she thought it was a necklace or simply just a comfort thing.
Now, before you all start panicking that she could injure herself, I am very careful that I am around when she is doing this and fully aware that she could try to attempt to wrap it around her neck (which she has never ever done but I am aware of it). I am constantly taking wires off her and putting them out of reach but she always finds something else to use.
When down in Hereford, my mum also commented on it and suggested that she may be pretending it was a stethoscope. Surely not!! Admittedly, she has been in hospital more than the average baby but I couldn't quite believe that she would be pretending to have a stethoscope permanently around her neck. Then I started watching more closely...
Anna, every so often, would approach her dolls or Teddy's and, with the wire dangling around her neck, she would then stick the plug or phone charger 'bit' onto the doll's chest before nodding her head and saying 'good' whilst nodding her head reassuringly!! She really was pretending that these wires were a stethoscope. I shouldn't have been surprised. Last time we were in hospital, she insisted that the consultant left his stethoscope behind so she could play with it and listen to every one's chest when they visited her, including nurses, nursing assistants, cleaners, doctors, registrars and consultants. Thankfully, the consultant was lovely and went off to find a spare one so that Anna could have a loan of his stethoscope for the duration of her stay. However, I never imagined that this would have stayed with her and she would still be 'using' a stethoscope, 3 months after her last visit to the doctors.
However, things have now been taken to the next level. We recently went for a review at the hospital and saw the head respiratory consultant at Chester. It has now been 10 weeks since our last episode in hospital so things do seem to be improving as this is the longest we have been out of hospital since March. (Fingers crossed very tightly and praying that I have not just tempted fate.) When it was time for the consultant to listen to Anna's chest, I feared the worst after knowing that stethoscopes are a big hit with Anna. At first, I thought we had got away with it. Admittedly, when Anna saw the Stethoscope, she started bouncing up and down excitedly but then held her hands up above her head so that the doctor got easy access to her chest. The Doctor didn't even have to ask.
The consultant hadn't been listening for more than 2 seconds before Anna insisted on having a go. Luckily, the consultant was understanding and allowed Anna to have it. Immediately, the stethoscope was put around her neck and she insisted on placing the metal plate on the consultants chest to have a listen. She then bullied the poor medical student (who was observing the meeting) into pulling her chair closer so that she could ensure her heart was beating normally too.
Only after Anna had shown the senior consultant how to use the stethoscope properly was the consultant allowed to have it back. Anna then proceeded to call the consultant a 'good girl' when she did it correctly!! Thankfully, the consultant had a good sense of humour about it all although Anna was not a happy bunny when she started packing it away and started saying 'no, no, no, not yet'. to her.
'I think we have a future Doctor Gibson' suggested the consultant, to which Anna just beamed and bounced up and down with renewed enthusiasm! Anna was probably thinking that she had just been offered the job! 'Who needs 6 years studying medicine when I can use a stethoscope already'.
Oh well, there is her birthday present sorted! Anna's 2nd birthday present will be a stethoscope! I suppose it is original!
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
Tuesday, 16 September 2008
Spider? What Spider?
‘She waved her massive legs at the crowd and they waved back, she sprayed water and the crowd begged for more, and when she was caught in a snowstorm and went to sleep in the middle of the main retail area, the audience gave out a great collective sigh of pleasure as if they had all been given a precious free gift. It turned out to be a very bad day for shopping, but a great day for art.’ The Guardian, 8th September 2008
There are many things that you can get up to at the weekend. Standing in the front row, watching a giant spider making its way through Liverpool with people trying to stop it with water, snow, lightening and fire no less, is not a way that I would have imagined spending a Saturday! However,
we did and I'm so glad that we did. It was fantastic!
Giant doesn't really describe this spider in any way so I hope the photo that I managed to capture gives you some idea.
It is difficult to explain it really. One lady was asked to describe it to BBC news and simply said ' There are no words... if you weren't here, you don't get it' and that is as accurate a description as you can hope for. However, for the purposes of this blog, I will attempt (and fail) to do some kind of description.
We were not even sure that we would get to Liverpool to see it. Torrential rain the night before had flooded the railway line, just outside Chester, so trains had come to a standstill (rain may beat trains but it didn't stop the spider!). Unfortunately for us, we didn't get told that the trains had stopped until the cashier was handing our train tickets to us and said 'By the way, the trains are not running so go and wait outside and a bus will pick you up in half an hour'. Great!
We were wondering how Anna would cope with a wait for so long but, as always, she was a star and was quite happy to sit and watch everyone else get irate while she just laughed at them! Unfortunately the bus was running 20 minutes late so, 50 minutes from when we first walked into the station, the double decker bus finally arrived. However, 50 minutes is a very long time in which to pile up Liverpool bound passengers (normally trains from Chester depart every 15 minutes to Liverpool). A massive crowd of people surged forwards to the bus but there was no way that we were all going to fit. In fact, the driver has stopped any more passengers from boarding, just as we got to the door but Anna decided that enough was enough and just clambered on anyway. That's my Girl!
With no seats left, we were left standing which I was not happy about as it was far too dangerous to let Anna stand up on a speeding bus. To be fair, there were people willing to stand to let Anna have a seat but, being crammed in like sardines meant there was no way of getting to the seats anyway. I was ready to get off again and go home! However, I then saw an opportunity. The baggage compartment had enough room in it!! I sat Anna in there and I wedged her in using our coats and bags while other people let me borrow their coats and bags to make it even more secure. Anna was in heaven. It must have felt like she was on a throne. She was able to look out of the window with nobody restricting her view (which is more than the rest of us had) and she had a bus full of people all facing in her direction giving her smiles and waves! Of course, Anna gave regal waves back and sang 'Wheels on the Bus' for everyone's delight. When it came to the line, 'The driver on the bus goes moan, moan, moan', everyone laughed so Anna just kept repeating that line over and over again while the driver just shook his head and muttered something!
The bus off loaded us at a train station north of Chester and we then had to wait another half an hour for a train to come! It was fast approaching midday but the 'I refuse to give up' mentality had set in and I was going to get to Liverpool now, regardless. Unfortunately, the train passengers had built up in all subsequent stations to Liverpool so, by the time that we got to the Mersey Tunnel, there was an imprint of my face etched on the window pane as I was stood, wedged in the corner with my face against the glass. There were actually people getting off the train and fainting! Thankfully, Anna's pram is very roomy so she was perfectly fine. In fact, she got so fed up that she fell asleep and missed the whole 'train journey from hell' bit!
Eventually we arrived in Liverpool and realised that we had no idea where this spider was! We saw lots of council men taking down bollards and flower pots and lamp posts to enable the spider to get through later in the day but we had no idea when that would be. 'Never Mind' said James. 'Maybe we can just go and look for my new trainers instead'. By this stage, I felt as though I had completed my mission in getting to Liverpool in the first place so my energy levels to find a massive spider was diminishing fast!
After lunch and James eventually finding his trainers, I decided to go hat shopping (for a very important wedding next Summer!!) and we found ourselves in the lift at Debenhams. However, when arriving on the second floor and the lift door opening, we discovered that we couldn't actually get out of the lift as the whole of the 2nd floor was crammed with people. I then heard a security person shouting that nobody else would be allowed in. 'I think we have found the spider' I uttered to James. We did stay in the shop for a while but our view was restricted severely and we wondered whether it was worth it at all so James suggested going back down. 'We won't be able to see anything at street level' I whined (not fully realising how big this spider was) but James insisted. I'm so glad he did. If we had stayed in the shop, we would have only got to see the spider as it walked past the wondow and we would not have had the full effects of anything.
However, James, being the vey clever person that he is, led Anna and I to the very centre of the street (it took ages to get through the crowd but eventually we had stepped on enough toes to get past). 'It is no good stood here' I whined again (Anna was far too busy eating an apple to whinge!!) 'The spider will mow us down and we won't see anything' However, James had a plan! Basically, when the spider came up to us, we would be directly in front of her (the spider was agirl spider with the offical name of 'La Princesse'). We would then get moved to the side with the procession and we would end up on the front row! I wasn't convinced but I really should have more faith as that was exactly what happened. We had the best view in the whole of Liverpool city centre!
So what is it... (sorry... you have had to read all of that to get to the ineresting bit but I needed to give the context didn't I??)
Basically, it was a HUGE mechancial spider, operated by 12 engineering intellects. The spider moved on its own with no help from lorries or other common vehicle. It could climb up walls and move each leg independently so that flaying legs could be seen to reach over various buildings throughout Liverpool as it walked, as though it was taking over the city. In fact, it literally DID take over the city and it did it in magnificent style!
It was shoruded in secracy and the first anyone knew about it was when it appeared on a derelict building outside Liverpool Lime Street station on Wednesday. Imagine coming off the train, still half-asleep with your mind mulling over another tedious day in the office, only to look up and see one massive spider dangling off an office block!
For the next 5 days, the spider then made it's way through the city, day and night, on a rampage. http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2008/sep/07/art
However, the spider is only half the story. You then have numerous 'performers' trying to stop the spider from it's tirade and they used all sorts to stop it. Often water was sprayed (drencing the spectators but nobody cared as we were all caught up in the drama) , lightening (flashing strobes), snow and fire was blasted.
Then, to accompany all of this was an orchestra, all following the spider on cherry pickers and cranes, elevated to the spiders height. This was no small orchestera. There were at least 20 musicians and the instruments included a full sized harp and harp player (she had a crane all to herself!). All of this was conducted by the maestro, on the lead cherry picker. Apparently, the composer of this music has slept in a tent on the streets of Liverpool for a week so he got a vibe of the city, so that the music reflected the environment! The music was the crowning glory as it just seemed perfect and the musicians, despite being elevated into the sky with the lashing rain pouring down, sounded amazing! It was very loud and simply awesome.
For the official word from the theatrical company themselves, click here (although calling 'La Machine' a theatre group really doesn't do them justice. It would be like calling the Mona Lisa a 'doodle'.)
So what did Anna think of the amazing spectacle which people (mainly scousers!) are describing as 'the best thing that Liverpool has ever witnessed'. Well... after a very exciting bus journey, a nice lunch in a smart cafe and helping Daddy pick out trainers... she just took one look at the spider (which was now hovering above her looking extremely intimidating with a very loud orchestra accompaniment) and carried on eating her snack as though it wasn't there! Well, lets face it, it was a giant spider towering over everything with an accompanying orchestra and lightening, fire and water spraying everywhere. What's so special about that!
There are many things that you can get up to at the weekend. Standing in the front row, watching a giant spider making its way through Liverpool with people trying to stop it with water, snow, lightening and fire no less, is not a way that I would have imagined spending a Saturday! However,
we did and I'm so glad that we did. It was fantastic!Giant doesn't really describe this spider in any way so I hope the photo that I managed to capture gives you some idea.
It is difficult to explain it really. One lady was asked to describe it to BBC news and simply said ' There are no words... if you weren't here, you don't get it' and that is as accurate a description as you can hope for. However, for the purposes of this blog, I will attempt (and fail) to do some kind of description.
We were not even sure that we would get to Liverpool to see it. Torrential rain the night before had flooded the railway line, just outside Chester, so trains had come to a standstill (rain may beat trains but it didn't stop the spider!). Unfortunately for us, we didn't get told that the trains had stopped until the cashier was handing our train tickets to us and said 'By the way, the trains are not running so go and wait outside and a bus will pick you up in half an hour'. Great!
We were wondering how Anna would cope with a wait for so long but, as always, she was a star and was quite happy to sit and watch everyone else get irate while she just laughed at them! Unfortunately the bus was running 20 minutes late so, 50 minutes from when we first walked into the station, the double decker bus finally arrived. However, 50 minutes is a very long time in which to pile up Liverpool bound passengers (normally trains from Chester depart every 15 minutes to Liverpool). A massive crowd of people surged forwards to the bus but there was no way that we were all going to fit. In fact, the driver has stopped any more passengers from boarding, just as we got to the door but Anna decided that enough was enough and just clambered on anyway. That's my Girl!
With no seats left, we were left standing which I was not happy about as it was far too dangerous to let Anna stand up on a speeding bus. To be fair, there were people willing to stand to let Anna have a seat but, being crammed in like sardines meant there was no way of getting to the seats anyway. I was ready to get off again and go home! However, I then saw an opportunity. The baggage compartment had enough room in it!! I sat Anna in there and I wedged her in using our coats and bags while other people let me borrow their coats and bags to make it even more secure. Anna was in heaven. It must have felt like she was on a throne. She was able to look out of the window with nobody restricting her view (which is more than the rest of us had) and she had a bus full of people all facing in her direction giving her smiles and waves! Of course, Anna gave regal waves back and sang 'Wheels on the Bus' for everyone's delight. When it came to the line, 'The driver on the bus goes moan, moan, moan', everyone laughed so Anna just kept repeating that line over and over again while the driver just shook his head and muttered something!
The bus off loaded us at a train station north of Chester and we then had to wait another half an hour for a train to come! It was fast approaching midday but the 'I refuse to give up' mentality had set in and I was going to get to Liverpool now, regardless. Unfortunately, the train passengers had built up in all subsequent stations to Liverpool so, by the time that we got to the Mersey Tunnel, there was an imprint of my face etched on the window pane as I was stood, wedged in the corner with my face against the glass. There were actually people getting off the train and fainting! Thankfully, Anna's pram is very roomy so she was perfectly fine. In fact, she got so fed up that she fell asleep and missed the whole 'train journey from hell' bit!
Eventually we arrived in Liverpool and realised that we had no idea where this spider was! We saw lots of council men taking down bollards and flower pots and lamp posts to enable the spider to get through later in the day but we had no idea when that would be. 'Never Mind' said James. 'Maybe we can just go and look for my new trainers instead'. By this stage, I felt as though I had completed my mission in getting to Liverpool in the first place so my energy levels to find a massive spider was diminishing fast!
After lunch and James eventually finding his trainers, I decided to go hat shopping (for a very important wedding next Summer!!) and we found ourselves in the lift at Debenhams. However, when arriving on the second floor and the lift door opening, we discovered that we couldn't actually get out of the lift as the whole of the 2nd floor was crammed with people. I then heard a security person shouting that nobody else would be allowed in. 'I think we have found the spider' I uttered to James. We did stay in the shop for a while but our view was restricted severely and we wondered whether it was worth it at all so James suggested going back down. 'We won't be able to see anything at street level' I whined (not fully realising how big this spider was) but James insisted. I'm so glad he did. If we had stayed in the shop, we would have only got to see the spider as it walked past the wondow and we would not have had the full effects of anything.
However, James, being the vey clever person that he is, led Anna and I to the very centre of the street (it took ages to get through the crowd but eventually we had stepped on enough toes to get past). 'It is no good stood here' I whined again (Anna was far too busy eating an apple to whinge!!) 'The spider will mow us down and we won't see anything' However, James had a plan! Basically, when the spider came up to us, we would be directly in front of her (the spider was agirl spider with the offical name of 'La Princesse'). We would then get moved to the side with the procession and we would end up on the front row! I wasn't convinced but I really should have more faith as that was exactly what happened. We had the best view in the whole of Liverpool city centre!
So what is it... (sorry... you have had to read all of that to get to the ineresting bit but I needed to give the context didn't I??)
Basically, it was a HUGE mechancial spider, operated by 12 engineering intellects. The spider moved on its own with no help from lorries or other common vehicle. It could climb up walls and move each leg independently so that flaying legs could be seen to reach over various buildings throughout Liverpool as it walked, as though it was taking over the city. In fact, it literally DID take over the city and it did it in magnificent style!
It was shoruded in secracy and the first anyone knew about it was when it appeared on a derelict building outside Liverpool Lime Street station on Wednesday. Imagine coming off the train, still half-asleep with your mind mulling over another tedious day in the office, only to look up and see one massive spider dangling off an office block!
For the next 5 days, the spider then made it's way through the city, day and night, on a rampage. http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2008/sep/07/art
However, the spider is only half the story. You then have numerous 'performers' trying to stop the spider from it's tirade and they used all sorts to stop it. Often water was sprayed (drencing the spectators but nobody cared as we were all caught up in the drama) , lightening (flashing strobes), snow and fire was blasted.
Then, to accompany all of this was an orchestra, all following the spider on cherry pickers and cranes, elevated to the spiders height. This was no small orchestera. There were at least 20 musicians and the instruments included a full sized harp and harp player (she had a crane all to herself!). All of this was conducted by the maestro, on the lead cherry picker. Apparently, the composer of this music has slept in a tent on the streets of Liverpool for a week so he got a vibe of the city, so that the music reflected the environment! The music was the crowning glory as it just seemed perfect and the musicians, despite being elevated into the sky with the lashing rain pouring down, sounded amazing! It was very loud and simply awesome.
For the official word from the theatrical company themselves, click here (although calling 'La Machine' a theatre group really doesn't do them justice. It would be like calling the Mona Lisa a 'doodle'.)
So what did Anna think of the amazing spectacle which people (mainly scousers!) are describing as 'the best thing that Liverpool has ever witnessed'. Well... after a very exciting bus journey, a nice lunch in a smart cafe and helping Daddy pick out trainers... she just took one look at the spider (which was now hovering above her looking extremely intimidating with a very loud orchestra accompaniment) and carried on eating her snack as though it wasn't there! Well, lets face it, it was a giant spider towering over everything with an accompanying orchestra and lightening, fire and water spraying everywhere. What's so special about that!
Monday, 8 September 2008
New Kid in Class
After our summer break, our baby groups and classes start again this week. It is nice to think that we are getting back to a routine and a hectic social life again but I am also nervous for a number of reasons.
The most important reason for being nervous is the fear of Anna being exposed to all those children, hence a much bigger risk of being exposed to cold viruses. I know, I know, you can't wrap her up in cotton wool but sometimes I have to fight a strong temptation to do just that when the alternative is days spent in hospital. I am going to try and stay positive. Each day that goes by means that Anna is getting bigger and stronger to fight these viruses from going to the chest. Be positive Louise (I am talking to myself again)!
Secondly, I am nervous about our music class tomorrow (Tuesday). Today is the first day with Anna's new teacher!! As I have mentioned before, Anna can be a diva in her music class, insisting that she demonstrates how to play the instruments, that she is the one who collects and distributes the instruments and that she will carry the box back to the cupboard (before the other children have even stopped playing the instruments). She also makes sure that she sings louder than everyone else and that her dancing takes over the entire room! Sue, her previous music teacher, was amazingly patient (much more so than I would be with an 'Anna' in my class!) and reacted wonderfully to Anna's diva moments. I'm not sure the new teacher will be quite as forgiving! At the moment, the other parents just consider Anna as being very very cute but, if the new teacher starts getting exasperated by Anna, how long will it be before the other parents start to feel the same?? We will wait and see!!
I am also in the process of enrolling Anna in a dance class. It is a group specifically designed for 2 to 4 year old children, dancing to pop music and using lots of different equipment such as hula hoops, ribbons and poms poms. In terms of the dancing, I think Anna can join in with the best of them but I'm not so sure on the 'following instructions' part of it. With Anna being asked to listen to music, dance and being incredibly excited (which Anna will certainly be where music and dancing is involved), it is not a good time to ask Anna to follow instructions. While all of the other children are dancing around the room in a circle, Anna would probably be dancing her way to the middle of the room! The teacher states that the dance class is a good way for children to keep fit. I'm not sure about the children but I will probably come out of each class puffing and panting after running behind Anna as she attempts to do the Highland Jig through each and every dance hall!
This Wednesday, we start a brand new class called 'Forest Tots'. I am extremely excited about it! Basically, it is a club set in Delamere Forest. For the first half of the morning, toddlers and their parent will go for a walk in the forest with a specific focus such as collecting leaves or looking for acorns etc. Then, they return to the wooden lodge and they take part in an arts and craft activity associated with their walk. Apparently, the tots did lots of pond dipping last half term which they loved. Anna will be the one that insists on getting in the pond with the mini beasts, in order to 'take a closer look'. I think Anna will adore it as it is outdoors, getting dirty and being around lots of other people which is her 3 favourite things! I am also looking forward to it, especially if it lives up to how good it sounds. I am also feeling slightly nervous. The thought of Anna let loose in a forest, over-excited and showing off to the other children is a little daunting. Also, I keep wondering what the other mum's will be like. It will be like I am the new kid in class as the club has been running for a year now and all of the other mum's know each other. I fear that they will all be super-fit and talk about their mountaineering trips and hiking expeditions. Oh well, I probably won't be getting a chance to join in the discussions anyway... I will be too busy wading into the pond to retrieve Anna!
Whatever the new term holds, I am sure that Anna will have lots of fun (and her Mummy will have some new grey hairs!)
The most important reason for being nervous is the fear of Anna being exposed to all those children, hence a much bigger risk of being exposed to cold viruses. I know, I know, you can't wrap her up in cotton wool but sometimes I have to fight a strong temptation to do just that when the alternative is days spent in hospital. I am going to try and stay positive. Each day that goes by means that Anna is getting bigger and stronger to fight these viruses from going to the chest. Be positive Louise (I am talking to myself again)!
Secondly, I am nervous about our music class tomorrow (Tuesday). Today is the first day with Anna's new teacher!! As I have mentioned before, Anna can be a diva in her music class, insisting that she demonstrates how to play the instruments, that she is the one who collects and distributes the instruments and that she will carry the box back to the cupboard (before the other children have even stopped playing the instruments). She also makes sure that she sings louder than everyone else and that her dancing takes over the entire room! Sue, her previous music teacher, was amazingly patient (much more so than I would be with an 'Anna' in my class!) and reacted wonderfully to Anna's diva moments. I'm not sure the new teacher will be quite as forgiving! At the moment, the other parents just consider Anna as being very very cute but, if the new teacher starts getting exasperated by Anna, how long will it be before the other parents start to feel the same?? We will wait and see!!
I am also in the process of enrolling Anna in a dance class. It is a group specifically designed for 2 to 4 year old children, dancing to pop music and using lots of different equipment such as hula hoops, ribbons and poms poms. In terms of the dancing, I think Anna can join in with the best of them but I'm not so sure on the 'following instructions' part of it. With Anna being asked to listen to music, dance and being incredibly excited (which Anna will certainly be where music and dancing is involved), it is not a good time to ask Anna to follow instructions. While all of the other children are dancing around the room in a circle, Anna would probably be dancing her way to the middle of the room! The teacher states that the dance class is a good way for children to keep fit. I'm not sure about the children but I will probably come out of each class puffing and panting after running behind Anna as she attempts to do the Highland Jig through each and every dance hall!
This Wednesday, we start a brand new class called 'Forest Tots'. I am extremely excited about it! Basically, it is a club set in Delamere Forest. For the first half of the morning, toddlers and their parent will go for a walk in the forest with a specific focus such as collecting leaves or looking for acorns etc. Then, they return to the wooden lodge and they take part in an arts and craft activity associated with their walk. Apparently, the tots did lots of pond dipping last half term which they loved. Anna will be the one that insists on getting in the pond with the mini beasts, in order to 'take a closer look'. I think Anna will adore it as it is outdoors, getting dirty and being around lots of other people which is her 3 favourite things! I am also looking forward to it, especially if it lives up to how good it sounds. I am also feeling slightly nervous. The thought of Anna let loose in a forest, over-excited and showing off to the other children is a little daunting. Also, I keep wondering what the other mum's will be like. It will be like I am the new kid in class as the club has been running for a year now and all of the other mum's know each other. I fear that they will all be super-fit and talk about their mountaineering trips and hiking expeditions. Oh well, I probably won't be getting a chance to join in the discussions anyway... I will be too busy wading into the pond to retrieve Anna!
Whatever the new term holds, I am sure that Anna will have lots of fun (and her Mummy will have some new grey hairs!)
Friday, 5 September 2008
We Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside
After a dismal summer, I finally achieved my goal for the holiday period and we actually managed to get Anna to a seaside!!
Although the Lake District is our favourite holiday destination, it does tend to lack the sea and sand so I was eager that Anna should get to experience the great British tradition of eating fish and chips by the seaside and watching the donkeys walking up and down the sand!
On Friday night, the 6 O'clock news predicted that Saturday would be a 'warm day with plenty of sunshine.' With 2 days left until September started, it sounded like the best day that we were going to get this Summer so our minds were made up. We were going to the seaside! Unfortunately, by 10pm that night, the same weather presenter was predicting a 'a cool day with lots of cloud covering'. Oh dear!! It was too late now, we had our hearts set on a day spent by a British seaside so there was no stopping us now!
On Saturday morning, we set off early, complete with blanket, a packed lunch for Anna (I wasn't keen on the idea of giving Anna greasy chips) and sun cream (ever the optimist!). My idea had been to find a nice secluded beach near Conwy (North Wales) with 1 tacky shop that sold a bucket and spade. Unfortunately, the only secluded beach we found was secluded for a reason! It was full of rocks, a lake with swans, a huge playground and not much else! Of course, after being in the car for an hour, there was no way that Anna was going to let us drive on after she had caught sight of the playground so we ended up spending 30 minutes of Anna running around at full speed! We tried showing her the swans but she wasn't interested!
We finally ended up in Llandudno! I grant you that it isn't the classiest of venues but, as far as North Wales seaside venues are concerned, it is quite nice.
By the time that we had been to Conwy and back, it was time for lunch so we headed for the chippy and then sat on the promenade scoffing them. Anna has a love of fish at the moment so really enjoyed her cod (with a little batter!!) as well as her tuna sandwiches, organic corn puffs, raisins, yogurt, strawberries, Kiwi fruit and milk!!
After lunch, we went on a treasure hunt to find a bucket and spade. As you can imagine, it wasn't difficult to find the obligatory tacky shops selling all sorts of paraphernalia. It wouldn't be a true British seaside without buying something!
So, armed with a bucket and spade, we headed for the beach. Luckily, the sea was still quite close and the beach wasn't too busy! The weather had even done us a favour and was beautifully warm, even hot enough to apply sun cream. (No, I was not being neurotic. Everybody was applying the sun cream!).
Instantly, Anna was mesmerised. For someone who had never sat on a beach and felt sand running between her toes, it was magical! She didn't even mind that we seemed to have chosen the unfortunate spot where the donkeys were resting!! Before long, I had taken her to dip her big toe in the sea. Despite the water being freezing cold, that didn't stop Anna from wading in. Silly Mummy had forgotten to take her skirt off so that became soaked very quickly but, undeterred, Anna kept going. In fact, she didn't want to come out and I had to carry a kicking Anna back to her Daddy when it got too cold for me!!
For the next 2 and a half hours, Anna then sat on the blanket and played with her bucket and spade. I could not believe it! It is the longest that Anna has ever sat still in her life. She has 3 rooms full of toys at home and yet it is a £1.99 bucket and spade that had captured her imagination. All the while, Anna continued to chat about the 'bucket', 'sea' and 'boats', 'spade', 'Noddy' (which was the picture on the bucket) and 'sand'. It was wonderful. James disappeared after a while and came back holding 3 ice creams.
All he needed was the handkerchief tied on his head and he would have looked the part! Not only did Anna get to experience warm sand for the first time but she also tasted her first ice cream. (James had been very good and had found an ice cream which was basically frozen orange juice and water. After checking the 3 ingredients, sugar came last on the list although that is probably not saying much!! I will try not to think about the sugar levels. Anna is allowed treats on special occasions, of which this was one!!)We knew it was time to go home when Anna kept asking to go back out to sea and we couldn't see the sea anymore! So after a gorgeous day, we headed back to the car. Anna managed to stay awake for the walk down the promenade and give royal waves to everyone that passed her and the 3 of us watched while a plucky lady in her 80's stripped down to her swimsuit, ran out to sea and dived in with little hesitation (I was shivering after sticking my big foot in!).
I had just manged to strap Anna in her car seat and walk to the driving seat before Anna had fallen fast asleep. All that sea air did wonders! By the state of my car, we brought back half of the sand from Llandudno as well!
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