Getting back together...

On Sunday we invited all the babies from our antenatal group around (....with their parents !) for a spot of lunch. I have to say we were pretty slack with the camera and so didn't manage to get many pics (... please email any if you have any guys!)



In no particular order there was...

Alfie
Ben with Kate and Matt
Elliott with Kel and Brett
Jacob with Maz and Dave
Darcy with Nicole and Dave

... we would also have had Jayda (... the only girl!) with Nicole and Justin if we had checked our answer phone... sorry guys!

Adults and bubs had a good time and managed to endure the cold long enough to have a BBQ and some lovely food outside, while we caught up and shared tales of parenthood. The kids got stuck into some milk, slept, rolled around and stole blankets from each other!:0)

Celebrity Sled...

My bug is now featured on the homepage of the Exeter Aircooled website.

Check it out at http://exeteraircooled.com/ Since that picture was taken I've added some vintage accessories and bits and bobs so I'll take some new pictures on the next sunny day. We've been looking for the perfect spot and I think we've found it.

The Third Month Film

Here it is the third film, a short video of images taken during Alfie's third month. I've tried to keep the pictures in order so that you can see how much he has changed. The films are quite time consuming to do and don't have the impact that his first month film had but I guess that was a very special one. Having said that it's great for us to look back at all the pictures we take of him, we have so many happy memories already, he really is a special little boy... but then we would say that! It certainly feels like "Three is the magic number!" ... enjoy!



If you've missed the first two films then click on the link below:
Films One and Two

Summat for the Weekend #5

The Arcade Fire are Win Butler, Régine Chassagne, Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury, Sarah Neufeld, Jeremy Gara and Win's little brother Will.



The Arcade Fire reside in Montreal, Quebec and are an interesting bunch! A quote from their website says "Win moved to Montreal four winters ago, as a panther moves from jungle to jungle—silently, with rocking shoulder blades. Looking for musicians, he found Régine, who combed his sleek fur and removed the thorns from his paws." .... right oh!!!

Their first album was excellent as is their recent release Neon Bible which I could have picked any track from. The new album makes use of a pipe organ, the Hurdy Gurdy, a military choir, and a full Hungarian orchestra, amongst others. Win Butler described the album as sounding "like standing by the ocean at night." Never stood in the Ocean at night? Give it a go by clicking below!



This is the video for their latest video - No cars go. Enjoy :0)

Walk to the Ocean Baths...

Chubby Bunnies...

This week provided some warm winter sun in contrast to some of the coldest weather on record. This Friday we traveled into town for the latest Livesites event. It was the latest of the free events that the council put on throughout the year. This week the performance was by a group called Rub a Dub Dub ... and yes you guessed it it was three men in a tub.... well almost ... a sailing dingy! Wearing sou westers they played a variety of brass instruments over a computer generated drum and bass soundtrack.. it was ...interesting!

As is normal at these things everybody takes blankets, chairs and a picnic. Amongst the picnic delights was a packet of marshmallows which I assumed was for the children, but it wasn't long before the Chubby Bunnies Challenge was laid down! It basically involves shoving a marshmallow in your mouth and saying "Chubby Bunnies" which is followed by more mallows until you give up...

An impressive effort Sharron...


.. but Beth is unbeatable at this!


... were you never told not to eat with your mouth full?

The Incredible Sleeping Man

Alfie is putting in a little growth spurt we think as he is spending more and more time sleeping, we are told that this is when they all the best growing is done! His longest night time sleep is now ten hours which has been great for us at it allows Beth and I to spend some time together, have dinner and get some sleep. We are enjoying this while it lasts as the experience of our friends with babies here is that just when you think they are sleeping through its back to three hourly feeds!

Another sign of growth is the fact that Alfie now prides himself in the way he can escape from the confines of his velcro wrap and touch both sides of his crib. He has now had his last crib sleep and as I type this is having his first night time sleep in his own room in his big boys bed! It's a strange feeling not to have him in our room at night. It will be interesting to see how he goes over the next few nights!

He now looks so small in his bed, all tucked up at one end, although I guess it won't be that long until we go into the nursery and find him attempting a daring escape over the bars!

Best foot forward

Alfie has been getting good wear of his trainers in recent weeks. They are still a little too big for him but he can keep them on to keep his feet warm at a time when he has really taken an interest in his feet, he seems mesmerised by the contrast of the blue and white which I guess is showing up really clearly in Alfie's eyes!



In desperation to have a closer look he is spending much of his time with his feet in the air with some success. But oh no Alfie isn't happy with that and so in an effort to get an even better look he's using his trouser legs for a little extra leverage!

The World According to Alfie...

G'day Blog fans,
I've not been on here for a little while as I've been busy practicing my talking and rolling over, mostly when the camera is turned off.

What else have you been up to Alfie I hear you ask?
Well Mum had mastitis last week and things got a little hard to swallow, those nice soft pillows that I get to lie down on suddenly became very hard!... it didn't seem like much fun for mum either and she didn't really appreciate my hands on (and squeezing) approach to feeding. Still she went off to see the doctor who gave her some medicine and now things are getting back to normal. In the meantime I had to drink from the bottle. Mummy and Daddy had some friends here over from the Inger Lands at weekend, I thought I was a really big boy justlike daddy who was also doing lots of drinking from a bottle too!

I have feet and slowly I can get them closer to my mouth, I have found that if I pull hard enough on my trousers I can lift my foot that little bit closer! Soon I'll be able to lick my toes clean just like my hands!

Mummy says that I look like a Koala... which is like a teddy bear that can move all by itself, now that I have seen them at the animal park I can't see the similarity! I don't have fur and I don't sleep for twenty hours a day! Also I much prefer to sleep in my bed than a tree although my crib is getting a little small for me now, I have seen my new bed and I think that I am going to like my new room when I move in there soon. Daddy has moved all his clothes into the wardrobe next to mine, he says that mummy has taken all the space in their room with her clothes.

This week I am three months old and so I am going back to hospital to say hello to all my little friends who were born at the same time as me, I know that mum and dad are looking forward to it and so am I, I think it's good for us babies to get together and compare notes on our mums and dads.

Mummy and Daddy say that another Grandma lady is coming to stay next week, I like having Grandmas (....and Grandpas too!) here as they are kind and spoil me. I'm not sure where mum and dad hire them out from but we have had two good ones so far.

I promise to roll over for the camera soon, I do get a little camera shy, until then you can have a look at this video. It features yours truly shaking my rattle, a glimpse of Dad looking ridiculous in uggs and shorts and mum in the background asking where the yellow ribbon went!

Bye for now...

Summat for the Weekend #4

This has been something of a busy week so there hasn't been much scope for music listening. There was one bright musical spot though with The Klaxons track It's not over yet!



There is a lot of hype surrounding the Klaxons which suggests that they are the most exciting new band in Britain, "doing something truly original!" Original it may not be (this track certainly isn't .... its a re-recording of the 1995 Grace hit with the same name!) but this track and the album is worthy of a listen. They fuse rock and electronic music to create what has become known as 'nu-rave'... whatever they're calling it it sounds good to me!



If your connection is up to the video version then it's worth a look...

Wendy Woo and Cleverchap Too!

We are now sitting in a house that seems awfully empty after spending a fantastic weekend with Steve and Wendy, the honeymooning couple!

Having picked up their camper in Adelaide before cruising up the East Coast of Australia they finally arrived here on Thursday. We'd asked that they give us 24hours notice before arriving so that we could clear up and get their room sorted after all the DIY of the previous days. In the end we got an hour as the weather closed in and the attraction of a warm bed ... inside... tempted them up the coast to Newcastle. We know Steve and Wendy through Exeter Aircooled, (although it has to be noted that we have never seen their van running on the road... serious work has been going on to make something very special!) and we were so pleased to see them. It also gave us the opportunity to celebrate their wedding having missed their big day.

On Friday we took the trip up the coast to give Wendy and Steve the experience of a 4x4 dune safari, something which was one of the highlights for us during a previous visit. Having got all the way there we found wet and windy weather and a deserted beach. We considered our options and decided to come back to Newcastle and check out some of the local beaches finally ending up in the pub for something to eat. Back at home it was time to catch up, an opportunity for Wendy and Steve to do some catching up via the internet and some games of Buzz on the playstation.... oh and the odd beer or two!... (our neighbour commented how long to took me to put the empties in the recycling bin!)

Saturday took us to the Big W (like Woolworths!) to get the new Harry Potter Book (now completed no doubt!) for Wendy. Steve and I decided that we should have created "Harry dies.... get over it!" t-shirts as we joined the queue (I don't know that this is fact by the way Harry Potter fans!) We spent some more time hanging out in Newcastle watching my football team lose again before a BBQ and the opportunity for Steve to burn stuff (I was busy burning stuff on the BBQ!). Those of you know Steve know that this is something that he enjoys! :0) The evening went into the Early hours of the morning and the PlayStation got another good work out and somehow Alfie managed to sleep through our renditions of 80's classics!

Bleary eyed Wendy (Who was up at silly O'clock reading Harry Potter!) and Steve started Sunday by trying to repack their bags for the first time in three weeks... harder than you may think as you pick up so much stuff along the way! With the bags finally packed we travelled with them towards Sydney to the Australian Reptile Park despite the fact that Eric the crocodile, something of a Reptilian celebrity, died during the recent storms!

We had a fantastic day there looking at all the exhibits and listening to the talks from a man with a very dry sense of humour... I guess you need it working with the top 13 of the worlds most dangerous snakes (all Australian!) and the Tasmanian Devil which wasn't at all keen to be picked up! Perhaps the highlight of the day was the Koalas which we managed to touch and have our own private chat with their keeper.

The day and the weekend was over too soon and we waved Steve and Wendy off on their way to Sydney and their flight on Tuesday. It was a sad moment for us as we so enjoyed having friends here to share Alfie and our new life here.

I think we underestimated how hard it would be to leave friends behind... :0(

Steve and Wendy arrive....

Steve and Wendy arrived in Newcastle on their Honeymoon tour of Australia. It is good to catch up with some familiar faces and although it may not be a VW check out their camper.

We had some beers and then Steve and I went out to hunt and gather at Pizza Hut! We then sat about trying to plan the next three days so that we can make the most of them being here and also where we live! There should be lots of updates over the next three days...

Bedroom finshed just in time

My decision to take Monday off to complete the bedroom was vindicated as the cold weather forced our friends (Steve and Wendy) to abandon thier Honeymoon camper for the warmth of a house and double bed earlier than expected. We have now moved into the room next to Alfie's nursery which he will move into after the weekend. Alfie's new bed looks HUUUUUUGE compared to his little cot, although he did seem to enjoy his little practice lie down.

We took a cleaner to the carpets which appeared fairly clean, however the bucket which we emptied afterwards made it clear that they needed doing! It's been nice to settle in a room which has been decorated how we want it and get some pictures on the walls.

Lotta bottle...

We've known from the start that Alfie has a lotta bottle...

... it's just now that he can hold one himself!

I have feet...

Following hot on the heels (literally!) of his hands discovery Alfie has now discovered that he has feet. His feet have novelty status at the moment and he seems to spend much of his time bent double with his feet in the air so he can study them.

This is about as close a look as he is ever going to get of them as he is growing so fast...

Alfie's first roll...

After returning from the supermarket where Alfie experienced his first looking forward papoose carry (seemed to enjoy it carried a lemon for mummy before falling asleep after a brief conversation with the lady behind the deli counter!)we placed Alfie on the sofa. Much to our amazement he rolled from his back to his front, we were a little stunned before getting all over excited. Alfie obviously realised he'd done something special and followed it up with a repeat performance...

So out came the video camera and yes you've guessed it nothing... still here's a nice video of Alfie struggling to get a word in between Beth's cooing! ;0)

Engagement Party..

Beth, Alfie and I were invited to an engagement party at the weekend. Our neighbours who moved into the neighbourhood just two months before us are getting married next September. The venue was a football club about 45 minutes drive away, it took us two hours! Beth and I have an interesting approach towards getting anywhere. It's called the "Oh it'll be easy to find!" approach. It basically involves getting in the car with no local knowledge and driving using nothing but sense of smell!.... eventually we arrived and had a great time. We were pleased that we made the effort with the neighbours as they seem like a really nice couple, its a shame like most people and their neighbours we see very little of them as we're all off doing our own thing.

It was interesting to hear the speeches and the announcement of the six bridesmaids and six groomsmen... which is quite common here. Alfie proved to be a very useful subject of conversation and looked very smart in his new "big boy" clothes and trainers.

Hard work being a baby...

We captured this picture during one of Alfie's increasingly short daytime sleeps. After a feed it was time to get some shut eye and get his head down with Barnaby his pal. You'll note that Alfie has grown a lot since his last pic with his furry friend, Barnaby strangely seems to be exactly the same size!

Summat for the Weekend ...#3

Can't believe that's another week gone by... lots to choose from this week as it's been a long week on the iPod. This week I worked out that my iPod could play for 27 days 16 hours and 48 minutes without playing the same song twice! (Do I have too much time on my hands?!?) So what did I choose this week? well honorary mentions to..

British India for Tie Up My Hands
Bjork for Big Time Sensuality (Oldie but a goodie!)
New Young Pony Club for The Bomb
Digitalism for I Want I Want

But after listening to their album Young Modern for most of the week I've gone for Silverchair's Straightlines.


Silverchair are one of the most acclaimed and successful bands in Australian music history.The group’s members were all born in 1979 in the very local Newcastle surf suburb of Merewether. Singer/guitarist Daniel Johns and drummer Ben Gillies started making music together at primary school and schoolmate Chris Joannou later joined on bass. They got their big break in mid-1994 when they won a national demo competition conducted by a TV show and Triple J radio.

Daniel Johns is married to Natalie Imbruglia of "Torn" and Neighbours fame..... ah for the life of a rockstar! ;0)

Beach Baby

At ten weeks old today it was time to take advantage of the Winter Sunshine and get Alfie down to the beach. As you can see despite the clear sky is was no weather for swimming or even getting the sand between your toes.

We're not really sure what Alfie made of it all, we forgot to take his sunnies with us so it was a little bright for him, but he did enjoy the feed in the car and the opportunity to get behind the wheel!!

It's really been a rare trip to the beach even though its only about a ten minute drive away... we hope that as Alfie gets bigger and we finish our DIY etc that we'll make more of what Newcastle and Australia has to offer, that's why we're here after all.

Congratulations Heidi and Chris...

Congratulations to Heidi and Chris on the birth of Zachery back in the UK. After a tricky pregnancy (who has a normal one these days!) he arrived safe and sound. I'm sure that they will make a great Mum and Dad, Zachery certainly is a lucky boy!

... disappointingly as a male of the species I forgot to ask for any of the additional information that people seem strangely interested in when people give birth - weight? what pain relief? how long? etc. I can confirm however that he's called Zachery, he's a boy and he is a mini me of Chris!!!

When you're smiling...

Having Alfie around is more fun than ever at the moment as he rewards us with the most beautiful smiles. Usually because we're eating a piece of toast in front of him, or we switch the lights on... but also when we pick him up and play with him. He also seems to be developing a little chuckle for those really special occasions.

Our cameras are filled with failed attempts to capture these magic moments, but here are some of the few successes...

DIY ...

With visitors only just over a week away we have again gone into DIY overdrive. By next Thursday we need to have swapped bedrooms and have Alfie safely tucked up in his cosy new bed in the Nursery. Matt has been a most welcome visitor this week patching the ceiling in what will become our bedroom.

Having applied the plaster I was left with sandpaper in hand ready to rub down and paint before a second layer could be applied. I emerged looking like this...


... you've got to break eggs to make an omelette as they say!

Meanwhile the painting has started on the skirting boards and windows in the bedroom while Beth works between Alfie's sleeps in the lounge. Paint for the walls has been selected and is ready to be splashed and splattered about, it really is all systems go!

Football Training...

Living in a place where the biggest attraction is Footie (sorry... Rugby League!)the risk of infection, i.e. having a son who wants to pick up the ball and run with it!, is high. Therefore I have started Alfie's football (Aussies insert Soccer here!) training sessions which will consist of a kick about with Dad at least once a week.

In this first session dribbling (mostly down the front of the baby grow!)was the focus


It is also important to develop a full understanding of the rules of the game. In this picture Dad explains the detail (in detail) of the Offside Rule...

The Incredible Sleeping Man...

Although this title should perhaps belong to me as I seem able to sleep through the night without being disturbed while Beth does the feeding, at the moment it applies best to Alfie who is shattering all night time sleeping records.

To date his longest sleep is some seven and a half hours in is increasing daily... we hope to bring you news of a full nights sleep (for all three of us!!) soon!

Flops and Socks! ... and other footwear!

Since bagging Beth for her Croc's and socks a few weeks ago, even going as far as posting pictures on the blog, revenge has been in the air.

Beth the other day shaped to take a picture of me and Alfie and at the last moment took a picture of the floor, with Beth now smirking I looked down in horror to see "flops and socks" (or "wrong thongs" if you're an Aussie!)

Oh the shame...

Now that Winter has truly set in we have invested in a pair of UGG boots each for the house, in fact tell a lie in Beth tradition she now has two pairs and is negotiating for another pair for her birthday in September! This is what Wikipedia has to say about the humble UGG.

The ugg boot is a generic term for a style of boot, constructed of sheepskin, with the wool as the inner lining and a tanned outer surface. Ugg boots often have a synthetic sole, although this is not mandatory. They evolved in Australia as a type of slipper for cold weather use and are also known as ugh boots and ug boots.

In Australia, sheepskin boots have long been popular with people in rural occupations, who have ready access to the raw materials, such as sheep shearers. Their popularity increased as a result of World War I and World War II, when sheepskin boots were popular with aviators, because of their need to keep warm in non-pressurised planes at high altitudes. Ugg boots have also been popular with surfers and competitive swimmers since at least the 1960s, for keeping warm while out of the water. Nevertheless, in Australasia, bogans and members of related subcultures are generally the only people who wear them in public. Most Australians only wear ugg boots around the house, or on trips no further than local shops.

Interestingly Beth has been known to wear her UGGs outside... and just in case you wanted to know what a Bogan is... Wikipedia tells you that:

Bogan (pronounced /ˈbəʉ.gn̩/, rhyming with slogan) is Australian and New Zealand English slang for a person who is, or is perceived to be uncouth or unsophisticated

... I'm saying nothing! :0)

Busy, busy, busy....

Friends predicted that after Alfie arrived there would either be more updates than you could wave a rattle at or none at all... so far this month I guess you've had both. Things have been really busy in the Ivey household as I have returned to work properly (still at home but trying to switch off from all the distractions around the house) while Beth meanwhile does everything else in the thirty minute sleep windows that Alfie provides us with to get something done!

So sorry if you've missed us, everyone is fine just very busy. I'm gonna post a few new things so you know what we've been up to and then head off to bed, that said it is 1:15am already!

Summat for the Weekend #2

I couldn't let this week pass without mentioning the latest release and third proper album from the symphonic pop group The Polyphonic Spree. To me this band are just about the best band in the world... I'd like to see them fight it out to the death with Radiohead for the title but it would be unfair due to the Spree having over 25 members. The Polyphonic Spree are a band like no other, until recently the band would white wear robes leading some to suggest that they were a strange cult singing songs of happiness about the sun! I actually won my own Spree robe in a competition which I have worn... but only as fancy dress! With the release of this, a much darker , album titled "The Fragile Army" the robes have been replaced with black military uniform.

Their performance in Plymouth was one of the most joyous occasions unlike any other gig I've been to. The band normally walk through the crowd with linked arms to get to the stage before and after the performance and play a bewildering array of instruments... I'm not really sure what Beth made of it all and to this day she's not much of a fan, although she has said that this album is growing on her... just as well its getting a good play!

The Spree are most commonly heard in the UK in the background of Sainsbury adverts with Jamie Oliver waffling all over it ".. Pucker Pumpkins..." blah blah blah!!! Most people (of a certain age!) say that they sound very much like the Beatles Sgt. Pepper period, interestingly they are David Bowie's favourite band!

Anyway enough of my waffle here is a sample called Section 26: (We Crawl) The Spree have always recorded in Sections and this new album has tracks Section 21 to 32. Enjoy!



Here is the video for the new single Section 22: (Running Away) making use of a very popular film making technique first used by Brett Graham (Film maker and close friend here in Newcastle!) ;0)

Making good use of the things that we find...

Beth and I have turned to "Wombling" over the last couple of weeks, and the more things that we find the more we want to find... it's kinda addictive!

Firstly there was the record player that now sits in the back of the beetle as an iPod dock. Our second find was a set of pioneer speakers that now sit proudly on the deck. Where we live you need to pay to dump things that don't fit inside your bin or wait for the council to come and collect your "Bulk Waste" twice a year which you leave out on the road.... some people just leave it out at any time because strangely everything disapears anyway! After my late night under cover of darkness grab mission we can now sit out on the deck and listen to some tunes which is great...note the tide mark on the front of the speaker!!!

Our other bit of recycling this week is this retro 1970 chair, which we unfortunately had to pay a grand total of £1.60 for! Planned as a working chair for me it has already been relinquished to Beth after loosing a bet about the band from the 80's Clime Fisher! It's in amazing condition for its age and has gone to a good home!

Pasha Bulker update...

Check out the Nobby's Beach Webcam, there's something missing!

http://www.coastalwatch.com/camera/NobbysBeach.htm

Square Eyes...

As Alfie gradually finds his voice (seems to get that little bit louder each day!)he's becoming more and more animated! We've mentioned this before but he really is mesmerised by a square on his blanket, so much so that he can't take his eyes off it and reaches out to touch it all the time!

Mummy and dad are just not cutting it in the entertainment stakes at the moment! :0)

This month's Alfie Film...

After putting together a little film for Alfie last month it seemed like the right thing to do to make another for his second month (despite a lack of time!), after all he's probably more photographed than the Pasha Bulker. Coming up with another film with the same emotion was always going to be hard, not that we would ever want to try to replicate the mood of May, June has provided magical, enjoyable and happier times! Finding the right song was even harder, last months was perfect, I came up with a very good one but I'm saving that for July... so this month you got Kings of Leon "On Call." We kinda feel like we're on call 24hours a day so it is quite apt. Hope you like it



Just in case you missed last months film, here it is. It got knocked off the front page quite quickly after a flurry of posts!

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Smart!

Congratulations to Steve and Wendy, we were sad to miss their special day this weekend but are very much looking forward to having them here later this month.

DIY...

After the live in painters and decorators moved back to England earlier in the month, complaining about living conditions and leaving a partially complete living room :0) , very little has changed around the house. Now faced with honeymooning visitors in 20 days (Congratulations Cleverchap and Wendy!) we need to transform the guest room into our own so that we can be closer to Alfie when he moves into the nursery.

We spent today preparing the paintwork, filling cracks, rubbing down, sanding, sealing walls and tripping over tool boxes as my lace became tangled! We are now ready to start throwing the paint around!

Summat for the Weekend ...

This is the first in a new regular feature! As you know I do like my music and working from home provides the perfect opportunity to trawl through the old favourites and discover some hidden gems too! My laptop speakers are always thumping until the point Beth tells me to put my headphones on. I've long thought about an Mp3 music blog, but I'm not sure I can manage another one (I have commitments now you know!) so I've decided to post something here once a week. I have fairly varied tastes so I'm sure I'll please some people some of the time!

This week I bring you Playradioplay! The band consists solely of the seventeen year old singer/instrumentalist, Dan. PlayRadioPlay!'s big start came from MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/playradioplay)where he found a legion of adoring fans and became the Number One Unsigned band. He was then signed to Island/Stolen Transmission Records, which has taken him to the next level. With a reccently released EP and a full length album in 2008, it is looking like a busy year and a bright future.





What do you think?