The Whinging Pom Egg...

This is the sort of thing we have to put up with... still I'd love a Whinging Pom egg so vote for them here - Facebook Whinging Pom Link

Baby Shower ...

Last weekend Beth held her Baby Shower at home. Being from the UK we're new to the whole thing ... although I did read that this excuse for ladies to get together get rid of the men and drink is becoming popular in the UK too! ... wonder why!

There was quite a crowd which increased in size as the dads came along with all the kids. We were blessed with some lovely weather (... a first for an Ivey social!) and all the bamboo furniture was well used. Sharron and Sara put a lot of work into the day, Amy came along with a huge pile of cupcakes and everyone who came along made it a fantastic event.



Thanks to Kate for the photographs, they really capture the mood! She was at our place this morning taking some pictures of Beth and Bump... Alf and I even managed to get in on the act. Watch this space for some perfect pictures soon ...

Two weeks and counting...

No sooner had the planning permission been granted the phone started ringing. The site supervisor came to have a look at the site and dropped the bombshell that they want to be on site within two weeks! A newborn a couple of days old and a construction project two weeks old will be an interesting proposition! However the good news is that the whole thing will be finished in 12 weeks, just in time for number two to make the transition to their own brand new bedroom.

In an effort to save time and money we've (Walker and Son in Law!) started to clear the area. Removing one large tree, the flower bed along the side of the house and a smaller tree so that the Bob Cat digger thing can get into the yard!

Exciting and very hot times ... it was still 36 degrees here at eight thirty tonight!

Yo! Gabba Gabba...

Today we went to see the characters from the children's TV program Yo! Gabba Gabba! I managed to dress this up as an opportunity for Alfie to see them but it was mostly for me. I get to see a fair bit of children's television as you can imagine and this is the pick of it!



If you've no idea what this is all about then check this video out...



... yes invite green beans to the party in my tummy!

As you can see Alfie was wearing his Yo! Gabba Gabba Brobee T Shirt and enjoyed the show as they went through all of the favourite tunes... most of which seem to be written by quite cool bands like the the Shins, the Ting Tings and iMonster. There have also been guest dancing spots by Tony Hawks and Elijah Wood to name but two! If you get Nick Jnr you should really check it out!

... Alfie gets high 5's all round!

Green Light ...

We had some great news today as we've been given the verbal permission for our planned extension. It feels like quite a lengthy process already with several visits and discussions with the architect. Yesterday the planning officer came to inspect the site (... and walk all over my freshly painted deck ignoring the sign on the gate!).

It might not be the largest extension in the world but one which will make a huge difference to the way we live our lives. The kids will have a good sized bedroom each which will be situated next ours (... is that a good thing!?! ;0) ). In the current configuration we have one bedroom at one end and two at the other. Our new bedroom will be bigger and have a walk in wardrobe (... boy do we need that!) and an ensuite bathroom. The new bits of the build can be seen outlined in thick black ink in the picture.

These new rooms will allow Alfie's room to become the office, which in turn will free up the back room as a Dining Room (... there is a Dining Room table out here somewhere!). Our current bedroom will then become a second lounge/guest room with doors opening out on to the garden. This will free up the garage where all the bamboo furniture is currently stored. Our double garage currently has space for about 0.75 cars.

There was something of a question mark over whether we would get permission or not. We live on a corner plot which has different planning regulations to houses in the middle of blocks. There is also a question mark over our address... our entrance is one one road while almost more importantly our post box is on another. Depending on whether you are selling us electricity, water or council services our address changes. There was also the small matter of some walls that have been errected before we moved in without planning permission. These are too high apparently although the councils attitude is "Well they're there now!" Ironically these walls screen off the extension from people who might have had an issue and get us around the problem that we would have had of traffic visibility for cars turning the corner. The council planner wasn't too confident when he visited as a quick look down the road shows that all the other houses are in line, although the fact that planning permission has now been granted means that the council accept that we are on the other street and can therefore build up to our boundry. ... got it? Clear as mud!

All this means that in about two weeks we'll get the written permission and hopefully a start date for building!

Bumpwatch...

With about four weeks to go things are getting quite exciting in the Ivey household. There's been a lot of nesting going on over the holidays as well as some furniture moving in the bedroom (... bubs will be in with us for a while!)

Beth continues to feel well other than the discomforts of not being able to get comfortable to sleep. That said I'm not sure that the whole experience as been as "enjoyable" as the first time.... certainly the novelty has worn off! There is however light at the end of the tunnel (... not sure thats the best phrase to use with this subject matter!), the bags are packed and we're ready to go!

Up on the Roof...

As the B-52's once famously said "Tiiiiiiin Roof .... Rustin!" and ours was certainly no exception. The long as several arms "to do list" has featured a line stating "Paint the roof." for the last three years!

During the last week John and I managed to get up there, do some scraping fix up a few holes and throw some paint around. I shouldn't think that it'll last much longer but it might get a few more years use as a result of our work! I think we picked the hottest week of the year and over the five days we'd get up there early before the roof turned into a hot plate... John's shoes started to melt or the smell of cooking bacon (me!) became too much.

... it was quite a reflef when we'd finished as it was quite a job!

Dangar Island ...

No its not a spelling mistake, in fact its the perfect place to spend a birthday with your family.
A couple of weeks ago we traveled on the train to the central coast to celebrate Gramp's birthday. Alfie enjoyed the train journey spending much of the time peering out of the window, toot tooting or requesting tickets...

From the train there was time for a quick cuppa before catching the ferry to Dangar Island.



It was quite the most beautiful place that seemed a world away from the "Mainland." The houses there were nestled on the sides of the Island overlooking the river... birds sang... bananas hung from trees... quite a tropical paradise. We walked the island in about thirty minutes or so but did spend a lot longer lounging around on the beach on the far side of the Island. After all that walking and a uphill stroll for me with Alfie in the stroller to get him to have a noon nap we all needed some more refreshments. At the cafe on the ferry jetty to we kicked back and enjoyed a bite or two.




All too soon it was back on the ferry and then the train for the trip back to Newcastle. It really had felt like we'd been on an adventure.

Month by Month...

Here's an update to the Alfie album. This months picture has all four of us in it! ;0)

There's something coming ...

With the New Year comes change... already there appear to be some tell tell signs of imminent change in the Ivey Household!



... a picture of our washing line this afternoon!!!! ;0)

Happy New Year...

We had the happiest of New Years Eve this year. We decided to go to a beach side resort called Caves Beach to see in the new year together. It's quite a new place and so we really didn't know what to expect.



We a lovely meal together before taking a short walk along the beach. Alfie took the opportunity to get his shorts off and get amongst it. There was plenty of time on a warm evening for digging, throwing stones, chasing dogs and a few games of What's the Time Mr. Wolf?

Then it was back inside for a jump on the bouncy castle before the fireworks started. Alfie wasn't quite sure at first but was much happier inside "oooohhh" and "ahhhhh-ing" with everyone else. He was quite taken with the fireworks as he spent most of the journey home repeating the word over and over!

After the fireworks there was time for Alfie to strut his stuff on the dance floor before crashing and burning burning at around 10pm. It may not have been one of the wild nights of old (... I think they are long gone!) but we certainly had a wonderful time together to finish off the year and look forward to the next.

... Our New Years Eve celebrations will be one little person larger next year! ;0)

Green Fingers ...

It's no coincidence that Nan and Gramp's arrival in December has coincided with some healthy growth in the veggie patch. Some love, care and some green fingered magic is yielding impressive results. We've also had some great growing weather, which doesn't make for days at the beach, only yesterday I was out cutting the grass (... which can actually sit and watch grow at the moment!) in the rain sweating buckets because its still 30 degrees!

We can hopefully look forward to some organic veggies in the kitchen soon - Aubergine Salad, Aubergine Ice cream, Aubergine Cake and Aubergine Surprise could all be on the menu soon!

Nappy No Year ...

This week we have set about getting Alfie out of nappies, with some success! Successful deposits are greeted with arms aloft and a loud "I did it!" while accidents a are followed by a few tears! We do seem to be getting there however with the balance in favour of dry pants.

Any parents out there with advice are most welcome to leave a comment!

Holiday??? ...

No chance of a holiday break around these parts. Beth has ensured that these Summer holidays will be productive ones. There is a lengthy list of jobs to do and so we've made a start.

The oven packed up on Christmas Eve ... just as well we were out on Christmas Day! For a few days SMEG was a four letter word in the house as the thought of replacing an 800 quid oven on Boxing Day didn't fill us with much seasonal cheer after the Christmas cash flow! We also didn't want to do the call out so we decided to take matters into our own hands. We managed to track down the parts and fit them saving 750 pounds. That's not a bad few hours work and a way to start the new year!



Not allowed to sit back and revel in the success of the oven repair it was out into the garden for us. This time to fix the shade sails! We had to remove a post which snapped in a storm, set a new one and reattach the sails... after that it was fixing the guttering which was jammed solid with palm tree seeds.




I'd like to say that this will be the last DIY post before the end of January but I fear not ... oh the joys of home ownership!