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For the second May bank holiday (which on the occasion of QE2 diamond jubilee was actually in June) I went to BXL with Maman. We had a very good weekend and went to see Tata Iza and Tonton Fred. They always have the most amazing toy collection and I most enjoyed the Fisher Price toys.
After a short return back to SE1 I went on my first summer holiday to the Dordogne region in South West France – but I shall report in detail in my next blog. Just a quick heads-up that I am safely back in London from a fantastic holiday. Back home we (thanks Philip) discovered a new sandpit in all rainbow colours by the Royal Festival Hall on Southbank.
I may have a been a little bit negative on the London weather on my last blog. But the official records now confirm my gut feeling. April 2012 was the coldest April since 1989 (that is in 23 years) and – more importantly – the wettest April ever recorded (in more than 100 years). There has never been more rain or more rainy days in any April.
On that backdrop you will understand the excitement about the arrival of nice temperatures on Tuesday last week. From past experience we know it may only be a short phenomenon and so I am taking in all the sun and good weather to the largest extent possible.
But the weather is not the only thing that changed: we moved home! Property developers bought the house in which we rented the previous flat and all tenants had to go. I really like the neighbourhood and all my friends around . So I convinced Maman and Papa to rent a new place almost next door. The new place is alright, and my bedroom is nice and bigger than the old. Mamy came to London to look after me while my parents were busy with the flat removal.
On the next day Oma from Austria came to see the new place as well. I was happy to see her again and I think Oma was quite impressed how much I grew since our last encounter in February. She cooked Kasnudln for me which were – as always – amazing.
April was quite an unusual month. I believe it must have rained every day of the month. I have not reviewed any statistical data yet, but my parents are telling me it must have been the wettest April in a decade. Never mind, when you can’t go outside you play a bit more inside. I am getting quite good in recognising colors and/or shapes. For instance, I can sort lego stones by color. Maman is “drawing something” on her phone all the time and I also quite like drawing. And whenever there was a moment of sunshine I made sure to go out and play in the park.
I spent Easter again in Knokke this year. I stayed for 10 days. I arrived with my parents but they went back to London on Easter Monday. Mamy and I had a great time, then tata Iza and tonton Fred also came and finally my parents returned as well. There was so much to do.
On Easter Sunday I went on my first egg hunt. A total of 10 chocolate eggs were hidden in the living room. Papa and Maman explained the rules and helped me with the first couple of eggs. Then I knew what to do. The first eggs were quite easy but it got harder and harder to find them. In the end I found all of them and my parents were very proud of me.
One of my first Christmas presents was a wonderful toy car. Now I am old enough and I took the car to the seafront pedestrian zone – I noted a few envious children. I obviously also spent a lot of time on the beach. I love the sand. In the nursery I always play in the sandpit but the beach is an enormous sandpit. And I have all the required tools to build castles. I also visited the Zwin which is an amazing bird reserve.
Finally it was time for my first haircut from a professional hairdresser. No disrespect for my parents who so far did a reasonable job is trimming my hair. But this was an entirely different experience. I was seated in a car with my steering wheel. I feel much more comfortable with my new haircut and I hope I will get some nice compliments back in the nursery on Monday.
Carinthia has its traditional pastry – the Reindling. This year we are going to the Belgian coast for Easter. Therefore Maman baked a Reindling for me a week earlier. Unfortunately it is so good that Papa is eating the whole Reindling… For those of you who have no clue what I am talking about it is a yeast dough with cinnamon, raisins and sugar. Still no clue? Here are some photos:
If you watch a slug it does not seeem to move. But if you step away for a short while and return later you will notice it actually did. This is how my parents must feel with my ability to understand what they are saying. Somehow it went unnoticed that I have accumulated quite a bit of everyday understanding, certainly in French but also in German and English. And I also try to reply to them. But they are hopelessly challengend and don’t seem to understand a single word I am saying. They have to make more effort: this is not a one-way communication!
As you know I love eating, especially with my hands. And I am still eating everything, even the stuff that my father only started eating when he was in his twenties: on Sunday we went to Pizarro for tapas and I ate lamb’s tongue, sardines and those amazing cheese croquettas.
My social life is keeping me very busy as well. I met (not so) little Mia, daughter of Virginie and Rory, and Felix, brother of Theo and Jimmy. Both are really calm but they are just too little for me. I am much more interested in playing with my peers (like George or Harper) but best of all is Oriana. She is a much older girl and I might have a bit of a crush for her. We went to Theo’s birthday party together and also met at Mia’s place and I hope I see her again very soon.
The whole world is talking about Yayoi Kusama. So I wanted to know what all the fuss was about and went to the Tate Modern. But I did not just watch her art, I got involved myself helping her to create the next masterpiece.
I am honing my walking skill getting ever more skillful and fast. When I go out for a walk with Maman and Papa and always insist on getting out of the stroller and to walk by myself. Here are some pictures of me along the Thames from this morning
The spring is slowly arriving and the crocuses and spring snowflakes are growing in the parks. But on Sunday it was raining all day: so we went to the Natural History Museum. It was really amazing and I cannot wait to go back. There are huge birds like ostriches, vultures and peacocks. And then there are even bigger species called dinosaurs. Papa was quite scared but I was very brave and not afraid at all.
We also had a nice brunch in a quirky cafe which doubled as an antiques shop. Orianna was there as well. She is so tall and beautiful. I wonder what she thinks about me?
I have an action packed week behind me. As I am going into my second year as an inhabitant of the earth there are fewer things for the first time. Maman, Papa and I went on ski holiday – it was my second one. We went to Zell am See in Austria with the Austrian friends. We stayed in a great hotel: it was called “Living Max”. Also, I was not the only baby: Ella was there as well and we had a little thing going. I am already looking forward to seeing her again in the summer.
I obviously did not yet ski this year. But I familiarised myself with snow and very cold temperatures around minus 15 degrees. Papa built a snowman for me and Maman pulled me on a sledge over the lake. Papa called all of that “Wintergebirgsausbildung 1″ (it translates into something like training in ice and snow 101). An advanced course will follow next year.
The next big event was the 60th birthday of Opa. Maman, Papa, uncle Markus and Opa went on a hot-air balloon ride. It must have been amazing but I was glad when they all safely returned back to the ground. Of course, my cousin Alessia also came to Carinthia for Opa’s birthday and for the first time she presented her sister and my new cousin Chiara to me. Chiara is so little and she has so much hair.
And I kept the biggest news until the end: I started walking. I dared my first two or three steps with Maman on Friday, 10th February. But then, on the next day and in front of all the friends I was safely standing and walking about 6 or 7 steps into the arms of my parents. I was really pleased with myself. Admittedly, I am still faster crawling, but I am confident with a little more experience this will soon change.
In the nursery I am always eating all by myself – with a spoon but more often with my bare hands. For whatever reason my parents prefer to feed me at home. Don’t they understand that I am old enough to eat without their help?
This weekend I had it my way. But it may have reinforced Maman and Papa’s view to feed me at home
Y0u may also notice that the pictures are taken with a new camera. To get even nicer photos Maman bought a new Sony NEX-5N camera. Apparently photos will no longer require a flash in low light…
