Maiden Voyage

Well today was our first trip out on the bike with the trailer and it was really good. When Leon first sat in the trailer, he had his mouth open speechless face like 'wow! this is a car for me?' I asked him if he liked it and he said YES! with a big smile. Reuben didn't like wearing his helmet and there were more than a few tears shed while getting it fastened under his chin. I succeeded in not pinching his chubby chin even if the angry cries suggested otherwise. He seemed to enjoy the ride and was happy with the whole experience. On the way home at lunch time he fell asleep so he must be pretty relaxed. I left the bike out the front at lunch time and in a relaxed and dignified fashion was able to do lunch and get them both rested. Leaving the house in the afternoon for coffee at Hannah's was pretty stressful, Reuben was all dressed up and ready to go, I was strapping Leon in the Trailer and came back in to get Reuben only to discover he'd pood again so, back out, un-strap Leon bring him back inside, strip Reuben back down, change and dress him, he didn't like that, then the helmet again . I was not popular with him at all. We got to Hannah's OK, it was very windy but otherwise fine. I detect a significant level of passive aggressive behaviour from Hannah most of the time, and today was no different. She let me in, told me to take of Leon's shoes and walked back into the living room leaving me to keep Leon's shoes off her precious carpet, get him out if his coat, hold Reuben, get him out if his stuff and myself. Forgive me but if I invite someone over for coffee, I would at least offer to hold the baby so they can get coats off witout a juggling act involving a 9 month old and a toddler. Then it took an hour to be offered a cup of tea. I can only deduce that she doesn't like me but the only way she chooses to show it is in a way that only I can notice. This is apparently passive aggressive. She comes across as very timid and shy, I am of course, not so is this her way of dominating me? I feel very dominated and small, so I hope she's happy.
Boys are in bed, all's quiet upstairs. Tonight was the first time Leon's gone to bed without stories (something he really looks forward to and enjoys). We've threatened if he was naughty during bedtime hour this would happen but he's never pushed it to the point where we had to go through with it. Tonight it took the form of tipping water out of the bath onto the floor, on the third time, that was it, he'd been warned. He didn't like it but equally this should hopefully go a way to him realising what we say, we do. We got alot of crying and shouting but he got the message and went to bed.
Lots of preparing to do tonight, Penguin and Emma's wedding tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it. After my pizza, I'm off upstairs for a bath, a soak rather, and then I'll have to do my hair so that tomorrow morning it should hopefully need a touch up along with makeup. I'm still not 100% sure which dress I'm going to wear so once I'm showered I will have a try on and ask Tob what he thinks. Very much looking forward to that pizza.

Trailer!!!!

I am very happy and excited, I have to admit on many levels I've been waiting to get a bike trailer for kids ever since they were first invented way before I had any kids to put into one. I should make clear at this point that this was not the reason I had kids but you get the gist.

I took it out of it's box this afternoon, first the two 20" wheels and then the folded body, it folds really nicely. I just put it down, and instinctively it could be unfolded and secured together mostly with pins that go through joins. The cover has so much Velcro on it I began to wonder if cycling in general would be the same these days had Velcro not been invented.

Then I went into the garage and put the thingy that goes on the 'host' bike's rear axle on my bike once I managed to find a dumbell spanner in the bottom of a box. God knows what's happened to my bike tools, that garage needs a sort out and we've only been here just under a year.

My Brompton high pressure mini pump pumped up the two 20" tyres in no time - I have a spare brompton pump as my first brompton was nicked and all I have to show for it is the pump. This will stay with the trailer. It's been persisting with rain all the time I was in the doing this but I was far too excited to wait for a break in the rain so I went out for a spin anyway. It was beautifully smooth, if light without the boys in it yet. Reuben will go in the seat behind me on the bike for the time being - research shows he'll be safest there until he's a year or so. Although saying that, if it was really raining I'd put them both in the trailer as otherwise Reuben would be pretty miserable and wet in the seat. I bought him a bike helmet today £25!!! I forgot how dear they are. I'm almost tempted to cycle round to Ellen's and put them both in it now regardless of the rain. I will resist this and make a shepherds pie instead. They can have a first run tomorrow me thinks.

I must send this picture to my Dad who sponsored this acquisition along with the DVDs he got me to order for him last week. Very chuffed indeed.

I finished my job application last night, at least to a point where Liz can give it a read through, it's nice to have a friend willing to help with things like that. She works at Ely Council and can give me some idea of if the application would look attractive to them. She did a good job last time, I got short listed and even though I didn't get the job, I was a close second and the feedback was I'd interviewed well and should keep applying for work there.
Reuben's just got his 3rd tooth, just as I was putting the finishing touches to the aforementioned paperwork last night, Reuben was being sick on Toby and refusing to drink any milk so I was asked to assist and provide that 'Mums opinion' on how to proceed further - you know, does he have a temperature, try and isolate what is making him upset. My diagnosis was teething and a blocked nose = snotty tummy hence the mini sicks. By then Tob had left me to sort Reuben out (how did that happen?) The teetha and bonjela worked until about 1am when he started up again. I was just in process of getting a duvet from the spare room to sit under on the rocking chair in his room when his protests got less and I thought it likely he'd settle back down if I left him, which he did. He hadn't had any Milk since 7pm so I was expecting him to wake at some point hungry but he didn't wake until gone 8am. By then the white bit of gum top right had turned into a tooth showing through. He had a yogurt for breakfast but still only a couple of ounces of milk so I would guess this teething stuff is suppressing his appetite, poor mite.
During his morning sleep, Leon was bored and really ought to have gone for a sleep, but wouldn't, so I did a search on You Tube for tractors and then car transporters and we watched videos of car transporters being loaded and unloaded much to Leon's delight. Then I had a cunning plan to get Leon to sleep. We lie on the sofa cuddling, I watch Bones and he falls asleep as it's not very interesting for him. This works to plan and within half an hour he's snoring away.
After lunch to music and the library with just Leon as it's Reuben's turn today to go to see his Nana for the afternoon.

Church farm on Saturday

We went up to Church Farm in Norfolk on Saturday, first time this year. I dare say we will be going there on a fairly regular basis as Leon talks about it all the time now.

Teeth again

Reuben is in process of pushing his 3rd tooth through and it's made him pretty miserable and put him off his food and milk. He's still having some, but probably about half his usual bottle, this could mean a growth spurt too. I hope he doesn't grow out of his posh outfit before next Saturday's wedding. I've shortened Leon's trousers; the outfit is age 3-4 having found that Monsoon size 2-3 was pretty tight on him. I think they will both look lovely in their velvet suits.
I've been on Ebay again and got a couple of pairs of skater shorts - I like them long to go some way to protect his knees. They might do two summers too. I have a feeling there will come a point in about 3 years when Leon and Reuben basically have a collective wardrobe.
Leon has started the unfortunate habit of putting his hand down my top which when wearing cowl necks means if I don't watch out he pulls it right down. Usually when he wants a cuddle he will put both arms straight down in front of him and as close to my skin as possible.
It's quite sunny today, really nice. I looked on the forecast and the weekend is going to be a wash out, which is a shame. I'm really looking forward to the wedding, I'm sure with Penguin's organisation skills they will have it sorted no matter what the weather.

Spring came last week

Last week we got a taste of what spring could be like, it's not so good looking this week but it was lovely last week. Dad came on Tuesday and stayed until Thursday. On Tuesday I took Dad along to Leon and Reuben's swimming lesson, Dad took Reuben but it wasn't that comfortable for him as the pool is quite shallow and his knees aren't great at the moment. I think he enjoyed seeing the boys bob about I'm glad we went. Wednesday I asked Ellen to take the boys and we went to Cambridge on the bus, the bus to Cambridge is a fiver return and stops outside the house pretty much and takes us all the way into Cambridge. Dad and I are very much into our Trains but this was just to good to bother getting across Ely to pay more to go by train. We went round Kings College Chapel, something I've been meaning to do and had a wonder around the Fitzwilliam Museum which I like to do given the opportunity as there's loads of good stuff to see there, it's a very under exposed museum considering what they have there. It was great to be going to Cambridge without a list of stuff to buy and a tight time schedule.

Thursday Dad got me to look up loads of stuff on the tinernet and order a film from the US and some stuff from Amazon, he's kindly paid for a bike trailer for the kids so I can get around Ely better. It's arriving tonight, I'm really looking forward to putting it together in the living room!

Reuben is 9 months today and I caught him not only getting from sitting to his front but back again to sitting! He's getting pretty fast at shuffling around. He's started to grab the bars on his play pen and in the hand rail in the bath so he'll be pulling himself up soon too.

Twitterbug

It has been far too long since my last confession. I have to confess that I have been bitten by the twitterbug; micro blogging inane stuff and reading about what some of my mates are up to and a whole lot of celebrities getting serious ego massaging. It's not a true representation of life reading about what my mate Sue is up to, then the next one down is Phill Jupitus or Stephen Fry.
I applied for a job in February, a part time job at the Council in Ely with a good benefits package, I was short listed and was in with a good chance. Not good enough sadly but I'm not going to let my new suit go to waste and I'm applying for another one, also part time, also for the council, also with benefits but not quite as well paid at the tourist office. I rang the woman who interviewed me just now and she said I interviewed well and there was no reason I wasn't going to get it other than there was someone else who was even closer, it sounds like I was a close second. She said I should keep trying for jobs at the council as there was a good chance I'd get one eventually.