Happy Halloween!

Just a few photos while I have time...

Here's the pond we like walking to, about 20 minutes away.


Its bird denizens enjoy frequent crumb handouts by members of the public. So much so, that even if you simply pause and bend down to take a picture, they swim up, expecting to be fed. Like these two:

Swan and cygnet:


Snozzz....

Anyhow, happy Halloween, everyone. It's not as much of a big deal here as it is in the States. Less trick-or-treating, not as much dressing up, very few (if any) haunted houses.

One of my favorite Halloweens of all time was at Jenna's house watching cheesy 80's horror flicks. 3 of us girls were sitting there, all prepared to be thrilled/frightened. We had soda, chips and candy. The heroine was walking across the lawn while a shadowy fiend lurked in the bushes, waiting to pounce. We waited, breathless.

And then...

And then...

The cheesiest 80's music theme ever started playing.

It was some sort of very stilted synchronizer ditty, and it totally pulled us all out of the moment. I have rarely laughed as hard as I did that night. And honestly? I don't think any horror movie can top that cheesy 80's one!

Exercise with Elijah

Too rainy for a walk?

Too cold for a jog around the block?

Never fear! Simply grab a baby mobile, lie down on your bed, and hit "play" on the video below. With simple and easy-to-understand movements and coos, Elijah will lead you through a non-grueling yet stimulating exercise routine of about 30 seconds.

Autumn

After a pancake breakfast, we went for a walk...

It was a chilly day, but the sun kept peeking out, and the fallen leaves made the Common very pretty.


Eli was his usual chill self about it all, despite random leaves in the stroller.

On the way back, we found a house where a former Prime Minister had once lived. London is an interesting place.

It was a nice ending to a lazy Sunday.

2008

"There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to. You had to live—did live, from habit that became instinct—in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized."

-1984, by George Orwell

*photo taken at Brighton Station

The Score from London

Elijah: 4. Daddy's shirts: 0.

Brighton

I've been going through beach withdrawals. Having lived near the ocean all my life, I really miss it. The Thames just doesn't give you the same vibe as crashing waves do, nor do you get the salty smell and feeling of vast openness.

So, bravely, B and I ventured south to Brighton via train. I wish to stress how much work it is traveling with a tiny baby. Definitely not something I want to do a lot, especially on public transport. Fortunately, he slept a lot.

I hadn't ever been to Brighton, and B was keen to show me around since he knows the town a little bit. Mostly he knows it because he's had to meet clients there or go to business affairs in the city.

The walk to the beach is a bit over a mile from the train station. Maybe more. But it's a nice walk, through narrow streets, some pedestrian-only, by little independent shops and boutiques etc. We ate a pub lunch (note: we tend to choose where we eat now based on whether it seems like a decent place to breastfeed/change the baby) and headed down to the pier.
It was so nice to stroll leisurely down the pier and look at all the things on sale. There was a great view over the water as well:

The gray thing in the distance is a burnt-out pier. It had apparently been out of use for awhile and was scheduled to be re-built when it was burned down.

At the end of the pier there are a bunch of amusement park style rides, with a roller-coaster, bumper cars, a carousel, and....
...some sort of tall crane-like thing that you'd never catch me on. It was hard enough watching it, with the people strapped in, let alone setting foot on the thing.

It was much more pleasant to just stroll down the pier and see the sights:


And Elijah liked the beach!