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!

Autumn... sun?

Overturning the underlying principles of Murphy's Law, it was quite a nice autumn day today. Coincidentally, we'd planned to meet up with friends at Wisley Gardens, not a far drive south of us, so the fact that it wasn't raining was wonderful. It was very misty/foggy at first (giving me fond memories of SF!) but after lunch the sun came out and everything warmed up beautifully.

Some pictures for the curious are below. Here's most of our party walking by one of the park pagodas:


A Chinese junk rig model boat:


A two-year-old who likes to lead the way!

B helps the Eli-monster worship the sun. Note the decorative burp cloth:


Against my better judgment, here's a picture of me. And I'm only posting this so that B won't nag me to post one! I'm standing next to some sort of giant, artsy panda.

Hidden, carved shroom lurking on a path in the woods:

Tidying Up

Since the baby is asleep, I decided to tidy up/go through some of the travel photos on the hard drive. I'll post some for your amusement.

Santorini, Greece. I took this photo while en route via boat back from Thirasia, a tiny island on the outskirts of the (active) volcanic island/rock off the coast of Santorini. I like how the stairs/architecture are pretty much embedded in the rock, making a habitable dwelling out of a sheer cliff face.

On Naxos, we went to a museum that had a nice view of the inland aspect of the island.

Me swimming in a spa in Budapest, Hungary. I'd love to teleport there for an hour's relaxation again. We definitely plan to go back... at some point!

Inside a cathedral in Vienna, Austria:

Someday I need to get all the photos I have onto one hard drive. I know there's some I left back on the computer in California, and I definitely have a folder or two on the laptop that I need to transfer over. It's just too time consuming to do all at once.

Development

Here are some photos before we take the munchkin to a small party that's been planned for months before his birth. We'll be playing games (remember UNO, anyone? I have fond memories of playing that game on a 9th floor condominium in Makaha, Oahu, Hawaii, with my godfamily). We'll also be watching movies and playing Wii sports. Last time, the girls were trounced by the guys in tennis. This time... the rematch is on!

Elijah is definitely growing up and developing some new skills. In addition to the ability to see and be mesmerized by a mobile...

...he's also practicing his grip:

Cheese!

Some tiny, tentative smiles captured here* for your perusal. I'm not the best of photographers, but I try, and it's hard to snap the perfect photo and be goofy all at the same time!

*Thanks to Fran in NY for the lovely quilt he's lying on!

It's Hard...

...being 5 weeks old. What's a boy to do when a large pair of hands puts him down on his tummy?


Well, if you're Elijah, you'll fall into that category of babies who can (already!) push themselves up on their arms and then fall slowly over onto their side.

Oh man, he'll be rolling over before I know it, won't he? And he smiled at me three times yesterday. Teeny little ones, but noticeable.

All this development is tiring work.

What a Generation Gap...

Nearly an entire century separates these two in age. One of them remembers the London Blitz, knows how to drive a double-clutch car, and traveled across the United States in 1938. The other... well, we're not entirely sure just what he remembers.


It was fun listening to all the stories that Minnie told, especially the one in which a 2-year-old Bruno locked her inside the bathroom. (She was eventually able to lean out the window and summon outside help.)

I'd write more but I'm really tired. Someone once gave me advice: use the weekends to catch up on sleep and don't try and go out and about much, at least for the first few months. I'm thinking that sounds pretty good right about now!