"And who is that fascinating baby over there, I must meet her..."



Sequioa has discovered herself, and everyone else in the mirror, she finds it very amusing to see this other baby to look at who smiles back so readily. If mummy, daddy or, her current idol, Jasper is there as well, gosh, what fun! She is still almost sitting, and now occasionally rolls over when lying down. She had three meals for the first time yesterday, but wouldn't eat anything so far today, you win some, you lose some...

Neither of my angel babies believes in sleep, so I have been dragging my eyelids along the floor today, nursing a cold, and feeling quite sorry for myself. Jasper had two nightmares last night, mainly about toys - misplacing a train and not being able to find it, then the other one was two boys who played with toys Jasper wanted to play with...it is sooo hard to be three, life is full of so many emotional speed humps. (But everything can be solved by donning a pair of underpants on ones head.)



With Sequoia things are much more straight forward - carry me and I am happy, lay me down and I am cross, leave me alone and I am sad, let me at one of my brother's toys and I am delighted (especially if I can dribble on it much to said brothers absolute discust).



We had a beautiful weekend very unlike winter and spent three days picnicing at local beaches. Mum joined us and it was like a mini holiday, but now the rain has set in and the cold has crept back into the walls. I am going to relight the fire in an hour or so.

That said, Jasper doesn't mind the change in the weather in the slightest - it is just an excuse to don a raincoat and boots and play... here he is making the most of some late fall autumn leaves.





For our beach days we went to Manly, Fairlight and DeeWhy, three very different beaches. Manly is a lovely long ocean beach, protected by a slight bay on the north head of Sydney harbour, a ferry ride from the city. Sequoia had her first wriggle of toes in sand and dip in the freezing salty sea. Mum had fun introducing her to the elements.



Manly is also a popular tourist beach, and Jasper, in his naturist best, greeted bus loads of Jaspanese tourists by posing in every group photo taken by the water's edge (I think he felt he owned this bit of beach and that they had come to see him, it was very funny, he got very cross when I suggested he let people take their own pictures and he carry on playing - no, he had to be in these important photographs mummy!)



Fairlight is a lovely harour beach, calm and pretty, with boats sailing past and rocks to play on, Jasper met two little boys and they made sandcastles together for almost three hours. We lay on the sand and even got a bit of colour from the sun, I couldn't really believe that it was winter (I can today though!). Here we are watching the Manly ferry come in to the wharf.



Deewhy was a bit dissappointing, it was loud and busy and much of the sand has washed away from the beach during the storms two weeks ago, it was really strange, not like Sydney at all. People were rude and cross with each other, we were glad it was day three of our excursions not day one! Mum has now gone back up to the mountains, and Jasper is at preschool today. So life is back to normal. But the next sunny day, I am packing up lunch and we are off to the seaside!!!

A couple of weeks ago, the local shops had a kids day, with a baby animal farm which Jasper loved. We made it a mummy and Jasper morning while Sequoia stayed home with daddy. (Sometimes days when it is just about 'you' are just what the doctor ordered.)

 


We touched snakes, lizards, a crocodile, (it was quite an event, Autralian style) held chicks, cuddled goats, picked up wriggly bunny rabbits and let mice run up and down our arms, their little hearts beating so fast through their rippling bodies. It was really great, but I wouldn't want to be one of the little animals - nothing like over fifty under fives chasing you around an enclosure in order to give you a "special" cuddle.



I fought off four year olds to have a little hold of a two day old chick - on the pretext of passing it to Jasper - but aren't baby animals just so lovely?



Here is an old pick of some extended family - Zoran, Viv out from italy, mum, Behnaz and Tanaz from Persia, family friends Aime with her daughter Jasmine, Jess, and Jasper.