06/11/10 :: bonfire night

there's a much better class of firework display now we live in harrogate. back in billingham fireworks were generally hand-delivered to your letterbox. the service here is less personal, but the overall effect is much prettier. again, due to what seems like industrial action on behalf of dad, the photo credit this month goes to lottie.

25/10/10 :: boris bikes

it's half-term and we've come all the way to london. the olds took us to legoland and then on a whistlestop tour of the capital. we did most of the sights, particularly those without an entrance fee. whilst we enjoyed travelling on the tube, we'd have much preferred trying these bad boys out. if only boris had provided a version for those of us with short legs.

18/09/10 :: partytime

yesterday was ben's seventh birthday and so we're having a sports party. whilst it's mostly boys here, i've been strong-armed into inviting some of my friends who are girls but whom are definitely not my girlfriends. and what better way to impress my ungirlfriends than to blow raspberries at my dad.

17/08/10 :: lego starwars

my brother has finally found enlightenment by discovering the delicious combination of lego and starwars. individually both genres appeal to infant males. but when you blend them together the result is like cat-nip for six year old boys. now, if only he could find those pieces that have been sucked inside the hoover.

31/07/10 :: cap de calais

it's holiday time and we're abroad. really abroad, not just jersey. this year we've come all the way to northern france, which, in reality, is a bit like staying at home, except that the food is better. whilst ma and pa are in the café-tabac we just sit on the front step playing noughts and crosses. bonnes vacances toute le monde.

14/06/10 :: guest photographer

so it seems mum and dad are taking little notice of us right now. so much so that it transpires that they haven't taken any photos of us in june. luckily, brother ben has taken it upon himself to snap some of me eating breakfast in just my pants. luckily, with some judicious editing, i've managed to save some of my dignity.

02/05/10 :: sergeant man

back to blighty with a bang and although it's positively balmy back home we're still required to pack bad weather gear in case we get dragged up any domestic mountains. today it's sergeant man in the langdales. we've even brought grandma and grandad who are always good for a packed lunch, even if they are lagging six thousand paces behind us.

10/04/10 :: skiing in banff

want to know the best way to bankrupt your parents? tell them you want to learn to ski. in canada. if the bill for our lessons doesn't get them, the bill for our pancakes will. the good news is that later in the week we're hanging out with our canadian buddies the reeds who live just down the road in canmore. good times.

21/03/10 :: ice cream season

it's the back end of march and the snow has finally thawed. quite some winter huh? anyway, the good news is that the first weekend with any hint of sunshine means we've been on the hunt for alfresco ice cream. today we're out with the elliotts in the valley gardens, harrogate. whilst the ice cream tastes like shaving foam at least the company is half-decent.

19/02/10 :: gone to the wall

so they've opened a climbing wall just down the road from where we live. pretty neat, or at least dad thinks so. he keeps telling me how he was once one of the best climbers in the world, which is odd, as he's now only the third best in our house.

30/01/10 :: i am nine

it's my ninth birthday party and i've invited a stack of my new friends to my all too small rented house. despite the obvious space limitations we had no problem in trashing the place in very short order. the theme was cooking, which was a ploy to get us to make our own treats. don't think the olds will ever get their deposit back given the current state of the carpet.