She knows him so well...

Yesterday at about 11am I was in the bathroom getting ready for the day (yes, I realise the day had long since started by that time but such is life with a toddler & a newborn) and Chloe came running in with something to tell me.  She excitedly bounded around the small room then put in a request in her polite voice, a kind of sing-song sweetly pitched voice she uses when ending a sentence in "please".

"Mama,  Dada coffee please.  Dada coffee please!"

This phrase was not new to me, Alex had employed our daughter to pass on hot drink requests in the past.

"Ok Chloe, Mama will go make Dada some coffee in a minute", I replied.

I finished putting on my make-up and was about to put the kettle on when I thought I would ask Alex if he wanted me to take Ben and wrap him after I made coffee or if he could wait a bit and I'd wrap Ben first.  I needed to gauge how desperately urgent the requirement for caffeine was.  Turned out it was pretty urgent.  I walked into the living room to find Alex sitting on the sofa, feet up on the coffee table, head bowed down in slumber.

"Huh."  I thought to myself, "He looks pretty deeply asleep for someone who just a few minutes ago talked his daughter into ordering some coffee for himself."

Then I considered a second scenario.

"Alex? Sweetie?"  He roused to a half awake state.

"Did you send Chloe to ask me to make you some coffee?"  He looked confused and muttered "What?" in his semi-awake state.

"Did you send Chloe to ask me to make you a cup of coffee?"  He woke up a bit more, continued to look confused and answered "No....."

Scenario number two was starting to take shape.  I turned to Chloe.

"Did Dada ask you to ask Mama to make him some coffee?"

"No."

Interesting.

"Did you ask mama to make Dada coffee because you saw Dada sleeping and thought he needed some coffee?"

"Yes.....   Dada need coffee wake-up!"

Yes he does, yes indeed.

And Then We Were Four...

If you've read my previous posts you'll know I was dearly hoping not to go overdue with this pregnancy and at 39wks +2days baby Ben obliged!

It all started on Friday morning.  I had booked a last minute hair appointment for that afternoon and Mom, Chloe and I were getting ready to go out to the supermarket beforehand.  I noticed a bit of leaking "down below" and wondered if it could be a trickle of amniotic fluid but I wasn't sure and figured I'd just wait and see what happened.  My waters never broke prior to going into labour with Chloe so I wasn't really sure if this was it or not.  So out we went.  I had some more leaking through the morning and a bit of a "show" but I was still unconvinced anything much was happening as I was just having normal Braxton Hicks (otherwise known as "practice contractions"), and certainly nothing painful.  We got home after lunch and my hair appointment was looming.  I was pretty sure my waters had broken but I figured it was just a matter of waiting to see if I went into labour in the next little while or not.  The contractions, which I was still considering just slightly stronger Braxton Hicks, were continuing but weren't regular.  I thought about cancelling the hair appointment, but then realised that if this was it, then I was unlikely to get a chance to get my hair done any time soon so I figured I'd just go ahead and hope things didn't kick off too suddenly mid-haircut!  Luckily all was fine, I had a lovely hairdresser who was very interested in the pregnancy.  She asked if I thought I was going to go overdue.  I chuckled to myself and answered "No, I'd say definitely sooner rather than later" as I sat there with mild contractions going on. 

I got home and after taking some advice decided to give the hospital a call just to let them know what the situation was and see what they wanted me to do.  They said they wanted to see me to confirm if my waters had broken or not and to check that the baby was ok.  I figured there was no great rush so we got Chloe some dinner while I had a shower in case it was the last chance I'd get for a little while.  I hastily packed a hospital bag, but wasn't planning on needing it.  Mom dropped me off at the hospital at about 6pm and I saw a Midwife who confirmed my waters had broken and put me on a CTG (continuous electronic foetal monitoring machine) for 15mins to check on the baby.  Because I was planning a VBAC (Vaginal birth after Caesarian section) the midwife said she would go speak to the Doctor working that evening to see if they would want to admit me overnight to monitor me to see if I went into labour on my own or not. I expressed my strong desire to go home to see if I went into labour there as I didn't feel the need to be in hospital for that.  Alex had finished his shift in a different part of the hospital by this time and came to meet me.  The midwife came back and we were told they wanted me to stay.  I politely declined saying I was happy to sign a self-discharge form and would return to the hospital in the morning for observations and to make a plan of action had I not gone into labour overnight.  We were told this was fine so she went off to get the form and Alex went to get the car.  The doctor arrived and I got a bit of a lecture about how I could potentially be putting myself and/or baby in danger by not staying.  I stated my position on the matter and why I was making my decision, she stated hers.  In the end I think she reluctantly said "Well, you are obviously an intelligent woman and capable of making your own decisions so there is no point us continuing to go back and forth over this."  I agreed, we both signed the form and, her ass duly covered, I was free to go. 

Alex and I got home about 8pm, I finished putting Chloe to bed and Alex popped out for some Chinese take-away.  I was pretty sure things were going to start happening that evening as the contractions were getting stronger and occurring more frequently.  We put on and figured out how to use the Tens machine to help with the discomfort I was starting to feel and then we sat down to watch some Mentalist episodes while we ate and I timed contractions.  I was surprised to find they were actually occurring quite regularly, about 3-5mins apart and then speeding up to every 2-3mins about 40mins later.  I phoned Mom and asked her to come over to stay with Chloe overnight as the contractions were starting to have a bit of a bite to them and I thought I should head back to the hospital.  We arrived at about 10:30pm, I was examined and found to be fully effaced and about 3cm dilated.  This was very good news compared to my progression with Chloe so I was hopeful things would progress more smoothly this time.  We were moved to a room on the labour ward but there were no rooms with birth pools available, nor did my room have a bath so my hopes for a water-birth went completely out the window.  Luckily there were mobile telemetry CTG machines available (basically wireless machines) so while I wasn't able to be in the water, at least I wasn't hooked up and tethered to a machine for the duration.  I would go so far as to say that I hated having the CTG on me when I was in labour with Chloe - I found the elastic bands they attach the sensor on with to be constricting and  that made my contractions more painful - but I said I was prepared to give it a try this time and if they didn't increase my discomfort then I would consent to having one on continuously.  It didn't make me any more uncomfortable and as I could wander where I wanted in the room, I was happy enough to keep it on.  

I was starting to get more uncomfortable and decided to try the Gas & Air (basically a mix of Nitrous Oxide and Oxygen that you breathe in when you start feeling a contraction coming on.  It doesn't take away all the pain but can reduce it and make the peak of the contractions more bearable).  I had tried it briefly in my last labour but it made me feel light-headed and a bit sick so I wasn't sure about using it this time around.  I gave it a go though as it's on the lower end of the scale of pain relief and has no negative side effects.  Luckily it worked pretty well for me this time.  So I spent the next few hours pacing the room, kneeling on the floor whilst resting on the edge of the bed or standing over the bed and leaning onto it.  I read my Kindle and nibbled on Sesame Snaps and Garibaldi biscuits in between contractions and then started breathing in the gas and air and boosting my tens machine when a contraction came on.  Alex snoozed on a chair in the corner.  That sounds terribly un-supportive of him but to be honest, I didn't feel like chatting and I didn't really want to be touched or distracted at all while going through a contraction so there wasn't really much for him to do.  I figured one of us might as well get some rest.  I even offered him the bed because I sure as hell wasn't going to be lying down on it, but some misguided sense of chivalry kept him on the chair instead.  

I was examined again at 3am and held my breath waiting to hear if I had made much progress.  I was about 6cm.  I had hoped for a bit more but at least we were getting somewhere and I wasn't disheartened.  The rest of the night progressed in much the same way.  The contractions seemed to ease off a bit for an hour or so which made me a bit concerned but the midwife said it can be normal for the body to have a little rest for a while before the really hard work begins.  Not long after that I definitely noticed a change in the intensity of the contractions and much more pressure in my cervical region during them.  From reading Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth (excellent reading for any pregnant woman) I had expected to notice a definite change in intensity and pain as I neared full dilation so I was very conscious to try to relax into and go with it rather than fight against the sensations.  I was asking to be examined again at this point as I wanted to know if I was fully dilated yet or not.  It hadn't been the minimum 4hrs between examinations so the Midwife said she wouldn't do one quite yet.  I got a bit worried and asked what happens if I feel the need to push?  What if I wasn't dilated enough to start pushing?  She said that if I had the urge to push I wouldn't be able to stop myself, so not to worry about it and push if I had to.  I'm not really sure how long the next bit took, the contractions were very intense and I was just concentrating on them.  My notes said I was fully dilated at 7:20am.  When the urge to push came it was most definitely involuntary!  I couldn't have stopped had I wanted to.  The midwife just let me get on with it.  I think the head came out in several pushes/contractions and it was definitely an odd sensation feeling that the head was sticking out between my legs!  Once the head was out gravity pretty much did the rest because I was still standing, and I think he more or less slid out without any extra pushing on my part.    Benjamin Mark Eros was born at 7:32am on Saturday November 24th.  He was passed up to me and I laid down onto a mat and got comfy with him on my chest skin-to-skin and he had a little feed.  We waited for the cord to stop pulsating before cutting it and then we allowed the placenta to be delivered naturally which came out about 30mins after delivery and took just a few gentle pushes from me.  

It was a wonderful birth experience for me.  Considering the circumstances I felt it was as "natural" as I could have hoped for and I am quite proud of how I coped during the labour.  It wasn't drug-free but it was pretty low on the scale of pain relief and I never felt out of control and I never thought that I couldn't do it.  I let out some involuntary grunts during the pushing stages but otherwise I found that just concentrating and managing my breathing and staying as relaxed as possible through the contractions was enough to get me through them and there was no screaming or swearing involved!  But then, I am a bit of a control freak and hate feeling out of control, so maybe that is no surprise to those who know me.  

We stayed in the hospital for 24hrs as they wanted to do regular observations on Ben due to the fact that I carry Group B Strep (a commensal bacteria that isn't harmful to me but that can be picked up by a newborn as they pass through the birth canal and which can cause serious respiratory problems if it is picked up.)  Luckily all seems well and we got home yesterday afternoon.  I'm feeling SO much better than after the C-section I had with Chloe, being mobile and feeling good makes such a difference.  I'm so glad I chose to try a VBAC rather than a repeat C-section,  it was definitely the right choice for me and one I will  be making for any future births.  I'm also very pleased to report that the SPD I had been suffering with seems to have completely disappeared overnight.  I was hoping for it to go after the birth, and expected it to gradually improve but it literally happened instantly so that's another pleasant surprise.  

Chloe seems to be taking the new addition to the family well so far.  She seems to understand that baby Ben is no longer in mummy's tummy and is the wriggling pink thing that is, as she puts it, "drinking milk from mama's boobies."  She is very interested in looking at him, especially if he makes any noise, but has so far declined any offer of touching him.  She is also very insistent that the Bluey Zebra who she bought for him is lying in the cot next to him.  So that's cute.  

And now, here are some pictures...

Gourmet Chloe

I know it is probably too early to make long-term assumptions, and of course she could suddenly decide next week that she will only eat baked beans, but so far Chloe seems to have a rather sophisticated palate.  For a 2 year old.  I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, she has dined at more Michelin starred establishments in her 2 years than her father has in his whole life, and I'll give myself a little pat on the back for being a decent cook as well.  I've certainly pushed (and found) some of her culinary limits - I'm not sure if it is a good thing or not that a 2 year old has "too spicy" in her vocabulary, or that she uses it so often!  At least I know that if we travel to South East Asia she won't turn her nose up at the local dishes.  The Pork Laarp I made one night went down a treat, much to my surprise.     

She initially showed a fair bit of disdain for salads - "No green" was the usual reaction to the sight of lettuce - but that issue has been neatly resolved.  Find salads without lettuce and she is a veritable salad monster!  Luckily our local bakery has a delicious salad counter and does take-out.  That's her 5-a-day sorted out.  Yummy.

Due to the usual toddler concept of "sharing" - i.e if you have something, they want it too (and they expect to get it) - she has developed a bit of a taste for one of my favourite lunch-time feasts.  Avocado toast (thanks Kate for introducing me to this one!).  Now, she used to be slightly critical of my ingredients as I like to use the "too spicy oil" a.k.a chilie oil, however I decided she could like it or lump it.  I don't make my lunch to her specifications, even if she thinks I should.  I think her spice tolerance has increased of late though as recently when I've tried to put her off eating my lunch by telling her I made it with the "too spicy oil" she has retorted:  "Not too spicy, just right spicy."  And so of course half my lunch gets handed over to her once again.....

Now I will admit it isn't all exotic, healthy food.  She likes her ice cream as much as the rest of us and one of her favourite snacks are Animal Cookies.  She is a sucker for bagels and likes her Oatibix cereal with a little more sugar than I'd prefer, but such is life.  Sometimes she likes it with a fair bit of milk too - this is what happens when you let her pour:

Yes, there is some cereal under there somewhere....(I think she secretly adds that much just cause she likes to mix & stir things so much)

So for now I will be thankful that she generally eats whatever is put in front of her, but I'll try not to feel too smug about it.  With a Toddler, anything can change in a heartbeat. 

So near and yet....so far....

33 weeks down, 7 more to go.  Optimistically.  I'm trying not to think about going overdue at the moment.  7 weeks is looking like an eternity right now... Oh how quickly perception can change.  There I was, happily ticking through the weeks, smugly commenting on how my body seems to cope with pregnancy quite well when suddenly in the space of 48hrs it all changed.  Hello SPD, goodbye easy pregnancy.  For those unaware here is a Wikipedia link on Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction.  I am probably only on the moderate end of the spectrum, certainly not at the wheelchair or crutches stage and hope never to be, but let me tell you, it still sucks.  I'm also getting a lot of Sacro-Iliac Joint pain, in fact they are worse than in the pubic symphysis most days.  Even fairly low levels of activity, such as just getting through the day with a toddler, are giving me a lot of grief.  

I'm not just using giving me grief as a convenient turn of phrase, it is actually a very apt description.  Because the SPD isn't just causing me pain, it has taken a great deal from me.  Things of significance to me.   I feel those losses acutely. I've had to stop carrying Chloe.  This is a big thing for me.  Huge.  I don't think I fully appreciated all the emotional facets that Babywearing, or I suppose Toddler-wearing, held for me until it was no longer possible for me to do it. It gave me joy, it provided a physical bond with Chloe that is impossible to replicate.  I miss walking along, talking to her, being able to hear her chattering back to me easily over the noise of the traffic.  Knowing she was interested in something she saw, even if she was out of sight on my back, by feeling the excited kicking of her legs back and forth and the slight bouncing of her body up and down.  I miss her turning her face up to me for kisses, just because.  I miss the feel of her still body and her heavy head resting on my chest or back when she fell asleep.  How often do we get to physically enjoy the stillness of our children?  They certainly don't stop moving when they are awake.  

Unexpectedly, I have also suffered a loss of confidence.  A loss of a feeling of competence.  I'm so used to the convenience of using a sling in my daily life that I baulk at the idea of going out with a pushchair and all the attendant hassles that go with it.  Having to wait for a bus that has an empty pushchair space, manoeuvring through crowded streets and crowded shops, finding a space to park it in a busy cafe, avoiding steps... and all of this is made harder by the SPD which makes it painful even negotiating a curb with a child-heavy pushchair, let alone anything else.  I never thought twice about going out with just a handbag and a wrap, striding out the door with Chloe walking beside me.  I think twice about every activity now, and worry about how inconvenient or difficult or additionally painful it might be with the added concern of a bulky pushchair thrown into the mix.  Not to mention worrying about the fact that Chloe used to walk a lot when I used a sling but she is laaaazy with the pushchair.  I had been hoping to build up her stamina for when the baby arrives as I won't be able to carry her as much if I am carrying him, but I fear she's taking a step backwards in that regard, as well as just not getting as much exercise in a day.  Hardly ideal.

So much is going to change when the new baby comes.  A lot of adjustment is going to have to take place, for Chloe maybe most of all.  I'm so aware of wanting to make the most of this dwindling time where it is just the two of us but I feel it is being wasted.  Getting down on her level, kneeling on the floor with her, picking her up for a hug, going for a walk - all this causes discomfort, if not outright pain.  I can't even consider chasing her around the park, twirling her in the air or rough-housing on the bed with her any more.  I can't be as much fun as I want to be as a parent, constantly having to tell her I can't do something because of my "ouchy pelvis".  And that's even when said "ouchy pelvis" isn't making me snappy and irritable over something that I know wouldn't normally bother me.  Let us not forget the abrupt erupting into tears I keep doing in front of her lately.  I've certainly had an emotional response to my feelings of loss and incompetence and I feel like I'm turning into an emotional wreck.  I just can't keep my shit together all the time and I don't like falling apart in front of her.

Is it just the SPD and having to deal with the associated adjustments?  Is it being 33 weeks pregnant and hormonal?  It is fear of the unknown - how I'm going to cope with sleep deprivation, two kids and little additional support on a daily basis?  All of the above?  Whatever it is, I'm certainly not feeling smug about how well I'm coping with this pregnancy any more.  So let's all hope baby Eros number 2 is as prompt as Chloe was when it comes to arriving when due 'cause like I said, 7 weeks is more than long enough from where I am standing now...

Nova Scotia in August

You can fit quite a lot into 2.5wks.  Beforehand I'd worried that it might be a bit of a long trip but in reality the time flew by and there was never a dull moment.  For me, going home to Nova Scotia has always been about Family and there was certainly no shortage of that!  Lots of doting family members to entertain Chloe meant lots of rest for me, and with a lovely bout of pregnancy-induced insomnia, boy did I need it!

Chloe would wake up early and after I roused myself with a cup of coffee and tried to keep her from waking up the whole house for about half an hour, she would eventually go knock-knock-knocking on Granny's door and get her up for the day.  Baba usually fared a little better in the sleeping-in department and was generally allowed to wake up on his own.  Every morning she'd wolf down a breakfast or two, or sometimes even three. A toddler has to have some of everyone else's food, and who could resist Chloe staring at them with her big blue eyes, doing the sign for share whilst saying "Chloe share Granny/Baba/Mama food"?  In her mind what's ours is hers, though strangely enough it doesn't always work the other way around.... 

After breakfast Chloe and Baba would often walk down to the dock to feed the birds.  The Seagulls were a little more wary than those in Holyrood Park and kept their distance but the throwing of the bread seemed to be the main thing.  When Chloe wasn't eating the bread herself.

Whilst we found lots to entertain her nearby with neighbour's pools and slides and docks, we ventured on a few fun outings too.  One Saturday we got out (relatively) early, piled into the car and headed to the Hubbards Farmer's Market.  It was obviously the place to be on a Saturday morning in St. Margaret's bay because we ran into almost everyone we knew there!  Chloe sipped on a take-away babycchino and enjoyed herself in the sandpit while Mom and Jenny chatted to each other over their coffees.  Stalls were browsed, produce was purchased and pastries were eaten.  

On the way home from Hubbards we pulled off at Cleveland Beach and took to the sand on foot along the foggy coastline. 

Chloe padded about a bit in the surf but a stick was much more fun.

Another day saw us visiting Peggy's Cove for one of Chloe's favourite foodstuffs - Ice cream!  Dee Dee's is place to go in these parts and their ice cream did not disappoint.  Chloe pretty much only knows two options when it comes to flavours - white or brown.  That day she wanted white.  Alas vanilla was off the menu but it seems the colour rather than the flavour is the important thing so we managed to fob her off with sharing Mom's almost white flavours of Maple-Walnut and Hazelnut.  Chloe wanted nothing to do with my Mexican Chocolate cone after declaring it "Too spicy brown ice cream" so I was content to scoff it on my own.  

A visit to Peggy's Cove wouldn't be complete without a walk on the rocks, a view of the lighthouse, the roar of crashing waves and some photographs captured.  

Chloe enjoyed every last bit of it.

Ice cream was not the only delicious food Chloe indulged in.  Corn-on-the-Cob was a firm favourite but we also discovered that our girl has expensive tastes.  Freshly cooked lobster dipped in melted butter?  Yes Please!

For the last few days of the holiday we packed everything up and headed back in time to the North Shore.  Black Point, a little place that time forgot, and that the decades cannot improve (thanks Mr. Keillor). 

I spent every summer there as a child and in the 30-odd years since then things have not changed much. Truth be told not a vast amount has changed there in over 75years, but that's just how we like it.  It was Chloe's first visit and she seemed to enjoy it just as much as we did at her age.  Granny and Aunt Heather and Max took her down to the beach for the first time. Sand castles were raised and smashed, piles of sand were heaped up and body-flopped on to.  I wasn't sure what she'd think of the ocean seeing as she had been quite a reluctant water-baby in Vienna but she took right to it.  Wading out, waves lapping against her legs and splashing up her body, holding onto Granny and having a whale of a time.  She came back from the beach and told me all about it.  With a big smile she told me, lifting her chin and pointing to her throat, that she went in the water "right up neck" then proceeded to lie down on the floor and demonstrate how she was "kick kick kicking" her legs in the water and "paddle paddle paddling" her arms.  She'll be good at charades, this one.  The next day she wasn't quite so gung-ho but by the second swim of the day she got into it.

Watching everyone else get in, always best to use others as a temperature gauge.

Still not convinced....but definitely interested

And she's in!

And what visit would be complete without a walk to The Point?  I love doing it but it's bitter-sweet.  Every year the winds and waves wear away at it and the banks recede.  The Point diminishes.  It still feels like the same point I've been walking on all my life but I'm always reminded that someday it will be gone, worn away to nothing, leaving only the rocks upon which it stands.  

Hopefully not in my lifetime though, or Chloe's.

It was a perfect sojourn to round up a fantastic holiday.

P.S.  Some of you may be wondering about a little other even that occurred during our visit.  Don't worry, I have not forgotten but I think it warrants a post all of its own ;)

The interim weeks.

A few short weeks after we arrived home from Vienna Chloe and I were off to Nova Scotia, however in those few weeks a couple of noteworthy things happened.  Chloe turned two and we found out that Baby Eros #2 is going to be a boy!  

It is hard to believe that it's been 2 years.  My baby is definitely growing up.  It constantly amazes me that we made her.  She is funny, she is bossy, she is beautiful, she is cheeky, she is surprising, she would give an adult with OCD a run for their money, she is tempestuous, she is the most precious thing in my life.  I just want to smother her in hugs and kisses (almost*) all the time.  I could go on ad nauseam but I shall refrain and show you some pictures instead.

First ride on her first "bike" - thanks Winkie & Bruce!

As to the second bit of news, yes the bump is a boy.  Bit of a shock that one, still slightly freaked out by the news.  I know what to expect with a little girl (as much as you can ever know what to expect with different children) but a boy?  I'm scared.  It also feels kind of weird, in a totally illogical way, that a male will be coming out of my body.  I don't know why that feels different to having a girl but for me, it does.  It isn't bad, but it is weird.  I'm sure when he arrives it will all feel as natural as it did with Chloe.  Ironically, when I was pregnant with Chloe I was freaked out to find out she was going to be a girl because I thought I'd deal with a boy more easily.  Just goes to show, you can get freaked out by anything if you try hard enough!

A boy's name is proving a bit more difficult that a girl's, much to my surprise.  I'm pretty sure we had Chloe's name more or less picked out by now but we aren't there with this one yet.  Alex has fielded many suggestions, few of which bear serious consideration.  All along he has jested that if it is a boy we will call him Ruediger - a nice traditional Austrian name.  Chloe even caught on to that one, insisting "Baby boy Ruediger" whenever she was asked what his name would be.  Fortunately that phase has passed.  She has chosen a different name for him all on her own.  Now, I'm not saying it is a great name, or even a good one, but it does beat Ruediger in my books.  One day I asked her if the baby was going to be called Ruediger and her reply was: "No baby boy Ruediger. Baby Bobo."  She is 100% consistent with this since it first popped into her head.  And yes, given the choice between Ruediger and Bobo, I will take the clown's name.   However I am hoping for some further inspiration in the next 3 months or this baby may never forgive us.  I'm not sure telling him "Blame your 2yr old sister for your name if you don't like it" will be much of a defence... 

*all the time, apart from when I am tearing my hair out at another epic meltdown due to the fact that I dared to stir the banana into her porridge instead of just laying it on top, or because I didn't put the pesto in the pasta the right way (until now I didn't realise there was a wrong way to do that....), or because she didn't want to get into her carseat and she had to, or because 30 mins later she had to get out of her carseat and didn't want to, or a million other unpredictable triggers... I think nature has contrived to make babies & toddlers so darn cute just to make you look into their eyes, melt inside and forget all of the above frustrations - they'd never make it to adulthood other wise.   

Another month, another country, another family vacation....

In July it was Vienna, in August we were Canada-bound.  Chloe and I just got back from 2.5weeks in Nova Scotia.  It was great.  There's too much for me to cram into one blog post so I'm gonna split it up a little bit just to make things easier for me.  I've already spammed a whole load of pics on Facebook so most of you will probably have seen them already - no photographic surprises here I'm afraid!

Right, I better get down to it.....