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Can you tell I was quite taken with the heritage apples and pears in the orchard? I wandered around wondering if another possible career change wouldn't be to become an orchardist in a National Trust property. I wonder if the opportunities, however, may be a little restrictive?

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We were here today, with Nan and Pa. A picnic lunch with us there was the girls' Christmas present to them. The weather was very hair curlingly damp, rain wasn't too heavy but ever present. Despite all that the girls were completely enthralled and they are hoping to go again, preferably tomorrow!

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Leila babe had her party in the park today and it was a great success.

The weather didn't initially appear to be on our side, but we pressed on and sure enough by the time we got to the park we were just left with little spitty showers.

We kept things very low key. We had some morning tea snacks, we had balls of all kinds, hula hoops, a wonderful park and each other's company. For Leila that's enough. She has a lot of trouble with attention focussed on her, so party games aren't necessarily the right way to go. She loves the idea of it, but the reality she struggles with. In the same way organised play, you can see she really wants to join in, but for her making that leap to joining in is most often just too great.

She snoring away on the couch now, so shattered. A success though, I'm so pleased.

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All working weeks, albeit short ones like mine, should end as ours did yesterday. Geoff and the girls collected me in the city after they'd icecreamed at Pellegrinis and shopped at the Hill of Content. We drove promptly to the Abbotsford Convent and got a park right out front. We took in our blanket and had prime position on the grass in front of the bakery.

There were some lovely guys who led the kids in playing Simon Says, What's the Time Mr Wolf and many others.

We ate from an Argentinian bbq and had delicious prawns from a Nepalese stall. We drank beer (just the adults) from Arctic Fox, which was new to us and delicious. We had a great time. The Supper Market is on every Friday night until the end of February. We'll definitely do it again before the warm weather ends.

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I know that as a mother I should probably feel too ashamed to show you that I let my youngest out with holes in her leggings, yet strangely I'm not! I find something utterly charming in that little knee poking out and those oh so cute toes in her pretty pink sneakers.

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Our babe celebrates her birthday today and she's oh so proud to be 4.

This gorgeous blondey of ours, who can find things a little more challenging than others, who needs more space, more time, more quiet. A little girl who loves her family so very much.

Today we're all together and the special people in her life will visit for cake. At the last moment she decided that she would like a party, only a small one, so a party she will have. In the park, low key, lots of fuss, but in a very understated non look at her way, as she likes.

Happy Birthday baby.

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Happy New Year. An image from each month of 2010. It seems so short, when condensed like this. Thank you all for the pleasure you've shared with me in both your comments to me and your own posts. I hope for more lovely words in 2011.