Thursday, March 06, 2008

We're Back!

So finally I bother to get around to writing in the blog you say. In my defence, we have been *crazy* busy since we got back to Sydney. In fact the morning after we arrived in we had a photoshoot with the wonderful Clair Bremner in the Botanic Gardens. For those of you who next contemplate whether to do interstate travel on the back of a photo shoot, I can ssure you not to do it. Harry was not her usual happy self at all, but still, Clair managed to take some wonderful photos (unsurprisingly).

Melbourne was ok. We seemed to have a pretty bad time of it service-wise which was really frustrating. Everywhere we went we had not just annoying service, but actively BAD service. To the point where we were, on a daily basis, having to eat/drink something that we hadn't ordered because we couldn't be bothered fighting it all again. *sigh* For example this photo was taken in a vegetarian restaurant in Fitzroy called 'Vegie Bar'. Sounds great hey? James looked at their website and saw they had a kids menu which was even more awesome. So we get there, get a table and James asks where the children's menu is. Is told by a befuddled looking waitress that they have no such thing and they hesitantly agree after discussion with the chef that they can do a child-sized baked beans. Then I ask for eggs and mushrooms but without the capers that they come with. Of course it came with capers all through it. Just thought I'd use that as just one example, but pretty much stuff like that happened constantly to us. Just kind of puts a dampener on your experience with a city, you know?

But I managed to catch up with a few people from Melbourne that I know from online forums (and *gasp* even ones that don't include anything about children!) which was really cool. We went to the museum about five hundred times which Harry loved - it is a great space, we'd be there all the time if we lived there that's for sure. The oddest thing that Harriet loved from our whole Melbourne trip though? Seriously - she loved the lights hanging over the bench in the kitchen. They were pendant style halogens and she was obssessed with them. She called them her 'swing babies' and would insist on standing on the bench and swinging these damn things (giving all of us heart attacks about her falling off, breaking a light, damaging the wall with a swinging light...the list goes on) as if they were babies on swings. She is one weird child.

But let me have one proud mama moment will you? Just one, gawn. If you don't want to read it then just skip this paragraph but if you've been reading this blog for a while then you're totally used to it anyway. So we're in Degraves St which has a whole pile of cafes stacked in on each other. We were at one end where there is this little organic cafe place and Harry was having her favourite drink - an organic lime and cranberry juice juice with sparkling water. It's her version of a soft drink. Anyway, opposite us was a Centre for Adult Education which had its acronym CAE all over the front of it. Harry was looking at it for a while as she sipped her drink (well, as she sucked it up furiously truth be told) then turned to me and said "That not actually cafe Mama. What that say?". Ok, so luckily I wasn't eating or drinking anything because I would definitely have choked on it. Just to make sure I wasn't imagining it we asked her if she was asking why that wasn't a cafe (as in an actual shop that was a cafe). But no, she pointed to the letters and said "No, those letters not actually cafe. What that say Mama?". So luckily I had a pad of paper and some markers on me and we were able to write down the two different words and discuss how the two 'words' differ because of the 'f'. But wow, that was pretty surprising that's for sure.

Ok, welcome back for those of you who skipped the brag paragraph. This week has seen us hopping around the place seeing people and Harry finally got a chance to go to a toddler yoga class. To say she loved the class would be a supreme understatement! Whilst there she was a little distracted in the middle and then again towards the end when Matilda brought along her doll to join in the proceedings (enough to send Harry into a nosedive of excitement at the best of times).
But when we got home all we did ALL AFTERNOON was have me play Sarah (the instructor) and she played the mama with her baby (Doll). Over and over again. Then first thing when we woke up today...straight out into the playroom and again with the yoga play. Luckily we had to go out of the house again or otherwise I could have forseen a very long afternoon of her playing yoga!
Ok, I have a few things I want to write about that aren't related to Harriet so I will try to get on to those over the weekend. Thanks for hanging around here readers!

10 comments:

Jayne said...

What amazing photos!

Unknown said...

Haha! Was talking to my DH this very morning about yoga classes for kids, and I see this - haven't read any blogs for ages, then I read Sif's which directed me here, and voila! So did I read right - Harriet did that class in Melbourne? Was it as Playspace? Want to keep in mind for when my Lil is a bigger toddler. Ciao! Clel from AB :)
PS. Hope you are well :)
PPS. Of course there were too many smokers, it's the deep dark death wish in all those complicated Melbournians. And yes, Vegie Bar is phenomenally underwhelming.

No one said...

Hey there, I'm sorry I missed you this trip.

I got your sms about the museum, one morning, but had someone coming over to the house. So, then I heard from one of the DIA girls about another museum gathering, and said I wanted to go, but never got any details of the when, or a muted day... Anyway, sorry you didn't enjoy Melbourne service and the smoking! What a shame! Hope you enjoyed the rest of it though...

No one said...

Um, that should be mooted, not muted, rofl, I'm sure Harry could spot the difference, hehehe!

Anonymous said...

Thank god your back & I have reading to do at work again ! Thanks for the visit, it was wonderful to see you guys (hope Harry has not been scarred by the Blue ring incident!!)The worm farm survives its first week "Yay"
See you soon from Lisa & Sam xx

Anonymous said...

Was so excited to read that Harriet had her first toddler yoga class! It sounds fantastic, she would be a natural & it's her yet another teacher/student scenario for her play :)

Judy Nash said...

Glad you're back-I missed you. Have heard from Jan & Mike and they've seen Madeleine who's had a total knee replacement operation apparently. Wouyld love to be able to contact her. Do you have an address please? Love the gorgeous pics of Harry. Looking forward to your next blog. Love,
(Gt Auntie) Jude. xxx

TheThingsIdTellYou said...

I'm so glad you're back. Great photos. Claire does an amazing job, and Harry is the most beautiful subject.

casso said...

Jayne - Thanks hon!

Clel - No, we're doing the yoga classes here in Sydney, they just started while we were in Melbourne. If you can find someone to hold a class you should do it, Harry gets so much out of it; improved concentration, better balance, imaginative play - it's fun for both of us! Thanks for the agreement on Vegie Bar, we thought it was just us too.

Sif - It was a real shame we missed each other, but James is down in Melbourne every week so I'm sure we'll have some reason to come back before the impending birth!

Narelle - She did love it so much! I imagine that Greta would love it too, such a shame that it's in the wrong state. And of course she is never afraid to add another scenario to her play grab-bag. :o)

Judy - Great to see you on here! No I don't think Grandma had a knee replacement, maybe something has been missed in the retelling? She hasn't been in hospital as far as I know. But she has been taking some supplements to help her cartilage in the knees. Will email you her address.

Melissa - Clair did do an amazing job! The photos are wonderful! And of course it is hard with Harry to take a bad photo but somehow I manage to do it on a reasonably regular basis still. ;o)

casso said...

Jayne - Thanks hon!

Clel - No, we're doing the yoga classes here in Sydney, they just started while we were in Melbourne. If you can find someone to hold a class you should do it, Harry gets so much out of it; improved concentration, better balance, imaginative play - it's fun for both of us! Thanks for the agreement on Vegie Bar, we thought it was just us too.

Sif - It was a real shame we missed each other, but James is down in Melbourne every week so I'm sure we'll have some reason to come back before the impending birth!

Narelle - She did love it so much! I imagine that Greta would love it too, such a shame that it's in the wrong state. And of course she is never afraid to add another scenario to her play grab-bag. :o)

Judy - Great to see you on here! No I don't think Grandma had a knee replacement, maybe something has been missed in the retelling? She hasn't been in hospital as far as I know. But she has been taking some supplements to help her cartilage in the knees. Will email you her address.

Melissa - Clair did do an amazing job! The photos are wonderful! And of course it is hard with Harry to take a bad photo but somehow I manage to do it on a reasonably regular basis still. ;o)