ChunkyMonkey

Theres something lurking...

...over our garden gate.

It seems that whilst shutting the gate the other day, Harv decided to make a grab for it.  All I heard was Davin shouting "Kay! Help!" I went out to find Harv had a vice-like grip on the gate, and wasn't letting go.  He must have liked the feeling of being 6 ' 5" like Daddy.

I LOVE Fridays, but especially MAMA Fridays, of which today was one.  Every other Friday, I go to a playgroup run by Hitchin's Meet a Mum Association (MAMA).  It is great.  Harvey has a fantastic time playing, and me and my Mum pals go off for lunch afterwards, followed by going back to someone's house and chatting the afternoon away.  I left the house at 9.30, and returned at 6 pm.  During that time, Harvey did nothing but eat.  He is having a 'feast' day, making up for the 'famine' days of last week. 

Davin and I are having a quiet night in tonight, drinking beer and eating curry from around the corner.  I emphasize the 'quiet' as mad Auntie Donna and Leo are around for dinner tomorrow night.  Who know what fun we will have.....

Smile please!

I tried to eat an apple this morning.  It was stolen from me, mid-bite.

I then discovered Harv now plays up to the camera.  Tried to take some photos this morning, but he kept launching himself at the lens.

 

Wet play

Davin and Jev had a very sucessful day at the cricket yesterday, and rolled in at 8pm feeling happy and squiffy.  Jane, Harv and I had a very nice day indeed, just mooching about and shopping.  Sadly the boys did not think of a name for the cricketing faux pas, so it will have to stay as a "whoopsie" - gay or not.

Today it has rained all day. As a consequence we have been holed up indoors. This is fine by Harv as he has a train track to trash, and a walker to push around whilst yelling "eeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeee!". The adults and dog in the house all have bleeding eardrums.

Harv loves bathtime.  Here are some snaps to prove it.

Why.....

....did my sister (www.mollychicken.blogs.com) get all of the artistic talent? Is it likely, that Harvey the first spawn of two scientists, will have any arty blood in his veins? Grandma, you are arty..tell me there is hope.

Davin and Jev are off to Lord's tomorrow.  They LOVE cricket.  I don't see the point myself.  Every year that the boys have gone to the cricket, I have set them a challenge.  That challenge has been to invent a word for 'hit wicket' i.e. when the little batting man steps back onto the stumps and makes the bails fall off, and gets himself out.  How about a 'whoopsie', I have suggested.  'A bit gay' says Davin.  Sigh. This time I have told him he has to think of a word as I have written about it on Harvey's blog.  Hopefully a good name will be thought up.  Trouble is, they drink quite a lot at the cricket, so tend to forget about the challenge. I'll keep you posted.

Harv is fine.  Still not walking. He is exactly 17 months old tomorrow. One month and counting until Health Visitors get him.

Doggone Dog

Were it not for the dog and Harv, I would have had a pretty decent nights kip.  The dog woke me four times.  The dog himself did not wake.  He was dreaming.  LOUDLY.  I can only assume rabbits were involved. It seems his 9 hour-straight sleep was not enough, however, as this was him later in the day.

Cute he may be, but he owes me untold hours of time spent hoovering and sweeping up sticks, leaves, mud, stones, manky old bit of chew etc etc. Harvey thinks Charlie is fabulous, but for some reason calls him 'Ahhdull'.  Charlie thinks Harvey is a pain in the neck. Speaking of the child, he had a dreadful night.  All appeared to be OK when he went off to bed.  3 hours later he woke.  I went up to check him and was assulted by the smell of vomit.  Nice.  There was sick everywhere.  Luckily my firend Kat was visiting, and she cleaned the puke whilst I cleaned Harv.  He went back to sleep.  At 3 am, a repeat of the eariler sick incident.  Sadly for me Kat had gone home and I had to clean everyone and everything.  Harvey is now fine, so I am not sure what all that was about.  Hopefully there will be no such antics tonight. Tonight I must tackle the ironing pile.  The pile is so huge it keeps falling over.  I HATE ironing. It makes me grumpy.  No-one call me tonight as I'll be in a bad mood.

Harvey impressed me on Sunday by demonstrating the use of 'tools'.  He wanted to climb on top of his sandpit, so he went and found his car.

Damn. Forgot to rotate the image again.

Todays earworm:

Rudolf the red nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose....

Banofee pie

Harv went to nursery as normal this morning, leaving me to use my free time (no Sing and Sign on a Monday until the end of September) to blitz the house.  It is shiny like a pin. After a post-nursery nap, we jumped in the car to visit a friend in her new house.  I only got lost twice on the way there.  This is better than another friend who took 45 minutes to drive the (actual) 2.5 minute distance.  Ahem.  You shall remain nameless friend. Good on you for admitting it though.

After the Epic car journey, Harvey was invited around to one of his pal's house for tea where he feasted on mini quiche, mini samosa and mini banofee pie. All home-made! Jo, the chef, puts me to shame.  Harv is lucky if he gets a tin of ravioli. Almost all of the banofee pie was eaten, which impressed me no end. It also annoyed me a bit as I was hoping to scoff it.  As Jo said ' it has bananas in it, so it must be good for you'.

Grandad Miller sent through this photo today.  It seems Grandad has finally gone mental.  Here he has climbed onto the roof and is offering a bunch of flowers to the French Gods of Vacqueras wine.

Actually, it is the 'Roof Topping Out' ceremony.  Not sure if this is just a French thing or not.  Anyway, the roof is finished.  Hoorah!

We are very much looking forward to visiting in September.  Not sure how to make links work in a slick 'oh look the text has changed colour, lets click it and follow the link!' way, so have a look at www.view-ventoux.com to see the Villa.

Anyway, night night.  Especially to Davin who is in Glasgow until Thursday.  We are missing him a LOT.  Although it is nice to sleep diagonally in the bed guilt-free.

Today's earworm:

Kumbyahhh my Lord, kumbyahh, kumbyahhh my Lord....

Saturday fun

Harv is feeling much better.  Rotten cough seems to be clearing up, and he is eating again (hoorah!).  Much of the afternoon was spent racing up and down the hallway with the aid of a walker.  Harv has one month to start walking before a trip to the Health Visitor is in order, as apparently babies should be walking by 18 months.  We would very much like him to be walking by the time we go to France in September (so walk child, WALK). It seems that all of the careering around took it out of the poor lad.

After I managed to lift him of Davin and pop him to bed, our evening began.  A barbeque had been arranged, and in true male tradition, it was decided that a generous dose of petrol would get things moving.  The ladies were not amused.

Anyway, the boys didn't burn the conservatory down and the food was fab.  The evening progressed. All of the Pimms was demolished. Wine was drunk.  More wine was drunk. Someone had a beer. And then more wine.  A group photo was taken.

Jane and I then decided to do some 'Cousin It' impressions. Jane succeeds

I only manage to look scarily like Garth from 'Wayne's World'

We then decided to pose for some snaps for the National (self) Portrait Gallery.

Me, looking cheeky.

Jane, looking like Sherlock Holmes.

Davin 'look into my eyes, look into my eyes IN my eyes, not around my eyes' Miller

Jev 'WHAT the!' West

Donna, looking disappointingly normal

Leo.  Yikes. We were very afraid.

Shortly after this photo was taken he bludgeoned us all with the empty Pimms bottle.

Millers galore!

Ooh, look.  Here is a picture just emailed to me of the Miller side of the family a bit squiffy after a wine fete at Vacqueras.  Just look at the fun they are having.  Not sure who took the picture, but seems they may have sampled a few vinos as well. Grandma says that Grandad had to go to bed when he got home from the fete.  Oh dear.  You are getting OLD Grandad!

And, before you say it.  Yes, the Millers all look alike.  Harv currently looks like a mixture of me and Davin, but I think Millerness will prevail. Linnie, Davin's response to your comment below was "bloody cow".  He meant it with deep affection.

A new hat

In light of the hot weather, Harv is mostly wearing not a lot.  He is, however, modelling some neat millenery.

I blame this behaviour in the cocktail of drugs he is on.  Poor Harv has a terrible cough and a raging temperature.  Nursery called us today to ask if they could give him paracetamol to control it.  We said 'yep - if you can get in in him'.  He does not like to take drugs.  No sir.  Anyway, by the time I collected him he was bright red and signing 'hot' repeatedly.  I said 'yes I know you are hot darling', and the Nursery staff said he had been signing this all afternoon.  Bless him.  We have since pinned him down and administered nurofen in an attempt to control his body heat.  I think the mixture of the 2 drugs - or all of the E numbers they contain - has sent him round the bend.  He went to bed WIRED.

The same explaination for the head wear cannot be used to reason this picture of Davin's hat

They have lovely legs, my boys.

On another note, I never thought this blog would be read by anyone else but family and friends, but it is.  Hi Fran in Australia!!!!!

Today's earworm

Eeee ohhh eee ohhh e e e e ohhh, weee um wimbaway......In the jungle, the mighty jungle...

Too little time to post until Thursday

Hey family and friends.  It is quiet on the south eastern front as our very pregnant pal Helen is staying with us at the moment.  Helen talks so much there is no time to post. Soz.  Helen says 'I don't talk as much as Donna'.  This is true. Neither does she talk as much as Jane.

Here is a piccie of Harv's gang in the back garden yesterday.  They ate a lot of sand, and drank a lot of sandy water.  We are expecting many sandy nappies.