Thanks, Arthur x
Animals
This month started very well with a family visit to London Zoo to see Marcus, Sophie and Robin; old friends from my time in Chelsea and Westminster. Sophie works at the Zoo so we got the full insiders' tour, with friends of theirs. We had a great time and I particularly liked the Gorillas! And it was lovely to see Robin again.
Daddy went straight off to Oxford from the Zoo. Apparently he needed to be clever for a whole week! Mum decided that one of our special Olympic Mascot photos had been out of focus and so she and I walked across Regents Park and into London. And down through Fitzrovia, past Oxford Street, and into Covent Garden. Wenlock re-found and re-photographed and then we walked down to the river, across and down to home. I'm not sure Mum meant to walk that far but I saw lots of London!
Illness
On Monday I brewed up another chest infection and I had a horrid night. At 6am on Tuesday Mum FaceTimed Dad in Oxford and they agreed I needed to be seen by professionals (who aren't relatives) so Mum and I went up to St Thomas' Children's Emergency Department.
First visit Mum bumped into old friends from medical school, one of whom then treated me. Trainee and consultant opinions of how to treat me differed slightly - the consultant won. I went home with Mum feeling slightly better. Sadly I slowly got worse during the day and by the evening I was back in the ED breathing 70 breaths a minute and knackered. Mum found all this quite challenging, lots of memories of my early days. And I spent the night in hospital. I felt really quite a lot better by mid-morning and haven't needed to go back since.
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| Behind Bars at Tommies |
Stressed!
So Mum hit the "help button" and Granny W came to stay a day early to help Mum with me and let Mum go to give a talk at a work course she'd been working on for ages. This would have been enough to make it a stressful week even if I hadn't been ill. I did my bit by cooperating with my new regime of lots of inhalers and lots of coughing. I let Granny W look after me and didn't have a poo disaster on anyone! Mum coped amazingly given that we'd also chosen this week to have the front garden dug up and new stone paving laid! SUPER-stressful and all without Dad who was still doing his residential course.
Lots of little extras
But I got better, certainly enough to go back to nursery who keep making me stand up. They're even trying me with a walker. Sometimes I will - and sometimes I won't, but they keep trying anyway. The next weekend Mum was on call so stuck in her hospital. Grandad P and Aunty Lizzie came down to London so Dad and I met up with them for a yummy lunch. It was lovely to see them and catch up on the rest of life in Derbyshire.
That Monday we did a "once in a lifetime" when we used Dad's place to watch the Olympic athletes' parade. We were right in front of Buckingham Palace which was brilliant but - big but - we were hanging around for several hours. Mum had chosen to carry me on her back, and I decided not to stay in the carrier. We may have both got a teeny bit fed up at times! That said, we had a brilliant time cheering the athletes, doing the Mobot and listening to Mummy's favourite politician: Boris. And we were surrounded by men and women in uniform. So maybe I'll think about following my great-grandpas and aunty Lizzie, and consider a career in the Armed Forces?
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| Well done Team GB! |
Mum's got herself a bicycle - and a sore bum! She's now commuting over 12 miles a day by bike. No room for me yet! My swimming lessons have started again - now with a journey on a train but we do get a heated pool. And I do love my swimming.
Dressing up and dressing down
We had two escapes this month. First a weekend at the Goodwood Revival. Lots of old cars for Dad. And dressing up for Mummy and me. We stayed with Granny and Grandpa E and were shown round Goodwood by Simon and Cathrine. I saw car races and the most amazing flypasts. It was brilliant!!
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| In ear defenders 'cos it was quite loud |
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| All dressed up |
The second was for longer - a whole week in Puglia in Italy. We were staying in a simple Masseria formed from an old Monastery. [ www.masseriamontelauro.it/home-eng ] They gave me my own room next to Mum and Dad - with a vaulted ceiling and everything! We had wonderful weather: 30C and bright sunshine. The hotel had a deep lawn and an infinity edge pool - irresistable if you're a bum shuffling small. I only fell in once - and wore right through one pair of shorts. Puglia is beautiful with the most dramatically sharp coastline.
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| Action shot |
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| Arty shot |
Those who've been reading for a while will know I'm a seasoned flyer, but not this time: tantrums on the way out and nightmares on the way back. Apologies to my fellow passengers and to my poor M&D.
Talking
My talking skills are coming on a treat. Mum and Dad are now insisting I say 'please' before I get any treats. I have exacted revenge by saying it so cutely that they can't resist my charms. I can also say 'bye bye'; and impressed my fellow diners by saying bye bye to each table every night!
M&D are teaching me body parts. I've got as far as: eyes, nose and mouth. Can't do hands and feet yet. Cats are OK, dogs are too tricky.
Pay attention please!
As you know my early months were hard. Mum and Dad were very grateful to the advice offered by Bliss, the charity for babies born too sick, too soon.
Mum's clearly lost her marbles and is running a half marathon at the beginning of October. She's raising money for Bliss. If you'd like to help:
www.justgiving.com/ArthurMcSmall
Thanks for reading and bye for now.
Arthur xxx
