"I won't say too much..."

Jethro has just fallen asleep for his afternoon nap. I read Mini Grey's "Traction Man meets Turbodog" to Ethan and tell him I would go take a short rest after reading. Of course, I can't expect a long nap with Jethro asleep but Ethan bursting with energy, so just a short 10-mins lie-down is luxury for me. Ethan seems fascinated by the pictures in the story book and asks me about the greenish 'Germo' spray that Traction Man was using just before I leave him.

Unfortunately for me, not one minute after my 'lying down', Ethan climbs onto my bed and starts telling me about this special spray he has.
"It's got many colours. But I won't tell you all the colours, just one colour. Because Jethro is asleep and I don't want to wake him up," he whispers.
"Umm, umm," I nod my head.
Still softly: "There's pink... blue... yellow... erm... I won't get to black because I don't want to wake up Jethro."
Starting to repeat: "There's red... green... blue... pink..."
He continues to describe his wonderful spray (I have forgotten most of what he said then).

Next, he snuggles into the duvet beside me, pops his head out and then tells me, "I am 'hood-head'* hiding coz I am not really hiding. Only nearly hiding."
"Sorry, what was that?" I pucker my eyebrows.
"'Hood-head' hiding. Nearly hiding but not really hiding."
I have to ask him a few more times before I realise it's a new word he invented. We had a 'discussion' the other day about what constituted hiding. Basically I was trying to explain to him that one was not really hiding if he just covered up his eyes and could not see anything himself but the rest of his body remained exposed for all but the blindest to see.

Anyway, so much for my coveted 10-mins' rest. And the situation repeats. Ethan just can't seem to be by himself for long nowadays. Maybe because it's half-term and he lacks the stimulation from his classmates and teachers, or maybe because the days have turned dreary as winter approaches? Who knows. I only know there goes my little quiet time.

* I can't remember his exact pronunciation already. Anyway these days, seems like I can't catch his Scottish pronunciation more and more.

Culross

My sis came over for the weekend and we took a whirlwind trip to Culross, a village about 1 hour's ride north of Edinburgh and by the Firth of Forth. And what a whirlwind it was. We set out after lunch, reached there about 2 hours later (given the driving, and having made a few wrong turns), spent about 2 hours exploring the little village where almost everything was closed, and then drove back home. It was also a very windy day, with the wind speed at around 60 mph, and very cold. When I first got out of the car, I just wanted to get back in again. Took me some courage to get out again. I didn't even wish to venture near the coast, so all the coastal pictures were taken by my sis.



Sis's photos:

Open Days Month

So I stopped pumping. No more waking up in the middle of the night! I expected I should have more restful sleep and feel more energetic during the day. Yet it has not appeared to be so. Later nights on occasions, Jethro waking up in the middle of not a few nights and requiring one or two hours to sooth back to sleep, activities almost every weekend (In September, every weekend, parts of Scotland had Open Days, where some buildings normally closed are opened to the public, but we did not go out every weekend for this: there were other events.), all added to make me a rather sleepy person most of the day.

Autumn is certainly here. In the beginning of September, with the bright days and cooling air, one can still stubbornly insist that summer's still here. Gradually, however, the leaves change colours and the weather grows perceptibly colder and nights come in earlier, whether you want it or not, autumn has arrived.

At home:
This baby still doesn't know how to bite food, even if he does bite many other non-foods.



"Mummy, look! '4'!", says a gleeful Ethan.

Jethro trying to say something?

Unstoppable.


Walk to Duddingston Village:


3 kids at the playground (the one with Lorien):


New Lanark:


Blackford Hill and the Royal Observatory:


National Museum of Scotland with Viking event:


Edinburgh Open Day:
Reid Concert Hall and museum

Museum of Fire

Just a view

St Cecilia's Hall and museum

John Knox House

Calton Hill and Nelson Monument