another year goes past or passed?

Never really sure of that whole past/passed thing. is one movement and the other time? not sure.

having a web morning after several chats with Jo and Martin then Andy and Lesley about Twitter, blogs, social networking sites and generally the pros and cons of using them all. how to streamline? more trouble then they're worth? just another source of unfiltered and continuous information to be overwhelmed by?

not sure. i know that i enjoy writing but rarely post to this blog (or anywhere for that matter), i have just signed up to twitter but can't shake the feeling that it will be a continual stream of banal information about people i care about, does that matter? again too early to tell.

the Lambertinis did join the ipod age at christmas and are the proud owners of a purple sliver of apple cleverness. have been a subscriber to ABC Radio National pcasts of the Science Show and Ockham's Razor and have now expanded to Stephen Fry and the Monocle Weekly. Now that is technology i like, i choose the content and it is delivered to a very convenient listening device. Take LoveFilm.com too, an online DVD service that, in the absence of webbased content on demand is the next best thing even if they can't furnish me with a copy of The Castle (a film that i think is an essential part of Mrs Lambertini's cultural education).

Mr L

possibly the worst bloggers in the world

well, the key's in the title really. lots of good intentions and even more competing priorities has meant that - sporadic would be a good term to describe the lambertinis postings.

anyhow, that too bad and just a fact of life i guess, i could blame Grace but really there's not much to blame on her truth be told, she remains a dream child, sleeping, eating and generally loving life. finding her voice now and managing the occasional 'ma mam ma mam' kind of noise, usually at the top of her voice. there will be video. eventually.

P

big skies, blue water

big skies, blue water
Originally uploaded by paulie-o

it's cold and wet in glasgow - and seems to have been this way for weeks. the joy is that in just over 24 hours we are departing for australia. a long journey for a small girl but i'm sure we will be fine. it is for views like this that i am longing, for heat to drive the damp from my bones, for the light that dazzles and shimmers off hot sand, for water that laps its salty goodness around my ears.

bring it on.

P

An old post - December 2005

Winter calm
Originally uploaded by stuballscramble

A fine line between reflection and nostalgia. here's one a wrote a few years back (2005). Thanks to random Stu for the photo.


"there's no doubt that the winter is here, the puddles were already frozen on my cycle home from work and there's snow on the hills and it's here to stay. i guess that can mean only one thing for me; the end of another year and the roll down to christmas. and this year, a northern hemisphere christmas complete will turkey, snow, mulled wine and holly and complete also with a new family in a small village called hillsborough twenty miles from belfast on the road to dublin in the rural heart of county down. there is something about christmas in the far north, i now understand christmas lights, hot dinners and the sense of expectation not just of all the joys of the season but also of the end of the dark, the lengthening days and the promise of spring on the other side of a frozen january and february.

i also now understand the exhilaration of hill walking in the snow and ice, the function of crampons strapped to winter boots and the fact that an ice axe is not just a prop from a b-grade horror movie but a life saver if you are unfortunate enough to lose your footing. the end of the year is the end of a cycle of seasons here too, in queen's park across the road, the trees have returned to their nakedness having shed the almost unbelievable lush greenness of summer and the multicolour display of autumn.

the news is full of the horrors of the middle-east, the impending ice age as the gulf stream peters out and the local news reporting that a major housing development had to be shifted because of the faeries allegedly dwelling under a large rock in the middle of a field. it was shifted, the faeries won. and then there's elton's wedding.......

On my frozen cycle to work this morning, the winter sun clear and dazzling low on the horizon, i was halted at my crossing of the mighty clyde river by the foot bridge swinging open to allow a huge, bridge building crane to slide past atop a german barge. it was a forced pause on the rush to work, a chance to stand with my fellow walkers and cyclist breathing smoke, helpless to do anything but wait. shame it doesn't happen more often.

i have been offered a new job, working with an NHS board that deals with educational issues for staff. unsurprisingly, i'll be working with the allied health professions- a disparate group really covering podiatrists, radiographers as well as physios and dieticians. they are paying me more money and i'll get to do some more travel in the west of scotland. as to what exactly i'll be doing- i'll let you know once i get there. after a blissful 6 months that has seen my parents visit, me take up the mandolin and the small issue of a marriage proposal and all that it entails- i am back to studying next semester, back to the purgatory that is research methods. a prospect that could be sweetened if i can convince my new employer to pay my fees. watch this space.

then there's what i'm missing. this is dangerous territory during the long dark night of winter in scotland but tonight it feels ok. babies- there are babies everywhere and i'm missing seeing all of them do those great things that babies do; mainly learn how cool it all is and make parents look at each other with fluttery tummies. my nieces and nephew race from toddlers into school or kindy goers and unfortunately uncle paulie is still a voice on the phone. i miss dinner parties, kitchen's full of old friends, smells of food and the hum of conversation. i miss space and solitude, warm sand between my toes and gum trees in the hot sun. i miss drinking in my friends bars and being there when the doors are locked and the party starts."

rope work

DSC_4194
Originally uploaded by mutz

i found this photo going through big Marcel's flickr site and it reminded me of a great weekend with friends in 2006 not long before mel and i were married. i had organised a stag/bucks do down in Stratford upon Avon and following a large, long and boozy lunch we retired to the park for a bit of running about. the star of the show (briefly) was the Aerobee disc (other brands of flying disc are also available) scything through the air end to end in a long thin park by the river.

all was going well until said disc lodged on top of the band stand leading to several hours of problem solving, doing deals with long-boat owners and generally dicking around until the disc was retrieved.

all good fun.

P

paul's first feed

paul's first feed
Originally uploaded by paulie-o

having breast-fed grace exclusively for the first 7 weeks or so, this was the first attempt at formula. it when pretty well, she spewed a fair bit bit most of it stayed down. it was good to feel that i could take away her hunger and satisfy her in a way i hadn't been able to before.

Time marches on

First day of School Jan 08
Originally uploaded by nadinelambert

as if there was any doubt, here's a shot of my little neice and neph starting school. they kind of look like they always did, just kind of stretched out. a lot.

P

routine and all that jazz

It seems a while since either of us wrote anything here so the time has come on a SUnday night after a quiet day hanging out with each other and Grace. It has to be said Grace hasn't been the most sparkling company sonce she smiled and goo-ed at us early this morning. Life has settled into something vaguely approaching a routine after the visitors and festivities of Christmas and New Year. Paul is back at work and Grace and I hang out - do housey things, go for walks, meet up with people, et jags (this week's treat) and do fambily admin stuff, like chasing up builders & double glazing bods to finish things that should work but don't. In the last few days she's started to get bored if she doesn't have something to watch or to entertain her through the day when she's awake, but isn't old enough to entertain herself... methinks maternity leave just got more demanding.

m

the lambertis

P1020046
Originally uploaded by paulie-o

one of the things about getting older is that you get to show your parents things that they've never seen before.

take snow, we've had one of the best starts to the snow season in Scotland for years and we were lucky enough to be up in the highlands for the first big dump of 2008. real snow, big floaty flakes that swirl up your nose and dissolve into nothing. heavy snow that collects and crunches under your feet and makes the cars sound like they are driving on carpet. snow that re-freezes overnight and turns into crunchy crust the following morning.

all good fun.

P

four weeks on...

My name is Melanie and this is my first blog. This is quite a departure for me - I'm a pen and paper girl when it comes to recordnig my thoughts - but this is a joint Lambertini venture and is decidedly easier to transport around the world, wherever life should take us. Essentially I'm writing this to process thoughts and feelings and for us to look back on these formative weeks and months... But there will still be some reflections that will be reserved for my old-school notebook because essentially this is still a public forum. Having said that, I'm happy if anyone feels the desire to - and can be bothered to - read the outpourings of our random meandering minds to share all that's written here. If you're not a Lambertini and you're reading this, welcome.

I've hoped to get some time to write some thoughts since Grace was a few days old but haven't quite managed it for one reason or another (mainly because I've been a bit of a milk factory). So the detail and rawness of some of those early reflections is largely gone or now feels irrelevant. I've told the story of her birth so many times now that it seems unnecessary to repeat it here (and I think Paul may well have already related it in his first posting). What I really want to do is note down some reflections on the journey that is breastfeeding so that I don't lose some of the emotions and reactions that will be completely forgotten by the time / if we have another bairn and can refer back to this as a reference point.

As the one doing the feeding thing, it has been an emotional journey at times. On the whole I can say that everything, from pregnancy to birth to breastfeeding to fatigue, has been easier than I had feared. I really did thinkbreastfeeding would be physically much harder than it has been. The toughest part (physically) so far has been the first week after the milk came in - thanks to Elaine Murray for the warnings of toe-curling pain, which did on several occasions reduce me to tears (usually when combined with tiredness).

No, for me I think the emotional impact of breastfeeding has been hardest, or at least most unpredictable (being about emotions and all...). It's strange juxtaposition - to have the sexiest curviest body you've ever had, to have the boobs you'd always wanted, while also feeling like a milk machine and feeling like your main - almost sole - purpose has suddenly become to keep a person alive in a very basic, physical and time-consuming way - has een quite overwhelming at times. My first attempt at expressing left me completely discouraged and deflated (no pun intended) as I made yet another strange and unprecedented demand of my body. The time-consuming aspcet is hard to deal with too as I completely reframe what I can get done in a day adn then expect to not meet any of these adjusted expectations either! Protestant work ethic? Maybe, but I don't feel guilt about it... it's more I think that I love being busy and so tend to plan bits and pieces every day, but then am reminded again that all of this is secondary to keeping Grace well-fed. For eaxmaple, it has taken me 8 hours to finsih this blog posting...

More later

M

remembering old paths

i was lying awake in bed last night trying to remember the way to Qualko and the Hogwash, two of my favourite campsites on the River Murray in South Australia. i think i was disturbed by the fact that it has been so long since i have been to either of them, could i remember the way if i had to? i think i might try google maps and see how i go.

P

later

yep, seem to remember just fine when presented with a map with all the details. my former life is not slipping away, it's all ok. breathe.

Revisiting God

i don't really do God. i have thought a lot about God and spirituality in my time although maybe not in great depth for a few years now. circumstances in my life are such that i have had cause to think about this stuff a bit more in the last little while and i heard a great podcast that resonated with me and challenged a bit too, one of ABC Radio National's Ocham's Razor. i'll try to link to it here.

i've not worked out how to embed audio yet.

i think there will be more on this topic in 2008.

P

Prometeus - Media Revolution

now, i'm not sure what this is all about and my feelings are mixed. i oscillate between being exciting and terrified at the propect of these things coming to pass. i think that it has hugh potential to do good stuff but will likely be corporatised like everything else and end up really sucking. essentially i think its a viral ad for this media company but something about it rings true. i guess time will tell.

P

rhythm, routine and clever baby books

so after the first 3 or so weeks of letting grace do pretty much whatever she wanted (needed really) we have decided to try and get into a bit more of a predictable routine. the thinking behind this is based on a book called Babywise, which was recommended to us by one of mel's friends. the basic premise seems to be that the relationship between parents is the central one in the house and that a child brought up with this strong bond will do well (for the moment i am going to ignore the implications of this statement for families who don't fit this model.......) and that seems to make sense to us at the moment. we never want a child or children to be the most important thing in our relationship but i think that this needs conscious effort rather than assuming it will happen.

anyhow........ that's just a bit of the philosophy the trick with the baby is to try and feed her up during the day (feeding every 3 hours or so) with a bit of wake time and a bit a sleeptime before the next feed. you wake the baby if it is time for a feed and feed extra if she is hungry but basically stick to the formula. the idea being that by 6 weeks or so the wee darlin is sleeping through the night. QED.

we are 3 days into this new regimen and it does seem to be doing something. the last 2 nights she has slept for 5 hours at a stretch but we will have to see how things go in the long run. it may be a while before i will become a Babywise evangelist.

P

The new year

the lambertitnis entered the new year in sedate style, a few hours at neal and lindsay's place in glasgow's west end. first time in many a year (?ever) that i have been in a fit state to drive on new years eve, coped surprisingly well really. pleasantly surprised with the positive feedback we have been getting for managing to get out and about with a tiny baby, it's a nice thing. all power to the tiny baby really. grace has given us a fairly easy run up until this point- she sleeps, she eats (a lot) and she looks about at not much in particular and then she sleeps again. simple. so far. i feel like i have to keep adding that bit just in case (when?) it all turns to custard.

P

things they never tell you

Funny thing about having a baby, there are a million things that they don't tell you. the obvious on e for me was that labour for your first baby could be really quick and you may be extremely close to giving birth in your car if you don't really know the signs and take it a bit too easy. witness me reading the paper and drinking coffee, preparing myself for a 12 hour marathon but an hour later battling Glasgow's peak hour traffic, panting with Mel to ensure the baby wasn't born either on teh backseat of the Skoda or in a wet gutter somewhere near Corkerhill. i have since had several conversations with women who had quick and (relatively) easy births and it seems that antenatal classes are all about preparing you for the worst.

i also never expected that one small body could generate so much washing. now granted we are using real, cloth nappies (not as hard as everyone makes out) but even so the washing machine is on a constant cycle with nappies, spew rags, swaddling wraps, baby-grows, sheets. we are thankful for the newly installed clothes pulley, a crucial bit of kit to dry clothes indoors when it's -4 degrees outside.

i don't think i realised how dependent newborn babies are, and if truth be told how boring. cute but boring. Grace is gorgeous and i love her til my heart explodes but there's not much going on except lots of reflexes. yesterday, tho, i got a glimpse of that parent i think i will become as Grace was lying happily after a feed and threatened to smile, suddenly all thoughts of boring babies were gone and she was smiling- at me! well i thought she was, more likely it was wind- most of the books say you have to wait 4-6 weeks for real smiles but i can see that i will become useless when it starts to happen.

i definitively didn't expect Mel to be so sexy either after giving birth and it's not just due to fabulous breast feeding figure. not just but a bit. quite a bit.

P

windy

windy
Originally uploaded by paulie-o

this is currently my daughter's favourite pose- totally full of milk and attempting to spew down her mother's back. it's a good look, white vertical stripes are in aren't they?

P

It started with Grace

well, seeing as though we now have a small baby it seemed like as good a time as any to get on and get blogging.

I can remember reading something that George wrote early on on her blog about the the tension between feeling like you are writing a blog for yourself and feeling like others will be reading it too. for me these are two different types of writing, so i think i know how she felt. but as i am far from family and friends it might be a good way for those who have an inclination to find out what the vibe is inside Team Lambertini.

i think that Mel and I will also use it to remember what it was like to have a tiny baby and chart some of those us and downs to remind us for next time (assuming there is a next time!)

So i guess sometimes it will be me, and sometimes Mel tapping out a few thoughts and words. So enjoy, or not.

Paul