Wednesday 21st May 2025, 4.20pm (day 5,018)
At least, I assume it’s his granny. She was bearing it all stoically enough.
Whipping granny
Being 42
Life, one day at a time
Tag Archives: child
In Carisbrooke Castle
Tuesday 2nd July 2024, 12.40pm (day 4,695)
He’s just discovered running. Which means he’s discovering the pleasure of chasing things. The gull will tolerate it for now: revenge will come later, when the kid’s chips get stolen.
This cameo played out in the grounds of Carisbrooke Castle, in the centre of the Isle of Wight — worth a visit, if you want a recommendation. It was the place that Clare and I saw out much of our silver wedding anniversary: we were married on 2nd July 1999, and have made it this far, at least.
A few minutes old
Sunday 11th April 2021, 3.55pm (day 3,517)
I don’t know who or what has been the oldest living creature to feature on the blog: there has been one confirmed nonagenarian (Clare’s gran) but more likely it’s some tree somewhere or other. But I can now declare this lamb to be the youngest. If this had been born much before 3.50pm today I would be surprised. The caul is still very obvious and being cleaned off by the mother ewe. It’s eyes are open, and it was beginning to move. Quite a sight in fact.
Hat throwing game
Saturday 16th July 2016, 2.15pm (day 1,787)
Here’s how to play the hat throwing game. Take two four year olds, one hat, and a stairway. Have the four year old at the top throw the hat down to the other. Change places, and repeat for quite a long time.
Ilias
Thursday 13th August 2015, 2.20pm (day 1,449)
Ilias is the son of Marilena (behind), who works for me despite living in Corfu — but that’s the online world for you. This was his first visit to England, we met them for lunch in Manchester, and he got to show that he has adopted certain local customs even at his young age. Yia mas!
(Obligatory child protection note: he didn’t drink it, you know.)
Mother and child, Moshi
Tuesday 4th August 2015, 10.00am (day 1,440)
Rest day, spent in Moshi, doing a profound load of nothing. These two just passed by…
At the Kilimanjaro Orphanage, Moshi
Monday 27th July 2015, 9.35am (day 1,432)
The tour company that organised our hike up Kili (Zara Tours) look after their porters and generally seem to support the local community, including this orphanage in Moshi, which we visited while spending a rest day before beginning the hike. I know it’s easy for such pictures to seem exploitative but I hope this one isn’t, it is just meant to represent the fact that although basic I thought this seemed an essentially happy place. Most of the orphans are that way because of HIV, though apparently rates of infection in Tanzania are declining from their peak of a few years ago, which is good news.
Mother and child, Tampere
Thursday 9th August 2012, 6.10pm (day 350)
Plenty of photo opportunities in Tampere this evening as they are in the midst of some arts festival and there were lots of street ‘happenings’ tonight. But though I thought the capoeira performance would be a rich seam for pictures it turned out mainly to be a kind of monotonous cross between kung fu and hare krishna chanting. This mother and child watching it were much cuter.
Hey, I’ve just noticed it’s day 350 of the blog. 16 to go before I’ve done the full year: and also time to add some to the ‘Best of the Rest’ page. I’ll do that shortly.
Town beach, Kristiansand
Monday 4th June 2012, 5.30pm (day 284)
We transited down to Kristiansand today, in the southernmost part of Norway (though still as far north as Aberdeen in Scotland). Wouldn’t have chosen to come here normally, but was invited to give a keynote speech at a conference. It’s not as dramatic as the western fjords but it’s pleasant enough, and the sun was shining. This picture makes it look like it’s got wide, sweeping sands, but actually it’s a pretty scrubby bit of beach, probably artificial. Nevertheless, the kid’s having fun, and it was quite a sunny and pleasant evening.
The flight home
Thursday 10th November 2011, 7.15am (UK time) (day 77)
After having got up at 4.30 (Norwegian time – 3.30am UK) to undertake this journey, I wish I could adopt this position on a plane. But I think those days are past.
Being 42 