Videos and Pics of Juniper Feb. 2011 Eight months

Bicycle Time!

 We finally got to try out our new bike and baby seat today. It was a 50 degrees and sunny day here in good ol' England. Warm enough and dry enough for a family ride through the country side to Coton. Spring is arriving with snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils, and buds on the trees. It is looking greener every day. No cries from Juniper, so I guess that means she liked it. She held off as long as she could, but fell asleep at the end. It was a bit scary for mum at first, but not too bad on the more quiet roads. I am not quite ready for heading into town, but soon I suppose. I need more practice without her. Hopefully we can see a little more of Cambridge and the surrounding villages and points of interest. We might be waiting on the weather a bit longer though; today was a bit of a present I believe.

Compact living

There is lots of row housing here in Cambridge- the ones that are connected together. I like their little front yard gardens. And I am sure I would love the backyard ones too if I could see them. The houses are really close together here, but many people still have their own little tiny front yards, They are usually big enough of a place to put bikes, a few plants, and maybe the rubbish bin and recycling. Than there is a private backyard that is big enough for sitting out and eating, tossing a ball, having a little garden, and doing some landscaping. No big lawns to mow. We do Americans love their big yards other than them thinking they are suppose to? They take so much time to mow and gas and energy. What are they for? They are overwhelming. A little yard is not over whelming. It is manageable to go out and do a bit of gardening; it's not scary. If your yard is not big enough for a game of ball, you go to the community green space. Than you can socialize and enjoy your community. I think it is more green here, even if there are houses all compact together. It doesn't feel like it too much though. Like a puzzle how they all fit in. The houses and flats are a decent size, I think; large enough for what you need in life. Why do we need bigger houses? To put more unused stuff in? To keep busy cleaning? The bedrooms maybe smaller, but so you hang out in the living room with each other. Or have less clothes. Less clothes to clean. Who likes cleaning? You get out more when you don't have cleaning and mowing to do. No room to put stuff you don't need so you don't shop as much, so you go for a walk with your friends and have tea or a pint. Or a bike ride with your family. The country side begins at the city limits- always five/ten minutes away by car (least here in Cambridge, a city of 108,000), plus there are so many parks within the city. Boating is available in the city too. Maybe not gas guzzling speed boats, but canoes, kayak, punts, and rowing. Physical things. I feel it is ironic actually. And this may go for some cities in the US too, but it is more natural to be active here in the city than it was living in the woods of Vermont the last two years. I admit I do miss hiking in the woods very much, but it was so much more of an effort to do something physical when I lived in the woods than it is now in the city. I can walk and do errands. Not drive to do errands, than have to go walk after. But I guess I am doing a lot of generalizing. This is all specific to me and what I like. And I am not working. But people seem very good at biking to work and to pick up the kids at school by bike and shopping by bike or walking. Too big to carry, delivery services are everywhere. Places I need don't feel far to me. Occasionally maybe if I am tired from not sleeping well, but usually a 1/2 hour walk is fine. I use to dread 1/2 hour drives to the store in VT. We use to drive a 1/2 hour just to walk around Hanover because it was much easier with the stroller. And we could get a treat at the end of the walk. And not feel like we were going to be run over (walking down a country road doesn't always feel so safe, even if it is quite pleasant). Well enough from me, I am glad I have two working feet. P.S. If you couldn't tell, I love all the walking here. :)
But we just got me a bike and a seat for Juniper. I think I am going to miss the walking even though it will be more than twice as fast to bike. More time outside is better to me. Plus Juniper is too interested in the computer for me to use it when she is awake at home, which is what I want to do with more time. She doesn't sleep well at home unless she fell asleep walking first. I am finding this amusing as I write it out. Oh well, either way, biking will be lots of fun as a family. We can see more of Cambridge and the surrounding countryside and villages. Look forward to that a lot as it slowly warms up. The flowers are coming up already, the crocuses and daffodils, even a few tree blossoms. Pretty.

Mummy and Juni Update

Juniper is now 8+ months. She loves the bathtub. She has discovered her legs in the past week and a half. She wants to stand and she wants to walk holding our hands. She can sprint across the living room in 2 seconds when in her walker! She simply demands to be on the move.

Meanwhile, mummy's life is taking a new turn. I will soon be chasing Juniper through the house and everywhere else. It makes me sad to no longer have a tiny baby. It makes me nervous- will I be even more preoccupied by the baby from here on? Sitting at the cafe with my friends may mean I will no longer get to sit! At the same time, I am able to leave Juniper alone with daddy. I am taking a photography class and Bollywood dance lessons. It is nice to get out on my own. My pregnancy and baby hormone brain is gone, which is very nice. Mothers know what I mean. It sure is nice to have a clear brain back!

I am getting more attached to Cambridge, as expected. I have more strange Cambridge stories- so stay tuned. Maybe one of these days soon, Juniper will sleep long enough for me to write a blog in the evening. Nursing and typing is no longer much of an option. She gets too interested in what I am doing and wont drink. Anyways, I better enjoy the nursing while it lasts. Being a mother continues to be wonderful.

She sure loves her boyfriends Yoram (pictured) and Hiro.