Stop noying me

Rowan is a bit poorly at the moment. He had a good week last week, attending Duncan's birthday party but he hasn't been eating well the last few days and has lacked his usual boundless energy. He has been quick to tears and was sick at the breakfast table this morning. I got the bowl in front of him just in time. He perked up after that to remonstrate with Sean: "Stop noying me. I am sick."

An indicator of Rowan's lack of energy was his preference to mostly walk with his scooter around the park at Newtongrange yesterday afternoon. Sean continued to improve on his bike, even managing to start himself and keep going, although his steering and braking need work. He managed to ride into a chain link fence and nick his wrist which prompted squeals audible 80 yards away. Finn was impressing too on his balance bike and looks close to being able to try the real thing soon. We need to get Sean a bigger bike for his birthday.

Angus is still a delight with lots of smiles and plenty of yowling chat when he gets your attention. Unfortunately he hasn't cracked the night sleeps despite taking 7-8oz of milk at midnight. More often than not he wakes between 5 and 6am with the occasional bonus of a post-6am wake-up. He now shimmies on his back, emerging from his baby-gym on to the carpet if left for a few minutes.

The garden has been mostly overlooked this summer and is very overgrown. I tackled the front hedge and trees yesterday so that at least looks a bit neater. I could have done with the practical advice of a house guest we had last week. Joachim, a German living in Canada and a friend of a brother of one of Sharon's team, was staying with us prior to an interview with the Forestry Commission. We could do with a policy for controlling our woodland as the "dwarf conifers" we inherited when we moved in eight years ago have grown up to be large, unwelcome surly teenagers. As in the garden, so in the house...

The plums are hanging off the tree so it looks as though we need to start up the compote and jam-making assembly lines.