19 months

Gavin is 19 months old tomorrow, so here's a post with some recent photoGavs. 

Climbing

We discovered that his favorite food is sausage.
(even sausages we don't like) 

Climbing

contemplating climbing this tree

This month he enjoyed cheering for England in the Euro 2012 Championships. 

Climbing

He's often rocking this look.
(nothing on bottom)

He's obsessed with splashing in rain puddles.
(unfortunate footwear choice for that discovery...)

Climbing. Always.

Chocolate lover

In early 2009 I posted to this blog about my love of chocolate. It turns out my offspring loves the stuff too! This morning there were a few way-too-quiet minutes, so I went searching for him. He wasn't in his usual spots, and at first I didn't see him in my office because he was hiding behind my desk. Busy eating a HUGE chocolate bar. I wonder if he'd have eaten until it was gone. He already had way more than his little body needed. Oh dear...

hiding behind my office desk eating the chocolate
(you can see how massive it is in his hand)

trying to steal another bite before I take it away

first taste of Croatia

We're spending a week in Croatia next month, but since we were next door in Slovenia we decided to dip into Croatia to see the parts we won't make it to next month. The above amphitheatre is in Pula, as is the below arch.

 Our favorite of the towns we visited is called Rovinj, with a tall church tower on top of a tall hill jutting into the sea. The narrow, crooked streets and bustling outdoor market, along with a swimming area in the city, were unforgettable.

 After seeing this little bit of Croatia, we're excited for the rest of it!

Predjama, Slovenia

Is it weird to visit a place I learned about on Pinterest? I came across a list of the 10 Most Fascinating Castles (on Pinterest), and this one was there. So we went while we were in Slovenia. It was interesting that it's integrated into a system of caves.

The castle's legend involves a Knight, Erazem Lueger, who was besieged in the castle of a year but taunted his enemies by throwing cherries at them. They were baffled at his survival (and access to cherries); he was escaping through the caves to a nearby village for supplies.

The following photo is great. Gavin had just thrown his water down, and his body language perfectly reflects his attitude.

Overall an interesting castle, but there was a disappointing absence of information (no tours, no signs), so all we learned about the castle we learned from the internet.

Lake Bled, Slovenia

 Tucked away in the Julian Alps in Slovenia is Lake Bled, a location of supreme beauty. It's not overrun with tourists, it's just beautiful! Most of the photos involve the picturesque little island with its pretty little church.

In addition to the beautiful island in the middle of the Lake, there's also an imposing castle on a cliff above.

This view of the Lake is from the castle.

And Bled is known for its famous cake, the kremna rezina. It was pretty tasty.

We stayed in the most adorable place ever, where the owners were a cute young couple who made us breakfast and even did a load of laundry for us! They also had bikes we rented (well, borrowed, because they didn't even charge us!) and rode around the Lake on two occasions. The first time we went it was raining, and I love how cute Gavin looks in his rain jacket and helmet (Jacob and I wore helmets too, don't you worry).

And we took a boat ride out to the island. The Lake was gorgeous from that angle too!

I took SO MANY photos of the Lake at different times of day and different weather conditions, etc. It was just so pretty. But here's a photo in Bled of something other than the Lake. It was a seriously charming place!

the last Jubilee post

With so much talk of what the Duchess of Cambridge wore over the Jubilee weekend, here's the coverage of what Gavin Asher wore over the Jubilee weekend. It's all very patriotic.

And there's been a lot of coverage of what's happening in London for the Jubilee, but what about the best village in the whole Commonwealth? Here are photos from our village (it's a pretty small village) showing the immense patriotism of our neighbours.

Thames Jubilee Pageant

We had an unforgettable weekend in London for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrating the Queen's 60 years on the throne. All the neighborhoods we saw were decked out in festive flags and bunting.

Then on Sunday the River Thames was lined with over a million flag-waving fans of the Queen--including us! A flotilla of 1,000 vessels participated in the Thames Jubilee Pageant, and it was amazing!

We saw lots of great boats, and we stood at the MI-6 building to watch, which is also pretty cool. :) The following photo is dedicated to members of my Mom's family whose ancestors hail from the Isle of Man. See the Manx flag? (PS-Jacob also deserves credit for taking this photo; he had the camera while I took care of Gavin. He took the photo because he liked the boats where the rowers were standing.)

Here are a couple of photos of the Queen's barge. She wore white, making her pretty easy to spot. But the boat itself is beautiful too!

God save the Queen!