Whilst in Sydney, Baby Bea enjoyed hanging with her uncle Charlie. We discussed art, politics, philosophy, pop culture, but most of all theatre. Now Baby Bea doesn't want to take all the credit, but is it such a coincidence that Charlie's current play 'As You Like It' has gotten such good reviews in all the papers?
Baby Bea has a giant set of cheeks. It's a fact and the world should just move on. Unfortunately the various adults that BB encounters seem to take great satisfaction in squeezing and pinching them, even making the famous 'fish face' which makes everyone laugh, except a certain little girl....
Baby Bea is officially done with lazing around, the modern girl needs to get off her back and onto her bum (or feet). It's only this way that we can make any progress. Forward sisters!
Baby Bea is a little behind on posting to her blog, she's gotten a little too enraptured with the Sydney lifestyle of sun, surf and sand, but before she gets on to all that here are some lovely photos of my great-grandmother's 89th birthday lunch.
Yesterday we went to my first beach, 'Seven Mile Beach' to be precise. Being Hobart it was a little too cold and windy to sunbathe or swim, but I have been promised that we are going somewhere called Bondi soon, which offers much more in the wa of classic beach pursuits.
Yesterday Mummy and Daddy took me walking in an ambient rainforest in Wellington National Park and then up to the top of Mount Wellington, which is over 1,100 metres at the summit and directly overlooks Hobart and the harbour.
Baby Bea was very impressed by the flora and general outlook, but until she has see a kangaroo or koala, she'll not consider Australia quite done.
I spent most of yesterday punching people. Don't know why, just feeling quite pugilistic at the moment.
I have no comment here, except Mummy appears to think I am either a saucepan to be washed up or salad to be cleaned. Very humiliating.
A year ago today, my cousin Bear Hamilton Pullen was born stillborn to my Auntie Alice and Uncle Toby. Baby Bea never met her older cousin, but she desperately misses what they would have been; playmates, confidants and closest friends. We would have grown up together and she is sure he would have been the best cousin.
The loss of a baby hits everyone the hardest as you don't just miss what you've lost, but also what would have been. Beatrice, Mummy and Daddy are thinking of Alice and Toby on this hardest of days.
Baby Bea forgot to post these back when they were taken a couple of months ago, but found them when she was showing her great grandma all her photos. The first one is very special....all my grandparents!
This morning we went for fish and chips with my lovely cousins Laura and Matthew.
I was particularly impressed by Matt's luxuriant mo'.
The main event! I met my great grandma Lola for the first time today and got the mother of all cuddles.
As you can see, we're both very happy.
We've arrived.....and it was worth it! Every one of the thirty five hours (door to door) it took to get here.
Hobart is beautiful, the weather is glorious (almost as if it was summer), I met my great-grandma (and got the biggest of cuddles) and had a fantastic dinner with the rest of my Tassie family in the evening. They are awesome...
Photos to follow soon.
Right, this is proving to be a bit much. I have just been on another 12 hour flight and we still seem to have not yet reached our destination. When we touched down in Sydney airport and Mummy and Daddy got their bags from the carousel, I thought that at last, being actually in Australia this time, we were there, but then they went up to another desk and promptly checked their bags in again. When will this madness end?
So I am now writing this on a third aeroplane (a smaller one this time) going somewhere called Hobart, Tasmania. I have also come to the conclusion that we are in fact not actually going anywhere specific, but that my dear parents have decided to make a radical lifestyle change and now we are destined to roam the world, forever changing flights between far flung destinations.
Oh well, it's not actually been that bad, while admittedly I am a little grumpy now (and who can blame me) I've been pretty comfortable on all the flights and have hardly felt the need to cry (Mummy and Daddy look so grateful I actually have to laugh). We have also managed to confuse every immigration officer we've met given our fantastic technicoloured passport collection; Daddy's on his Australian passport, Mummy's on her Italian passport and I've got my new British one. As one of them said, it sounds like the beginning of a bad joke!
It also turns out that in Hong Kong a baby facing forwards in a sling (like in this photo) is akin to the arrival of a minor celebrity. Daddy took me for a walk and in the space of 5 minutes had three old couples stop him to look at me, one woman wanting a photo of me and a whole group of Japanese teenagers chasing after him. All dreadfully embarrassing of course, but I have to admit I did kind of like the attention.
Right, we have now arrived in Hong Kong...
Hong Kong??? I thought we were going to Australia?
We were on the plane for 12 hours. 12 hours!! Actually it wasn't too bad, I slept almost all the way and didn't cry once. Mummy and Daddy seem so grateful and keep telling me what a good girl I am.
Anyway it's very nice here. The photo is me asleep in something called a 'transit lounge'. Still doesn't explain what we are doing here or why it took so long to get here.
If there is something that Baby Bea is known for, it's her intuition, her natural sense of when things just don't feel right...and with this 'Australia' jaunt it's going totally crazy.
Ok, the signs.
First, Mummy and Daddy did a lot of packing for this trip, and when I say a lot, I mean that about half our possessions went into two massive bags and about 90% of mine went into a collection of smaller ones. Are we moving to this 'Australia'? What's going on?
Second, when we left the house we turned everything off. Even the stereo and Daddy never turns that off (or let's anyone touch it). Also the fridge was cleared out and the heating was turned off. Suspicious behaviour indeed.
Third, we're back on a plane. Now I thought that my recent expedition to Italy made me an expert on flying, but this setup is different. There are blankets and pillows. Mummy and me have our own space. I have my own cot. I can't understand why all this is necessary for a quick flight. Odd.
OK Baby Bea is officially confused. Will post soon when this is all cleared up.
