Why Lucas will only watch the original trilogy

Sums it up perfectly!!

Family visit to the factory

So I took the family to the factory on Saturday for a look around.



Highlight of the factory visit occurred in the Race bay. Mum was looking at last year's R25, and asked 'why are the front tyres wider than the rears'? I explained to her that it was an optical illusion, and that rears are definitely wider. 'But there are more treads on the front tyres, see I can count them'. Again.. I told her that she was being ridiculous.. and why was she arguing with me anyway, I know what I'm talking about.

Then mum says.. 'Am I looking at the front?'

Pop quiz... which bit of this car goes forward??



Send your answers in please.

From there we spent lunch at the Black Prince in Woodstock again, and then spent an afternoon walking around the grounds of Blenheim palace, which looks very pretty in Autumn.

Second interesting comment of the day came from my brother.

"So is the Formula One season finished?"
"Yes."
"And did Renault win anything?".

Honestly, I swear that sometimes I think there must have been a mix-up at the hospital.

Dedda comes to vist

So in strange twist of fate, the entire family has been re-united on the other side of the planet (ie Europe) for the first time.

Do you think Lucas was happy to see his Dedda?

Kenilworth Castle

The family (well, me, wife, Lucas and Nanna) took a trip to Kenilworth Castle last weekend. I'm no expert, but apparently it was one of England's most formidable fortresses and home to many Kings and Dukes and other important nobles, including some guy called Dudley that Queen Elizabeth 1st used to have a bit on the side with.

As you can see, I'm no English history buff, I'll leave the details to the Mrs.







Moose had an absolute ball, she was like a girl running around in a huge candy store. It was the happiest I have seen her during our time in England.

We will go back to Kenilworth again.. its rather spectacular and the photos don't really do it justice.

The castle was smashed by pro-parliament forces at the end of the civil war to ensure that it never again become a base of power for pro-royalist forces. It has been falling into disrepair for the past few hundred years, but within the last century efforts have been put into place to preserve it.

You can find more info here :

Kenilworth website

Lucas at 6 months

Here are some photos of Lucas taken for his recent 6 month birthday.



Lucas likes reading booky wooks...just like his mum and dad!









Lucas is a big boy now who can it up by himself and likes playing with his feet.. which is right on target at 6 months.

Another benefit of working for an F1 team

You get cheap tyres!! Woo-hoo!

The tyres on the back of my BMW are getting a bit worn, so I thought I'd replace them before winter kicks in. At the price I was offered them, I ended up getting four Michelin Pilot Primacy, their top-of-the-line saloon tyre... oh yeah!

Unfortunately they mixed up the delivery date so I've had them lying around the house for the last few days as the car isn't booked in for its service until Friday.

Nat has been putting up with smell of fresh Michelin in the house for few days now.. bless her!

Something to get depressed about.

Ok, so as some of you may know I've been bitten by the BMW bug. 4,500 quid bought me a 1997 BMW 318i wagon (or estate as they call them over here). It's bog standard, no bells'n'whistles (ie cloth trim, no air-con, tape player, but it does have a sunroof and 15" Alloys), but it handles like a dream and is an absolute joy to drive.

The ultimate drivers car for the responsible daddy who wants to fang around windy country roads or blast at 90 mph on the motorway yet still have room for the wife and child.

So, if we were to stay in the country for a bit longer, we'd trade up and get a slightly later model. E.g. a 2002 320 turbo diesel with 82,000 miles on the clock with climate control, 17" alloys for 8,500 pounds... that's about $AUD 19,000 in terms of cost-of-living.

Do you have any idea how much the equivalent car would cost in Australia?!?

Well, a 2002 320i with 88,000 kms on the clock (that's 6 cylinder engine vs the 4 cyl turbodiesel) is selling in Box Hill for $51,000, while a 2002 320i auto is selling for $43,500 up in Sydney.

BMW's are so overpriced in Australia its enough to make you cry.

My advice?

Come to Europe for a few years and enjoy driving BMWs at a price that makes sense!

Nanna Judy comes to visit

So Lucas has been lucky to have his Nanna Judy over at the moment. This is good for everyone, as Lucas sees his grandma, Judy sees her grandson, and it means that Nat and I can go out for dinner because Nanna Judy is babysitting.

Nanna also likes taking Lucas for walks during the day which gives Nat a bit of a break. Its been getting cold here lately (subzero over night, about 10-12 during the day) so Lucas has been rugged up in his little sack and hat.



He's a blue little smurf! We love him in his little blue hatty hat!

Backlog of miscellaneous Lucas photos

Ok, here we go.


This is why I like coming home. Sadly Lucas is going to bed earlier and earlier, so I only get to do this a few days a week.

When Vanessa came and visited, Nat and I went on a date for the first time since he was born!! We've still got it baby! :D




Lucas enjoys playing with his laundry basket.



Who wouldn't want to wake up next to that little rapscallion in the morning?

Lucas enjoys trying to feed himself at the moment, he's quite insistent. Generally, his hand to mouth co-ordination is quite good.



Lucas slightly happy.



Happier.



Happiest!

Another Lucas video

My life has been so hectic lately, I have a huge backlog of Lucas videos and pictures to get through.

Here is a nice one to get the ball rolling. He's sitting up like a big boy! Soon he'll be walking and talking.. just like a little Rory Calhoun!



First person to pick the Rory Calhoun reference gets a prize!

Beer of the week

Newcastle Brown Ale. This is rather a 'mass produced' beer, ie it isn't a boutique locally brewed ale (in fact I'm not sure if it is a real ale either).

But it is tasty, rich and dark.. all good!

Newcastle Brown Ale