Sparrow Lorelei photo gallery

Sparrow goes to Albany and meets family, friends and peacocks, 14-15 November, 2009

We went to the farm for a week - Sparrow's first visit. It was her first chance to meet the other members of my family, including her uncle Christopher, my foster brother Trevor, and the peacocks. OK, the peacocks aren't really family, but they're kind of quintessential to the farm. We also got visits in with quite a few people who have been hearing all about Sparrow, though I didn't get photographs of everyone. In particular I missed Jacky, Bruce and Coral. But here's the ones I did catch:

James: Sparrow, this is your uncle Christopher. He's not got the strongest of paternal instincts.
Christopher: Thanks for saying something funny at the right moment, now the photo shows me smiling.

We were driving to Albany as Chris was driving from it, so we met at Williams for a chat. Chris and I are discussing with some seriousness the opportunities and plans for connecting different types of renewable energy into different locations around the SouthWest power grid, the progress he's made on building his electric motorbike (it's had its first test run), and his plans to convert the ute we're leaning on from petrol to electric. Sparrow is just chilling out on the very curious (and dusty) bouncy ute cover.

Sparrow meets her first peacock. She doesn't know it yet, though. What, can't you see it? It's right there, in that sandwich.

OK, here's where she really met the peacocks. Big, baby-sized birds. She quite liked them.

Saying hello to Trevor. Trevor loves babies, though he was a little unsure how to hold her (which puts him square in line with most of the rest of the non-parent population). I somehow managed not to get any photos where both of them were in focus.

Family dinner on the first night.

A cup of tea with Kathleen, the nurse who lives in our cottage up the hill. Mum has placed this bench where it has a lovely vista down over flowers and orchards and across the hills.

We stopped in to see Zaleha, who was my and Dad's ballet teacher when I was about six or so. She gave me an old program she'd found of a variety performance where I did a solo mime and a group character dance, and where my father did a pas-de-deux. She was delighted to see Sparrow as she'd put aside a Bunnikins baby record book to give to her, a very English gift for a little girl with an English daddy. We had a lovely time sitting and talking. Zaleha was very firm that Sparrow has "ballet feet" just like her mother, and we should make sure she does ballet when she grows into a little girl, it will be very good for her feet and legs.

Sparrow fell asleep during the visit. This is a milestone! As far as I know it's the first time she's ever managed to fall asleep while visiting someone. Usually it's far too exciting being in a new house and seeing people. In Melbourne I usually try and time driving across the city for a visit with one of her naps so that she sleeps through the car trip. It wasn't until we came away on holiday that I realised she'd never had to sleep in someone else's house, and she was going to be in other people's houses for two weeks. So that was going to be a challenge for us all. Thankfully I think today had just managed to be a long day, and she and I still had a bit of jet lag, so that helped. There on the table is the Bunnikins book, too.

Lyris came out to visit. Christopher and I often played with Lyris' children when we were little. Lyris was a kindergarten teacher for many many years, and brought some first-reader books for Sparrow that both her children and the kindergarten children had always loved.

Lyris also brought us a little jacket. Way too large, but we didn't care: Melbourne had had a heatwave just before we left and I'd somehow managed not to pack Sparrow any jumpers despite her having lots of lovely ones. Even at 3:30 in the morning when we left for the airport it had been too warm to put one on her, and I just forgot to throw one into my bag. Then we got to Albany, and it rained, and blew, and rained, and blew... We (and especially Sparrow) were very glad for this jacket.

We also managed (mostly through sheer luck) to touch base with Alison, one of my friends from primary school. She was just recently back from living in Botswana for a couple of years, and is working in natural resource management in Albany and living in a caravan with her two kids and husband on a block about a hundred km east of town. So lots more good conversation there.