Baby Giraffe!
For the past few weeks I’ve been following the progress of a pregnant giraffe.

My friend has been installing a load of multi media / AV gear up at Flamingo Land including a life stream webcam from the giraffe house.

Last night at around 8pm the mother gave birth. Bit of a tricky one – she immediately got freaked out and started kicking it so they isolated them, but as I’ve been watching today, she seems VERY interested in the new giraffe behind the closed pen door. . .

here is a link to the webcam : http://www.soundav.co.uk/flamingoland/

, originally uploaded by DragonDrop.

What a weekend. Sophie had her first birthday. Pictured here with one of those expanding ball things that she finds most amusing.

We planned to have a bbq – spent the morning chopping wood (with my JCB) and getting the back yard ready which involved tip runs and very needed back yard spring clean..

I’d invited a load of people, Eirene had invited a load of people and we invited more than we thought would turn up, but, everyone thought – yea – a BBQ at Matt and Eirene’s what a top idea! at one point it was bedlam! the back street awash with the bigger kids, the whole house full with middly and littlies, the back yard, kitchen, dining room etc – standing room only. Luckily I’d had the foresight last year to build a brick barricade in the form of a barbecue to hide behind.
The day went on, and bar a freaked out (pet) rat biting a kids finger (ouch) it went without a hitch.
Thankfully the kids were very ready for bed by the time it came and we got to eat, drink and be merry. Lit the fire bin at dusk and talked bobbins deep into the night….

A very needed R&R day was had by all yesterday. Planted some chili seeds, tidied up and got a new kettle.
Muchos fun all round. Thanks to everyone who came, everyone who helped especially the cake makers, Tinananan and last but not least paintMonkey who’s helped out massive loads and hopefully won’t mind me blogging his 2 montage pics above!

John P is the latest adventurer to join the world famous “DragonDrop Adventure Shirt shot” club with this from Brazil:

Click here to visit the shirt shot gallery.

Obrigado John!

Genius! Thanks to Jim S for sending this in…

Happy, originally uploaded by DragonDrop.

Popped over to Dublin for the weekend to see relatives. Started the weekend far too early on Saturday after a bit of a heavy night out (Eirene had gone out earlier than me). I bumped into a load of friends / staff and regulars from the Blues Bar who were all going to Dublin as well for a stag do. 0830 and it was beer o’clock..

Got to Dublin, had a quick pint with them then caught up with the family before heading out to Jury’s hotel in Dublin where we used their pool. Superb – we had the whole thing to ourselves for about 2 hours. This was the highlight of the weekend as it turned out. A gorgeous day, heated pool and Jacuzzi and we all had such a great time. I took loads of photos with my underwater camera and have stuck about 30 of them in a set on my flickr page.

On the Sunday we went out for a massive feed and caught up with a load more relatives. Had a nightmare journey back to do with bags – Eirene had overpacked the case so I had to go and buy a new case at airport double rip off prices, this case broke and the bloke in the shop back in Dublin was being very stand offish about the whole thing. Anyway – all sorted after a couple of phone calls from my legendary father in law who got a full refund out of them!

Sophie drums, originally uploaded by DragonDrop.

Smashing weekend. After the blues (as pictured below) we went to our first bbq of the year. The Saturday night, we stopped in and had some friends over. I lit the fire bin in the back yard – another first for the year. Sunday was the big one for us – Newby Hall. A major operation of set design costume creation, logistics and planning had gone into the day. My part was to run some drum workshops. A marqee was set up full of percussion toys and drums, beaters and shakers etc. I did 4 workshops in total, some were total carnage some were really good. Put a smile on some peoples faces anyway. We’ve not got the figures back yet but we think about 5000 people came through. All the characters were great – a new plot line this year which worked out. After that I went round to a frends house to watch the second innings of England v Australia at the cricket. We lost. Ahh well. Today a lazy day, but of a fry up and then maybe a visit to the pub.

Harrogate Beach, originally uploaded by DragonDrop.

Sat outside the blues on a superb sunny warm day. Supernice. Just been for a suit fitting for my best man for duties for Simon B. Chatting about impnding stag doo in Ibiza.

Penguins!, originally uploaded by DragonDrop.

Here we see my boys dressed up as penguins. It’s their costume for a part in the Newby Hall Easter Fun Day woodland treasure hunt this Sunday. Press photo call later today.. (thought I’d get in before the local newspaper did!)