Happy Anniversary... Part Deux

... and how could I forget! 2 days ago marks Grant and my anniversary since we met... 6 years ago.

A terrible cliché but truly, where has the time gone? It just feels like yesterday I was introduced to this gorgeous man with a funny accent in a pub in London...

Happy Anniversary...

Today my Mum and Dad have been married 31 years.

Wow.

You guys ROCK! I love you, and miss you like crazy...

Breastfeeding Awareness Week

Ok... not a feeding photo~ but milk drunk...

This was taken on the weekend by G, what a beautiful place to feed Avalon... and I loved that Grant decided to take this photo

at Godalming Food Festival in July

I love this one...

Did you know?

By breastfeeding Avalon I have decreased my risk of breast, ovarian, uterine and endometrial cancers, plus osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis? The longer I feed her, the lower my risks get too and she herself is at a decreased risk of cancer also.

 In the second year (12-23 months), 448 mL of breastmilk provides:
◦29% of energy requirements
◦43% of protein requirements
◦36% of calcium requirements
◦75% of vitamin A requirements
...◦76% of folate requirements
◦94% of vitamin B12 requirements
◦60% of vitamin C requirements
-- Dewey 2001

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends breastfeeding 2 years and BEYOND. There is so much more to breastfeeding than nutrition. I can comfort and soothe my daughter immediately and my milk is designed just for her and her needs.
~

Avalon and I have enjoyed 16 months of a beautiful, nursing relationship~ we have had our ups and downs, but the positives have far outweighed our challenges and I feel so grateful that I have had this experience with her.

Breast is not best- it is NORMAL.

a weekend in Cymru

We have talked about going away for a weekend jolly for quite awhile now.

In fact- the discussion of 'let's have a holiday!' happens a lot in our household with little action. We spent 5 amazing weeks in Australia over Christmas and since then have not been away anywhere else. As wonderful as going home always is, it is also not as relaxing as we would like as our time is spent catching up with folks so the time to just get away and relax was well and truly due.

Even though I have lived in the UK for 6 years, I have seen very little of its countryside (and cities besides London) so we decided to spend 3 days in 'sunny' Wales, in the Vale of Glamorgan to be a little more precise.

We had a fantastic time, just the 3 of us. It was great to 'recharge the batteries' and be in a new place that neither Grant or I had explored before. We stayed in East Cardiff and drove around to various sites over the weekend; Caerphilly and its castle, Castle Coch, Brigend, Coity Castle, Ogmore Castle, Ogmore-on-Sea, Southerndown, Cardiff and Cardiff Bay. The countryside is ezquisite and the time allowed G and I to reconnect a little better; life has had a way of getting us a little off track lately.

I would love to visit again and next time stay here. This cottage was stunning and in the grounds of Ogmore Castle- it was like a dream.

I think Avalon had a great time and travelled so well considering it was such a busy time. The plan now is to do it all again, maybe take a 4-5 day break to Edinburgh to see the city and catch up with friends of ours that live there. Now is the time as life will be very busy over the next 6 months or so with visitors from Australia, my 30th birthday and house move, not to mention a new job for Grant.