Well, we have been doing more adventuring! We just got back from Italy yesterday, after four gorgeous days in Valdagno staying with the lovely Monica and her family, seeing lots of old friends and beautiful places. Again, Elsie was an angel on the journey there and at the hotel where we stayed on Thursday night – and then charmed her way round the Veneto! I don’t know how many times I have heard mamma che belli occhi in the last few days! Monica says she is una monstre della bellezza, which means a monster of beauty, I think that sums it up!!

The journey home yesterday started badly as there was a huge crush of people for the check in desk and someone actually shouldered me out of the way, shoving Elsie who was in the sling, which of course had me muttering unholy curses on them far too loudly and left me in a foul mood. Then she was crying at the gate and in the bus to board the plane, and we got so many horrible looks from people. On the plane itself people moved so they didn’t have to sit near to a baby, and then the people who sat in front of us because there were no other seats were complaining unashamedly that they would be disturbed all journey. Which of course they weren’t because we are old hands now and have got our flying routine sorted now. Feeding as we take off so her ears don’t hurt and then she falls asleep, then feeding again as we land. And then those same people turned round at the end of the flight and said, ‘hasn’t she been good, isn’t she beautiful,’ and it was all I could do not to tell them where to go. You can’t admire and coo over my baby when she’s happy and smiling, and be horrible about her when she’s unhappy. Ggggrrrrrr…

But anyway..! We had such a lovely time and again I have been overwhelmed by Elsie’s wonderfulness, and how good she is with new people and situations. We have sooo many pictures of all that we have been getting up to, so I’ll upload some now.

First though, so we go vaguely chronologically, here are some piccies from the last film from Rob’s camera – he is much more restrained than me (and certainly much more restrained than Monica!!) when it comes to taking pictures so they start a while back.