Baby walk

I went down to see Barney, the nephew at the weekend. As expected, he was very excited about meeting me, and he had made a special baby effort to be awake when I arrived. He'd put on his best clothes, shined his booties and practiced saying my name. He wasn't very good at this last, which was slightly disappointing. He was however quite cute in a baby way. As opposed to being cute in a "stupid ass" way like Jacky in the eponymous song.



On Sunday, we took him out for his first ever walk in the countryside, along a canal where the longboats were long and the narrowboats narrow. The little 'un didn't actually do much walking, as he claimed he was tired after a long feed, so he was carried around in a front mounted baby carrier attached to the daddy. This seems quite a pleasant way to experience the great outdoors - all the fresh air with none of the effort. Since I am a Good Uncle, I used my camera to prepare clips with which to make a home video. Just like the ones people used to make in the seventies, but with better music and better editing. It wasn't a hugely long home movie, but I've never made one before, and I think it turned out pretty well.

There were a lot of people out fishing. Including some young people in their early teens. I don't see the attraction of angling myself, but it must be one of those activitites with long quiet periods that are followed by short, intense periods of excitement. A bit like CNPS I suppose! We witnessed one young lad catch a... stick. About a foot and a half long, so an impressive catch. We didn't hang around long enough to see whether he kept it or whether he threw it back into the water.

English law dictates that after every visit to the countryside, you have to visit a local pub before going home. So we visited a local pub. This is a true law - it was enacted so that the rural economy benefits from people visiting. Without this they would have had to introduce tolls on stiles over fences, or possibly a tax on good weather. These measures looked they would have been difficult to enforce, so you now have to visit a hostelry and get a special ticket with your drinks. This then allows you and your vehicle to exit the huge mile-high domes which now cover some of the UK's national parks.

Barney and myself shared a pint of Bombardier, a brew which I don't think I've had since university. They used to serve it in the college bar, though I think I was mostly drinking Guinness back then. I think he liked it, though it did appear to give him a touch of wind. But it's hard to tell with young babies, as everything seems to give them a touch of wind. I definitely enjoyed it (the beer, not the wind).

Then it was time for home and sleeps.