Amy's Fan Club

Happy Birthday Amelia!

2007-08-08T09:07:00.000+01:00

Yes I know that was two days ago! What kind of parent am I? Actually I think it's a great indicator of where we are that this third birthday is not quite the sigh of relief milestone that the last or certainly the first was. It's nice that we celebrate it for what it is rather than what might have been. Anyway there's lots of great pics to upload when I get more than 2 minutes to do it so in the meantime here's a shot from Pizza Express in Alresford for Amy's birthday tea on Monday where she attracted the usual attention from all and sundry. The staff brought her some complimentary ice cream complete with candle and kindly sang Happy Birthday, after which the whole restaurant erupted in applause led by the couple behind in the picture who would have happily taken Amy home with them.

It's Party Time

2007-07-24T11:08:00.000+01:00

Here's a picture of Amelia making friends with a bunny down at Birdworld the other day. We're on stand by for a jelly and ice cream extravaganza as we have a party on Saturday for Amelia's upcoming 3rd birthday (oh yes it's true). There's a bouncy castle, trampoline, sandpit and all the usuals. Full report to follow.

Generally she's coming along just fine and is getting ready to start at playgroup in September. She's finished her first swimming lessons and can paddle around quite well with the aid of a noodle. She's talking non-stop and has even managed to pick up some of her old Dad's trademark phrases, 'You know you want too', 'Cheers Mate' and the ever popular 'Jesus Christ!'. Well it was bound to happen I suppose. We just smile politely and vow to curb our exclamations from here on.

Sorry - Been Away

2007-07-06T17:27:00.001+01:00

Well what can I say? What excuse can I give for such deriliction of duty in not posting here for almost 9 weeks? Well those of you unfortunate to ask me what's been going on over the last 6 months will have been bored to the point of suicide with the 'other website' project. Well that's all up and running now so I have more time to do this.

We've been on holiday! Yes we visited the lovely Praa Sands in Cornwall and learned the true meaning of rain. However I did try my hand at body-boarding and we managed to spend a full day on the beach as you can see. There's so much news I don't know where to start so I'll return later with more. Have fun. Nice to be back!

Eggs-actly!

2007-04-05T12:53:00.000+01:00

Well apologies to those who have had problems returning to the blog having clicked on an image to enlarge. It looks like the clowns at Blogger have managed to take a perfectly good piece of software and ruin it. No change there then. Anyhow we get the bairn back from her brief holiday tonight which is nice. On Saturday morning we'll have an Easter Egg hunt followed by some serious chocolate munching. Here's a pic from last year's haul to get you in the mood. Have a good Easter!

Mother's Day

2007-04-01T14:51:00.000+01:00

Well it looks like they fixed the problem with the pictures so we're back full steam ahead with more posts as promised. Here are the girls enjoying breakfast in bed on Mother's Day the other week. Amelia was very excited to be helping and we made a jolly old mess in the kitchen but at least Anna got a bit of a lie-in plus the perks. Of course Amy had to have her own as well to ensure pilfering didn't occur and I think on balance it went rather well.

News-wise there's not much to report apart from Amy talking 10 to the dozen as usual. She's off to stay with Grandma & Godma this week from Monday to Thursday night so oh my Lord are we going to kick back! Cinema, curry, boozing, the lot. Actually it's more likely we'll just clean the flippin' house & then crash. What with all my extra-curricular activities at the moment any quiet time is gold to be honest.

We did have a scare with Lucy-Cat (official name), our family feline last Thursday. On noticing how thin she was, Anna dragged her off to the vet to be told there was a large lump in her abdomen which felt fairly, well terminal. She gave Lucy a pre-emptive painkiller and told us to give them a call when we felt 'the time' had come. So I stocked up on fresh chicken, pilchards, tuna, all the stuff she's not usually allowed, on the basis that if she's going to check out, she'll do it on a full stomach and being fussed over.

Well as usual the cat doesn't seem to have read the script. She's eating 3-4 times a day, putting on weight and generally giving the impression of an animal getting on with it as opposed to rolling over. Not sure what the next stage is going to be but at the moment we're just enjoying the extra time. In the meantime we have had many discussions abou Heaven etc and that Lucy is going to be going there soon. We'll see.

New Blog - Holy S***!

2007-03-14T07:18:00.000Z

Well some bright spark has decided to created an upgraded Blogger ( the host for this blog) and what a surprise, it doesn't work properly. For now there'll only be text posts without images. Let's hope someone sorts it out soon.

Flipping meddling techies!

Accepted!

2007-02-22T17:50:00.000Z

I almost can't believe it's here already but we had to submit Amelia for pre-school in September and she's been given a place. It's ridiculous to think she'll be 3 years old then and before you know it we'll be picking out the school uniform. I'm filling up at the mere thought.

It's a fair trek to the pre-school though. As of course we live in Camberwick Green where I work from home, Anna walks 100 yards to work and Amy's childminder is only a 10 minute walk, it's only fitting that we should have the huge task of lifting Amy over the fence each morning as the '3-4-5' club is held next door at the Methodist church!

Anyhow we're all looking forward to the weekend as the temperature is slowly climbing back up ready for spring - yes folks it's just round the corner. Incidentally we had a huge spike in our user stats for Tuesday and Wednesday this week and I was a little confused until I remembered we carried the bulletin on little Amillia Taylor the other day. Looks like we must get Googled fairly regularly as dozens of people looking for that story found their way here - lucky them!

Kindred Spirits

2007-02-20T08:24:00.000Z

You'll probably see this on the news but I was interested to see the report on Amillia Taylor in Miami who went home yesterday after 4 months in hospital and is believed to be the first baby to have survived following a gestation period of less than 23 weeks. This is a world record apparently, a dubious honour to be sure.

She was the size of a pen and weighed 10 ounces (284g) at birth making our Amelia look like a whopper! Amillia has experienced respiratory problems, a very mild brain haemorrhage and some digestive problems, but doctors now say her "prognosis is excellent". Apparently Amillia is latin for 'resilient', something we didn't know but can certainly testify to. Happy trails Amillia!

As for our own little 'cheekius maximus', she like us has been down with the dreaded lurgy for a few days and has coughed herself into oblivion bless her heart. She seems to be over the worst now but we're both suffering so it's a bit like quarantinesville here. Still, at least it's not bird flu.

I Can't Do It!

2007-02-07T09:24:00.000Z

After my slightly over-emotional farewell (see last post) I spent the subsequent days feeling somewhat edgy and this developed into what I can only describe as mild anxiety. Then it hit me. This blog long ago transcended from being merely a diary of how Amy was getting on, it served two other very important purposes. Firstly it overcomes the irregularity with which we all contact each other to see how things are going. I've realised that when I meet up with people after days, weeks, months etc., they're completely up to speed with what's going on. Great! Secondly it acts as what I've discovered now is a very necessary outlet for me. I can splurge endlessly about all sorts of nonsense and should you have the misfortune to stumble across AFC during your lunch hour or whatever, you've got to read it. That gives me some kind of warped satisfaction.

To be honest I really felt a sense of loss after calling time on this thing. I mean it's been two and a half years and you kind of get used to it you know. I also know some of you were sad to see it go too. Let's face it, it fills 5 minutes every now and then doesn't it? So with a focus primarily still on the little lady, but with my general ramblings too, we will march onwards to a now undetermined future.

Amy's Fan Club is back, and it's here to stay.

All Good Things...

2007-01-24T21:02:00.000Z

Well this is it folks and I guess it's been on the cards. Something quite strange struck me the other day and after a few seconds I was really rather glad. What struck me was that I hadn't posted anything here since early December. Nothing about Christmas, nothing about New Year. Nothing at all. What struck me more importantly, was that I hadn't felt the need to. Up until now, every turn that Amelia has taken has been newsworthy. But why? Because everything that she's done which is the same as every other child has been another tick in the box on the road to recovery and 'normality'. I remember clearly very soon after Amelia was born going down to the neo-natal unit one morning to find that the nurses had 'nothing to report'. I remember just as clearly feeling that 'nothing to report' was fine by me. 80 more days of that and I'd be happy and bless her little self, with a few bumps and ripples that's what we got.

So I guess it's only fitting that this particular news service should end with a whimper instead of a bang. No big news. No huge milestones. Nothing to report. I think it would be foolish to assume that the odd new picture from time to time won't appear here, of course that would make sense. But just as this blog started out of necessity, to get the hourly and daily updates posted as soon as possible, it makes sense that it should cease for the lack of such necessity. And we are all so, so thankful for that.

As I write I feel a little emotional that this process is coming to an end for AFC has been as much an outlet for me as a bulletin board for the wee one. I shed many tears over this keyboard in 2004, sometimes I could hardly see the letters. Through it though, friends, family and hundreds of others have watched a true miracle unfold. I feel selfish that Anna and I are the only ones to have the pleasure of being with this incredible person every single day. I can't begin to explain how much she surprises, entertains and lifts us at every opportunity. More than that she brings a smile to every face that looks upon hers, and she knows it.

One thing I don't recall doing is thanking you. I made a film dedicated to the staff at the hospital but sometimes feel everyone else needed something too. Amelia's birth wasn't the joyous occasion that we all wanted and although we know these things happen, and it was happening to Anna and me, I saw too many faces that told their own tales of dispair. I know that some of you spent long nights tired and afraid as we did, but still were always there to help and support. So with too many names to possibly mention, if you came to visit, bought something, listened to us ramble, sent flowers or a card or a text or just kept up to date here on the Blog, Thank You. You know who you are.

So with a slightly heavy but grateful heart, I bid you all a fond farewell. My work here is done.

This is Amy's Fan Club...signing off.

Bobby Dazzler

2006-12-06T20:33:00.000Z

Here's a picture of Amelia sporting her brand new 'Bob' haircut. It was getting a bit shabby and tangled round the back so Anna decided it needed some TLC. Anyway you'd think she was having her fingernails pulled out with the racket she made in the hairdresser apparently but she's please enough now. I'm a little diappointed because I think there's a touch of the Mick Hucknells (Simply Red) about her now which just isn't funny in anyone's book. 1)He's a filthy Man U fan, 2)He's got a face like a bag of smacked tripe and I just don't want the association.

Anyhow Amelia is now pointing out every Father Christmas she comes into contact with so she's in for a busy month. TTFN.

Going Potty

2006-11-30T08:24:00.000Z

Sorry the posts have been a little sparse this month but it's been all hands to the pump. Weekends are awash with the doing of odd-jobs with the decking and general upkeep taking a fair chunk of time, plus of course the normal garden chores associated with autumn. Additionally last week we decided that we were sick of heating the pigeons due to the poor state of the poly-carb roof in the dining room so installed a false ceiling with insulation above. Now of course we have to redecorate the whole she-bang so we've veered off on a bit of a tangent there!

Amelia is the best fun she's ever been at the moment. She repeats everything you say and the next day she's using it in a sentance and was highlighted quite spectacularly as I described someone as 'dizzy as arseholes' the other night. Well now we know don't we? As you can see in the picture she's learning the fun that can be had with mobile phones (it's a fake) and pretending to call people and have conversations. Bless. We're also trying to steer her towards the potty as she's now giving us advance warnings of number 1's and 2's. Finally she's got the idea that some fat bloke in a suit is coming down the chimney to give her presents. The problem is she has no concept of time so the other night after I'd explained it to her, she insisted she wanted to go to bed (at 6PM), presumably because she thought Santa was coming immediately. Unfortunately '4 weeks away' has no meaning for a 2 year old.

The Search Goes On

2006-11-21T00:02:00.000Z

Today's Jeremy Vine show on Radio 2 involved a feature about premature babies. This is due to the recent survey issuing guidelines as to whether or not babies should be resuscitated following premature birth. It's a debate that will rightly run and run but to be honest, not the one we're most concerned about. Looking ahead since we got Amelia home our issue has always been not what happens after premature birth but what causes it. With no explanation as to why Amelia arrived so soon, we have no way of knowing whether we'd face the same challenges next time with possibly a worse outcome.

With no-one to date able to give us more than a shoulder shrug as an answer, I thought I'd try national radio.

Click here for Olly on the Radio 2 Jeremy Vine Show

The above file is about 1MB and will take around 30 seconds to download using broadband. Your screen will probably be blank in the meantime.

Bonfire Night Bonanza

2006-11-08T21:36:00.000Z

Well Saturday saw what is always a monumental fixture in the Alresford calendar go off with an enormous bang. The Rotary Club's torchlight street parade followed by the bonfire and fireworks display is simply the best 4 quid you can spend in November. We of course have our own family traditions too now so having wrapped up warm we set off for the chip shop, as does everyone else, stocking up with chocolate from the Co-op en route. It is then mandatory to consume a large tray of sausage & chips sitting on the bench outside the post office. I let mine cool down for 2 minutes while dashing off to the Swan for a purely medicinal large Paddy whiskey.

After that it was time to light our torch and join the chanting locals as they followed the fire engine (for heaven's sake) down West Street and up The Avenue to Arlebury Park rec. Then it's the big countdown as the huge bonfire is lit and we all stand back in awe. I can't really explain why the monk look-alike in the picture is giving a Nazi salute but this is Alresford and we try to be as cosmopolitan as we can you know. Apologies if it causes offence. Anyhoo I'm sure he was just excited because what followed was a truly fabulous firework display fit for any rural community desperate for a bit of excitement. Ooo's and aaa's filled the air, probably because the underdone sausages from the chip shop were reacting with Mars bars and repeating on everyone but that's the price you pay for fun.

Can you live with yourself for not being there? I thought not. Well never mind, next week there'll be a thrilling update on my wonderful decking project. How do you cope with the excitement I wonder?

Bulletproof Bairns

2006-11-03T14:58:00.000Z

You may have already seen this elsewhere but it's worth repeating anyway. Tough start or not, we'll be shaping Amelia in this mould.

According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were kids in the 60's, 70's and early 80's probably shouldn't have survived because our baby cots were covered with brightly coloured lead-based paint which was promptly chewed and licked.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, or latches on doors or cabinets and it was fine to play with pans. When we rode our bikes, we wore no helmets, just flip-flops and fluorescent 'spokey dokey's' on our wheels.

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or airbags and riding in the passenger seat was a treat. We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle and it tasted the same. We ate chips, bread and butter pudding and drank fizzy juice with sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we were always outside playing. We shared one drink with four friends, from one bottle or can and no-one actually died from this.

We would spend hours building go-carts out of scraps and then went top speed down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into stinging nettles a few times, we learned to solve the problem. We would leave home in the morning and could play all day, as long as we were back before it got dark. No one was able to reach us and no one minded.

We did not have Play stations or X-Boxes, no video games at all. No 99 channels on TV, no videotape movies, no surround sound, no mobile phones, no personal computers, no DVDs, no Internet chatrooms. We had friends - we went outside and found them. We played elastics and rounders, and sometimes that ball really hurt! We fell out of trees, got cut, and broke bones but there were no law suits.

We played knock-the-door-run-away and were actually afraid of the owners catching us. We walked to friends' homes. We also, believe it or not, WALKED to school; we didn't rely on mummy or daddy to drive us to school, which was just round the corner. We made up games with sticks and tennis balls. We rode bikes in packs of 7 and wore our coats by only the hood. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of...they actually Sided with the law.

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors, ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.

Have a good weekend.

A Smashing Little Pumpkin

2006-11-01T17:51:00.000Z

Apologies to the old folks, that's a Nu-Metal music reference you won't get but what the heck. Well many of you won't know but I go a huge bundle on Hallowe'en. It all started way back when I happened across a low-budget slasher pic by the same name on BBC2 one dark October 31st when I was about 12 or 13. Well the worm certainly turned for me and since then I've been been a respectable appreciator of spine-tinglers of the silver screen and a big fan of Hallowe'en in general. Of course if I like it everyone has to so last night we had the standard hollowed out pumpkin for starters but with a string of pumpkin lights across the window, small night-light pumpkins in the window, inflatable ghouls, glow-in-the-dark ghosts and party balloons too. Our star attraction of course was our own gorgeous gourd Amelia.

I think we fed most of Alresford's under 12s and a few over 16s too with sweets, in exchange for their rather fabulous costumes & disguises. We in turn feasted on my traditional fried chicken & chips, marshmallows and sponge pudding. Oh baby! Anyhow Saturday is Alresford's world famous fireworks extravaganza which follows the torchlit parade through the main street. Biggest problem this year is with a tray of chips in one hand and a torch in the other, what do I do with Amelia? I'm sure we'll figure it out.

Little Vegas

2006-10-27T11:24:00.000+01:00

I bet you didn't know that was Alresford's nick-name did you? Well every year on the second Thursday in October, Broad Street is transformed from it's quiet leafy existence as the main street with a small market, into an almost exact replica of the world famous Las Vegas strip. Well, OK it's not quite the same but it don't half get the locals off their behinds. 'Hook-A-Duck', 'Coconut Shy' and 'Burn The Heretic' are just 3 of the family fun attractions for this 1 day only event.

We did try to get Amelia on the Cups & Saucers ride but the rotation was starting to look like dinner would reappear so we sacked that in favour of a pleasant stroll ooo-ing and ahh-ing at the lights. Personally I make it my business to visit all the donut and pork roll stalls but Amy has all that fun to come. Have a nice weekend.

It's Potty Time

2006-10-23T20:13:00.000+01:00

Aaah Michael Bentine. Footprints in a model sandpit from an invisible miniature person....what a show! Those were the days etc. Anyway enough of my reminiscing, Amelia is starting to look like she may be getting ready for the old potty training stuff. We have one in the bathroom and she can sit on and get off and she knows to wipe herself although she's not sure why yet. Don't worry love, some blokes never figure it out. Today though she learned how to pull her trousers down and pull them back up again! It doesn't sound like much but I still stuggle sometimes, it's me back you know. So hopefully quite soon she'll be making regular visits to the bathroom for little deposits. It'll be a real boost all round as she can keep her mother company while she's in there.

Three Lovely Birds

2006-10-18T13:36:00.000+01:00

A couple more pics from the recent jaunt to Cornwall here. First Amelia and Anna feeding some very friendly lorikeets with their favourite nectar treat. Actually although most of them were very well-behaved there were a couple of swine birds in there too. Fortunately none of them started tucking into either of my ladies. Down the road a bit we revisted Cheney Mill Farm Park which is always nice and Amelia got to stroke this very sweet corn snake. They're deadly of course but we can't have her growing up frightened of these beasties you know.

On the other stuff it's all fairly dull at the moment. This weekend should finally see the last chapter of the deck saga written which is fortunate because the dry days are a bit thin on the ground at the moment. Amy & Anna are off swimming today but it's basically all quiet on the western front here.

The deck takes shape...as I fall apart

2006-10-10T21:23:00.000+01:00

Well as you can see the frame of the deck is now finally complete. Not bad eh? And yes it IS all level before you ask, and this didn't come together without considerable blood, sweat and tears I can tell you. There was still plenty to do after we got back from Cornwall and I was all set to get cracking this weekend until I was struck down on Friday night with the mother of all stomach bugs. Actually it was a hang-over from the slightly 'loose' week I had on holiday but without putting too fine a point on it, the troops were evacuating from every port. Amelia was not herself either on Friday so as is customary at the moment I was attending her bedside at around 3:30am when the call from on high came and I spent a good portion of the next hour downstairs, conversing with the big G on his porcelain megaphone. I felt terrible and ached all over in a flu-ish, kind of way with a touch of African Sleeping Sickeness too I'm sure. It could be - I read about it. Anyhoo morning broke and I managed to nobly stagger into the garden to begin some deckwork. After a full programme on Saturday and Sunday the end result was as you see now. What you can't see is that I was immobile for the entire evening & night. I must have wrenched a few muscles because by about 2:00am I literally couldn't move. Must be getting old.

Also I can't take all the credit because Anna played a sterling supporting role all weekend by keeping young Amelia occupied. Also in terms of navigating the tricky bits around the drain and that strange circular concrete thingy by the fence (origin unknown) she was invaluable. Not for the first time since I've known her she would chime in with gems like 'you realise you can't put that in there until you've screwed that on properly'. Ooh matron.

So to the bairn! Amelia had her annual appointment with her original consultant Dr Ian Rodd back at the now slightly less familiar, Royal Hants Hospital. As expected he's thrilled with her progress and I think would have signed her off completely were it not for the fact that good practise means they'll keep an eye on her until she starts school. Actually to say he's just thrilled with her progress is an understatement, he's astonished. To emphasise the point he highlighted some new research which has concluded that in the Severely Premature birth bracket (24-28 weeks) they have discovered that 50% of babies are disabled as a result, and 50% of those severely so. Although we'll never forget Amy's start in life I often think we're not thankful enough for how truly amazing she is. Here she is with her new backpack which she adores.

Back From The Beach

2006-10-05T17:47:00.000+01:00

Flipping typical eh? You get back from holiday and if the site's not chock-a-block with holiday snaps the next day the complaints start rolling in! Hey-ho, nice to know there's people still checking in. So in time for the weekend here's the first of a few choice shots from our superb week down in Praa Sands. It would be very un-English not to talk about the weather so to be brief, it was generally changeable with all days giving a general mixture of sun, cloud, mist & showers and none a complete write-off.

Amelia was thrilled to be away with mummy and daddy as you can see from the first picture and we made sure she got down on the beach as much as possible too. I resisted the temptation to buy a bodyboard and squeeze into a wetsuit but it's only a matter of time - cameras at the ready for that one! It was general holiday fayre when there's a 2 year old in the gang so plenty of farm parks, ice cream and the like.

Other photographic highlights to thrill you over the coming days will be Amelia feeding a goat, a parrot and stroking a very sweet corn snake. Unfortunately no footage exists of her cuddling the 5-stone 12-foot Python - just as well as the grandparents might catch a glimpse of the look in that particular reptile's eye when she sidled up to him. It's the same look that comes into mine when the McRib is back on offer at McDonald's.

Anyhoo this weekend it's back to Project Tricycle and pushing on with the decking for the back garden before it turns into just a crap paddling pool. Still if we have a very brutal winter I could hire out skates. No! We will finish or be damned! Have a good one.

'Project Tricycle'

2006-09-21T18:56:00.000+01:00

As many of you know, we have no driveway and the back garden is predominantly lawn. Not any more! Against all sane advice I've dug a whopping great hole outside the back door and the plan is to turn this into a fairly large expanse of decking. One main use for this will be to let my little treasure wear herself out going round and round it on her trike.

On Saturday when the wood arrived there was only one place the lorry could unload - across the road. This left me with only one alternative - to carry the lot back to the house myself. 38 deckboards, 32 joists and 3 x 4-metre posts - that's just over a tonne of timber folks, hoiked on my ickle shoulder in just over 2 hours. Did I feel it the next day? You bet your cahunas. Anyhoo once the wood was shifted there Amelia needed to pose triumphantly on my behalf with shades of the Kenny Everett Show. All we needed to do now was arrange the wood in a kind of deck-like configuration right? What could possibly go wrong?

Tune in later for more news. We're off to Cornwall again for a week so have a great weekend(s) until we get back and make sure you enjoy what's left of the Summer. You'll miss it when it's gone.

Ouch!!!!!

2006-09-14T00:41:00.000+01:00

On Sunday Amelia suffered her first crunching head injury and boy did she feel it! She had just come into me to show off her new frock and shoes and was on her way back to the nursery where mummy was. She broke into a run and on reaching top speed, promptly tripped over her own feet. She put her hands out to stop herself but they merely went either side of the doorframe, leaving her forehead to connect fully with the corner of the wood with her full weight behind it as she fell.

The noise was incredibly loud when her head hit - that awful sickening 'crack' that you know is not good. She absolutely screamed the place down and we shot into the bathroom to get some ice on it. True to form of course, ten minutes later it was like nothing had ever happened. She's got quite a badge to commemorate her trip but no lasting damage we hope. Hearts in mouths as we weren't sure how tough her little bonce would be. Thankfully it's as thick as her Dad's so no worries there then.

Sleeping Sickness

2006-09-01T08:47:00.000+01:00

Well, not strictly speaking but flippin' heck this child won't sleep at the moment! Last night she was awake 10 or 15 times which meant another 4 hours in the chair for me with a stiff neck as a trophy. She seems to be sleeping very lightly, plus she's having dreams which are obviously concerning her so the end result is no sleep! We've tried lights on, lights off, music, you name it but it's always the same. Actually a couple of nights ago she slept through so maybe we're over the worst but we look like a family of pandas at the moment.

Anyhoo here's the little fairy dressed as, well a fairy. Have a great weekend all.

Big Ten

2006-08-29T11:35:00.000+01:00

Well another milestone passes as the visitor count for Amy's Fan Club tops 10,000. I don't have very sophisticated web stats so I can't analyse it too much but with continued new visitors from the UK and around the world it still seems that the site is providing a service to its patrons - whoever you are! With many of the dangers associated with Amelia's untimely arrival now subsiding it's really just a good way of seeing how she's coming on and there's nothing wrong with that. As friends and relatives are all over the world it's very easy to blink and miss an entire stage of someone's life so AFC is here to stay, for now at least. Keep well and thanks for checking in.