Durham Miners' Gala 2011

The Durham Miners' Gala happens every year in early July, and it's a big day for the city and, more improtantly, for the surrounding villages that once sat on the Durham coalfield. This year two of the Chilean miners were guests of honour.


I'm not going to attempt some amateur sociological analysis of its contemporary incarnation. It's still clearly an event rooted in distinct communities, even though the mines have long gone - but it's also a bit weird.

Anyway - for Liam, it was a giant funfair, his first one.


And there were some great rides...
including a fun house, a helter skelter...










... and the dodgems...











But best of all were the giant balloons to roll around a swimming pool inside - we have so many great pictures of this, but here are a few:









Given this is an action shot taken with a mobile phone, it's pretty marvellous:

Liam's 8th birthday

Liam turned 8 on the 15th June, and here are some pictures from what was a lovely day, starting with cards and prezzies in bed, a walk to school with a big bold Birthday Boy badge on his jumper (alliteration-tastic), followed by a pizza dinner and "Kung Fu Panda 2" down at the Gala Cinema, and then even more prezzies...

Here are some pictures of the day...





... including plenty of Lego prezzies (big thanks Dom and Fi, Matt and Marion, and Bernie and Paul):






The Beyblade stadium from our dear neighbours, the Wheelhouse family, was particularly well received, including a brutal fist through the wrapping paper from Liam:




Beyblade is a Japanese cartoon, which essentially seems to involve spinning tops - beyblades - getting sent into battle against each other for supremacy of something-or-other. Liam loves it, and you can watch a video of a Birthday-night Beyblade Battle (what is it with B-based alliteration on this blog? There I go agian...) It was Liam versus his friend Lewis from over the road (it's only 2 minutes long but after the initial skirmishes, I'd strongly recommend skipping forward to about 1:47 for the epic glory-or-death finale - Liam's 'blade' is the orange one):


And here is the cake-and-candles moment: