Family and friends from as far afield as North Yorkshire, London, the South Coast and Ireland gathered in Bromsgrove to celebrate.

Alice and her parents had only moved into their new house three days before our first visit. This group of photos was meant to be mostly of the new house but the camera kept pointing itself at Alice..

It could only be James' 10th birthday

It was really the weekend to celebrate her father's birthday but Alice had eyes only for James, Polly - and the water sprinkler.

Just five days after her birthday, Alice came to celebrate with her cousins - James and Polly and the rest of her Midlands family. Even the sun managed a rare appearance.

Family gathering in Sweden to celebrate a birthday.

James is already a 'dab hand' at photo taking but Polly will soon be up there with him - if numbers 18, 19 and 21 are anything to go by..

With visits to and from baby Alice being fairly infrequent, perhaps my self-indulgence in publishing these 37 photos from her most recent visit will be excused.

It was the weekend before Polly's fourth birthday and Alice had been pestering her parents so much that they finally gave in and brought her along to the early celebration. She also took the opportunity to experiment with exotic foods - like cucumber, and toast.

Following the trail of one's ancestors can lead to visiting some most interesting places. Richard Salter was employed as Poultry Man at Patshull House for over 20 years at the end of the 19th century. He lived with his wife and 5 children in the Poultry Yard. One of his sons, William went to find work in Birmingham and became a policeman. In 1894 William Married Charlotte Jane, my recently widowed 2nd great grandmother.

Alice's first Christmas meant she was in great demand - so James and Polly were glad she found time to be with them - and so were the rest of us.

There was great excitement all round when Alice received the first visit from her cousins, James and Polly.

For the record, the age gap between Bess and Alice is more than 87 years.

Alice Isobel was born on Saturday 8th September. Carl and Jo's first child weighed-in at somewhere between five-and-a-half and five-and-threequarter pounds. The proud parents looked remarkably fresh and alert (a situation we hope, but do not expect, will last) today when we (equally proud) grandparents called in at the hospital. It will be interesting to see what Alice makes of her cousins, James and Polly - and they of her, when they all meet up in the near future. To be continued..

Although he's not actually eight until tomorrow, James uttered not one word of complaint about getting some presents today..
In spite of the final two gruesome photos we can assure everyone that no nails came to any harm.

- are just three examples of Polly's recently expanded vocabulary; thanks to Carl's loft excursion back to his own childhood..

An appropriate fifty-plus friends and family gathered to celebrate Stan and Lita's golden milestone. Even the weather was golden..

Situated in the Vosges mountains, the restored Koenigsbourg Castle stands 700 meteres high with great views around it. (239 - 241 - 243 - 245).
Ribeauville is not quite so high up but there's lots to see as you walk along its seemingly endless main street.

Our two nights stay in Claremont-en-Argonne gave us an opportunity to visit some of the WW1 memorials and the countryside around Verdun.
(Claremont-en-Argonne: 071 + 115. Montfaucon American Monument: 084. Douaumont War Memorial: 088 +093. Andre Maginot memorial: 095. Verdun War memorial: 097 + 109. A restful rural river: 111 + 112).

Neither Red Riding Hood nor the Grandma nor the Wolf could keep Polly from having a great third birthday.

With just three days to go before Polly's third birthday, Carl and Jo drove down with a supermarket trailer loaded with presents. Well, maybe it just seemed like one. But it was certainly a weekend full of fun and games; both indoors and out.

The four young cousins meet up only twice a year and, after a hesitant start, soon abandon shyness and reticence for something less cautious. And less quiet..

Time to put on party hats and place parcels under the Christmas tree (some parcels with familiar, if distorted, faces instead of name tags). Time, now, to open the parcels with looks of delight. Some presents seem out of this world. One can even transport you to Sherwood forest. And then, just when you'd like to nod off, it's time for the obligatory family photo beside the tree. No wonder then, that as soon as the shutter-pressing stops, some eyes just can't stay open any longer.

It was such a glorious, bright, warm and sunfilled day that we had to ask ourselves - had the clocks really gone back an hour the previous night..

Without showing a morsel of fear, James and Polly took up the challenge of the Maize Maze. They spurned use of the white surrender flag and found a way out using only permitted pathways. So we didn't have corn-on-the-cob for tea.

Our first school-holidays-excursion-with-the-grandchildren this summer saw us walking through 'The Wilderness' before finally reaching the ruins of Witley Court. A highlight of the day was the 'firing' of the Persius and Andromeda fountain (which means setting all the impressive sprays in motion). James and Polly needed no firing to set them in motion..

In the company of his parents and sister, James popped in on his seventh birthday to see if there might just be the odd present lying around for him. He didn't leave empty handed - and there was even a parcel or two for his sister. So, while James busied himself with a plethora of Doctor Who presents from Carl, Polly retired to watch her new DVD.

It happened that, on the same weekend our grandchildren were staying over, Carl and Jo stayed over, too. Now, everyone enjoys pancakes and, in spite of James devouring six, there were still enough to go round - as you can see. Then it was time for the latest Doctor Who episode (James and Polly do "looking a bit scared on the sofa" quite convincingly..). After a good night's sleep any excess energy was willingly spent at a local park. So we chalked up another victory.

On their first ever trip to us, our Swedish relatives - Tessi and Oesten - were forced into traipsing around some of our local sights and attractions. Oesten had also asked us to arrange an evening in an English pub, where he could try his hand at a game of darts. Possibly with the aid of a Guiness, he finished with a double four to win! In case anyone missed that, I repeat: HE FINISHED WITH A DOUBLE FOUR TO WIN! Another request was to eat fish and chips from the paper in the street. You can see the results below. Before returning to Stansted there was time for a conducted tour (by Carl) of part of Cambridge. As we waved them goodbye at the airport Oesten could be seen making the sign of the double..

From colourful still-life characters carrying water buckets to an outdated depiction of a divided Berlin. Then to the relatively changeless atmosphere of sunset at the harbour.

The town is so closely connected with Martin Luther that it's official title is: 'Lutherstadt Wittenberg'. Steeped in the history of Cranach and Melanchthon, too.

The Kraemer bridge of Erfurt has similarities with the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. And both have splendid churches. Though I don't recall seeing in Florence an advert for a night club featuring a pair of legs high on a wall..

After a brief stopover in Cologne we headed for Eltville am Rhein and then to the imposing Wartburg castle overlooking Eisenach. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wartburg_Castle

Joggers, dog walkers and the odd barge were all out early on this crisp April morning. So we joined them on the flight.

Tower, nave and spire take on an unaccustomed appearance as major restoration work gets under way at the church.

The idea of inviting grandparents to join their grandchildren at their afternoon school session had not been tried before. Expected acceptances were originally estimated at about 50. So, perhaps it was the irresistable incentive of a cup of tea and a slice of cake that turned the actual number into close on 300. Can't wait to see our reports..

Our Yorkshire branch of the family braved wintery conditions this year to join us for our traditional get-together. Even Floyd, the black labrador on his maiden visit, lapped it all up.

Although it was our first meeting with five months old Tuva, she seemed to take our Boxing Day visit comfortably in her stride.

The Irish scenery in September can be quite breathtaking and, after the shortest of visits to Ann and Keith in Co Donegal (where we were made overwhelmingly welcome) it was time to head off for Counties Sligo, Mayo, and Galway - finishing up Greystones and spending our last day in the Wicklow Mountains. And it was breathtaking.

A peaceful, quiet lunch by the river followed by a noisy, boisterous visit from the grandchildren. A perfect combination. So we're not grousing..

Trips to various interesting places - designed to stimulate and educate young James and Polly during the school hols. Or, more likely - excuses to play eat and have some fun.

A few friends joined James on a trip to the cinema for a showing of 'Madagascar' -followed by a birthday party at home. Friends and family popped in variously to congratulate him and the next day he and the family came to us for lunch. Afterwards, in searing heat, the grownups just about had enough energy to watch James and Polly splashing about in the paddling pool. I can't be sure, but I think he may even have got one or two presents..

My great uncle Bernard was among the many who died in the Great War. From the CWGC website I discovered he was buried in Caterpillar Valley war cemetary near Longueval. At the end of May we visited this and many other war graves across nothern France and Belgium. Curiously, I could be the first family member to have actually visited the grave of Bernard. I've included here some photos from the nearby small town of Albert where we stayed for a couple of nights. (It may be a small town but the Basilica is enormous).

Well actually, James and Polly seem to have their Mum under control here..

I'm not sure if it was the pub lunch or the drive home afterwards that sent Polly to sleep. But when she woke up her Mum dressed her in her new party frock before James, an expert in such matters, helped her to open and operate her presents.

It\'s always exciting when James stays over. Here are some examples of his adventures this time. Polly joined him for the last couple of hours. They went home just before the grandparents collapsed..

A lively family gathering to round off the old year.

Two of our trees sadly decided to die this year. They were cut down today. No flowers, please.

Relatives and friends from near and far came to Richard's surprise party. While instigator, Prue led him away on an afternoon excursion, their children (and co-conspirators) David, John, Anna and Ruth set about preparing the vast array of food. Sworn-to-secrecy guests began arriving around 6pm. Lights were turned off as the couple returned. Then, to a chorus of 'Happy Birthday's' and exploding party poppers as they came in, all was revealed. Some estimates gave the number of well-wishers at around 70. Here are some of them.

Our photography expedition to Ireland was the first real ‘father and son’ trip Carl and I have done together. County Donegal was our main target area but we also managed to take in Sligo and Inniscrone.

Some impressions from a morning walk we did yesterday.

We grandparents thought it might be fun to take James to see the clown. He, however, found the children climbing an adjacent tree more fascinating than the clown's antics. And when we later strolled by some lovely muddy puddles he was drawn irresistably - as the last photo shows. Fortunately, his mum could see the funny side when we took him home.

This was James' first experience of school sports (he's not yet five) so Mum, baby-sister and grandparents turned out in support. All competitions were in relay and, in place of the more usual egg and spoon race, we were treated to the golf ball and spoon race. Just as well, in view of the number that ended up on the grass. It was in this event too, that James and another lad somehow got overlooked and had not taken part. They confronted the headmaster who quickly arranged a special race just for the two of them. No prizes were awarded; it's the taking part that counts, and James saw to it that he did exactly that. So in a way, he won..

The 1991 photo of the ruins of Dresden's Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) contrasts with the enormous progress we saw in its rebuilding thirteen years on. Every stone from the ruins that could be incorporated in its original place in the new structure has been included, with striking effect. Although completion is still a year away, the building, even in its present state, is truly awe-inspiring. And there's so much more to see in Dresden besides.

Spree (river) and Wald (forest) is an inland delta covering a hundred kilometres of waterways in a comparatively small area. The three hours we spent on the Kahnfahrt (boat trip) were utterly idyllic.

The Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate are perfectly logical places to begin sightseeing in Berlin. Must say the Reichstag's glass dome on a sunny day was extra special.

More presents for Polly; these came from three nuns who live in Holland and from Brigitte in Bonn, Germany.

Not far away from its flashier neighbour, Ruedesheim is the calmer and more tranquil village of Eltville. With its old castle rose-garden, half timbered buildings and a promenade directly along the Rhein from where you can sit and watch barges and other water-vessels constantly, but usually sedately, gliding past, it's a world away from everyday town life. So don't tell anyone.

Among many new buildings on Potsdamer Platz the Sony Center is outstanding. From its roof depicting Mount Fujiyama to its vast interior 'square' where cinemas, cafes and glass-clothed offices surround the central piazza, the impression is one of vastness. On display during our visit was the actual Trojan horse used in the new film: 'Troy'.

Here are some examples of how Polly reacted over the course of the hour we spent with her today. A pretty hectic hour - judging by the final photo.

It's hard to believe it's nine weeks ago today since Polly was born. She's much more alert now. We even have 'conversations' together while her Mum takes a short break; curling up with the cat.

While on a visit to Stratford-upon-Avon, Ruth and Sally stopped off for their first glimpse of Polly.

On her very first visit to us today, Polly took it all in her stride.

We are delighted to announce the birth of “Baby Smith” - a daughter for Emily and Jason and sister to James. She was born at 1016 hours today; weighed-in at 8 pounds 12 ounces and was 54 cm long. Her mother looked tired but happy when we visited this afternoon. She herself made a lot of head, arm and leg movements to impress us while keeping her eyes firmly shut. Jason had already changed her nappy for the first, but I suspect not the last, time. Hope she gets a proper name soon…

A Valentine's day trip to Malvern Festival Theatre to see the play 'Taking Sides' included a walk through the Winter Gardens' romantic scenery.

These latest photos show the recently added porch; new conservatory and new kitchen. Work isn't quite finished but, given they only moved there a couple of months ago, it's a pretty good start.

James's first school play sees him take the part of Joseph.

A landmark day in the lives of Emily, Jason and James. We hope they settle-in in time for Christmas..

James has been chosen to play the part of Joseph in his school's Christmas Play. He brought the costume home to be altered. The words 'dreamcoat', 'technicolour' and 'amazement' spring to mind.