Tag Archives: Halloween

Jemima Khan, Ewan McGregor & Robbie Turn Out at UNICEF UK Halloween Ball to Help Children of Syria

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Long-standing UNICEF Ambassadors Jemima Khan, Ewan McGregor and Robbie Williams were among guests at UNICEF UK’s star–studded Halloween Ball, raising vital funds for UNICEF’s work helping the children of Syria. The event raised an amazing £1million, made possible by the UK Government matching all donations on the night pound for pound.

UNICEF UK Ambassador, Jemima Khan said, “For over two years, the children of Syria have been witnessing and experiencing one horror after another. I have seen UNICEF’s work in emergencies all over the World. They work tirelessly to reach every child, but they cannot do it alone and the need has never been so urgent, particularly with winter approaching. We hope to raise vital funds tonight at The Halloween Ball this evening for the children of Syria and I am very grateful to the UK government who have pledged to match pound for pound everything we raise.”

UNICEF UK Halloween Ball UNICEF UK Halloween Ball UNICEF UK Halloween Ball

 

High-profile personalities from the worlds of entertainment, fashion and business,turned out at London’s iconic venue, One Mayfair, in fancy dress to support UNICEF’s work to help children caught up in the Syria crisis. More than four million Syrian children, one million of whom are refugees, are in urgent need of aid.

 

UNICEF UK Ambassador Robbie Williams gave an electrifying exclusive performance, with fellow Ambassador Ewan McGregor joining him on stage for a surprise rendition of the all time classic, Angels.

 

Throughout the evening, guests were treated to an immersive theatre extravaganza from Look Left Look Right in the crypt of the former church; as well as magical tricks from Drummond Money-Coutts. Isaac Ferry kick-started the DJ sets, followed by Queens of Noize DJs Tabitha Denholm and Lisa Moorish who took over the party until 2.00am. The whole venue was scented by Jo Malone London.

 

UNICEF UK Executive Director, David Bull said: “Many children caught up in the current Syria crisis have been killed, maimed, orphaned, displaced, witnessed violence and lost their family members and friends; the need is desperate. We are so grateful for the fantastic support that all of our guests at the first ever UNICEF UK Halloween Ball have shown this evening, and to the UK Government for matching pound for pound all donations made from tonight, and over the next three months, to UNICEF’s work for Syria’s children.”

 

Tonight’s match funding is part of the UK Government’s wider support for UNICEF’s work helping the children of Syria in what is currently the largest humanitarian operation in history. Over the next three months the UK Government will match pound for pound all public donations made to UNICEF’s work for the children of Syria.

 

UNICEF, the world’s leading children’s organisation, is working on the ground to provide water, education, medicine and psychological support inside Syria and for refugee children in five neighbouring countries. But the numbers are only getting bigger and lack of funding means UNICEF cannot reach every child in need.

 

UNICEF UK Ambassador, Ewan McGregor said: “As it stands today, there are more than one million child refugees and more than three million children needing urgent help inside Syria; the situation for them is critical. UNICEF is working day and night to provide clean water, vaccinations, education, and psychological support to those children. However, the essential supplies are running low; the Halloween Ball will play a very important role in raising the vital missing funds UNICEF needs to reach every child.”

 

UNICEF is the first great charity that the UK Government plans to support with match funding to help the children of Syria this winter.

International Development Secretary Justine Greening said, “Syria’s people are experiencing unimaginable hardship with millions of children in particular facing a bleak and uncertain future. The UK has already committed its largest ever humanitarian response to the crisis and we are now teaming up with UNICEF to double the power of donations from the British public. Our partnership with UNICEF means that donations to UNICEF’s appeal for the children of Syria will be matched pound for pound by the UK Government.”

 

Text ‘SYRIA’ to 70007 to donate £5 to help UNICEF reach even more children in desperate need.

Have a Spook-tacular Halloween With a Blood Berry Cosmo

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To celebrate Halloween Barefoot Wine has created a spook-tastic and hauntingly delicious cocktail, the Barefoot Merlot Blood Berry Cosmo.

 

Combining the rich berry flavours of boysenberry and cranberry with the sharp tang of fresh lime juice, this dark take on the traditional cosmo cocktail is guaranteed to bring out the ghoulish in guests and make any fright night celebration a spook-tacular occasion.

 

Barefoot Merlot is the perfect rich red for this devilishly tempting cocktail, blending cherry, plum and chocolate flavours for the ultimate blood-like brew.

 

Follow the recipe below to create your own fang-tastic Halloween cocktail:

 

Barefoot Merlot Blood Berry Cosmococktail recipe , halloween

 

2 measures Barefoot Merlot

1/2 measure raspberry syrup

1Ž2 measure blackberry syrup

1 1Ž2 measure cranberry juice

1Ž2 measure fresh lime juice

 

·       Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well.

·       Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wedge or skewered cranberries.

 

How to get the Zombie look this Halloween

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Halloween is here, so to make sure you bag the most treats – Big Fish has created the ultimate guide to looking and walking like a Zombie, to celebrate the launch of its spooky new game Zombie! Zombie! Zombie! (ZX3).

zombie, how to get the zombie look

Getting the look…

  1. First, prepare your skin by cleaning and moisturising.
  2. Create the base. Apply a foundation that is either three shades lighter than your natural skin tone or use a white make-up. This will help give you that cold, dead look. Do not apply the foundation too evenly or thick – unless you want to look like a vampire or a clown! Use either a natural sea sponge or a cheap make-up sponge and pick pieces out to create a destroyed surface by dabbing the make-up around your face. The look you’re going for is blotchy.
  3. Don’t forget to apply the same foundation to your lips and any other skin that is showing – your ears, neck and hands.
  4. Using a purple or light blue eyeliner pencil, draw on some veins around your eyes cheeks and forehead.
  5. Reapply a layer of foundation on top of the veins to wash them out a bit.
  6. Shade the hollows of your cheeks, eye sockets, temples, and under your chin. Use a black matte powder and a large dome blending brush. This creates a gaunt look.
  7. Using a green shade to add to the depth of your look. Apply with another soft dome brush. Concentrate the colour to the outside of your face and around your mouth, including on your lips. Just like your foundation, the application should not be even.
  8. Now it’s time to add the blood!  Use a splatter effect to apply fake blood around your mouth or dip a large sponge in fake blood and take a “bite” into the sponge. Where it is heavy, let it drip and don’t smear the blood.
  9. For the ultimate finish you can add white contacts, stringy dirty hair, dirty looking nails, and torn bloody clothes.

Getting the walk…

  1. Move slowly… Your muscles have wasted… and you have lost your coordination… shuffle and don’t walk in a straight line.
  2. Your neck is broken, so let your head loll from side to side with your movements, and keep your head down rather than up.
  3. Have a limp and drag one of your legs behind you, if you put one shoe on the end of your feet and wear thick socks you can create the illusion that your ankle has snapped – but remember to wear long trousers for this effect to truly work!
  4. Let your hands and arms hang loosely from your sides, when you move them do so slowly as you must remember that you don’t have much muscle power left in your arms!
  5. For extra inspiration and to get you into the spirit this Halloween, download Big Fish’s new Free-to-play game Zombie! Zombie! Zombie! available on iPad. Get ready to think quick, shoot quicker, and fight for your life against endless waves of un-dead with an arsenal of weaponry and zombie blasting power-ups.

Download the game by visiting iTunes.

Killing Fields of Ontario Release Free Download Prior to Album Drop Monday #Halloween

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Killing Fields of Ontario

 ‘How the World Ends’ out 4th November

Ft Lead the Single, ‘Cloud’ (23rd Sept)

Out on KFoO Records

Killing Fields of Ontario, free download, music, download

With Halloween and the release of folk rockers Killing Fields of Ontario’s second LP ‘How the World Ends’ looming, one of the stand out tracks on the record is being offered out as a timely free download today (Halloween), as the band reassure you there is actually ‘Nothing To Be Frightened Of’.

Killing Fields of Ontario have a gift for turning the unspoken fears and realities of life into a fluid musical product. Combining tender progressions with climactic eruptions of madness, their new album ‘How the World Ends’ is at times elevating in its honesty and beauty, and at others wholly scornful of emotive truths. Wonderfully diverse elements of leftfield pop and contemporary folk are hardened by an immutable grit that spits and attacks, as showcased in its leading single, ‘Cloud’.

‘Cloud’ is a whirlwind of lament delivered with an urgency that will blow you away; its tortured plea reluctantly accepts the energetic orchestration offered by the proficient rhythm section providing the listener with a certain ambiguity. At first offering you its hand, Cloud promptly takes you by the arm on a journey through the warmest of acoustics and the most sensitive of themes.

HTWE, due to be released October 28th is decorated with a shimmering melancholy, reminiscent both in palette and texture; of the orchestral grandeur of Broken Social Scene, while other tracks demonstrate stylistic versatility as well as a more streetwise modern angst like Frightened Rabbit’s ‘Pedestrian Verse’ or the seasoned insight and worldly lyricism of Interpol.

Other influences include hints of We Are Augustines, Arcade Fire and Local Natives. In the arena, the band have shared stages with Sparrow and The Workshop, Broken Records, Chris Mills and Mount Eerie.

This is a band who clearly have a wonderful ability to engage with dark emotions, yet can still format to become radio darlings. Tom Robinson recently hailed them as ‘long-standing 6Music Introducing favourites’ and ‘Tired of Being a Man’, the frontrunner on their last record, was in Amazing Radio’s ‘Top 20’ for a month in summer 2011.

The upcoming record was produced and mixed by the band’s own Tom Loffman – whose album credits as engineer include VV Brown, Idlewild, and Billy Bragg – having cut his teeth working alongside some of the county’s top producers in Phil Brown (Robert Plant) and Dave Eringa (Manic Street Preachers). With all tracks mastered by Ed Woods (Bloc Party, The Futureheads), this is all sure evidence that ‘How the World Ends’ will be as enthralling a listen as its titled suggests.

 

Track Listing

01 Twisted Little Theatre

02 Nothing To Be Frightened

03 When We Were Born

04 Cloud

05 Weight

06 Left In Shadow

07 Creeper

08 Our Place to Drown

09 How The World Ends

10 God Or Country

 

Where To Go For Halloween

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THE SPOOKS HAVE ARRIVED AT THE GUILTY PLEASURES POP-UP AT MARY JANES


This Halloween, the global phenomenon that is, Guilty Pleasures will be hosting an extra scary event on Thursday 31st October. Get set to experience an extra spooky Halloween, where guests will be transported to an environment reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s Thriller video, as the all-singing, all-dancing zombies get set to transport you to a sinners paradise.

Throughout the course of the evening, Guilty Pleasures’ unique blend of entertainment will be popping up with DJs, singers, dancers, acrobats and a whole troupe of kitsch characters guaranteed giving you a real hair raising evening.

This can be enjoyed whilst guests tuck into Mary Janes Naughty Hot Dogs; a platter of mini hot dogs with different toppings such as Chilli con Carne, American Mustard, Fried Onions and Melted Cheese, or can go to the dark side with Dirty Burgers; a selection of burger sliders with fillings including Pulled Pork, Chorizo, Chilli and Cheese.

THE SPOOKS HAVE ARRIVED – Guilty Pleasures at Mary Janes
Thursday 31st October – 7pm-1am
Mary Janes
124-127 Minories
London
EC3 1NT
Tel: 020 7481 8195


MR FOGG’S: Jack the Ripper at Mr Fogg’s
Harping back to the times of London’s first and most infamous serial killer, this Halloween will see Mr Fogg’s Victorian home become the harrowing site of one of Jack The Ripper’s terrifying tours.

From Thursday 31st October to Sunday 3rd November guests to Mr Fogg’s, temporarily not so humble abode, will be witness to a weekend full of immersive theatre and spine chilling skits and sketches. From abandoned and severed limbs discovered in trunks, to overly inquisitive surgeons at the bar and impoverished vagabonds skirting around the entrance, Phileas Fogg will indeed have his work cut out for him (literally) on this eerie adventure.

The weekend’s events will then culminate in a seated, theatrical spectacle on the Sunday evening, when 80 of Phileas’s nearest and dearest will be invited to watch the mystery of The Ripper unfold and Fogg himself will head up a Mayfair man hunt, in an attempt to apprehend Jack on his last jaunt, and save Bruton Lane from further fear of the night.

With groundbreaking discoveries and plot thickening theatrics it comes as no surprise that these terrifying tales will then of course also be reported directly from Mr Fogg’s by their daily, hand delivered paper, ‘The London News’.

The dress code naturally will be Victorian, and in this case best to stick to it as you wouldn’t want to stick out from the crowed and attract any unwanted attention…

JACK THE RIPPER at MR FOGG’S
DATES: Thursday 31st October – Sunday 3rd November 2013
PRICE: Thursday – Saturday: Free, Sunday’s Theatre Performance: £15 (Time??)

15 Bruton Lane
London
W1J 6JD
Tel: 020 7299 1200
www.mr-foggs.com
reservations@mr-foggs.com
Twitter: @MrFoggLondon


DISCO: ‘Disco will never die’ Halloween Party
Disco has come back from the dead more times than any other genre in the history of music. So, this year Disco will be celebrating the hallowed eve, by bring back a dancehall of dead disco icons and their zombie fans.

Disco will be over-run with stone-cold disco grooving zombies, bloodied, terrifying and hungry for awesome disco records, and maybe a few cheeky Belvedere cocktails too – everyone has their choice of poison!

The dress code will be strictly dead Disco divas and guest are encouraged to come as their favorite dead disco icon, from Rick James, Donna Summer, and The Beegees, to Diana Ross or Michael Jackson. Or, for those that simply can’t pick a favorite, entry will also be given to living fans that are prepared for the discopalypse!

So, no Sixth Sense needed, see dead people at Disco this Halloween

DISCO WILL NEVER DIE HALLOWEEN PARTY at DISCO
DATE: Thursday 31st October 2013
TIME: 10.00pm – 3.30am
PRICE: £20

13 Kingly Court
London
W1B 5PW
Tel: 020 7299 1222
www.disco-london.com
enquiries@disco-london.com
Disco-ver more & follow us: @discosoho

MAGGIE’S: ‘The 80s Slasher Movie’ Halloween
This Halloween will see Maggie’s in Chelsea haunted by timeless classics and terrifying flashbacks from frighteningly bad films such as ‘Prom Night’, ‘Friday The 13th’ (1,2&3), ‘Hell Night’, ‘My Bloody Valentine’, ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’, and of course, ‘Halloween’ itself at their 80s Slasher Movie party on Saturday 2nd November 2013.

Guests can expect to enter a set of rusty wire garlands, gunky sacks of eyeballs, bloodied hanging knives and will of course be subject to DVD screenings of the best scenes, showing the worst bits of all of the above murderous movies.

The night will be hosted by Maxi Krueger, but there will also be special appearances from a few of his movie mates – Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, Chucky, Pinhead, Pumpkinhead, and even those creepy twins from the Shining. Rumor has it there will even be a midnight dance off between Freddy, Jason & Michael Myers – scary stuff indeed.

Naturally, dress code for this slasher fuelled soiree will be blood, guts gore and more.

So for a Halloween fright, head to Halloween film night at Maggie’s

80s SLASHER MOVIE HALLOWEEN PARTY at MAGGIE S
DATE: Saturday 2nd November 2013
TIME: 10:30pm
PRICE: £15

329 Fulham Road,
London,
SW10 9QL
Tel: 020 7352 8512
Website: www.maggies-club.com
Twitter : www.twitter.com/Maggies_Club/
Email: info@maggies-club.com

BUNGA BUNGA:La Notte dei Morti (The Night of the Dead)
Keen never to miss out on any type of celebration, this year, Uncle Berlusconi, (despite the fact that traditionally Italians do not celebrate Halloween) will be throwing a Feast of The Dead in the lead up to the Italian take on The Day of The Dead – “Tutti I Morti”.

On arrival guests can expect to be seated and spooked by a team of menacing and masked maître d’s, and then once the feast is over, forget Karaoke, the real contest will be the Halloween-a-oke competition to be hosted by Bunga Bunga’s resident DJ John ‘dragoween’ Sizzle.

Dress code will be Zombies, Ghouls and Ghosts – Donatella Versace Style – so the tighter, brighter and more tanned, the better. There will then also be a special Notte dei Morti dress up box for all performers.

For those that need a spot of Dutch courage…or just courage, there will also be a selection of poison filled pumpkins, and an extra big and bubbling one that will be reserved as a prize for the most screechy singer.

Last but not least, those who don’t scare so easily, and make it till midnight, will fall witness to an ‘All I Want for… Halloween, Mariah goes scar..ier show.

So, for an eerie Italian spin on the hallowed holiday, head to Bunga Bunga – when in Rome eh!

LA NOTTE DEI MORTI at BUNGA BUNGA
DATE: Thursday 31st October 2013
TIME: 6.00pm – 1.30am

Bunga Bunga
37 Battersea Bridge Road,
London,
SW11 3BA
Tel: 020 7095 0360
Website: www.bungabunga-london.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/BungaBungaLondn
Email: reservations@bungabunga-london.com

BARTS: “The Devil Hosts An Intimate Soirée at Barts’ Annual Yelloween Party!”
Be you devil, demon, ghost or ghoul, all are welcomed down to sip on Uncle Barts’ favorite poison – champagne – for the Annual Yelloween Party at Barts this year. Taking place on Thursday 31st October, in association with Veuve Clicquot.

“It is better to be on the right hand side of the Devil than in his path”. Uncle Barts will put this to the test as the evening will play host to amazing live entertainment with an electric violin battle throughout the night between Beelzebub and Uncle Barts ‘for a bottle of gold against his soul’ – as depicted in the infamous Charles Daniel Band song ‘The Devil Went To Georgia’. Forced to take sides guests will both sip, sing and step along to the terrifying tryst, for bottles of the finest liquid gold Veuve…

Fancy dress will be as essential as a crucifix in an exorcism, but if you arrive lacking, fear not, crowned with Devil horns or fastened with a Veuve soirée mask will be your decision – who’s side are you on? Aunty Barts will also be hosting a face painting corner that will be taking all and any request.

So between the cheering and the cheersing – who will win? Who the devil knows eh…

THE DEVIL HOSTS AN IMTIMATE SOIREE at BARTS ANNUAL YELLOWEEN PARTY
DATE: Thursday 31st October 2013
TIME: 6pm – Late
T: 020 7581 3355
W: www.barts-london.com
T: @BartsLondon


WINTERWELL FESTIVAL PRESENTS – ‘VOODOO AND BLACK MAGIC’
The team behind boutique festival Winterwell will host the ultimate voodoo Halloween shindig on Saturday 26th October at The Loft Studios, a rambling and atmospheric old brick warehouse in West London. Following on from last year’s sellout event, the party will feature a hocus pocus line up with headline act Norman Jay and the acclaimed Correspondents alongside house, electro, swing, ska, dirty blues and hip hop, pervasive and interactive games and theatre with with a black magic fancy dress theme any witch doctor would be proud of.
The Voodoo Who do? You do at Winterwell Halloween 2013
Winterwell Halloween Party
Saturday 26th October 2013
9pm-4.30am

The Loft Studios
77-81 Scrubs Lane
Kensal Green London NW10 6QW

Website: www.winterwell.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Winterwell
Twitter: www.twitter.com/WinterwellFest

Tickets.
Early bird £20
Normal £25

THE HONKY TONK HALLOWEEN MASSACRE
Honky Tonk, a New York-inspired restaurant and bar set in the heart of Chelsea, will be hosting a truly terrifying evening on Thursday 31st October to celebrate Halloween. The fright night will scare even the strongest willed. The night will include everything from monsters to ghosts who will be sipping on the signature Halloween cocktail, The Honky Tonk Massacre of SW London, being served alongside Ghost Dogs! The cocktail will include jelly baby infused vodka and will feature jelly baby heads on sticks as a ‘nod’ to the most chilling night of the year. So if you think you’re brave enough to encounter ghosts & ghouls come down to Honky Tonk on Halloween and try to survive the night…

THE HONKY TONK HALLOWEEN MASSACRE
Thursday 30th October
6pm till late

Honky Tonk
6 Hollywood Road,
London
SW10 9HY
Tel: 0207 351 1588
W: www.honkytonkchelsea.com/

Opening Times: Tues- Sat, 6pm-12.30am

ENJOY A HAUNTED HALLOWEEN WITH RED POCKET RESTAURANT
This Halloween Red Pocket Restaurant at Hotel Verta by Rhombus will be offering diners an evening of devilishly good dinners, followed by a thrilling after-party. Red Pocket will be offering their guests a delicious three course set menu with dishes such as the Red Pocket dim sum platter, roast crispy in a sweet sake sauce and saffron king prawn with Thai red curry sauce. Following on from this feast, there will be a live DJ and a Halloween themed party…the perfect way to dance away the most frightening night of the year!

Red Pocket Halloween menus
Pre-order – £30 per person
Walk In – £35 per person

Opening Hours
Sunday – Wednesday
Lunch: 12:00 – 15:00 | Dinner: 18:00 – 23:00
Thursday – Saturday
Lunch: 12:00 – 15:00 | Dinner: 18:00 – Late

Address: Red Pocket at Hotel Verta by Rhombus,
Bridges Wharf,
Battersea, London, SW11 3BE

Website: www.redpocketrestaurant.com
Reservations: 0207-801-3535
E-mail: reservations@redpocketrestaurant.com
Facebook: facebook.com/RedPocketRestaurant
Twitter: @RedPocket_Verta

Free Film Download Roid Rage – Halloween Zombie Action Film

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Want something to watch? Here is a free film for Halloween.

“Roid Rage” is about Billy Beck, a steroid dealer who gets a designer drug from The UK that is equipped with dangerous livestock products that morph bodybuilders into superhuman killer machines.

Jack’s Jacked Gym, the place that Beck sells his gear out of, is sponsoring a local amateur bodybuilding contest called “The Mega Muscles Contest” on Depot Island.

Spectators take a ferry out to the island and enjoy shopping at the array of local vendors and sponsors.

It is supposed to be a fun family day. But things are far from fun when Beck decides to inject the contestants with the experimental drug that he gets from England before the contest.

The handful of pumped-up hopefuls take the stage and strut their boldest and brightest poses.

Everything seems normal but then something happens…

“Roid Rage” – Wickid Pissa Films from Josh Mitchell on Vimeo.

roid rage, film, free download, halloween

The mad cow disease, mixed with the anabolic steroids, causes the ultimate roid rage and the hulking and angry contestants rush the crowd and begin snapping innocent spectators’ spines like twigs.

The DEA is on the island to make a big bust but they are forced to team with Beck and several rogue survivors to battle a small crowd of mutated muscle monsters.

The film’s action scenes and thrashing characters cut and illuminate like hatchet blades, inviting the innocent spectator into a world of truculent, flawed characters who live and die in a place that looks like Oz after dark.

Happy halloween.

The Perfect Candy Apples. | Halloween

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Who’d have thought that eating one of your five a day could taste so good. Drenched in chocolate and loaded with goodies, CakeyPigg Candy Apples are a yummy seasonal treat.

Available in five sparkly flavours, make your bonfire night go with a bang. Choose from :

1. Smartie Pants

2. Fabulous Fab

3. Choccy Dip Dream

4. Dolly Daydream

5. Pretty in Pink

Loaded Candy Apples – order now for Halloween and Guy Fawkes

£2.50 each, 3 for £5 or why not get one of each 5 for £7.50. Available to order online from www.cakeypigg.com (for collection only from CakeyPigg Originals RG7 2DL). Larger orders on request to lovelythings@cakeypigg.com – postage £5.30.

CakeyPigg Originals is a boutique bakery between Reading and Basingstoke specialising in designer cakes, edible gifts and Cakey Classes.

Our speciality is creating edible fantasies designed to impress. If you’re looking for something different and personalised talk to CakeyPigg Originals. They taste good too!

Clients include celebrities and household brand names, Winner of the ‘Ice The Cake’ Sponsors Choice Award 2011, finalist in the Hitched Breakthrough Awards 2011 for best new creative talent.

www.cakeypigg.com

www.facebook.com/CakeyPigg

Twitter @CakeyPigg

Wendy's baby diary – 7 months

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Time to cut off the milk supply?

Signs indicating it’s time to stop breastfeeding:

1) Baby’s got more teeth than you’ve got nipples

2) Baby tugs down your top

3) Baby tries to suck other parts of you, in the belief that mummy is made of milk

4) Friends and relatives say ‘You’re not still breastfeeding are you?’

5) Bitty

I think it’s time to hang up the Closed sign on the milk bar. Baby Dillon’s got six teeth. He’s eating solids (toast, blueberries). He’s rolling around the floor and knocking stuff off the TV stand. He’s sleeping through the night in his own bed, in his own room. He’s racing around the
kitchen in his baby walker (able to reverse and manoeuvre past the clothes
horse). What happened to my newborn? Before I know it he’ll be scaling Everest and
I’ll be crying into his baby clothes saying “you used to be this big”.

Baby Rash

Dillon was ill with a rash which turned out to be a viral
infection. It’s so scary to see a bright red rash on his trunk. The instant
concern is, is it meningitis? do the tumbler test. He recovered in a couple of
days, so we took him to visit my mum with a new travel cot, which of course he
didn’t sleep in, and when he doesn’t get any sleep nor do we. The travel cot
also functions as a portable prison ahem playpen so it will get used one way or
another.

Festive

I had thought Dillon was too young to appreciate Halloween
or Guy Fawkes but nearer the time I realised we could enjoy these special
occasions and get some memorable photos. My friend carved him a pumpkin lantern
and Dillon wore a monkey outfit for Halloween and went to a themed baby sensory
class and fancy dress day at his nursery where all the staff wore pyjamas.
Cute. Now I’m looking forward to his first Christmas. He’ll be dressed as baby
Santa with a red hat. The dog will have on a pair of reindeer antlers. And wearing
a knitted Christmas pullover will be Colin Firth. Who can stuff my turkey anyday.

Swimming

Baby swimming lessons have finished, it was a bit of a wash
out with nearly half the lessons cancelled or postponed so we didn’t learn a
lot. Dillon got used to being carried around in water. We might try again in the
New Year so that one day we can have our own Nevermind album cover.

Juggling

Can I manage baby Dillon and a Masters degree and go back to
work? I’m unsure. But you don’t know until you try. Some people thought I was
mad to be starting a MA when I was pregnant. It has been tough and I wouldn’t
still be on the course without support from certain people. Getting out of the
house to go to class has been positive for me. So many mums work full time then
it’s a shock to the system to be at home all day for 9 months to a year. So commuting
into London one or two days a week gives me a bit of normality. I think every
mum, however much she loves her kids, needs an occasional break.

So when I’m worried about running out of nursing pads and number
3 baby formula I can take my mind off it with French and Greek philosophers,
the classical dramatic paradigm and bright young things running about campus.

The main problem I have is burning the midnight oil as I can’t
concentrate until he’s gone to bed and by then I’m hankering for some medicine
(see previous baby diary http://frostmagazine.com/2011/10/wendys-baby-diary-six-months-guilt-isolation-and-men/), go to bed at 2am and get woken by Babezilla at 6.45am.

Congratulations

Lots of happy baby news – congratulations to our friends
Nathan and Bonnie on the birth of baby Samuel, Kevin and Louise who had baby
Aidan and my brother Terry and his wife Ola who had baby Matthew. And to our
friends L&M who are expecting. First timers – you don’t know what you’re in
for. Second timers – memory lapse?

Until next time

I think my get up and go, got up and went!

(c) Wendy Thomson 2011

Wendy Thomson is the editor of www.femalearts.com an online publication
which promotes women in the arts and in business.