A Camping We Have Been!

We've been camping for 2 weeks. We have been back in civilisation for one day, now we are heading for Austria and some more camping in the Alps. Write soon :)

An African Adventure

Spitting Image?

Now I know what you are all thinking out there, wasn't my father just here in Sweden? So what is a photo of him and I doing on the blog? Are the two of us sitting in a tree discussing property in New Zealand? Is this another discussion about footballing gossip? Has he just found out that Leeds have dropped down another division? 

Although the likeliness and similarities are uncanny, (I personally think my fathers chest hair is longer than this Orangutan pictured! maybe my facial hair is not as tidy either?), however jest as you may, a wee film about our trip to an African Zoo park is on it's way to you loyal SFW blog followers out there.

Shopping Spree

Riding in the shopping trolley is Benjamin's new absolute favourite thing to do, which actually won't be for long because every day something new and even more fabulous happens, which eclipses the last. I am even starting to like shopping for food.

Family Rose

"Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses."

James Oppenheim, "Bread and Roses

Snap Happy?

Sara has been feeling a little shy on the photo taking front. She has little to worry about mind you when she can capture little gems like this!

Midsommar 2009

Quick Trip

A few months ago, Benji and I took a very trip back to our home beach in NZ and took this photo.

Great Grand Parents!

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family.  

Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."

Jane Howard

Fantastic Fantasy Football!

For those of you who realise what it means to win something...here you go!

Unique Position Available

Once in a while a unique opportunity for your child arises. 

This is one of those opportunities. 

If your child has the skills mentioned, then please apply in writing to this blog. Obviously the milk will be provided but the applicant must ensure that they have their own bottle to use on site. We will screen applicants based on their milk drinking experience and also the quality of cookies that accompany the application.  Also, different geographical factors will play in the role in the selection process. As stated, the ability to share snacks is a must, not just with the employer but everyone at Swedishfamilywilkinson!

Comment and apply now!

Free...free at last!

He's been able to stand now for at least 3 weeks. He can now stand from sitting positions unaided. He can balance himself in the middle of the room for a good 10-20 seconds before falling onto his nappy protected bum. His favourite trick is to reach or put his hands on anything (literally anything) pull himself up and stand for as long as his attention holds him there, being his father's son, that attention span is not that long!  Here he is half way to breaking free from his bed and crawling his way around the apartment 12 times pulling and grabbing everything he can get his hands on.

Lord of the Rings

Nothing like playing with plastic rings, with or without your clothes on!

Starting young!

Now I am the first to admit that Benji is too young for skateboarding, but he insisted! He was captured here just after trying to beat his time going round the apartment. He had his protective nappy on and his Daddy's watch to time himself...he's so competitive!

Seeing Double

Behind the scenes

Here at Swedishfamilywilkinson blog central, we like to think of ourselves as a family unit, so instead of one person taking control of everything, we like to delegate certain responsibilities around the family. As you can see here Benjamin is hard at work, putting the next blog together. I think he is struggling with the caps lock key here?

He seems to have finished the next blog and now he is hitting the save key, with both hand and feet. Another job well done Benji!

The Reader

Well as you can see Benjamin has inherited his father's love of reading. He is a little book worm and at every opportunity he has his nose in a book. Well, okay that's not entirely true, but he loves books and I'm glad for that as he has about 275,000 of them to choose from in our apartment. They are in the coffee table, in the bedroom, on the floor, in the toy box, under the toy box, in the bathroom, well let's just say he has a book where ever he needs one. His Mum reads to him at least twice a day and I'm sure he will be uttering his first word any minute now.

I hate to say I told you so but...

Yep two posts in one day is a dramatic return to form for little old me and I am feeling at the top of my game. Here is a little taster of what's to come...a little sketch I did last week and a water colour I did forever ago and should be the start of many new art works this summer. Next is a gigantic iconic 4 Square Man on polystyrene!  I can do commissions too.

A proper excuse!

Howdy everyone!

A million apologies for the lack of Bloggage over the past few months. A hectic marathon, end of school year, school camp, school films, football training and football game schedule have just about run me to the ends of my limits. However, I survived and am back onto the Blogamania,  and more importantly back to being a normal Daddy, whatever that is?

 Expect a much improved service from yours truly during the summer months!!!

Happy Mothers Day!

Most of this day was spent in recovery from the marathon but have you ever seen a more beautiful mother than this?

Supercalifragilisticexpialibabealicious! 

(I am biased though)

In the park

You will never believe it but the weather is now good enough to go to parks and enjoy outside as well. Sara, Cathy, Benji and I took a trip to Djurgården yesterday and went for a lovely walk and threw a frisbee round. Mind you later on it started raining but that's another story!

Little sis has arrived!

After a pretty torrid 10 days in Thailand, running from rabid dogs, going to full moon parties and shopping till she drops, Cathy has finally touched down in good old Sweden. True to form for Sweden, it has been cold and rainy ever since she arrived!!!

Happy Chappy?

Images like this have been few and far between for the Wilkinson Clan recently. Benjamin has had a cold for the past 3 weeks which has meant... a blocked nose; which sounds something like Darth Vader when he is sleeping, coughing and interrupted sleep; tired Mum and Dad, not much eating; back on the boob. All in all he is still a pretty happy chappy but after surviving his "3 day fever" this week with high fevers and a rash, we are hoping for the best and a return to the healthy, happy little Benji normally seen here.

Skater Boy!

Fruits of the forest

We have the great fortune of living next to an enormous forest which seemingly goes on forever. Our new apartment is on the edge of town and a 5 minute walk from home is this dense pine forest with trails galore and lakes a plenty. Now the sun is back, the three of us can finally enjoy the fruits of this forest, Yes! 

Blondini

His hair's growing too, look at this little blonde wave! If I didn't know better I'd be trying to surf that little sucker all the way into the beach.

The sun is out!

Hi everyone...well after what seemed like an endless dark winter, we officially have sun. Yep that's right! Benji and I had a photo taken just to commemorate the special occasion. In this photo you can see a very, very cute young man, and his son Benjamin basking in the morning sun at the kitchen table. After this photo was taken, Benji did a few Easter Egg spins, it's a break dance move I've taught him from the 80's.

Toe-fu?

Following in his father's footsteps, Benjamin has gone all vegetarian and decided to eat toefu. Admittedly he has to be quite flexible for this diet but as he insists on it, who are we to stand in his way?

Shadow boxing

After a good work out most shadowboxers like to lie on the floor and rest, and smile!
Shadow boxing is an exercise used in the training for combat sports, especially as its name implies, in boxing. It is used to mainly prepare the muscles before the person training engages in stronger physical activity.

In shadowboxing, only one person is required to participate, the participant throws punches at no one (jelly babies included) in particular.

Noll till Ett

Young Hoodlums

We have had all sorts of problems with Graffiti in our area. It seems as if every 2 days someone comes along with a spray can and tries to out do the last one with sloppy scribble that shows no artistic integrity at all. Random public doodling is all I would call it.  So on any given day there is a whole street emblazoned with unreadable orange spray paint down walls, doors, rubbish bins, power meters etc. 

I have every mind to send this guy out to deal with them. I am thinking maybe I should just print out this photo and stick it up as a deterrent...I mean doesn't he look tough?

A Certified Blogbuster!

Polar Ice

Bloogels from the Basement

A chilly breeze changed yesterday evening and with it came a sound so harrowing it made my tympanic membrane want to crawl further into my ear. I hesitantly ventured to the basement's basement. A place I have yet to go. I found remnants of a dark dungeon at the end of a crooked staircase. At the far end of the dungeon hiding behind the cupboard of gloom, I found a family of Bloogels.  I picked them all up and now I have them in a jar with plastic wrap over the top (with holes in so they can breathe). After further examination and research I have realised it is these Bloogels that have prevented you all from commenting on the blog. Now I have captured them, the blog is comment friendly. 

Go for it and comment away! 

The blog is all on ONE page now. Now you can watch all your favourite movies on one page! Also, on Macs you can hold down ctrl and scroll and the page will move closer, making movies full screen,  I think you can do this on PCs too, but I won't use them! 

Did I mention I wanted you to comment?

The Nipper

Recently I have been reading two very good books about skateboard art and the history of skate graphics. I decided to scan in my favourite ones from my own skateboard youth and play around with them. I had the idea for this one as the letters from the original 'Bones' logo (1984)called "The Ripper" were very similar to 'Ben's'. I have been teaching myself photoshop as another tool to add to my belt, and I think I am very slowly getting the hang of it. 

So, here it is. My first real photoshop project is now finished. It's called "The Nipper".

The Storyteller

Benjamin shows off his new vocabulary.

Tummy bound!

Benjamin looks like he's about to do a mean WWF pose down for the crowd! 

After winning the cage match and impressing the crowd, Benjamin relaxes at home on his sheepskin rug.

Record Breaker?

How much things change! We have been going through changes everyday it feels like and the wee man is growing, growing, growing. He continues to be the happiest boy in town and smiles and laughs his way through most days. As you may have seen from the latest film about the prophet "Benjamin", he can turn over and can spend, well minutes, on his tummy gazing up at the world. His arms are strong and he's all but ready to start doing push ups but only girls (very un-pc) ones as he can't get onto his feet yet. He is creeping his knees up ready to get into crawling position and any month now he will be crawling into the record books for some crawling activity.

I saw this week that the World record holder for the longest finger nails in the world was in a terrible car accident and had to have her nails removed. That has started me thinking...at the incredible rate Benji's nails grow, I reckon there's only about 10-15 years before he gets into the record books for that too! 

Watch this space, maybe you could e-nail me back?