FRITH HOLDS COURT

WE ALL GATHERED FOR DINNER AT OMI'S - FRITH WAS THE CENTRE OF ATTENTION, WHICH HAD NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT SHE WAS THE ONE MAKING THE MOST NOISE.

M&F IN B&W

FRITH OMI AND MAMA SPENT THE AFTERNOON WITH MAMA'S UNCLE JOE (OMI'S BROTHER FROM CALIFORNIA) AND AUNT CAJA. WE ATE AT THE WINCHESTER, WE DRANK WINE AT OMI'S AND WE TALKED AS MUCH AS WE COULD, WHILE FRITH CONTINUED ON DAY THREE OF HER "WORLDS MOST ANNOYING NOISE" MARATHON - THE NOISE IS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN A WHINE, A GROAN AND A CHAINSAW. AND IT GOES ON ALL DAY.

TOILET PAPER - A STUDY IN WHITE

IPOT

THIS MORNING FRITH HELPED MAMA LIFT WEIGHTS (THIS IS FAR MORE FUN WITH A NINE-MONTH OLD BABY HANGING AROUND THAN WITHOUT ONE)

LATER ON, WE GOT NAKED AND LEARNED ABOUT THE LETTER "T". THAT MAKES THE LETTERS SO FAR I-P-O-T.. OKAY, I'VE GOT NOTHING.

WINDOWS AND IPOS

FRITH AND MAMA HAVE SPENT QUITE A BIT OF TIME IN THE WINDOW OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS.

SHE SEEMS TO LIKE STANDING THERE, JUST WATCHING THE WORLD GO BY.

THEN SOMETIMES, SHE'LL TURN TO ME AND GRIN, JUST TO LET ME KNOW SHE IS VERY AMUSED.

SHE IS ALSO LEARNING TO BE A LITTLE MORE GENTLE WITH FATNESS.

WHICH HE SEEMS TO GENUINELY APPRECIATE.

SHE FOLLOWED UP YESTERDAY'S LESSON ON THE LETTER "I" WITH TODAY'S ON THE LETTER "P"

AND "O" .. I THINK SHE MAY BE TAKING GRANDPA KEN'S ADVICE, WHICH WAS TO START ON THE FAST TRACK TO WALL STREET. BEGINNING WITH INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERINGS, APPARENTLY.

TOAST

ANYONE CARE TO PLACE A BET AS TO HOW LONG IT WILL BE BEFORE WE DISCOVER A CHEESE SANDWICH INSIDE?

MAYHEM AND THE LETTER "I"

TODAY FRITH DISCOVERED THAT SHOES LIVE ON THE SHELF ABOVE THE UNDERPANTS. THUDS ENSUED.

THEN, SHE ATTEMPTED TO TEACH THE ALPHABET TO FATNESS, BEGINNING WITH THE LETTER "I"

TO GIVE FATNESS A BREAK FROM HIS STUDIES, MAMA AND THE FRITH TOOK A QUICK AFTERNOON DRIVE TO MICHAELS CRAFT STORE. WE BOUGHT THREE HINGED WOODEN BOXES, WITH WHICH TO FURTHER EXPERIMENT WITH THE CONCEPTS OF OPEN AND CLOSED. THEY WERE A BIG HIT.

POST-SCHWABEN KAFFEEKLATSCH

OMI TREATED MAMA AND THE FRITH TO DINNER AT THE SCHWABEN INN. AS USUAL, FRITH CHARMED THE PANTS OFF THE WAITSTAFF (NOT LITERALLY - ALTHOUGH THAT WOULD HAVE MADE FOR A MEMORABLE DINING EXPERIENCE) AND COVERED EVERY AVAILABLE SURFACE WITH CRACKER CRUMBS. HERE THEY ARE AT HOME AFTERWARDS, DISCUSSING THE MERITS OF THE MEAL.

SING US A SONG, YOU'RE THE FRITHA BEAN

THE FRITH IS NOW PULLING HERSELF UP TO A STANDING POSITION ON ANYTHING THAT WILL HOLD STILL. INCLUDING FATNESS, MAMA OR IN THIS CASE, THE PIANO.

ONCE UP THERE, A LENGTHY CONCERTO ENSUES, WHICH IS ENJOYED BY ALL. EXCEPT MAYBE FATNESS, WHO HIDES UNDER THE COUCH FOR MOST OF IT.


(AS AN ADDENDUM TO THE WHOLE STANDING UP THING - THE BEAN AT BEDTIME, AND FOR SOME TIME THEREAFTER)

STAIRWAY TO FRITHA

MAMA HEARD RUMOURS THAT THE FRITH HAS LEARNED TO CLIMB THE STAIRS. OR AT LEAST, A STAIR. TODAY, PROOF.

SOMEONE WAS VERY PROUD OF HERSELF AFTERWARDS.

AND REWARDED HERSELF WITH ONE OF THOSE EXTREMELY HARD AND TASTELESS TEETHING BISCUITS (ACTUALLY, THEY'RE KIND OF GOOD. IN A DRY, CRUMBLY, FOUR-YEAR-OLD-MOLASSES KIND OF WAY.)

RETURN OF THE UNDERPANTS

MAMA THOUGHT PUTTING THE MORE IMPORTANT UNDERPANTS IN AN UPPER DRAWER MIGHT KEEP THEM SAFE FROM STANDY MCTOOTALL HERE. NO LUCK.

LATER, AFTER A FEW DRINKS, THE FRITH KEPT EVERYONE AMUSED WITH HER IMITATION OF A HOBO CRAWLING OUT OF A DUMPSTER.

FRITH WEARS HER SUNGLASSES AT NIGHT

MAMA HAS A VAST COLLECTION OF CHEAP SUNGLASSES SHE NEVER WEARS (MAMA LIKES BUYING SUNGLASSES, BUT SHE HATES WEARING SUNGLASSES. WOMEN. EVER THE PARADOX.)

SAID SUNGLASSES HAVE OFFICIALLY BECOME FRITH-TOYS, BEING PLASTIC AND BEING MULTI-COLOURED.

THIS AFTERNOON WE DISCOVERED THAT IT WAS EXTREMELY AMUSING FOR MAMA TO PUT ON THE SUNGLASSES (AND "HIDING") AND FOR THE FRITH TO PULL THEM OFF AGAIN (AND "FINDING" HER ). THIS WAS ALSO VERY NICE FOR MAMA, AS IT CAUSED THE MOSTLY-UNINTERESTED-IN-MAMA FRITH TO LOOK HER RIGHT IN THE EYES FOR MINUTES AT A TIME.

IT WENT ON FOR NEARLY HALF AN HOUR. MAMA'S EARS BECAME QUITE SORE.

THIS FINAL SHOT, FROM MAMA'S POINT OF VIEW. TRES ARTISTIC, NO?

NINE MONTHS AND IT SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY

OMI IS GOING TO SEE CHARLES AZNAVOUR SING IN TORONTO TOMORROW NIGHT. THIS SONG OF HIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A FAVOURITE OF MINE (ELVIS COSTELLO ALSO ONCE RECORDED IT)

AND SO, ON THIS MILESTONE NINE-MONTH BIRTHDAY (AS LONG NOW ON THE OUTSIDE AS SHE WAS ON THE INSIDE - AND MAMA IS VERY GRATEFUL THAT SHE IS NOW ON THE OUTSIDE, CONSIDERING SHE NOW WEIGHS MORE THAN A BABY WILDEBEEST) I DEDICATE THE FINAL VERSE OF THIS BEAUTIFUL SONG TO MY PERFECT NOT-SO-LITTLE-ANYMORE FRITH :

SHE
MAY BE THE REASON I SURVIVE
THE WHY AND WHEREFORE I'M ALIVE
THE ONE I'LL CARE FOR THROUGH THE ROUGH AND READY YEARS
ME I'LL TAKE HER LAUGHTER AND HER TEARS
AND MAKE THEM ALL MY SOUVENIRS
FOR WHERE SHE GOES I'VE GOT TO BE
THE MEANING OF MY LIFE IS
SHE

LAUNDRY DAY

MAMA CAME HOME TO FIND A LITTLE BLUE GREMLIN RUMMAGING THROUGH HER UNDERPANTS DRAWER.

APPARENTLY SHE'D BEEN AT IT FOR ALMOST AN HOUR...

TRANSFERRING THINGS FROM ONE PILE TO ANOTHER, AND BACK AGAIN, OVER AND OVER AND OVER. IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT WORK, AND SHE TOOK IT VERY SERIOUSLY (EXCEPT WHEN HAMMING IT UP FOR THESE PICTURES).

WHO COULD HAVE IMAGINED THAT UNDERPANTS COULD BE SO MUCH FUN?

FRITHA MOVES SOME MORE

MAMA JUST STUMBLED ACROSS THESE LONG-LOST VIDEOS OF THE FRITH TAKEN DURING OUR LITTLE JAUNT TO TORONTO IN JUNE...
JUNE 11
JUNE 11
JUNE 11
JUNE 11
JUNE 11
JUNE 11

FIX FRITH'S LITTLE RED WAGON

GRANDMA PAT AND GRANDPA KEN WERE HERE TO VISIT THIS WEEKEND, BRINGING WITH THEM A FABULOUS RADIO FLYER WAGON FOR THE FRITH.

THE INAUGURAL TRIP WAS TO THE PARK, WHERE FRITH WAS A SOLO SLIDER FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.

AND A SOLO SWINGER TOO (ITISN'T REALLY WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE).. IN THIS PHOTO YOU CAN OBSERVE FIRST-HAND THE TRULY SASQUATCH-LIKE PROPORTIONS OF THE BEAUTIFUL FRITH-FEET.

IT'S A BIRD.. IT'S A PLANE..

AS PROMISED, A VERY SHORT VIDEO OF FRITH PUSHING HER FRITHMOBILE ACROSS THE FLOOR AT TOP SPEED

IF CATS COULD TALK, THEY WOULDN'T

AFTER MONTHS OF MAKING A WIDE BERTH AROUND THE FRITH DURING HIS TREKS ACROSS THE HOUSE, FATNESS DECIDED ONE DAY LAST WEEK THAT FRITH WAS HIS NEW VERY BEST FRIEND.

HE NOW FLOPS DOWN NEXT TO HER WHEREVER SHE IS, AND WAITS TO BE MANHANDLED. AND MY GOD, DOES SHE GO TO TOWN. YANKING OUT CHUNKS OF FUR, PULLING ON HIS EARS, AND CLIMBING ALL OVER HIM WITH ALL HER WEIGHT. HE JUST LIES THERE AND WAITS FOR MORE. I'M GUESSING IT IS PARTLY BECAUSE HE HAS REALIZED THAT FRITH IS A KITTEN AND MUST BE TOLERATED AT ALL COSTS. AND PARTLY BECAUSE HE HAS DECIDED THAT ANY ATTENTION IS GOOD ATTENTION.

THE EQUIVALENT OF THE "WALKING OFF TOGETHER INTO THE SUNSET" SHOT...

TOILET HUMOUR

MAMA HAS GIVEN UP TRYING TO KEEP THE FRITH AWAY FROM THE TOILET. SHE IS DRAWN TO THE DAMNED THING LIKE.. WELL, YOU KNOW.

INSTEAD, I BOUGHT SOME DISINFECTANT AND SCRUBBED IT, AND THE SURROUNDING FLOOR, WITHIN AN INCH OF ITS LIFE. IT IS NOW THE FIRST STOP ON THE FRITH EXPRESS, WHICH LEAVES CRIB STATION EACH MORNING AT SIX A.M. RAIN OR SHINE. (SORRY. I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE WHERE THAT GRATUITOUS TRAIN METAPHOR CAME FROM)

OPEN CLOSED : THE SAGA CONTINUES

FRITH IN THE BATHROOM (AS USUAL) ATTEMPTING ONCE MORE TO CLARIFY THE CONCEPTS OF OPEN AND CLOSED TO MAMA. THE DEMONSTRATION CONTINUED FOR THE BETTER PART OF SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

CHEZ OMI

THE FRITH SPENDS HALF OF EVERY DAY AT OMI'S HOUSE.. HERE SHE IS HELPING OMI UNLOAD THE DISHWASHER.

OMI TOOK THIS PICTURE. I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE WHAT IT GOING ON HERE, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE OMI AND THE FRITH MIGHT HAVE SPENT THE AFTERNOON DOING SHOTS. THIS WOULD EXPLAIN SO MUCH.

FRITH HAS BEEN TEACHING HERSELF TO WALK WITH THIS HANDY LITTLE NUMBER, A KIND DONATION FROM OMI'S NEIGHBOUR LINDA. I HAVE SOME VIDEO FOOTAGE OF THIS AS WELL, WHICH I WILL POST SHORTLY.