April #2: Easter, walks, James away, & cute Oshin

I was delighted mid-way through April to discover that Oshin doesn't mind being in the carrier for a couple of hours or so. This was discovered when we were planning to go to Ramsey later on and Oshin was being fussy, so I offered to take him out on a walk. In the lovely weather, I went on beyond where we should normally turn back, and Cori and the boys picked us up on the road, with Oshin still snoozing, at Gordon, having walked all the way from Peel to Glen Maye along the coast. It was glorious - it's strange to think that Oshin will not remember these glorious walks he went on as a baby - partly because he slept through most of it!:

The trip to Ramsey which followed, in this good weather, had the kids playing in the garden. This meant that Orry got entirely soaked and then spend the rest of the afternoon like this:

Easter was good - lots of eggs were found an eaten:

Finn used Easter time to get some serious Lego-ing done, which was made easier with the lovely Lego ordering boxes which Cori got him for Christmas:

More pictures of me and my mate, Oshin, out on walks (or about to be) - such lovely places he'll not remember!

And, for want of another place to put it, here's Oshin enjoying the washing machine:

And here is a fine picture Finn made, where tanks are having poo dropped on them by seagulls (I don't quite understand why):

(Great birds - we think you'll agree!)

And another without-a-home picture is this of Orry at his nursery. No idea what's going on here:

Another walk, but a very lovely one - to Lag ny Keeilley:

Friends were aghast that I took the boys there, and even more aghast that I did it without Cori, but it was all safe enough and everyone had fun. Less fun were the ticks we found over me and Orry, and Oshin on our return.
It was on this walk that Finn and Orry decided that they were explorers (hence the coat and bags etc.), and where Finn walked on ahead. However, on a walk as long as this, it meant that Finn was a long way ahead. Luckily for him, and my ease of mind, there was a ladies' walking group out on the same path, so Finn joined in with them and we found him happily chatting to them when we eventually made it there, and the same on the way back out. It was all very nice, though less so when they greeted me with a request to hear the stories of the keeill etc. which Finn had reported they were going to hear!

After Cori's week away in March, I was away for four or so days at the end of April - to speak at the Celtic Congress convention. It was a big honour to be invited, and a pleasure to be a part of it all, but it was a little unfortunate that the one time I go, it is to Cornwall, to the same town as we went with the Manx dance group a couple of years ago, to the exact same hotel as that too!
Newquay isn't my favourite town in the world, but the event was lovely - I look forward to getting the chance to get back there again another year (hopefully in a different place!)

Pretty much immediately after this was Oie Voaldyn (the last evening of April), which we got our Crosh Cuirns all ready for - phew!

Sadly the boys - and especially Finn, as he'd have loved it! - weren't able to join me on something which I fond very exciting, which was going out to burn the buitch, which the people who we think are the only people remaining doing this tradition which has been going for 100s of years in the Isle of Man. - A real excitement for me to be there (filming it for work):

All the remains left now is some final cuteness of Oshin - firstly, his pretending like he's joining in the conversation, which the boys think is great fun:

Then, the pictures we took at Easter when we had the nice camera out: