Daisy Suzanne Allen

Born Sunday 6th March 2011

3½ to 3¾ years old

Her life:  Birth ♥ Week 1 ♥ Weeks 2-3 ♥ Weeks 4-7 ♥ Weeks 8-13 ♥ Weeks 14-22 ♥ 5-7 months ♥ 7-8 months ♥ 8-10 months ♥ 1st Christmas ♥ 10-12 months ♥ 1st birthday party ♥ 12-15 months ♥ 15-18 months ♥ 18-21 months ♥ 21-24 months ♥ 2nd birthday ♥ 2-2½  years ♥ 2½-3 years ♥ 3rd birthday ♥ 3-3¼ years ♥ 3¼-3½ years ♥ 3½-3¾ years ♥ 3¾-4 years ♥ 4th birthday

In summary:  Index ♥ From birth to four years old ♥ Four years old onwards

Special features:  Daisy translator ♥ Daisy cookery ♥ Daisy phrases ♥ Golden Bear

It's early September and it's lovely outside, but you wouldn't know it from the grumpy look on Daisy's face.  I think that this was a reaction to my request of her to smile for the camera.  I wanted to capture her in the pink dress and wellies with summer hat combo.

Setting up the mini-tent to protect her from the warm sun was a tempting base in which to colour in some pictures with her vast array of felt tip pens.  She loves her colouring.

Daisy is still enjoying school, wearing her school-issue red cardie.

She was showing increasing keenness to spell her name.  This was her best effort to date of those drawn completely unassisted.  She still sometimes gets the 's' the wrong way round, but generally it's spelt pretty well.

At the weekend, the weather was just about warm enough for some more paddling pool skinny dipping action with her friend Blythe.

Uncle Matt came round on the Sunday morning.  He was soon pointing out the colours of a rainbow to Daisy...

...and tucking into the enormous breakfast sandwich I had cooked him for brunch.  Daisy looked like she was keen to join in.  She did have a sausage sandwich, I think.

After a couple of weeks at school, it was my turn to pick Daisy up.  Given the nice weather, I was keen to walk back with her (it's about three-quarters of a mile), but with the promise of coming back via the park (with a change of clothes).  She likes trying out most things and the balance bar here is certainly one of them.

This is a good shot demonstrating (a) Daisy's love of slides and (b) how ruddy nosy she is.

The next week, I had another first - taking Daisy to her Thursday morning swimming lesson (a dizzying 9am start in Hazel Grove).  However, I had taken Daisy to Hazel Grove a number of times in the run up to the swimming lessons, so the routine of putting her into her inevitably-pink swimming costume was familiar.

Having showered on entering the pool area, we were still fifteen minutes late (having won the traffic lottery too well) so we sat waiting with Daisy's sticker chart.  She had a good time, stood on a platform while waiting for the instructor to do something with her (she took it in turns with two other girls).  General tasks included kicking while being carried along, blowing bubbles under water, trying to fetch something from under the water (which all the girls struggled at), and jumping in (which Daisy and another girl loved).

Here's one of Daisy's colourful drawings, including another spelling of Daisy's name (note the backwards 's').  I think the various colourful things *may* be ice-creams.  I don't know what the baby doll has done wrong, though.

On returning from Oktoberfest in Munich at the end of September having little or no sleep, I roused myself to once again pick Daisy up from school.  It followed a familiar pattern to before - walking there and back, popping to the park on the return leg.  This time: some roundabout action, which often results in injury (mainly due to her trying to hold on to it whilst running round - the powerful inertia it has is too much for her slight frame and the inevitable usually happens).

She later showed off her bar-swinging skills.

In early October, with Lynne at a spa overnighter, we headed over to Waterdale, where super sister Daisy tried to show how scary she can be.

It's probably about this time when I considered slipping away, with Aunty Katie reading Daisy a story or letting her play on a game, and Nana Sue keeping an eye on Gregory.

After some lunch (I made some Welsh rarebit) and post-lunch lethargy, we decided to head to the park right behind my mum's house.  Daisy soon gravitated towards the slide (which Jonathan later tried but it's far too narrow for him, so it was basically foolish).

The climbing complex (it's much, much more than a frame) also entertained Daisy.  Nana Sue, as always, was on hand to monitor, although it was a fairly low-risk structure.

You can still see her lurking in the background as Daisy navigates the Tunnel of Doom.

After a mini-meltdown from Daisy (pretty standard these days), promise of duck feeding had us head down to the basin and canal, but there were sadly none to be found.  Still, it was a very pleasant afternoon.  Jonathan had brought loads of bread anyway, so for some reason we decided to throw most of that in the canal and then he brought the rest back (it was the first time I had seen a bread-related use for the inside coat pocket).  We stopped off at the Moorings for a drink and Daisy played in a small playground at the back as well as on a small game of table football.

As the toys slowly take over the living room, Lynne ordered another shelving unit from Ikea.  Daisy skipped in front of the camera as I took a quick picture.  Lynne would soon engage in a big toy audit.  She loves that kind of thing.

More fun for Daisy was using the large pieces of paper that were to be found in the flat-pack.  She of course turned it into an art class.

A new feature of bedtimes is to put Gregory on Daisy's bed while getting her ready and, sometimes, reading her story.  It keeps them both occupied.  In fact, Gregory loves it, which means that Daisy does too.  Here is a sweet shot of them looking into each other's eyes with, probably, brotherly/sisterly love.

Once more unto the park, dear friends, once more.  Her usual obstacle routine also features the Stepping Stones Of Almost Certain Soft Landing.  She normally avoids the Slightly Too High Springy Plank Of Pointlessness.

And that's up to mid-October, don't you know.

In anticipation of a trip to Didsbury for a flat-warming/birthday party, Daisy commandeered her mother's shoes for some awkward shuffling around the lounge.  She looks ready to give me some insolence.

Eddie (and his girlfriend Helen) was the host of the party, and their new rented house in Didsbury had a party-friendly spacious downstairs with a number of settees and the old pool table from Monton.  Rachel lines up for a left-handed pool shot while Daisy ensures her cue is well chalked.

While Lynne was out walking Gregory, and before the Hosies headed home, Adam, Rachel and Daisy lined up on the sofa for some smiling action.  Probably the first time they have all smiled at the same time.

The next day, Daisy was pulling her weight, pushing young Gregory around the back garden.

Early in November, we were both out in the back garden when we caught sight of this, a very clear rainbow over the houses.

Daisy was very pleased to add a Helly Kitty coat to her school uniform combination as the months got ever colder.

Bonfire Night and, having wisely decided to dump the car home at lunchtime following it being needed for a work meeting in the morning, I headed home on the train to take Daisy over to the Hinds Head pub at the end of the road for the always well -attended fireworks display.  Daisy is ready for some action - she was definitely excited despite the seemingly apprehensive nature of her look in this photo.  Helly Kitty coat again in operation.

We got to the pub at around 7.15pm.  It was busy as usual and there wasn't a thought of actually going inside.  Instead we hung around in the car park.  There was a stand set up selling BBQ food as well as snacks and soft drinks.  For a while, things were fine but, as we continued to patiently wait for the start of the fireworks, which were promised to be ready shortly, Daisy started to tire as we sailed past her bedtime.

I employed a number of strategies to keep her entertained, including a Fruit Shoot and half a Twix bar, as well as walking around a bit.  As it approach 8pm, I resorted to carrying her and at one point she nearly flopped backwards asleep.  Then, finally, at 8.15pm, around an hour after we got there (and she'd done really well to last that long), the fireworks started off.  It turned out that where we were stood was almost the front line, and the impressive fireworks were a little loud for someone who was basically dozing at the time.

So Daisy wanted to move further away and the shot below is from that place, with a tree unfortunately blocking some of the explosions.  She basically wanted to go home but, having made it this far, I walked slowly (whilst still carrying her) to see as much as possible.

In actual fact, the walk back along Denby Lane afforded some good views of the fireworks between the houses.  We ended up getting home just as the fireworks finished, ending on a very loud bang that neither of us particularly liked.

Mid-November, and Katie's 28th birthday took us to Waterdale for some lasagne and cake action.  Here, my iPhone camera snapping Uncle Matt's keen photography capturing Daisy blowing out the candles as support for her Aunty.  There are more photos of this event which may follow at a future date.  (But I'm not promising anything.)

The next day, we headed down to Woodbank Memorial Park, not far from us, where Daisy inspected the poppy display.

We'd taken a football, which Daisy is showing an increasing keenness for.  Here she can be seen kicking it against a wall for what I would have called, when much younger, a game of "wall-y".

Daisy's keenness occasionally resulted in her legging it off with the ball, with me having to fetch it.

Her innovative self-sticker jewellery style was very much worthy of recording via photography.  You also get a good view of her missing tooth here.  It will come back...

Joining me in the outhouse, she soon picked up a pair of my shades and gave her best Liam Gallagher impression.

I took this shot on request; I'm not sure what she was trying to demonstrate.

A nice glimpse into the playing style of Daisy Allen.  She has put all the Despicable Me characters on to their own individual pieces of white notepaper.  I have no idea what for.

We're at the end of November now, fast approaching December, and the Christmas card production line cranks into action.

On the Sunday, we paid a visit to Katie and Jordan's house, still being steadily upgraded but certainly in a better state than my previous visit.  Lynne, in fact, had yet to visit until today.  The Christmas tree was going up, even though it was still November (crossing a line, for me).  The smaller of the two cats they have (I forget their names but they begin with P) thought it great fun to clamber up the inside of the tree.

The tree decoration action soon started in earnest, though, and Daisy was keen to lend a hand.

Lynne had not long since left for Munich in this shot and all was well.  Basically, it seems, because the TV was on.

And that's all for this page.  The page covering the fourth quarter of her fourth year will be linked to at a later date.

That later date is now.

Back to the Secret Portal.