This works to the extent where I can make varied statements about stuff we could do, but sitting with her just playing shopkeepers is enough to keep her happy and occupied for hours.

Just playing is enough

peace, Dan x

‎2011 has been increasingly busy but good all the same. I really hope it has been for you too, with lots of new adventures and loveliness to come in 2012.

And if you’re a hopeless New Years Eve dreamer (I must add I’m not) here is my favourite quote “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” Goethe.

have fun, stay safe, be nice x

The site may be a bit buggy for a few days while I change host provider, so please bear with me and if I don’t speak to you again before hand, peace and love to you all this christmas and new year x

I ended up with a few moments peace this morning. The bear slept in as we had her out a little later than normal yesterday and it had been a busy day as I was off and we got up to some family fun.

Anyway, after goofing on twitter for a bit I decided to work on some words, there are a few things I’ve scribbled in recent weeks that I’m hoping to craft into 1 or 2 really good pieces of writing for recording for some more spoken word.

Instead of doing this, I ended up writing some words about green tea, which I decided I would do a rough recording of and ping straight to youtube, this was the 2nd take as the 1st one I lost the words. You can’t see all of me and I have crazy bed hair, but it’s all good.

Green Tea by Dan Patmore

A quick verse on making a brew
You see as the kettle boils I’m fooling myself
Reaching for the builders tea, gunna blow my head off
And send caffeine coursing through my veins
Quicken my heart and shift some brain pain
But no. I see it looking at me,
The packet of the decaffeinated green tea
Peaceful and humble in a box of green,
Oh how witty and poetic it seems
You see it’s peaceful, helps me feel calm
And as I drink I feel it settle my body
Like the drop in the waves as the wind dies away
So I contemplate it further still,
like it’s a battle of good and evil
Stewing in the mug of my soul
But it’s cool, the day is long and I’ve plenty of time
So I grab what it is green before changing my mind

The1st sip is hot and threatens my lips
But as I swallow it warms from the tip
Of my tongue and I’m left feeling validated
Peaceful and warm comfortably salivating
On a day of fun, and love with my family
Imperfect and swirling, sometimes perfectly maddening
Toddlers are fierce and so can be their mothers
Especially when a foetus takes hold again
But it’s cool. They are my people, and with them
The world makes sense.
Like a mug of green tea, decaffeinated and peaceful

Graham Hill discusses if having less stuff can make you more happy? A simple enough argument, in which he lays out 3 rules for editing your life.

The idea of ‘Stuff’ is something that plagues me a bit the older I get, I constantly think about giving away/recycling a significant amount of my things so I lead a life less cluttered and beholden to the crap that fills every corner of my house

It’s a song I had the honour of contributing a few words for and I think it’s come together really well.

Listen and if you enjoy, support the artist by downloading from bandcamp

It’s been a couple of weeks hasn’t it? And absolutely nothing has happened on the site has it? TSK! How awful and absurd. Thought I’d drop a quick note to say hi to you all, been a lot going on at work so not really had capacity for anything exciting for here.  I did however see Bon Iver on Monday night, an awesome gig, absolutely cracking.

Been working on some more words for some spoken pieces but they need some crafting, think I can construct them into one or two longer better pieces rather than lots of similarly styled shorts.

Got some stuff to update all the parenting/family sections too, just need to take some to do some writing.

I also have been a bit carried away buying domain names, so may have a few projects to update you on soon.

so basically, stuff is happening in my head, and nowhere else.

Speak soon x

I hope you’ve had a good week? Another crazy one in my world, but alas it is the weekend now and lovely it is too. Other than a general panic about the fact I have a driving lesson tomorrow all is well. All is really well in fact. We had a scan yesterday

52mm’s of incredibly wriggly loveliness, that even waved hello before going to sleep.

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12 week scan - Pip 2

So our little family will be getting bigger at the end of April/early May next year.  When we had Tilly’s first scan I stared at it for days, sporadically crying, just overwhelmed by the rush of emotions I felt. This time round I was much calmer (a few tears in the scan still) but not the same levels of emotion post scan.  I think it’s because it just makes sense, I love being dad, it’s my favourite thing to do, and it’s what I’m best at and another baby just adds to all the love in our house.

In honesty there is another part of me that is a bit ‘cripes there will be two of them’, but that’ll all come out in the wash. I am nervous that I won’t have as tight a bond with this one as I do the bear, but that’s because a) alongside Helen she is my bestest friend ever and b) because I worry that breastfeeding working out this time means I won’t be able to develop that same bond, but again, sense tells me that I will always work hard enough to make it work.

Can’t state enough how much I love being a dad, and another little bean to throw all my heart and soul into sounds great to me Think I’m meandering a bit, but nevermind

Baby – Hooray!

Tidge was funny when we told her, I was looking at the picture she asked me what it was, I told her it was a baby she said ‘no daddy’ giggling then when I told her it was in mummy’s tummy she just ‘no’ zoned out and carried on watching the monstrosity that is In the Night Garden.

Only took a few minutes before she started asking more questions, ‘where is it?’ ‘can I cuddle it?’ ‘I will show it my toys, shoes and books’. She’s asked quite a few times today where the baby is and gleefully told grandma about the baby today. So I think she is set on the idea too Think she will make a wonderful big sister.

So, my world continues to change at ever increasing pace, time to hold on for the ride. Fortunately Helen is feeling much better than she was at this point with Tidge, aside from being really tired and having to eat constantly, so fingers crossed all will be well.

Enjoy your saturday xx

It started a few weeks ago on BBC2 and we finally got round to watching the first part last night. It’s a five-part series where he  explores language and It was the first moment this week that sparked my brain firing and thinking and creating and was a welcome inclusion in my day!

The first part was ‘Babel‘ where Stephen tried to uncover the origins of human language, in which he travelled around the world speaking to a variety of experts. I’ve always been fascinated by the development of language, so I absolutely loved it.

It sent me to bed with a whirl of an active mind, so I blissfully sat drawing listening to a classical concert I found on youtube. Marvellous end to the day.

Thoroughly recommend checking it out on iplayer if you haven’t seen it