Quinnycasting, a fond farewell.

Well, we’ve been thinking about the best way to “say goodbye” to our days as a Quinnycaster.  We thought we could go a big outing but in the end it was such a beautiful day we just took a walk around where we live, doing what we do on the days we have off together.

First we visited the ducks.  Zapp was abandoned by Becky.

The ducks came over for a good old nosey.

 Becky stayed out of the buggy so mummy she could push it up the hill.  I’m sure St Blane didn’t have to do this when he founded Dunblane on this hilltop 1600-odd years ago.

NONE  shall pass!  One of the elderly oaks had taken a battering with the frost.  I had to pass the buggy underneath to Becky!

CAMOUFLAGE!

Back in the buggy to head homeward to…

…view the piece de resistance!  We are avid followers of the blog “Cake Wrecks” so Becky and I set about a mission to make our own Quinnycakewreck.  Henceforth we present to you:

QUINNYZAPPXTRACAKEMESS!

Every cake needs candles.

Every candle needs a kid to blow them out.

“BALLOONS, WE NEED BALLOONS MUMMY!” <thank crunchie for Tesco across the road, mummy runs to buy balloons, runs home and lights the candles>

“I blow it out.”

“Go for it, Becky!”

<Becky blows out the candles>

 

“YEEAH!  SING, MUMMY!”

“Um, sing what, Becky?”

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”  <mummy duly obliges>

 

In all honesty it marks the end of an era as our buggy-using days with Becky are coming to an end.  We do want another in the future (baby that is, not buggy) so that begs the question of what to do with the buggy in the interim.  My sister-in-law has just given birth to our gorgeous niece so we’re considering sending the buggy on holiday to them in Geneva so that someone else can be given the opportunity like we were to try it out.  Photos to follow in April when we’re over there visiting them, potentially!

Shortly I'll add a wee montage of my favourite Quinnycasting photos.  Quinnycasters team, your cake’s in the post.  Assuming Becky hasn’t eaten it when I wasn’t looking…

Quinnycasters Assignment 4: Epic Fail

First snow, then rain.  The buggy hadn't been out for some time.  Then the next assignment comes through... drum roll... sleeping beauties?!?  Now, my child is SHE OF LITTLE SLEEP and I honestly can't remember the last time she slept in a buggy.  It was probably when she had chicken pox in 2009.

So, dilemma, what do we do about this?  We're in the middle of DIY chaos at the weekend and we both work full time during the week so chances of going anywhere fancy were slim to none.  I could take DD out in the buggy at night in the hope she'd doze off.  Hmm, no.  I could get up super early with her on a Saturday and tire her out.  ERR, NO!  So we're left with final option.

"Right Becky, let's pretend you're sleeping in the buggy!"

"OK mummy."

<DD steps into the buggy, mummy picks up the camera>

"CHEEEEEEEESE!"



"Becky, you're meant to be asleep. Go to sleep.  Pretend to be asleep."

"OK, mummy."


<camera sneaks out>

"CHEEEEEEEEEEEESE!"





"<sigh>  Becky, you're supposed to be pretending to be asleep, be a sleeping beauty."

"I'M SLEEPING BEAUTY, MUMMY, GIMME A KISS N WAKE ME UP!"



"Becky, pretend you're in bed asleep, all cuddled up and looking like a wee angel."



"Fantastic!  Now one last one stay asleep like that, then it's all good, we're all done."

"ALL GOOD MUMMY, YEAH!"



I think that's settled, she won't ever sleep in the buggy again, and mummy won't try to get Becky posing again, either.  Bedtime!

Dear Quinny,

Dear Nice People at Quinny,

Hello!  My mummy tells me I had an assignment this month with the new RED RED RED buggy.  Something to do with catching kids in the buggy doing funny stuff or saying funny things?

I’ve had a lot of fun this month with the buggy – mum keeps having to clear my toys out of it because it’s just the most SUPERAWESOMEAMAZING play fing.

Some days the monkey "sneaks" in.
 


Sometimes it's characters copyrighted by the BBC.




Sometimes it's my favourite Dutch rabbit, Miffy.

Anyway, the fact of the matter is that mummy left it all to the last minute, the whole going out and getting pictures malarky.  “Why didn’t you remind her?” you’ll say but I told her, I told her!  She just said to me that we’d do it before the deadline!

So, Quinny people, here’s my problem.  We can’t go out and get pictures.  Why?  Snow.  Lots of it.  Mummy says something about a foot and a half but I don’t know what she’s talking about as I’ve got two feet.   I WANT WANT WANTED to go in the buggy but something tells me it's going nowhere (and that's before all 26lbs of me set foot in it).




Anyhoo, there won’t be any fancy video this month because we can’t get the buggy out the door.  Don’t tell mummy but I’ve sneakily used the buggy to carry snowballses and snowmens.

Love,

Becky x

Quinny Zapp Xtra: The Unpacking!

After a hectic few weeks with work and life getting in the way, we are proud to present Quinny Zapp Xtra: The Unveiling - THE MOVIE! We've been out and about with the buggy a fair bit and have more photos to follow.

Anyhoo, enjoy the video, Becky and I had a blast making it. Sorry it's taken me so long to edit it - we made the video about half an hour after we got home and met the buggy for the first time!

Inside the Box

I was so pleased.   We both work full time and although OH was on holiday the courier came and went.  He left a card.  “Parcel left with No. 21”.  Couriers NEVER leave with my neighbours, it must be fate!  OH had the sense to go and pick it up and had it waiting for us in the hallway when I got home from work.  Typically, Becky thought the box was “AMAZING, MUMMY!”

Becky snuck a peek in handles on the side of the box.  I asked her what was in it.  “A buggy mummy, a pink buggy.”  Well, not so pink, but a buggy it was.

The first thing that struck me was the quality of the buggy.  My basis for comparison was a Petite Star Zia which I’d previously chosen over the Zapp because it reclined.  There is far more substance and sturdiness to the Zapp Xtra over the Zia; in comparison the Zia feels like it could be blown over or tipped by a fingertip.  I really love the hood on the Xtra and the fact you can pull it right down.

Ease of putting together, piece of pie.  The buttons are all numbered so even without the manual (I DID read it first though, to be fair) putting up the frame is just a matter of logic.  The seat unit simply clicks into place forward or rearward facing. The wheels just click into place as well (assuming you can prise them from your toddler's grasp).

I love the fact that it parent faces.  This was what attracted me to it, this was the main reason I sold my Graco travel system last year and the failing of so many buggies – sadly most of the parent facing prams were outwith our price range and just a luxury we couldn’t afford.

Becky sat in the Xtra no fuss at all.  I rushed into trying her rearward facing.  She was tired but excited so tolerated reclining a bit.  However, I have to be honest (the nice folks at Quinny asked us to be!) and say I’m disappointed that there isn’t a totally upright parent-facing position.  Though my daughter is quite biddable I know the novelty will wear off and she won’t tolerate anything but being bolt upright.  I wonder if our childminder would lend me her baby to give it a shot with a wee one in?

The next step is getting out and about, I can’t wait!  I'm already planning how we're going to get it on a plane in December.  I just don’t want to get it dirty!  Becky’s thoughts to follow!  But, so far, it's thumbs up!

It's here, it's really here!

Big post to come, I just thought I'd give you a little taster of things to come!

Instead of painting the town yellow

I painted the kitchen green.

My house looks like magnoliaville, I hate it.  Following the work on the house last year our house is like a blank canvas and, out of all the rooms, the kitchen is the first one to be given some colour.

Photos to come!