Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Walking with my Baby

Image Silver Cross

While out walking over the weekend here in Stirling, I passed a Mum proudly wheeling her baby in a shiny new Silver Cross pram & what a head-turner it was! She was talking loudly to her husband & I detected a strong English accent, so I surmised that they may have brought the said perambulator with them from the Old Country. Known as the Bentley for Babies, they are considered the ultimate in baby carriages. Highly impractical I hear you say & yes, they don't fold down, so that rules out ever travelling anywhere by car or public transport. Add to that the fact they weigh a whopping 75lbs. & you'd have Buckley's getting it through the entrance of any store while out shopping. You'll also have to hand over AU$3,999 to own one, but gosh they have a certain something!

The top of the range is the Balmoral, which is handmade in rural England. It features a hand-sprung chassis, hand-spoked wheels, hand stitched pinstriped lining & a sequentially numbered plaque. Colours available are Navy, Navy & White and Brown & Cream, but I'm very partial to the one pictured above in elegant Onyx Black. I'd love to hear your pram stories (I won't share mine in detail, but it involves leaving a new baby outside the Welland Plaza Fruit Shop fast asleep in his pram & only remembering him as I drove into the driveway at home)! Oh & what colour would you like your Balmoral to be?

14 comments:

  1. Isn't it amazing that our kids survived us?

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  2. I've always enjoyed seeing the mother and baby cooing to each other in such a personal way because the baby is 'up high' in these wonderful prams.

    Glad you had such a nice Easter.
    ♥Rosemary

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  3. I was wheeled around in a pram similar to this when I was a baby. I remember putting my baby dolls in it and pushing them around. Of course, I'm positive that my parents didn't pay a lot for it. It was probably a hand-me-down from my older sisters or from a family friend!

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  4. The closest I ever got to these posh prams was the dolly pram I had as a 5 year old! I agree that the Onyx Black is very smart, but will stick to the modern version at that price. It is bad enough that with my modern push chair I can still only fit through one checkout aisle in Target, to not even be able to get into a shop would kill me! My current pram is number 6, airline travel having ruined the other 5. My biggest horror story is folding my pram up to put it in to the car before realising that I hadn't taken the baby out yet. Whoops!
    Clare x

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  5. Hi Millie,

    I bought a Silver Cross for my baby girl Rebecca (now 15yrs) when she was one week old, they are the most amazing prams and perfect for the Southern Highlands, I found it in a little baby shop and my Silver Cross is white with hand painted roses and had only ever been used once. It was in perfect condition.

    A little old English lady from Moss Vale had wheeled it into the baby store and asked the owner if she was interested in buying it. She only bought it as her grandchild was visiting and she needed to have a pram. (As you do)
    I drove by the store the next day, saw it in the window, and that was it, it was mine.

    We took Bec everywhere in her pram, she even slept in it next to my bed sometimes and I could easily rock her to sleep.

    I still have it wrapped up in a blanket in storage for my one day grandchildren, and yes it's true, they do not fit in an average size car, they are not meant for traveling, that's when I found the smaller Silver Cross that was designed for cars, made in the 50's, a little navy blue fold up pram. Boy was Rebecca spoilt, or I was just lucky to find two Silver Cross Prams in the Highlands.

    Oh the memories are flooding back.

    Thanks for taking me back Millie,

    xxxx Coty

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  6. I still have the big old white cane pram that my mum pushed me around in when I was a babe (34 years ago). I had it out on veranda cause it was too pretty to put in storage, but it got all mouldy from the rain, so now it's in storage again....such a pity, they were beautiful old things...

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  7. I remember seeing a couple of these beautiful, swish English prams when my son was a baby, but I never pined for one because I had my light as a feather Peg Perego Italian pram which was a joy to take in & out of the stationwagon every day. But, by the time my son had finished with it, it was pretty much on its last legs. The Bamoral however looks like it could survive generations of one family. Lee :)

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  8. I love these prams funnily enough I don't see many of them in England. Nappy valley (clapham) near where I live all the yummy mummies have the 3 wheel modern variety.

    When I was a kid we had a push chair that our golden retriever dog liked to ride in, so funny :)

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  9. I must get the nanny to dash out and get one!
    I'm so glad your little one survived his little solo adventure! Bet he still brings that one up!
    Millie I just want to say thank you for the most beautiful, wise words you left for me. You really are truly special you DO know that don't you? I'm so grateful to have you as my blogging friend.
    Catherine xx

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  10. And here I was thinking the 'bugaboo' was the vehicle of choice for the 'up to the minute' bubs! Clearly blitzed the field, love it! (and I don't even want to equate what the cost of the pram is in terms of how many mortgage payments that would be for me!?) - maybe the only time for me in a while that I'm glad I haven't had the opportunity to have a baby yet xx

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  11. I love a pram and always wanted one when I was having my son... however...not practical for this area. They are fetching though aren't they?

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  12. I remember being in Europe in the late 60's and seeing these prams (with babe inside) outside the department stores all lined up. What a different time that was! I lived in Melbourne in the early 70's and had a pram loaned to me and I used to push my baby to the Prahan (sp?) market and pile vegetable around here on market day. I love Australia! My baby now has her own babies and now its just tons of car seats.

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  13. Those were the days.
    They were beautiful prams and I remember my cousin had a navy pram like that and I used to love pushing her babies around and taking them for walks.

    I had a MacLaren buggy for our kids, not near as good as that - the wheels seemed to want to go different ways but it was used nearly every day to go on walks.

    Glad that your little Son survived his ordeal.

    Hugs
    Carolyn

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  14. What a lovely pram. Here in America we have ugly strollers instead, but they are practical for an automobile lifestyle.

    I'd love to get a red wagon with all terrain wheels for my three year old and a new baby.

    I feel better after reading your story of leaving your newborn behind. I accidentally left my 8 year old daughter behind on Sunday. Luckily we were lunching at Grandmothers, 3 blocks up the street, so I sent her 11 year old brothers running home to fetch her. She was oblivious, reading a children's story on her bed, and didn't notice we'd left. Relief.

    www.kellikolz.blogspot.com

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And none will hear the postman's knock
Without a quickening of the heart.
For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?
~W.H. Auden

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