Tuesday, March 29, 2005

My sister is coming... and other stuff

Nikki is coming on Sunday! Unfortunately, she's leaving on Tuesday so it's a flying visit but I can't wait to see her. She arrives Sunday morning and I'm planning for us all to have lunch in the village and just hang out. Then on Monday Nikki is visiting St Martins so Tobes and I are going to go into London with her. The school is in Bloomsbury and I'm thinking we'll have lunch at Wagamama then Toby and I can hang out at the British Museum or Coram's Fields until Nikki is done with her visit. If we're still feeling energetic we might go over to my old stomping grounds in South Kensington and try to catch the arts and crafts exhibition at the V&A. They have four room mock-ups that I'd love to see. Then maybe dinner at Piereno's and home.

Very ambitious plans considering that I haven't been feeling very well. (Ugh, Ugh and double Ugh). Hopefully I'll be feeling a bit better and we can have a nice day out.

Had a very peaceful Easter holiday. The Easter Bunny left some treats for Tobes and we went to the local park and met up with some friends. We had an egg hunt and the kids played on the playground with their dads while us moms sat on the sidelines and gossiped. We came home and coloured some eggs so now I have a dozen multicoloured boiled eggs in the fridge. No idea what I'm going to do with them.

My two closest friends here in Chislehurst are moving! Mary and Nigel are moving in just a few weeks out to Reigate and George and Tim are moving deeper into Southern Kent. They have to vacate their rented house by October but they're hoping to find a place to buy and move before then. Eek! This has made us more focussed on our own move. The goal is to finish the house and get it on the market by the end of April. Still haven't seen anything great in Blackheath but we'll keep looking.

My sister is coming... and other stuff

Nikki is coming on Sunday! Unfortunately, she's leaving on Tuesday so it's a flying visit but I can't wait to see her. She arrives Sunday morning and I'm planning for us all to have lunch in the village and just hang out. Then on Monday Nikki is visiting St Martins so Tobes and I are going to go into London with her. The school is in Bloomsbury and I'm thinking we'll have lunch at Wagamama then Toby and I can hang out at the British Museum or Coram's Fields until Nikki is done with her visit. If we're still feeling energetic we might go over to my old stomping grounds in South Kensington and try to catch the arts and crafts exhibition at the V&A. They have four room mock-ups that I'd love to see. Then maybe dinner at Piereno's and home.

Very ambitious plans considering that I haven't been feeling very well. (Ugh, Ugh and double Ugh). Hopefully I'll be feeling a bit better and we can have a nice day out.

Had a very peaceful Easter holiday. The Easter Bunny left some treats for Tobes and we went to the local park and met up with some friends. We had an egg hunt and the kids played on the playground with their dads while us moms sat on the sidelines and gossiped. We came home and coloured some eggs so now I have a dozen multicoloured boiled eggs in the fridge. No idea what I'm going to do with them.

My two closest friends here in Chislehurst are moving! Mary and Nigel are moving in just a few weeks out to Reigate and George and Tim are moving deeper into Southern Kent. They have to vacate their rented house by October but they're hoping to find a place to buy and move before then. Eek! This has made us more focussed on our own move. The goal is to finish the house and get it on the market by the end of April. Still haven't seen anything great in Blackheath but we'll keep looking.

Thursday, March 24, 2005

If you're a parent you'll understand

We have a great ad campaign here for a children's medicine called Calpol. It's the equivalent to Children's Tylenol in the States. The commercial shows kids running around like loons and being incredibly naughty under the headings of 'Tonsillitis', 'Fever of 102', 'Chicken Pox', etc. The tagline is 'If you're a parent you'll understand'. Believe me, I understand. Toby is still quite ill and we're going back to the doctor's this afternoon.... that is, if he survives until then. In the last few days his cough has gotten worse, he's started producing green snot and his fever has been up and down.

He has also:

  • Stripped our bed, including fitted sheet and mattress pad and poured a cup of water and a packet of cookies into the middle of it.
  • Insisted that he wanted to eat my piece of toast even though he had the exact same thing on his plate. When I agreed and switched the pieces of toast he then came over and said 'No, I want the one on YOUR plate.'
  • Dumped his legos, train set, puzzle pieces and leftover cereal in the middle of the living room floor and mixed the whole thing up with his hands like he was tossing a giant salad. I walked in during the salad phase of the fun.
  • Pulled off one sock and shoved it under the couch then screamed at me for losing his sock.

I know there's more but the sleep deprivation provides a comforting form of amnesia. Probably some kind of survival instinct.

Monday, March 21, 2005

On a happier note

Thirteen years ago last night I was standing in Louie's Backyard, an open-air bar in South Padre Island, Texas. I was 21 years old and there with my best friend. We had come for a cheap vacation but were feeling a bit bored with the scene. It was Spring Break and we had done it all before in highschool and were a bit older than most of the people there. I decided to spice things up by seeking out the most attractive guy in the bar (and there were over a hundred people there that night) and try to chat him up.

Kellie and I walked a circuit, checking everyone out. Then I saw him. Tall, dark and interesting looking. Not drunk and slobbering like so many of the guys that night and by far the most handsome man there. He was standing with a friend watching people bungee jump off the pier. Kellie and I walked over, I leaned against the railing trying to look my most alluring, pointed to the bungee jumpers and said 'Are you going to do it?'. He turned to look at me, quickly said 'Not tonight' and then turned away again.

Kellie and I exchanged a glance. This was going to be harder than I thought but, never one to back down from a challenge, I tried again. 'So where are you from?' 'England', he said.

We're still alive

Toby's croup has passed for the most part though the trip to ER was very frustrating. The doctor basically said that Tobes wasn't ill enough for treatment. 'Bring him back if he goes limp or starts to make choking noises.' Sometimes I want to bang the NHS across its proverbial head with a dictionary open to the page with the word PREVENTION in bold letters. Thankfully, Toby did not go limp or start choking but we have had a very rough couple of nights.

J is better and back at work but I'm still struggling. I'm better though and that's something. Just want to keep things going in a positive direction.

Friday, March 18, 2005

J just rang

They've checked into Casualty and are in the waiting room. I talked to Tobes on the phone and he's so hoarse and wheezy but J said he wanted to play with the toys there so he must be feeling better than he sounds. There's only two or three people in the children's section so J thinks it won't be a very long wait. After our eight hour experience we switched hospitals. It's a longer drive but the last time we had to take Tobes in we were in and out within two hours and they used a croup syrup rather than the inhaler that was used at the previous hospital. So much easier to give Tobes a dose of medicine than to try to get him to inhale something for half an hour. The results lasted longer too. Fingers crossed it goes well and they're home quickly.

J has just left for the emergency room

Toby has croup and it's the worst I've ever heard it. He gets it almost every time he gets sick and we can usually deal with it at home but it was very bad tonight. He was very wheezy and coughing. I'm stuck at home because I'm still so ill that I would've just slowed them down. Went back to the docs today and was given an inhaler for my cough. It's getting ridiculous. I'm waiting for a limb to fall off next.

I know Tobes will be fine but I hate just sitting here waiting for news. In these situations I'm usually the one pushing to the front of the queue, demanding attention and using every ounce of my Texan attitude to get those NHS butts in gear. It can be an absolute nightmare. One day we spent almost eight hours in emergency with Toby's croup. They're all so overworked and understaffed. I understand their frustration but when my baby is sick I really don't give a crap about staff shortages. I just want for him to be taken care of.

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

Hot snot

Producing a shocking amount of mucous at the moment. J and Tobes are much better but I'm taking a bit longer to get well. Completely miserable being so ill, especially when the weather is getting nicer.

Took Tobes to school this morning and we didn't even need our coats. He's still having a great time. They talked about fire safety today and Tobes came home telling me about fire drills and smoke detectors.

J was off work Monday and Tuesday because he was still ill and because I was very ill and needed to rest moreso J took care of Toby. Tobes loved having J around and this morning he said 'Was nice with Daddy around more and you not around more'. Oh right. Thanks for that, dear.

Monday, March 14, 2005

Still ill

But we had a restful weekend and I think we're all on the mend. J stayed home from work today and we're just relaxing. Toby and I made cookies the lazy way - premade dough. Toby 'helped' which means he came in, scooped up a ball of dough, then dashed off to eat it in the living room. Wouldn't get too many cookies made using the Toby process but the dough does taste good.

We've just about decided to put the house on the market in April. We're all away to various places in May (me and Tobes to Texas and J is off to Australia, Arizona and Texas) and we thought it would be a good time to do viewings while we're away. I really like the estate agents we're going with. They've sold this house eleven times. Sounds like a lot but that's over a hundred year period remember. They're a nice, established firm with a lot of integrity. Some of the agents here are just so incredibly rude. I don't want to have to deal with a lot of attitude along with all the stresses of buying and selling at the same time.

This will be move number eleven for us and eleven is my lucky number. Our previous moves have been:

June '92 - Moved into our one bed apartment in Austin. Hired a Uhaul which I had to drive since J didn't have a US licence. No one lost their lives though my brother probably wished he was dead when he turned up five hours late to help us move. Luckily my temper has mellowed (slightly) over the years.

Dec '93 - Moved to England with $500, no jobs, too many of my clothes and very few belongings. God bless youth and ignorance.

June '94 - After bouncing around from J's parents house to a friend's house, where J and I slept together on a twin bed for two months, we moved into a furnished two bed flat in Cambridge. When Nikki visited us she thought the building was condemned. We were so broke we had no TV or stereo but I managed to buy a transistor radio by saving cereal box tops. Woo hoo!

June '96 - Decided to move to the country and lived in a beautiful 250 year old cottage in Stow-cum-Quy. This was our first unfurnished home and we spent quite a long period of time with lawn chairs in the living room and the TV on the floor. Within a year the lack of central heating and abundance of Ninja-trained mice drove us back into Cambridge.

July '97 - Moved into a two-bed almost brand new flat in Cambridge. This was the start of one of the happiest times of our lives. Jenny and Kieran moved in across the hall and we spent many evenings meeting up at the Seattle Coffee House, riding our bikes through Cambridge and just hanging out. It was a lovely, gentle time of life.

January '00 - The Millenium brought big changes. We moved to a tiny one-bed flat in Barnes in SW London. I changed jobs and was deliriously happy. Six months later we had the offer to move to Tokyo.

January '01 - Off again, this time to a one-bed flat in Kioi-cho, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo. Just down the road from the Imperial Palace. What an adventure! Very hard work at times but made some very special friends and came back to England a year later pregnant with Toby. Yes, he can say he really was 'Made in Japan'.

March '02 - After six weeks of staying in a hotel in Cambridge and looking for a flat there we decided that our place was still in London and moved into a lovely two-bed flat back in Barnes. Loved that flat and I think we've tried to recreate it as much as possible in this house. Even the fireplace we bought is the same!

March '03 - Growing restless for a place to put down roots. Barnes was lovely but really not quite right for us. We visit George and Tim in Chislehurst and after seeing the price of property here we move into a three-bed flat and start looking for a home to buy. The flat is on the second floor (that's third floor in American) and J almost cries during the move, it's such hard work. After this we decide to always use a moving company to do the work for us. We were in this flat for just over six months but Toby took his first steps here and we had his first birthday party in this flat. After almost ten years, Mom and Dad visit again and this is where we're living at the time. So much to happen in such a temporary place.

October '03 - We move into the first home we've owned! A tiny but lovely two-bed Victorian terraced house in Chislehurst. We virtually gut the place and renovate from top to bottom so it's well and truly ours. Once the dust settles we realise that we miss London and decide to move back into town. Good lord.

Saturday, March 12, 2005

Ill again

We all went to the doctor yesterday and the diagnoses went like this:

Toby: upper respiratory infection - antibiotics

Katherine: upper respiratory infection, sore throat - antibiotics

Jason: sinus infection that has moved into the eyes in the form of conjunctivitis (ewwww!) plus an upper respiratory infection - antibiotics and eye drops.

Oh joy.

Actually, we're doing OK. There comes a time when you just have to surrender and that's what we've done. J cancelled his trip to the States next week, I cancelled the viewings for this weekend and we are cocooning and resting.

Got a great link from Annelouise's website today. Does everyone know the Numa Numa Numa Hey song? It's from some Eastern European group and it's very catchy. I love it but if I'm watching the video I always change the channel when J comes into the room or else he will tease me mercilessly. The link is http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/numa.php and it's obviously a fellow lover of the song. Really got me giggling and dancing around this morning.

And other great news - Nikki got accepted at Central St Martins!! She's coming over in a few weeks to visit the school. She trying to decide between St Martins and UC San Diego. I can't imagine what it would be like to actually have family nearby. Fingers crossed that St Martins knows how to impress her.

OK, I'm going to go have another peanut butter and banana sandwich, take my medicine and rest.

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Ugh

Exhausting day today. I made the mistake of letting Tobes nap yesterday which meant that he didn't go to sleep until 9.30 last night. Fine. Then he can sleep a bit later in the morning. You would think. Nope, he was up at the ungodly hour of 5.30am. I managed to get him to sleep again from 7.30-8.30 but then I had to wake him up to get ready for school. He was not a happy chappie.

And that pretty much set the tone for the whole day. We're both tired and cranky and it's been very hard work. Went to see some friends this afternoon and I had to wrestle Tobes into his shoes and coat at the end of the visit with him screaming and trying to kick me. Of course, this was after half an hour of gentle persuasion first.

J's out tonight so I'm going to get Tobes down by 7.00 and then I'm going to crash. I'm helping out at preschool tomorrow and we're getting the house valued tomorrow afternoon. So, no rest for the wicked it seems.

Monday, March 07, 2005

A few things I've learned in England

A cup of tea makes everything better.

Money is not a measure of success.


Baked beans go with everything.


What you do is not the same as who you are.


A little dust never killed anyone.


The ability to have an intelligent conversation is more important than what you look like, wear or drive.


Youth passes but character lasts forever.


Spotted Dick, Toad in the Hole and Bubble & Squeak are actually delicious dishes and not situations which require a doctor.


Imperfection is interesting.


Bad things happen but life goes on.


There's always time for a cup of tea.

Saturday, March 05, 2005

Every Saturday...

...Jason gets up with Toby so I can sleep in. I return the favour on Sunday mornings. On Saturdays they get up and go to breakfast at our local greasy spoon, the Chestnut Cafe, then go to Tumble Tots. This morning I had an early hair appointment in the village and asked if I could tag along for breakfast. When we walked into the cafe it was like Norm walking into Cheers. Almost every person in the room turned and said 'Hey, it's Toby!' and a little girl ran over and offered Tobes a lollipop. I felt like I was with a movie star. Very strange when your children have a social life you know nothing about.

We looked at another flat in Blackheath today but it wasn't right either. I think we've just about decided to stay in Chislehurst until the new year. We're both feeling quite tired at the moment and just want to step back from The Move and focus on something else for a while. I'm sure I'll still check the property sites at least once a week and I still want for J to see The Flat if/when it comes back on the market, but we're going to mentally step back for a bit.

And, tomorrow is UK Mother's Day. Why March instead of May like in the States? Well, I've actually thought about this and wonder if there's a religious connection. If Jesus's birthday is 25 December then wouldn't the annunciation (when Mary became pregnant) have been around mid-March? Just a theory of mine, totally unproven, but I think it could have some merit. I don't think I've ever heard a date for the annunciation before but in paintings it often seems to be springtime. Anyone have any idea?

For my Mother's Day I don't plan to be visited by angels, unless you count Toby and Mary Catherine, but we're meeting up with Elizabeth, Andrew and MC at Chilli's at Canary Wharf. It's going to be a Mother's Day/Texas Independence Day celebration. Cannot wait. I hope they still do the Awesome Blossom. I giant fried onion would really hit the spot.

Friday, March 04, 2005

Bye Bye Hewlitt Packard

I wrote a long entry on Wednesday, tried to upload it and everything crashed. My computer is on its last legs. I've got it running this morning but I will keep this short to try to prevent another day without an entry.

Needless to say, I'll probably be a bit quiet until we get a new computer sorted out. Do let me know if you have any recommendations. I'll be able to check email and post updates with J's computer.

Hope you're all well. Will be back soon!