The thrills never end

Yesterday South East London was in gridlock because the Blackwall Tunnel was closed due to a petrol spill. It was so bad that they had to resurface the tunnel before they could reopen it. Our friends Elizabeth & Andrew live north of the river but their daughter Mary Catherine goes to school here in Blackheath, south of the river. Yesterday it took them FIVE hours to make the journey. You can check out Elizabeth's blog for more details.

Well, the tunnel was due to be closed all night and the alternative routes are all nightmarish, especially so when half of London is on the roads and in a bad mood. So Elizabeth and Mary Catherine stayed with us last night. Slumber party! Elizabeth had her gym bag so was somewhat prepared for an overnight stay but they stopped off at Sainsbury's for a few other items. Of course, we stayed up way too late talking, looking at magazines and criticising all the clothes.

By the time I went to bed it was almost 1am. I had been in bed a few minutes when it felt like the bed started moving. My first thought was "What the hell are the neighbors up to?!?". Then I heard the stairgate banging in the hall and the wardrobe doors rattling... a familiar sound from our time in Tokyo... but that only happend when there was AN EARTHQUAKE!

I waited until it passed and then waited to see if there was going to be an aftershock. Sometimes they're worse than the actual quake. Finally I came downstairs where Jason was still up working at the computer. He was tapping away when I walked in, "Did you just feel that?" "What?" "I think we just had an eartquake." Jason looked at me with his 'oh, isn't she cute' face and I started to feel a little silly but I couldn't deny the stairgate banging. "I'm sure it was an earthquake." Jason hadn't felt a thing but then he slept through lots of earthquakes in Tokyo and an IRA bomb going off about 200 yards from our flat once.

Thankfully this morning the big story was the biggest earthquake to hit the UK in 25 years. I'm not crazy. Well, you know.

[Chris & Annelouise, did you feel it? I thought of you guys. I did NOT lose control of my movements, thank God!]

More half-term

A few more pics from Toby's half-term. He's back at school tomorrow and we're both really sad about it. We've had such a lovely week topped off by a fantastic weekend. We went to the funfair on Tuesday, had Philippa and Joseph over on Wednesday and went into town on Thursday. I had hoped to see the From Russia exhibition at the Royal Academy but it was heaving. I had no idea it was such a popular show but people were lined up out into the courtyard and it would've been no fun fighting the crowds with a stroller. I'll have to go back on my own.

We did have a nice lunch with my friend Natasha in the RA's restaurant then Natasha took us 'behind the scenes' in the art college (she works there). She showed Toby the life drawing room where students have been studying for hundreds of years. Way back in the day the school would be given the bodies of executed convicts which would then be flayed (have all the skin removed) and posed so that the students could study and draw the exposed musculature. They even had a statue of a flayed horse and lots of different skeletons which Tobes thought was very cool.

After our bit of culture we went to kiddy consumer heaven - Hamley's, the huge toystore. We spent ages going from floor to floor trying out toys. The kids drew a crowd when they started testing the whoopee cushions. Tobes got a Ben 10 toy and a magic trick. He's very into his magic tricks at the moment. Rosie chose her first Barbie! She wanted one that we bought Kate for Christmas. It's a fairy Barbie and she sings when you push her necklace. I thought Barbies were a few years off for Rosie but she loves it.

On Friday morning we met friends in the park and then within a couple of hours of each other Jenny arrived with her kids, J came home from California and Kieran came out after working in London all week. Jack and Kate are like cousins to Toby and Rosie and I love seeing them all together. It reminds me of all the fun I had playing with my cousins when I was growing up. Jen and I managed to sneak out to the pub for a drink and then Jason and Kieran did the same when Jen and I were putting the kids to bed.

We had a great Saturday morning and a quiet afternoon. Jenny, Kieran and their kids went off to the Museum of London for a project of Jack's at school while we hung around the village. They came back for dinner and they guys went off to watch the rugby before they had to head back up to Cambridge.

Today we had Pete, Philippa and Joseph over for Sunday lunch. I was trying out a new recipe for chicken, leek and tarragon pie and was a bit worried that it wouldn't turn out nice but it was delicious. In the afternoon J and Toby went off to do some swimming and Rosie and I watched The Night Garden and had a snacky dinner.

It's been such a nice week but now the next big thing on my calendar is our trip to the States!

Excerpt from my bedtime chat with Toby

"I really miss Daddy because he's funny and even when he knows a magic trick isn't really magic he still says 'Wow!' and he always gives us a clap and does stuff with us but you don't. You're always cooking or tidying up or on the computer. You know I used to like you more than Daddy but now I like Daddy most. Maybe I'll love you again next year."

This was all said in a very matter-of-fact tone of voice and it broke my heart a little bit but I do understand. A five year old boy needs his Daddy. I said that was fine and I understood and I still loved Toby more than any other boy in the world and then he wanted to talk about why sleepy dust is like bogeys.

Half-term

It's half-term this week which means Toby is off school. Unfortunately, Jason is also in California with work. My survival strategy is to keep busy. Yesterday we had a day of Tutankhamun. The big exhibition is here in London so we've been reading about ancient Egypt, mummies and King Tut.

Yesterday we made our own mummies using teddy bears. Toby likes the bit where you take the brains out through their nose using a metal hook. Hmmm. Then we made and decorated sarcophagus lids for our mummies. After the day of mummy making we headed out to the King Tut exhibition at the O2. Toby loved it. He was running from gallery to gallery shouting "Look! There's an ankh! There's a scarab! There's a canopic jar! Who's guts were in that one, Mummy?!" The only disapointment was that they didn't have Tut's death mask but I guess I'm not surprised. It's far too important to travel around. Tobes has really taken to it all and it's making an Egyptian vacation next year look more likely. I'd love to go. We just have to plan around the heat.

The rest of the week is full of playdates and days out. Today it's the funfair on the heath, tomorrow we have friends coming over, Thursday we're in town for the From Russia exhibition at the Royal Academy and Friday we're meeting friends in the morning, Jason comes back and we're having Jenny, Kieran and they're kids over for the weekend. Busy but fun week.

My Mom is apparently 25 again today...

Happy Birthday Nana

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American passport - done

Rosie is once again a passport-carrying American citizen. Or at least she will be in two weeks when her new passport arrives in the post. It took about two hours at the embassy to get it all sorted out which wasn't so bad.

We did have to stand in the slowest moving line on earth to hand in our paperwork. They had some TV screens set up with BBC News 24 playing (I would've thought they'd go for CNN but whatever). The story about the shooting in Illinois came on and I heard the guy behind us say to his wife "I bet it was a Texan. They're crazy."

Afterwards we had a terrible lunch at a pub in Mayfair. It was really, really bad. The kind of food that tourists have because they think it's authentic and then go home saying how bad the food is in England. I promise, English food is much better than that. Then we walked around Selfridge's for a while and I organised a new watch strap for me.

I love, love, love my watch but the strap is black and I think it'll look too heavy in the spring and summer. I wanted to get a light tan one but the sales assistant said it wouldn't suit the silver colour so I chose a blue one instead. It's soooo lovely but they only have one of the straps in the whole of the UK and it's in the Bond Street shop. That works out well though. Toby has halfterm next week so we can arrange to meet my friend Natasha for lunch at the Royal Academy, go see the new Russian exhibition and get my new strap fitted. I can't wait!

Snapshots from our Valentine's Day

White tablecloth, red floral centrepiece, red chocolate hearts sprinkled across it... and me, Jason, Toby and Rosie all having breakfast together. Including heart-shaped toast. Not a romantic dinner but nice.

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Reading the candy love hearts...

Toby: This one says 'Kiss Me'.

Katherine: This one says 'Be Mine'.

Rosie: Dis one says 'Wosie Wae is pwecious'.

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Rosie received her own special Valentine in the post that was from:

'Your 16 month old secret admirer (and his mum)'

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Me hiding on the stairs so I can eat some of the chocs from my heart-shaped box of chocolates without sharing with the children.

I'm working on renewing the children's passports. Rosie needs her American one renewed and Toby needs to have his British one renewed. The American process is very strict. Jason and I have to go to the embassy together with Rosie, all of our passports, Rosie's birth certificate and a two page form. No mailing it in and I can't do it on my own unless I have a notarised letter from Jason stating that Rosie can have an American passport.

The British process is a little more laid back in some respects. I can do it by post and it's a pretty simple form. Since it's a renewal all they need is Toby's old passport. One thing the British passport does require is a counter-signatory for anyone under 12 years old. This person has to hold a British or Irish passport and to have known us for at least two years. They also must be someone who 'works in a recognisd profession or has good standing in the community'. I find that quite sweet. I mean, how do you determine if someone has good standing in the community? Very helpfully, they provide a list:

Accountant
Airline Pilots
Articled clerk of a limited company
Assurance agent of recognised company
Bank/building society official
Barrister
British Computer Society (BCS) - Professional grades which are Associate (AMBCS), Member (MBCS), Fellow (FBCS) (PN 25/2003)
Broker
Chairman/director of limited company
Chemist
Chiropodist
Christian Science practitioner
Commissioner of oaths
Councillor: local or county
Civil servant (permanent)
Dentist
Designated Premises Supervisors
Director/Manager of a VAT registered Charity
Director/Manager/Personnel Officer of a VAT registered Company
Engineer (with professional qualifications)
Fire service official
Funeral director
Insurance agent (full time) of a recognised company
Journalist
Justice of the Peace
Legal secretary (members and fellows of the Institute of legal secretaries)
Local government officer
Manager/Personnel officer (of limited company)
Member of Parliament
Merchant Navy officer
Minister of a recognised religion
Nurse (SRN and SEN)
Officer of the armed services (active or retired)
Optician
Person with honours (e.g. OBE MBE etc.)
Personal Licensee Holders
Photographer (professional)
Police officer
Post Office official
President/Secretary of a recognised organisation
Salvation Army officer
Social worker
Solicitor
Surveyor
Teacher, lecturer
Trade union officer
Travel agency (qualified)
Valuers and auctioneers (fellow and associate members of the incorporated society)
Warrant officers and Chief Petty Officers

These must be considered the most respectable and trustworthy professions in Britain. Some like police officer and Justice of the Peace I can understand. Others such as chiropodist, Christian Sciences practitioner and valuers and auctioneers seem odd choices. I'm surprised they don't just make it the child's doctor or teacher but then I guess they would end up spending too much time signing passport application forms rather than teaching and diagnosing.

Our Saturday

We've been keeping busy this weekend since Jason is away in India. He rang this morning from a nature reserve in Mumbai so the children could hear all of the monkeys and birds in the background.

We've been doing less exciting stuff here at home but having a nice time. Yesterday we got Toby's hair cut and did some work in the garden. It was an unusually beautiful sunny day and the tree in the garden is in bloom. We opened up the french doors, aired out the house and enjoyed the sunshine.

If you look closely at the photos you can see Tobes is wearing his new Ben 10 T-shirt that says 'Toby 10'. The Ben 10 movie comes out tomorrow and we've been making tops for Toby and his friends. This is the last week of school before the half term break and they can wear mufti on Friday (their own clothes rather than the uniform). They just have to bring a pound donation to charity. We're trying to get the T-shirts done so the boys can all wear them on Friday. It'll be like a Ben 10 invasion!

St Margaret's does Ziggy Stardust

St Margaret's does Ziggy Stardust

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This is from Toby's class assembly on Tuesday. Toby is down on the front row, on the left in a black sweatshirt. Every term (like a semester) each year (grade) does a show about their studies for their parents and the school. There's only one class per year so it's a small school and very close-knit. This term Toby's class has been studying the solar system and space travel. They put on a great show with paper rockets, aliens and a bit about the first man to walk on the moon. I think my favourite line was "That was 1969, a very long time ago, but there are still some old people alive today who can remember it." Mr Wilson is obviously a very cool teacher because he chose this Ziggy Stardust/David Bowie song to end the show. Tobes was singing it for weeks beforehand!

An actress in training

Rosie's faces

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Typical night at our place...

White Boy Dancing

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