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.

**********************

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'.

**********************

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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He's a real fox

Big excitement yesterday, we had a fox in the garden. The urban foxes are so interesting. They're all over London. It's amazing how they've adapted to the city environment but I guess they're safer here than with the hunting parties in the countryside.

This fox was totally fearless and came right up to the backdoor. I think the previous owners left food out for the neighborhood cats and I'm sure the foxes are accustomed to helping themselves too. It's amazing how much wildlife we get in our little garden - pigeons, squirrels and now foxes. The children love it.

One for the wedding speeches...

I went to pick Tobes up from school today and his class came out but he wasn't there. I noticed that none of his group of friends came out either and I started to fear the worst. Sure enough the Headteacher (like the Principal) called me over and asked to speak to me. She explained that Tobes had been involved in a game at playtime. It started as a game of Kiss Chase with the girls trying to catch the boys but then one of the girls, I'll call her Emma, told the boys that whoever had the longest willy could marry her. So the boys all got out their willies to compare!! At this point the Headteacher, who is a very nice lady, was trying not to smile and I was shocked but trying to look concerned without laughing. I asked what had happened then and she said that the children were taken to her office and she explained that willies were private and to be kept in trousers and to please not play that game anymore.

Some of the boys were in tears when their parents went into the classroom to get them. Toby was fine. He seemed bemused by all the fuss. I think he was more concerned that he lost the contest, one of his friends won. Emma was downright defiant. She's a firecracker. I fear Rosie will be similiar when she's older. So funny! I did have a little chat with Tobes on the way home about it being inappropriate to get his willy out on the playground and he said he wouldn't do it again. When we got home I had to drag J to the kitchen to tell him about it so we could laugh without Tobes hearing us. Jason's first question - Did Toby win?

Two countries divided by a common language

I used to do this all the time when we lived in Japan, read big news stories and compare the way that they're reported in British and American media. These are some comparable bits from stories about the crash at Heathrow today as reported by CNN and the BBC.

*****
BBC quoting passenger Paul Ventnor: "I could hear the undercarriage come out, and the next moment the plane just dropped."

CNN apparently using the same quote from the UK Press Assoc: "The wheels came out and went for touchdown, and the next moment we just dropped. I couldn't tell you how far."

*****

BBC: Police say the incident was not terror related.

CNN: A spokesman for London's Metropolitan Police said there was nothing to suggest the incident was terror-related.

It's interesting the way CNN keep it that little bit vague like maybe it really was terror-related but we just don't have all the information yet.

*****

BBC: All 136 passengers and 16 crew escaped from the British Airways flight BA038 from Beijing. Eighteen people have been taken to hospital with minor injuries.

CNN: London ambulance services said 17 people suffered minor injuries, and the number could increase as several others are still being assessed.

CNN keeping their options open because you never know, someone might still die from this and that would be better story.

*****

BBC: Part of the undercarriage, including two wheels were torn off, and there was some damage to the wings.

CNN: The undercarriage, left wing and left engine of the aircraft were severely damaged, as if it had skidded across the ground. At least one of the plane's wheels had been torn off. The most visible damage was to the left wing, which was covered in mangled metal where it meets the fuselage.

CNN working in a bit more drama.

*****

BBC: Aviation expert Kieran Daly, from Flight International magazine, said not a single Boeing 777 had been lost in a crash since the aircraft was launched in 1995.

CNN: The Boeing 777 is the mainstay of many airlines' long-haul fleets and has never been involved in a fatal accident. However, the aircraft involved in Thursday's incident appeared to have had a fortunate escape, having approached Heathrow over heavily-populated west London suburbs before its crash landing.

CNN again trying to add drama by suggesting what might have happened.

*****

BBC: The incident happened on the south runway at 1242 GMT, as Prime Minister Gordon Brown was due to leave Heathrow for China and India. His flight was delayed because of the incident.

CNN: The incident occurred at 12:42 p.m. (7:42 a.m. ET) as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was due to leave Heathrow for a visit to China and India. His flight was delayed but his jet was not directly involved, PA said.

His jet wasn't just not directly involved, it wasn't involved AT ALL. Why do they feel the need to use such suggestive and misleading language??

*****

The BBC generally just report the facts with no embroidery or editorial exaggeration. CNN seems to be writing a screenplay. Why is that?

I've been tagged...

I now tag Nikki and Mary...


1. Coolest birthday you remember: The one that comes to mind is my 13th. It was a kidnap party and we went around to my friends' houses at 6am and kidnapped them in their PJs for a fancy breakfast at my house. Mom used all her best china and we drank juice from wine glasses. I felt very grown up.

2. Do you prefer hosting parties or attending as a guest? I love hosting. I'm never happier than when planning menus and party favours though these days the parties are usually based around Power Rangers and Dora the Explorer.

3. What color is your bedroom? The walls are ivory and the furnishings are cream, duck egg blue and a light coffee colour.

4. Do you and your man have a song? Actually we do. It's Can't Help Falling in Love.

5. What were/will be your wedding colors? Would you change them? If I remember correctly my wedding colours were determined by the colour of dress Nikki wanted to wear as bridesmaid, which was a dusky rose colour. I thought it was lovely and wouldn't change it.

6. Ever sneak out of the house or host a wild bash while the 'rents were away? What's your wild child tale? I never snuck out or hosted wild parties. I think the naughtiest thing I did was go to the UT/OU rally downtown when Mom and Dad had specifically told me not to. It's a crazy street party and people were climbing all over the car and shoe polishing the windows so Angie and I had to wash the car and make sure there was no sign of the graffiti or the fact that we washed it before I went home. My Dad was a police officer and never missed a detail.

7. You just won the lottery! Do you stash your cash or pass the bucks? What are the first 3 things you'd do? Assuming I've won a huge jackpot I'd buy a house, buy J the Astin Martin he wants (so he would shut up about a sports car for God's sake) and put loads away for the children's educations. Then I'd set up investments for our families so they'd always have regular income and organise an amazing year long trip around the world for us while the new house was made absolutely perfect.

8. You oughta' be in pictures...which actress stars as you in a movie of your life's story? If I'm choosing then Diane Keaton. I love her.

9. What's your go-to meal for quick comfort? If I'm down or getting over an illness it's always peanut butter and jelly on white bread. Usually in bed.

10. Everyone has ups and downs. What's your hardest learned lesson? That there's no right to happiness, only a right to pursue it.

11. What advice would you give to 18 year-old you? Put down the hairspray! And you're lovely and you'll be fine.

12. Favorite board game: Trivial Pursuit though my version is so old now that a lot of the questions are out of date.

13. Dish it! What's your "me time" guilty pleasure? Coffee and a good book all by myself.

14. What's one thing you'd like to learn to do in 2008? Hmmm, I can't think of anything new I'd like to learn. I'd just like to get better at doing the things I already do.

A recent column in The Times has been ruffling feathers with British women. I hesitate to give it further publicity but I'd like to hear your comments.

It's here.

Discuss...

37 and still smiling... well kinda

Thank you so much for all of the birthday wishes! I've had a lovely day. I was woken up with cards and presents, including a heart-shaped box of chocolates which I love. After breakfast we started the day with birthday cake before Toby had to go to school. Jason took the day off work and he took care of Rosie while I went to have my hair done. I was going to go into town to shop but it was pouring with rain so I ended up at Bluewater, a huge shopping mall in Essex, and I shopped, had a nice quiet lunch, had coffee and actually read my book without interruption and had a very nice day to myself.

When I came home with more bags than I could carry we ordered Chinese and spent the evening together playing games and eating more cake. (The diet is obviously on hold.)

I love having time to myself, which is rare these days. I came home refreshed and full of ideas for a big family holiday next year. I read an article about the Trans-Siberian Railway when I was having my hair done. Jason and I talked about doing it before we had children but it wasn't a very child-friendly vacation the last time we looked into it. Last year they added a luxury train to the route and it's back on our list as a possible family vacation. We're also talking about Jordan, Egypt and Greenland. I'm definitely in the mood for planning a new adventure.

OK, I'm just going to say this

I have always worried that Rosie would die very young. When I was pregnant with Toby and when he was first born I could imagine him as a child and a young man and even an old man. I've never been able to do that with Rosie. I've felt for a long time that at the age of three she would leave us or something very bad would happen to her.

Last night I had a very vivid dream that Grandma McClendon, who died early last year, came to get Rosie. Grandma was still old but she was happy and healthy and though I was sad to lose Rosie I was glad that at least she would be with Grandma. I hate dreams like that. It feels too much like a premonition.

I'm typing this now because when you have this kind of feeling and you tell someone then the thing you're worried about never happens. It's when you keep it to yourself that you think "I knew it and I did nothing about it!". So there. It's out on the wind, hopefully to be blown very very far away.

What it's all about

Crazy, hectic day today with lots of stops and starts. Went to Rosie's music class to discover that it was full and I had forgotton to rebook. Luckily, they had spaces on the Wenesday morning group but it was a disappointment to Rosie. Then I tried to go to on appointment with an osteopath because my back has been bothering me again. I went to the wrong clinic and had to haul ass across town to get to the right one. Then I couldn't find it and parked, got Rosie out of the car and into the stroller three different times before I was almost in tears but finally found the place. They were very understanding and managed to squeeze me in for a shorter appointment. It's made a difference already.

Toby started his new drama class today. It's at 4.30, which is too late to go straight there from school but only gives us about half an hour at home before we have to leave again. Lots of other children from the school are taking the class and we invited Toby's friend Finn and his mom and sister to come back to ours for a quick snack and a cup of tea before class. Once we were in the playground I started inviting everyone back. We ended up with eight children running around the playroom, eating cheese strings and having a great time and four mums drinking tea and gossiping in the living room. Then it was time to get everyone's shoes and coats on and out the door for class. Talk about chaos! I was in heaven.

Feeling my mortality

A few things happened over the holidays that have put me in a pensive mood. First off, the old witch who lived across the street from us when we were in the flat walked past the house while I was taking out the rubbish and stopped to chat. She knows everything that happens on the street and I could see that she wanted to know about our move. She was obviously in a happy mood because her parting shot was "It must be nice to have more space with the children. You look much happier in the house. I'd see you coming out of the flat looking miserable all the time. Ta ta, dear."

Then J's parents gave me some lovely silky PJs and a robe saying "I know you like to be comfortable but..." This got me thinking. I do dress for comfort over just about everything else - style, suitability and sometimes even cleanliness. Good lord, what has happened to me?

Then I was looking in the bathroom mirror and found loads of white hairs. Not the usual one or two that I've been plucking out since my twenties but a real sprinkling of white hair at each temple. After a mad ten minutes with the tweezers I felt better but I know they'll be back... and next time they'll bring friends.

And of course my birthday is coming up. 37. No longer "mid-30s". I'm over the hump and skidding into 40 now. How on earth did that happen?

My pattern seems to be that when a baby is born I utterly dedicate myself to them for the first two years. When Toby was two I had to have a small operation and when they woke me from the general anaesthetic my first words were "That's the best sleep I've had in two years." Well, Rosie is now two and it's time I started looking after myself a bit better. That's my New Year's resolution and I'm kicking it off with a shopping spree on my birthday. Time to pull myself together again.

Happy 2008!

Happy holidays from us!

Phase 1 - Complete

OK, I finished Phase 1 of the Christmas grocery shopping today. All of the meat, root vegetables and dry goods are safely tucked away in the kitchen. Well, apart from the turkey and gammon joint. Our fridge is too small to accomodate everything so the meats are in a big plastic bin in the garden with a lead weight on top of the lid to keep out the foxes. It'll stay nice and cold until I start cooking them, starting with the gammon on Christmas Eve (Barry, I know you don't like ham so I have some chicken breasts for you.) I'll complete Phase 2 on Christmas Eve with the breads, salads, fruits and creams. All those things that are best eaten very fresh.

The grocery store was a madhouse, but at least a good natured one. Everyone was filled with the Christmas spirit and there were lots of smiles and jokey jostling over the brussels sprouts.

Jason has gone out to do the last of the Christmas present shopping. We're very behind this year because of the move and our near constant state of illness over the last few weeks. I've got to do the American presents online tonight (you'll never guess what you're getting... no, it's something different this year... well, slightly).

And to end on a jolly note - Rosie's latest habit is saying that she loves everything. We saw some reindeer at a Christmas fair and Rosie started shouting "I love reindeer!". It can be anything... looking at smoke detectors at B&Q "I love those!". Right now she's behind me shouting "I love grapes!" Well, today Jason was taking care of Rosie while Toby and I did the shopping. They had a drink in Starbucks and then J needed to go to the loo. Rosie was standing by the loo door saying "Are you doing a wee Daddy? I can see your willy Daddy."... and then very loudly "I LOVE YOUR WILLY DADDY!" Ah, that's one for the memory book.

Whew! We're in.

I can't believe it's been almost a week since we moved into the house. I think because we still had the flat until Friday it felt like we hadn't totally left yet. Having the flat that bit longer was both good, because we weren't totally rushed on the moving day, and bad because we couldn't totally let go. God bless J for going back to the flat Thursday night to clean and collect the rest of our bits and bobs that were there. I'm so glad to have my paper towel holder! Yes, Nik, it's the one that you brought over for me. The one that was mistaken for a vibrator. I love that paper towel holder.

Unfortunately we've all been quite ill with a bad strain of cold or virus which means it's taking much longer to get rid of all the boxes. I'm typing this now surrounded by boxes holding books and office stuff. I'll be very glad once they're all empty and gone.

The kitchen is mostly sorted out but we still have some work to do in the bathroom. Need to get some blinds up (how can someone have a bathroom with big windows and no blinds or curtains?!), need to get the medicine cabinet sorted out and a few other things like that. No pictures on the walls yet either, but there's time. Toby and Jason finish school and work on Wednesday and then they're both off until after New Year so we'll be able to get some stuff done over the holidays.

J's parents are coming down for Christmas and I'm very relieved that we managed to get the sofabed delivered out of storage in time. We weren't sure if it was going to happen. Hopefully things will be reasonably calm by the time they arrive on Christmas Eve. It's just going to be a bit of a chaotic, disorganised Christmas this year. (Note to self: Must buy some presents!)

I have been calming my moving/illness nerves by watching the Nigella Christmas Special on a loop. I've also watched Gary Rhodes Christmas and the new James Martin Christmas Feast a couple hundred times too. Something about watching people cook food is so calming. I'm thinking about doing the Christmas pancakes for Christmas morning. They sound easy and I can make them in advance and just warm them up on the day. Anything to make life easier right now!

No turning back now

The movers came today and packed most of the flat. Tomorrow is the big day. It's all going smoothly so far (touch wood) but poor Rosie is in a tiz. She's walking from room to room saying "Where Toby's toys?! Where MY toys?". We've tried to explain to her about moving to the new house and having a big playroom but it's a lot for a two year old to understand.

J and I both have colds and are heavily medicated but I think the decongestants are taking the edge off the stress and we're both pretty mellow. God bless drugs.

Now we just have to get there and get everything out of the boxes and put in an appropriate place. Daunting but I do love organising and I'm sure the old obsessive compulsive urge will kick in and sort everything out.

Oh yea, we still haven't exchanged contracts on the flat so the earliest the Canadians will move in is Friday. That does take some of the stress out of tomorrow as normally we would need to be gone by noon. It does add some concern that we might not sell the flat in the end but J has Plan A, B and C to cover all eventualities and I'm happy to leave it in his hands. I've run out of worry.

Finally some pics

Rosie and her new kitchen




Toby performing with the school drama club




Rosie with her party hat and bag at Mary Catherine's birthday party (Annie Hall eat your heart out)

The bad karma continues...

Just picked Toby up from school and was told that he was involved in an 'incident' today. He and two other boys dunked another boy's coat in a puddle. The school takes these things very seriously and I'm worried that Toby is going to get labelled a bully. It's not the first 'incident' in which he's been involved. I think Tobes is usually a bystander rather than an instigator but it's still not good.

And now our phones don't seem to be working. They were working this morning. I have a sneaking suspicion that our phone provider might've disconnected us early. They are so crap. That would just be the icing on the cake of my day.

OK, I know I promised pics...

... but I need to vent. Have you ever gone through one of those times when nothing seems to work? We've had all the house stuff this week and now everything seems off kilter. Bad karma in the air. It's the little things that are killing me.

For example, yesterday a little brother of one of Toby's friends kicked the milk bottles off of our porch. I guess he didn't realise that they were glass. There was broken glass everywhere. Thankfully and amazingly no one was hurt but it was not a great end to what had already been a stressful afternoon.

Earlier in the day I tried to cheer myself up with a little Christmas shopping. I bought a few rolls of wrapping paper and some snowflake window stickers for the children. As I was walking across the parking lot back to the car the bag split and rolls of wrapping paper went everywhere across the wet pavement. I had to get on my hands and knees to dig some out from under a car and the whole time Rosie was shouting at me because she was hungry.

After lunch we went to get a few groceries. I was using a handheld basket since we just needed a few things. Halfway through shopping the handle broke on the basket and my shopping went everywhere. At the same time Rosie jumped out of the stroller which promptly fell over without her to balance out the weight of the nappy bag on the back. Groceries, nappies, toys all over the place. I must've looked like a madwoman because one guy stopped to help me then asked "Are you OK?... Are you sure?"

Today we had a stressful morning getting Tobes ready for school. I had to do some work for the school panto but thought I would go for a quick coffee to treat myself and hopefully calm down a bit. As I was getting Rosie out of the car her stroller (empty) started rolling into the road. A nice man grabbed it before it was hit by a car and brought it back to me. Again I was asked "Are you OK? Are you sure?"

Then I went to buy a parking ticket and pushed the Coin Return button rather than Print Ticket button TWICE before finally getting my ticket. I was ready to kill someone at that point.

I did have a nice coffee with Marija at Costa then went off to work on the seat allocation for the panto at another mum's house. While there I managed to fall down the stairs. Yes, my ass is still suffering from the bumpy ride down. I didn't fall all the way to the bottom but it was close. I also spilled tea down my jumper and choked on a biscuit.

We finally came home, dropping nappies in the street on the way. I'm tempted to not leave the house for a few days. It's just too dangerous.

No wonder it was so crap

I've been counting up our house moves...

1. May 1992 - We move me from San Marcos into our first apartment in Austin. I have to drive the big U-haul because J doesn't have a US drivers licence.

2. Dec 1993 - We move from Texas to England and live with Jason's parents in Raunds.

3. April 1994 - We move in with Jason't friend Craig in St Neots. Very "Three's Company".

4. June 1994 - We move into our first flat in Cambridge on Newmarket Road AKA "The Condemned Building".

5. June 1996 - We decide to try living in the country and move to Stow-cum-Quy into a 250 year old cottage with no central heating and ninja mice.

6. June 1997 - We move back into Cambridge and live across the hall from Jenny & Kieran in Chichester House. Happy times.

7. January 2000 - We kick off the millennium by moving to London and have a tiny flat on Glentham Road in Barnes. Still manage to play cricket in the hallway during one rainy Boatrace day.

8. March 2001 - Move to Japan and have a 7th floor apartment in Kio-cho, Chiyoda-ku in Tokyo, just down the road from the Imperial Palace.

9. March 2002 - Back in the UK and we head back to Barnes. This time we're on Castelnau Gardens which becomes Toby's first home.

10. March 2003 - Follow friends and move out of London to a flat in Mulbarton Court, Chislehurst, Kent.

11. October 2003 - Buy a little two bed Victorian terraced house in Chislehurst.

12. October 2005 - Miss London too much and while the rest of our friends are moving deeper into Kent we buy a flat in Blackheath, SE London. Rosie is born two weeks after we move in.

13. 2007 - Our thirteenth move. The one that didn't happen...

Yep, it's happened

Our house purchase completely fell apart today. Thank goodness we saw it coming or I would be freaking out even more than I already am. I do feel more calm than I did this weekend. I think it was the not knowing that was the worst for me. Now that the decision has been made I just want to get on with what we need to do. Activity is always better than sitting around waiting.

So, we've found a lovely house to rent already. It's right here on Quentin Road so it'll be less of an upheaval for the children. Toby does not react well to a move and I have no idea what Rosie will be like but we thought it best to at least stay in the same neighborhood. We'll be seven doors down from Toby's best friend, Max, which does smooth things over with Tobes a bit. The house has a HUGE cellar so we can easily store things at the house if we need to. All in all, we'll be fine.

Now I just want to get there so we can put up a Christmas tree and enjoy the rest of the year. We're hoping to move next week but our usual movers can only do Monday or Tuesday and it looks like we won't be able to move until later in the week (of course, nothing is ever easy is it) so I've got to find a new moving company. Our buyers need to move in by the 15th so it'll happen sometime next week. Just got to coordinate it all now.

If you want to check out the rental house it's here and it's a 4-bed house on Quentin Road in Lewisham.

F*ck the diet

OK, I only put the star there because I know moms, dads, aunts, uncles, etc sometimes read this blog. The sentiment is uncensored. I need carbs, chocolate and fried food to deal with the stress of this godawful house move. We've hit yet another snag and this one is a doozy. I won't bore you with the gory details but we've decided that whatever happens with our purchase we're still going to sell the flat. This means that I've started looking at rental properties as a fallback. It makes my stomach hurt just thinking about it.

Renting again. Living in someone else's house. Yuck. There are some possible financial benefits to renting for six months and then trying to buy again. There are also some possible mental and emotional drawbacks. Moving twice in one year! Not that we haven't done that before but we didn't have two small children last time. It would be a lot of work and a lot of upheaval. Not to mention the disappointment of not getting the house. The one I've been decorating and nesting in in my head for the last six months. This totally and utterly sucks.

Oh yes, AND if we're in the midst of chaos and confusion and moving on 10 December I'll have to cancel my trip to see Nikki in Romania. My head and heart just can't take all that at once. Not to mention what an unpopular decision it would be with Jason if I waltzed off in the middle of it all. Man, I've got the real estate blues.

Pics to come soon. I know this blog must be getting so boring with nothing but belly-aching and no visuals.

It's just logical

I'm eating a pint of Baileys Haagen-Dazs for dinner. There is a legitimate reason for this and if you just stick around I'll explain it...

It starts on Monday when I was grocery shopping. Toby's friend Solar was coming around for tea on Tuesday and I thought I would let the kids make ice cream sundaes for their dessert. They were having a special buy one get one free on Haagen-Dazs so I got a pint of vanilla for the kids and a pint of Baileys for whenever.

Tuesday comes and the children all have sundaes. Wednesday night Toby and Rosie have sundaes for dessert again and the vanilla is all gone. The Baileys is still untouched.

Tonight I talk to Kellie on the phone. She's convinced Jason to run the Chicago marathon next year with her and she's started training for it. She decided to do Weight Watchers at the same time and she's lost over ten pounds in the last six weeks. This means that I have to start a diet immediately, like tomorrow. Guys, that probably makes no sense but just imagine if your best mate goes out and buys a fancy sports car or one of those new Apple phone thingies. You're really happy for them but at the same time you're desperate to beat or at least match them for pure coolness.

Anyway, there's no way I can diet with a pint of Baileys sitting in the freezer shouting my name so I have to eat the whole pint. Tonight. Right now. You know, just to get it out of the house. See, it all makes perfect sense.

Ho-leee crap

Well, we're still trying to progress the move. We've been aiming to exchange this week and move on Friday 7 December. Unfortunately our moving company is already booked that date. Aaarrrgh!! They are free on the 6th and 10th December so I've asked for contracts for those dates and J and I need to pick one and send it off ASAP or miss out. The company, Russell Fewins, have moved us the last two times and I hate to even imagine trying to find another company at this late date.

Now we just have to make sure we actually can move on one of those dates. I think we should aim for Monday 10 December. There is so much going on at the moment with school events and the holidays that no date is going to be very convenient. I do have a group of mums coming over to our place (wherever that may be) on the 12th December to get raffle tickets ready for the Christmas Fair. Oh, and I'm going to be in Romania the 8-9 December. That will be fun for J. Ah, what calm stress-free lives we lead.

Ho ho ho!!

Well, I hate to be smug (because it always comes back to bite me in the ass) but I've done almost all of the Christmas shopping for the children. I was going to wait until after the move but I noticed that a lot of the things that I was planning to buy, and that Toby put on his Christmas list six weeks ago, were already starting to sell out. I decided to just go for it and I've been able to get almoost everything. Whew!

Now we just have to find places to hide it all. Not easy when the gifts include two small armchairs. Oh well, with all the moving stuff it'll be easy enough to hide a few big boxes.

Now is the really hard part... waiting until Christmas. I'm so excited I could go wake them up right now and give them their presents. I can't wait to see their little faces on Christmas morning.

Finally getting excited

Yesterday we went to the new house to do some measuring. Over the last few weeks we've had lots of hold ups with the move. I won't bore you with the details but more than once we thought it might not happen at all. I've been really down about it all. I hate instability. I'm the kind of person who likes to know what's happening next. Well, at long last things seem to be moving ahead again. We're hoping to exchange next week and move in the week after. Hurrah!

It was so great to see the house again. I just love it. It was a really cold day yesterday but the house was warm and cozy. The flat is always cold and I was a bit concerned about the loft conversion in the house but it was toasty. With the delays we won't have time to do much painting before Christmas but it'll be fine. It's just such a lovely house with good light and nice proportions. I can't wait to get there.

Not only will we be in a new house but we'll be in a new area too. Still only about a 15 minute walk to Blackheath Village but Lee Gree/Hither Green is like a little village itself. It's smaller and not as affluent as Blackheath but it's very up and coming. I've joined a group on Facebook called "Come Hither to Hither Green" and found some great links with info about the area.

The best one is: http://www.myhithergreen.co.uk/ I love the headline "Highly Contagious Dog Virus in the Village". One of the headlines worried me for a moment then I read it more clearly. It's "Pensioner Has Attack on Bus". At first I thought an old lady had been attacked but no, she actually had some chest pains and they had to stop the bus in Hither Green so she could be cared for and taken to hospital. Now that's news.

And a bit of history about Hither Green:

"There were several greens in Lewisham, and two of them were called Hither (nearer) Green and Further Green. Hither Green, near the entrance to the former hospital, was on the site of a hamlet called Romborough, which had not been inhabited since the time of the Black Death.

Hither Green was a wooded area in the Middle Ages, but by the eighteenth century the trees had mostly been felled, and the first houses were built. More houses followed in the nineteenth century, many of them substantial residences. Mountsfield, for instance, was the home of Henry Tibbats Stainton, a famous entomologist. The grounds of this house became the core of Mountsfield Park, which opened in 1905 - it has since been enlarged several times.

The Park Fever Hospital (later called Hither Green Hospital) was opened in 1897 for the treatment of infectious diseases such as scarlet fever or diphtheria. After the Second World War, when it suffered severe damage from bombs, other cases were also treated there. In 1997, after a century of service, the hospital closed and site was developed as housing.

Hither Green railway station was opened on May 1, 1895. It was nationalised in 1947. On 5 November 1967, an express train from Hastings to Charing Cross derailed outside Hither Green station, killing 49 passengers."

Obviously completely unscripted...

Happy Thanksgiving

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More Thanksgivings

Since we're not really having Thanksgiving here today I've been thinking of more Thanksgivings past. I was just reading Nikki's blog and she mentioned the Thanksgivings we had at Grandma's trailer. It could be jam packed with people, sitting on every possible perch and the floor trying to balance plates on knees. At least one year the weather was warm enough that they put blankets on the grass and the kids were sent outside for a picnic Thanksgiving lunch.

Before Tobes and Rosie were born I always worked on Thanksgiving Day. I remember our first Thanksgiving in England. We were so broke but I came home from work and managed to have roast chicken, mashed potatoes and broccoli. I was so proud I even took some photos of the food.

Another year I was at a meeting at the Imperial War Museum on Thanksgiving day and feeling very homesick and sorry for myself. We all had lunch in the museum cafe and I realised that there was a table of elderly American men next to us. I went over to wish them a happy Thanksgiving and we started chatting. They were WWII veterans. The five of them had reunited after fifty years for a memorial trip around Europe. Charming, inspiring men. Just chatting with them for a few minutes made it a memorable Thanksgiving day.

Nostalgic day

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I'm feeling a bit sad. It's not a holiday here so Jason will be going to work and Toby to school. I have made some turkey-shaped cookies decorated with the candy corn I bought online for Toby to take to school. Usually we would have a big traditional meal at the weekend with friends but this year we have no plans. The flat isn't suited for big groups but I think I'll probaby do a mini-meal on Sunday with chicken for the four of us. I can't imagine a Thanksgiving going by without sweet potatoes and marshmallows or pumpkin pie.

The cookies I made are from Mom's recipe. She makes them every Christmas. I made them with butter instead of Crisco (because we don't have Crisco here) and wondered if they would taste very different. But they don't. They are exactly the same. My first bite almost took my breath away, it was so full of memories. Even now I feel weepy with nostalgia just thinking about it.

My expat grocery order is coming in handy today. I'm drinking a cup of General Foods International Coffee Cafe Mocha. I really wanted the Cafe Vienna but the trouble with expat shopping is that you have to just take whatever is available. The Mocha works though. I love these coffess though I know they are about as far from real coffee as one can get. In fact, they weren't legal to sell here for a long time because they fail the European Trades Description Act for coffee. The same for Velveeta, it can't legally be called cheese in Europe. I don't know how they're managing to sell the coffee now but it's nice to get it every once in awhile.

I've been thinking about Thanksgivings past today and included a couple of photos. I think my most memorable Thanksgiving is the one we spent in Tokyo. Our apartment was Japanese so we didn't have an oven, just a tiny fish grill. I did have a small microwave with a convection oven and managed to make a pumpkin pie but we went out for the big meal. Our favourite restaurant, Westpark Cafe, did a good job with the turkey and sweet potatoes and we filled a long table with friends and had a great time. We went back to our place for pumpkin pie, henceforth known as marrow pie (thank you Chris) and I remember the guys standing on the balcony talking and laughing and me, Nikki and Annelouise sitting at the table, drinking red wine and bemoaning our childlessness, though Annelouise and I would soon discover that we were actually pregnant at the time. Toby and Rowan were born a week apart.

That was in 2001. In 1997 I was in the hospital on Thanksgiving day having a breast lump removed. I remember the stress of the morning, realising they mistakenly had me down for a mastectomy. Thank God I'm a nosy, sometimes bolshy, bird and read through my file then raised the roof when I discovered the mistake. Luckily the day is more memorable now for when I came out of surgery and Jason was there waiting for me. We had been married for five years by then but I fell in love with him all over again just seeing the look of relief on his face when I came out alive.

And then last Thanksgiving was a special one too. We went to Texas and spent the holiday at Mom and Dad's. It was Rosie's first trip to Texas and she was right at home. Jon and Angie were expecting Ian, Nikki came in from San Diego and the whole family was together. I wonder when we'll have a Thanksgiving like that again.

Overheard...

Toby: Look Rosie, I can pick you up now... [Grunting sound and Rosie laughing]... and when we have the new baby you can pick her up. Won't that be lovely! [No, I am not pregnant nor do I plan to be anytime soon!]

*********************

Toby singing Avril Lavigne's I Don't Like Your Girlfriend in the living room with Rosie chiming in on the "No way! No way!" part.

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Toby while holding his crotch: "Mommy my tentacles are hurting."

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Rosie, after Toby shows her the picture he's drawn "Das lubby, dahlin" (That's lovely, darling).

*********************

During the rugby World Cup recently Jason was dreamily talking about Toby playing for England one day. I said that Rosie is the more likely rugby player in the family and this was proved correct in her music class last week. We were singing a new song where we all sit in a circle and the teacher gently rolls a ball to a child while singing and the child gently rolls it back. When it was Rosie's turn the ball started coming towards her and right at the last second she stood up and booted it across the room! Everyone was so shocked and it almost smacked the teacher in the face. I apologised but I was laughing at the same time so it wasn't a great apology.

Busy, busy, busy

So much has been going on! We went to Cambridge at the end of Toby's half-term for Rosie's birthday. Jason's parents couldn't make it in the end so we had Rosie's party at a local restaurant instead of The Orchard. It was just us, Jenny & Kieran and their children and we had a lovely time. Rosie loved it and even did a decent job of blowing out her candles. Toby gave her a Sleeping Beauty suitcase and Jason and I gave her a Disney Princess play kitchen. Those of you who knew me before Rosie was born please do not remind me of the number of times I said that I would not buy loads of pink stuff for my daughter! Rules like that are made to be broken.

We had a great Halloween with our vampire and pink Power Ranger. Quentin Road was pretty quiet but we went over to see Toby's friend Teddy on Boyne Road and there were loads of trick or treaters. Lots of fun.

Tobes is back at school and they've been studying home architecture. We had our parent/teacher conference last week and the feedback was all good. Tobes has really settled in and loves his teacher, Mr Wilson. I've been busy with my new role as Secretary of the Friends Committee. We had a bake sale at the beginning of the month (note to self: rice crispy treats do not sell in England) and next week is a fundraising fashion show. I've also been revamping the Friends newsletter, typing up some pages for the handbook, making posters for the panto and collecting money for tickets. I'm really enjoying it all.

Jason has been travelling with work. Last week he was in Beijing and Singapore and next week he's in Miami. After that he shouldn't have anymore trips until the new year. Of course, that doesn't mean that things will calm down since we'll hopefully be moving by the end of the month. It's all still moving forward, though slowly. I've been making my plans for Christmas in the new place. I have an idea for a treasure hunt advent calendar for the children and a stack of menu ideas for the holiday period. All good things!

Rosie walking like a penguin

Rosie walking like a penguin

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From Elizabeth's blog...

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Beauty salon receptionist
2. One of those annoying women who squirt you with perfume in a department store
3. Grants officer for an arts charity
4. Mom

[My addition}
Four jobs I have interviewed for but did not get in my life:
1. Underwater mermaid at Aquarena Falls
2. Door to door knife salesman
3. Vet's assistant (I passed out at the interview while he was neutering a cat)
4. Oil company director's PA (I booked and paid for a trip to Budapest instead of Bucharest during my trial period)

Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. To Catch a Thief
2. Rear Window
3. Grease 2
4. Hot Fuzz

Four places I have lived:
1. Mesquite, Tx
2. Cambridge, England
3. Tokyo
4. London, England

Four TV Shows that I watch:
1. Nigella Express
2. Have I Got News for You
3. QI
4. University Challenge

Four places I have been:
1. Prague, Czech Republic
2. Hakone, Japan
3. Sydney, Australia
4. Nacogdoches, Texas

Four People who e-mail me (regularly):
1. Elizabeth
2. Nikki
3. Moms in the Friends group at school
4. Family

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Papa John's pizza
2. Those chocolate desserts that are cake on the outside and goo on the inside
3. Bread & butter
4. Cheese

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. In bed
2. On my parents' couch
3. Sitting in a coffee shop reading a good book
4. On an airplane going somewhere new

Things I am looking forward to this year:
1. Hopefully moving (who knows at this point!)
2. Seeing Toby in the school nativity play.
3. Seeing Rosie's face on Christmas morning. This is the first year that she'll really get it.
4. Going to the Blackheath Christmas Eve procession with our little family.

Half - term

Tobes is off school for half-term this week. So far we've met up with a new friend, a French lady named Isabelle and her little boy Leo-Paul. Toby and I have been to the dentist. No cavities, lovely clean teeth and two wobbly teeth at the bottom (Toby, not me). Today we went to see Marija and her little boy James for lunch. Marija is a really good cook and today was no exception. We came home stuffed and the children were worn out from playing and painting.

Tomorrow Toby's friends Max and Teddy are coming over to play. I've got some Halloween craft stuff for them so they can make black cat and witch magnets. I'm doing some brownies with jack o'lantern sprinkles (many thanks Nikki for that Halloween package in the past, it's still going!) and Toby chose some big pasta tubes which we're serving with pesto for lunch and calling them witch's fingers.

On Friday we're packing and leaving for Cambridge for the weekend. Jenny's little girl has her birthday party on Saturday and we're having a little party at The Orchard for Rosie's second birthday on Sunday. It's just going to be us, J's parents, J's Nana and Jenny's family but I've got some Dora the Explorer napkins and hats and I've made favour bags for the children. I also ordered a Dora cake topper that says "Happy 2nd Birthday Rosie Rae". It arrived today and Toby read it over my shoulder then his jaw dropped and he said "Mommy, how does Dora know Rosie's name?!" So sweet.

So, busy days ahead and then all back to normal on Monday when Toby goes back to school.

American food and family smells

I put in an order today to Skyco which is the expat grocery website I use for a taste of home. This is what I ordered today:

Farley's Candy Corn 12oz £ 1.58
Kraft Jet Puffed Mini White Marshmallows 10.5oz £ 1.59
Peppermint Candy Canes (Red & White) 1 oz £ 2.40
Lifesavers Butter Rum Roll 1.14oz £ 0.81
Lifesavers Wint O Green .84oz £ 0.81
Nabisco Teddy Grahams Cinnamon 10oz £ 3.56
Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Original 170g £ 1.50
General Foods Instant Coffee French Vanilla 226g £ 5.39
Betty Crocker Supermoist Cinnamon Swirl Mix 608g £ 2.56
Betty Crocker Gingerbread Cake Mix 410g £ 2.57
Betty Crocker Pound Cake Mix 454g £ 2.57
Liptons Onion Soup Mix 2pk £ 1.86
Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper Beef Pasta

I got a few things for Halloween and Thanksgiving (the British marshmallows just don't work with yams for some reason, too runny), a few things for Christmas and some treats. I came very close to buying a box of regular Cheerios but at almost $14 I just couldn't justify it. We do get the multi-grain Cheerios here and that will have to do.

As I was going through the groceries I started thinking about the smell of Christmas - cinnamon, pine, cold air and coal fires. And that got me thinking about a study that was recently done on what most people think their parents smell like. They were joking about it on a TV show the other night and I notice that Elizabeth has a link to an article about the study on her blog. The results were surprising only in that they were so stereotypical. Moms smell like laundry detergent and dads smell like motor oil, apparently. Not really how I remember my parents though.

When I think of my Mom I think of cinnamon toast, Dippity Do (though I don't know that Mom ever used it), and two perfumes - Emeraude by Coty and Jontue by Revlon. When I was older it was Sebastian Shaper hairspray and face powder. Smells associated with Dad are leather, gunmetal (Dad was a policeman) Certs and Marlboro cigarettes . The smell of rain and freshly cut grass always reminds me of Dad too. I wonder what the children will remember when they think of us?

From yesterday's school assembly

A couple of videos of Toby at his assembly. The first one is Tobes delivering his line "Please turn off any mobile phones". You can hear me giggling in both videos and in the first one, just as Mr Wilson starts to play the guitar, you can hear Rosie shout "Music!". The special topic for this term has been bears and in the second video the children are pretending to be bears running through a forest during a thunderstorm.


Autumn Year 1 Assembly I

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Autumn Year 1 Assembly II

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It seems I'm constantly writing blog entries in my head then sitting down at the computer and going completely blank. I think it's because I'm usually here at the end of the day when I'm not exactly at my best.

Let's see... Toby has his class assembly at school today. His line was "Please turn off your mobile phones" and he did very well. We could hear him all the way at the back. I've got a few clips from the assembly which I'll post another time.

In the meantime here are a few recent photos. As I was downloading them I realised it's like a Mary Catherine fashion show. MC kindly passed on some of her lovely clothes that she had outgrown and Rosie wears them all the time. I'm sure Elizabeth will recognise the strawberry cardigan and hat and the little sweater dress. We get loads of compliments whenever Rosie wears them so thank you again!

The house move progresses, though slowly. We're hoping to move the week of 19 November. I've been devouring home decorating magazines and trying to channel my energy into jobs that I can do now like getting the sofa re-upholstered and ordering curtains for the new place. I just can't wait to get my hands on the place! Nothing makes my heart beat faster like a new project.

And speaking of projects, I went round to the former Friends secretary's house last night to do a handover of paperwork. I've got three folders full of stuff now and I'm looking forward to getting going. My first meeting as the official new secretary is 30 October and I'm really excited. It's so nice to use my brain a bit more and become a more operative part of the school community.

Still nursing here. Very rough night but I think Tobes is slowly getting better, he's certainly getting more cranky. This morning he corrected my grammar. If he has the energy for that then he must be feeling at least a bit better.

I've been going a bit stir crazy but, fortified with Gu chocolate desserts and a stack of gossip mags, I am surviving. Last weekend we went to Borders and I bought an Us Weekly magazine. I do love the American mags. I was surprised and delighted to see an ad for Alice Temperley at Target of all places! Jason is in the States this week and I've given him a list of everything I like. Hopefully he'll come home with a few treats.

Poorly boy

Tobes is still ill. He was much better on Friday, was out and about this weekend and then last night he took a turn. Fever, rash and a terrible headache which made him sensitive to light. We called NHS Direct and they said we should take him into the hospital so Jason took him down to the Lewisham A&E (Emergency Room).

It was diagnosed as a virus, probably the same one Rosie had, but we learned that Tobes should be taking a higher dose of paracetemol (Tylenol). The over the counter stuff is dosed by age but Toby is a big boy and Jason was told that he should be on the 6+ formula already based on his weight. So, that's why the fever was so difficult to get down. We weren't giving him enough medicine.

Jason left for California this morning and about an hour after he walked out the door Tobes started vomiting. Great. His fever shot up to 102.6 but when I tried to give him any meds he would just vomit them back up. He was even struggling to keep water down. I spent a few hours mopping his brow with a cold cloth and trying to keep him cool and then I remembered the Italian suppositories.

A couple of years ago we were in Venice and Toby developed a fever. On the continent there are a lot of medicines that are taken by suppository including paracetemol. Apparently it's absorbed into the system faster and therefore works faster when taken up the back passage. Of course, they do have tablets too but suppositories are normal as well. Anyway, I dug out the ones prescribed to Toby by the hotel doctor in Italy, checked they were still in date and then... ahem... administered them. Within fifteen minutes Toby's fever came down and he was able to sleep. Magic!

Unfortunately, we only had three left and with the instructions on Toby's new dosage that's just enough for one dose. I have a feeling we're going to need more so I rang the chemist in Blackheath to see if they carried them. They do but they cost 40 pounds for ten!! That's like $80. Good God. I could go to the doctor tomorrow, request a prescription and get them for free but I'm not sure how we would get through the night without them. It looks like I'm going to have to bite the bullet and just pay for them. That is some expensive paracetemol.

Shopping

We're in the depths of another illness phase here. Toby is the latest victim. He's had fevers of 102 degrees since Wednesday afternoon. I went to a school meeting last night and apparently it's a virus that's going around. He's feeling fine right now since he had doses of both Calpol and Nurofen this morning and he and Rosie are snuggled up under Grandma's quilt on the sofa watching Dr Who.

So, I've been doing the Florence Nightingale thing all week, first with Rosie and now with Tobes. But what's a nurse to do trapped in the house all day? Shop online of course! With the house move sometime in November I have a lot to shop for at the moment. We'll need a new washer, dryer and fridge freezer. Such fun shopping for major appliances.

Today it's the fridge freezer. Unfortunately the kitchen is just too small for a big American style side by side model (Elizabeth you are so lucky!) but there are a lot of options. At the moment my favourite is this one. Great features including frost free. I've never had a frost free freezer in England so have spent my adult life chipping out ice and going through the mess of defrosting every six months or so. Absolute heaven to never do that again. I also like this one. It even has plumbed cold water available from the door. No ice, but still a nice little luxury.

But the fridge to have at the moment is this one. Undoubtedly beautiful but look at the price! I'm not sure my thrifty little heart could take that. I spoke to a salesperson about fridges and she said that the Smeg really aren't very good fridges but people love them because of the way they look. They are gorgeous but I'm not sure that they're that gorgeous. What do you think?

Rosie talking

Rosie talking

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