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A swell party

The last time we had a birthday party for the girls was Edith’s first birthday and Astrid’s third. We skipped last year. I’m so tired. I’ve been working weekends and evenings for the last three weeks. Yesterday I baked tarts, cake and cupcakes and today we hosted the party and I’ve been creating an intricate sitemap for work since 7.30pm.

The brilliant news is I’ve perfected the orange blossom and cardamom cake – I even did pink icing for it. The Alsace tart was a winner. Not so much the carrot pie. I’ll work on that recipe.

The girls’ guests had a lovely time at the party. I made party bags for all. They were finished half an hour before the guests arrived at 11am. The face painter came at noon. Kids had lunch then cake at 1pm and everyone left by 2.15pm. Then we went out with my brother’s family for a nice long walk on the Heath and a well earned cup of tea at the caff.

I think ten was the pefect number of children to have at the party. We had enough chairs for everyone including the adults so we didn’t need to call in chair hire! Edith really wasn’t happy near the end – it was all a bit much for everyone I think.

The guests all left happy and I’ve had reports back of children spending the afternoon eating loads of sweets and drawing in their new books, happily leaving their parents in peace for a bit. Happy Birthday girls!! It was a swell party.

First ballet recital

The other Sunday we went to the girls’ first ballet recital. I can’t remember why there wasn’t one last year, although last year I went to see their final ballet performance and I went to end of year festival for Astrid. This year I did neither. I’ve taken so much time off lately while we had an au pair while our nanny was away and I know there’s more of that ahead during Christmas. So Astrid cried this morning that I couldn’t come. And tonight somebody told me about their good friend who’s a photographer who earns bazillions of pounds to work a few days a month.

I know what next year’s goal is now.

My Yquem arrived yesterday. And James came over to work on his site so we tiptoed down to the cellar and opened one of the gift boxes. Ok, well I’m not giving any away so the fancy box was a nice present for us. It is indeed the best wine I’ve ever ever had.

And tonight I was reassured I wasn’t such a terrible cook after all and that simple has its merits.

All in. A good evening.

Autumn by the Heath

Photos from my Lovely UK flickr stream

Well. It would seem we are having an indian summer. People are posting images of the weather forecast on their blogs and twitter streams. Melrose and Morgan have invited us up for coffee and cake. I have fallen off my diet.

But who cares because the sun is shining. Life is exciting and good. London is as beautiful as ever.

Yvonne came to stay again and I have some lovely photos of the things she brought for the girls. Hand made scarves, amazing rainbow leggings and lovely grey knit dresses. We had such a laugh going to see Much ado about Nothing when David Tennant was off sick that night. We were both very much on our diets and eat very little at Wagamana. I spent £16 on a tiny bottle of bubbles that we shared at the start of the play and the next day we went to Canterbury. Poor Yvonne I am such a terrible passenger. And Astrid loved every minute driving down with us, she made her pink Starbucks cake pop thing last all the way from south of the Blackwall Tunnel down to Canterbury.

We had more Wagamama when we got there. Hey, if you’re on a diet it’s pretty amazing lean food. And even Astrid loved it. We conjured up some ace ideas for the end of the year. Books, ideas, photos and some travel.

Tonight I’ve got my headphones on. Loud St Etienne. Loud Kaiser Disco. Loud Smashing Pumpkins.

Life is pretty damn beautiful when it’s an Indian Summer in London.

Yvonne came to stay

And look at that. What a smile she put on Astrid’s face. NOT that you can tell from either photo that Astrid and Edith were really happy this morning.

They loved having a visitor. And they loved even better new dresses from HEMA!

Little mookins pookins

Ah little mimi. Mimi cried and cried and cried that mummy was away. So much so that the others called an ambulance.

It was hard watching that on Skype from the Hamburg office. In the end she went in the car with Daddy and off to sleep she went. She was just missing mummy. Poor little breaky heart.

Too cold for Autumn

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It’s supposed to be only Autumn but already last week I have been out and bought myself the most incredible super padded super warm winter coat from Comptoir des Cottoniers. And this week I am ordering another pair of boots from Trippen so I can at least alternate them through the Winter. I toyed with the idea of shoes but I’d just never be able to wear them in this cold.

Somebody said it was going to snow this week. I wonder if that can be true? I think by the feel of it they weren’t joking. Last night as I was putting Edith to bed – we’ve got her into a bed now – a task that now requires some effort and time as the excitement for her is indeed high and she wants to jump around and hop out of bed a lot before she is tired enough to stay lying down. But last night in her room it was so so cold but the radiators were on maximum and the heating was set to 25 degrees.

And it’s only October. I wonder how clever it was to put all the radiators under the windows and not on the inner walls – because the heat all just goes and slips right out of the glass and out through the drafty cracks. I think we’re definitely going to have to get our heating looked at as the radiators are called narrow somethings and not the big somethings. The narrow ones aren’t very warm – and in our enormous five bedroom house we really need the warm kind for our heating.

Next week we’re getting the chimney sweep around to sort the chimney and then we can have our very first fires ever. I have never ever lived in a house with a proper fire and I can’t wait!

Home, again

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It feels like the run for the finish line is over. Almost. Unpacking and sorting aside. The home we’ve dreamed of. The big London home. With a proper country kitchen. And all white walls. And wooden floors. The home with the sage green front door and a huge old rambling rose tree in the front garden. The home in a beautiful street lined with old old apple trees. The home right next to Hampstead Heath; a home we can spend many years in – now Astrid has started school, Kevin and I have our careers sorted and a big long list of projects; all now begun and finally set up these past few weeks – a lifelong job to write for, to photograph for and to grow.

Children to nuture, who need to stay in one place. Happy children. The difference in Astrid since she began kindergarten is just magic. She now eats three proper meals a day, sleeps like clockwork and she now finally seems settled and happy. Edith too is sleeping properly and even the cats seem so happy in their new proper, final, settled home.

Edith however seems to have just begun the terrible twos which does involve a fair amount of shouting and wailing every afternoon on her return home. The only respite is a swift batch of scrambled eggs, mixed quickly in the pan using our new, divine, real eggs from Riverford.

Perhaps it’s the new farm fresh food. Perhaps it’s the permanence of a long term real home and a new school that will be school for many years to come. Whatever it is there’s much happiness around, infusing us, infusing our new space, infusing the future with much love and peace and happiness and hope.

Adventures at home

The girls love the little path down the side of the house where they take their brooms and hide on the little porch where there are taps to play with.

It’s a lovely gentle English summer, if not a touch chilly. Life is brilliant fun – mostly. Daddy even bought mummy a new red KitchenAid food processor that Astrid chose. Last night we baked sour cherry and vanilla spelt and almond meal muffins in our new silicone muffin cases.

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History

Tonight I am filing things, to print out. To tick off. And I thought I would just delete EVERYTHING off my desktop. Until I found February 2006. It sort of looked important.

This is our favourite house.

And here’s Kevin all those four years ago the day before we got on the plane for my brother’s wedding. Wish there was a photo of me. I’d have disallowed it due to thinking I looked too awful. Which is such a pile of lies; I’m sure I looked great. But still, no photo.

So, while we’re on history this was a funny thing I found today; notes to a nanny – will be fun to look back on when we are older. Was already fun looking back on it today.

8.30 start – give Astrid breakfast – cornflakes / jam on toast / yoghurt with a tsp of jam stirred in

8.50 leave for Lorraines

Park pram in Lorraine’s courtyard or on the street with strap over gate with brake on. There are a few weirdos who pass so you need to keep a very good eye on the pram at all times! I have had someone put a balloon on Edith one time when I wasn’t looking. Ensure pram brake is on and strap over gate rail and that you have Edith in view. I pretty much reverse up the stairs.

Make sure you put the plastic rear cover on over Edith as this helps to hide her from view and prevent people putting balloons on her.

Astrid needs her hand held on the stairs.

4:45 leave for Lorraine’s for 5:00pm collection – do not be late ever ! Lorraine is very strict on collection time.

Wednesday collect Astrid from Lorraine’s at 11:45am

Edith gets fed when she wants it. Usually either a 120ml or 180 ml bottle. Sometimes she’ll have two 120ml bottles.

Formula in kitchen. Wash bottles in very hot soapy water and rinse with very hot water from tap. Use rubber gloves as our hot water is VERY hot. No need to sterilise as long as you use pure hot water and rinse well.

To make up her bottles: 4 scoops for 120ml bottle; 6 scoops for 180ml bottle. Use approx 1 eighth boiling water and cold from the tap. Test first ! Formula from Mistry’s chemist in South End Green.

Switch for heating on/off is in small upstairs room. Temperature gauge is by stairs downstairs.

Ensure you double lock the door when you go out.

Ensure stair gate and kitchen gate are always shut.

Cats need to be let in during the day – you will see them sitting on the windowsill or you might hear meowing. Also need letting out as and when. If you do go out if you could call cats (rufus and oscar) ten minutes before you go out it would be nice if they are in – but not wildly important. And if it starts to rain / hail also keep an eye out for them.

Astrid’s dinner: when she gets home from Lorraine’s – she’ll eat most things. Favourites include steamed brocolli, pasta with pesto. Use fusilli or penne in cupboard. She doesn’t like lettuce. And isn’t that keen on bread. She eats rice crackers with hummous. Frozen peas in freezer. Tuna in patnry. A whole peeled carrot, jam sandwich or toast. Just water in her drink bottle. Astrid also likes ham and mayo sandwiches from M&S or croissant.

Edith will sleep in the moses basket with various blankets. need to puff up mattress as it tends to slope down one side. Astrid needs to sleep in the pram – sometimes needs in the night garden dvd on. Curtains closed. Sleep time is approx 2 – 4pm although if she looks tired at 1.30 act quickly so you don’t miss the sleep window! A walk around the heath or just up the road usually works to get her to sleep – or pushing the pram back and forth in front of the (quiet) tv also good.

sweet

We’re in the most perfect time here. London in all its gloriousness. A big part of us doesn’t want to leave. Make that about ninety percent. But I’ve thought about it and I think it just means I’m happy. And I can carry the lovely happiness from here to there. And anywhere I choose to weave my state of mind.

Edith is marvellous and continues to be more marvellous and splendid with each day, each moment, each little second I love her more and more and more. She laughs, she coos, she talks, she gurgles, she bobs her head on my shoulder. She kicks her little cotton-tights-clad-chubby-legs. Edith has bright blue eyes. Bright as little sapphires.

Little Edith Rose. Little mini.
Little miniley moochi-o. Little miniley moochi.