April 2018

April 30, 2018

Nova starts her mock exams today, kicking off with a history exam on the French Revolution. She believes herself to be reasonably well prepared, and thought it went OK. That sounded positive, and the proof will be in the results…Worked on the committee website for much of the day. I was going to pop out and get a couple of things so I could make Cornish pasties but got so absorbed that I forgot. Feeling a bit annoyed with my failure of time management — it was a good day for it what with Lyra eating at Ava’s tonight.

At Nova’s request, I made stroganoff instead. That works too as Lyra is no friend of the mushroom. Only the two of us for dinner, and we opted to eat in front of Master Chef. Adam was out at one of those alleged pub-based meetings. He was home by 9:30, so maybe he was telling the truth…;-)

April 29, 2018

Not much warmer today, but at least it isn’t raining. I did my run in Highgate Woods, another walk/run interval session. They certainly ease people gently into running. Have to say that I’m getting a bit fed up now…Lyra headed off to her karate class and Adam and I made a run to Costco. Went a bit mad, as we haven’t been in ages — that can happen. I’ve gradually got more into the habit of buying fresh food, not just staples. Limes, avocadoes, tomatoes, blueberries, baby cukes and carrots…

The girls had eaten by the time we got back, so after unloading everything I fixed some lunch for Adam and me. Lyra headed off in the afternoon to a football rehearsal, and came back hungry. She bustled me along into making dinner early — cod and chickpea curry, an easy staple we’ve been eating more regularly now that Lyra is fine with cod.

The school next door is rehearsing some sort of performance next door the last two weekends. At regular intervals, someone takes to the piano and plays this beautiful piece of music. At Nova’s request I had a good at identifying it online, and to my considerable surprise, managed to do so in about ten minutes:

April 28, 2018

Such a cold, wet morning, I decided to postpone my run until tomorrow. Lyra returned from her ice skating lesson complaining that her new instructor was picking on her. Sounds like she’s pretty hard on them and sharp tongued with it, but unlikely Lyra is the only one she treats that way.

Our neighbours Dan and Fiona were burglared this afternoon. They have some kind of video surveillance in their doorbell, and although they were in Berlin, received some warning it was going on. He phoned Adam in a panic, who went straight over, but another neighbour had already called the police.

It’s the second burglary in the street in the last month. Same MO, basically smashing the front door (or glass pane) open in the middle of the day. Dan’s video doorbell captured a great image of the guy and dramatic footage of him kicking in the door, with his face easily identifiable. We need to do something about home security…

Feeling rather meh today. I’m not hungover… actually I’m not sure what it is, a few bad night’s sleep piling up on me maybe. The church is hosting a music marathon this weekend, and Lyra was playing with her orchestra. I certainly wouldn’t miss that, but didn’t join Adam when he went round to visit with John’s son Martin who’s over from Canada.

Made some dinner for three of us (Nova is at the theatre with her friend Shira). Lyra baked enormous chocolate chip cookies for dessert…

April 27, 2018

We were both feeling pretty rough this morning. For me, it was the lack of sleep, but Adam’s stomach was still bothering him. Nothing as bad as it was last night, but enough that I encouraged him to ring the GP for an urgent appointment.I went with him this time, both to hear the consultation and to push for more intervention if the doctor tried to fob him off. He’s gone before and when I ask what whether anything is being looked into, the answer is always no, just take some Gaviscon or something.

Listening to Adam speak, I certainly felt he was downplaying the situation. He kept referring to having “gripes”, which is not a word I’m familiar with, other than for grizzling babies.

The doctor seemed surprised that Adam hadn’t been tested for anything and lined up a few things, did a physical examination as well as prescribing stronger pain relief and something to combat the cramps.

I dropped him at the pharmacy then headed over to Birgit’s for coffee. We haven’t caught up in a while. We don’t socialise with them often any more, for no particular reason, just out of the habit I think. Also, her dad has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which is weighing pretty heavily on her, and requiring regular trips to Vienna.

I had a learning set in Lambeth in the afternoon. There were six of us — a good number and productive session. Went out for dinner afterwards to Brasserie Joel at Westminster Bridge.

Didn’t drink much, though I didn’t want to drive to collect Nova from her babysitting gig. Waited up with Adam so he could do that when she called, but she ended up getting a ride home.

April 26, 2018

Another cold, bright spring morning — much more typical April weather. Did the same interval workout as on Tuesday, but covered more distance. Either that, or the satellite tracking was inaccurate on one occasion.

Worked on the committee website for a few hours. I now have access to photos (which is helpful) plus all the posts from the previous version of the site, so I can start using categorization to group the content.

Broke off to go for coffee with Jemima,swap notes on the nefarious activities of our teenagers and have a moan about the state of the world. We’re both trying to avoid single-use plastic these days, and compared notes on how that’s working out…

Sorrel potato soup for dinner. It looks like a dog’s dinner but tastes pretty good. Adam went to the Arsenal match using a spare ticket of Christine and Gerald’s. I carried on working for a couple of hours, then headed to bed with my novel.

I’m reading an excellent book called The Glorious Heresies — sort of an Irish “Trainspotting”, but different too. I’m having a good run with my reading at the moment.

Adam came home feeling sick — one of those stomach things he’s prone to. We were up pretty late until he managed to fall asleep, and woke up in the night to be sick…

April 25, 2018

Happy birthday, Kael — eleven years old today! Adam and I are both feeling a bit muzzy headed, but nothing serious. Overall, it was quite a restrained wine event — six wines in total (instead of nine or ten) — and because some of them were so expensive, the glasses weren’t as large as on other occasions.Had my morning coffee outside in the new deck chairs. Chilly but sunny and very pleasant to sit out there. It’s hard to believe we allowed the barbeque to hog this plum spot for over a decade.

Did my language studies before moving inside, then turned my attention to baking bread. My sourdough was acting weird. I couldn’t get the gluten to develop properly — even after a fair amount of kneading it wouldn’t really stretch. I don’t know what that was about…

Made celery with beef for dinner, except instead of beef i used a packet of Quorn mince that was lurking in the deep freeze. I haven’t been to the grocery store in over a week and it’s pretty slim pickings around here.

Adam headed off to a meeting in the evening. I pootled around doing various things i hadn’t got to during the day and it was 10pm before I knew it…

April 24, 2018

Sophia is meant to be leaving around 9am for the airport. I kept an eye out for the car that was coming to transport her but must have missed it. Probably just as well… If we’re this sad about her departure, it must be awful for Richard and Rachel.Went to one of Kiran’s wine events this evening in Kentish Town — burgundys produced by Louis Jadot. A crisp chablis, followed by a lovely unoaked chardonnay to start and then four reds.

As ever, the cheaper the wine, the better I generally liked it. I don’t seem to be making much progress as a wine connoisseur. You can take the girl out of Prince George and all that…

There were lots of people we knew, and the food was good — fois gras, duck confit, with green beans and potatoes dauphinoise, followed by cheese and then chocolate cake as it was Kiran’s birthday.

There was a discreet call round to see if anyone would be willing to play Happy Birthday on the piano when the cake was brought out. In a room of forty people, there was no one able to do it. I could have easily played it one handed, but held back. Though as Adam said, “in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king”. (Or the one-handed pianist in this case…)

April 23, 2018

Started my week with a yearbook meeting. I was sort of dreading it but was one of the better ones. It’s crazy and frightening how much workthat project is going to require, and difficult to see how it is going to happen. Especially as the mum who volunteered to do the design work seems to be getting cold feet…Spent an hour chasing people for photos of their kids. We’ve been sending emails for more than a month now, but a third of the class has yet to respond. What a thankless job this whole yearbook is shaping up to be…

Went to the cinema with Nova to see Isle of Dogs. This outing came about by chance. Pete came round with the tickets yesterday on the off-chance. He’d booked them to use up a gift voucher that was going to run out, and was now busy.

I really enjoyed the film. It was quirky, visually interesting, and set in Japan, with lots of spoken and written Japanese for my to test my progress.

When we got back, we headed straight over to Sophia’s leaving do — she’s off to Australia tomorrow morning. It was nearly postponed a second time — she was attacked by another dog on the Heath yesterday, and the injury was almost bad enough to keep her from flying.

Had pizzas in their garden (though weather has turned cool again). Sophia had her own chair and joined in by snarfing down a few pizza crusts. We’re sure going to miss that little sweetie…:-(

April 22, 2018

More gorgeous weather… It’s starting to look like British summer may have been rescheduled for a brief periodin April. Come August, we’ll probably be sloshing around in jumpers and wellies and saying “remember that brilliant weekend in April?!”Our lovely girls made us breakfast in bed — fresh waffles with maple syrup and coffee. We negotiated permission to relocate outside and ate them in the new loungers. Attempted the cryptic crossword afterwards, but neither of us feeling very sharp and we didn’t make much headway.

Adam headed off to a football match with Basil, Dan and Steve in the afternoon. I hung out with the girls and enjoyed the gift of this beautiful sunny day. When I tired of lounging about with my novel, I had a go at getting the gas barbeque to work, but it has finally given up the ghost.

When Adam got back he dismantled it while I made dinner — sweet potato and black bean tacos and a rhubarb custard cake. We might go for a briquette-based barbie this time — something compact that we can pack away when it isn’t in use. Still mulling…

April 21, 2018

Ice skating is back in our lives. Adam took Lyra as usual, and I did a 3.5-mile-run on the Heath. Nova is feeling better, if not 100% — takes a while to get that much THC out of your system I suppose…Adam and I made a trip to IKEA to replace our horrible, heavy, rusty, super uncomfortable garden chairs. We also picked up a new paper box for under the printer, toilet brush, shaving mirror, low plastic side table, light bulbs and a couple of cheap canvas loungers.

I’d quite like to replace the barbeque as well, but we’ll see… Once the chairs were unwrapped and installed, Lyra and I tested out the new loungers and table with a book and a cold drink.

Adam headed off to see his parents, sort their computer for the umpteenth time, and haul some stuff to the dump for them. I switched from relaxation to housework mode, and also put in some time in the garden.

Another 50th party this evening — at Bloomsbury Bowls. Pat and Sue had hired the entire place. They didn’t do anything about food or drink, but there was a bar and kitchen where you could order what you wanted.

The entertainment was all laid on: an excellent live band, five bowling lanes, pingpong table, pool table, karaoke machine. There were loads of parents from Nova’s year as well as newer folk like Basil and Veronika. A really good night…

Came upstairs at 2am to find Nova lying flat on her face on the living room floor. It gave me a real scare, and when I realised she’d fallen asleep charging/using her phone lost my temper with her.

The upstairs was in a state — they hadn’t done a thing to clear up after dinner — but I know a lot of my emotion was fear converted to anger…:-(

April 20, 2018

Another glorious day… I’m getting used to it now now and managed to do some computer work as well as the outside stuff. My raspberries are much happier for all the weeding I did on the weekend. There are already new cane shoots emerging. New ground elder too — that damn stuff never gives up…Spent a couple of hours on the school yearbook project. I so wish I wasn’t involved in that un-fun enterprise, and have been neglecting it. Sorted through all my digital photos for shots to use on Lyra’s personal page and drafted the questionnaire for all the students to answer.

Lyra popped in briefly to announce she was going to Nina’s. Adam stopped by to leave his Vespa before going to a social event at Jackson’s Lane. And Nova didn’t come home at all, as she’d told me she was meeting some NCS buddies in Finchley.

At least I thought she was in Finchley… It transpired that the little numpty headed to the 420 cannabis civil disobedience gathering in Hyde Park with a couple of friends. Brand-new recruits to the pot smoking scene, they inevitably overindulged, both smoking and sampling an “edible”. (I got these details out of her in pieces, over the evening and next morning.)

In the early evening, Nova texted to say she was at a friend’s house, they were both feeling very tired, and could she just sleep there. That sounded pretty dubious to me, and I said so. Within minutes, she called and asked me to come collect her.

When I pulled up, she staggered over to the car and flopped into the front seat. She was talking in a slurry, slow-motion voice, her eyes half-mast — the absolute caricature of a stoner.

Back home, I got her to come upstairs, fed her snacks and drinks and kept her awake so i could assess the state she was in. When it seemed likely she was just massively stoned, I let her doze on the couch for a bit. She stagger off to bed when we went down at 11pm…

April 19, 2018

Happy anniversary mum and dad — I always remember, though neither of them are here to mark it…:( In some ways, it feels less sad than dad was here on his own…It’s another hot one. Got up at 7am to pack a lunch for Nova who has a university trade show event, and prepare Lyra’s daily fruit snack. One possible migraine trigger in kids is drops in their blood sugar — a snack mid morning and after school is recommended.

Went for another of those twenty-minute interval runs. I definitely feel like I could do more, but going to stick with this approach for now until I restablish my base. I see from the schedule that I’m down to run 3.5 miles this weekend, which should give me more of a workout.

Moving slowly through my spring cleaning schedule as well as the usual laundry, tidying, kitchen jobs. Again, I found it hard to sit at the computer — my legs get sweaty in minutes. That corner of the dining area seems to be the hottest part of the house.

Attended the leaving do of a colleague from the NHS agency I was made redundant from. I’ve had almost no contact with anyone from there since I left. It was such a drawn-out, brutal experience that I have actively avoided the organisation, the people, and even that area of London.

I got the invite a few weeks ago, and wrote back that I would go, but have regretted the impulse ever since. However, being “a woman of my word”, I steeled myself, hopped into a skirt and headed into town.

I haven’t been to the West End in weeks. It’s strange how that has happened. At one point, I travelled in five days a week, and then three. Even after leaving that job, I’d generally have reason to make the journey once a week or so. But lately, I can go a month between visits…

It’s always lovely to see London in the sunshine. There were cheerful, scantily clad people everywhere and the pubs were flowing onto the pavements. I found the place tucked off the side of Trafalgar Square. Marian had said it was convenient for the office, which was the first I’d even heard of them relocating.

I was surprised at how many faces I recognised after seven years. There were also people that came up to speak to me who I couldn’t remember at all. Made me realise that if events hadn’t intervened I might still be slogging away there myself. So very glad I’m not…

Had one G&T, a couple of glasses of water, stayed ninety minutes then left them to it. The whole thing felt fine actually, and I think it was a good thing to have done.

Home by 9pm. Watched an episode of Modus with Adam. It’s alright I guess, though Greg Wise’s performance has me baffled. I can’t tell if he’s trying to play his FBI profiler character in a certain way I just don’t get, or if it’s awful acting. Bed by 11pm…

April 18, 2018

And now we’ve blizted right through spring and started on summer… According to the weather man, it’s schedule to be the hottest April 18th since records began. Living in UK, you learn to make hay when the sun shines — it could well be 6°C again tomorrow…That’s my excuse for ducking all my computer work… Unfortunately, I have too much residual Protestant work ethic to head for the Heath with a novel and a picnic.

Instead, I cleaned the balcony and patio: sweeping, scrubbing tiles, washing the tables clean all that winter algal scum that coats everything, weeding potted plants and topping up their soil.

Lyra brought Ava home after school. They took a blanket into the garden and lay in the sunshine chatting and laughing until I called them for dinner (pesto pasta followed by the last of the rhubarb crumble ice cream).

Adam and I met Millie and Bryn for another okonomiyaki fix at the Duke’s Head. With four of us we were able to explore more of the menu — the Japanese tacos, pork belly, kimchi cheddar cheese okonomiyaki and marinated cucumbers — all of which were delicious.

Had the big idea of watching an episode of Modus when we got in. That was ill-advised — it’s just too dull and we both ended up falling asleep on the sofa.

April 17, 2018

I was relieved to see that Lyra’s fish made it through the night… As I recall from my first time as a tropical fish owner, the little beggars pop off on a regular basis…Went for a run after I got Lyra off to school. The same twenty minute interval workout as last week, but with longer bits of running between the walk breaks.

Got back just in time to help Adam get off to his big presentation by ironing his shirt. I must say, the boy scrubs up pretty well…;-)

I had a mammogram scheduled at Finchley Memorial this afternoon. I say that, actually it was in a trailer in the carpark. I was dreading it a bit after my last parking lot healthcare experience, but it was fine.

Hit the grocery store afterwards. I’d neglected to bring the list, but managed to remember everything…

Banh mi sandwiches for dinner — we haven’t had those in ages. Roasted some tofu as a veggie option for Lyra. She felt the texture was unsatisfying and decided to have a few meatballs herself.

As I said to her, it’s not an all-or-nothing proposition, and there aren’t any vegetarian police poised to swoop if she decides to eat a meatball on occasion. She can be as much of a veggie as often as she wants…

April 16, 2018

Veronika came by to pick up the bags of shoes we’d cleared out. Inspired by our efforts in the garage, I drew up a spring cleaning list for the rest of the house. Spent so long over the list, that I didn’t have any time left to do any actual cleaning…;-)When Lyra got home from school I took her to Muswell Hill to buy some fish for her tank. The guy in the petshop was keen for her to buy guppies, but she was adamant she wanted swordtails. As they are also suitable starter fish for her size of tank that’s what we got — a female and a male that she has named Trish and Chips.

We did the bag in the tank thing I remember from my fish owning days, and by dinner time the pair where tootling around exploring her otherwise barren tank. She needs to get some decor and plants as well. A little treasure chest, or shipwreck, or a miniature shopping trolley maybe…:-)

Cauliflower quinoa stew for the family’s dinner. I’m not eating, but it will make a nice leftover for tomorrow…

April 15, 2018

Lyra is right as rain this morning — I’m pretty fucked, however. Feels like jetlag all over again. I’m glad I got that run in yesterday, it definitely wouldn’t have been happened this morning…After a slow start, I mustered the energy to tackle the garage, which as become overstuffed and disorganised, especially after the flat redecoration project. Cleared out a fair amount of stuff and also arranged things better — particularly the old furniture from the flat we’re storing in case Carolyn still wants it.

Went to a show at Jackson’s Lane put on by the Palestinian Circus School. I’d managed to develop an earache by this point, and was feeling pretty miserable. The show was an excellent distraction, and by the end I was feeling much better.

Ate the mac and cheese that Nova made yesterday for dinner — great to have it sitting there ready to zap when we got home. Caught up on Homeland and then to bed…

April 14, 2018

What a lovely spring morning it’s like we changed seasons overnight. The kind of day you want to be out and about in. Adam and Nova headed off to the swimming pool and I went for a three-mile-run on the Heath.

Lyra has been pestering pretty relentlessly for another pet. We’ve been badgered for tortoises, kittens, puppies, rabbits, guinea pigs. The latest campaign is for a fish.

While I was out, Adam took her to the pet store in Muswell Hill, and returned an hour later with a 50 litre tank for keeping tropical fish. No fish as yet — you need to get the tank set up and prepare the water first. She and Adam did it together, and even without any fish, it looks pretty nice.

Spent a couple of hours weeding the raspberry patch and fixing up the stakes that had toppled in the winter. Leapt about a foot in the air when this thing sauntered past me:

Managed to capture it in a jar and look it up online afterwards. Apparently, the European giant hornet isn’t as bad as it looks (not like those African hornets that are for ever on the verge of crossing the Channel).

Went to Pad’s birthday dinner in Stoke Newington this evening. We were just about to leave when Lyra came down with one of her headaches. She was throwing up and moaning in pain. I didn’t want to leave her, but both girls insisted we go. Nova kept me updated by text, and we didn’t linger much after the meal.

Lyra was asleep when we got back, but woke me at 2am after being sick again. I settled her in bed again and sat with her until she fell back to sleep. I did a lot of reading on the iPad while waiting for that to happen. I’m nearly certain that she’s experiencing migraines, which I hadn’t realised will often present as stomach aches in children. Poor little mite…

April 13, 2018

Everyone slept until 9am this morning — I hope that’s the jetlag’s final gasp. We need to get back in form by Monday when the girls start school again…Just realised that it is Friday the 13th. They seem to come around a lot, but of course they don’t. It’s just that people notice when it happens and not when it doesn’t. I imagine the book I’m reading on thinking clearly and avoiding common fallacies will have something to say about that…

Adam headed off to work and Nova to the library, leaving Lyra and I to hang out together. Printed off lots of New York photos so she could complete her Barnaby Bear journal.

Fasting day… always trickier when you’ve had a big dinner the night before. My stomach gurgled and churned away into the afternoon before it got the message.

Made curried cod for dinner with the fish I hadn’t wanted to use for the dinner part. Didn’t try it myself, but there are leftovers I can have tomorrow.

Adam and I went to the Phoenix to see a film. Beulah gave him a joint membership for his birthday, and we wanted to put it to use. Saw something called Custody, a French film about the aftermath of a marriage break-up.

My god, what an horrifying story… The sense of dread I felt while watching it gave me a stomach ache. After it ended, the handful of us who thought experiencing such an ordeal was fitting Friday night entertainment sat in stunned silence for a few minutes before anyone even moved…

April 12, 2018

Managed only five hours sleep last night… no idea why. I was up by 6:30am, and made the madeira sauce for my lentils before going for a run.I’m following a beginner training programme at the moment, which involves short bursts of running interspersed with walk breaks. Even in my tired state I felt like I could do more, but it’s been so long since I’ve run consistently, I thought it made sense to build up my base.

Lyra headed over to Alice’s house with her nerf gun — they are planning to spend the day shooting each other, apparently, It’s interesting how broad her group of friends is, from girly-girls to tomboys, bookworms to airheads…

Did an hour of client work then broke off to make rhubarb crumble ice cream. When I looked at the fish i bought yesterday, I wasn’t happy with the quality or the size. Zipped off to Muswell Hill to buy some chunky pieces of cod loin from a proper fishmonger.

Flew at the cooking in earnest when I got home. Vics and Alan are coming at 7:30, which is early for a dinner party, especially when I had to fit a meal for the girls in there as well.

We’ve been wanting to meet and thank V&A for the use of their house in Brittany last summer. It was very generous, especially as we haven’t seen them in almost 20 years.

Vics is the daughter of someone aristocratic and political, and Alan is a lovely Glaswegian guy. They are a good ten years older than us, and already had kids when I met them in the 90s. There lives were completely different to ours in many respects, but I always really liked them.

Had a good evening catching up and talking politics. Their sons are in their 30s now — one is working as a coder for Amazon, the other is running as a Green party candidate for mayor of Hackney.

They left about midnight. We cleaned up then I headed straight to bed. Adam stayed up to watch football highlights, good thing Thursday is the new Friday…;-)

April 11, 2018

Happy birthday, Aaron! Had to winkle Lyra out of Lily’s before 10am this morning to deliver her to Ava’s, where she is spending the day. Tomorrow is Alice’s… she’s certainly making up for lost time…Another mountain of laundry (where does it even come from?), breadmaking, yada, yada… Back to the dentist to get my teeth scraped late afternoon, and managed a quick bit of shopping for tomorrow’s dinner party.

Zipped back in time to wrap Marni’s present and change clothes before it was time to set off for up Marni’s 14th birthday dinner at the Durum. On the way, we discussed strategies for not overeating.

The obvious thing is not to order starters, but that was out of our hands. Beulah ordered a double mixed cold meze for the table — lots of different dips, to be eaten with hot, delicious Turkish bread.

Restrained myself breadwise, and also got a simple kebab, which left room for the lovely fresh salad. If it wasn’t for the chocolate birthday cake at the end, I would have pitched it about right.

Back home, we finished watching Collateral while I baked my sourdough. I like Carrie Mulligan — she’s a good little actress…

April 10, 2018

I was fast asleep when Adam’s alarm went off at 6:30. So was he — it rang for about ten minutes before he finally turned it off. He and Nova arranged to go swimming before work.Thinking along the same lines, I went for a run before breakfast. Just a gentle one, not that I could have run long and hard even if I wanted to. The Woods were a mud bath that had me picking my way along the treeline a few times. Will try the Heath instead on Thursday.

My usual mix of housework and desk work, with the girls around for a bit of company. Nova is revising, and Lyra dangling at a loose end. After lunch, the two of us headed over to see Tanja’s new baby. You forget how tiny and helpless new babies are. And how loud and demanding. His tummy was hurting, and he was wriggly and fretful the whole visit. Poor little mite…

Lyra stayed on to hang out with Lily and have a sleepover. I came home, sorted out some dinner for Nova and Adam (salad rolls) then met Millie at the Duke’s Head to catch up over a bottle of wine.

She’s very broken up over her friend Ayo’s death. He had been dead for ten days before she finally convinced the police to break into house by going down to Margate herself.

I hadn’t realised that he was quite the celebrity hairdresser in his time. Worked with all the top models in the 80s, and styled magazine covers with Cindy Crawford, Paulina Poritzkova etc that even I recognise. Apparently, Sade was a close friend and has been helping Millie deal with the aftermath.

Too much drink on too little food, made for a too-late snacking/drinking evening in front of the telly with Adam. Good thing Tuesday is the new Friday…;-)

April 9, 2018

We all slept straight through until after 10am, and Lyra made it until 11am. I could have slept longer myself if my back didn’t start nagging (which it does if I lie about too much).Adam headed off to work in the afternoon, and I took the girls to the dentist in Crouch End. Good reports all round, aside from my cap which has developed a crack in the back that needs to be monitored. Nova is getting her wisdom teeth, but there seems to be plenty of room for them. And Lyra has a cross-bite with two of her molars and is getting referred to the orthodontist.

Dropped the girls back home so Nova could resume her studying and Lyra could go to the cinema with Nina. Made a grocery run so we have something to eat besides pasta and rice.

Watched “Cutter’s Way” with Nova — one of my all-time favourite films. To my surprise, she really liked it — usually my recommendations are the kiss of death as far as Nova is concerned.

I’m not eating (and completely without appetite), but made sausages, mash and corn for the family. We were supposed to go round Richard and Rachel’s for Sophia’s send-off. She’s scheduled to travel to Australia tomorrow, but Richard called to cancel because Sophia is sick. In fact, she’s at the vet on a drip as she’s had an awful gastric bug. Her flight will be rescheduled for when she’s well enough to travel…

April 8, 2018

Fitful bits of sleep… I wouldn’t have known I’d slept at all except Nova informs me I gave a couple of snorts…The plane landed on schedule after less than six hours flying time. We were hurried along by a ferocious tailwind, but fortunately it wasn’t too bumpy. Customs, bags, train to St Pancras — the usual routine. After New York, London looks pretty clean and shiny in comparison. (The last time I remember thinking that was when we arrived back from India.)

Took a taxi from the station, as we were all half asleep on our feet and didn’t want to face the underground or a bus. The cat gave us a blank stare followed by a yawn — she certainly isn’t one for exuberant greetings.

Got through the day by spacing bursts of activity between little mini-rests. Lyra was the only one of us who appeared to feel pretty much normal. (She was also the only one who slept for the whole flight.) She and Nina hooked up, and hung out here until the evening. Unlike Nova, she’s been completely cut off from her friends since school broke up.

Lyra’s St Marylebone school offer was waiting when we got back! Filled out the form and posted it back this afternoon. We’re all really pleased about that — it’s a great school, and I think it will be a really good fit for her…

April 7, 2018

Spent a couple of hours packing and sorting out flat. Left our suitcases in the basement when we headed out for our last foray into Manhattan and took the subway to the Flatiron district. We hadn’t been round there yet, and it’s such a great-looking, iconic building.The original Shake Shack happens to be in Madison Square Garden. It had only just gone noon, but I’d promised girls we’d visit. Shared a single order of burger, fries and vanilla shake — which was pretty damn good, to my surprise.

Moved on to Eataly — an indoor Granville Island style market devoted entirely to Italian food. There were numerous places to eat: counters, restaurants, and a piazza. We opted for that, ordering a platter of meats and cheeses, and a couple of glasses of rosé.

Lunch sorted, we hit the street again, walking down the “ladies mile” — a stretch of Broadway where fashionable ladies once shopped at strolled — to Union Square. Lyra wanted to look at books, so we stopped at a Barnes & Noble (so anodyne after Strand Books).

Continued south until we hit the Lower East Side. It is no longer terrifying like it was when we visited twenty years ago. We accidently veered off the beaten track into a nasty little park that even on a sunny spring morning felt menacing.

There were people shooting up, dodgy folk huddling in twos and threes, or lurking on stoops and in doorways. We high tailed it out of there, and within about three blocks we were back in bustling, downtown Manhattan.

While there were a number of cool places to eat, it wasn’t that interesting otherwise. Cut across to Greenwich Village and prowled around there. Bought bagels for the plane browsed a street market, and took the girls to see the Friends apartment before catching the subway back to Bed-Stuy.

Let ourselves into the basement, where we changed clothes, repacked our bags a bit, and awaited the taxi our host had arranged for the airport. The trunk was strangely deep and full of odd scraps of metal, machinery, and loosely wrapped bundles. I didn’t particularly like putting our bags in there.

Part way through the drive the most foul stench you’ve ever smelled started seeping into the car. I wondered if we were near the sea and some sort of malfunctioning sewage treatment centre. The smell was so awful we could barely breathe, but no one said anything.

We finally pulled up at the airport and threw open the doors. The big city air smelled intoxicatingly sweet in comparison. I have no idea what that was about — a dead body, some horrible chemical…?

Check in smooth, though they were super surly at security. Overall, I’d say that JFK is a shit airport. The shops and concessions were laughably overpriced, but it made sense to eat something — so we shared a couple of toasted sandwiches, and Adam and I had a beer.

Our plane left right on schedule. Once we were in the air, I dug out my eye mask and did the best I could to rest or even sleep…

April 6, 2018

After breakfast in the flat, we headed off to the East Village to collect Nova from her sleepover. Another cold, wet morning, which didn’t bode well for our plans to visit Central Park later in the day.

The flat they’ve rented in St Mark’s Place is more like the airbnb’s I’m used to — full of weird personal effects, like Transylvanian cookery books, odd bits of statuary and houseplants that would be right at home in Little Shop of Horrors.

We all left together and took the subway north to mid-town. We had tickets booked for MOMA. After checking out the special exhibition on Adrian Piper, spanning five decades of her work (I don’t think they omitted a single piece…), we spent the rest of our visit on their permanent collection.

Lunch was bagels in a sandwich shop nearby, then we carried on to Central Park. Strawberry Fields — the John Lennon memorial — has become quite the circus since our last visit. Three separate walking tours stopped by in the ten minutes we were there, on top of all the independent tourists like us.

I really like Central Park, and think it’s a minor miracle that it exists in the middle of Manhattan. Like Stanley Park, some parts are manicured and dotted with ponds and food stalls and bandstands, but other bits are quite foresty (in a parklike way).

Couldn’t help thinking of all those scenes from Law and Order and films like The Warriors where the baddie scrambles down from one of the rocky outcrops to attack the innocent jogger, snogging couple, cruising gay guy…

Also remembered a really interesting documentary about animals in the urban environment that talked about the considerable population of coywolves that live in Central Park and emerge at evening to feast on rats…

Took a quick glance into the Met, but were daunted by the sheer size of the place and the hefty admission fee. (Like so many places in New York, it reminded me of the kids in From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler who ran away from home and lived for a couple of weeks in the Met, coming out at night to collect pennies from the fountain, for extra funds to live on.)

Caught the bus to East Harlem with a view to visiting the Barrio Museum. As it was closed for renovations, we ended up at the Museum of New York instead, which was right next door.

What an excellent museum all about the history of the city from the first Dutch settlements right up to modern times. It wasn’t at all busy either, which was great after the crazy hordes we had to contend with at MOMA.

Ate dinner in a midtown bar/restaurant called PJ Clarkes on 3rd Avenue. The place was rocking by time we arrived and we got pretty much the last table. Cocktails, hamburgers, fries and three desserts — all excellent…

Finally finished that stupid Andrew Cunanan book I’ve been dragging myself through. I’ve seldom read a duller book…

April 5, 2018

Set the alarm to ensure an early start. Stepped out into the bright (freezing cold) morning not long after 7am, and made it to Battery Park for 8am, where we bought ferry tickets and made it onto the first boat to Ellis Island.

We didn’t disembark at Liberty Island, preferring to view the statue from the boat. It was freezing out there on deck, especially when the wind was blowing…

At least we remembered to bring Lyra’s class teddy Barnaby, who’s accompanying us on the holiday, and snapped a couple of photos with the statue in the background before scuttling back inside.

We were practically the first people into the Ellis Island museum. Adam and I visited it the last time we were in New York, and found it very moving. For millions of immigrants, it was their first experience of America.

Mum’s parents immigration would have been similar in some respects. They sailed from Liverpool to Montreal, and must have gone through some sort of processing before being admitted, though perhaps Canada being a British colony made a difference.

Back on Manhattan, we made our way up to Washington Square to meet up with Iris’s family. Nova and her friend Emily (who is staying with relatives in New Jersey) are going to hang out together this afternoon, then sleep at Iris’s parents airbnb.

After a quick visit, we left the girls and went our separate ways. Ate lunch at the Square Diner — an authentic train car style diner, over 100 years old. Judging by the pictures on the wall, it was frequented by the original cast of Law and Order — or maybe used as a location. Pancakes for Adam, BLT for me, and grilled cheese and an egg cream for Lyra.

Shopped our way north east. Back in Chinatown, we revisited a Korean make-up place to buy a lip pencil that matched my new lipstick and bumped straight into Nova and her friends. It was pretty funny, especially as we were clearly cramping their style.

Lyra’s had the idea that we could tail Nova around using FindMyfriend and just randomly pop up wherever they went. It could have happened, we were both in Williamsburg that afternoon as well.

They were vintage shopping and visiting a vegan diner, we had tickets for an art installation called Dream Machine. It was a series of rooms with different dreamlike settings — clouds, bubbles, a grown-up sized ball pit among others — that you moved through:

Went to the trendy Crif Dog for dinner. A good meal to tick off without Nova who has never recovered from pasc poisoning her with tinned weiners when she was a toddler. She won’t touch hotdogs to this day…

Back to the flat, telly, bed…

April 4, 2018

Slow getting going this morning… No longer benefiting from that automatic jet lag early start… Eventually got our ducks in a row, and headed off to the Brooklyn museum.

We’d booked tickets to see the David Bowie exhibition at noon. The original plan was to check out the museum first, but by the time we got there, checked coats, hit the loos etc there wasn’t much time to look around…:-( It’s the same exhibition I saw in London a few years ago, but they have staged it differently here. His death also gave it a poignancy.

Ate lunch in Crown Heights at a fab Mexican restaurant called Chavela’s — if we were staying in the area, I’d be strongly tempted to eat here again. Everything was excellent, but the tomatillo salsa was particularly fine. Makes me want to get my hands on some tomatillos and have a go. (Wondering if green tomatoes are an okay substitute for tomatillos…?)

Walked around a bit afterwards. While the area seems more gentrified than our corner of Brooklyn, it certainly isn’t another Williamsburg…

Our explorations took us round to Prospect Park, somewhere I had on my list as worth a visit. Maybe we were in the wrong part of it, or it was the wrong time of year, but it reminded me of Queens Wood on a bad day. Somewhere Tony Soprano would take a treacherous associate to put a few bullets into them…

Nearby Flatbush was similarly dismal, though it’s good to remember that New York is not on Manhattan and trendified Brooklyn by a long shot…

Snacks for dinner and a family movie. I wanted to watch Desperately Seeking Susan or When Harry Met Sally, but the others were concerned that they might be too mature for Lyra. Opted for Ghostbusters, which isn’t a film I particularly enjoy. Lyra’s verdict — good, but “pretty random”.

Caught up on news after the girls went to bed. There were demonstrations in Crown Heights this evening. About an half hour after we left, the police shot and killed a mentally disturbed man who was running round threatening random people with a gun-shaped piece of metal.

It looked pretty alarming, but I don’t know why they can’t shoot a suspect in the thigh instead of seven to nine times in the head and chest…

April 3, 2018

It was bucketing down this morning — looks like London weather has followed us. Took the subway to Union Square to visit a few shops that had recommended: Ricky’s Beauty Supply, Dylan’s Candy Bar, and the Strand bookstore (18 miles of books!). I loved the way they integrate the new and used books — never seen that done before.

Ate lunch at a Middle Eastern place called Tabounette — good falafel and hummus bowls — then sloshed down to Greenwich Village. Washington Square was a washout in this weather, but we moseyed along MacDougall Street.

Adam got his head shaved, and I did a bit of shopping with Lyra. She’s now a size 0, and can shop in adult stores, where we picked up a pair of designer distressed jeans marked down for $150 to $30.

Spent a couple of hours at the Tenement museum on the Lower East Side. We’d booked the sweatshop tour, which was super-interesting. I hadn’t realised that the term “sweatshop” came from the home sewing businesses that immigrant families ran from their front parlours.

The building has been recreated just as it was at that time, and reminded me of Dennis Severs house, if a little less decrepit.

Ate dinner at Russ & Daughters, the much-renowned Jewish deli/restaurant. I’d been really looking forward to it and wasn’t disappointed by any means. The food was excellent, but it’s hard to live up to the hype…

Back at the flat, we let the girls watch some Glee before bed. Once they were down, we cracked a couple Brooklyn Ales and watched the rest of Good Fellas. What a great film…

April 2, 2018

My first proper night’s sleep — perhaps I was comatose from all that Korean barbeque… Lyra isn’t feeling well. She woke complaining of a headache and upset stomach. I hope it’s nothing serious — airplanes are flying germ/virus factories. It could be connected to the heating. When I went in this morning, their bedroom was like a sauna…After throwing up, she fell asleep again our room. It snowed last night (and was scheduled to warm up and melt by noon) so we weren’t in a big hurry to get going. But after an hour, we decided it made sense to split up.

Adam stayed in with Lyra and caught up on work, while Nova and I walked several blocks to a local taqueria and had the lunch special, before catching the A-line into Manhattan.

The plan was to meet at the Whitney if Lyra was well enough. Adam texted that they were half an hour behind us, which gave us time to stop at the Donut Pub…

…and do a bit of shopping in a designer sample sale, where Nova somehow convinced me to buy her a gorgeous leather bomber jacket — 70% off and still not cheap…

Once we reunited, we spent a couple of enjoyable hours at the Whitney museum. Their permanent collection of American art is wonderful, with pieces by Hopper, Lichtenstein, and Warhol I’d never seen before. I also enjoyed the Grant Wood (of American Gothic fame) exhibition. I found his work to be strangely modern.

After that, we walked the Highline to mid-town coming off a bit early to grab a slice of pizza. As Adam was still hungry, and we ended up in what Yelp described as a “stylish Thai restaurant”. They were having a laugh — it was the most unstylish place ever seen. At least the food was pretty good — we split a salad, some satay and a serving of dumplings.

Carried on to Times Square where Lyra was hooked by some oversized Disney characters into a family photo op. This was followed by an all-too-predictable request for a “tip”. I’d have given them a couple of bucks and speedwalked away from a volley of insults. Adam (being of a more generous disposition) gave them $20. (No wonder they look so happy…)

We had tickets to an off-Broadway show called Puffs. It was a challenge to find something that worked for the whole family. The Mean Girls musical was my first choice, but it was way too expensive (plus sold out).

Puff is the story of Harry Potter’s time at Hogwarts told from a Hufflepuff perspective. Good premise, and humorous enough, but I was distracted by how hilarious the American audience found it. They were howling with laughter at mildly amusing puns. (Makes you realise how localised humour can be. I’m always struck by that when I’m in Canada, or even when I spend time with Canadians.)

It was pretty late by the time we got the train home. Lyra was tired and grinching about the walk from the subway station. I was more focused on clocking the street life for anything untoward/unsafe…

She wasn’t too tired to make noises about watching Glee when wegot in. Shifted her to bed and started watching Good Fellas instead (which is set about a mile from where we are staying).

April 1, 2018

Woke at 4:30am this morning, but did manage to fall back asleep until after 6am. Our flat is very warm — we must work out how to adjust the heating air-con system.Set up a little Easter egg hunt in the flat for the girls with a few American “treats” that aren’t widely available in the UK — Hershey’s chocolate, Reese’s chocolate bunnies, and those horrible little Peeps marshmallow things.

Saw a video recently where people were microwaving Peeps — they expand to monstrous dimensions while being heated. The girls immediately gave it a try, and aside from being a laugh, it also improves their taste and consistency.

Went for Easter Sunday brunch in Williamsburg at a place called Rider. Very good food and a nice vibe. Lyra had the lemon and fennel doughnuts and the rest of us had variants of eggs benedict.

Had a wander afterwards and did a bit of shopping. New Converse for Lyra and me, and trendy socks for Adam. Moved onto an indoor vintage market, where the girls had a great time. Lyra bought badges and Nova picked up a funky orange and black sweater.

Took the subway into Manhattan to see the tail end of the Easter Bonnet parade on 5th Ave. By the time we got there, Nova needed a loo, and by the time we found one we’d pretty much missed it…:-( (There were still folks milling about in their finery, so we got some sense of the occasion.)

Walked south along 5th, then cut across to Grand Central station. It has undergone quite the facelift since our last visit, and is absolutely stunning. Hard to believe that it was in real danger of being demolished and replaced with something modern and “better” until Jacqueline Onassis spearheaded a campaign to save it.

After that we headed to the Empire State Building on the off-chance it wasn’t busy, and it turned out to be a good time to visit. Lovely clear day as well. We’d booked tickets for the open observation deck, having learned last time that it’s not worth the extra time and hassle to visit the slightly higher, enclosed deck.

Ate dinner at a Korean barbeque place round the corner. Excellent food and great atmosphere. Good timing there as well… within fifteen minutes of us arriving and being immediately seated, there was a line stretching down the stairs.

M train home (stuffed to the gills), Glee and bed…