August 2007

August 31, 2007

Took Lyra down to the Archway flat this afternoon to see how the heating engineer is progressing. It is just past the Whittington — an easy walk from our house.Well, it certainly looks a lot worse than when we bought it… They’ve gutted the upstairs toilet, ripped the water tank out of the bedroom, torn down some of the kitchen wall cabinets to make room for the new boiler, and laid some copper water pipes. It’s now officially a building site, especially with the old bathroom fixtures heaped up on the downstairs balcony.

Went round with the work spec adding and revising things so we can send it out to a couple of builders this evening for quotes. Lyra had a good kick on the living room floor while I did my work.

Spent the evening planning an IKEA version of the kitchen B&Q mocked up for us. I’ve fallen in love with their lacquered red one, but Adam wants to play it safe, and he’s probably right… Some people will love a red kitchen, others will hate it, and there’s no point in doing ourselves out of potential renters.

August 30, 2007

Another session at B&Q finalising our kitchen quote then on to IKEA. I think the IKEA kitchens are much nicer than B&Q. I’d be happier going with any of IKEA’s designs than the best of B&Q’s. Plus they cost a lot less. So that’s settled…

Lyra is pretty fed up with all the shlepping around she’s doing lately — car journeys up and down the North Circular, afternoons spent in big box stores looking at floor tiles. She was pretty fractious by the time we’d finished looking at kitchens and I couldn’t bear the thought of her screaming all the way home. Fortunately IKEA sells baby food in their cafe, so we gave her a little appetiser before we set off.

August 29, 2007

Well, the flat is officially ours! We took possession of the keys at noon, and popped in to have a look at it. It looks different now that George and Irene have moved out — bigger, and more scruffed up — but the layout and the light is good, the rooms are a decent size (aside from the 3rd bedroom), and there is a lovely hardwood floor in the living room and master bedroom.

We’d lined up a heating engineer to start installing a new boiler this afternoon, and before he starts we need to design the kitchen so that he knows where to run pipes and so on.

Back to B&Q for an appointment with a “kitchen consultant”. We gave him the dimensions, then we chose cupboards, worktops, appliances and so on, which he entered into his computer. The final result is a nice computer generated picture of our new kitchen, with dimensions (and a hefty price tag) attached. Actually, we’re hoping to buy the kitchen from IKEA, but the drawing he made is a very useful starting point.

Adam was out at an Arsenal game this evening. I started watching Memento, which was directed by our neighbour Christopher. It’s about a guy who has lost his short term memory. He’s trying to avenge his wife’s murder, but because he can’t remember anything for more than a few minutes, he uses notes and tattoos to keep track of information.

The story is told in reverse, in little snatches that overlap as they go back in time. The effect is quite unsettling, and leaves you in a similar position to the protagonist. It’s the sort of film you have to play close attention to — once I started dozing off, I gave it up and went to bed.

August 28, 2007

Nova is doing a “multi-activity week” at the Mallinson Centre. “I just love going to the Mallinson!” she said this morning, “Because I get to eat school dinners, and I’m so fast at making new friends!” It’s a great attitude to have, and one she certainly doesn’t get that from me. I would have dreaded going into a group of complete strangers at her age — at any age really…

August 27, 2007

Went to Waitrose in the morning, and B&Q in the afternon, (“Hey, I think I’m a housewife” to quote Michelle Shocked). Actually, B&Q was kind of fun. It’s a huge hardware and home renovation depot. We’ve never had a reason to darken their door before. We wandered up and down the aisles, looking at floor tiles, door handles and glass shower walls while Nova ran about with our extendable tape measure, measuring everything that didn’t move.

Made a very nice dinner — baked sea bass fillets on a bed of couscous with roast vine tomatoes — which Nova also thought was delicious. It’s great the way she’s broadening her culinary horizons at the moment.

Playing around with Nova after dinner, she leapt on my yelling, “I’m going to smash you to slithereens!” Great word, right up there with her “zips” of water.

August 26, 2007

Nova and I often play a game she calls “art class”. We set a theme, like a jungle scene or a family portrait, and then both draw our own versions, complementing each other effusively on our efforts, and copying from each other shamelessly.

When we were at Brent Cross the other day, Nova bought a book called “How to Draw Princesses and Fairies” with her WH Smith book token. She’s been drawing princesses furiously ever since, and today’s art class theme was princess carriages. To my surprise, I really love drawing princess carriages, and found it hard to stop. I kept drawing smaller and smaller ones, until I could draw a nifty little princess carriage the size of a kernel of corn.

Went to the gym in the afternoon and knocked off a good 5km on the treadmill then lifted some weights. I recently bought one of those tiny little clip on iPods, and it is great for running. Much better than listening to canned gym music and other people’s huffing and grunting.

August 25, 2007

Adam felt really sick this morning, but I dodged the bullet… After a “fat club” weigh in, Pasc and I went for our usual run in Highgate Woods. Definitely a little draggier than last week…

This flat renovation work is a bit daunting. We have absolutely no experience of this kind of thing — we don’t even watch those home renovation shows the telly is full of. While we are both experienced project managers, I doubt we’ll avoid a few major cock-ups on the way.

Lyra often joins us at the dinner table these days. She’ll have had her “mushies”, but with Adam around we’re taking the opportunity for family dinners with Nova. Lyra is still too small for a high chair, so she generally sits on my lap, with a little silver teaspoon in her hand to keep her busy.

August 24, 2007

We complete on the flat in Archway on Wednesday, and then it’s ours, mortgage and all… At least until we find someone willing to rent it. We want to do some renovations first — replace the boiler, install a new kitchen, resurface the floors.

Adam went down there in the afternoon to meet a builder and walk him through the work so he can give us a quote. I juggled meals for the girls, with prep for the dinner I was cooking round at Pete and Pasc’s. Lyra was hard work — she took cauliflower cheese I made her as a personal affront.

Once the kids were abed, we settled down to a meal of ginger beef stir-fry. Pete and Pasc are the sort who love playing board games. Personally, I’ve always hated board games, and it’s become a bit of a joke with us.

Anyway, we were well into the second bottle of wine when Pete left the room, returning with the worst game he could find, an Ann Summers sex game he’d been given as a joke. You rolled the dice, landing on squares that said things like, “Remove an article of clothing,” or “Too much brandy after dinner, go back two squares”.

I’ve always had dreadful luck at strip poker, so needless to say I was soon sitting at their dinner table in my underwear while other people were removing their first sock. (I think it’s because I wear less clothes than most people — I’m seldom cold, and hate wearing socks.) It certainly made the porno shoot scene I had to act out all the more piquant, although at least I didn’t have to ride “the player of my choice” around the room like a horse…

The game mercifully over, we returned to our excesses. Pete overdid it in more ways than one, and had to retire abruptly from the table to toss his cookies and was seen no more. That didn’t stop the three of us from opening a bottle of port. It was about 1am by the time we shifted the girls…

August 23, 2007

Had an appointment with the optometrist this morning. I’ve always had a real aversion to eye tests — maybe because they always gave me bad news. Anyway, I hadn’t been for 18 months, so I steeled my nerves and made an appointment (actually Adam made the appointment).

I was seen by a very nice guy called Ziggy, and apparently my eyesight is improving, and next time we’ll likely lower my prescription. My eyes are very healthy and according to him, “you wouldn’t even know that I wore contacts. ie no irritation, inflammation etc.”

Took Nova to buy school shoes at John Lewis. “They should call it the “zoo department” Nova said when she saw the state of the place. It was a madhouse — maybe fifty people waiting to see the two harried assistants, discarded shoes heaped all over the floor, pushchairs crowding the aisles. Two women got into a fight over a pair of T-straps. It was pretty bad…

Nova’s feet have grown two sizes since last year — she’s now a size 12. One more size and she’ll be chasing me through the grown-up sizes!

August 22, 2007

“This is the order of smartness in our family,” Nova announced this morning, “Mum, me, dad, Lyra.” Well, “we can’t all be smart like Fern!” as Wade used to say, borrowing from Saturday Night Live…

Endless rain… I had to turn the heating on, which is the first time I’ve ever done doing in August. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the length of these dreary, grey days you’d think it was November.

I had a headache all day, and just felt “off”. Very occasionally, I get migraines — luckily for me, they are largely painless, but I do get the typical visual halos and disorientation. This reminded me of one of those, except that it hurt more. When Lyra took her afternoon nap, I popped two Nurofen and retired to the flat for a rest. I felt better for it, though still not right.

Nova made the cheese scones from her fairy cooking book this afternoon. She did it pretty much all by herself, aside from the initial weighing and measuring. They turned out all right, and she was very proud of them.

I came out in hives again this evening. I some reading online, and am half wondering if it’s a reaction to the Nurofen. Apparently, one of the most common causes of a certain sort of hives is aspirin, even in people who’ve never had trouble with aspirin before.

August 21, 2007

Had a pretty good night with Lyra for a change. She woke up only once, and I got almost six hours solid sleep. After breakfast, Nova announced that she wanted to go to the library. When we first moved here, the Highgate Library was under threat of closure and was open only two afternoons a week, but it seems to be thriving now. I expect we have the Labour government (and our council taxes) to thank for that.

Even so, their adult section is woeful. It struck me that the Prince George Public Library of the 1970s had a vastly better collection of books. I suppose times have changed. Do people read less, read more crap, buy more books? Who knows?

We chose a few books and headed home, Nova chattering away happily about this and that. There is no greater pleasure in life than holding your child’s little hand — I suspect that life doesn’t actually get any better than this. Sometimes mum used to want to hold my hand when I was grown — I’d let her, but always thought it was a little strange. But I’ll sure miss it when my girls are too big to hold hands, and will probably do the same thing…

August 20, 2007

Busy morning finalising the money for the flat we’re purchasing in Archway, as well as cleaning the guest room before Claudia arrives to stay for ten days. When Simonia arrived in the afternoon, I grabbed the opportunity to go to the gym.

I took my time for once. After my gym work out, I had a swim and sauna, followed by a long shower and a glass of fresh juice in the cafe before heading home. Now the Lyra is on a more regular feeding schedule, I can arrange to be away from her for up to three hours in the daytime, which is liberating…

Steak and broccoli for dinner. Nova insisted on sautéed mushrooms as well (her latest passion, but only with steak). Claudia had arrived while I was out, and there was a lovely big bag of Italian treats waiting in the kitchen — pastas, porcini mushrooms, parmesan cheese, panforte…

Watched “Wait Until Dark” with Audrey Hepburn and Alan Arkin this evening. When the opening credits ran I felt a real pang of homesickness. Maybe it was the vintage of the film, or the fact the opening scenes are set in Canada, or maybe it just reminded me of the movies I’d watch with my parents. In fact, I remember watching this very movie at home. I had to get dad to come in from the kitchen to watch the ending with me — I was just too suspenseful to watch alone…

August 19, 2007

Today is the first day of summer holidays that we haven’t had house guests. Fortunately, Adam and I both love having people to stay, but I must admit, the contrast is nice too…It was definitely a home day. The weather is unremittingly lousy, and I have mountains of housework to do — heaps of laundry, cleaning, food to shop for and cook, baby purees to make, piles of papers to sort… Actually, it’s a pleasant novelty to have time for this sort of thing…

Nova suggested that I use different voices when I talk to each family member to avoid confusion — normal for daddy, quiet and sweet for her, and high and squeaky for Lyra. “So, if I say, ‘Do you want to split a beer with me?’ in a high, squeaky voice, everyone will know I’m talking to Lyra?” I asked. “Don’t be silly, mummy!” she reprimanded.

I’m reading Ian Fleming’s Bond books at the moment. I had no idea they were so well written. I’ve ploughed through Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, and Moonraker and am now starting on Diamonds Are Forever. His female characters are a bit ridiculous (one woman narrowly misses death by shark attack and in the next scene is worrying about getting the right shade of lipstick) but they crackle with tension and the writing is an absolute pleasure. Adam is reading them as well, and we’re planning to watch the films after we both finish each novel.

August 18, 2007

I’m doing “fat club” again with Pasc — the thing we did two years ago where we weigh each Saturday morning before our run and pay a penalty if we’ve gained weight (£10) or even stayed the same (£5). I added the refinement that if one person gains or stays the same the other person has to pay a half penalty into the kitty as a way of keeping it more supportive, and adding an element of peer pressure. It’s one thing to pay £10 because you’ve had an indulgent week, but quite another to ding your friend for £5 because you couldn’t say keep your mouth shut. When we did it two years ago I was 25lb heavier than Pasc — this time it’s only 15lb…Met Trevor and Marni for lunch at the Giraffe in Islington. Lyra was very good, hoovering in her mush then falling asleep in my arms. Of course, that left me with the task of eating a breakfast tostada laden with beans, scrambled eggs and salsa with one hand…

Adam met Trevor (who’s from Vancouver) on his masters course at UCL. He and Marni moved here permanently when Nova was a few months old, and have now decided to return to Vancouver. Looking at my two girls, I realised that during their time in London Nova went from Lyra-size to where she is now. We’re sorry to say goodbye to them — they are great people, and I particularly value my expat friendships…

Cooked dinner for Pat and Patty and the family. Nothing fancy, orrecchiete with broccoli and anchovy. Pat is one of my oldest friends. We met at UBC at the start of second year, when he tried to cut in front of my in the engineering registration line-up. Twenty five years ago now… We were great mates, sharing houses a couple of times, and had lots of fun together. One of the great things about old friends is that you remember stories from each other’s past that the other person has forgotten, though sometimes you might prefer they had remained forgotten…

Pat’s elder son Adam is a musical prodigy. The piano is his thing, though apparently he can master any instrument in a matter of months. He was mucking around on Nova’s keyboard, playing swathes of classical music and some terrific stuff he’d composed himself. After they’d gone I said to Nova, “Adam is a wonderful pianist, isn’t he?” Nova replied, “Adam is faster, but you’re better, mummy.” The loyal little thing…

August 17, 2007

Well, David, Denise, Ceinwen and Kael have left… They seet off at 9:30, and we all sad to see them go — it’s been a lovely visit. It occurred to me that little Kael has spent a quarter of his life with us…We didn’t have much time to mope, as there was a two hour window before the next shift of guests arrived. My friend Pat Boeker has moved to the UK to work for Finning, and he was picking up Patty and the boys this morning. They are staying one night with us before heading up to Staffordshire, where they’ll live.

“People won’t stop arriving here!” Nova observed, as Adam and I whisked around, changing beds, cleaning the bathroom and loading and reloading the washing machine. “Maybe they think it’s a hotel!”

After taking the kids to Highgate Woods playground to burn off some energy, we went for dinner at Zizzi. It was a bit late for our girls — Pat’s boys are eight and eleven — and Nova was visibly wilting over her bowl of spaghetti carbonara. Got all the kids down about 9pm and sat up over a bottle of wine before calling it a night.

August 16, 2007

Today was a home day. I think David and Denise are “sightseed” out, and they have lots of packing and organising to do before they fly home.We had a little naming ceremony for Lyra and Kael this afternoon using the family christening robes. There are three layers to the robes, and they each wore one of the outer layers. We invited Freddy, Beulah, Doron, Antonia, Oliver, Marni, Anne and John. Denise asked her brother and his wife, but they weren’t able to make it. I would have liked to have Pasc and Pete as well, but they are on holiday.

Once everyone was assembled, David and I brought up the babies and handed them to Adam and Denise. I spoke first, giving a little toast to Kael then David followed with a toast to Lyra. I got a bit emotional delivering my bit, and couldn’t help but remember Nova’s ceremony in the Prince George house six years ago…

Denise and I had made some food — Thai sausage rolls, mushroom pate, asparagus wrapped in parma ham, smoked salmon sandwiches, crudités — and we stood around drinking and nibbling afterwards. Dessert was summer puddings that Nova and Ceinwen had made following a recipe from Disney girl magazine — they were delicious. It was a really nice evening, and I’m glad we did it.

August 15, 2007

I took Denise shopping at Brent Cross this morning. She wanted to buy a diaper bag for herself and something for Kael. Found a sweet little outfit for him in Zara.Got home to discover that the guys had made lunch — Greek salad and pitta — and that dinner was in hand as well. There was some thought of going to the London Eye but the weather was vile. That didn’t keep them from barbequing the lamb they’d marinated with olive oil and oregano, and strips of courgette. Champagne and chocolates before bed, just because…

August 14, 2007

Toured Buckingham Palace this afternoon. I certainly didn’t feel much like an outing the day after returning from Paris, but the tickets were already booked. It was alright after once we got going, though the weather was appalling — drizzling rain, gusting winds. It’s the summer that never was…I fed Lyra her carrot puree in the ticket queue before embarking on the tour. We had to go through quite an elaborate security check and leave our pushchair. They issued us a baby backpack, but Lyra wasn’t having any of that. She slept in my arms for a bit, then squawked, wriggled, squirmed, and howled her way through the rest of the tour.

Everyone had headphones on, but there were still accusing stares. In the grand ballroom, people were sitting on silk covered bleacher and watching some sort of video. I joined them and gave Lyra a breastfeed, which shut her up for a bit. I bet there aren’t many people who have got their tits out in the Grand Ballroom, though I may be wrong about that…;-)

David, Denise and co were miles behind our whistlestop pace, and it was a good 45 minutes before they finally emerged. Headed back to Highgate, but instead of going home we caught the bus to Muswell Hill and went for fish and chips.

I picked up a jar of food for Lyra at Sainsbury’s, and I spooned her full of mush before our orders arrived. She’s almost big enough for a high chair — I wedged her in reasonably well with my jacket. Toff’s does great fish and chips — I can tell they’re good quality by how sick I didn’t feel afterwards…

August 13, 2007

Spent the morning packing up… Yet another taxi to gare du Nord (in retrospect, we should have taxied to Pere Lachaise…) and boarded the train.Lunch was an odds and ends affair, pulled together from our leftover groceries. A hummus-gouda croissant sandwich, half an apple, that sort of thing…

Nova was sick three times from the motion of the train. This happened on the return journey from Paris once before… She was very discreet about it, and we disposed of the bags afterwards to minimise the smell.

Took the tube home — it is so much more pushchair friendly than the Metro. Made sausages and potatoes for the girls’ dinner, and Vietnamese chicken salad and a beer for the adults. We all fancied something clean on the palate after all that wine and cheese and bread. It was a great holiday, but it’s good to be home.

August 12, 2007

Happy birthday, Greg!
The dads and big girls were up early and off to Disneyland. Denise and I hung out with the babies. Headed to rue Cler for a cafe breakfast at one of my favourite places, the Café du Marché. Hard to beat a leisurely Parisian café breakfast — even a pair of restless babies couldn’t dent the pleasure…Shopped for food in rue Cler afterward — bread, quiche, cheese, sausage… After a nice bottle of red wine, it was a bit of a struggle to find the enthusiasm for an outing to Pere Lachaise, but after reading Bill Richardson’s “Waiting for Gertrude” it was the one thing Denise wanted to do in Paris, so we dredged up the motivation.

After a lot of humping buggies up and down Metro staircases and rattling the babies over cobblestone paths in the blistering sun, we made it to Piaf’s grave. Mission accomplished… The steep staircase back to the street reeked of “eau de Paris” — I can see why the French invented perfume…

I had the big idea of walking back to the Bastille, maybe stopping for a drink in Place de Vosges, but the roads were confusing, the babies distracting, the lunch wine muddling, and we opted for the Metro in the end. We were caught in a terrific downpour on the final stretch, which left us soaked by the time we reached the flat.

I ventured out again for provisions. Nearly everything was closed, but I managed to find avocadoes and tomatoes for a salad, and several little pots of sorbet from a specialist ice cream store: caramel; grapefruit and ginger; guava, and peach.

We got the babies settled — they’ve both been such agreeable little travellers, and tucked into our supper, along with another bottle of red. It was midnight by the time the others returned. Nova was drunk with exhaustion, but it sounds like they had a great time…

August 11, 2007

Well, the tooth fairy came, and left Nova 2 euros! According to Ceinwen, there is a sliding scale for teeth in Canada:

• incisors – $1
• canines – $2
• bicuspids – $5
• molars – $10 to $20 (!!!)

Fired off a blistering email to the rental agency first thing (with accompanying photos) and got the local rep on the phone. Jean Michel took a completely different line today: “Of course you can’t spend another night there! I will relocate you to one of our other properties, and if that doesn’t suit we’ll put you up in a hotel.” etc, etc. He soon found us a pair of apartments in a building in the 7th, just off Rue Cler, and minutes from the Eiffel Tower. Very chi chi…

We’d decided to separate into families today. They went off to the Jardin du Luxembourg, while we went to the Maillol Museum to see the Weegee exhibition. Ate lunch in a local brasserie afterwards. Nova was keen to try escargots, so we started with those, then an omelette for me, smoked salmon and toast for Nova, and a croque madame for Adam. Adam and I shared a creme brulee and Nova dispatched a chocolate mousse the size of her head. (“No, it’s not!” she said, ever the literalist, “It’s only the size of Lyra’s head!”)

Strolled down St Germain, stopping at a toy store where Nova spent her tooth money on a Beatrix Potter figurine (Anna Maria the rat, an unintentionally appropriate choice). Picked up some clothes for the girls at D’PAM, one of my favourite shops in Paris, then headed home.

Adam finalised relocation arrangements with Jean-Michel and started negotiations with the agency about compensation. So far, they’ve agreed to refund the three nights spent in the Flat of Rat, and pay for taxis to our new accommodation.

Set off about 6pm. That taxi journey across Paris is likely to be one of the highlights of the trip. Although it was Saturday afternoon, there was next to no traffic on the road, and we whizzed past monument after monument. The equivalent trip in London, say from Highgate to London Bridge, would have been an ordeal by comparison.

It was our turn for a night out. Denise had made a reservation for us at the place they ate the night before, and although it was a bit of a slog back to Montmartre we hadn’t had time to organise anything else and it was Saturday night…

The tables on the terrasse had stunning views over Paris and the Eiffel Tower. Well the first table they showed us to didn’t, but Adam did his” you must be joking” face and they sat us at a much better one. It’s the first time I’ve eaten in Paris with a view. It overshadowed the food for me. I hadn’t realised that the Eiffel Tower did a light show on the hour. The people watching was very good as well…

Caugh another taxi home — I’ve noticed before that a taxi habit is easily acquired…;-)

August 10, 2007

We called the local agent about the mouse first thing, and requested that he deal with it. Jean-Michel didn’t seem all that bothered, saying “Did you actually see it, or just hear it?”. He promised to send the housekeeper round to deal with it while we were out.We walked to Montmartre, eying up restaurants as we went. We’ve agreed that each couple will have one night out on their own while the other babysits. It’s August, and a lot of the best places are closed, but David and Denise found a restaurant that looked promising and booked a table for this evening.

It was very crowded and the pushchair was a liability on the cobbles of Place du Teatre. Adam was happy to sit with Lyra and a coffee while Nova and I wandered round the square. Nova was very taken with the various artists, especially the ones sketching people’s portraits. While we were standing there, a silohuette artist snipped Nova and me (over my protestations) and I ended up buying them, as of course he knew I would…

While waiting for the others to return, Nova had a bite of sandwich and a swig of water, then let out a shriek. “My tooth! I’ve lost it!” Her mouth was full of blood, but the little bottom tooth was nowhere to be found. “Help me!” she cried, on the verge of panic. I calmed her down and started looking for her tooth. I checked the sandwich, her clothes, the gravel beneath her chair — but no tooth. I was starting to think she must have swallowed it, when I though to check the water bottle. Sure enough, down at the bottom with various chunks of backwash was her little tooth.

Ate lunch at a place called Le Basilic, with a colleague of David and Denise who is working in Paris. While there was nothing on the menu for Ceinwen, David had the foresight to make her a sandwich this morning, which she ate beforehand. I had a pork terrine followed by smoked cod and potato (brandade du morue), Adam had chicory followed by salmon on spinach, and Nova had the gorgonzola pasta. Both girls busily wrote their postcards — Nova’s were full of news on her lost tooth. A sample:

Dear Harriet, I am in Paris. I went to Paris on August 8th. I am having a lovely time with my cousins. I also lost my tooth in a water bottle!

Dear Evelyn, In Paris I lost my tooth! Even stranger, it was in a water bottle! See you!

Dear Sarah, I lost my tooth in Paris. I had a drink and it sank. Feels funny, doesn’t it?

Dear Etta, I am in Paris. I went with my uncle, aunt and cousin. In a water bottle I lost my tooth! See you in year 2!

Wandered through Monmartre cemetery on the way home. It’s my favourite of the Paris cemeteries. Francois Truffaut’s grave was covered with metro tickets, in recognition of his film “The Last Metro”. I noticed another gravestone with an embedded photo of a woman in her thirties with a baby in her arms and a little dog at her feet. She was about my age and died on the same day as her eight month old daughter and little dog. Likely a car accident, or perhaps a fire…

Back at the flat Ceinwen discovered a rodent in the bathtub. Suspicions grew that it might not be a mouse, as the tail is suspiciously thick and long… Rather than the House of Mouse, we may be staying in the Flat of Rat…

Whatever it was, it couldn’t climb the slick sides of the tub, and eventually Adam and David captured it with a cheese rind and a tupperware box. “Gerry” was taken for a long walk, and David gave the tub a thorough scrub. We downplayed the incident for the kids’ sake, but were all disconcerted at finding droppings in the sitting area and kitchen.

We hoped that was the end of the matter, but Adam and I heard more scrabblings while David and Denise were out for dinner. When they returned we sat up late deciding what to do. There was no way we would stay another night in the flat. In the end, we slept with the kitchen lights on to minimise nocturnal activity…

August 9, 2007

Hot, bothered night burning off red wine in our captain’s bed overlooking the kitchen… At least Lyra slept better than I did.We made a croissant run, then headed into the centre of Paris after breakfast. Our plan was to knock the main sights on the head when our energy and enthusiasm was highest.

We started with the Eiffel Tower, where the insane lineups put paid to any ideas of going up. Anyway, I’ve always thought that views of Paris that include the Eiffel Tower are much more interesting than the view from the Tower itself.

We took the Bateau Bus along the Seine, which provided Den and I with a great breastfeeding opportunity, and also gave us a break from the glacial wind that was flaying us.

Disembarked at Notre Dame, where Adam found a great restaurant with a view of the cathedral. The menu looked great, but there were slim pickings for the girls. Actually Nova could probably have found something she would eat, but Ceinwen’s diet is a bit more limited.

Opted for the tourist trap next door instead, where Adam and I shared a mediocre croque monsieur and a lousy salad nicoise (the fact that the description included rice should have been a warning to us). David ordered sausages and chips, and was served two jumbo weiners. There’s not much that makes me grumpier than eating badly in Paris…

Annoyingly, I couldn’t find the food, bib and spoon that I’d packed for Lyra that morning. I left the others picking listlessly at their food and went off to search the tourist-tat-ridden streets round the cathedral for a shop selling baby food. I veered away from the crowds at the first opportunity, and within feet found myself on a charming little street with a quiet little bar, a great looking brasserie, a police station, an epicerie. The woman sold two sorts of baby food — turkey and vegetable feast, or carrot puree. Opted for the carrots, retraced my steps and was back at our table within ten minutes. Je suis la femme!

After visiting Notre Dame we pushed on to the Louvre. Den and I fed the babies in the courtyard overlooking the pyramid, while the rest of the group went to see the Mona Lisa. There’s a rather smart cafe where we had a coffee and breastfed, then I nicked a little spoon and gave Lyra her carrots. Denise has something I call “the breastfeeding burka” — a sort of orange apron she arranges over herself before breastfeeding underneath. I rely on the relative modesty of my assets and sort of drag my teeshirt over the top of the baby’s head once she’s latched on.

David and I did the dinner provisioning tonight, topping up the wine, cheese and pate supplies at the excellent local shops. We broke off from our feasting and quaffing to watch a play the girls had been rehearsing. It was really quite good, with Nova playing straight man to Ceiny’s silly antics. Returning to the kitchen, I was startled to find a mouse on the counter. It was just as startled to see me, and scuttled off behind the fridge. We could hear it moving about behind there, until eventually it worked up the nerve to poke its head out and dash along the skirting board to the cupboard under the sink where it disappeared from view.

August 8, 2007

The usual endless list of tasks and preparation before a family holiday…
For each item I crossed off the list, I seemed to add another two. Eventually, we ran out of time. With the taxis idling outside, I arranged the blinds, locked the flat, and headed out the door. Five bags, one pushchair, one baby, one girl… Those long lost days of travelling light…The kids were all very good on the train. The babies fed then dozed, and the big girls sat at a table across the aisle from us reading and drawing. It’s always a funny moment when the train descends into the tunnel beneath the English Channel. A bit nerve wracking at first when you think of all that water above you, but ultimately anticlimatic. The first time I travelled Eurostar I was surprised to find that the tunnel was just like any other — dark walls with the occasional small lamp. I don’t know what I expected… murals of fish painted on blue walls perhaps?

From Gare du Nord we made our way by metro to our stop, Guy Moquet. It was a hell of a journey. The Paris metro is much less pushchair (poussette) friendly than the Tube, and that is without the additional burden of nine pieces of luggage and only four people to carry it.

We planned to change trains at Clichy, but the platform was packed, and after letting a couple of trains go by, opted to walk instead. It was definitely the right decision. It was much easier moving about above ground, and as Paris metro stops are much closer than their London equivalents, we reached the flat in about fifteen minutes.

The apartment is great — it’s converted loft space with loads of room. There are with a big bedroom, dining space and bathroom at each end, and a raised area with daybeds in the middle.

Adam and Denise went out for provisions, and once we’d fed the girls we sat down to a wine and cheese fest. Three bottles of red later it was finallly time for bed…

August 7, 2007

Lyra slept through until 4:15. After I fed her she stayed down until 6am. I told Adam to bring her back at 7am for a breastfeed, but there was a misunderstanding, and he fed her her porridge first. She wasn’t very hungry for her milk, so took the opportunity to express.I gave it back to her in a bottle this afternoon, which she happily held herself and happily sucked down a few ounces. It’s the first time she’s taken a bottle since she was a tiny infant.

Denise and Ceinwen went off to the Tower of London, Dave took Kael into town to pick up the Disneyland tickets, and Adam and I went full steam on the to-do list and packing for Paris. Nova was at sixes and sevens

— now that she’s used to having Ceinwen around, she finds it harder to amuse herself when she’s on her own. 

Ordered a Kiplings takeaway once the kids were in bed, washed down with a couple of G&Ts.

August 6, 2007

Went for a run with Dave this morning. I added an extra loop in the Woods, so it takes about a half an hour now.Adam took everyone to the zoo — I stayed home with Lyra so there was enough room in the car. She was such a good girl today, and we had a laugh together. Literally — she’s just started giggling. It’s very sweet, although the actual noise sounds like a Beavis and Butthead style snicker.

August 5, 2007

Lyra slept through the night. I’m going to write that again…
LYRA SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!
A future of unbroken nights of sleep glimmers before me like a mirage…Spent the morning doing a household budget in Excel. Kind of fun in a saddo way. I’m sure there are software packages you can buy that do it all for you, and we’re probably reinventing the wheel… badly. It’ll be interesting to see where it all goes, if writing down every pence and farthing doesn’t prove too soul destroying.

David, Denise and Ceinwen returned in the afternoon. We had pork wraps on the barbeque, washed down with a big jug of Pimms.

Went to see the Harry Potter film with Pasc. Now you don’t go to a Harry Potter film expecting Oscar-worthy performances, but those kids are pretty lousy actors. I wondered if they might be suffering from sharing the screen with the cream of British acting talent — Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Imelda Staunton, Alan Rickman, to name a few — but actually they are at the worst when they have to carry a scene on their own. Also, “Order of the Phoenix” was my least favourite book in the series — there’s not a whole lot of action. Still, it was enjoyable enough as mindless entertainment…

August 4, 2007

The weather is glorious today — a rare summer day. Lyra is still poorly and sleeping badly, though she was able to nap today with the house being quieter and seems happier for it.I went for my run, though it was a bit hot by the time I got going. Ruby came round on her bicycle, and she and Nova spent a good hour cycling on the parade ground. Spent the day gardening, doing laundry, grocery shopping, basically getting our life back in order after ten days of house guests.

Nova’s latest joke: “Will you remember me tomorrow?” “Yes.” “Will you remember me in a week.” “Yes.” “Will you remember me in a year?” “Yes, of course I will.” “Knock, knock.” “Who’s there?” “You’ve forgotten me already!”

Barbequed up a package of sausages and made a simple coleslaw for dinner. Nova was on good form, and we had a laugh, telling family stories. Her particular favourite is when Patty Carmichael stopped being my best friend inhigh school, and opted for Brenda Cartwright instead. “And when her older sister Laurie said she was taking her to Disneyland at Easter and she could bring one friend, who do you think she chose?” I ask, “Her best friend for ten years or her best friend for ten minutes?” “Ten minutes!” Nova yells happily.

August 3, 2007

Had a wretched night with poor congested Lyra. I was up at 1am, 3am, 5am… Adam took her off after that and I managed to sleep until 8:30.Fay came round to play after breakfast. The house was feeling a little crowded, so I took Lyra for a walk in Highgate Woods, and had my coffee in the cafe. Reading a leaflet on the history of the woods, I learned that it has been a continuously managed wood since Roman times, and that there is an even earlier earthwork that cuts across it.

David and Denise treated us to lunch at the Flask. I had a steak sandwich, Adam had fish and chips, and Nova and Ceinwen split an order of fish and chips between. Ceinwen is pretty much the slowest eater in the world, but she can certainly polish off fish and chips. I couldn’t believe my eyes…

They left this afternoon to spend a couple of days with Denise’s brother who lives in Bexley Heath. They’ve been excellent houseguests, but it’s kind of nice to have a bit of time with just the four of us. Lyra’s still poorly, and I’m a bit worried about her…

Gave our liquor cabinet a good clearing out, throwing out a couple of dubious foreign products (those kind of things that taste great when you’re on holiday and like gasoline when you try drinking them at home). We have an unfeasible quantity of brandy, given that we never drink the stuff… We need to focus on polishing off a few of the oddballs, such as absinthe, pommeau, Pimms, Southern Comfort, white port, Galiano, coconut liqueur etc. A crazy cocktail or shooter evening before David and Denise go back could help with that…;-)

August 2, 2007

The poor baby is getting sicker. She’s croaking like a little frog now. I hope she’s feeling better before we go to France next week. The only thing less fun than taking a baby on a Eurobreak is taking a sick baby on a Eurobreak…We had hamburgers for dinner, which David cooked on the barbeque. I had a scary moment when I recalled those charred pucks we were served in Canada, before remembering that it was Wade not David who was responsible for them.

Den and I into the West End to see the Piaf film, which was good but not great. I wouldn’t give it the great reviews it’s been receiving. The actress playing Piaf put in an impressive performance, but it’s tough to compress a person’s life into two hours. Actually, when I think of it, you probably could compress most people’s lives into two hours — Edith Piaf is probably the exception…

August 1, 2007

I felt so perky when I woke up this morning (even with a 2am breastfeed) that decided to go for a run. Start the month off on the right foot and all that. I did a single loop round Highgate Woods, and it felt pretty good — the thigh muscle I tore last week is much better. Unfortunately, there is something wrong with my foot now. Something in the top of my foot sort of “crunches” in an unpleasant way when I put weight on it.Met my job share Tina in town for lunch. It dawns on me that I’m more than half way through my maternity leave. Afterwards, I zipped down to Selfridges to replace a drinking glass that got broken. I love that place, but there was no time for any browsing as the breastfeeding clock was ticking down. I met Adam, David and the girls in Highgate Woods on the way home and gave Lyra her much anticipated afternoon feed.

Nova and Ceinwen had a sleepover at Fay’s this evening. Once they were safely away, I cooked Moroccan roast veg with steamed fish for dinner. Adam was dozing off by 9pm — he blamed it on his early start with the baby, ignoring their 2am liqueur drinking session…:-)