August 2016

August 31, 2016

Up early this morning, as I wanted to post a recipe to tie in with the first week of the Great British Bake-off. Grapefruit yogurt drizzle cake, tick. Now I’m all ready for iced biscuits week. Actually, I don’t much like iced biscuits, and never make them. Not sure what I’m going to do with that one yet…Lily came round for another playdate this morning — those two certainly enjoy each other’s company. Adam was mooching around home — he’s feeling better than yesterday, but still not great. On the plus side, it should help his post-holiday weight-loss efforts.

Took Lyra to Brent Cross this afternoon to be school shoes. The usual pandemonium in John Lewis. I’d pretty much settled on the shoes (and size) I was going to buy, but our number was called just as we were about to leave, so I got her feet measured. Turns out they’ve barely grown in the last year — nothing like her sister, who resembled a capital L at this age, before she put on some height…;-)

Straight into dinner prep when we got home — grilled steak with spring greens. I was expecting some kickback on the greens, which I’d simmered before sautéed briefly in olive oil and dressing with lemon and garlic, but they went down a storm. It’s always good to introduce new foods to kids when they are hungry.

Watched Bake-off with Lyra, while Nova and Adam at a Jackson’s Lane show. Nova set off in her leather trousers and a long white teeshirt of mine, looking very rock ‘n’ roll.

August 30, 2016

Went for a run again this morning, as I’m starting a new 10K training plan which starts today. I’m definitely more motivated when I’m following a plan — and do even better when have a race scheduled for the end of it.Collected Lyra from Lucia’s afterwards — sounds like the sleepover was a success. There was just time to get her home and turned around for a playdate at Lily’s. Or there would have been if I wasn’t derailed by the presence of our new window cleaners. There were three of them tackling inside/outside simultaneously when I arrived — it was all very intense. They did an excellent job — I’m pretty sure it’s the first time a window cleaner has washed the skylight windows…

I also had to resolve Lyra’s toenail crisis. Her infected toenail has been threatening to fall off for a couple of weeks, and was now hanging by a thread. I carefully detached it, leaving only a little piece on the side that looked like it would really hurt if I pulled it off. Very nasty… I just hope it will give us a chance to really tackle the infection in the nailbed itself…

I applied for job with Diabetes UK as a senior project manager. It’s a long shot, but I want to start getting into the swing of applying for things. I feel ready to return to the more traditional world of work. This self-employed, mom-n-pop consultancy thing has definite advantages, but it’s a precarious way to live…

Lyra returned late afternoon, and the three of us had dinner together — bibimbap — as Adam out as his men’s book group. He’d returned from the office feeling terrible, and blames the ham he put in his work sandwich. Hard to judge, as no one else ate it, but it was within the sell-by date and seemed fine to me. He staggered off anyway, loathe to cancel after having missed the first couple of meetings…

August 29, 2016

Nice as all our holiday accommodation was, it is certainly good to sleep in your own bed after a week away…Both Adam and I have packed on a couple of pounds during August. Not drastic, but definitely time for some mindful eating and increased exercise. Took some weights and measurements as a baseline, nothing like an unflattering photo of you in your pants to ramp up the motivation…;-)

Plus, I’m going to the doctor to discuss my diabetes blood test results next week. If they have stayed the same or got better, I imagine I’ll carry on doing what I’m doing.

If they are worse, and more intervention is a possibility, I’m going to suggest three-months of strict low GI diet and no alcohol, followed by another blood test to see measure the impact of those lifestyle changes. To that end, I’m going to start off down that road now, so I can have the test done before Christmas.

Did a 30-minute timed run to see how much distance I could cover. Not all that much, it turns out — definite room for improvement there… The weather wasn’t great, but at least it was cool, so I can’t blame the conditions, or the fact I lost my phone holder somehow…

Back home, I unpacked the bags, did five loads laundry, made a grocery list and hit the supermarket. Adam had a few work calls and things to do, Nova tackled her physics revision, while Lyra went off to meet Lucia in Highgate Woods for a few hours.

I was just setting out to collect her when she called to see if she could stay at Lucia’s for a couple of hours. Two hours later, I was half way to Lucia’s myself, when she called to see if she could have a sleepover. She was so grateful when I said yes, that I couldn’t be annoyed…

Nova packed her overnight bag, and Adam ran it down while I was cooked dinner — banh mi, haven’t had that in a while…

August 28, 2016

It was quite a surprise to throw open the window at 7am and behold a grey, lowering sky. I don’t think we saw a single cloud after our arrival in Girona. Looked like it might be drizzling a bit, or had just stopped, which zapped my enthusiasm for an early morning prowl round the ramparts.Had a coffee in bed, contemplating whether we should indulge in gorgeous bed linens like the hotel’s. All those washed out lineny beiges, blues and whites. Hard to picture that palette working with our beer bottle green carpet, and mustard yellow walls.

The girls knocked at 8:30, and we set out for breakfast. They assumed we were going to have fancy hotel buffet breakfast, but I’d learned my lesson in Oman, where we paid about £50 for two slices of French toast and half a peach. Found a café doing a 5-euro petit dejeuner — hot chocolate, bread, jam, orange juice — that did us all fine.

Visited the cathedral before the hordes descended, then toured the castle. Almost certain I didn’t do that the last time I visited. Either it was under renovation or we couldn’t spare the money.

It is really impressive, and the story of the architect Viollet le Duc is a fascinating one. The project was a lifetime’s labour of love. He did his utmost to research just how it would have been hundreds of years before, with little evidence to work with, and no reason to go to those lengths, aside from personal integrity. Interestingly, advances in archeological science has since proved that many of the restoration decisions he made were historically accurate.

Headed back to the hotel to pack up and leave our bags in reception. Wandered around a bit more, visiting the charming school museum before lunch.

I’m well aware that I can be extremely picky about where I choose to eat, and that it can be tedious for others, especially when they are hungry. Which is probably why I let the girls pick the place we ate, which was also the first place we looked at.

Unfortunately, it served up the worst food I’ve eaten in years (fully justifying my choosiness, imho)… I barely touched mine, and 25cl of indifferent rosé on an empty stomach left me feeling both drunk and hungry before 1pm…:-(

Left the girls reading in a courtyard and stopped at a more promising looking café, where I ordered a chicken-pepper tapas and a bottle of water to restore my equilibrium.

Collected our bags, and availed ourselves of the hotel shuttle to the bottom of hill where we awaited our taxi. It’s only a 10 minutes drive to airport, which is Prince George size, and it was a matter of moments to clear security and reach the gate.

Had a good hour to wait the for flight, which again left more or less on time — and landed on time as well. There was a delay with bags, but our taxi was waiting when we finally emerged. Not cheap, but four train tickets cost more. And the coach to Golders Green saved £10, which would have been eaten getting a taxi home from there.

Typical British weather by the look of things, though apparently there were a few nice days while we were away…

Cleo was waiting outside when we got home… and surprisingly friendly and happy to see us. She usually gives us the cold shoulder treatment for a few hours, to make clear her disapproval of our abandonment…

For once, we didn’t bother unpacking the bags immediately. Instead, I threw together a quick pasta pomodoro and we sat down together to watch the first episode of Great British Bake-off. The first signature bake is a drizzle cake — I should make one in the next couple of days if I’m going to join in…

August 27, 2016

Adam and I got up early and headed out for our final morning wander. The streets are so lovely at this time of day. After coffee and croissant at the foot of the basilica, we picked up a loaf of bread for the girls’ breakfast and returned to the flat.We packed our bags, but left the final tidy of the flat for later. Strolled over to the market in La Devesa park. Split from the girls, leaving them to go round on their own, which is fun for them.

There was lots of great fruit and veg, but it’s not the right time to be buying groceries. I had been planning to pack a picnic for the train, but with us all sitting separately, it doesn’t make sense. I did pick up a couple of rather nice teeshirts for five euros each, which seemed a steal.

Back at the flat, we had ten minutes to close windows, empty the bins and take out recycling before our taxi arrived on schedule to whisk us to train station. Despite our seats being scattered along the train, we all got into the same car. Nova took the seat upstairs, and Adam stayed with Lyra and me until he could speak to conductor.

Contrary to what the ticket office said, there appeared to be lots of seats free. While many of them were filled in Figueres, and all but one in Perpignan, Adam was able to remain in the same car as us the whole way.

Changed in Narbonne to a local train that was busy. We boarded early enough to find seats close together, but the aisles were jammed by the time we set off. It chugged along through what I could see of the arid landscape, through a group of passive-aggressive Americans bitching loudly about overcrowding, bikes, heat…

By the time we reached Carcassonne, Lyra needed the loo (there was no possibility of using the one on the train, as the aisles were crammed with hot Americans and bicycles). By time we sorted her out, all the taxis were gone, and we decided to walk…

It was baking hot, but once we’d crossed the canal, we found a pedestrianed street through the new town, the was shaded and relatively cool. Still, it took a good half an hour to reach the walled city.

We had to across a river, drag our suitcases along dusty parkland paths, and climb a steep set of stairs, just to reach the bottom of the walls. The girls were grumbling away the whole time — which was fair enough actually…

We finally made it to the air conditioned comfort of the hotel, which was bliss after the efforts we’d made to arrive. Our rooms were in the annex about 50 metres down the road. Of course, guests couldn’t possibly be expected to travel that distance, so we were driven there in a little jeep. The rooms were lovely, and we were all keen to relax for a bit. Travelling, as ever, so unexpectedly time consuming…

Set out for a pre-dinner stroll about 7:30pm. Such a charming place, especially when you’re are mounting an assault on the ramparts with your luggage in the beating sun.

While there are lots of restaurants to choose between, Carcassonne seems the kind of place it would be all to easy to eat badly. Having done some research, we had reserved a table at a place called Adelaide.

There was a bad moment when the restaurant looked to be completely empty except a single table. Then we noticed the lovely, packed terrace round the side. We chose to eat there too, despite it being much cooler than any evening in Girona, and windy too…

We all went for set menus: salad and cassoulet for me, salad and baked cod for Nova, mini cassoulet for Lyra, fois gras and fillet mignon in pepper sauce for Adam (he went for the deluxe menu), served with a nice bottle of minervois.

Everything was very nice, aside from them overcooking my cassoulet. The top was all crusty, and the duck flesh actually cracked when you bit into it. It was still tasty enough, but annoying…

I’d thought of going for a walk along the ramparts after dinner, but almost 11pm by time we paid up, and decided against it…

August 26, 2016

Our last full day in Girona…:-( We’ve loved it here, and I’ll be sorry to leave…Adam headed off first thing to return car and buy train tickets for tomorrow. The car went smoothly, but the tickets were a palaver, with next to nothing available. I can’t really believe it, but suppose we should have sorted it when we arrived (it was too complicated to do online).

He did manage to get tickets to Narbonne, though only two of the seats are together. The third one is elsewhere in the same car, while Lyra is sitting in a child’s seat in a different car from the rest of her family.

Spent the morning walking in the San Daniele valley, which extends out from the old part of the city. It also featured as the site of one of the murders in my first Girona mystery novel, and it was neat to visit the “scene of the crime” as it were.

The new novel is taking place up the coast near Llafranc. His writing is better than in the first book, and I like the way they the characters are still devastated by the events in the first novel, as you would be in real life.

Also, there hasn’t been a single murder in Girona since the first story, unlike Midsomer (home of Midsomer murders), where they suffer six grisly murders associated with the church one week, followed by carnage in the Womens’ Institute the week after that…

Bought bread then headed back to the flat for lunch at home. Salad, cheese, salami and a tapenade that Lyra and I made with the olives the girls hadn’t liked, which they now scoffed happily.

Had a relax/siesta afterwards. Nova wasn’t feel great, but Adam and Lyra mustered the energy to head out to play basketball on the court across the road. Better them than me…

Went for an afternoon stroll round the streets of old Girona, visiting the Arab baths (yet another Game of Thrones location), as well as a stationery store that stocks Santoro products I’d noticed earlier, which delighted Lyra as much as I’d expected.

I wanted to catch buildings along the river in the evening light, but we were a bit late in the end. Had a soft drink in Plaça Independencia, then walked the city walls back to our flat. It was Nova’s idea to do it at sunset and it was lovely up there…

For our last Girona dinner, we decided against the great tapas/pinxto place Adam and I would have both loved to go to, choosing a highly-rated creperie just a few minutes away instead.

The place was packed with locals, relatively inexpensive, and served delicious food — everyone enjoyed it and we had really nice time. Stopped for ice cream afterwards, and home by 11pm…

August 25, 2016

It was Nova’s turn to go out for a photo-taking wander this morning. I gave her money to buy pastries for breakfast. We had another outing planned for today, but didn’t need a particularly early start.Our destination was Cadaques/Portlligat, a fishing village on the tip of a peninsula where Dali and Gala lived for many years. While we allowed two hours for the journey we managed it in just over one, despite the crazy, windy, cliff-edge road. I certainly wouldn’t fancy it in a coach (though it was no fun meeting them either.)

Parking was a nightmare, but we eventually found somewhere a kilometre or so up the mountainside from where we wanted to be. Hiked down the road to Portlligat, where I redeemed my Dali house voucher for actual tickets admitting us at 3pm. There was no option of moving it forward, and we ppent a frustrating half hour deciding how to fill the few hours before we were scheduled to tour the house.

Hiked back up the steep road to Portlligat, and down the equally steep path to Cadaques, where we found a somewhere to eat across from the beach. Adam very nobly hiked back up to the car to grab the swimming bag, and there was just time for the girls to have a quick dip after lunch.

Powerwalked up and down again to Portlligat to make our scheduled time. If you’re late, you lose your place. The slots are carefully managed to control the numbers in the house, and you are accompanied by a guide — though once you reach the garden, you’re left to your own devices.

I was suprised at how deceptively large the house was. Dali strung together a number of fishing huts into an organic, free-flowing structure that flowed up the hillside.

Lyrador Dali

On our sixth (and happily final) hike back up the calf-shredding road to where we’d parked, we bumped into Russell and Sarah and their daughter Matilda, acquaintances of ours from Lyra’s school. It’s funny how often that seem to happen… we once bumped into friends of ours from Victoria on the streets of Pushkar in remote Rajasthan…

On the drive home we stopped in Petit Canyelles where there is a nice beach, though very resorty compared to others we’ve visited. It’s interesting how they all have a different feel. Stayed until the sun dipped below the surrounding hills, then headed back to Girona.

Ate dinner in to finish off our provisions, and retired to our rooms as soon as the dishes were done…

August 24, 2016

Adam and I got up early and headed out for a wander. The streets were lovely, cool and quiet. Visited the cathedral for early worship, and pretty much had it to ourselves. The only sound was the chanting of monks in a some side chapel, or maybe the cloisters.We sat in a pew and absorbed its immensity. Apparently, it has the widest Gothic nave in the world, which gives it a very different feel to the narrow pointiness of Westminster Abbey’s interior. Stopped for a coffee before returning with pastries and xuixos (custard-filled sugar doughnuts that are a speciality of Girona)for the girls.

Today’s main objective was a trip to the beach. We were happy with a leisurely start, but somehow managed to take the wrong road, which through our timing for the day off. That sat nav is not really our friend — you either have to completely trust it or turn it off, not second-guess it the way we are doing…

We managed to turn it to our advantage by stopping at Pubol, the castle Salvador Dali bought his partner Gala. It was meant to be a retreat for her, and apparently Dali could only visit after a written invitation.

More Dalian OTT craziness, though tempered by Gala’s more restrained, sober style. Loved the glassed hole in the floor overlooking a stuffed horse he was given as a present, painting of a radiator covering the radiator, and room of Gala’s couture dresses.

Carried on to the resort town of Llafranc, where we parked up then hiked down to the beach and chose a promising restaurant for lunch. It was all very pleasant until Adam and I got into a silly argument about which Hogwarts house I would be in.

Having done a number of online quizzes on this subject at Lyra’s behest, I said that I would be in Griffindor. Adam made a remark I didn’t hear, and things went south from there. I sulked, he fumed, and the poor girls wished they were somewhere far, far away.

We’d planned to walk the coast path to the next beach, and after settling the bill we set off in bad humour. When Adam started yelling at me in the street, I set down the beach bag and walked away. Even after rounding the corner, I could hear him raging, and what sounded like crying. I took a few minutes to let things settle, then headed back.

It was a glum walk to Palafrugel, where we discovered a beach less nice than the one we’d left. It was smaller and more crowded, with no shade or umbrellas. The water was lovely for bathing though — you could swim a good way out — maybe 75m — to a lane rope that defined the swimming area and prevented boats from coming any closer to shore. The water was remarkably clear, with numerous fish gliding about below.

Gradually, a brittle peace settled… and Adam felt pretty sheepish when it was discovered he’d shattered the screen on Nova’s phone smashing our beach bag against the wall.

On the drive home, we stopped to pick up a supermarket pizza for the girls’ supper. As soon as it was ready, Adam and I headed out for dinner. Ended up at a little tapas place we’d liked the look of a few days earlier, where we had a few plates of things and a round of Estrella.

The earlier fight was still simmering beneath the surface, and erupted again on the walk back. As is almost always the case, fights are seldom about what they purport to be. Once Adam told me what was actually making him so angry, things got a whole lot better immediately…

August 23, 2016

I’d booked tickets to the Dali museum in Figueres today, and in my wisdom thought 9:30am was the optimum time to book. Of course, it makes sense to get there when it opens — though not so much, if you are in an entirely different city…Had a moment’s panic when we unexpectedly found ourselves on the motorway signposted for France. Adam came off immediately, before realising that it was right along, so looped round and went through the toll gate again.

Once we were heading in the right direction, the rest of the journey went smoothly. When we hit Figueres, Adam was keen for me to programme the sat nav to guide us in but I refused.

The Dali Museum is global attraction and the only reason people even go to Figueres, and I was right in assuming there would be ample signage. Notwithstanding, it’s an enormous pink building covered in polka dots, and topped with giant eggs and a glass dome — how hard can it be to find?

We parked up round the corner and headed straight in… I was blown away from the first room. My impression of Salvador Dali was formed by those prints boys used to have on their dorm rooms at university — all melting clocks, deserts, cracking skulls. It seemed sci-fi’sh and not my thing at all.

So I was completely unprepared for the beauty, wit, tenderness, and virtuousity of his work. I found it breathtaking, and could happily have spent all day in that place. Even the crowds didn’t bother me. The girls quite liked it too, but their eventually flagged, and we exited through the gift shop.

It was still a bit early for food so wandered the streets, doing a bit of shopping. We had no idea where to eat lunch, so Adam did some research on TripAdvisor and chose a place.

It was situated in a nice square, and the food was good quality, but it just wasn’t the right place for us. Commercialised, packed with Americans and the service was terrible…

Before we left, we spent half an hour touring the collection of Dali jewellry, which was even more amazing than the art works.

Stopped at L’Escala beach for a swim on the way home — lovely…

Dinner in tonight — tortilla, salad, salami, with Haribo sweets for dessert…

August 22, 2016

Adam and I left the girls still sleeping and set off at 8:30am to pick up our hire car near the train station. Another glorious blue blazer of a day… It was about a twenty minute walk, and we stopped in a little bar for coffee and a croissant. One of my favourite things to do in places like Italy, France and Spain.

The rental car guy was super nice — not the sort of thing you normally find. He was very straightforward and clear, and offering great prices too. Let’s hope there’s not some hidden catch that will bite us at the end…

Stopped at a supermarket on the way back to the flat, where I bought provisions for the week, some after-bite for Lyra, and a cheap bikini for myself. Not the first time I’ve opted for a hypermarket holiday bikini…;-)

Collected the girls and set off for the day. Our destination was the Garrotxa national park, but stopped in the beautiful medieval town of Besalu on the way. Had a wander round, though there wasn’t much you could actually visit without joining a paid tour.

After a very good sandwich and a beer, we trekked back to the car and carried on to Olot, the main town in the Garrotxa. We’d failed to plan our timing or activities very well, and none of us particularly fancied a hike in the baking mid-afternoon heat.

Compromised on a short hike up one of the volcanoes that ring the town, then turned towards home again, stopping at Lake Banyoles for a dip. The largest natural lake in Catalonia, it is a popular swimming and boating destination, and was where the rowing events were held during the Barcelona Olympics.

Consistent with the volcanic nature of the region, there was a slightly sulphurous tang to the water. There was also weird yellow, mossy weed free-floating about that detracted from my enjoyment, though it didn’t put the locals off.

Back in the car, we’d just hit the highway again, when we spotted this enormous Haribo factory. Adam swerved across two lanes of traffic, skidding to a halt in front of the outlet store doors and in we went.

The girls were in heaven, surrounded by every Haribo candy they’d ever eaten, and many they hadn’t. Most uncharacteristicly, I just let them go for it and they each selected an enormous bag of pick-and-mix sweets. It’s an odd thing to say perhaps, but they tasted noticeably fresher than the ones you buy in the shops, and the texture was softer and less rubbery.

Dinner was tapas in the Plaça Independencia — we allowed the girls to choose the restaurant this time. Actually we’d only planned to have a pitcher of sangria, but we were having such a nice time, we decided to eat as well.

August 21, 2016

Ate breakfast in the flat, where Lyra discovered that the chocolate yogurt she’d been so keen to buy yesterday is definitely not a thing…Set out to explore the old town of Girona. We started by planting kisses on the lion’s butt — which is meant to guarantee a return to Girona — the moved on to the basilica, where Lyra felt inspired to do a sketch of the altar. Left her to it with Adam, while Nova and I carried on to the tourist information office.

I’d heard they did a map showing all the Game of Thrones filming locations. In fact, it was more of a list of every film and television appearance of the streets of Girona, but it served as a useful starting point.

With Nova leading the way, we tracked down a number of locations from season 6, some of them instantly recognisable, others that must have been transformed significantly or featured very fleetingly.

Ended the morning’s sightseeing with a visit to the cathedral and adjoining museum. It is really impressive and remarkably wide — you’d think that might make it seem less lofty, but it doesn’t.

Headed back to the flat for some lunch, then hung out for a while before heading over to the municipal pool in the park for a swim. A delightfully refreshing way to end the afternoon.

At dinner time, we wandered out to find somewhere to eat. Our idea of appealing restaurants differs markedly from the girls’, who were drawn to crèpe houses, burger joints, and tourist traps…;-)

Ended up in a delightful looking pinxto bar — at least Adam and I thought so. The girls were less impressed, and Lyra in particular kicked up a fuss, which took away from everyone’s enjoyment. She was tired and hungry — we’d left it too late to eat, which we need to avoid in the days ahead, for the sake of family harmony…

August 20, 2016

As predicted, I had just enough time to tick the final things off my list before the taxi arrived to take us to Luton at 11am. Nice, straight blitz up the motorway to get there, but the airport itself looked like a bomb site.”What are we doing here?” said Nova. “We’re Heathrow people — Gatwick is bad enough…” “Are we poor now?” Lyra asked. It was pretty chavtastic, and an overcrowded zoo to boot.

We’d brought a packed lunch, which was just as well, as all the food venues had massive queues. It was a challenge to find somewhere to eat it though… Although they’d announced the plane was delayed by 45 minutes, Adam happened to check the departures board and saw that it was last call for boarding.

We sprinted to our far-flung gate only to find that boarding hadn’t even started… A pregnant woman with three little kids came panting up behind us. “I ran so fast my trousers fell off!” her five-year-old son informed me.

When we finally did board the plane (roughly on time), Adam and I were seated next to her. Turns out she’s expecting twins. “I wish I was a twin”, Lyra announced.

It was a bumpy journey, which I never enjoy. Basically, I dont like anything that reminds me I’m in a tin can a mile above the ground…

Despite the glorious forecast, the weather in Girona seemed pretty much like Britain — gray, drizzly and cool. “We’re bad weather magnets, that’s why,” said Nova.

Having emailed the host to say we were arriving late, we were now too early for the flat. Went for a beer in little café round the corner to fill the time. It’s lovely to be in Spain again — and the sun started shining again too!

Once installed, we set off to find some provisions. There was a strange little farmer’s shop/petfood store where we picked up enough to see us through tomorrow (in case things are closed on Sunday).

Adam had booked a nice restaurant called Llevataps in the old part of town. A recommendation from Iris’s mum, who’s spent months in Girona filming Game of Thrones.

Three of us went for the tasting menu, while Lyra ordered the pork ribs. It was high-quality food, beautifully presented, though some of the combinations were a bit challenging. Having learned from experience that opting for wine pairing menu usually ends badly, we chose a nice bottle of local white wine.

Stopped for ice cream at Rocambolesc, the ice cream outpost of El Celler de Can Roca, which is reputedly the world’s best restaurant. There’s an 18-month wait for a table, so we won’t be dining there this holiday. I think we’re going to like it here…

August 19, 2016

We were all around the house today… Adam was working from home, Nova was finishing some maths revision, and Lyra was moping about bored and listless. That girl struggles through any day where she doesn’t see friends

.

None of that “be your own best friend” nonsense for her. My mum’s “only boring people get bored” doesn’t cut much ice either (nor does “boredom is the punishment for laziness.”) Personally, I think a bit of boredom is good for people…;-)

Devilled eggs and salad for lunch and Turkish pide for dinner — it’s all about working with what I’ve got round here…

Had an interesting discussion over dinner about the South African runner Caster Semenya, and whether her abnormally high (though naturally occurring) testosterone levels should preclude her from competing as a woman.

A few points:

• testosterone levels are a key differentiator of athletic performance, and the primary reason men are bigger, stronger and faster than women
• with her testosterone chemically suppressed to a normal level, Semenya is still an elite athlete, but no longer smashing world records
• women are a protected category in sport – if men and women competed against each other, there wouldn’t be any women qualifying for athletics events

Spent the evening finishing the packing. As we aren’t leaving until the civilized hour of 11am, I was able to go to bed not much later than normal with the alarm set for 7am, confident of being able to get everything done in the morning.

August 18, 2016

Had my follow-up appointment at the HRT clinic this morning. Gave myself an hour and a quarter to get across town to South Kensington and the Chelsea and Westminster hospital, and needed pretty much all of it.

I’d expected to see the same consultant as last time, but ended up with someone new unfortunately. We went through my blood test results (all good), and how I was getting on with the regime (pretty well). My blood pressure reading was a bit high (at least for me), but she didn’t seem concerned about it.

Because I’m still at the start of the whole menopause process, she’d decided to increase my estrogen dose to guarantee a regular “bleed”. Apparently the body gets lazy once it gets estrogen support, or something.

She’s also given me a prescription for topical testosterone, which I’m supposed to use sparingly and stop altogether if I grow a beard or starting making amazing times at the track…;-) Not sure about that one — but I’ll try a tube and see how I get on…

Stopped by the Whittington on the way home to redo my diabetes blood test — after all, that’s the main reason I’m going down the HRT road. We generally try to go first thing in the morning to avoid a long wait, but happily it seemed no busier at noon.

I’d also arranged to get my hair done, but with Nova having an impromptu sleepover at her friend Ana’s, I needed to pick up Lyra and Lily from sports club and the timing didn’t work…

Realising I’d forgotten to take my keys and that there was no one in, I swung by Pete and Pasc’s, who hold our spare set. Ended up staying for a cup of tea with Pete. Sat in the garden and spent a good hour setting the world to rights — we’re a right pair of grumpy old lefties…

I was meant to be meeting my imaginary friend Carol for a catch-up this evening, but she cried off at the last minute. That happens more often than not, for a range of reasons. She has some issues with her dad these days, who’s developing dementia, so fair enough on this occasion. I have lots to to do get ready for Spain anyway…

I’m really scraping the bottom of the cupboards and freezer now. Unearthed some ancient pork sausages which I served with lentils braised with onion, garlic and carrot. More of a winter meal really, but I’m all about using up what we’ve got…

August 17, 2016

Nova’s hands were more swollen than ever this morning, and now it seems to be spreading to her feet as well. Decided to skip my run and take her to the GP. We got an appointment straight away, so Adam ran us down in the car.After examining and questioning her closely, the GP decided it was an allergic reaction of some sort, possibly triggered by sun exposure. I pretty much agree, and in the normal course of events, would probably have just given her an antihistimine and waited to see how that worked.

But I’d been primed for anxiety by the recent spate of meningitis W stories, and wanted a second opinion. Especially as we’re heading off to Spain on the weekend. Not that they don’t have perfectly good medical facilities there that we are entitled to use (at least until that fucking Brexit happens), but if we can clear it up beforehand, so much the better…

Headed straight into the into village to get Nova’s prescription for antihistamine and topical steroid cream filled. She responded well, and was noticeably better by the evening.

Adam worked from home today, spending most of his time on the phone. When he emerged, I served him a perfectly chilled rosemary gimlet. We felt so good after quaffing one, that it made perfect sense to shake up another round…;-)

Cocktails make us very happy…

Threw together a chicken and pea risotto when the girls got back from swimming at Highpoint with Ruby and Rosa. Sat down to watch an Almodovár film together, but it proved too racy for Lyra. (She was interested to discuss the plot with me afterwards — just didn’t want to see the images herself, which is fair enough.)

August 16, 2016

Had another lousy night’s sleep…:-( Not sure what’s up with that — it’s hot, I guess, and my mind is probably dwelling on the anniversary of dad’s death. I’m having disturbing dreams as well. Anyway, I’m glad to be past it…Got Lyra off to sports camp then spent the daying hanging out with Nova. She’s meant to be doing some math revision this week, but isn’t feeling terrific. The cold she got during our camping week is lingering…

When it was time to collect Lyra, Nova and I headed out together. She went to the school and I swung by the GP’s to collect my blood test results, before reconnecting with the girls at the tube station. Travelled to Chalk Farm to see Ron Arad’s Curtain Call installation at the Roundhouse.

Nova was feeling worse by this point — headachy, and her hands are red and swollen. Found a nurofen in my bag, which I hoped would help with both. I thought the exhibition might soothing — you are immersed within a cool, darkened circular “screen” upon which video works are project. In the event, it was a bit loud and strobey for optimum headache relief, but Nova claimed to enjoy it.

We thought of getting some food at Camden Lock afterwards, but the traders were shutting up. Carried on to a Japanese place on Parkway. Not bad, but suffered from being run by Chinese people with their inimitable brand of gruff and no frills service.

Adam was from football when we got returned, and we watched some Olympics before bed. More of that interminable, unfathomable velodrome cycling — so tedious…

There is a lot of suspicion being voiced about the British cycling team’s success. Some is undoubtedly sour grapes, but such outlying performances are drug-fuelled more often than not. And their explanations about having better training facilities, and caring more about the Olympics than other countries sound pretty lame…

August 15, 2016

Today was the one year anniversary of Dad’s death — though actually, most of the drama happened on the 14th, before dad died just after midnight…Dropped Lyra at the sports camp she’s doing this week. Belatedly realizing she needed a packed lunch — and with next to no food in the house — we stopped off at the cake garage to top her up.

Went for a gentle three-mile run get the camping kinks out. It was already pretty hot and sticky at 9am, and that was more than enough for me. After a shower, I tackled the house. I’m still doing laundry, but at least things are drying quickly outside.

After making granola, and starting a new batch of sourdough, I sat down to watch the DVD from Uncle Bernard that was waiting in the post when we got back from Cornwall. A tribute to dad, it was a slideshow of family photos from dad’s childhood right up to the final week in Sidney, set to music by Uncle Doug. I’d been saving it to watch today…

Nova wanted to contribute something to dinner in memory of her grandpa. She decided to make a ginger cake to accompany the caesar salad I’d settled on. Headed to the village to pick up a couple of missing ingredients. We sure miss Raj’s corner shop at times like this. That wretched Tesco didn’t even stock romaine lettuce, let alone treacle or stem ginger.

Hoofed it down to the Archway Road, hitting Sainsburys then onto the deli by the tube station. They sorted me out — even had two varieties of stem ginger in syrup to choose from, and the option of molasses or treacle.

Watched the most ridiculous cyclilng race ever — called the omnicon or something. I swear they invent new cycling events every Olympics, each more incomprehensible than the last…

We get a steady diet of velodrome cycling over here, as it’s one of the sports Britain is good at. Reminds me of that summer we were in Finland during the Olympics. You would have thought it was solely a javelin and shotputting competition they way they covered it…

August 14, 2016

I must admit, my first thought this morning was that the bed felt unpleasantly soft and the room too warm and stuffy, despite the open window. It is nice to be properly clean again though…Went to “turch” with Lyra this morning. It’s likely the only service we’ll attend in August — we’re off to Spain on Saturday. I camoflauged my face festers as best I could, though it didn’t actually make much difference. I could have done without bumping into Millie — looking great from her LA holiday — with a bunch of friends and family in tow.

For lunch, we had the Cornish cheese and crackers we neglected to eat for lunch or dinner yesterday. Spent much of the day, mounting an assault on the laundry mountain. I did three loads, but have at least another three to go. Without a dryer, we have to wait for nature to take its course. At least it’s not raining, so I can hang some outside…

The Olympics have completely passed me by so far, what with no access to media or even a phone signal for an entire week. Spent the evening watching the Murray v Del Potro match. Murray wasn’t playing that well, his serve in particular was letting him down. I wondered if Murray was feeling the pressure of defending his Olympic gold.

Del Potro, though exhausted, hung on like grim death, and it was a brutal match. He was barely standing by the end — and gave it everything he had. Huge respect…

August 13, 2016

Our last night on site, we end up with a sonic snorer pitched nearby. Even through the earplugs, it was hard to fall asleep. And even at a distance, it was much louder than anything Adam can manage…At least I was up early enough for a shower… There was only one person in the queue — a very large woman in a leopard print onesie, who was equipped with a bucket of cleaning supplies. Sure enough, when a shower cabin came free she got busy scouring it clean before taking her shower.

It’s fascinating what some people choose to travel with — a full set of cleaning products certainly wouldn’t make my list. There’s also a couple who have found space for two chunky bathrobes — those thick towelling numbers the size of a duvet. We’d have to have left one of the girls at home if we’d wanted to bring a pair of those…

Back home, I’d had the big idea of putting the dry ingredients for pancakes in a ziplock bag, then adding milk, egg and oil to the bag when it was time to cook them. I sealed the bag again and gave it a good massage, before snipping off one corner and squeezing the batter directly into the pan. Took a bit of time to get the hang of cooking them over a camp stove, but I was producing nice ones by the end.

Packing up took most of the morning, but we were lucky with the weather. Warm and sunny meant we won’t have to unpack and air the tent when we get home. I had my doubts I’d get it all back in (especially with the boogie boards), but I managed it — like an intricate Chinese puzzle…

Stopped for a pub lunch in Polgooth just outside St Austell. I’d found the place on TripAdvisor when we got some internet, and it was a sound recommendation — delicious burgers and sandwiches.

A funny thing happened as we were leaving. There was a table for two just outside the door, where an older husband and wife were eating dinner. He had his back to us, and just as we reached the door, he lifted one buttock and emitted a loud fart. His wife was looking straight at me as it happened, and the look of horror on her face was priceless. “Oh, Tony!” she groaned, blessing us forevermore with a scapegoat for all unclaimed family farts.

Carried on to the Lost Garden of Heligan afterwards, only a few miles away. I’d intended to change my shoes, but forgot and ended up doing the whole visit in flipflops…;-(

Not great, but I managed. It was nothing compared to some of the ill-equipped numpties we saw hiking the coast path over the last week wearing platform sandals, flipflops and other inappropriate clothing…

The garden is far more developed since the last time we visited. They’ve opened up the jungle area a lot more, with additional boardwalks, and added a Burmese rope bridge. That was fun in flipflops…

On leaving Heligan, we pointed the car east, put the pedal to the metal, and drove for the next four hours. Seeking to avoid the Launceston roadworks, we discovered a fabulous road and corner of Devon i’d love to visit on a future trip.

Stopped before Oxford for petrol and loos. Bought the girls a snack in the mini Waitrose, but Adam and I were both still full from lunch. After an excellent run all the way home, the North Circular was at a standstill. Busked it across north west London through Willesden and Cricklewood.

The girls headed straight to bed, but Adam and I soldiered through, unloading the car. We even took the pod off and stowed most of the camping gear away. It was almost 1am by the time we got to bed…

August 12, 2016

Happy 65th birthday, Greg!
It’s our last full day in Cornwall — the time has certainly gone by quickly. There’s still lots to see and do down here, and aside from needing to do a big load of laundry, I’d happily stay another week…Made heuvos rancheros this morning, using a batch of ranchero sauce I’d frozen earlier. It was all kinds of awesome — and definitely worked better than the mcmuffins as camping food…Despite our best intentions, we never seem to get off this campsite before 11am.

Today was no exception… Drove to Coverack, parked up and walked into town. It’s a lovely little place, and a centre for windsurfing, though the sea was very calm today.

It was pretty rough going, the hardest route we’ve done. But the girls are seasoned walkers, and generally go as fast as I would want and seldom complain. Typically, they like to walk with some distance between us either in front or behind and chat about their own stuff.

Stopped for a rest at Black Head, which has a nice little interpretive centre, and is a good spot for basking shark sitings. No luck there, though I have seen an adder, kestrel, peregrine falcon, numerous stonechats, two Atlantic grey seals, and numerous butterflies…

Cut across fields on the way back, marching along to make our cream tea reservation — we definitely earned it…

Stopped in St Keverne for marshmallows, ice and white wine. I’ve never eaten so many marshmallows in my life as on this holiday. Picked up some Cornish cheeses as well, to go with crackers we have left. The only thing we haven’t eaten, aside from pot noodles and condiments.

Headed down to the beach with the boogie boards. Unfortunately, the sea was pretty flat but at least the girls got the use them once, and float around on them out there.

Dinner was linguine, tossed with mounds of fresh crab, butter, lemon and fresh basil — delicious. Had our last campfire… we’ve had one all seven nights — we’ve been so lucky with the weather.

Finally getting the hang of this s’mores thing. Using thinner chocolate squares definitely helps, as does putting the chocolate on the biscuit first then smothering it with the toasted marshmallow…

August 11, 2016

Breakfasted on the last of the granola this morning — I’ve really enjoyed eating granola this week. I’m going to make the switch from meusli when we’re back home…Headed off to Penzance today. Our main destination was actually St Michaels Mount. We parked up in Marazion then caught one of the little boats that ply back and forth to the island.

The British counterpart to Mont St Michel, the two monasteries were aligned at one stage, though it has been home to the St Aubyn family since the 1600s, and is owned by the National Trust now.

We were all ready for lunch by the time we landed — crab sandwiches and soup in the cafe — after which we visited the castle. I’m pretty certain I haven’t been here before. I remember seeing it when we walked the coast path, but I can’t imagine we would have ditched our packs to venture over, or fancied the extra steps or spending the money.

We were on a very low budget that trip. I can’t remember what we ate, but I know we camped rough most nights, just pitching up beside the path, and that we hitchhiked from one long distance walk to the next.

After touring the castle, we had a brief spin round the gardens. The girls weren’t keen, but we’d already paid for it.The tide was just low enough when we were ready to leave that we could walk across, saving several pounds. Plus, it’s kind of neat to do it both ways…

Drove into Penzance and parked up across from Jubilee pool, an outdoor seawater lido built in 1935 to mark the silver jubilee of George V. Recently reopened after being damaged in winter storms a couple of years back, it’s looking pretty spiffy.

Triangular in shape, the pool is maybe 100m at its longest,and cold as hell (19° this afternoon). It wasn’t too bad once you were in, and we did circumnavigate it as a family before the girls sloped off to the marginally warmer kids pool did a couple more laps.

Went for fish and chips before heading home again, stopping at Sainsburys for marshmallows and cold sore medication. The blisters are emerging with a vengeance now at three separate sites. I’ve never had an outbreak like this — I look like one of those filler disaster photos you see online…

I very occasionally get a bad one, though it’s been a few years since that’s happened. Sun always a trigger, as is stress. There are a number of Christmas photos where I’m sporting one…:-(

Stayed up late watching the perseid meteor shower round our campfire. It was a beautifully clear night, and many of the trails seemed to blaze longer and lower than any I’ve seen…

August 10, 2016

This was definitely our worst day for weather. It was wet when we woke up, and we just managed to squeeze in a quick breakfast before it started drizzling. Retreated to the tent, leaving the dirty dishes to rinse in the rain…Adam and Lyra headed up to the bar to play pool and charge their electronics, while Nova and I hung out and read. I finished The Improbability of Love, while she knocked Wuthering Heights on the head.

The rain stopped and started, started and stopped, but by mid-afternoon things had definitely brightened up. Earlier in the week, we’d noticed signs advertising a fish barbeque in nearby Cadgwith Cove, which we thought would do nicely for dinner.

As with so many Cornish coastal villages, you park up and walk down. Cadgwith is the most beautiful little place — whitewashed and thatched cottages, swathes of agapanthus and crocosmia, and one quaint little street running along in front of the harbour.

They were busy setting up for the barbeque, and it didn’t have the friendliest vibe. Actually it reminded me of that opening scene in An American Werewolf in London, when the two guys stumble into that pub on the Yorkshire moors…

Set off on a cliff walk to fill the time and decide whether to change our plans. I was kind of tempted to carry on until we joined up our two walks. I imagine there must be some kind of taxi service on the peninsula that could drop us back at our car (not that we have a phone signal or batter to call for one…)

On the way back to Cadgwith, a little adder slithered across my path, which was pretty neat. The barbeque was in full swing by this time — so full that they’d eaten all the mackerel and the prawns. The only things left were shark or beef burgers.

The girls opted for beef, while Adam and I tried the shark. Not an experience i’ll seek to repeat. I was glad of I had a pint of mediocre local beer to wash down my greasy, sour, slightly undercooked shark steak.

A round of Cornish ice creams set us right, after which we headed back home for a campfire and marshmallows. We’re all out of chocolate and biscuits, so no more s’mores this evening…

Showered before bed… some guy had left his David Beckham shower gel, so I helped myself to a dab of that. Nice enough, though not a patch on the real thing…;-)

August 9, 2016

Despite the cold last night, I slept like a log, getting an unheard of nine hours… Broke out the homemade granola for breakfast. It’s such a treat for me and brings back lovely family memories. Adam enjoys it too, though oddly, the girls less keen…

We hoped for an early start for our Eden Project outing, but it didn’t happen. We were further delayed by a massive camping goods sale in Truro, where we picked up an appropriately sized sleeping bad and chair for Lyra, as well as a camping stool and pancake flipper.

Stopped again for a quick pastie lunch before finally reaching the Eden Project in the early afternoon. Parked in the back of beyond and made our way to the entrance. I was surprised to see it looked pretty much the same as it did ten years ago. There is a richer level of growth, and a bit more infrastructure, but it’s fundamentally the same.

Started in the rainforest biome, where we drank coconut and baobab smoothies and Adam took a funny turn. After tourning the Mediterranean biome, which we all preferred, we had tea and cake before turning back towards the exit, where we gave the girls £10 each to go wild in the gift shop.

Back at the campsite, I heated up our batch of beef barley soup, which really hit the spot — a perfect camping meal. Chocolate soya puddings for dessert, topped up with another round of s’mores once I got the fire going…

August 8, 2016

Decided to brave the showers today. The line wasn’t too bad, and there was lots of hot water. The showers are certainly nicer than the toilets. Another plus — the plunger coffee was less bad than yesterday, and my bowl of granola with chopped nectarines delicious. All in all, a good start to the day…Whipped up a packed lunch then we headed off for the Lizard to walk a stretch of the coast path. Parked up to discover that the girls hadn’t bothered to wear shoes, reasoning they’d put on their hiking boots when it was actually time to walk. Saved us money in the shops, where I picked up an ordnance survey map, and a secret stash of fudge as a treat for later.

Set off for Housel Bay, joining the coast path at a cliffside hotel that looked like the perfect setting for an episode of Poirot. This is also the location where Marconi did his original radio experiments.

I love the scenery around here — it’s truly stunning, and brings back so many memories of that walking holiday Adam and I took twenty-five(!) years ago. We spent three months walking stretches of long-distance footpath around the British Isles.

It’s lovely to look back on now, but it was pretty tough going, navigating these cliff paths with a fifty pound pack on your back, up and down, up and down, for ten or twelve hours a day…

Made our way around Lizard Point (where we spotted a couple of grey seals and a peregrine falcon hunting) to Kynance Cove. Stopped for ice cream and cold beer before making our way cross country back to The Lizard.

Dinner was chicken with figs and basmati rice — yummy. It was crazy windy and took some doing to light a campfire without the aid of firestarter, but managed eventually…

August 7, 2016

Although it rained in the night, we were snug and dry in our tent. Warm too — it was actually a bit too hot, if anything. Adam got up early to have a shower, something that held zero appeal for me…

Lyra’s camping kit is too small…:-( I made a point of checking so much of the equipment before we left — inflating the air mattresses, charging the pump, replacing torch batteries, checking propane levels and so on — but failed to consider how much Lyra has grown since the last time we camped. When she sits on her little chair, her knees are around her shoulders, and her child’s sleeping bag only comes up to her armpits. Bad mum…

We had some trouble assembling our camping stove and getting it to light, but managed eventually. Unfortunately, it wasn’t great for frying the mcmuffin eggs — just couldn’t seem to get it hot enough. Plus there was no way of toasting the muffins… (On the plus side, the frozen meals are slowly thawing and keeping the chiller box nice and cool.)

Spent a relaxed morning round the camp reading our novels. (When Lyra saw Adam’s book with the packing, she commented, “You know how dad said he was going to do more reading this year? There is dust on his novel!”)

Packed a lunch and hiked down to the beach. It was cold for swimming, but the girls braved it anyway, before renting boogie boards to do some body surfing.

Dinner tonight was sausages and lentils — ready-made by Jamie Oliver, not me. “Did he actually personally make these lentils?” Lyra asked. “And if he didn’t, how can he say they are his?”

More s’mores this evening — managed to avoid sticking toasted marshmallows in my hair this time. Spent the evening telling stories, taking it in turns to add a sentence. Nova attempted to do a Custard the Cowardly Dragon prequel, while Adam’s was about a guy called Barrie from Barrie. However, the stories started out, they quickly tended towards the supernatural and ridiculous…

“I don’t think there’s anywhere I’d rather be right now,” Lyra said happily, looking up at the immensity of stars stretching above us. I’d second that…

August 6, 2016

Got up promptly when the alarm went off at 5am.

Don’t usually get to see the sun rise in the summer…

After a quick shower and coffee, I finished packing the car. I’d done most of it last night, but wanted to keep the food in the fridge for as long as possible. By the time I was finished, you couldn’t have squeezed a cigarette paper into that thing…;-)

Eventually set of half an hour later than we were aiming for, but 6:30am is pretty good. The North Circular was disappointingly busy, but we were probably ahead of the worst of it.

“Is Ealing in Cornwall? Because we’ve been driving a really long time…”

Stopped briefly for petrol, Cornish pasties (to enter into the spirit of the enterprise) and coffee. Moved along okay until Bristol, when we hit a bottleneck merging with the M5. There was a terrible tailback at the roadworks past Launceston edge of Devon, where we spent over an hour basically sitting still, but got there eventually…

The campsite is right at the tip of the Lizard, outside the range of mobile reception or internet. Actually we lost it around Truro — there must be fewer and fewer places where that’s the case.

Once we’d chosen a relatively flat site at the bottom of the camping field, we got our tent in no time, and everything arranged inside. There is still plenty of room — the isze of our car definitely the limiting factor for us. The bunting I bough the other day looks very jaunty, if a bit noisy in the steady breeze…

Had a quick bite then headed straight for the beach. “Can we come here again?” Lyra asked, as we picked our way down the trail. “I love it!” We ust got here, you nutter…

Cooked Mexican pork wraps for dinner. All the food was still frozen, and they seemed easiest to thaw. Despite the wind, I managed to get a campfire going. I’ve got the knack of firelighting — I could have been an arsonist…;-)

The girls have read about s’mores online, so we had a go at making them with tea biscuits, toasted marshmallows and hunks of Dairy Milk. Less than satisfactory — I think I’ve chosen the wrong chocolate. Twice managed to stick marshmallows in my hair…

August 5, 2016

Hopped out of bed and picked right up with the camping preparations… Worked at it steadily all day — it’s no small undertaking getting a family of four sorted for a week’s camping. I started loading up the car to see how it’s looking — it’s going to be a tight squeeze…Lyra over to Alice’s, Nova’s plans fell through so she was around to lend a hand.

Baked my bread, made a chicken curry and some ranchero sauce (both of which I froze). This freezing meals thing will either be the greatest idea ever, or a complete fiasco…

Adam got home just before 7pm, and after dinner he joined the preparation effort. Even with both of us working, it was 10:30pm by the time we were more or less ready…