December 2011

December 31, 2011

It seems that the more sleep you get, the more you want… After only three nights of decent rest, we’re now sleeping in until after 8am. Of course, Lyra coming in at 4:30am after a nightmare where she was scolded by a large, black, talking dog may have contributed to my tiredness…Our latest strategy in the battle of the Bobo is to feed Cleo at set times, give her ten minutes or so to eat her food, and then remove whatever she’s left. I hadn’t been upstairs five minutes before there was a clatter in the laundry room. Went down to discover Bobo chowing directly from the main tin of food, having knocked off the lid. Chased him out, then looked outside to discover both Bobo and Pumpkin sitting on our forecourt, trying to look like they just happened to be in the neighbourhood.

“We might as well put out a menu and call it an all-night cat restaurant!” said Nova. Wade’s parcel arrived today, which was a nice surprise for everyone. Sports shirts for Adam and Nova, a Little Miss Helpful book for Lyra and a lefties diary for me. I had not known that Diane Keaton, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama are all lefties. Or that 25% of all baseball players and astronauts are lefthanded…;-)

There was also a slew of Christmas cards from the very people I’d either dropped off the list or ran out of time to send to. Why does that always happen…? Now I’ll put them back on again, and next year, miffed that they haven’t heard from us, they won’t send one back…

Went on a family outing to Kensington Palace to see the Enchanted Palace exhibition. We weighed up driving vs taking the tube, and opted for the car in the end. Made the right choice — it took us an effortless twenty minutes to get there, and even with £10 parking, it worked out cheaper.

Enchanted Palace is a series of art installations that tell stories from the lives of seven princesses who have lived there — Mary of Modena, Charlotte, Anne, Caroline, Victoria, Margaret and Diana. You moved between the rooms, which were done up like something from a fairytale, each revealing the story of a particular princess through lights, sound and verse. It was quite magical…

Went round to Will and Sara’s for a new year’s eve dinner party. There were twelve of us in total, including five kids. There was meant to be another four-year-old, but they cancelled at the last minute. Lyra was disappointed by that, and by 9:30, she’d abandoned her ambition to stay up until midnight.

After a fab dinner of curried turkey pancakes, veggie curry and rice, followed by chestnut cheesecake and chocolate roll, we moved into the living room to play games. Will had put together a 2011 photo newsquiz (which I won).

This was followed by the cornflakes box game. Each person must pick up the box using their teeth without putting their hands or knees on the floor. After each round, you tear a strip off the box, so it gets lower and lower, until eventually only the box bottom remains. Was pretty good at this one, though not compared to the kids, who could do it effortlessly. Will managed to hang in until the last round as well, though he did have to go upstairs to change into his Lyra cycling tights…;-)

Last of all was the Wii dance off, where you had to try to follow the dance moves of your character on screen. I was truly awful at this, and it served as a timely reminder not to get involved in any dance numbers when panto rehearsals start next week…

Amidst all this excitement, we just managed not to miss the countdown and fireworks on the Thames. Loved the way they actually had rockets shooting out of Big Ben this year. Toasts, kisses and a few rounds of Auld Lang Syne (though no one but me appeared to know the words…)

Ended up leaving both kids and car and walking home… Happy 2012, all!

December 30, 2011

Happy birthday, Drew!
Adam went off first thing to buy fresh bagels for brunch. Perhaps he felt a hankering to get in touch with Jewish side after all our Christmas celebrations…I need to make space in the bathroom for the girls growing collection of grooming products. As a start, I had a clear out of old medications, congealed creams, nearly empty bottles of sun spray and dusty toothbrushes. There’s still far too much in there, but I’ll have a push on using things up until there’s enough room to give them their own shelf.

Went for a walk on Hampstead. Heath. The weather was cold and drizzly, but it was felt great to be outdoors and to get a bit of exercise. Walking along by the boating pond, we were passed by a strange looking guy dragging a table set for tea behind him. Quite an unexpected sight — but he looked like he could use some help with it. Adam was just about to go offer assistance when we noticed a camera set up on a tripod. It must have been some sort of candid camera thing, filming the different ways people reacted…

Nova, Adam and I have been playing Bananagrams like crazy since Christmas. It’s a sort of Scrabble game where everyone works on their own grid of words, taking and swapping letters according to the rules. First person to use up all their letters wins. Lyra’s too young to join in, but she’s been regularly thrashing us all at Pass the Pigs, so she’s happy too.

Made carbonara pasta for dinner, then started watching series one of Downton. It’s interesting being introduced to the characters when we know so much about their future lives. Adam mixed us up a batch of Cosmopolitains to enhance our viewing pleasure. It’s a very nice cocktail indeed, and would only be improved by using the recommended black currant vodka. That can be arranged…;-)

Getting into early nights at the moment. In bed by 10:30pm and lights out by 11… Go, us!

December 29, 2011

No Bobo incidents in the night — that sweet Scottish grandmother was as a good as her word… Which meant we had a long, undisturbed sleep that lasted until 8am when Lyra climbed in next to me. “It is so hot in here!” she complained, “We are boiling like savages in our bed!” What a great image…Another stay-at-home day. Nova did a mock maths exam in the morning, Adam pick up his adidas work, I got on top of some house stuff and Lyra bimbled about being Lyra. Made chicken and cheese quesadillas for lunch, followed by a game of Bananagrams, which ended in an argument because Adam thought I’d deliberately not told him about the rule that allows you to rearrange your tiles so that I could win. Typical family Christmas stuff…

I remember a huge Prince George Christmas blowout over Trivial Pursuit one year. Mum and I both took a relaxed approach, awarding close enough answers, and maybe even giving a hint to help someone answer. Dad was completely random, offering up the answer to any question he knew, regardless of whether it was his turn. And David was playing Championship rules. When he refused to give me my history pie when I said Yuri Gagaris was the first man in space (instead of Gagarin), I stormed off in a big huff. Happy memories…;-)

Mae a baked borlotti bean soup for dinner following a recipe from the Waitrose magazine. Used my pressure cooker to speed the process up. I’m still in awe of the abilities of the pressure cooker, and the element of high-stakes danger it adds to mundane kitchen tasks. I was attracted to the recipe because you simply added all the raw ingredients — onions, celery, garlic, pancetta, stock, beans — to a pot and left it to simmer to soupy perfection in the oven. Which it did, although I wasn’t completely happy with the taste/texture of simmered pancetta, and would definitely fry it off first next time.

Watched the Downton Abbey Christmas special afterwards, with a Harvey Wallbanger in one hand and a plate of Christmas baking in the other. Lyra was very good about watching with us, but it really isn’t for four-year-olds, and after a while she said, “I think I’ll do my own bedtime tonight so you can keep watching your show.” And off she went — what a little sweetheart…

December 28, 2011

Bobo came in and bullied Cleo twice in the night… After discussing it over breakfast, we hit on a plan. Adam called Bobo’s phone number, intending to tell them what Bobo had been getting up to, and inform them that the next time Bobo invaded our house in the middle of the night we would tape him up in a well-ventilated cardboard box, then telephone them with details of where to collect him. Thereby making it her problem…Instead of his unpleasant owner, the phone was answered by her lovely Scottish mother. She was most apologetic when Adam explained what had been happening, and assured us she’d keep him in at night.

After a lunch of leftovers, we drove to Great Missenden to visit the Tankards after lunch. Arrived to discover them coping with a broken water main that was seeping up through the kitchen floor, and just seeing out the pool repairman. Fortunately the girls were still able to go for a swim, though it was a little cooler than it shold have been.

Ate their leftovers for dinner, followed by the only trifle I’ve had this season. I should make trifle myself — I’ve always loved it. Drank too much red wine, but remembered to quaff a few glasses of water as well, which should help…

Home about 9:30. Put the girls straight to bed, and ourselves straight after…

December 27, 2011

According to Lyra, “the first ‘apple chapple’ thing you get is an iCod, then you get other things like computers.” Don’t know where she got that idea from, but she’s certainly enjoying her new iPod. She keeps saying, “Do you think I’m too young to have an iCod? Margo and Aaron don’t!”Went for a trial run before breakfast with disk one of my Steve Job biography on my iCod, and my new runners headband on my head. My tendon started twinging about 15 minutes in — not too badly, but I could definitely feel it — so I packed it in and walked most of the way home from that point. Better safe than sorry…

Took the girls to the Geffrye Museum after lunch, which is a bit of a Christmas tradition. Lyra went through it like a dose of salts, then started campaigning to go home again. Nova quite enjoys it, and would happily have stayed longer. She’s quite keen on history.

Had a delicious roast chicken dinner and watched the “Outnumbered” Christmas special, before heading to bed for a much needed early night…

December 26, 2011

Had a very lazy day… I enjoyed Christmas a lot, but it was a bit too active. Two outings would have probably been enough.Finished my Christmas puzzle while the girls watched Willy Wonka and Adam dozed on the sofa. Nova headed off to Fay’s mid-morning to see the latest additions to her Sylvanian empire. After a second cup of coffee, I roused myself for a housework blitz. It’s definitely not one of those years where you wonder where you’re going to put all this stuff…

My resolution never to eat again faded about 2pm, and I pulled together a leftover-based meal: toast, slices of ham, roast, leftover cheese and pickles. Watched some of Shrek 2 with Lyra. What a great film — we’ve completely missed the whole Shrek phenomenon, as Nova has never showed any interest in it…

Made a tofu stirfry for dinner, then hustled the girls into the baths. Had a nice phone call with Margo and Aaron. It’s definitely the year of the iPad — Margo has a new one, as do David and Wade. I would love one myself, but haven’t quite made the business case for it…;-)

After the kids were tucked away, we watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” — such a good film.

December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas, everyone! It was Nova who woke us for a change — at 5am… We sent her back to bed for an hour, but by 6:30am we’d caved to pressure and were all upstairs. The girls flew at their stockings, and were very happy with their haul of hair accessories, tights, jewellry, bath salts etc. There was a present for each of them from Santa as well — an Elefun game for Lyra and a sweet little sewing box for Nova.

Next, we tackled the tree presents. I must say it was lovely to get gifts from the girls that they have chosen themselves. Nova bought me a sweet little felted coin purse with her own money, and Lyra wrapped up one of her bracelets for me.

Here’s a summary Christmas bootie:

Lyra is extremely excited about her hot pink iCod (so much cooler than an iHalibut) from Margo and Aaron. Margo had said she inadvertently transferred all Aaron’s heavy rock music onto it, but Lyra wouldn’t let go of it long enough for me to check. She spent the day humming indecipherably and nodding her head like a mini-banger.

Got to church at 9:40, with just enough time for the girls to get changed and into position. The church was already pretty full, and we weren’t able to secure a very good vantage point, though we could see Lyra in the stalls when the angels stood up to sing. Nova’s solo sounded beautiful, and a few people went out of their way to comment on it afterwards. There’s something quite special about joining your community in song on Christmas morning…

Returned home for our melton mowbray brunch. Actually, I think it works better as a second breakfast, or at least eaten later in the day. Either Mrs King’s meltons are getting smaller or the girls’ appetites are growing. Either way we polished off a large one with no trouble at all. Polished off a large bottle of champagne as well, with no help from the girls. I was feeling a bit tipsy by the time we headed off to the pub to meet Paul and Alicia.

I’m not so sure about this particular British tradition, though The Wrestlers was heaving with families, all dressed in their Christmas best. I suppose it gives people a bit of an outing while the turkey is cooking, and a neutral space to meet with friends and neighbours. The non-secular version of attending church perhaps…

Had a phone call with David before we left for Jane and Gerry’s. It’s their turn to host this year. Exchanged gifts, and enjoyed a lovely meal, though I ate far too much. I hate overeating now — it really disagrees with me…

After years of sitting down after our Christmas meal to watch the Dr Who Christmas special, we made the surprising discovery that none of us actually wants to watch it at all. We each assumed the other family did, and went along with it to be polite. Left the telly off and played charades instead…

Home about 10pm to discover Bobo the cat under our bed. He refused to come out until Adam prodded him with a broom handle. Had a Christmas call with Wade’s family and dad, then went to bed. We’d been asleep only a couple of hours when we were woken by a terrific yowling upstairs. Bobo had returned and was chasing poor Cleo around the living room. We’ve really got to figure out how to deal with that pestiferous cat…

December 24, 2011

Adam headed off to Borough Market to get the melton while I took the girls to church for the final nativity rehearsal. They ran through it twice — the second time Nova’s mike wasn’t turned on for her solo. She was not amused. That’s why they rehearse these things, I told her.Started my Christmas puzzle this afternoon. It’s an important Christmas ritual for me, and I prioritised it over the last of the Christmas cards. At 5pm, we headed over to Pete and Pasc’s bearing gifts and Christmas baking for our annual gift exchange. Nove and Fay slipped out for a bit to do some carolling around the neighbourhood, and raised £17 for charity.

Didn’t feel like dinner when we got back. Made the girls a piece of toast, and a round of Harvey Wallbangers for us, Nothing says “Christmas” to me like a Harvey Wallbanger…;-) Let the girls open their new Victorian nighties, read “The Night Before Christmas” to them, and tucked them up for the night.

Did the rest of the things we had to do, then settled down in front of the Alistair Sim “Christmas Carol” with a generous serving of shrimp cocktail, and a plate of cheese and crackers. I must have seen that film over thirty times, and it gets better with every viewing…

December 23, 2011

Tired but very happy to finally be starting Christmas proper. Poor Adam is chained to his computer for one last day. Took time in the morning for a quick outing to Finchley. The girls are doing a horse riding morning with Evelyn and Alice. I had Adam drop me at Tesco en route to the stables, for a final (I hope) Christmas shop.Spent the morning writing up my notes on the project, then headed back to pick up the kids. They were keen to buy Christmas presents for their dad, so we headed to the village. Lyra bought Adam some dark chocolate and Nova found a lovely Arsenal scarf in Oxfam that she was very pleased with.

Made kedgeree for dinner (a fish-free version for Lyra). Stayed up until 1am providing Adam with moral support until I got too tired. He pushed on until 3am — but it’s all done now…

December 22, 2011

Big working day, especially since Adam arranged for both girls to be out. Nova walked down to Etta’s, and we dropped Lyra at Alina’s after breakfast. Poor baby Sania is in hospital with a chest infection, so one parent is staying with her at all times. But Veronnika insisted it was helpful to have Lyra around to amuse their girls…I had twenty eight articles to edit at the start of the day. The original brief was to bring them in around 180 words, but in some cases the source material was 1500 words long, so this wasn’t always possible. I’d picked off the easier ones at the beginning, so I now only the gnarlier ones remained. At least I’m more familiar with the content now and my editing skills are warmed up as well.

Stopped for a quick sandwich at lunchtime, and for our annual oyster and fake soufflé dinner (where we allowed ourselves a small glass of wine), but other than that I worked solidly all day.

I really wanted to get finish it all tonight, so I soldiered through until 3am when I finally signed off the final article. It’s been great to have a proper chunk of work, and I’ve found it interesting as well. It’s just a shame that it coincided with the Christmas holidays this way…

December 21, 2011

I still have a mountain of (paid) work to do, but took a little break to do some Christmas tasks. Wrote a dozen more essential Christmas cards, and iced the Christmas cake I made with Lyra’s help. It was good fun and much easier than I expected. I wasn’t clear whether you are meant to put marzipan on the sides as well as the top, so I just let it hang down part way before slapping on the royal icing. Lyra did most of the decorating — I cut out the holly leaves for her, but she made all the berries and arranged them on the cake. Here’s the finished result:

Nova had Amalia round in the afternoon. She’s a vegetarian, so I made a veggie amatriciana for the kids, and sardine pasta for us. Amalia’s mum arrived just as I was serving up and joined us for an impromptu dinner. Discovered she’s a professional flamenco dancer, which is pretty cool.

Heard that Adam B made it through to the keyboard finals of the BBC Young Musician competition. The CBC interviewed him at home in Edmonton, and apparently the BBC will be visiting as well. Apparently, the journalists were dismayed to discover that Pat and Patty don’t have a single photograph of him playing the piano as a child.

Having done some research, I’m pretty confident that I’ve torn the achilles tendon in my right ankle. I can feel a small gap where it is injured, and have every one of the indicators — walking severely affected, unable to stand on tiptoe or point that toe. I should definitely make an appointment with the GP, if only to get in the queue for physio, should it prove necessary…

Worked until 1am before calling it a night…

December 20, 2011

Finally got the good night’s sleep we all needed… Hung about in our pyjamas after breakfast doing our nails and such, until Etta’s imminent arrival focussed our thinking. Flew about tidying the house, getting dressed and so on. Nova playdates can be tricky — you never know how Lyra is going to integrate. Some friends definitely better than others about including her.Celebrated Hannukah round at Freddy and Beulah’s this evening. Started with tea — sandwiches, sausage rolls, falafel, coffee cakes, mince pies — then onto the presents. I was very pleased to receive the Diana Kennedy Mexican cookbook I’ve wanted for years. I also got the Steve Jobs biography as an audiobook, and three replacement wine glasses for the ones Adam has smashed. Nova was very happy with her ceramic hair curlers and DS games, while Lyra bonded immediately with her stuffed toys, colouring book and pens.

Home about 9pm. I got the girls to bed and did a few hours work before calling it a night. I’m enjoying having a project of my own to get stuck into, but would welcome it more if I wasn’t trying to finish the work in the week before Christmas.

Had a call from Dad, who has kindly posted us some money for Christmas presents. As he sent it today, there is little chance of it arriving this week. Fortunately, I anticipated this event and bought two lovely outfits for the girls, and ordered up some Loch Fyne oysters and a bottle of champagne. There should be enough left for a present for Adam and I as well — perhaps the insulated coffee flask we’ve had our eye on, or a macro lens for the camera…

December 19, 2011

It was a very cold morning for our trip to the Natural History museum to skate on their outdoor rink. Made sure the girls were dressed warmly before we set off. I had a fair amount of difficulty pronating my ankle enough to get into into my skate, but it felt okay once I’d jammed it in there.

The girls claimed the ice was slipperier than they used to, and the skates were definitely sharper, both of which were good for their skating. Lyra refused to hold my hand at all, and skated round very confidently, and Nova seemed to really enjoy it. I didn’t think the ice was that well maintained. There were a couple of big gouges that were tripping people up. Also it had been constructed in such a way that the zamboni could get into the edges, which were on a noticeable slope. Not much good for determined edge clingers…

It started to rain just as our session finished. Warmed up with hot chocolate and mince pies before heading home again. Adam had to pop down to the flat to let the guy in to adjust our condensation box, which has been leaking. I tried to do a bit of wrapping as it’s Hannukah tomorrow, but the locked bedroom door was such an irresistible draw to the girls that I didn’t manage much.

After dinner and Merlin, we got the girls into bed at a reasonable hour. Adam and I fitted in a few hours work before calling it a night…

December 18, 2011

We’ve been having problems with a Bengal cat named Bobo, who’s taken to popping into ours for a snack between meals. Now that the electronic control on the cat flap has stopped working, it’s possible for any cat (or other animal I guess) to come inside. But aside from Pumpkin, whose owners abandoned them when they moved and who has been fed by the cat owners in the street for the past several years, we haven’t had a problem with it until now.

This Bobo is a vocal cat, who announces himself loudly when he arrives. Or when we return home — a couple of times now, we’ve opened the front door and been greeted by Bobo, who is reclining in state on our bed. But the main problem is that he’s aggressive with Cleo, and has taken to chasing her around her own home. The other day he chased her off our forecourt and up a eucalyptus tree by the school gate, where she was harried by magpies until it was safe for her to come down.

Adam phoned Bobo’s owner to tell her about the situation, and hung up crosser than ever. She didn’t seem at all concerned, and even did some special pleading on his behalf. Apparently, Bobo had an eating disorder as a kitten, which is why he needs to eat all the time…

A Bobo-style cat

Lottie’s mum took Lyra to see the Gruffalo on stage, and Adam took Nova to see “The Enormous Turnip” at Jackson’s Lane. I took the opportunity to organise the Christmas decorations, so we were ready to roll when everyone returned. Dusk is a nice time to trim the tree, as you can see it in its full glory as you finish. The girls took the lead this year and did a great job — it wasn’t one of those efforts where you have to move most of the decorations up a few feet after they’ve finished.

Dinner was Baron of beef, a special request of Nova’s. I’d made it last year after we decorated the tree, and she’d said, “Let’s always have this for dinner on the day we do the tree.” I would have forgotten about it if she hadn’t reminded me.

For some reason, Nova wouldn’t eat it — just nibbled tiny bits of the edge of her bread. It was beautifully cooked meat too — I was very pleased with the way it turned out. Adam exploded at her and stormed off; there were lots of tears before it was all resolved. Hope that’s not a family tradition too…

December 17, 2011

What a day… Everybody was ready for a lie in, but had to get the girls to church for 9am to rehearse the nativity. Arrived to a chaos of kids; well-meaning volunteers organising costumes, making lists and bustling about; and hungover, stressed-looking parents clutching oversized coffees.It wasn’t at all clear how parts were being assigned. Lyra had her heart set on being a star, but ended up as in the chorus of angels again. She was terribly upset about it, so I asked a girl called Helen, who seemed to be in charge whether it was possible for her to be a star instead. Turns out there is only one star (and if I was more of a churchgoer I’d have known that), but Helen kindly suggested Lyra might be the star’s helper, until the star’s mother threw a strop and nixed that idea.

Tearstained Lyra slumped off to join the angels, and Nova joined the other wisemen. She has been given the gold verse in “We Three Kings” as a solo. Chatted with the year 6 mums about school places (naturally). Turns out two other girls in Nova’s class have been given performing arts scholarships to St Marylebone, which is an amazing result, considering there are only 14 places for the whole of London.

Got back home about 11:45am. Adam was off buying the Christmas tree and getting car tires serviced. There was just time to scoff down a quick bowl of stew before Nova was due at Fay’s, and we needed to pick up Alice and deliver the little girls to Clown Town for a birthday party. Had just reversed out of our drive, when a hub cap rattled off and rolled down the road. The recently repaired tire was totally flat — I’m sure we damaged the rim driving it back into our drive again. Rushed up to Pete and Pasc’s and borrowed their car for our outing…

Carried on to Costco afterwards (which was a complete zoo) for a surgical strike on the alcohol and book aisles. Home ten minutes before Lyra was delivered back to us. There was just enough time to scoff a quick bagel before heading back to the church for the Highgate Carol Concert.

It was mainly the Highgate Choral Society performing, but they’d included two children’s choirs in the programme — Nova’s school choir and another pan-London kids’ choir. Two church visits in one day, that’s definitely a first… There were lots of singing opportunities for the congregation as well, which was great fun. I especially liked the version of Twelve Days of Christmas where different sections of the audience popped up and down like gophers as they sang their assigned line.

Put the girls straight to bed when we got home, and Adam and I straight to the sofa with a beer to watch the finale of The Killing. Gripping stuff, and left me with lots to dissect with Adam afterwards. I’d quite like to watch it all again knowing who the killer was this time, to see how he managed it all…

December 16, 2011

It was snowing when we woke up this morning, which the girls found very exciting. Adam had stayed up most of the night working, so I got Adam B off in his cab to Heathrow at 7:30. Had the girls fed, dressed and kitted up for today’s various activities by 8am.Stayed for gymnastics watch week (again), but had to miss the school church service and carol concert at 9am. It can last for up to two hours and I really needed to get some work done before we took the Stillmans for lunch at Lauderdale House.

Drove them down in our car. It was a palaver getting them out and into the restaurant, but once we were settled it was very nice. Except for a mini-crisis when Anne’s dinner arrived. Her chicken casserole was served with rice, and she wanted chips. We ordered her a side of chips, but she couldn’t seem to get past the sight of that rice on her plate. I took it up to the counter and got them to change it for her. No such problems with the bottle of wine…;-)

They did a highlight version of the old folk’s show for the whole school this afternoon, which parents were allowed to attend. Nova was in a surreal little sketch with Mia and Amy about a stolen ice cream. Her “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” solo was only two acts later, and when Anita broke into the opening bars Nova didn’t appear on stage. Anita stopped playing, and there was a bit of commotion in the wings before poor Nova rushed on stage barefoot. She hadn’t completed her Dorothy costume change, but centred herself and started singing. I thought her voice was beautiful, and I was so proud of her — she’s really developed as a singer in the last year.

The show ended just in time to pick up Lyra, then we all headed home together. It felt so nice to have finally reached the end of the school term. We were all relaxing and pondering what to have for dinner, when Nova said, “What about Lyra’s piano lesson?”

It should have started ten minutes ago, but we rushed over there anyway. She didn’t get a full half hour, but it was still worth it. I decided to stay and listen. Lyra is so comfortable with Anita, and chattered away happily. She has four new pieces to work on over the holidays.

Gave the girls jacket potato and beans for dinner. Adam and had been invited to Kiran and Birgit’s for drinks and nibbles. There was another couple there, called Tessa and Nick, who I’ve seen around the school for years but never spoken to. Home about 1:30…

December 15, 2011

Bit of a frantic start getting our “young musician” out the door this morning. His music tutor had sent us an email imploring us to make him look presentable — shirt tucked in, hair combed etc. Adam does have a shock of unruly blonde hair, and I felt like Marge Simpson as I tried to flatten it into submission.He’d also forgotten his shoes in Manchester, but was able to fit into a pair of “big Adam’s”. With the loan of belt and black socks, he looked very smart when we were finished. Nearly left without the three photocopies of his music, which would have been bad news, but eventually headed out the door only ten minutes behind schedule.

In spite of tube congestion, we arrived at the Royal College of Music right on time. While they did everything possible to make it feel friendly, it was a pretty stressful situation. After a ten minute warm-up, we were led to the main auditorium where the judges were waiting. Adam went straight in, and established himself at the piano. They gave him a couple of minutes to familiarise himself, then started the clock on his fifteen minute performance.

There was a little window in the door through which I watched him play his Verdi Rigoletto and Prokofiev sonata. It is impossible for me to judge, but I thought he did brilliantly. I was in tears when he finished and gave him a big hug when he emerged. He was reasonably happy with the performance, but thought some of the glissandos could have glistened more or something…;-)

There are thirty musicians competing in each of the five categories — strings, keyboard, woodwind, brass and percussion — and five of those will be chosen to compete in each category final, which will be televised. Adam was interviewed and photographed afterwards, in case he goes further in the competition.

Received a letter this afternoon informing us that Nova has been awarded one of the three drama scholarships at St Marylebones! There is a lot of competition for places at that school, and Nova has done super well to earn one. Because we put Henrietta Barnett ahead of St Marylebones on the application form, we won’t know which will be her school until the second round of Henrietta Barnett exams are graded. It will be one of the two, which is great news as they are both excellent schools.

Went out for dinner with my work colleagues in town this evening. Aside from Tina and Donna, I haven’t seen anyone for months and it was nice to catch up. Everyone seems to be doing well, particularly the ones who didn’t accept other jobs at the Institute. Chose not to drink, as I need to get some work done tomorrow…

December 14, 2011

Spent a few hours helping Adam with his reporting project for Xstrata. He often has a lot of work at this time of year, and I’ve agreed to take the lead on Xstrata to free him up to complete the Hong Kong project.Adam B arrived this evening. He’s staying with us for two nights before flying home to Canada for Christmas. His BBC Young Musician competition is tomorrow — having made it through the regional keyboard heats, he is in the national heats tomorrow. I’m accompanying him to the Royal College of Music to perform before the judges, as all contestants under the age of 16 require a chaperone.

Made puy lentils and roast cod for dinner, which Nova pronounced even better than my sausages and lentils. Left Adam B in charge and headed off to the Wrestlers for Nova’s class drinks, where I knocked back three glasses of red wine before calling it a night…

December 13, 2011

Watched Lyra’s school nativity play this morning, which was very sweet. The performance started at 9:30am, but being old hands at this school, we knew to get there straight after drop-off at 9am. Even so, we had to settle for second row seats.In past years, there has been a hierarchy to the school nativity, where year 2 kids get the speaking parts, year 1 kids are the choir, and reception kids get an opportunity to wave stars or something. This year, the year 2 kids still have the main roles, but each class has been given their own song and dance number, which is far more democratic. Quite a production too — it gave Busby Berkeley a run for his money…;-)

We were meant to have Juliet and Hugh round for dinner this evening, but there was a phone message when we got home cancelling due to illness. “She sounds really sick,” I said to Adam. “Well, she is the finest British actress of her generation,” Adam said. Not that she’d do that…

Went to Waitrose anyway, where I stocked up on meat and drink. ‘Tis the season… Got back just in time to pick up the girls from school. Had Alina round — she’s such a sweet, quiet little girl that it’s always a surprise when I hear her voice, which is really quite definite and strong. Made mac & cheese, which the kids were very happy to see after a long absence from the family menu plan.

Adam B’s performing license came through today, so he’s good for his competition later this week. What a palaver that turned out to be…

December 12, 2011

Went for my first run since I injured my ankle. Took things very slow and cautiously — I’d rather do ten slow runs then push it and do myself another injury…Turns out Mia and Amy did not make it through the first round of Henrietta Barnett. Which was quite embarrassing for Evelyn’s mum Christine (who I told they had) when she congratulated Amy’s mum in the playground. Shouldn’t have trusted the kid’s grapevine on that one, but I assumed they’d been texting each other…

Took Veronika out for sushi to celebrate the birth of baby Sania. She’d especially missed sushi when she was pregnant. For me it was gin&tonic and blue cheese. I’d wanted to go to Cafe Japan in Golder’s Green, but it was closed so we ended up in Hi Sushi instead. Ordered a big platter of sushi, a California roll, miso soup and a flask of sake, which did us very nicely…

December 11, 2011

Surprise, surprise, I’m not feeling so great this morning…:c Adam manfully jogged down to Crouch End to pick up our car, which seemed to set him back as well. Moped around all morning until it was time to head off to Nick and Jane’s.It was lovely to see them, and hard to believe that it’s been a whole year since our last visit. Now that Pete and Liana have emigrated to New Zealand, there’s definitely less impetus to get together. Liana always had a lot of energy for organising that sort of thing…

December 10, 2011

Picked up Nova from Amalia’s first thing after breakfast. We’d received a letter from Henrietta Barnett school in the post, telling us that Nova had made it through to the second round and inviting her to sit the maths and english papers. We’re all thrilled, as it’s quite an accomplishment. About 2000 girls sit the first two papers, and only the top 500 are invited back. According to Amalia, Mia and Amy got through as well, which is an amazing success for our class…It was Nova’s ballet watch week this morning. I know she hasn’t been focussed on ballet this term what with sitting school exams and so on, but she seemed especially disengaged today. She looked like it was too much effort to bother to bend her knees or point a toe…

After lunch, I took Nova shopping at Brent Cross, so she could pick up little Christmas presents for her friends. As an early Christmas present, I let her get her ears pierced. I wasn’t keen on the idea, but Adam talked me round. I think Nova was surprised at how much it hurt; the five-year-old Indian girl who went before her barely batted an eye.

Once we’d agreed to Nova piercing her ears, I did some research on the best place to get it done. The only options seem to be piercing/tattoo parlors and Claire’s Accessories (which has cornered the market in teenage beauty). I wasn’t crazy about the idea of a gum-snapping teenager on minimum wage doing the job, but it seemed the best option. We had to sign a waiver releasing them from any responsibility, and buy an “earcare kit” with solution to keep them disinfected.

Spent the afternoon at Eytan and Dinas. The kids are quite compatible now — Nova and Ben are only months apart, and baby Emma is three now. Poor Dylan is stuck in the middle, but he was feeling a bit sick and was happy to lie on the sofa and listen to the adults’ conversation. They made a smorgy sort of dinner, which set us up nicely for Jon and Wendy’s party…

Got home in time to let Elsie in, and change into our party clothes before heading out for the evening. The party was in full swing by the time we arrived, and absolutely heaving. Their teenage daughter and friends had been lined up to serve the canapes, and teetered about on unfeasible high heels with platters of sushi and cocktail sausages. There were lots of people we knew, and I had a great time knocking back red wine and carrying on shouted conversation over the pounding music.

More Henrietta Barnett news — Nova’s classmate Alana has made the first round, though another one hasn’t… This whole secondary school thing is a bit fraught, and I’ll be glad when it’s all over…

December 9, 2011

Adam arrived back from Hong Kong this morning on an overnight flight, just in time for Lyra’s gymnastics watch week. When they started practicing ‘tick tocks’, which look like a precursor to a handstand, Lyra would enthusiastically kick her legs up in the air then collapse on her face. It looked like she was going to break her neck. I couldn’t bear to watch, which kind of defeats the purpose of watch week…Popped round Lynne’s for a coffee, and a peek at her new kitchen. Which looks great, aside from where the cookbook shelf ripped itself off the wall and crashed into the counter…

When I picked up the girls, both of them had impromptu invites — Lyra for a play at Lillians, Nova to Amalia’s for a sleepover, which saw me returning empty-handed…

December 8, 2011

The Jackson’s Lane Christmas show this year is “The Enormous Turnip.” Adam successfully convinced the school to subsidize trips for all the infants classes. They needed eight parent volunteers to accompany the kids to the performance, and I put my name down.I was assigned responsibility for Lyra, Maggie, and Margaux. This involved taking them to the loo, getting them into their reflective vests, escorting them on the ten minute walk to the theatre, keeping them in hand during the performance, doling out their snack in the interval, and getting them safely back to the school again.

They are pretty well-behaved girls and didn’t give me any trouble, aside from a tendency to want to join hands in a circle and attempt to walk that way, which they found hilariously funny. I certainly didn’t envy Howard his “terrible trio” of Greta, Beatrix and Lucia…

I’d also put my name down to help at the sensitively named “Old Folks Show”, an annual luncheon organised by the year six class for the residents of the local care homes. I’d sent Nova off with a Tupperware box of tuna sandwiches this morning, and had offered to help serve food, mostly because I wanted to see her solo performance of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. There were a lot of parents keen to help — mainly to see their kids perform, I’m sure — and I wasn’t chosen.

Took the opportunity for a quick trip to Brent Cross instead, where I did some Christmas shopping and had my annual eggnog latte at Starbucks. Picked up a gingerbread house kit, which the girls and I tackled after dinner. Had some sticky moments getting the roof to stay put, but we managed something semi-habitable in the end…

December 7, 2011

We’re having some work done on the flat today, which I needed to oversee. The tenants have noticed black mould forming in the corners of the outside wall where condensation is collecting. We’re installing a unit that will adjust the air pressure in the flat, and should solve the problem. Of course, opening a window occasionally, or not taking so many showers would also solve the problem (and cost a lot less too), but this puts control of the situation in our hands.Anyway, with Adam in Hong Kong, and none of the tenants able to work from home, I needed to meet the guy at the flat, get him set up and then return four hours later when the work was finished. There was the usual hassle about parking, and at one point he was threatening to drop the job. Adam actually got involved by phone at this stage, as the guy was taking a very pissy attitude with me, but eventually it was all sorted…

As if that wasn’t enough, something has gone astray with Adam B’s licensing application for the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition next week. All competitors under the age of sixteen who have advanced this far need a license from their local council to perform live or something. We pulled together various documents like Adam’s birth certificate, passport photos, letters from his school and GP and completed a form, then sent it all off to Manchester council. It has gone astray somehow, and after a number of phone calls to the school, council, and BBC, I ended up doing the whole thing again, scanning it, and emailing it off. Fingers crossed…

Made big bowls of Vietnamese beef pho for dinner before swimming. It warmed my heart to see my two girls slurping up their bowls of spicy noodles and broth. Watch an amazing documentary of the financial crisis tonight called Inside Job.

It’s the first time I got a clear understanding of why all those subprime mortgages were sold. But I hadn’t realised the extent to which the bastards who perpetrated this crime against the rest of us are still running things in government and business, instead of sitting in prison cells where they belong…

December 6, 2011

Woke up a bit late, but managed to get the girls off to school without too much hassle… Had a coffee with a lovely woman I met at the panto auditions last night. A professional dancer and actress, she’s taking a break from acting and thought the school panto would make a nice change. I really like the way the panto connects you with parents from other classes you wouldn’t otherwise meet.It’s freaking cold today — I had to turn the heat on mid-afternoon. Fitted in a quick Waitrose run before Lyra’s ballet watch week. The little dancers are so cute at that age…

Made baked turkey meatballs seasoned with soy, sesame and coriander. They girls really liked them, if a bit dry. I think pan frying would have sorted that… Lyra’s very keen on playing snap at the moment, and we had a bit of a tourney before bed. I can beat either girl on her own, but as a team they are formidable opposition…

December 5, 2011

Our first morning without Adam… I miss him, but in some ways it’s easier because my focus is all on the girls. It seemed excessive to make a whole pot of coffee for myself, so I invited Veronika back after drop-off. Howard ended up tagging along with little Tilda as well, who has become great friends with Marli.The two girls disappeared into the kids’ bedroom and closed the door. When we came down to roust them out a half an hour later, Tilda had dressed herself in Lyra’s ballet kit and it looked like a cyclone had hit the room. Veronika kindly pitched in on the tidying before she left…

My ankle is making slow progress. There is no question of running yet, but I can flex it a bit now, and attempt a circular movement, although it is very stiff. I’m wondering if I’ve maybe torn the tendon — I’ve never had a sprain that gave me this much trouble, especially as there wasn’t that much swelling or bruising at the time…

Left the girls unsupervised for an hour while I popped up to the school to audition for the panto. Like last year, we sat in a circle and read scenes cold from a script we’d just been given. I find the process quite intimidating, especially as everyone else had a fair amount of drama experience. They manage to transform the lines they read, and can deliver when the director says “Do it with a Somerset accent please.” What I saw of the script looks good — The Wizard of Oz (Highgate)…

December 4, 2011

Feeling a bit ropey today…:-{ Note to self: mulled wine is for smelling, not drinking… Spent a couple of hours helping Adam finish a piece of work, before serving up a cooked breakfast for lunch, which always hits the spot the morning after.In the afternoon, I took Lyra to school fair where we spent nearly an hour queueing in the cold to see Santa. Lyra was amazingly patient, then came over all shy when confronted with the great man himself. Warmed her up with hot chocolate and marshmallows when we got home.

Fixed some dinner for Nova, Lyra and Fay then helped Adam get away for his trip to Hong Kong. I was wrestling with an onerous bursary application for one of the fee-paying schools Nova is sitting an exam for when I heard a loud rooowring. Headed downstairs to discover an enormous leopard spotted bengal cat with a fancy-ass collar announcing himself in the foyer. I’m sure that was £500 of pedigree feline. Freaked out poor Cleo, who was perched on the ironing board hissing ineffectively…

December 3, 2011

I’m finally starting to feel a bit better. My ankle is still a mess, but I can now point my toe a little bit, or squat gingerly to zip up Lyra’s coat. I’m not comfortable doing it yet, but it’s not excruciating either…Margo has sent me a book that looks very interesting. It’s called Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. I’ve only read the introduction so far, but it is about that fallibility of rational thought, especially when it involves statistics. Apparently, people employ various heuristics when they make quick decisions that are prone to error.

For example, you might believe that movie stars have a higher rate of divorce than other professions because you use the availability heuristic to reach that conclusion — “I’m always hearing about movie stars getting divorced, therefore they must be chronically unfaithful,” — without considering that you hear about it because they are famous. Teachers might have a far higher rate of divorce, but it doesn’t make the news when their marriages break up.

Did some more work for Adam, though it’s a lot harder with Lyra around, especially as Nova was busy all day. She kicked off her morning with the St Marylebone exam, returned with Etta for a bit of hanging out before ballet, spent the afternoon doing homework, squeezed in a visit to the swimming pool with Amalia, followed by a sleepover at Fays. It makes me tired just typing it…;-)

So Lyra and did lots together — we made her class Christmas cards and wrote in them, made an advent calendar, mixed the shortbread dough, played various games, did her piano practice, and watched cartoons.

Went to Pete and Pasc’s Christmas party this evening. With Nova out of the house, we made darn sure that Lyra was fast asleep before Frank the babysitter arrived and we started getting ready. That was one battle I didn’t feel like having.

Heels are out of the question at the moment, but I dressed up my jeans and flat shoes with a sparkly top. There were lots of school people at the party, and I had a very sociable evening, although unfortunately it’s practically impossible to avoid the topic of secondary school places…

December 2, 2011

I’m helping Adam with some work he’s doing for a mining company that is committed to improving the sustainability of their operations. Not the most scintillating project I’ve ever worked on, but at least I’m more comfortable with the subject matter than other projects I’ve helped him with.Oddly enough, he had a business meeting at home today with his associate Elliot about some other mining work they are planning to bid for. Put my work on hold long enough to throw together some lunch for everybody — salads, hummus, pitta breads, and some tooth-cracking flapjacks I’d left in the oven too long.

After school Nova headed down to Jackson’s Lane with Adam to do some recording work. They wanted a child’s voice to deliver the Christmas funding appeal, and the creative director thought of Nova. Our little recording artist…;-)

Lyra returned from her piano lesson with four songs to practice this week, including one where she uses both hands at the same. She’s very pleased with herself, and so she should be. I think it’s great she’s got the enthusiasm to learn piano at her age.

Had chicken stirfry for dinner, then settled down to watch The Man with the Golden Gun, so we could see the scenes at the Peninsula Hotel, where Adam will be staying when he arrives in Hong Kong on Monday…

December 1, 2011

Rabbits! No problem remembering to say ‘rabbits’ when you wake up several times a night. What with my current injuries, I wake up every time I need to shift position. It’s like being pregnant…The girls started their advent calendars this morning. I’ve got them the old style paper ones; nevertheless, Lyra was surprised and disappointed not to find a chocolate when she opened the little door.

I took Lyra to school this morning, which was okay, aside for coming down the path. Adam is working on site today. He’s very busy at the moment — which is great in the current economy — and has just landed some work in Hong Kong. He’s going to be away from Sunday ’til Friday.

Braved the car today too, and while driving was a bit uncomfortable, I made it to Waitrose without incident. Clumping across the Waitrose parking lot, I was feeling sorry for myself. The very first person I saw in the produce section was a woman whose left leg was twisted at least 90° out of alignment. I’ve never actually seen anything like it before.

After helping her reach a punnet of grapes, I headed for the green beans. There, a man on crutches was balancing precariously on one leg while selecting brussels sprouts. His damaged leg was wrapped around the supporting one, in a strange way that initially made me think he might be an amputee. Definitely furthered my sense that the universe is toying with me…

Went out for dinner with Will and Sara to St John in Archway. Nice enough evening, though all off us were a bit low on energy. Had a lovely monkfish tail with salsify and samphire, and some of Adam’s apple and plum crumble…