December 2012

December 31, 2012

The last day of 2012, and as gray and miserable as nearly every day is at the moment…Carried on with my mini-housework blitz, changing beds, hoovering, and the endless cycle of laundry. My ankle injury is acting up. I think I may have torn something kneeling at Lyra’s bedside the other night. I’ll give it another day or two, but if it doesn’t show signs of improvement, I’m going to the doctor.

Did a Waitrose shop with dad — the first in over a week. Still a fair amount of turkey to be getting on with, but we’ve run out of things like bread, mayonnaise and salt. Again there was a queue to get into the parking lot, and the aisles were rammed with shoppers and carts. A noticably more laid back, cheerful bunch than the crowds you get in the days leading up to Christmas…

Round to Freddy and Beulah’s in the evening for a new year’s eve supper. I’d fed the girls first, so they didn’t have to spend long hours at the table listening to grown-up conversation. Instead, they hung out in the lounge while we ate — making occasional appearances in the dining room to be cooed over in their beautiful dresses — before joining us for dessert.

At midnight, Adam and his dad set off fireworks in the garden while we watched from the billiard room upstairs and sipped champagne. A lovely, low-key start to the new year. And as the designated driver, I won’t even have a hangover tomorrow…;-)

December 30, 2012

Happy birthday, Drew! Up in the night with Lyra, who woke with a bad headache. Nova’s coming down with something as well, and is complaining of a sore throat and runny nose. Sigh…Lyra is obsessed with the idea of “kids’ jail” at the moment, and has a steady string of questions on the subject. Such as:

• What kind of things do kids do to get sent to jail?
• What is the least bad thing a kid can do to get sent to jail?
• What if they do that thing by accident?
• How many times do they have to do it?
• What do you do in kids’ jail? etc

I said that the least bad thing might be stealing lots of things, lots of different times, which led to a conversation on stealing. She’s a relentless questioner, and eventually I reluctantly told her about my shoplifting episode at Woodwards.

I had slipped a lip gloss, paperback book and pair of socks (“Socks!” she exclaimed, “Why would you steal those?”) into a bag, and was had just reached the exit, when I felt a hand on my shoulder. “Come with me,” the man said. I can still remember the fear and embarrassment of that moment. “It makes me feel scared and embarrassed just thinking about it,” Lyra agreed…

Dad treated us to Sunday lunch at the Wrestlers, which was a lovely treat. Roast beef and yorkshire pudding, with roast potatoes, perfectly cooked veg and a nice bottle of Malbec. They all went for pudding afterwards, but I refrained — and exacted a small tithe from each of them…;-)

Basil and Veronika came round with the girls in the afternoon. Wallbangers and Christmas baking and shots of Barbadian rum. They’re just back from spending Christmas in Barbados attending a family wedding. Sounds like a magical place. I’ve seen next to nothing of the Caribbean — only a short trip down the Yucatan coast years ago. Have to remedy that…;-)

December 29, 2012

Spent a few hours tackling the clutter that builds up in my corner of the bedroom today. The stacks of books and magazines, tottering pile of papers, tangle of jewellry, rats nest of electric cords…I was distracted by a large box of videotapes of things we’d taped off the television over a decade ago. My first impulse was to haul it downstairs and tip it straight into the rubbish bin, but when I started going through it I discovered a tape of my grandmother’s memorial service and another one of our wedding. So instead, I hauled it upstairs and promptly watched them both. “Is that you, mum?” Lyra said, incredulously. “You look like a giant Nova!”

The first unlabeled tape I stuck into the machine had black and white footage of my mum, dad, Wendy and me singing carols as we washed up after Christmas dinner, oblivious of the camera filming us. This was followed by footage of my grandparents sitting round their kitchen table chatting with Greg’s family. Quite amazing to have them appear in our living room like that…

Adam took my dad and his mum to Arsenal this afternoon, for what turned out to be an exciting 7-3 win over Newcastle. Returned home for a dinner of turkey curry on rice, which made a nice change from our steady diet of turkey soup and sandwiches…

December 28, 2012

Adam made a double batch of pancakes for breakfast, much to the girls delight. Those two could eat pancakes for Britain. They take after their dad in that respect. I have never been a pancake eater. On the rare occasions I did eat them, I’d generally butter them and eat them with salt and pepper.Nova went off to Sarah’s after lunch to hang out, and Adam and Lyra headed into town to hit the sales. Dad and I stayed home and watched “The Dead”. Each time I watch that film, I discover something new…

Adam returned home with a nice burgundy shirt and a gray cardi from Reiss, then promptly headed out again to our friend Ben’s “soirée”. Sorry to miss out on all the great food, but it’s a long way to travel, and wouldn’t have been dad’s sort of thing…

December 27, 2012

Made a batch of turkey soup first thing, skimming the fat off the stock I’d chilled yesterday, and adding carrots, celery, onions, barley, turkey and exactly five peppercorns. Served it for lunch with turkey sandwiches. I think I enjoy the soup and sandwiches more than the roast dinner itself. Dad claims it is even better than mum’s, which is high praise indeed…The sun was actually started shining this afternoon for a bit, making these unfamiliar patches of light on the carpet. I can vaguely remember seeing something like it a few months ago…;-)

Took advantage of the improvement in the weather to venture out for a walk on the Heath. It was pretty muddy in spots, but it was great to get out in the fresh air and stretch my legs.

Attempted a family game of Trivial Pursuit when we got back, but it wasn’t a success. We were too stupid and the questions too British, asking about TV shows and actresses i’ve never heard of even after living here for twenty years. Switched to Kids Trivia Plus instead, which matched our abilities better…;-)

Veggie crumble (because bacon is a vegetable) and salad for dinner. I was nearly ready to serve up when Anne and John’s visiting son Martin knocked at the door. Apparently, he was in the doghouse for messing up the drinks invite when he popped round yesterday. Saved his ass by heading next door for a pre-dinner drink.

Watched the Downton Abbey Christmas special with Nova. It was all going along swimmingly until a tragic ending appeared out of the blue. I guess another cast member wants to be free to pursue other projects…;-)

December 26, 2012

Started the day a bit later… Nova has had some late nights, and poor little Lyra is suffering with a nasty cough. It was about 10am by the time we sat down to a bowl of cereal.I would have loved to get outside for a bit — I’m feeling cabin-feverish — but the rain has been relentless. Instead, I spent some time getting the house in order: finding places for the Christmas presents, laundry, making turkey stock, washing the kitchen floor…

Finally managed to watch “A Christmas Carol” to the end. I must be getting more sentimental in my old age — it brought tears to my eyes more than once. “How old is Scrooge supposed to be?” Nova asked. Adam insisted he was forty, based on the length of time he worked with Marley. Dad and I think he’s meant to be in his fifties, going by the age of his nephew. It’s possible Dickens didn’t keep a firm grip on the chronology of his story, but it’s also true that in films Scrooge usually appears to be in his late sixties or even his seventies…

Turkey sandwiches for lunch, harvey wallbangers for dinner, and “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” on the CD player. Christmas traditions…

The girls had fun with their chocolate face mask

December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas everyone! Woke to the sound of torrential rain drumming on the balcony. It fills my heart with dismay, as the crack in the balcony has started leaking into our bedroom…In spite of Lyra’s pleas for a 4am start, there was no sign of the girls until 8am. Apparently, she had woken up at 2:58am but Nova sent her back to bed. They were both thrilled with their stockings and presents, and seemed happy with the relative distribution of gifts, which is always important.

We were about to start clearing up in preparation for breakfast when Lyra noticed one lone present under the tree. It was wrapped in beautiful, sparkly gold paper and didn’t have a tag on it. To be on the safe side, we opened it together. It was an iPad! From Santa!! Santa has given us an iPad!!!

Had our traditional melton mowbray breakfast, with a bottle of champagne to toast family and friends, then headed straight into the cooking. I’ve decided to follow Delia’s turkey roasting instructions this year, and duly slathered the bird with butter and wrapped it in foil before sticking it in the oven. Stuffing, hard sauce, cranberry sauce, and lots of veggie prep, with lots of help from dad…

Settled down on the sofa about 2pm with a well-deserved icy Corona to watch the rest of Christmas Carol. What with phone calls to David’s family and Jane and the girls arriving, we didn’t get far.

Jane brought blini with smoked salmon and caviar and champagne to start things off. The hours before dinner were punctuated with gifts and family phone calls from Canada, both for us and for Jane’s family.

Dinner came off smoothly, aside from the steamed sprouts running dry, which imparted a slightly smoky taste. Being out of brandy, we flamed the Christmas pudding with rum, and it was none the worse for it

I find I can no longer overeat without paying for it, and had to retire to the sofa to recuperate. Watched the Blackadder Christmas special, an anti-Christmas Carol story where a nice man changes his ways after a spirit shows him how much better he would fare if he was less generous to people. Jane and the girls left at 9pm. Dad was already asleep, and Lyra took to her bed soon after. Somehow found the energy to do the mountain of washing up before calling it a night…

December 24, 2012

Feeling a little better this morning. My stomach is tender rather than painful, though I don’t have any appetite yet. Adam is still suffering and sulfurous…;-)Neither of us fancied breakfast, but after the girls were fed, Adam, Ed and Nova headed off to Borough Market to pick up the melton mowbray. I would have gone as well, except Lyra wanted to stay home, insisting that she might cough “and the germs would go everywhere and make people sick.” We watched “The Snowman” and “Father Christmas” instead, and made a start on the Christmas jigsaw.

They got back in time for lunch, bearing two small meltons instead of the usual large one as they sold the last one to a guy in front of them in the queue. In keeping with the “small is the new big” theme emerging this year. Mini tree, mini meltons…

I made shrimp cocktail for lunch, but served it as more of a salad, with a lot more lettuce. We followed it with cheese, crackers and apples.

The Franklyn family came round for our annual Christmas Eve get together, held at our house this time. Harvey Wallbangers, fresh sausage rolls, and a large platter of baking, all happily received by an appreciative audience.

Nova and Fay popped out for an hour for some neighbourhood carol singing, and made about £70. They treated us to a version of “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” in which they attempted some very ambitious harmonies. Their voices have always combined beautifully, and I’m sure they would have impressed people. The Colombian mom visiting her art school son who’s renting #23 was thrilled apparently. She’s never had carollers come to the door before.

Didn’t bother with dinner. Adam and the girls caught up on recorded Merlin episodes, while I forged ahead with the puzzle. The girls opened a present before bed — new pyjamas from Terry and Ron. After tucking them in, I read “Twas the Night Before Christmas”, and turned out the light. There were promises to wake up at 4am etc, but having stayed up a bit later than usual, I’m hoping they sleep in a bit…

The three of us finished the puzzle — an important part of Christmas for me. Did necessary things to stockings, put out a snack for Santa, then settled in to watch “A Christmas Carol”. I know every line anyway…

December 23, 2012

I’m feeling woeful this morning, especially after my disturbed night’s sleep… It’s not exactly a hangover, more of a stomach upset. Adam is feeling just as bad. Happily, Lyra seems to be fine today. I think she was probably hungry, though she did eat far too many chocolates at Gilda and Steve’s. Ice skating at the Natural History Museum was out of the question. The weather is so wet, and none of us are well enough…Managed a bit of breakfast, then retreated to the sofa. Over the day, I would lurch up sporadically to attempt some bit of housework or cooking, but it wouldn’t last long… Nova spent the day round at Etta’s, Lyra pootling about doing Lyra-type things, and Dad moseyed off to the village for a spot of retail therapy.

Made scrambled eggs and toast for dinner. I couldn’t face mine, though I did manage the mince pie that dad had bought. We finally finished off the Christmas cards, ruthlessly cutting a number of people off the list. Now we just sit back and wait for the cards from those very people to arrive…;-)

December 22, 2012

It’s the first day of the school holidays, though according to the ever-practical Lyra, as she wouldn’t go to school anyway today it doesn’t really count… Dropped the kids in Finchley after lunch, as Beulah had arranged an outing to the Barbican with her four grandkids. They’re going to see Peter and the Wolf and The Snowman film, accompanied by a live orchestra.Did the Waitrose run while I was up there. Had to queue to get into the parking lot. Quite a big shop, but I hope that’s it now, aside from a trip to Borough Market for the melton.

When the girls got back, we went round to Gilda and Steve’s Christmas party. I didn’t know many of the guests, but had a nice enough time drinking champagne and making small talk. Adam was a bit starstruck when he made the acquaintance of Viv Albertine (formerly of the Slits)…

Returned home in time to meet the babysitter and arrange a cab to take us to Birgit and Kiran’s. Dad wisely bowed out, opting for an early night. We bravely soldiered on, spending a few more hours drinking champagne and scoffing different canapés. Should have stuck with the small talk, but ended up arguing about politics and tax reform with one of Adam’s more right-wing friends…

Home about midnight. We kept the cab waiting and put the babysitter in it. Adam accompanied her as well, carrying on to Alicia and Paul’s party. I didn’t have the fortitude for that one.

Just as well… Lyra woke at 3am, complaining of stomachache. Brought her into our bed with a basin, while Adam went off to sleep in her bed. Took ages for her to drop off to sleep again. I’m right up to speed on the African political situation, thanks to the world service…

December 21, 2012

Managed to find the energy for a run first thing. It’s the last day of the school term. In fact, Nova only has a half day. She went out for lunch at Strada with three school friends to celebrate. It’s a pretty good situation — they’re old enough to go to a restaurant unaccompanied, but young enough to order the kids menu.Headed round to Jemima and Rob’s before dinner for a neighbourly Christmas drink. Oysters again — in the last week, Rob has discovered that his shellfish allergy doesn’t extend to oysters. He’s been eating them like crazy ever since, and become an oyster afficianado in the last week, even acquiring a sterling silver oyster knife…

Nova informs me I got a good mark on my Dryden Goodwin portrait…;-)

December 20, 2012

Lyra came in with a long face this morning, holding the little tooth pillow she’d placed under her pillow. For a moment, I thought something had gone wrong with the tooth fairy’s early morning visit, but it turned out she hadn’t checked yet, and discovered she’d been left a pound coin.Heard an interesting piece about the tooth fairy on the radio the other day about how some grown-ups go on about kids getting so much money from the tooth fairy nowadays, how they only got a shilling or whatever. Apparently, if the tooth fairy had kept up with inflation since the 1950s, kids should be getting about £5 a tooth now. (And a little surfing the web tells me that American kids are averaging $3 a tooth, with some receiving as much as $20!)

We’re having our Christmas oysters for dinner this evening. I made the fake soufflé first thing this morning. It needs to sit for a few hours, and is even better if you make it the day before. I fed the kids a bowl of chickpea pasta soup first — they’d both had a roast lunch at school, so it was plenty for them.

Dad and Adam shucked the oysters this year. I’m always very happy to leave that task to someone else. I find that my enjoyment of oysters declines in proportion to the amount of time I spend shucking them…

The soufflé was the best ever, perhaps because I cooked it for twice as long at a higher temperature than the cookbook recommends. Served it with a lemony fennel and endive salad.

Oysters and cheese soufflé

December 19, 2012

Went for my 4km run to blow the cobwebs out… At noon we set off for Brent Cross to finish the Christmas shopping. Ate a quick lunch at Leon, then hit John Lewis, Claires, Boots, H&M and WH Smith before heading back to Highgate for the school pick-up.Arrived in the playground to discover that Lyra has lost her first tooth! It came out when she was eating an apple in class. The teacher handed it to me, carefully wrapped in tissue. Apparently, there were three teeth lost in the classroom today. “I want to go to bed early tonight!” Lyra announced loudly, causing a few mothers’ heads to turn in surprise. Not a sentence parents hear very often…

Headed off to a carol concert at Nova’s school not long after. We were late, and ended up being seated behind a large pillar. Nova and the choir processed in single file to the altar, each carrying a candle. They sang a number of carols, and the various orchestras performed, with the audience participating at regular intervals.

I was amazed when Lyra started singing “We Three Kings” in a lusty voice. Again, she turned heads as people looked to see who was singing up so nicely. I was even more surprised when she belted out “In the Bleak Midwinter”, a carol I don’t even know…

The winners of the poetry competition read their star poems as well, all except Nova. The teacher had felt that her take on the star theme just wasn’t appropriate for a Christmas concert. It was probably the right call, though it would have been great to hear her read it aloud…

December 18, 2012

Adam stayed up all night working on his HongKong-Shanghai Group draft. They are trying to do it on a crazy schedule, but it will be good to have it off his desk before the Christmas break. He was just about to send it at 11am, when he realised that the enormous document was corrupt and hadn’t saved any of the edits he’d made for the last two hours.Adam was nearly in tears when he realised all that work had been lost. He forged on through, carefully rebuilding the document paragraph by paragraph, and finally sending it at dinner time. Then he went off to play football, the crazy beggar. It can’t be good for him…

Put in lots more work on the wine website, which is shaping up nicely. I had a meeting with one of the guys I’m doing it for this evening. We were actually talking about a different website, but I wanted to show that I’d made progress.

Nova got home from school late — her enrichment activity today was a trip to the West End to see the Nutcracker. Made celeriac soup for dinner, using the miserably small piece of celeriac Adam bought yesterday. It scarcely covered the bottom of five bowls. I hadn’t made enough pancake batter either, but that was less of a problem as I don’t particularly like pancakes. This was a special meal for Lyra, who was hankering for the soup and pancake suppers her Polish nanny used to make…

December 17, 2012

Nova’s school is having an “enrichment” week, where instead of the usual classes they go on outings and have special workshops. It kicked off with a field trip to a local Hindu temple and vegetarian Indian lunch.After a busy day working on the wine website I’m developing, dad and I met Nova in East Finchley after school to see Great Expectations at the Phoenix. We’ve recently read it together, and she’s writing a book report on it as well, so I thought it would be nice to see it on screen.

It was a faithful rendition of the book, well cast and beautifully shot. Dad stayed awake for the whole thing, which is a significant endorsement. There were only a couple of places where it varied from the book, and in both cases I think it improved the story. The character of Orlick was removed completely — so Pip’s sister died of natural causes and there was no attempted murder of Pip. And rather than a hugely unlikely meeting in the grounds of the empty Satis house, Estella wrote Pip a letter saying she’d like to see him.

Caught the bus home afterwards. I was hoping the driver would allow dad to travel without the bus pass everyone over 65 is entitled to, but he charged him £2.30. As free bus travel is a universal benefit, it seems churlish to expect someone who’s clearly entitled to it to pay so much to travel such a short distance…

December 16, 2012

Muffins for breakfast, quail’s scotch eggs for lunch… “This is turning out to be a great food day,” said Nova. I resisted Lyra’s entreaties to get started on the tree all morning, though we did get it into position (which involves moving the printer) and put on the lights.

Went to see the Jackson’s Lane Christmas show — it’s The Elves and the Shoemaker this year. Charming and fun, with some excellent puppetry. Definitely a big hit with the youngest members of the audience.

Popped the roast in the oven as soon as we got back. I’ve never had much luck roasting beef. I’ve read conflicting advice about temperature — some people advising super-high temperatures, others cooking it longer in a cool oven. Dad was for the low temperature approach, but I decided to crank the oven up, then lower the temperature to 325°F when I put the meat in.

Decorated the tree while it was cooking, rather, the girls did. I put on all the little birds, which are fiddly with their little bits of wire, but otherwise let them get on with it. It does look lovely. The Christmas season is now truly upon us… To that end, I iced and decorated my Christmas cake and served it after the baron of beef.

Watched ‘Sports Personality of the Year’, after dinner. Bradley Wiggins won by a landslide. While I like Wiggo, I don’t think it’s the year to choose cycling. I wanted Andy Murray to win, and think his achievement was the greater one. What an abundance of riches to choose from this year…

December 15, 2012

Feeling pretty rough this morning, surprise, surprise… Somehow, I mustered the energy to make the promised cork reindeer with Lyra. Fun once we got into it, but I’m amazed I had it in me…

Dasher, Dancer, Blitzen, Rudolph

Made mcmuffins for lunch, which was much better suited to my condition than the yogurt and fruit breakfast I’d inadvertently eaten. Afterwards, dad headed off for a nap, I took to my couch, and Adam and Lyra went off to do the Waitrose shop.

They bought a Christmas tree as well, somewhat smaller than I would have liked, but it’s a nicely shaped little thing. Lyra was all for flying at it, but we’re going to do it properly tomorrow after the Jackson’s Lane panto kicks off the Christmas season.

Made a Thai yellow curry for dinner, which tasted a bit weird with the lightly smoked salmon fillet Adam bought accidently. Over the evening, I tried numerous times to wake dad, but he’d go straight back to sleep a minute later. I imagine he’s still working through the jet lag.

Had a marathon Killing session. We were up until almost 1am, but it was satisfying to finish off the season. I wasn’t that happy with the ending, though it is hard to picture Sarah Lund settling into cozy domestic bliss in the suburbs of Copenhagen with her new man and grandchild…

December 14, 2012

Went out for a Christmas celebration with my LSM class this evening. Owing to a last-minute drop out, there were six of us for drinks and five who stayed on for dinner.We met at the Carlton Club, of which Martin is a member. Apparently, it is “the oldest, most elite, and most important of all Conservative clubs”. It was certainly fascinating to see inside such a high Tory bastion, and the drunken, puerile, young toffs we encountered in the cloakroom could have come straight from a rehearsal of Posh.

The food was great, but there wasn’t enough of it for the amount we drank — gin and tonics, multiple bottles of red and white wine, armagnac… Dad and Adam had headed out to the Wrestlers after bedtime. In my drunken state, I actually thought it might be a good idea to join them, and called Adam as I staggered up Southwood Lane. Fortunately, they were back already, and I headed home instead…

December 13, 2012

Apparently Dad had a great sleep last night. He didn’t surface until 11am — like Sam McGee, it’s the first time he’s been warm…;-)

Meatloaf sandwiches for lunch, using the sunken sourdough bread. It’s pretty frustrating, sometimes I wonder why I bother. I guess it’s a nut I just want to crack…

Charlotte came round for a playdate after school. They got on beautifully together, in the way kids with older siblings generally do. I made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. The last time Charlotte came to play she informed me that my “food made her feel sick”, a remark that we’ve laughed over many times since. Lyra helpfully reminded her of it a couple of times, but of course she’d forgotten ever saying it. She certainly ate up nicely today…

Adam and Nova headed off to see a performance of Cabaret at her school. I’d planned to go up to the carol sing in Pond Square, but it’s pretty damn cold out and we decided to give it a miss…

December 12, 2012

Woke to news on the radio of a freezing fog in the southeast that had brought Heathrow to a standstill. So glad we didn’t have to contend with that…We had tickets for Lyra’s nativity play at school first thing this morning. A highly sought after event, there are strictly two tickets only per family. Through devious machinations, I’d managed to secure a third ticket for dad. I’d expected to have to shake him awake, but was surprised to find him up and dressed. Apparently, he was too cold to sleep. Used to the climes of northern BC, he’s finding London weather a bit much…;-)

I’ve learned from experience to line up good and early, and we secured good seats at the front. At least they were good until a seven-foot dad came and sat on the bench in front meant for kids… The nativity was really cute, about a little angel who earned her wings through acts of kindness on the journey to Bethlehem. The year 2 kids had the speaking parts, the four year 1 and reception classes each performed a song. Lyra sang her heart out — I could actually hear her voice above the other kids…

I’ve been making sourdough bread for the last couple of days. I was optimistic that this batch was going to work — it seemed pretty good when we cut it at lunch, but as it cooled, it sunk into a doughy mess…:-c

Dad came with me on a Costco run. He’d forgotten to pack underwear and pyjamas, and we topped up the beer supplies, as well as getting Christmas food, laundry soap, and the usual stuff we buy in bulk.

After a dinner of bibimbap, dad dozed in front of telly for the evening. Even the documentary on Al Capone I was watching couldn’t rouse him… Kept the furnace on overnight…

December 11, 2012

Dad’s arriving today! Adam was out at a big meeting, so I drove out to pick him up myself. Got there about the time his plane landed, but ended up waiting about an hour before he made his appearance. The thing is, it’s unpredictable. Last time, I did the same thing, and he was through in about ten minutes.Dad had someone helping him with his enormous suitcase, I was pleased to see. He’s looking very well, especially when you consider he’d just spent the night on an airplane…

We were so busy chatting that I messed up the journey home a bit, somehow missing the Hayes bypass, and travelling on some parallel, minor road instead. There was trouble on the North Circular as well, and it took almost an hour and a half before we were home.

Had a bowl of soup and hung out until the girls got home. Meatloaf for dinner — dad’s favourite. I had the big idea of slathering the top with hoisin sauce instead of ketchup — worked for me. Lyra was keen to impress and showing off a bit — silly answers, cartwheels, piano playing, presenting drawings… Sweet, but tiring…

December 10, 2012

Did some paid work for a change, putting in half a day on the Randgold brief Adam gave me last week. Also made cherry slice, which came out well for a change. I cooked it longer, and it seems better for it.Nova and Shira treated their friend Jessica to a suprise birthday dinner at Strada. They’ve been planning it for weeks, and it sounds like it was a great success. Headed back to Jessica’s house for birthday cake afterwards…

Nova has had a surprising set back in her art class at school. A couple of weeks ago, the class was asked to copy a charcoal sketch by the British artist Dryden Goodwin. When the teacher handed back the assignments, she kept Nova after class and told she would have to do it again because it wasn’t done to a high enough standard.

Such a shock to Nova, who has always been very good at art. I think the problem was that she tried to draw it her way instead of copying the Goodwin’s techniques. She had a couple more goes this evening, each more woeful than the last. It was getting late and she was getting tearful… Dinally I just took the paper from her and did a rough, scribbly sketch for her to shade in. After that, we threw together a poster on acids in the home for her chemistry class. Bring on the holidays…

December 9, 2012

We all slept in a bit this morning — I think we needed a good night’s sleep… Adam headed off to Waitrose after breakfast, and I hung out with the kids. We watched their new Brave dvd, then put away all their Hannukah gifts.I’m always happy to have the Canada parcels posted and Hannukah out of the way. It feels like I’m over the hump of the holiday effort and can relax into the rest of the season…

Made an interesting dish for dinner: roasted cauliflower with chipotle cream, served with grilled lamb chops. I suppose it should be the other way round, but the lamb was incidental for me, alongside that delicious cauliflower and the smoky-spicy sauce…

December 8, 2012

Lazy start to the day… Started off by watching videos in bed of all the stuff Adam missed this week. After a muffin breakfast, Adam and I headed down to Veronika and Basil’s studio to buy a couple of small things I’d liked at the opening.Afterwards, Adam braved the post office to do the Canada mailing, while I shopped my way up the Archway road and home. Leftovers for lunch, then flew at the Hannukah wrapping. We’ve managed to lose the oven thermometer that we bought for Beulah, so we headed off to Brent Cross to buy another one.

Actually, we were heading that way anyhow as Lyra had a joint birthday party at TopsyTurvy Land. As we pulled into the parking lot, we realised we left her birthday present at home. Adam headed back for it while I did the shopping.

Nova was keen to go off on her own, but being Nova, had managed to leave home without her phone, watch or any money. I gave her the last two and arranged to meet in an hour.

My shopping was largely successful, and I was at the meeting spot right on time. We she didn’t show up for ten minutes, I started to feel anxious: she’s lost, disoriented, being led astray somewhere… Just then she sauntered up, totally relaxed and confident amongst the throngs of shoppers. She’d bought lip gloss and a little present for a friends’ birthday…

Rose to the challenge of wrapping our final Hannukah presents in car, and changing Lyra out of her cat costume and into her nice dress, and arrived only a fe, then into open the presents.

The girls were very happy with their presents this year. Lyra received a Brave dvd, and a neat collapsible brush she was very taken with; Nova got earrings and books; I got a new rice cooker and “The Story of Film” book; and Adam got a shredder…

December 7, 2012

Attended Lyra’s class assembly this morning, which was absolutely terrific. They put on an alternative version of the nativity, based around the inn keeper. It was about twenty minutes long, and included several original songs, and they all sang and acted their little hearts out.Made a detour to the shops on the way home for eggs and butter so I could make something for the class bake sale this afternoon. I should just buy a palette of butter at the start of December to see me through the Christmas season. Baked my usual brownies, adding icing and sprinkles to entice the kiddies.

It’s still cold as hell, and people must be eating for ballast as well as insulation. At any rate, our baked goods practically flew off the table, and it wasn’t just the Siberian wind. Lyra’s class always bakes up a storm, and we had so many trays of cakes and cookies that they couldn’t all fit on the trestle table, but by the end there was nothing left except some rather heavy and worthy courgette-cottage cheese bread…

Turned up the radiator temperature on the boiler this morning, and the house does feel a bit warmer for it. Did all the wrapping for the Canada parcels — we need to get those in the post this weekend… Pasta and salad for dinner, using up stuff in the fridge.

Played Old Maid with the girls after dinner. Nova lost all three hands. She almost always loses when we play family games — it’s uncanny. I told her about the saying “unlucky in cards, lucky in love”. “Are you sure that applies to ‘Old Maid’?” she asked doubtfully.

“You smell like chips and perfume,” Lyra told me at bedtime. “Well, you smell like strawberries and chlorine,” I told her. “Don’t tell Nova, but she smells of marmite and wee!” Lyra confided. Ouch… Adam got back from Hong Kong this evening — great to see him!

December 6, 2012

In spite of the stern talking to I gave myself this morning, I got nowhere near the gym or the woods. It’s just so bloody cold, even inside the house. At least it’s a good temperature for making shortbread. The dough stayed practically as cold out of the fridge as in it.We ate dinner early — tomato soup and bagel melts — and as soon as Nova returned from her singing lesson, we headed off to Veronika and Basil’s open studio. The kids hung out together and I had a glass of wine and looked at the art work.

Didn’t get home until after bedtime. It was actually too cold to stay up — opted for a nice bath, then went straight to bed with a hot water bottle…

December 5, 2012

I was having a sluggish start to my day when the window cleaner turned up unexpectedly. That always lights a fire under my ass. I have to move everything off the window sills for starters. Ended up polishing, dusting and hoovering the house while I was at it. The house looked great — just in time for Veronika to pop in for a visit with her two sweet little terrors…;-)Lyra’s friend Lottie is visiting from Norway this week, and she came round for a playdate after school. It was great to see her — she was always one of my favourites. There is a marked Norwegian accent to her English now, which was very sweet. They got on like a house on fire, picking right up where they left off six months ago.

I made chicken schnitzel for dinner, which is generally a big hit with the playdate set. When Lyra explained to Lottie what schnitzel was, she informed me that she “only likes chicken on the bone”. Fortunately, she made an exception for my schnitzel…;-)

Took the girls to swimming lessons after dinner. Nova has been promoted to the final level, while Lyra will be staying in group three next term. Her swimming looked pretty rough actually, almost like she was having some sort of fit in the water, hacking and flailing away. She was probably trying to follow some instructions that didn’t make sense to her…

Showers, nit combing, piano practice, homework, reading books, all times two… It was 9:30 before I even got to sit down with my dinner…

December 4, 2012

Went for a 40 minute run after dropping off Lyra. It’s freezing at the moment — we’re in the grips of a Siberian weather front, and they are promising more to come — but I warmed up a bit after the first loop.Made butterscotch fudge this morning to kick off the Christmas baking, though I guess the making the Christmas cake has already done that. Though I made it so long ago that it doesn’t really feel like Christmas baking.

The cat’s got a bug up her ass at the moment. This morning she stalked into the bedroom, threw me a look and then started shredding the bedroom carpet. “Kitty!” I yelled. She shot me another look and stalked out again. She’s taken to hiding beneath our bed and swiping at our ankles as we walk past as well. No idea what’s bothering her…

Lyra’s ballet watch week today, It was very sweet, particularly their little sugar plum fairy dance:

Lyra turned her nose up at the meatzza I made for dinner, though she ate up eventually. “It’s just that we had lasagne today for lunch, so that’s two things with toppings I had to eat,” she explained…

December 3, 2012

It was a solo effort getting the girls off to school this morning. I started by rousting Nova off her cozy little platform, cajoling her into her school uniform, getting some breakfast down her throat, and shepherding her out the door into the winter gloom. A few minutes later, I did the whole thing again with Lyra…I was so knackered by the weekend excitement, that once I’d tidied up I read/dozed on the sofa all morning. I’m reading the Twilight books at the moment. Each one is sillier than the last, but I’m going to soldier on through now. Still one to go…

Took Lyra to her last drama class until the new year, then returned home for a dinner of celeriac soup with crackers and cheese. Felt confident breaking out my last sleeve of Stoned Wheat Thins now that dad’s arrival is imminent…

Lyra’s question of the day: why do cats and dogs hate each other? I said it’s because they have such different natures and attitudes to life. “So what animals do cats like?” she then asked. Birds, frogs, mice, hamsters… “Not to eat!” she said, “To be friends…” Humans I suppose, though people do say you shouldn’t forget that your cat would kill you if it were bigger…

December 2, 2012

Five hours sleep. ugh… I’m not feeling that hungover — or at least it’s commensurate with the amount of fun I had — but I am tired. Adam made a pancake breakfast for the three girls, and I organised the pitta bread sandwich lunch.Took the kids off to the school fair for the afternoon while Adam got organised for his business trip to Hong Kong. I wasn’t able to help on the stall, just followed Lyra around the various stands shelling out money.

We gave Santa’s grotto a miss this year, as the line was just too long, but she enjoyed the art and crafts areas, played some games, and bought a few bits and pieces.

Dinner was chicken wrapped in parma ham, mine stuffed with feta and sage — pretty yummy. Frank came round round so I could go see Johnny Cooper Clarke at Jackson’s Lane. Lyra seems to have had an abrupt conversion in her feelings towards Frank. She was talking his ear off when I left, and doing cartwheels in the hopes of impressing him. I heard later that she even let him read her bedtime story…

There was a good line up, starting with a Mancunian guy who reeled of some supremely depressing stuff. The second guy was terrific, and Johnny was Johnny. I’d seen a fair amount of material, but there was some fresh stuff too…

December 1, 2012

Nova was in drama rehearsals all day in preparation for her cabaret at Jackson’s Lane this evening. Adam headed off to Arsenal, so it was another day at home with Lyra. She was keen to do an art project, so I found this mosaic kit one of the girls had been given as a birthday present.Instead of glass or tile, this one used little squares of rubber, like the stuff Gel Gems are made of, to make a “stained glass” picture to display on a window. Thousands of little bits. It took most of the afternoon, and we still weren’t done…

Made a Peruvian meal for dinner, a slow-cooked, spicy beef dish called seco, which I served with quinoa. That meat was so bloody good I could have eaten the whole dish myself. It wasn’t really to Lyra’s taste, but she ate it anyway like the little trouper she is.

The cabaret played to a packed house at Jackson’s Lane. Most of the kids in the theatre troupe are older than Nova, and they played most of the parts. Nova appeared in a few ensemble numbers, delivered a monologue on giving her guinea pig a haircut, and played an American bimbo blonde (complete with OTT wig) in a drag race sketch. She’s quite the little ham, and surprisingly good at accents. I was very proud of her.

Back home, we hopped into our glad rags for Pete and Pasc’s annual Christmas party. It’s nice to have an evening out where you know practically everyone. Home very late indeed…