December 2016

December 31, 2016

Margo and Aaron leave today…:-( The time seems to have gone so quickly — we’d all be happy for them to stay another two weeks. Actually, with this persistent foggy weather we’ve been having, I thought their stay might be extended another day.International flights are least likely to be disrupted, and every time we checked the Air Canada website they said the flight was on schedule. Their taxi arrived promptly at 11am, with a lovely, young Eastern European woman at the wheel — a little treat for Aaron, who’s partial to his Russian gals…;-)

We were all a bit blue after they left, and the house felt empty. Distracted myself by launching an assault on the base slopes of the laundry mountain, then headed off to Waitrose for some groceries.

Having been chopped and changed, our New Year’s Eve plansare back to what we’d planned in the first place — Kiran and Birgit round to ours. I’m keeping things simple — poulet au vinaigre, roast new potatoes, and baby gem lettuces halved and drizzled with green goddess dressing.

We did need to pick up a few groceries for the meal. Adam and I left the girls at home, and headed for Waitrose. As they were out of fresh tarragon, we swung by Tesco on the way home. I did a quick in-and-out, which Adam waited outside. I was only ten minutes, but when he went to start the car, the battery was flat.

Adam waited for the AA to come to the rescue while I headed home on the bus with key groceries. They turned up within half an hour, and Adam was home only ten minutes after me, having purchased a new battery from the technician. Hope that solves it…

Got the chicken going, then sorted out some appetisers: toasted almonds, M&A’s smoked salmon,and the last of the saucisson.

Kiran and Birgit arrived with various interesting Austrian new year’s eve items. One was a series of little lead objects you melted over a candle flame before dropping the molten lead into a bowl of water and interpreting your fortune from the shape it made. There were also special fish biscuits you ate tail first for good luck.

We played a few rounds of Randomise, and did the cereal box game — Birgit giving Lyra a good run for her money… After all that jollility, it was time for the final countdown. Watch the fireworks on the telly and the show on the horizon as well, the Robbie Williams live from Central Hall.

It had gone 1am by the time they left. I was more than ready for bed, but we soldiered through the washing up and tidying. It’s good to do that at any time, and extra nice not to start the new year with a mountain of greasy plates and dirty glasses to wash up…

December 30, 2016

Now the Russian bakery is closed for the holidays, Aaron has taken to creating his bacon sandwich at home.Started the cabbage for my next batch of kimchi using the German fermenting crock that Adam gave me for Christmas — very exciting…

After lunch, we took Aaron and Margo on an outing to Neasden temple. We’d missed the times when the shrines are open which is a shame, but it was much less busy as a result, which meant we could better enjoy the space and get a good look at the carvings.

Spent half an hour going round the little exhibition on Hinduism, which is hokey and endearing in equal measure. Like dad, Margo was dubious of some of the discoveries in language, education, mathematics, geometry, astronomy and surgery to which they were laying claim.

Dropped the guys at Handsome Barbers on the way home, so they could get their hair done. “What hair? They should at least get a two-for-one deal,” Lyra joked. When they got back, we had our final Margo martini — I’m going to miss those (though now I know the technique, we can enjoy them between visits).

For dinner, we made bhel puri with supplies purchased in Neasden, followed by take-away curry, and my mango ice cream for dessert. Finished the final episode of the second House of Cards series — at least those guys did… What with the martinis, rosé and beer, I managed only fifteen minutes before dozing off…

December 29, 2016

Awoken in the night when Adam gave me a ferocious kick in shin — he mumbled a not very sincere apology, more of an explanation really about how he was defending an attack by Ryan Giggs or something…>:-(He was snoring again in minutes, but that was it for my night’s sleep. Feck… I wanted a good night so as not to be dozy at the theatre this evening.

After breakfast, Adam and Lyra off to visit Freddy and Beulah, Nova hit the books, and Margo and Aaron set out for a spot of bus touring. Not bus touring in the usual sense, more riding city buses viewing London life from the upper deck.

I attacked the housework, giving the bathroom a proper, work-up-a-sweat scrubbing — both of us needed that. Turkey soup and turkey sandwiches for lunch. We’re getting through that enormous turkey without too much difficulty, though I do wish I’d made more stuffing.

Don’t know if it was turkey’s famed soporific qualities, but I needed a little lie down on the sofa in the afternoon.

Fed the girls, then the four of us headed off to Waterloo to see Art at the Old Vic. Adam and I really enjoyed it when it ran twenty years ago, and I was pleased to find it just as humorous this time round.

“Squirrel!”

The actor playing Serge (the character who buys the white painting) reminded me of Rufus Sewell, an actor I really like. As there was no intermission, I didn’t have a chance to discuss it with Adam.

It wasn’t until we were settled into a nearby tapas bar for a late bite that we discovered it was Rufus Sewell. At which point, I belatedly recalled that was one of the main reasons I’d chosen that play in the first place. Doh!

December 28, 2016

Adam, Margo, Aaron and Lyra off to visit City of London museum after breakfast to see the exhibition on the Great Fire of 1666. I stayed home with Nova to offer a bit of support with the revision and made a little dent in the housework, which I haven’t touched since about the 23rd.I walked out with them when they left to pick up some money cousin Terry has sent through Western Union. We’d assumed it would be at the post office, but they only do MoneyGram.

Trekked down the hill to the right shop, who refused to do it, claiming the machine was broken. He insisted there were two shops in the next block that did Western Union — another fib.

Caught a bus down to Archway, thinking that it would be more of a money-wiring area. Found an address along Junxion Road on the Western Union, but when I got there the address was a Japanese cafe now.

At least I was able to buy some groceries, so the trip wasn’t a complete washout. Hiked with my bags to the forevermore inconveniently located bus stop and headed home.

After a bowl of turkey soup, I gave the living room a proper cleaning, then sat down for a spell of email computer work. I also located another local Western Union outlet at the bottom of North Hill.

Adam drove me down when they got back from the museum. It was quite a process and must have taken twenty minutes, which is a lot in this age of instant everything. There were paper forms to fill out, ID to photocopy and so on. The clerk said she makes about fifteen pence for each transaction, so I can see why the other guy’s machine conveniently broken. He probably couldn’t be arsed…

Turkey enchiladas for dinner. Margo helped with the assembly, and they turned out very nicely. Definitely one of my favourite ways to eat leftover turkey. Margo and I got stuck into the “rosé in a bag” they gave me for Christmas while we worked. It was meant to hold two bottles but we finished it off pretty handily.

Watched two episodes of House of Cards tonight. FU is prime minister now and locking horns with a pretty recognisable version of our future King Charles III.

Debbie Reynolds has died, just one day after her daughter. Apparently her last words to her son were, “I just want to be with Carrie.” Something nice for him to remember her by…

December 27, 2016

I’d booked our Christmas outdoor skating session for this morning, and was very pleased to see we had a beautiful day for it. Set off for Somerset House at 9:45.Bumped into the Nolans at the tube station — I’d noticed their Christmas tree in the window, and hoped we’d get a chance to say hello. (Margo missed the chance to tell Chris she had been an extra in Insomnia — at least until he cut her scene.)

Walked from Charing Cross to Somerset House, and hit the ice at 11:15. The English appear to be slowly improving at skating, even Adam…;-) though there were plenty of amusing moments during our hour session.

Afterwards, we cut through Covent Garden to Chinatown for dim sum. All the restaurants were heaving, and we had a fifteen minute wait for a table. The waitress wanted us order everything up front for efficiency. I ordered a whole crispy duck and loads of dumplings. I probably went a little overboard, but people were hungry, and in the end we managed to eat it all.

Walked up to Tottenham Court Road and caught the bus home, getting off at Archway to do a bit of grocery shopping. Back in the village, we took a little detour to see the fans and tributes gathering in front of George Michael’s house. I always find that sort of thing slightly weird, but it’s practically on our doorstep…

Margo mixed up some long island iced teas, and we soldiered through until we’d finished the puzzle. No one wanted any dinner after the dim sum extravaganza, though the girls did fix themselves a plate of something or other later on.

Carrie Fisher has gone and died. She had a massive coronary on a flight back from London a few days ago and has been on a ventilator ever since. Sixty years old…

December 26, 2016

Woke to the news that the singer George Michael had died on Christmas morning at the age of 53. Very sad to hear it — while not a particular fan of his music, I’ve always thought he seemed like a really sound guy. He’s struggled with addiction issues for years, so I wouldn’t be surprised if that has played a part…Decided to tackle our other puzzle — the one Margo sent us for Christmas last year. If the first one was tricky, this one is fiendish. Bacon sandwiches for breakfast, turkey sandwiches for lunch — I’m taking a day off on the cooking front.

Lyra was going a bit stir-crazy, after two full-on family days and was campaigning hard for a playdate. She’d been texting Lily, who hadn’t replied, and eventually just headed over there and knocked on the door. They were a bit taken aback (it’s not the done thing in London), but invited her in for a few hours…

After lunch, Adam set off to the Arsenal match with Margo and Aaron while I hung out with the girls. Gave Nova some help with her studying, did some tidying up and played Pucket (“the world’s number one elasticated table game”) with Lyra — who inexplicably beat me, and chipped away at the devilish Vancouver puzzle.

We’d all been invited round to John’s for a visit. His son Andy and daughter-in-law Lindsay were there, as well as Katie, Owen and the baby. Good fun watching that little fellow crawling about. It may be just me, but I think he has a very willful, Anne-like gleam in his eye. And he’s a little redhead too…

It was a tea drinking affair, so we got straight into the martinis when we got back, followed by prosecco (which has become a new food group around here). Crackers and cheese for dinner…

We’re watching the original series of House of Cards with Margo and Aaron over their visit. After recapping what people dozed through the other night, we managed a couple more episodes before bed.

December 25, 2016

Merry Christmas! Lyra respected the 7:15am watershed agreed last night, bless her. Once she’d roused Margo and Aaron, we all trooped upstairs for the orgy of unwrapping.Stockings first, where the girls were a bit non-plussed by the quantity of underwear they contained. (There were some nice little bits and pieces tucked in there as well…)

There were two gifts from Santa under the tree for the girls. As soon as Nova pulled out Lyra’s present, I could see there was a problem — the name tags were the wrong way round. I tried to discreetly swap them round, but little gets past eagle-eye Lyra.

“You changed the labels! Why did you do that? How did you know they were wrong? You were Santa this year, weren’t you?!?!” I feared a reprise of the tooth fairy crisis we went through in Japan, but she bore it well. As they say, you can only get your heart broken once…

Lyra with her Santoro doll from “Santa“

Gifts opened, I managed to get a bit of cooking out of the way (hard sauce, red cabbage) before we sat down to our Christmas breakfast — melton mowbray with all the trimmings, and a bottle of champagne for toasts.

Next up, tackling the turkey… Having made the stuffing, I checked the cavity but was unable to find the promised giblets. I gave that bird a very thorough internal examination, having made the mistake of leaving them inside once before, but there was no sign of them…>:-(

It’s the largest turkey I’ve ever bought, weighing in at bit over 12lbs, and the tips of its legs were resting against the glass of the oven door when I finally shoved it in.

The instructions said to roast it for 4:45 hours, but according to the meat thermometer it was done in just over 2… I wasn’t happy with that, both in terms of my meal timings and potential food poisoning. I tented the beggar with foil and cooked it for another half an hour anyway, then turned off the oven and left it to cook a bit more in the cooling heat.

After knocking the veggie prep on the head, there was just time to dress for dinner and assume a position of repose before Jane arrived bearing blini and champagne. We were meant to have her mum Joc too, but unfortunately she caught a nasty cold on the flight over and has taken to her bed.

I always worry about the gravy, but it was a doddle this year, and looked the business in the silver gravy boat which I brought from home. I used the turkey platter too — my other piece of family silver.

The turkey was lovely, if a tiny bit cooler than I would have preferred. Everything turned out really nicely. I may be getting the hang of the Christmas dinner thing… After a little digestive break, I doused the Christmas pudding in hot brandy and set it alight. I served the eggnog ice cream as an alternative, but everyone opted for both.

All that heavy food and the obligatory listening to A Child’s Christmas in Wales finished Adam off. I noticed Jane’s eyelids getting heavy too, and she headed home soon after.

Livened things up again with a few rounds of Nova’s game from Pete and Pasc. Called Randomise, it’s a combination of charades, Pictionary and Articulate.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

December 24, 2016

Woke up with the Fishing News at 5:20. Actually I woke up because Adam got out of bed to go upstairs and work. Apparently, it’s very difficult for him to leave the room without waking me. Or so he says… He probably gives the door a good slam when he goes…;-)

Churned the eggnog ice cream base that I’d prepped yesterday — I think that recipe is going to be a winner. I’ve always found eggnog too thick and sweet as a drink, a lot like melted ice cream actually.

Set off for Borough market pretty close to our EDA of 8:30. London Bridge station was broadcasting an announcement wishing people a Merry Christmas over the tannoy. “That’s nice!” I said to Lyra. “Not really,” replied my pint-size Grinch, “they probably make them say that.”

We started at Mrs Kings for the Melton Mowbray (two large pies this year), then headed to Neals Yard cheese shop, and Monmouth Coffee. Essentials secure, we toured the rest of the market, picking up veggies, fresh crab, saucisson, and olives.

After grabbing a bite to eat (just feels wrong not to when surrounded by so much deliciousness) we headed home, Aaron and the girls peeling off at Camden Town to do some last-minute Christmas shopping.

I had a few bits to do in the village myself, but was soon settled in for what felt like the real start of the Christmas festivities. I may well not emerge again until Boxing Day…;-)

I had most of the wrapping to do, which took me a good hour. Meanwhile Adam was dealing loudly with various tradespeople — spreading his brand of Christmas cheer round the call centres of Virgin, Vodaphone and whatever shit electricity provider we’re using this month.

He completely lost it with the Virgin woman, who responded by putting the phone down on him. Through his efforts, he managed to claw back a few hundred pounds we’d been wrongly charged.

We all needed cocktail after that… Mixed up a round of Harvey Wallbangers and got stuck into the Night Before Christmas puzzle. Broke off to make Thai sausage rolls (ably assisted by Margo) for the traditional Franklyn family visit.

There was no need for dinner after they’d left, but we kept ourselves topped up with Borough market snacks. The girls changed into their Christmas pjs around 8pm, and watched The Polar Express, then I read them The Night Before Christmas and turned out the light.

Settled down to watch Alastair Sim’s Scrooge, though Adam was also sorting out Nova’s new phone. It was almost midnight by the time that was done, and still work to be done on the phone, as well as other last-minute bits. After which, Adam and I sat down together and knocked the puzzle on its head by 2am.

It’s kind of crazy to do the bloody thing on Christmas Eve, but it’s how we always did it in PG. And I do like the little oasis of calm it provides in an otherwise relentlessly busy day…

December 23, 2016

The bread was finally ready this morning, and what with all the early rising I’m doing at the moment, I baked one loaf and had the other in the oven before setting off for my run. It’s bloody cold this morning, and two miles wasn’t enough to shake off the chill.Poached eggs with fresh bread for breakfast. Margo has a great egg poaching technique that appears to be fool-proof. You crack the egg into a sieve to strain off the thin edge of the white. The resulting egg keeps a much neater shape when it hits the water.

Veronika came by to pick up mp3 player after breakfast. She was on her way to the hospital to collect Basil, who’s being released today. I offered to come with her, as she was planning to send Alina in on her own to help him carry stuff while she waited in the car with the little ones.

Glad I did — there were three decent-sized bags to manage, which the pair of them would have struggled with. He’s looking a lot better than when I visited last week, but still has a ways to go on the recovery front.

Aaron had another go at the W5 route this morning, and made it to the park where his old school was without incident. When he got back, he and Margo set off for a 214 tour today, through Camden Town and into the city.

Round here, we had Greek salad and hummus for lunch, making a welcome change from the relentless holiday fare. Margo martinis and leftovers — soup or cottage pie — for a quick supper before our evening outing.

I’d booked tickets for everyone to see Simon Cowell perform a one-man version of A Christmas Carol at the Arts Club Theatre. I wasn’t sure what to expect, whether he would be acting or reading, but it was a mixture of both. The staging was minimal — just a few chairs and a single hanging screen that revolved to create different spaces or walls.

I found his performance entrancing, as did most of the audience. He received an enthusiastic standing ovation and three encores at the end of the show.

Home by 10pm. Once the girls were down, we broke out the whisky and baking. There was some thought of watching an episode of House of Cards, but Adam and I were too tired. We’re not getting anything like enough sleep these days…

December 22, 2016

Started my bread this morning, with the hope of having fresh bread with our soup this evening. It had its own schedule however, whether because of the cold or because I used more wholewheat flour, and it was soon apparent that it wasn’t going to cooperate…:-(Veronika has bought a little mp3 player for Alina’s Christmas present, and I offered to help her set it up. I’d assumed I’d be able to drag-and-drop music from my iTunes library, but there were format issues, which meant a whole lot of converting was necessary. Took a while to get there, but all done now…:-)

Aaron went to school in the UK fifty years ago, when his mum moved the family to London for a while. Oddly enough, they lived in Highgate, less than five minutes from our place. His school is no longer standing, but there is a park with the same name — Stationers’ — and he was interested in seeing if it conjured any memories.

The park is just off the Haringey ladder (near where Basil and Veronika live). I gave them instructions on catching the W5, and they set off after breakfast. Not the greatest directions as it turns out… They never did find the W5 bus stop, and ended up taking the 41 to Tottenham Hale instead. My bad…

(When Nova walked Lyra round to Alice’s for a sleepover, Aaron went along too and Nova was able to point out exactly where to catch the bus.)

Shrimp cocktail for dinner, followed by veggie soup with a lovely piece of red leicester and crackers. As predicted, the bread declined to rise in time for dinner…:-(

Adam and I were invited round to Rob and Karen’s for drinks, but before setting out we watched edited panto highlights from all six shoes — my bits, the girls’ and Adam’s dances. It was pretty funny, in a somewhat excruciating way. Actually, my big take away was how much less bad I have got at the dancing. I look like a left-footed deer in the headlights in that first Fight For This Love number.

When we got to the drinks party, I was surprised to see Christine there making merry, as she hadn’t mentioned she wasn’t actually going to be in this evening when she invited Lyra round for a sleepover…;-)

December 21, 2016

Lyra’s last day of school, which meant a full school church service in the morning. Year 5 was leading the service, and Lyra was the first narrator, so we were sure to be settled in a prime viewing position by 9:30.

Margo and Aaron headed off afterwards. They have been riding the buses in various directions from Highgate, which is a nice way to see things as you travel. It’s a shame so many buses around here are on diversion at the moment, but they’re managing. They’ve been combining their outings with lunch or a drink in one of our eighteen local pubs.

Grown-ups dinner at Pidgin this evening. Caught an uber down, which took somewhat longer than expected due to the aforementioned roadworks. Arrived ten minutes late and bagged the last table (which we had reserved). It’s a tiny place, and has been awarded a Michelin star since our last visit, so tables are in high demand.

The guys had negronis, while Margo and I started on a bottle of white wine with our amuse bouche — a delicious composition of chicken skin, dates and a few other things that elude me now. The rest of the menu:

OYSTER
Nasturtium, kombucha, salsify

CAULIFLOWER
Boudin noir, apple, truffle, bergamot

GOOSE
Hispi, chestnut, persimmon, potato

TANGERINE SORBET
Cheesecake, rice papad, chocolate, parsley, matcha

We declined the after courses — just as well, as they brought us a little dish of truffles and shot of house limoncello anyway. Margo and Aaron insisted on picking up the bill, which was very generous of them. A lovely treat!

December 20, 2016

Aaron took Lyra to school again this morning, which fits neatly with his bacon sandwich schedule. He usually returns bearing doughnuts as well, prompting Lyra to observe that I never buy them doughnuts.Went for my first run in ages. Took it slow, just two miles round the Woods, then home again. Felt okay, though I did do a lot of coughing at the end.

Nova returned about 11am — sounds like they had a fun evening. The word “ball” and the cost of the ticket, led me to believe there would be food and drink on offer. According to Nova, they did get free water, though I’m pretty sure they have to do that by law.

Heard the good gossip, then did some studying together while the house is quiet. I’m also helping Veronika out with some Christmas shopping, and made a CD for Alina. Basil still isn’t doing that well. After initially responding to a second antibiotic, he’s spiking fevers again…:-(

Received a Christmas card from mum’s cousin Rosanne today. Her husband Richard died in the summer, which was news to me. I would like to have known — we were very fond of Richard and would have liked to attend the service. Also, I could have avoided addressing a card to the both of them…:-( I thought about writing a letter of condolence, but it seemed more appropriate to pick up the phone and give her a call.

Adam was out at a board meeting this evening. When Margo and Aaron returned from visiting St Pauls cathedral, I served up the cottage pie and green beans for dinner.

December 19, 2016

Lyra still has three days before school breaks up.. It feels wrong now that we are in Christmas swing around here — one of the reasons I like to keep the two separate. It had gone 8:20 this morning before I even remembered to wake her.Fortunately she’d woken herself, and as it’s school Christmas lunch today, I didn’t need to prepare any food for for her either. Aaron walked her up, swinging by for a bacon sandwich from his Russian ladies at the Village Bakery on the way back.

My day was divided between studying with Nova and trying to knock off a long snag list for the architect website I manage. I got a few things done, but there’s plenty more to be getting on with tomorrow.

This evening, Nova attended the Feathers charity ball at the Ministry of Sound with a group of friends. Launched in the 1950s, the event raises funds for youth projects in London. These days it’s not much of a ball — more of a club night for 14-to-16s.

The rest of us headed off into town to visit Dennis Severs house, taking the tube to Old Street then bussing it to Haggerston so Margo and Aaron could see the office.

After the tour of the house, we wandered into Spitalfields for a snack — sliders and Neck Oil, a lovely Beavertown Brewery beer. I quote:

“Neck Oil
Our every day, all day, easy drinking, go to ipa. This started life as a home-brew. We wanted to create a light, crisp, punchy, go to beer! A beer that you know you can pick up and appreciate or simply get it down ya neck. Extra pale base malts are used to keep it crisp and give the hops a great platform to dance on. Masses of late hop additions throughout the last 20 minutes of the boil and a huge dose of dry hops make this a brilliantly ‘easy’ ipa.”

December 18, 2016

Adam and Nova took another run at the maths revision this morning. Went a little better this time — at least there were no tears or tantrums. Afterwards she and I did some biology (different cell types) and chemistry (covalent bonding).Adam took Lyra and our guests to see the new Star Wars film at the North Finchley Vue. I’m so genuinely disinterested in that whole franchise, I couldn’t even take a stab at the actual name of the film.

Ate a leftover lunch with Nova, and made a cottage pie with the rest of last night’s roast. I also baked date squares. There were as delicious as ever, though if I’m being picky, the top layer is a bit too crispy.

I’d thought the cinema goers were going to grab a quick bite after the film, but it ended up being something more substantial and no one felt much like cottage pie at dinner time. Went for a round of Santa-seccos instead, followed by cheese, crackers and some raw veg. Didn’t even bother with the Christmas baking tonight…

Watched A Christmas Story, a film I’ve heard about for years, but never got round to viewing. It seems to be quite a big thing in the States, but doesn’t get any airtime over here.

The film took some time to get a feel for (and the girls didn’t see it through), but I thought it was funny, sweet and charming. It also seems the kind of film that would improve with repeated watching…

December 17, 2016

Feeling surprisingly bad for three or four glasses of prosecco on a full stomach…:-( I had to take paracetamol twice over the course of the day. In the normal course of events, I’d have gone for a run and blasted it away with endorphins, but my head is still stuffed with cold. I’m blowing my nose every ten minutes, and poor Nova is just the same.Adam and Nova started the day’s revision with maths, which ended badly. They were both pretty tired and grumpy and were sniping at each other the whole time.

I was glad when Adam left to take Lyra for her skating exam. She wasn’t confident about passing, and neither she nor Palak moved up a level. Aaron went along to watch, and they stopped to pick up a Christmas tree on the way home (kindly purchased by Margo and Aaron).

It’s a real beauty — nothing like the stunted little numbers we’ve had the last couple of years. There will be no need to elevate it on a side table. The guys wrestled it into the stand before we headed up to the farmers market.

Trade was pretty slow — the school market hasn’t really caught on for whatever reason. The new farmers’ market at St Joseph won’t have helped. They seem a more organised affair, and are even on the yellow road signage. I suppose I should check them out, which I haven’t done so far out of loyalty.

Nova had her Lamda exam this afternoon. Adam and I dropped her at NLPAC, then parked up in Muswell Hill, did some grocery shopping then waited in a coffee shop until she was done. Sounds like it went well…

When we got home, I popped the roast in the oven and we started decorating the house and tree (Nova’s turn to do the angel, for future reference).

After that, the girls iced and decorated the Christmas cake while the grown-ups enjoyed a Margo margarita, the glasses rimmed with li hing powder. They revealed their work after we’d had our baron of beef sandwiches. I particularly loved the little footprints wending their way across the snowy surface…

December 16, 2016

Margo and Aaron arrive today! Adam worked from home this morning, out to the airport to get them. The girls made a sign to greet them — no photos of the actual arrival, but here’s Lyra modelling it later…

They both seemed remarkably chipper for people who’d spent a sleepless night on the plane. After a bit of lunch were happy to trek up to the school to pick up Lyra who was thrilled they were here. She’s been counting down the days for the last few weeks…

Lyra had lots to show them when we got home — new gymnastics tricks, musical accomplishments and so on. Nova isn’t going to see them until tomorrow, as she and Shira are taking Jess for her birthday treat.

They are doing the giant slide at Olympic Park, followed by some contemporary theatre at the Southbank. At least that was the plan… We received a frantic phonecall from Nova at one point, from Brixton, where they’d wrongly headed as the result of some ultra-bad Google map work. (They did make it eventually right at the end of their allotted time slot, so no harm done.)

I’d bought some lamb sausages from the butcher, and made a sort of couscous roast veg salad to go along with it for a simple supper. Left Lyra to hang with Margo and Aaron, and headed off to Danny and Vince’s carol sing. It was as enjoyable as ever — the prosecco was flowing freely and I had a few glasses, but nothing too excessive. Home before midnight…

December 15, 2016

Nova was feeling pretty lousy this morning when I woke her up to do some biology revision. She has her biology ISA today, which lasts all day. They carry out an experiment in the lab in the morning, then write up the results under test conditions in the afternoon.Her cold is getting worse again, plus she was groggy from the Night Nurse she took last night at bedtime. Adam emailed to report the illness and see whether rescheduling was an option. It sounds unlikely she’d be able to do it another day, so Nova sucked it up and I drove her to school.

Lyra managed to injure herself at school today — honestly, that girl is a walking car crash. She has a serious abrasion down her right side that is currently hidden by an enormous bandage, scuffed palms and a scraped knee.

On the plus side, her inability to do gymnastics has resolved the logistical challenge of getting her to and from class, and being in Stoke Newington at 7:30 for dinner at Ruchi with Ben, Pad, Dave and Cath.

The food was delicious as always. Ventured outside my usual box, going for fritters instead of rasam and a curry rather than a dosa.

December 14, 2016

Basil is in hospital with double pneumonia. Veronika texted to tell me about it yesterday. What a complete bolt from the blue — he seemed on good form a couple of nights ago…I had an appointment to get my hair cut and highlighted. When it was done, I walked down to Archway afterwards to look in on him. He’s clearly pretty sick and seems very weak, but according to Veronika, he’s doing better than yesterday. They’ve started intravenous antibiotics, so maybe that’s starting to have an effect.

After collecting Lyra from school, we had a bit of time at home before Nova’s carol concert. All the musical events at her school are first rate, but I particularly enjoy this one. Hard to believe it’s our fifth…

Threw together a quick pasta to feed Nova before swim training. She was making noises about not going, but I’d forgotten to tell Christine we were skipping yesterday, and had said we’d do tonight’s early run. I really didn’t want to cancel on her again. Also Nova always seems well enough and not too busy to do the fun stuff, like Kinky Boots and shopping with friends, so I took a tough line with her.

Watched an episode of Ray Donovan — good stuff, but it gives me anxiety. Adam finds it cathartic to watch Ray cope with his exponentially more stressful life and workload. I suppose he can think:

 

“At least I don’t have to rob $4 million from some double-crossing thieves so I can pay off the Russian mafia to prevent them from slaughtering my family because I framed one of their guys for the multiple homicide of an Armenian gang that I carried out to stop them from executing my sociopathic father who screwed them over in a drug deal all the while not coping with the fact that my wife has breast cancer…” Knock wood…

December 13, 2016

Neither Nova or I had much energy for studying this morning. It was past 6:30am by the time we got going, and as there wasn’t enough time to tackle a topic, we focused on organising her papers rather than revising.Nova’s notebooks are in a state of chaos, with lots of unfinished assignments, and waspish notes from increasingly exasperated teachers in the margins. That needs to be sorted asap…:-(

Spent all morning waiting at home for an important delivery. The deal was they would call me with a one-hour slot, but I didn’t want to chance it and sent Lyra to school with her key.

It gave me an opportunity to tackle some Christmas baking. The day’s success was the butterscotch fudge, which is probably my best batch ever. The cherry slice is woeful — crumb too crumbly, topping too runny — and will work best if served semi-frozen…

Salad supper with the girls — potato salad, kisir, crudités, olives, lettuce with green goddess dressing. Nova headed straight off afterwards for a class trip to see Kinky Boots, Adam was off at a variety of evening do’s, and rocked up about 10:30…

December 12, 2016

It was a Spanish and maths morning round here. Once Lyra headed off to school, I had another run at Lady Susan, and found we got on much better this morning. It’s a very short book, and I’d nearly knocked it on the head within an hour.After lunch, I headed Brent Cross to make a dent in the Christmas shopping. The traffic on the A1 was so atrocious I almost abandoned the plan by the time I made it to the North Circular. Turns out the light that stops the traffic to allow A1 cars to join wasn’t working, and some drivers were much more aggressive about forcing their way into the steady stream of cars than others.

With all that hassle, I arrived somewhat later than planned. Fortunately, Lyra was at her sports club after school, and Nova was back in time to collect her when it ended. I fed the girls when I got home, but didn’t eat myself as I had book group.

Adam had planned to go out as well, but Ben cancelled on him at the last minute. Living where they do in Surrey, they’re at the mercy of the abominable Southern Rail and its protracted labour unrest.

Lynne’s son Findlay drove us to book group with his brand new driver’s licence — they’re all getting so grown up all these kids. Predictably, no one had read Lady Susan aside from Lynne and me. This must be the most disfunctional book group in London…

Adam came to collect us at 11pm. I’d drunk a bit too much prosecco on an empty stomach before Wendy served the snacks — I’ll feel that tomorrow…

December 11, 2016

A very leisurely Sunday start… the kind of morning I have the faintest recollection of enjoying in those distant days before the girls brightened our lives…Adam lingered even longer than me in bed to finish his novel, getting up at 11am or something unheard of. The three of us pootled around doing our various things — the house feels very different without Lyra in it.

I’d expected one of us would have to go to Waterloo to collect her, but Millie volunteered as she was picking up Lucia anyway. That’s two days she was away (though we did see her briefly between sleepovers) — we missed the little monkey…;-)

Celery beef and spring rolls for dinner “I like the way everything is homemade in our house,” Lyra announced, which is about the most gratifying thing she could have said to me.

Myvoice is still pretty bad, but I managed to croak out a chapter of The Hound of the Baskervilles at bedtime. I read The Grinch as well — that Dr Suess can outrhyme anyone in the business.

For my own reading pleasure, I tried to make a start on Jane Austen’s Lady Susan, but found it incomprehensible. The writing is so convoluted — I’d read a sentence three times before I’d understand what she was on about…

December 10, 2016

Started our day by finished the crossword through sheer graft. I find we can usually push through it in a day now. After that, I threw together a grocery list and we set off together to collect Lyra from her sleepover.I dropped them at the ice rink then headed to Tesco. I’d only had time to make sure of all the baking supplies I needed, so I cruised the aisles letting the contents of the shelves prompt my memory.

This technique resulted in a pretty massive shop, and I strained my neck keeping my overloaded trolley in line on the journey to the car…:-(

Made bacon and eggs for the three of us for lunch (Nova had headed off to Oxford Street to do some shopping with friends). Her mission was to buy some ankle boots to wear for the Feathers charity ball later this month.

When she found what she wanted, she texted me and I popped the money on her GoHenry card. Those cards are working out well. The girls can now access cash points, and Nova used hers for an online purchase the other day.

Adam took Lyra to Camden to meet up with Alex’s family. They are taking her to a movie and something to eat — Alex’s birthday treat. Lucia going as well, and both girls are then travelling back to Surrey for a sleepover.

Adam and I popped out to Basil and Veronika’s open studio. There was a good turn out, and I’m glad I managed to get the website ready in time. The other Andrea from the panto audition was there — turns out she’s a mum in Sania’s class…

After that, it was a quiet night in, which makes a nice change. The three of us tackled the Christmas cards (Nova was a big help, writing loads) before sitting down with the last of the chicken tinga tacos to watch The Kings of Summer.

December 9, 2016

At last, an opportunity for the wicked to rest… Spent most of the day in bed, and slept for about five hours while the girls were at school. Felt a lot better for it as well…Roused myself in order to collect Lyra from school. We headed down to the Archway Road to pick up a birthday present for Lucia. There is a gift shop diagonal to the station that carrying Santoro stationery, which all Lyra’s friends seem to be crazy for.

Lily’s grandmother brought dropped her round, and I drove the girls to Muswell Hill for Lucia’s birthday dinner. A group of eight girls are going out for pizza then heading back to theirs for a bit of a disco. It’s that slightly awkward thing where some kids are sleeping over, and some aren’t. You try to be discreet about it, but Lyra and Lily arrived at the restaurant toting their sleeping bags, which must have given the game away…

Actually I had to drop them off on the street and leave them make their own way. The restaurant is right on a busy roundabout and there was nowhere nearby to even stop the car.

We were going to go see Pete’s play this evening, but I was still feeling pretty crap and when I heard all the other wives had bailed, I left Adam to make a boy’s night of it. Despite all the sleeping, I was in bed again by 9:30 and asleep by the time he got home…

December 8, 2016

I’m still feeling pretty ropey. It’s not quite laryngitis, but close…:-(
Caught up on some belated housework, then set off about 12:30 to Waterloo for my learning set.There were six of us this afternoon, which is a pretty good turnout. It took a good four hours to work our way round the group, giving each person about 40 minutes of time in the spotlight.

All that active listening is pretty exhausting, and I was more than ready for a stiff drink by the time we taxied across to the Oxford and Cambridge club in St James — the venue for this year’s dinner. So interesting to be given a glimpse into this hidden corner of London — the gentlemens club. I think it was one of the last to grant women full membership, which it did in 1996…

Nice meal: mushrooms on croute, roast pork belly, then the dessert trolley rolled round. To my surprise everyone immediately opted for the cherry trifle. “I’ve never had a cherry trifle,” I said. “He said sherry trifle!” they laughed, and I decided to go with the flow.

Turns out it was cherry trifle — and extremely sweet and bland. We ordered a couple of glasses of sherry and doctored our portions at the table. They were much the better for it, though I should have gone for the lemon tart. That’s what comes of following the crowd…

We took coffee in the library, after which the party broke up with people heading off in all directions. I walked to Leicester Square and caught the Northern line. I thought I was pretty straight, but it took me an age to make my way up that bloody hill. Probably the head cold as much as anything…

December 7, 2016

OK… I’m really feeling crappy now… My sinuses are pounding, my chest is tight and I feel wobbly-legged and listless. Unfortunately, there was no rest for the wicked today.

I had a morning meeting with my architect client. There are a few key things I need to do to that website before her meeting with an exciting potential client later this week..

Staggered home and made a dent in that work before Basil showed up. I’m building a website for their studio before the open house this weekend. It’s pretty straightforward, but will still be a few hours work.

There are images to size for sliders, text to edit, pages to build, etc. I put in some time after dinner as well, and by the end of the evening it was pretty much there…

December 6, 2016

Junxion Christmas team lunch this afternoon. I would have gone in to the office with Adam after drop-off, but he has a meeting off site first thing. Plus all our desks are in use. Anyway, I was happy enough to spend the morning at home — I have a piece of writing to finish for my architect, and a cold digging its claws into my respiratory system…The 271 isn’t running down the Holloway Road at the moment, so I did the triple train thing, remembering to travel in the right direction from Euston this time. It all went very smoothly and I was first to arrive at the Barge House.

There were seven of us all together, including Nick and Julie with whom we share the office, and the food, wine and company were all lovely. I opted for beetroot-and-gin-cured smoked salmon, sea bass, and the poached quince for dessert.

Most people headed back to the office afterwards — I headed home on the bus, which was pretty slow…

December 5, 2016

This morning’s topic of study was photosynthesis, which Nova was pretty strong on. After getting her on her way, and dropping Lyra at school, I headed to the village to meet my friend Lynne for a much-needed coffee.Lynne is always extremely prompt, and after 15 minutes I texted her to check that she hadn’t forgotten. Turns out she was at the vet –their cat is very ill, and needs to be put down…:-(

I’d finished my coffee by the time she arrived, and rather than sitting indoors we decided to go for a walk on the Heath. It was a lovely frosty morning, the ground crunchy underfoot. We did a few brisk miles, which was invigorating, though I still have a nagging soreness at the back of my throat when I swallow.

The view from Parliament Hill — smog or fog?

After school, I took Lyra into town to do a coding workshop at the Apple store. Lily’s mum Tanja arranged it — she works as a coder for Apple. Margaux and her little brother Nöe are doing it too, so we travelled in together.

Lily, Margaux, Lyra

Once the kids were settled, I went off for an hour to do a bit of Christmas shopping. I must say, the lights on Oxford/Regent Street are lovely this year…

Had a quick dinner at Itsu before catching the bus back to Highgate. After twenty years of living in London, I did not know until today that the C2 runs from Regents Street (or whatever its called north of Oxford Circus) to Gospel Oak.

It was panto auditions this evening. I’m losing my voice but decided to go along anyway, as I’m not able to do the other audition date. There were only three of us this evening — a new mum called Andrea (an Australian with stage experience), and my longtime panto companion-in-arms Bronwen.

I always find the audition intimidating, though not having a voice took some of the pressure off…;-) It’s been interesting to discover that the proper actors do as well. Apparently, reading cold like we know isn’t really done…

December 4, 2016

Not feeling too bad, but I can tell the virus is gaining ground — I have a sinusy headache and a bit of soreness in the throat. Decided against doing my scheduled six mile run, or any run at all. In my experience, running with a sore throat fast-tracks the infection round the respiratory system…:-(I was planning to take Lyra to church, but Lily’s family offered — which worked for me. She went back to theirs for lunch afterwards, and then on to the school Christmas fair. Adam collected her from there in time for them to join Palak and her dad to see the new JK Rowling film.

That left me to represent for our slot on the class stall. We got a “Beat the Buzzer” kind of a game this year. Kids traverse an electrically charged, bendy metal bar with a metal ring as fast as they can without touching the bar, which makes a loud buzz upon contact. The fastest kids who manage to do it without buzzing win a big prize; the rest get a sweet.

While I could have done without the incessant buzzing, it was a pretty easy stall to run — and essentially a money-printing machine. Did my first half hour with Millie, and Adam’s half hour with Danny B’s dad, after which I sloped off home for a little lie down…

Millie timing contestants on the stall

Made bibimbap for dinner, after which I summoned up the energy to do a bit of photosynthesis revision with Nova. Actually, she mostly worked on her own, which was even better…

December 3, 2016

Our Saturday routine is pretty settled. I get up and organise breakfast, Adam then takes Lyra ice skating while I go for a run, I get home enough before them to have lunch on the table when they return, and Nova mooches about doing her own thing. The farmers’ market has disrupted things a bit, especially as the girls love to eat lunch there, but we gave it a miss today.In the afternoon, Adam and Lyra spent an hour string John’s Christmas lights in the rowan tree outside his window. I’m sure it’s unintentional, but you can’t help but notice the striking similarity between John’s profile and this year’s light arrangement:

Nova headed off to her drama class in Muswell Hill, and the rest of us dropped in on Alicia’s Made in Highgate pop-up on the Archway Road. It was quiet when we arrived, though a few more people showed up before long. But apparently, Friday night was very busy, and they sold a fair amount.

Did a quick grocery shop in the Sainsburys along the way before heading home again. It’s a shitty branch, but I’m always struck by how incredibly pleasant the staff are. Makes it almost worth shopping there…

Amatriciana pasta for dinner, which we ate in front of Elf. Lyra has been pesking me to break out the Christmas movies since mid-November, and finally got her way today.

Adam and I had double party action this evening. Two of Christmas parties we attend every year are always on the same evening. In a shake-up of our usual approach, we started at Pete and Pasc’s this year, which is nearer and the more modest affair.

After a few hours, we said our goodbyes and walked down to Gilda and Steve’s. Inevitably, we got there later than planned, and the party had peaked. Plus we missed the amazing canapés they always serve.

Fortunately, waiters were still circulating with the champagne…;-) After a couple of glasses, I got my party groove back on and we had a very fun time. Home about 1am…

December 2, 2016

Lyra had her grade 2 piano exam today. It was set for 12:30pm, so it made sense for her to go to school. I collected her with enough time for a quick final practice before we headed off for Southgate.

When we arrived, her classmate Damian was in the midst of his exam. You can’t quite hear what’s going on from the little conservatory where they make you wait, but it sounded like it was going pretty well.

Lyra’s went fine too — she got into a muddle with her E-minor scale, but the pieces sounded strong. She thought the sightreading went badly as well, but there was no way for me to form a view about that. I’m pretty confident she passed, but would be surprised if she earns a merit.

Dropped Damian and his mum in Highgate afterwards, then fed Lyra a quick lunch before taking her back up to the school again. I instructed her to make her own way home this afternoon, otherwise that would be four trips back and forth for me…

Felt very sketchy as the day went on — I really hope that I’m not coming down with Nova’s lurgy. My legs felt all shivery and weak, and at one point I could barely keep my eyes open.

Had little enthusiasm for making the pheasant curry I had planned for dinner, but as I’d already defrosted the pheasants (and had no other meal options) I found the energy. Didn’t much fancy eating it, though the others said it was nice. (I’ll partake of the leftovers…)

I also didn’t fancy going to our class drinks at the Gatehouse tonight, so Adam headed off to represent. I was dozing by 9:30, and in bed by 11pm…

December 1, 2016

And then it was December… how the feck did that happen…Up to do maths homework this morning with a very grumpy Nova. Of course, she did the homework with Adam lending a hand, while I provided auxilliary support: lemon-ginger drink, breakfast while she worked, a packed dinner for this evening before the show. At least her throat seems to be getting better…

It’s icy cold out there this morning, the sloping path in front of the houses more slidewalk than sidewalk. Picking my way along carefully, a couple of bags of toys for school fair this weekend providing counter weights, I was reminded me suddenly of a December night thirty years ago in Toronto.

My boyfriend John and I were on our way home from the laundromat, carrying our clean clothes back through the snowy streets to our little flat in the Annex. When John slipped on a patch of ice, the hockey bag of laundry he was carrying swung backwards and stuck me square in the chest.

In a moment of pure slapstick, my feet flew out from under me and I was suspended horizontally in mid-air before landing with a whump on my back. It knocked the wind right out of me, and when I finally managed to suck some air I was laughing so hard, it seemed ages before I managed a proper breath…

What with the burst water mains all over Highgate on account of the freezing weather, plus the endless roadworks, we are practically stranded up here on our hill. When Adam got home, he reported that the roads were in gridlock (which at least he was able to thread through on his scooter).

It was bad enough to prevent us going to Lyra’s gymnastics class this evening — which would have meant an inevitable hour in traffic each way.

Nova back from her show, great streaks of mascara down her face from all the group sobbing she’d done after the last performance of Joseph. You do get very close to your fellow cast and crew — the panto has certainly taught me that…