March 2017

March 31, 2017

Spent all morning priming the financial services website for launch — forgoing my run, grocery shopping, baking for our cake sale. When the client called in the early afternoon to postpone, I immediately lost all purpose.It was too late to bake or even pick up anything from the shops. I slunk in and out of that playground as discreetly as possible when collecting Lyra and Ava. (In fairness, I’m pretty sure it’s the first time in thirteen years (or 38+ bake sales) that I’ve failed to contribute something.) The girls hung out at ours for the afternoon before heading to Ava’s house for a sleepover.

Millie had a spare ticket to see Jamiroquai at the Roundhouse this evening. Her friend is a backing singer with the band, so they were comps and came with backstage passes as well. We met at the tube station and travelled down together.

Turns out that Millie was living with the bass player when Jamiroquai was getting started in the early 1990s, even going on tour with them. She’s a dark horse, that Millie…;-)

Our tickets were in the family/friends area, and we were also issued with wristbands for the VIP bar and backstage. We gave the warm-up act a miss, and had a drink on the terrace before finding our seats. There’s definitely a more sedate atmosphere in the seats, though that didn’t stop Millie standing and dancing to all the old songs.

I joined her a couple of times towards the end. The other stands were at it — it was just the friends and family one that was more restrained. They’ve heard it too many times before maybe. Also there were a number of small kids and a grandparent or two in our ranks.

They certainly put on a terrific show, and seemed really grateful and suprised that people still listening. They’ve been around a good twenty years, many of which they’ve spent in the wilderness. Jay Kay wore a lighted Pokemon-headdress-helmet thing throughout the show that was pretty neat, but must have been dreadfully hot.

Hung out afterwards in the VIP area waiting for Millie’s friend. When Jay Kay appeared Millie made a beeline for him, which got his bodyguard’s antennae up. Jay claimed not to remember her — “people change,” he said. It seemed unconvincing to me — her boyfriend left the band acrimoniously and it probably had to do with that. There were a few other people there who’d been round in the early days, and they recognised her fine… Cabbed home around midnight — interesting evening out…

March 30, 2017

Both Nova and I slept through our planned physics revision slot this morning — we were just too tired. I was up past midnight working on the financial services site. It’s looking good, and is now with the client for sign-off.Even so, I looked again this morning and made a few tweaks before turning my attention to other things. Such as baking bread, which I timed to fit in with the school run, multiple loads of laundry, and making a grocery list for the first time in weeks.

Meeting with my architecture client in the afternoon. It was such a lovely day, we sat out in the garden and enjoyed the afternoon sunshine while we worked. Spent most of the time interviewing her for information to draft a new page on her site.

Was going to pick up some grocery essentials on the way home, but when I got to the corner shop I discovered I’d left my wallet at home…:-( Managed to wrestle up another meal from what’s in the house — a red lentil, roasted garlic and lime soup to go with the fresh bread.

Lyra had gone home with Lily, and from there straight to the school disco, so it was just Nova and I for dinner (Adam out somewhere as per usual…)

March 29, 2017

Full-on work day… just as well that I’m finally feeling back to normal for the first time since the party.I finished building the financial services site, then spent a few hours refining text, pulling out key messages and doing image work. I’ve built on a visual language they have used in a couple of brochures, which involves desaturating the image then picking out a key element in gold. I wasn’t sure how to do it at first, but have developed a good technique with experimentation.

This is the sort of thing I mean…

Took Lyra swimming, then flew at dinner — sausages, mash and peas, with rhubarb compote for dessert. I did Nova’s early run, and even managed to find a few minutes to start my bread too. Go, me!

Adam was out at his book group, and not back until late, so once Lyra was down for the night, I got got busy catching up on my mountain of email. Forgot to form my loaves at the right time. Feck… will have to wait until tomorrow to bake now.

All this activity kept me from obsessively scanning the news on Twitter, for the latest outrages by treasonous Trump and those unforgivable bastards running this country who pulled the trigger on the Brexit process this afternoon.

March 28, 2017

Still feeling like a zombie, but got started as early as I possibly could. Once physics revision was out of the way, I showered, dressed and got ready to travel into London for a meeting with my finance clients. Didn’t happen in the end, for reasons on their side…That was fine with me — I much preferred to stay home. With this project, I’m pressing myself to act in ways that counter my usual patterns — ie, being proactive and responsive. It’s a relatively high-profile site (for me), plus the main client knows a lot of the same people we do, so it would be embarrassing if it doesn’t go well.

There was an opportunity to watch Nova perform some drama class work at her school. I would have liked to go (I almost never miss any of the kids’ performances), but it was complicated by the school run and work.

Sounds like it went well… Nova begged off swimming this evening. She wanted her hair to look nice for the real performance tomorrow. I’m usually pretty unsympathetic to that sort of argument, but gave in on this occasion…

Worked late on the website again… Adam gave me some help polishing the text — it’s looking good…

March 27, 2017

Still not feeling great when I got up at 6am this morning to study physics with Nova. This morning’s topic was X-rays, which I found very interesting. I love learning about how things work, especially those kind of things you don’t normally think about.We broke off at 7am, and I made packed lunches for everyone. Once everyone was off and about their business, I picked up where we’d left the post-party clear up. There was still a depressing amount to do. Finished the bulk of it, then collapsed on the couch for a couple of hours.

Finally got down to my paid work about 3pm. I carried on building out the pages of the new site, and learning my new development platform. It’s very powerful — I’m so glad i took the plunge and bought it. I thought it would be a good fit for me, but what a high stakes way to learn…

Pasta amatriciana for dinner with the last of the bacon from yesterday’s sandwiches. Worked until midnight, then couldn’t sleep properly. My brain was buzzing with html and css…

March 26, 2017

According to Adam, went on until about 5:30. Having prudently locked our bedroom door before the festivities began, it would have been well beyond my abilities to find the key and unlock it when I took myself to bed around 3:30 (according to unreliable witness report). Woke in Lyra’s bed about 9am, fully clothed and still tipsy…Transferred myself to our bed, where I managed another hour’s sleep before someone needed to collect Lyra. It’s Mother’s Day (praise the Lord), so Adam headed off to do that.

Played the Mother’s Day card shamelessly, lounging about nursing my hangover and receiving tributes until almost noon: cards, flowers, sweets, ginger cake, bacon sandwiches… In the afternoon, the girls organised a little picnic tea on the lawn — chilly but lovely…

I did do some clearing up, but Adam shouldered the bulk of it this time, very much the opposite of my 50th aftermath. He even cooked nachos for diner.

I felt like a house cat, finding different places to lie down all day, and took to my bed as soon as I feasibly could…

March 25, 2017

Skipped my run in order to get an early start on the party prep. While Adam took Lyra to her figure skating class, I continued with the food prep — black bean hummus, red pepper frittata — and started rearranging the living room furniture.Adam was feeling the pre-party-stress by this point. He’d received a flurry of last-minute cancellations — there’s obviously a stomach bug going round the school. I pointed out that it’s hardly going to go the other way — you aren’t going to get a flurry of people emailing to say “you didn’t invite me, but i’m coming anyway.”

He didn’t find that insight particularly helpful, and grumped, “If I’d known this many people were going to cancel, I would have invited more.” My observation that he’d already invited a hundred people, and that we didn’t actually like the rest of the names on the list all that much, was equally badly received…;-)

Lyra had the lovely idea idea of making signs to hang above the food, and got busy churning them out. I suggested writing on both sides so it would matter which way they turned. Misunderstanding what I meant, she put different dishes on each side, defeating the purpose.

Adam had a mini flip-out at this point, snapping at Lyra to do the signs again, and telling me that I wasn’t doing anything to help with the party. I felt like knocking his fucking head off, but retreated to the bedroom with my computer for an hour to work on the finance website and cool down.

He’d progressed with moving furniture when i returned, and got the new Bluetooth speaker working. We strung lights, shifted more furniture, and mixed the cocktails. The bottled lime juice we bought, made them more sour than our test version, resulting in a last-minute shopping trip to buy sugar syrup. Adam was gone almost two hours in the end before he found some. The booze order arrived while he was out…

The girls headed off for their sleepovers — Nova to Iris’s, and Lyra to Grace’s. Pasc came round to help me decorate — it looked pretty good when we were done.

I could see that the preparations were going to come down to the wire. I wasn’t quite not done at 7:45, but close enough to knock off to get changed.

Two minutes later, the doorbell rang. Thankfully it was Ben and Michaela — if someone was going to be early, they’re the friends you’d want it to be…

John from next door arrived soon after, smartly dressed. He’d turned on his Christmas tree lights in Adam’s honour, which made a big impression on the guests. I lost track of the number of people who mentioned it.

The cocktail dispenser worked a treat. I sensibly drank water between each glass (until I forgot), and I completely forgot to eat. At least remembered to serve the cake at 11pm, after which felt like my hostess responsibilities were at an end.

A drunken attempt at Millie’s selfie face

All got a little hazy after that… Down to less than twenty people by about 2am, and apparently I took myself off to bed around 3:30am. None too soon, I’m sure…

March 24, 2017

Started the day with a meeting at the school to interview the two web developers shortlisted to build the new school website. I’m glad to help, though it ran on far longer than scheduled.Baked Adam’s birthday carrot cake and did some food prep. The buffet is going to be: black bean hummus; beetroot-yogurt dip; guacamole; tortilla chips, breadsticks and crackers; tikka paneer; red pepper frittata; and mixed veggie bhaji (ordered in from Rani).

On the work front, I had the big idea of building the finance website with a WordPress development tool called Divi. It seemed like a good idea, but when I finally got down to using it, I was overwhelmed by the interface, which was very different to anything I’ve used in the past. I felt like crying, but eventually started making sense of it, and am back to thinking it might be a good way to go.

Fed the girls, then when Adam got home we headed straight out to dinner in Camden with our friends Keith and Talin who are visiting from LA. With their kids, as it turns out. I don’t really have time for this tonight, but the rest of the week was so hectic only day that worked at all…

We met at El Parador, where they seated us in the basement (I didn’t even know they had one). Our friends are vegetarians, and they do the best selection of veggie tapas I know.

Their boys — aged nine and five — pretty much dominated the evening. The younger boy, in particular, is a miniature wrecking ball of a kid. It was clearly stressing his mum out. I had the realisation that part of our role as “hosts” was to treat the children equally as our guests.

I focused by attention on the little guy, and spent most of the rest of the meal discussing his two toy skateboards. He was very partial to the cheap, flashy one, and had fascinating arguments about why it was better, and all the stuff it could do the other one couldn’t.

Home before midnight — full on party prep tomorrow…

March 23, 2017

My six-litre cocktail dispenser arrived this afternoon — I love it! For the first time, I’m starting to feel some enthusiasm for serving cocktails at the party.In that spirit, I headed to the village after drop-off and bought some ingredients we needed to test the four cocktails in consideration: the Sea Breeze, 2:1:2, Cosmopolitan, and Monkey Gland.

I mixed a small sample of each one up and stashed them in the freezer in some little breast-milk storage containers — I knew they would come in handy some day…;-) After taste testing the four, we both agreed that the Cosmopolitan offered the right mix of strength and flavour.

Received an interesting book from Margo in the post today called Homo Deus. The sequel to Sapiens (which I have yet to read), it takes a look at the future of mankind now that famine, disease and violence are now manageable. (It reminds me that I also ought to read Future Shock one of these days…) I love getting unexpected things in the post — made my day.

Spent the afternoon watching Lyra compete in a debating tournament at Highgate School. There were eight teams representing local year 5 and 6 classes — her team won their first two debates, earning a place in the finals, where her side argued in favour of free speech. They lost that match, but it was a close run thing…

It meant blowing off Talacre gymnastics again. We’re not going to carry on with that class next term — it’s just too tricky to fit it in regularly with everything else going on…

In the evening, Adam and I did a party grocery run to Tesco, where we exceeded their personal vodka purchase limit — we had to get special dispensation for the 13th bottle. Back home, we finished off the cocktail samples (now lovely and icy from the freezer) while catching up on Homeland…

March 22, 2017

I’ve got a bit of a Twitter obsession going on these days. Between Trump-Russia and Brexit, there is so much going wrong with the world at the moment. Keeping up with the headlines and breaking news gives some (probably false) reassurance that something is being done to address it…Started work on my mega to-do list today — focussing on planning the food and drink. We’d originally thought Indian food, but weren’t able to come up with a suitable cocktail. Have now decided to keep it all vegetarian, and just make some things that go together, can be served at room temperature, and maybe order in some bhaji from Rani.

Adam can’t lie his arms flat on the ground above his head. I had no idea, or how long that’s been the case… When he tries to do it, he looks like a doll who’s had their arms stuck on the wrong way round…

March 21, 2017

The thought of that looming party with up to 100 guests, in just a few days’ time is giving me stress. Not least because we have done next to nothing besides invite half of Highgate and order a lake of wine/beer and a mountain of ice. No decisions on food, cake, cocktails, music, decorations…Adam decided to stay home in the morning to help progess things. We made some progress, and more to the point, I pulled together a kick-ass list. It’s two full pages long, but at least I can see everything that needs doing now…

Got down to web work in the afternoon. Lyra went home with Grace, so I had a good clear stretch. The little minx had a triple playdate clash this afternoon — she’s that in demand…;-)

Out with Jane this evening. We met at the Wagamama off Leicester Square for something to eat, then headed to the Prince Charles Cinema for a screening of the Leonard Cohen film, Bird on a Wire. The director was there to introduce the film and explain why it took forty years between making it to release. He was signing copies in the foyer afterwards, and we both bought a copy…

March 20, 2017

Happy 50th birthday, Adam!
We were all feeling tired this morning. I had to roust Nova from her bed, and didn’t even consider getting Lyra up in time for early gymnastics.The girls’ suggestion to do Adam’s family gifts last night was a good one — at least we could focus on getting people organised and where they needed to be on time, without trying to shoehorn in a mini family celebration as well…

Nova had a babysitting job after school, which meant me collecting Lyra from her girls’ sports club. Once again, she wasn’t feeling well — she often gets headaches these days. When we had her eyes checked (they were fine), the optomatrist thought she might be prone to migraines. The hormonal changes involved in puberty does trigger them in some girls…

When Adam got home from work, there was a quick turnaround to get in the car and collect Nova. Made it to Rani for 7:15 for Adam’s family birthday dinner, where we were given a table in a separate room off the main restaurant. Despite it being empty as a tomb, the acoustics were terrible.

Freddy kept complaining the chairs were too low, Beulah reminded me twice that Freddy hates curry, Marni turned her nose up at the entire menu, Lyra felt sick and refused all food and drink, and Oliver and Nova appeared unacquainted with one another and happy to remain that way.

Adam sensibly took charge of ordering. This resulted way too much food — but at least it was tasty and everyone but Lyra ate their fill. We also picked up the tab, so as not to hear another word about anything to do with this occasion. Families, who’d have ’em…;-)

Home about 9:30. Pete and Pasc popped over with a gift for Adam, which was a welcome bright note at the end of the evening…

March 19, 2017

Lazy Sunday start, which is fair enough after a late night “culturing” at the Capitoline. Made it down to breakfast just before 10am. Unlike Friday morning, the place was heaving. I had more enthusiasm for a buffet breakfast this morning — at least of the cold cuts and cheese variety. Those silver-lidded trays of sweaty eggs, bacon and sausages never do it for me.We packed up, settled the bill and left our bags in reception. Strolled down to the Monti neighbourhood for a nosey around. Checked out the Mercato Monti, where Adam bought me a cool plexiglass necklace, then had a wander. Most shops were closed, but we did find one neat little place where I picked up a funky brooch for Lyra.

I’d made lunch reservations at the classic Jewish restaurant Piperno, but we cancelled thinking time would be tight. Had a bite to eat at a little piazza cafe then caught the tube back to Termini.

We also decided against taking the train to the airport. There are too many variables to eat up the time, plus we wanted to see if we could remedy our seat allocation. So it was taxi instead…

We couldn’t manage to get seats together, but are now just across the aisle which is much better. Made tracks to the lounge, for a glass of wine and some relaxation. The food was nothing special (or maybe just didn’t fancy eating) but it had a nice atmosphere and comfortable furnishings. Beats the BA lounge at Terminal 5, which is nothing special and very oversubscribed. Get me, airport lounge connosseur..;-).

Our flight on time, the seats were very comfortable, and the dinner delicious. (Not often you say that about an airplane meal.) I was sitting with an Jewish-American guy about our age. He was nice enough but I spent more time talking to him than I did to Adam…:-( Although the plane landed early, the delay in getting our bags cancelled out most of it. Still made it home before Beulah dropped the girls back.

It was wonderful to see them — I’ve missed them so much. It sounds like they had a reasonable time (aside from a few humorous minor incidents). They were keen to give Adam his birthday gifts — a nice pair of socks and some marmalade with whiskey. “It’s you in a jar!” Lyra said.

Once the excitement of the reunion wore off, it was apparent that Lyra was feeling quite low. She found it stressful staying with her grandparents, and missed having any social time with other kids. It took a long time to get her calm and settled for the night. Poor little poppet…

March 18, 2017

Skipped the hotel breakfast this morning, opting for a coffee and croissant at a Sicilian bar across the road. Caught the bus to the hold part of the city, then walked up Via Giulia to Campo de Fiori, where the Saturday market was in full swing.Bought a slice of pizza bianca and sat on the base of the statue watching the crowds while we ate. Adam hadn’t scratched his clothes shopping itch yet, so we carried on browsing in the side streets. He bought himself one of those down jackets every second Italian man seems to be wearing. “Get the look,” or what?

Headed off piste in terms of my itinerary planning at this point, and made our way across the Tiber to Trastevere. Everyone seems to love Trastevere and rave about it, but I’ve never felt that way. I always feel like I must be missing something. To me, it’s the Monmartre of Rome — a stereotypical, ye-olde charming tourist magnet — and I saw nothing to change my mind today.

Adam had found a nice place for lunch online, so we aimed for that. You’re served a platter of meats and cheeses, and wine by the glass.

After lunch we headed back to the centre, shopping our way along Via Coronari. Found the elusive black shoes — they are gorgeous and handmade, though not by “Rampin Prince of Shoes” nor at his prices.

Piazza Navona was lovely as ever, though heaving with tourists. Visited the Pantheon, then popped into Antica Salumeria for cured meat and cheese to take home, followed by a gelato then back to the hotel.

I harbored ambitions to go to Centrale Montemartini to see the art works from the Capitoline that are being hosted in an old water works. Adam wanted some down time, and was asleep in minutes. I just let him sleep — it’s his birthday weekend after all…

By the time he woke, it was too late for that plan, which also scuppered my idea for dinner at a renowned pizzeria nearby. Instead, we headed for the new food hall in Termini station. Took us a while to find it, but I’m so glad we did. There was a great array of vendors — you made your choices then found somewhere to sit and ordered your wine or beer.

Adam had arancini and an order of truffle mushrooms, I had a new form of pizza called “trappezzini” — triangular pockets of cooked pizza dough which are filled to order. Dessert was red wine mousse… interesting.

Caught a bus to Piazza Vicenza to visit the Capitoline Museum, which is doing a late Saturday night opening this month. Tickets are only one euro, so there was quite a queue. Took half an hour to shuffle our way to the entrance.

The place is massive and absorbed us all easily. Made our way round the awe-inspiring rooms, so fabulously decorated and chandeliered that the art played second fiddle. Did finally see that much photographed big foot, the bronze she wolf suckling Remus and Romulus, and the original Marcus Aurelius statue.

Apparently, it is the only surviving bronze statue of a pre-Christian Roman emperor, and was only preserved because it was wrongly thought to be a statue of Constantine.

It was after 11pm when we left, and we were lucky to catch a bus pretty promptly. Rattled back to Termini over the cobblestoned streets and made our way back to the hotel. I ran a bath in our massive tub, while Adam popped to the bar across the road for sandwiches and beer. We have a mini-bar in our room (and room service as well), but the prices are ridiculous…

March 17, 2017

Our room booking included breakfast, which was served in a vast room off the lobby. One of those buffet deals where they offer everything: hot food under silver domes, a guy making omelettes, a cereal bar with little bowls of nuts and dried fruit, yogurt and fruit, cold cuts and cheese, smoked fish and ryvita, a bread toasting station, desserts and pastries, a selection of juices, and even an ice bucket of champagne.Frankly, this hotel is a little weird. It’s hard to get a reading on the guests. At first, I thought the place might be a bit fancy for us, but I’m starting to think that we’re a bit too classy for the place…

Started our sightseeing with a visit to the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Vittoria to see Bernini’s “Ecstacy of St Theresa”. I’ve never stayed in this part of Rome, and it’s often been too much hassle to make the journey. What a treat to have it right on our doorstep.

From there, we headed to the on to the Fontana del Tritone (more Bernini) in the Piazza Barberini, and then to the Spanish Steps. Visited the Keats & Shelley Museum, which was surprisingly touching.

Afterwards, we made our way up the Corso, looking for a nice pair of black shoes for Adam (my intended birthday present to him). He’s keen to buy some new clothes too, but didn’t find anything.

Cut through the Borghese Gardens to the gallery. We were a bit late for our two-hour timed ticket, but that actually worked well. We were behind the bolus of people passing through the museum, which mean a bit more space to gaze in wonderment at what Bernini was capable of with marble. We were also among the last to leave, which meant we had the place to ourselves.

Consulted Tripadvisor for nearby food recommendations. I tend to avoid using it — the reviews are so polarized as to be meaningless — but on this occasion they came through, directing us to Pinsere, a terrific little-hole-in-the-wall place doing awesome pizza by the slice.

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We passed a shoe shop on the way that looked promising. The shoes on display were exactly what I was looking for. The shop was the size of a large closet, and most of the floor space was occupied by two old guys sitting in chairs and chatting.

Adam selected a pair and asked to try them on — they looked great, but felt a bit tight. In rudimentary English, one of the guys kindly explained that they didn’t actually sell shoes off the shelf. The samples were exactly that — each pair of shoes was handmade and cost hundreds of pounds.

I did a little research later, and learned that:

“Beppino Rampin is undoubtedly one of the oldest names among master shoemakers in Rome. The son of a shoemaker, his creations are works of art, that stand out among the thousands of wooden lasts of all of his customers, proudly displayed in his workshop. His foot measurements, the cut of the last and the softest skins from all over Italy and Germany are the main stages of the handcrafting techniques typical of a master of his calibre. Once cut, the skins are adapted to fit the client’s last and, it is only at this point, that sewing begins. Over 150 styles are available, ranging from traditional lace-ups to more casual loafers.”

Won’t be getting those ones then…;-) Adam did find a clothing shop that suited his taste and budget. He picked up a few jumpers, trousers, and a nice trench coat.

Headed back to the room for a bit, then visited the in-hotel spa. Adam had a massage while I enjoyed the sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, and a special “salt room” — a new one on me.

Ate dinner tonight at a local, old-style Roman trattoria called Matriciana.

I had the deep-fried artichoke (much better than it looks — delicious actually) while Adam went with anchovies and buffalo mozzarella. I couldn’t pass up their amatriciana pasta, which was also very good.

Split a slice of torte for dessert, with a couple of glasses of digestif before toddling home.

March 16, 2017

Hectic morning getting everything in place. I had a nice goodbye with Nova, but Lyra was another story. She was sulky and uncooperative all morning, and didn’t do anything I’d asked to help get ready: violin/music, homework, gym bag, bed making, key, nada. I ended up grumping at her all the way to the school, though we made up at the last…I was so distracted getting her to remember her key, that I forgot to grab my own. Bruce was in the flat, but for some reason he couldn’t hear the door, or opted not to answer it.

I went round back and rapped on the window, which finally got him moving, but instead of opening the back door he headed to the front. I ran back round the house, but by the time I got there he’d already returned to the flat. Finally managed to get him to open the door about one minute before Adam finally returned from his meeting…:-(

Could have done without that wasted half hour… Scrambled around doing my packing and booking tickets to the Borghese Gallery online before our cab arrived. Fortunately, I’d got our departure time wrong, which bought me an extra half hour…

Our taxi driver took a weird route, which always gives me stress. At least it was a driver we know so it wasn’t too worrying. Smooth check in, aside from being stuck behind a bag that they were scanning to the nth degree.

We were through in time to spend an hour in the lounge and have a spot of lunch. Just as well, as I’d forgotten to eat breakfast. I didn’t fancy the hot food, and went for a piece of frittata and some green salad plus a couple of glasses of wine (purely medicinal).

Priority boarding is always nice and though we had regular seats (unlike international business class), the middle one was converted into a little table. Once we were airborne, the crew served a very pleasant afternoon tea: sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, cake, tea and champagne.

It was an amazingly clear day. When we flew over Paris I could see the Eiffel Tower as clear as anything, and the Alps were an unforgettable sight.

Though we landed twenty minutes late, transit was hassle-free. (I’m going to hate losing that with the fucking “dog’s Brexit” that has been foisted on us.) The only delay was caused by a spontaneous choral/dance performance by a group of African students in the immigration hall. Utterly beautiful, and when they finished the immigration staff rose to their feet and applauded.

Caught the train into Termini and found our hotel, which was only a couple of minutes away, past the infamous statue of Pope Jean Paul II looking unfortunately like Mussolini.

I’d made dinner reservations at a neighbourhood restaurant in Monti called La Carbonara. I loved it from the moment we walked through the door — it was exactly what I was hoping for when I booked.

Adam started with a place of cured ham, while I had a buffalo mozzarella on a bed of salad leaves. For dinner we had two pastas: a cacio e pepe and another with oxtail ragu. Red wine, coffee and sparkling water. La vita est dolce…

March 15, 2017

I had a crazy day — the kind where you don’t make time to go for that overdue run and then resent it all day. I decided to put myself first for a change, shoehorned it in, and felt better for it all day.There was just time for a quick shower, and a whirlwind house cleaning session before my finance client turned up for a meeting. Definitely a downside of working from home…

The meeting went fine, but a used up a good three hours of my day. Scoffed a late lunch, then spent some time with Bruce reviewing his author website.

Fed the girls a pasta dinner, followed by my first effort at making a shamrock shake. It was nice enough, but nothing special. On reflection, I don’t think the Nutribullet is the right tool for making shakes — it doesn’t incorporate any air into the mixture.

Took Lyra swimming — happily Adam was back in time to do the Nova runs. I had multiple lists to work through to ensure everything goes to plan after we leave for our weekend in Rome tomorrow.

Still busy at 11pm, I went into the girls’ room to do something or other. To my surprise, the light was still on and Nova was standing in her underpants in the middle of the room. “You’re still up?” I said, “No, I’m not.” “You’re standing in the middle of the room!” “Yeah, but I’m not up…” That’s that mystery cleared up…;-)

March 14, 2017

Lyra is feeling much improved this morning, but the advice is to keep kids with the vomiting bug off school for at least a day after the symptoms pass. We hung out together in the morning, then had my invigilation “interview” at the local boys’ high school.There was some merit to Nova’s observation that the only people who sign on to invigilate exams are weirdos. I was by far the most normal, socialised person of the five us there — and two of the other candidates were frankly pretty strange. I wouldn’t say it was exactly an interview — I don’t think they are in a position to be choosy.

After a quick tour of the school, we had a presentation about what the invigilator role involves. There is a surprising amount of stuff you are responsible for — it’s certainly not just walking the aisles preventing kids from reading each other’s answers.

Apparently about a quarter of the students sitting each exam will have some sort of special arrangement. Some get extra time, others are allowed rest breaks out of the room. Some can type, or have an assistant read the questions to them and write down their answers. Whatever it is, the invigilators are responsible for accommodating and monitoring it.

Back home, I made an egg on toast for the invalid, and a Greek salad for me. Bruce took us out for dinner to the Gatehouse for tapas. When I suggested it, I didn’t consider that he’d been in Spain for the last two weeks, and likely up to his eyeballs in tapas the whole time.

Bruce very graciously said that his vacation had given him a real appetite for tapas… At any rate, their food is very good, and makes a nice change from all the pizza/pasta chain restaurants.

March 13, 2017

Spent an hour on my finance website development plan to get out of the way before heading into the office. We have a workshop this afternoon with the refugee centre client to talk about the next steps in delivering their employment service offer.It went pretty well, though we could have made better use of the available time. They had to leave earlier than expected, and in retrospect, Adam should have curtailed the middle bit to leave more time for the juicy stuff at the end.

Nova rang me on my mobile towards the end of the meeting to inform me that Lyra was sick, with a headache and upset stomach. She’d had to cancel drama to take care of her, and wanted to know what she should do in terms of care. We seem to be out of paracetemol, so I stopped and bought some on the way home.

Lyra had vomited by the time I got home, and was sick four more times over the evening. There was nothing to bring up but gastric juice and bits of black olive from her lunch, poor thing…

She fell into a heavy sleep about 8:30pm. I left her for a while before deciding she would be better off in bed. It proved impossible to wake her up, and in the end I carried her downstairs. It’s been a good while since I’ve done that.

I managed to wrestle her out of her sports kit and into pyjamas. She seems to be feeling a bit better — I hope a good sleep will see her right. Adam was out all evening, at a meeting then at a pub quiz with some mates. When he got home about 11pm, I was already in bed…

March 12, 2017

I was planning to go to church with Lyra this morning, but when the time came she didn’t want to go. While I respect her decision, it seems a shame to stop now after cheerfully going for over two years. It just a few months she’ll be applying to secondary schools, so of which require regular church attendance before they’ll accept you. It’s worth considering at this stage…I was also annoyed, because I hadn’t gone for my run, which is what I really wanted to be doing this morning. Did a “Waitrose run” instead… We have our friend Bruce arriving to stay for a week tomorrow, and I wanted to have a few things in the downstairs fridge for him, as well plus some essentials for us. Pleasantly surprised to find that Adam and Nova had finished cleaning the flat while I was out.

Chorizo and sweet potato salad for dinner, followed by cocktail testing for Adam’s looming 50th birthday party. I had the idea I might make something called a Bengal Tiger. I’m thinking the food could be Indian-themed, to reflect his time working at Rani and those Indian trips in our twenties. Plus we love Indian food…

Anyway, it turns out that Bengal Tiger cocktails are disgusting, so they’re not an option…;-)

March 11, 2017

When for a run while Adam took Lyra to her figure skating lesson. Good to get back to the old routine… I’m pretty sluggish on even the shortest runs — a month off will do that to you. Anyway, I’m happy to take it easy to give the knee a bit of a trial run…For lunch, the three of them headed off to the farmers market. I stayed home and did housework, which included tackling the overgrown, unloved pot plants on the balcony.

Adam spent the rest of the day at an Arsenal match with with Steve and his son Raphael. I had bibimbap with the girls, then sat down to watch the first ever episode of Merlin. Lyra too young to watch it with us the first time round, but she’s the perfect age for it now.

March 10, 2017

Gave Lyra a nitcombing first thing. Having done a treatment last night, there was only one live louse, and actually her hair was pretty good for once — only a handful of the little bastards…Walked Lyra to school, then took the opportunity for a bit of a catch-up with the other mums in the playground. Don’t often get the chance to do that now…

Spent much of the day working on the financial services website, breaking off to collect Lyra from school and take her for a haircut. It’s quite a big deal — it’s only her second ever haircut, and really, the first one was just a tiny trim and a blowdry.

I asked my friend Millie the beauty guru for advice, and she recommended a salon in Kensal Green. The guy (called Guy) is very experienced and a trichologist(?) as well as a stylist. He had a long talk with Lyra about her feelings and aspirations for her hair before he picked up the scissors.

While he didn’t cut much off the length, he did shape it quite a bit and encouraged the curl, which left it looking noticeably shorter. Lyra kept it together while I settled up, but I could tell she was pretty upset. In her heart, she wanted to walk out with a poker-straight blowdry, not a head of glossy, bouncing, healthy-looking curls.

Adam and Nova came to collect us — since we are over this way, it made sense to visit IKEA to pick up the rug I want for under the dining room table. I also had the big idea of going for a curry in Wembley, completely misremembering that it is Southall not Wembley that’s famous for Indian restaurants.

Eventually found a reasonably reviewed place online (4.3/5 for 56 Google reviews), and fought our way through rush-hour traffic. On arrival, the exterior of Lahori Masala looked so awful (and completely empty) we almost lost our nerve. Plus, on double-checking the reviews, I came across this worrying one we’d missed earlier:

Having made the journey (and having no better options) we decided to go for it. The place had a certain rough charm, and much of the food was pretty good. It got a lot busier by the time we left. All the other customers appeared to be Pakistani, judging from their interest in the wide-screen Urdu newscast.

The girls were very resistant to the IKEA plan (“This evening just gets better and better,” Lyra griped). They wanted to catch a pair of buses home, but I nixed that plan. They then campaigned to stay in the car, but I nixed that too. “It’ll be fun!” I promised, and “we’ll do it on high speed.”

Turns out the girls could not have loved IKEA more. “Let’s throw out everything in our house and get all new stuff from IKEA!” Lyra suggested. We are in the market for new sofas, and spent a while testing all the models out. It’s surprising how much difference there is in “bum feel” from one sofa to the next.

They both fell in love with the Bedroom department as well. Lyra actually had tears in her eyes, contemplating the perfection of one that particularly tickled her fancy. It’s her current obsession to come up with ideas for reconfiguring the house so that she can have her own room. You’d think it would be the older sister with that particular bee in her bonnet, but no…

We let them go a bit wild in the market hall, where they selected throws, pillows, cacti, mugs, reading light and various other bits and bobs. “Can we come back here again on Sunday?” Lyra begged on the way home.

“It would be so much better than our normal Sunday, where you and dad lie on the sofa yelling at each other and watching some gruesome TV show, Nova’s in the flat pretending to do homework and I’m desperately wandering about the house.”

A little later, she piped up from the back seat, “Thank you so much for letting me buy so much new stuff! You almost never do that. Even when I’m spending my own money you try to talk me out of it.” True…;-)

March 9, 2017

Went for my second run in a month… Three miles today — I kept it slow and it was fine. My knee gave me no trouble at all. Spring has certainly sprung since I last hit these trails.The ground was mucky underfoot and there are flowers popping up everywhere — primroses, daffodils, snowdrops, crocuses, early blossoming trees — it all seems to be happening at once.

Adam was still home when I got back. Shayla is away this week, so he doesn’t feel as much obligation to go into the office every day. Nice to eat lunch together for a change — leftovers from last night’s dinner at Durum.

We went to Lyra’s parent-teacher meeting together, which was nice though not necessary. Mr Holt has no concerns whatsoever — apparently, she’s exceeding expectations and is a delight to teach.

Adam did the Talacre gymnastics run while I made a batch of Cuban black bean soup for dinner. Once that was finished, there was just time to give Lyra a quick nit treatment before we had to tear down to Jackson’s Lane.

Saw a performance of “The Machine Stops” by EM Forster. Utterly unlike anything else I’ve read by him, it is a science fiction short story that is amazingly prescient at predicting where we find ourselves today — much more so than either 1984 or Brave New World, in my opinion. I found a version online and read it a couple of times, which really added to the impact of the show.

March 8, 2017

I started work on my new financial services website project this morning. It’s a challenging one — tight deadlines, high profile, and also for someone who knows pretty much everyone in our network — so even more important that I get it right.Unexpectedly had Grace and her little sister Alice and Grace back after school. Their parents had tickets for a matinée in the West End, and the nanny had called in sick at the last minute. I rustled up some pasta pomodoro for the four girls, but it was little trouble aside from that.

Their dad arrived to collect them just before it was time to take Lyra swimming, or I would have brought them along for that. Adam was out all evening at something or other — I have to admit I don’t really keep track any more, at least i didn’t have to do any more swimming runs. Christine had that covered today.

We caught up on Homeland when he got in. The show seems to be finding its feet again after a shaky start to this season…

March 7, 2017

Late start this morning, but we got there…
After hustling Lyra into the schoolground to chase the disappearing tail of her class, I went for my first run in ages. Only two miles at a gentle pace, but very pleased that my knee felt totally fine.

I had a meeting with new finance client this morning to scope out the project. After that, I’d planned to travel into the office to plan a workshop with Adam. He decided to come home instead, and we had it here.

Made Szechuan celery for dinner and did both of Nova’s swimming runs — Christine is going to do the double tomorrow…

March 6, 2017

Happy birthday, Antonia!
We gradually getting back to normal life, after hurricane Panto has finally swept past. Tackled multiple loads of laundry, house cleaning, paperwork — physical and digital. It’s going to take a few days to feel on top of things, plus Adam’s 50th birthday is looming (lots to sort for that).Funny exchange between Adam and Lyra in the bathroom this morning when she was getting ready for school: “You’re spending too long on your hair Lyra!” Adam complained, worried she’d be late for school. “As if you’d know anything about it!” Lyra shot back.

Family dinner at Durum to celebrate Antonia’s birthday. Some belated presents for Lyra, as none ofher family had managed to give her anything on the actual day.

The family that dines together…

The Durum has a charcoal grill, and cooks fabulous kebabs, which is what I usually order. However, having recently watched Cowspiracy, both Nova and I opted for the falafel. Still managed to eat too much, and had that uncomfortable full feeling all evening…:-(

March 5, 2017

One plus to having my partying instincts curtailed is not feeling particularly rough this morning… Adam was a bit worse off, and Nova was tired and headachy. Adam dropped her at her National Youth Theatre audition in Finchley, after which we had a lazy morning.Lyra’s suggestion of breakfast at Pan Quotidien was right on the money. I’m usually opposed — the food is too much like what we’d eat at home anyway, but with eye-watering price tag attached.

Both of us went along to the clear up at school. Good turn out for once, and we got it all done in a couple of hours…

Soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner — I’m not feeling the cooking love at the moment. Watched the final episode of Taboo — not feeling the love there either, though Adam liked it better. He’s says it’s because I slept through the last twenty minutes of most of the episodes. But that tells you something right there…;-)

Bath and bed, with the intention of getting an early night. Just nodding off when Lyra came in, complaining that she couldn’t get to sleep. “Have you been reading your Kindle?” “No.” “Have you been reading your Kindle, Lyra?” “No.” “You’ve been reading your Kindle, haven’t you?” “Well, only after I couldn’t go to sleep anyway,” she admitted.

I was reading recently that screen-related sleep disorders are becoming a big issue, and that children are particularly affected. We all need to do better in this area…

March 4, 2017

Happy 19th birthday, Ceinwen! You’re an adult now… how did that happen?
Saturday is always gruelling, with the last two pantomime performances. I’m always pretty worn out by this point, but at least I’ve learned not to try to do them hungover from a big Friday night as well. (“Knowledge is the daughter of experience”, or whatever that quote is…)The matinée came off without a hitch, but I had technical issues with the ghost costume in the evening. It all stemmed from being hustled into that clock before I was ready, with my hood in the right position for the quick change needed after my final clock line.

I was so anxious about it that I de-clocked before I’d poked my head out for the final time, which meant I had to deliver the final clock line without showing my face. I still failed to get the hood arranged perfectly in time to appear as the ghost. It kept drooping in front of my face, which made it hard to see.

It’s actually quite a physical scene — clambering in and out of beds, sneaking around behind people, chasing them off stage and so on — and I was lucky to pull it off without disaster.

On the positive side, Lyra and Adam both nailed their dances tonight, and Nova did sterling work on the spotlight tonight, so overall it was a family success…;-)

The post-panto party was at the Gatehouse this year. Nova had been invited by the backstage crew, and after putting Lyra to bed, she came up to join us for a drink… or three. I found it a little weird — actually it reminded me of when we’d play games and she’d say, “Mummy, I’ll be the princess, Daddy is the prince, you can be the maid.”

She was only meant to stay an hour, but she was having too much fun to leave. We all stayed to the end, and she was a bit weavy on the way home. And a “little under the weather” shall we say, when we got home. Better out than in…

March 3, 2017

I’m more tired than yesterday, if that’s even possible… After walking Lyra to school, I staggered to the village and bought a super-strength coffee from Costa. I think the caffeine effect is largely psychological — the walk probably did me as much good as anything.Felt woozy all morning, with the ground rushing up at me if I moved too fast, which I avoided doing. After lunch, I sat down for a minute to rest my eyes dozed until 3:29. Leapt up and raced off half awake to collect Lyra from school.

I’m feeling more nervous about tonight’s panto performance. Maybe because they were filming it? Anyway, I messed up a bit in the villager dance, doing a grand sweeping arm movement one line early and on my own. Even worse than that, I winced after doing it. I can only hope that I don’t make the final edit.

Things improved after that point. We totally nailed the witch scene — the dry ice working for the first time, and there were audible gasps from the kids in the front row when the curtains opened on us in our misty forest setting.

Raced back to swap my costume and make-up for clock/ghost scene, skidding into place just in time. The scene itself went much better this evening. I got to say my all my lines, and kids were really screaming their “it’s behind you!”s when I rise from the bed.

Against my better judgment, I agreed to go along to the pub for “a swift one”. Adam was keen, and I didn’t want to be a spoilsport. I was going to stay for just one Corona, which inevitably turned into three.

Still at least I had the sense to decline the rounds of whisky the rest of them finished the evening with…;-)

March 2, 2017

I was pretty tired this morning — my brain was too full of panto stuff to fall asleep for ages after going to bed. It’s even squeezing the political chaos here and in the US off centre stage…Had my usual architect client meeting, after which I wrote up yesterday’s interview. And that was about all the time I had for paid work… I also had to finish the panto programme (I’ve been lumbered with that thankless task again this year) and arrange for someone to print and staple it.)

Lamb burgers and Greek salad for dinner. I was going to make hamburger buns, but ran out of time. It’s Pete’s birthday today. Lyra’s made an excellent card with a drawing of him teaching his math class — it was pretty funny. Dropped it round on our way to the panto.

Excellent opening night show, aside from a hitch with my clock scene. I hide in this grandfather clock, waiting for the dame to say “I wonder what time it is?”, at which point I pop out and yell, “IT’S LATE! NOW GO TO BED!” He forgot that line completely, after which everyone started ad libbing, but there was nothing obvious for me to come in on until half way through the scene.

Oh well, we’ll do it better tomorrow…

March 1, 2017

Happy birthday, my beautiful Lyra — 10 years old today!

One of the presents Lyra asked for was a Santoro storage box. When I was wrapping her gifts last night, I realised that all the rest of her gifts would fit neatly inside it, which also saved me from wrapping an empty box.

I regretted that decision when I saw the look on her face when she came upstairs to only three presents: our box, Margo and Aaron’s, and a little something from Nova. She tried to cover her dismay, but was very relieved to open the box and find the rest of her gifts nestled inside.

After a swift breakfast of French toast, everyone headed off for school or work, and I got on with my day: baking birthday cakes, conducting a phone interview to obtain a testimonial for my architecture site.

Went round to Jemima’s for a quick coffee before pick-up. Didn’t really have time, but at least it saved me going to the shop for basil, as she had some in her fridge to pass along.

Lyra’s requested birthday dinner was pesto pasta — so that was pretty straightforward. I ate with the girls, but we waited for Adam’s return from work to have the birthday cake.

Panto dress rehearsal tonight. There was a good crowd of kids as the audience, and it all went pretty smoothly…