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Sisters
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The Curtis girls
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Tree climbing
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Walking dads
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Walking girls
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“The other end, stupid!”
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Trees
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First day(s) of school
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September 30, 2013Mondays are always a busy day for me. A chance to get on top of the housework after the girls being home all weekend. First, there’s all the start the school week stuff — homework, gym bags, double packed lunches. Then after the girls have left I tackle laundry, bed changing, hoovering, bathroom scrubbing etc. I often do my big grocery shop on Mondays as well.Today, I needed to strike a balance between the essential house stuff and my web work. I finished of the web development plan for the architecture site and sent it off to the client, and did some prep for a phone meeting about the new website for Adam’s company. The meeting cut across the time I needed to take Lyra to drama, but fortunately Nova was on hand to do that. As I hadn’t had time to get to Waitrose, I rustled up another dinner from the pantry cupboard — mac and cheese and a rather odd salad of droopy lettuce, grated carrot and steamed green beans. I gave the mac some extra cooking in the oven, instead of just browning it under the grill the way I normally do, and I liked the way it turned out. The sauce sort of cooked into the noodles, resulting in a more substantial, toothsome dish… |
September 29, 2013Lyra lost another tooth yesterday afternoon, which makes five! Before going to bed last night, I checked to make sure she’d remembered to put her little ladybird box with the tooth in it by her bed, but it was nowhere to be seen. Turns out the little minx had hidden it so she could find out whether the tooth fairy was real. There was a pound coin and another note in there this morning, so it looks like Dentina came after all…:-)Nova has come down with a head cold and Lyra and Adam aren’t feeling great either. I’ll have to be extra vigilant to avoid those cold germs before the half marathon this weekend… Didn’t stop Lyra from putting in a good session of scooter practice on the path and parade ground. We are slowly inching the starting point up the hill — she can now ride down from the little tree near the bottom and execute a smooth, braking turn into the road without wiping out. Beef barley soup for dinner, was a big hit with everyone. Soothing for the sick, warming for the cold, low-fat for the calorie-conscious… |
September 28, 2013Weigh-in #5 today. I had a good result for once and am down two pounds on the week. You’d bloody hope so after all that running, but it doesn’t seem work like that. I remember with the marathon at the end of all those months and miles of training I lost exactly one pound…Met my friend in Lynne in Pond Square for a run after breakfast. We’re doing the half together next weekend — only she’s doing it while recovering from broken ribs. So perhaps I’ll be able to keep up with her…;-) Stopped at the Ladies Pond for a dip afterwards. As we were walking up the lane, Lynne casually mentioned, “When I came swimming here last weekend the water was 14°C — it’s probably colder than that now…” Actually, it was one degree warmer, which is to say, breathsapping cold when you get in, but just about survivable for two laps. Lynne has swimming gloves, which she says make a big difference. Personally, I think a full wetsuit would make a big difference, swimming gloves not so much. But she’s the one who’s still swimming come December, so I suppose she knows… Went to the West End this evening to see a new play called Chiamerica — about the relationship between an American photographer and a Chinese student who’d both been present for the Tianamen Square massacre, and the impact it still had on their lives. Thought provoking, humorous, well acted and a dazzling revolving set (which seems to be the rage among set designers at the moment)… |
September 27, 2013Had a meeting with a client at 9am this morning, which Adam trumped by having an external meeting at 8am. I was unavoidably left with getting Lyra dressed, fed and organised (with packed lunch, violin, music books and homework), and doing the school run as well. I’d hoped to do some more preparation beforehand, but that didn’t happen…The meeting went well though. The client was happy with the design modifications I’d made to the template, and we made some clear decisions about how to take the website forward. Now to do all the work… I’d set up my computer at the kitchen table for the meeting, and ended up working there all day. I seem to be more productive than when I work in the bedroom. Less distractions perhaps, or maybe it just feels more like a work space? Fitted in some baking as well — a batch of brownies for the school bake sale, and a Victoria sponge cake, just because… Watching those brownies fly off that bake sale table was very gratifying — I’m pretty sure it was because I stuck an M&M on top of each one with a bit of chocolate writing icing. Alina came back for a playdate after school. We’d arranged that I’d give her some dinner, but Veronika showed up 45 minutes early, and poor Alina left without eating or even getting to play the Polly Pocket game they’d been setting up. It’s a bit trickier now that they live further away, but we’ve arranged a playdate for next Friday to make up for it. I’d already started grilling the sausages by this point, so Lyra ate on her own, happily scoffing six chipolatas instead of the planned three. Adam and I had roasted cauliflower with hazelnuts and brown rice when he got home, followed by the cake. A hefty slice for both of them and a tasting sliver for me (it’s weigh-in day tomorrow…)
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September 26, 2013Did my last long run before the half marathon on 6 October. I wanted to do about 12 miles, so that I could feel pretty confident about doing the full distance on the day. I also didn’t want to walk if possible (aside from refueling breaks). Until I did the two long runs with Karen, I hadn’t been walking at all. She’s going for the system I used for the marathon of run nine minutes, walk one, so when we ran together, of course I did that too.I managed to keep running the whole time, aside from refueling breaks on the half hour for a few exercise beans and an additional break at 1:15:00 for an energy gel. Things went reasonably well until the home stretch. Although the Parkland isn’t steep, it is relentlessly uphill. It was pretty hot by this point, and I was pretty tired, and I was feeling pretty crap by the time I reached the end. I was out of water too, which sucked. I considered going into a cafe, but that felt a bit embarrassing. I thought about Jacksons Lane, but the idea of climbing the stairs put me off. Or dropping in on Howard and Katie, but I thought my appearance might alarm them. When I finally reached Southwood Lane, I called Adam and he came out and walked the last bit home with me. I felt a lot better after a large glass of sports drink, some water and a cool shower. Iced my arches as well for good measure. Thankfully, I no trouble with the knee… After dinner, Adam and I caught the 271 to Highbury Corner to see Kris Kristofferson at the Union Chapel. It’s a beautiful venue, and he’s such a gifted songwriter and poet. A memorable evening…
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September 25, 2013Went for a walk after gymnastics dropoff. I was aiming to do about four miles in an hour, but in the end I averaged about 17-minute miles. I’m using an online calorie counter in an attempt to improve my weight loss results, and to keep up with the incredible shrinking Horth brothers…;-) It informs me that even if I eat only 1200 calories a day, I’ll still lose just over a pound a week. 1200 calories is clearly not happening, so I’ll just have to burn more calories…Down to the Hub to work with Adam today. While it’s a very nice space, it doesn’t really feel like a work space to me. But maybe that’s a matter of getting used to it. What is good is being away from home — that really helps with the focus. Raced home at 5pm and threw together a quick dinner for everyone before I had to pick up Lyra from swimming. Adam is babysitting for Doron and Antonia. It’s the opening night of a play she’s appearing in… |
September 24, 2013Did my 6-mile Heath loop after drop-off. I deliberately pushed myself a bit harder and knocked a minute off my last time. It was really foggy for most of it, which caused the GPS to go a bit funny.At one stage, I was shuffling up the steep hill to Kenwood like a geriatic crone when an electronic voice informed me that I was currently averaging three minute miles. Notify the press! Overweight, middle-aged mum smashes world record while running uphill! Finished off the torture website and did some work on the marketing site as well. Ate dinner early to accommodate Nova’s music lessons from 6-7 and Adam’s 7pm football match. Thai turkey burgers, which were delicious, but a bit hot for the kids. They are coming on leaps and bounds with chilli, and managed to eat it. I used to leave the chilli out of things, and now I pretty much follow the recipe, maybe using a slightly lighter hand where spices are concerned… Lyra’s spelling words this week include: Tuesday, frightened, supplied, and explained, which seem pretty ambitious words for six-year-olds… |
September 23, 2013Nova is starting a Lambda drama course at school. It’s on Mondays at lunchtime, which means another packed lunch. Got up with her and Adam to sort that out. Once she’d left, Adam and I got busy doing our various computer things, and it was 8:15 before we remembered that Lyra need to get off to school as well…Did the Waitrose shop afterwards. They’ve recently started offering free coffee to customers with a loyalty card. It’s a nice enough idea, but there’s nowhere to sit and drink it. I ended up pushing my heavy trolley one handed, balancing my coffee on the roof while loading the car, then driving stick shift with a hot coffee between my legs. Don’t see myself taking up that offer again… Made a low-fat chicken Caesar salad for lunch, using 0% Greek yogurt, anchovies, garlic and lemon juice for the dressing — no olive oil whatsoever. And amazingly good it is too… Picked up Lyra and brought her home for an hour before drama class — now in a new, later, big kid slot. She loves that class. I’m amazed how the quiet little woman who runs it commands total attention from a large group of six-year-olds for a good hour… Finished off some website work then cooked dinner. Went for a different fish taco recipe this time, which involved breading the fillets in panko and baiking them in the oven. No mayonnaise, just a lemony slaw. Adam and i both really liked it, but the girls were adamant that they preferred the tequila-marinated version I made last Monday — go figure… Nit combed Lyra before bed. We caught them early this time — there were only several tiny little things. Massaged that smelly cream onto her scalp for her to sleep in overnight… Watched the first episode of the new series of Downton Abbey. O’Brien has apparently done a runner since the Christmas special. She must have got a a movie offer or something. Just as well — that character was a bit limited… |
September 22, 2013Forgot to turn the clock off, which was a shame, as Nova and I could have had a nice lie in for once, without our little Lyra-alarm. Made the best of it by getting my run in early. Ran down to Highgate Woods, and did four miles at a 10:30 pace. Felt pretty strong throughout…Just time for a shower, then straight back out again to pick up Lyra. It sounds like they had a good time last night, but seemed a little grumpy this morning. I used Runkeeper to log the walk down and back. I’m aiming to do a better job of logging my calories — it’s definitely working for David. Nova invited a new school friend over this afternoon, which took several texts and phone calls this morning to arrange, including me speaking to her mother twice. The girl eats only halal food — not that we have any food — so I made a quick shopping trip to the village. Did a housework blitz as well, putting the girls to action. Lyra hoovered and tidied her bedroom, while Nova cleared and polished the coffee table and cleaned the bathroom counter. Kind of fun doing it all together actually… Safira turned out to be a charming Pakistani girl, cute as a button and even smaller than Nova, with an easy, happy air about her. She chatted away throughout lunch, and was surprised and interested by the food I served. Apparently, she always has a hot lunch, with curries, rice and bread, and apparently her mum wouldn’t even count what I’d served as a meal: bagels, hummus, olives, smoked salmon, hardboiled eggs, dukkah, couscous salad and fresh fruit for dessert. (About twice the food I would have set out if we hadn’t had company!) Adam got back about 3pm — it was great to see him. It sounds like they had a great time, and more fun than last year, even if they did stay in a youth hostel… Made a Chinese pork and tofu dish for dinner, not particularly exciting, but it was eaten without complaint. After the kids were in bed, we watched the first episode of Band of Brothers, with Damian Lewis. It has that Spielberg feel, but I think I’m going to like it… |
September 21, 2013Not feeling super well this morning, unsurprisingly…:-( And scales tell the story of a less than stellar week. I’m down only 0.4 lbs — thank God for digital scales…;-) It’s been a tough one for weight loss actually with the weekend away, a couple of restaurant meals and that enormous (and delicious) birthday cake…Mooched around with the kids for a bit, until it was time for Nova off to drama, after which I mooched around with Lyra. When Nova brought Sarah back for lunch, I managed to pull together a pot of veggie soup and a plate of pitta bread hummus sandwiches. At dinnertime I dropped Lyra off at her sleepover with Lucia. They’ve recently moved into one of those old mansion blocks across from Highgate Woods. So different from the art nouveau flat in Highpoint, but really charming and a lot more space as well. Stayed for a cup of tea then headed back to feed Nova. Threw together a prawn linguini with garlic and parsley, which was pretty nice. Ate it in front of The X Factor. That’s the end of the audition phase now — they seem to have a lot of talent to choose from. Both in bed about 10:30… |
September 20, 2013Nova’s off school again — for an inset day this time. I don’t know why they bothered having them in at all this week. I got Lyra in to school, then dropped Adam off at his away day near the Mallinson.Worked all morning then headed down to Waterloo for my afternoon learning set with my Kings’ Fund group. Adam is off on a boy’s walking weekend, so we’d arranged for Suzanne to collect Lyra from school, feed the girls, and do bedtimes. There were six of us at the learning set — enough for each of us to spend some time on the “receiving end”. Being the focus a group’s intense interest is a unique experience. In life, you seldom get listened to by one person in that way, let alone six… Four of us went out for dinner afterwards to a place called The Laughing Gravy. Crap name, but great atmosphere and inventive menu. My starter of a smoked rabbit scotch egg was so not something i’d normally order, but I’ve had a bit of a thing for boiled eggs lately. It was absolutelly delicious, as was my sole with tomato-butter sauce. We shared two desserts and a bottle of wine between us. Home about 10:30, I had to scramble around finding money to pay the Suzanne. Ended up raiding both Lyra’s purse (Nova never has any money) and the car parking meter stash… |
September 19, 2013Went for another long run with Karen after drop off. We did the Parkland Walk to Finsbury Park again, but this time we did five laps around the park before heading home. The running felt okay throughout, but the outside of my right knee got twangy at the end, which happens sometimes when I overdo it. I was pretty ginger going down the path, and iced it and my arch straight after showering.School meeting with Lyra’s teacher this evening. Adam was out somewhere, so I left the girls on their own and headed over. Her teacher spoke a lot about the importance of reading with your children every day, and on reading quality books. Even if the language is a bit beyond them, the beauty of it will have an impact on their speech, writing and reading. I agree with that… The school is also cracking down on uniform this year — only navy shorts for PE etc — which I don’t agree with. Otherwise, it was pretty much the same old same old. This is our tenth year of this stuff. All the eager, first time parents were sitting on the little chairs with their knees around their ears taking notes; I was slouched against a bookcase at the back, zoning out… Stuck around afterwards for a quick word with Mr L. This summer, Lyra took the class teddy to Canada with us, and afterwards she produced a lovely two-page spread of images and writing in Barnaby’s diary describing his adventures. Her last teacher read these out to the whole class and then asked questions, but this hasn’t happened. Mr L hadn’t realised that was the drill, and is going to read it out tomorrow, so that one’s fixed. Lyra is also pretty mad at Alice for not voting for her to be on the student council. “She’s supposed to be my best friend,” she complained, which is a fair point. She wants me to take that up with Christine, but I can’t see that achieving anything… |
September 18, 2013Happy birthday to me! 49 years old — better make the most of that… Our week to have Alex before swimming. After I fed the kids, they got busy decorating the carrot cake that Adam and the girls baked yesterday. We all had a slice when he got home — delicious!
I had a lovely hot bath while he did the swimming run, after which Adam, Nova and I settled down in front of The X Factor with a big platter of takeaway sushi. All in all, a pretty fine birthday! |
September 17, 2013Ran 10km on the Heath this morning. I’m testing out the Runkeeper app on my phone. It has some features I really like and integrates nicely with the Mac, which my Garmin has never done. Also, I’m sure GPS technology now far outstrips whatever that ten-year-old Garmin has going on.A few Garmin frustrations: the long delay before I can start running while it finds enough satellites; dropping the signal several times on a run (this area is bad for connectivity, so that problem may be universal); the way it draws a straight line between where it dropped me and where it picks me up regardless of the route I’ve run, leading to wildly varying distance measurements (generally all short). Runkeeper worked well — the route it shows that I ran looks right, and the distance is what I always thought it was (just under six miles). Managed to get some work done today before I needed to break off and start dinner preparations before Terry and Ron arrived at 4pm. Hustled up to the village, hitting the butchers, greengrocers, and deli (as well as our garden), before preparing a big steak salad and an apple-rhubarb crumble. They arrived bearing wine and Polish vodka (as they are boycotting all things Russian). The food turned out well, and it was great to see them again. They very kindly brought two little Ivy Shelley paintings from Canada for me to give the girls when they’re older. Visiting with Terry and Ron always makes me awkwardly aware of how little I know my Shelley relatives compared to the Horths, Goodes and Weddells. In my defense, things are pretty convoluted on that branch of the family tree, what with all the divorcing, child abandonment and adoption. Not to mention the feuding — which left siblings and cousins living in the same small town not speaking for years on end. As an illustration, I have a second cousin my age called Jodie who I got on with really well. My grandmother began feuding with Jodie’s father (who was her nephew), and the next time we visited Kelowna I wasn’t allowed to see Jodie because “it would upset your grandparents”. (Mum was all about not upsetting her parents.) The wrongness of that decision pisses me off even now… My last day of being 48… Now mum’s gone, I have no one who says that to me… |
September 16, 2013Decided not to go for a run this morning. Those two days’ walking should count for something…:-)I didn’t have time anyway, as we were due at our accountants in Edgware at 10am. The bottom line is I owe about £700, and Adam owes double that. Mainly because our properties are finally making a profit, now that we’ve written off all the renos, and I earned a bit more as well. So that will be a little extra January cheer when that bill arrives…:-( Alice came round for a playdate after school. She hasn’t been here for awhile, but they are comfy old friends and generally get on well. Nova has no school for the next two days. There are so many girls sitting the Henrietta Barnett entrance exams this year that they have to close the school for two days to accommodate them all… |
September 15, 2013Opted for the scrambled egg breakfast again this morning, as I’m pretty sure it’s the lowest calorie item on the menu that I can order without being weird. It would be good if restaurants included the calorie counts of their dishes –like that fat farm we accidently stayed at the last time we were in Canada. I’d like to be able to factor that into the decision-making process. Not that I’d always go for the lowest calorie thing, but I could consider whether the calories were “worth it”. Although I already struggle to decide what to order anyway — so maybe not…We packed up and checked out, then drove near to a spot near the pub we ate at last night. It was spitting with rain at times, but it wasn’t a problem. We did a shorter walk this time, across a varied landscape of deciduous forest, coniferous forest, heath and farmland. Back to Burley for lunch, opting for a tea room this time. The sign at the entrance announcing that the chef was sick didn’t bode well, but they were still doing sandwiches and tea, which was what we were after. Parted ways afterwards, and endured a long, slow drive home through the pelting rain. At least we had a couple of cryptic crosswords to keep us occupied, and the girls had a gravol-induced doze… |
September 14, 2013The hotel room was lovel and dark and quiet, and we all slept really well. Headed down to breakfast at 9am. It was Birgit’s birthday, and I’d brought a little present for her. After eating, the guys planned out our walk while I organised a lunch.We set off at about 11am in convoy. There was the usual New Forest traffic jam through Lyndhurst. must be maddening to leave in these places. Parked up about ten minutes later, and started our route. The weather wasn’t great, it was cool and spitting at times, but the rain largely held off. It wasn’t particularly wet underfoot either, perhaps because it’s been so dry this summer, and the ground isn’t saturated. We stopped for lunch under a enormous spreading tree, with a long, comfortable mossy branch that served as a bench seat. I’d put together some salami bagels, the flapjacks, apples and a flask of tea. I’d also tucked a banoffee cake from M&S and a single candle into our daybag. It was a challenge stopping Lyra from spilling the beans on that one, but I think Birgit was genuinely surprised by it…
The walk was probably six miles in total, which is about as far as Lyra can manage. Back at the hotel, we changed into our swimsuits and had a dip in the pool, followed by a sauna. Went for dinner at the Burley Inn, a fifteen minute drive by car. We piled into their vehicle, which meant only one designated driver. The pub had a nice atmosphere and slightly ambitious pub fare, which they didn’t quite deliver on. I opted for the Thai green curry, as one of the lighter options, and had a couple of bites of Adam’s key lime pie. The girls shared the four layer chocolate cake — “chocolate sponge layered with chocolate butter cream, white chocolate chips, chocolate brownies and white chocolate fudge icing masked in chocolate butter cream and topped with white and dark chocolate chips” — “it says ‘chocolate’ seven times!” Nova exclaimed before ordering it. According to both, it failed to live up to the description, as desserts generally do… Had another drink when we got back to the hotel. Like last year, there was a drunken wedding in progress, and we retreated to the downstairs sofas. To bed about midnight, when Adam started falling asleep mid-conversation… |
September 13, 2013I’ve been experiencing a bit of tenderness at one end of my right arch since yesterday. I had problems with plantar fasciitis during my marathon training, and I definitely don’t want to go there again. A good reminder that I should avoid too much pavement running…We’re off to the New Forest with Kiran, Birgit and their girls this weekend — the third year in a row we’ve done this trip with them. The weather doesn’t look like it’s going to be great, but you can’t let the weather stop you in the UK — or you’d never do anything…;-) Lyra’s school had an inset day today, but she turned out to be a good little helper. We made flapjacks to take on the walks, and made a trip to Brent Cross. I bought hiking boots for Nova, new walking socks for everyone, and managed to hit ten other shops as well… I did all the packing after lunch while Lyra got stuck into her new book. She’s turning into such a little bookworm. Veggie soup for dinner — we’re all enjoying the reappearance of staple winter recipes that we haven’t eaten for a few months. Picked up Nova up from swimming and carried straight on to the motorway. It was a pretty horrible drive. The rain was pelting down, visibility was poor and the traffic heavy. We passed two traffic accidents on the way. As I recall, it was pretty much the same weather conditions for last year’s drive. Made it in one piece, and didn’t bumble around finding the hotel this time. Our friends pulled in just behind us. We met in the bar for a pint once the girls were settled. A pint for me — and more for everyone else who isn’t tracking their weight at the moment… |
September 12, 2013Today is Roald Dahl day at Lyra’s school. She’d informed me that she wanted to go as Sophie from the BFG. I knew that this involved wearing her nightgown and a pair of glasses, but didn’t realise it involved hair straightening — quite a serious undertaking where Lyra’s hair is involved…Went for a long run with Karen after drop-off. We ran twenty minutes down the Parkland Walk to Finsbury Park, did four laps round the perimeter, and then ran back again. According to her running app, we managed about 9.75 miles in 1:52:00. She’s doing the run 9 minutes, walk 1 minute system, so I went along with that. After reading that Jeff Galloway book about marathon running, I was convinced that this was the way to go, but for some reason I’ve intended to run the whole thing this time. Still, not a bad way to build up the long run… On the walk home afterwards, I found myself craving hardboiled eggs, which isn’t something I’d normally eat. Maybe my body is after the extra protein? In any event, after my shower I boiled up a couple, and dipped them in a mix of sesame seeds, hemp hearts, cumin and salt. Very delicious they were too… Dinner was sausages, mash and green beans. I also roasted some peaches with crushed amaretti biscuits and served it with the pear caramel ginger ice cream I made the other day. Left the dessert for the rest of the family and had my peach fresh…:-( Lyra’s joke: “Why did the turkey cross the road? It was the chicken’s day off!” |
September 11, 2013Got both girls out of the house by 8am this morning. Lyra has started her breakfast club gymnastics class. And since it’s her week to go back to Alex’s house before swimming, I had a clear work day for the first time in I don’t know how long.Managed to get a version of the marketing site back to the client, as well as finish negotiations on the childrens’ clothing site — only to find the agency didn’t get the work after all…:-[ Am currently reading an interesting book on marathon running. Ultramarathon running in fact — “Eat and Run” by Scott Jurek. Jurek is one of the world’s top ultra runners, as well as a strict vegan. While I have less than zero interest in running anything more than a marathon (if that), it’s interesting to learn about his training regime and diet. He is positive that far from being a hindrance, his plant-based diet is critical to his success. He doesn’t need to convince me — I’m sure there are significant benefits to a vegan diet, if you have the time and commitment to ensure you’re getting the nutrients you need. And if you don’t care all that much what your food tastes like…;-) Went to see The Book of Mormon with Terry and Ron, who are visiting from Kelowna. Rather than staying with us, they are booked into a hotel in Kensington that came with their travel package. Excellent play — extremely funny (and politically incorrect), with cracking song and dance numbers. They were keen to head home after the show, but Adam hadn’t had dinner, so we ended up at Gabys, where he noshed down on an enormous falafel while I sipped a mint tea… Nova got the results of her flute exam today. She did brilliantly, earning a mark just short of a distinction, which is the highest score she’s ever received in a music exam… |
September 10, 2013My running schedule is messed up this week…:-( I’ve arranged to do a long run with Karen (a school mum who’s also doing the half-marathon) on Thursday, so my plan to run Wednesday and Friday is out the window…We’re pretty sure the cat has a tapeworm. She “ejected” a little white scrap the other day that looked like a grain of rice, except that it made little writhing movements. It was pretty yucky. Apparently, cats get worms a lot (from fleas!) and it generally doesn’t do them any harm. Nevertheless, I trundled down to the vets and bought her a £7 worm pill, which we are supposed to crush into her food. I also hoovered the hell out of her bed and gave her a flea treatment as well for good measure. According to the vet, we’re meant to be worming our cat every three months. News to me, and they would say that. At £7 a pop, those pills are a nice little earner. I do wonder what’s the point if the worms don’t do them any harm. And if they get them from fleas, they must be impossible for an outdoor cat to avoid… There were five kids in the house this afternoon. Lyra had her friend Margaux over, and Nova came back with Jess and Shira to do some work on a film they are making. I was roped in for a cameo appearance as the doctor who diagnoses Nova with lung cancer… Made a Vietnamese chicken salad for dinner. It was way too hot — even for me — but the kids little troupers about it. Though Lyra did ask, “Why don’t we eat normal food like the rest of the kids in my class?” Frozen berries for dessert with a white chocolate custard sauce. That went down very well with everyone. Watched the X Factor with Nova this evening, followed by the Great British Bake-off. It’s surprising to discover just how compelling baking can be, maybe because easier to identify with than the high-end cooking on Master Chef. I nearly tore a stomach muscle laughing at the contestants’ doomed attempts to extract their custard tarts from the baking tin. I’ve definitely been there… Snuck the pill into Cleo’s sachet, following the vet’s instructions. She’s such a picky eater, but she does love her sachet, so we’ll see how that goes… |
September 9, 2013Did another long run this morning — 1:33:00 this time. It wasn’t the transcendental experience of last time, but I felt pretty good throughout and finished strong.It’s time to start thinking about refueling during the run, which I’m feeling a bit anxious about. I tried those energy gels when I was training for the marathon ten years ago, and it didn’t work out that well. I found them very hard on the stomach. The first time I used one I had to duck into the bushes on Hampstead Heath. I did all my long runs in forest green after that experience…;-) I’m slowly starting to fall back into a work rhythm, but finding it hard. Partly because I don’t really want to do it, partly because I find it hard to motivate myself and to focus on work when I’m at home. I got stuck into the marketing site for a couple of hours and started on an estimate for a childrens’ clothing ecommerce site. Adam’s cousin Mel has done the designs and needs someone to build it in WordPress. Broke off in time to pick up Lyra,but I needn’t have bothered. She and Greta arranged an impromptu playdate in the playground, and I returned home empty handed. Actually, that’s not true. I staggered home beneath the various bags, bottles and books Lyra shleps to and from school each day. Adam had worked all night yesterday, and conked out by 9pm. I stayed up until almost midnight finishing The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling. It was pretty good, but I definitely liked Capital better. I read it on Nova’s Kindle, which is the first time I’ve done that. I liked it fine — it was easy to read and all that, and didn’t mind the screen. The main thing was that I didn’t like not knowing how far I was through the book. It tells you that you’ve read 68% or whatever, but it’s not the same as seeing how many pages you have left. |
September 8, 2013Did a solo Waitrose run this morning while the family did some early birthday shopping (for me!) in the village. Nova was off somewhere by lunch time — so made egg muffins for the rest of us. “What’s the difference between an egg muffin and an Egg McMuffin?” Lyra asked. One comes from McDonalds, basically…;-) And uses plastic cheese…Lyra was off to Greta’s seventh birthday party in the afternoon. Adam walked her over. They’d made the livingroom into a fairy grotto, and invited pretty much all the girls in the class. Sounds like it was a lovely party… Came across this online the other day. It is too true:
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September 7, 2013Not feeling particularly stiff after my long run yesterday, which is encouraging. Got a pretty good result on the scales for today’s weigh-in, which was also encouraging. (I thought that book group (or wine group as Adam calls it) might have knocked me off course. Collectively, we’ve lost 7.8 pounds this week, which keeps us on track to lose 100 pounds in 100 days…Went out for dinner with Adam’s two cousins and their wives. We met at a Turkish restaurant in Finchley. When I mentioned to one of my cousin-in-laws that I do WordPress sites great excitement ensued. Apparently, she’s pitching for a project that she needs a WordPress developer for… feck… Opted for the set menu to keep things simple. It started with a lovely array of hot and cold starters and big baskets of warm bread. I would have been happy with that, but we’d no sooner finished that off when two heaping platters of meat arrived: grilled lamb chops, lamb kofte, chicken kebabs, pieces of sausage. I thought that there was no way we’d make a dent in it, but I’d underestimated those Garfunkel guys. We asked for the leftovers to be packed up — not that I particularly wanted them, but I didn’t want to let them go to waste either… |
September 6, 2013
I helped Nova get organised and packed Lyra’s lunch before setting off at 7:45am for my long run. It was spitting a bit, but I opted against bringing my rain jacket, as it was otherwise quite warm, and the rain didn’t seem that “serious”. Wrong about the rain, but it wasn’t a problem. I’d choose cool (and even wet) over hot when I’m running.In fact, this was practically the best run I’ve ever had. My gait felt smooth and comfortable from the start, and my attitude was really positive as well. I thought I must be going slower to feel so good, but I was pretty much on pace.
I kept knocking off the miles, and feeling as good as ever. Didn’t even stop at 1:20:00, but kept on running ’til the top of the path. Those last couple of minutes, I was gliding along effortlessly, feeling just amazing, as if I could run forever.
It was fantastic, and left me in a great mood all day. Runners’ high, indeed! It made me feel proud of myself for all those runs I do week after week that don’t feel like that AT ALL, and yet I slog through them anyway…
Managed to knock of Capital in time for book group at the Wrestlers. Though this novel isn’t his best, John Lanchester is one of my favourite authors. The book is very London. I recognised all those characters who make up London life — City banker, trophy wife, old lady coping with inner city life, illegal immigrant, Pakistani shopkeeper, Polish builder, Hungarian nanny — and through the book I got to “know” them, and how London might look to their eyes.
I was very concious of tomorrow’s weigh-in, and restricted myself to two glasses of wine. Those pesky book groupies kept buying bags of crisps to share, which I dipped into a few times, but not the way I otherwise would have…
September 5, 2013
Nova seemed okay this morning in spite of the late night, but Lyra was tired and very grumpy. Managed to sneak a bento box lunch into her school bag — I hope that’ll cheer her up. She was tetchy with her friends in the playground before school started — and upset to the point of tears that no one listened when told them how she’d eaten four desserts.Headed round to Basil and Veronika’s for a visit after drop off. It’s little Marli’s first day of reception, and by next week both their girls will doing a full school day. Not having to drive back and forth between the school and Finsbury Park four times a day will certainly make their lives easier…
Managed to do some work in the afternoon, and also worked onCapital by John Lanchester, which I need to have read by book group tomorrow evening. Excellent book, but a lot to get through in two days.
Pasta for dinner — an amatriciana Nova’s request. I’m growing these tiny little chillies in the greenhouse, about the size of a fingernail clipping. Small, but deadly. I used one in the sauce, and it was so hot I thought it might prove too much for the girls. They managed it with an extra glass of milk…
Adam missed dinner, as he had an appointment to give blood then headed straight to the secondary school information night at Lyra’s school. Nova and a number of her former classmates who’ve gone to various schools were invited back to answer questions from parents about what it’s really like at Henrietta Barnett, or Highgate School or whatever.
Sounds like it went okay, though most of the questions seemed to be about doing well on the entrance exam. Seems a little strange, especially as they tweak the process each year, but I guess that’s what people are obsessing about.
Unlike some schools, HBS provides limited information about the test (some school publish the previous years’ papers). Some parents are annoyed about that, but I think it helps to level the playing field by preventing families with the resources and inclination to tutor for the test.
In bed by 10:15, once again ahead of Nova! I’m planning to run 1:20:00 tomorrow…eep!
September 4, 2013
Nova’s first day of school. She was very keen and organised this morning, setting an alarm and making her own breakfast. Did the usual school photos in front of the house before she headed off. It would be interesting to put them all together and see just how the time is rushing by.Went for a run after dropping Lyra at school. Only 3.5 miles, but that felt like plenty today. It was pretty hot and sticky, and that always does for me. Now that school is back in session, there was a gauntlet of parents and pleasantries to negotiate on the walk back.
I had Alex round for a playdate after school to fill the time before swimming lessons. Because it was Rosh Hashanah, I just gave them eggs and toast to eat before we walked over to the pool. There was some question about whether Lyra was going to be promoted to group 4 with Alex, but it seems to have been resolved. Lyra certainly applied herself, and held her own in the new group. Her backstroke is really quite good now, aside from her inability to swim in a straight line — she progresses in jags — diagonal, correct, diagonal, correct — like the teeth of a saw…
Headed straight to the Garfunkels for Rosh Hashanah dinner. Doron and his family were there, as well as Jeffrey (though no Jennifer, who’s feeling unwell). Apples and honey, chicken soup with kneidlach, challah, a lovely buffet of salads and cold cuts. I negotiated all that pretty adroitly, avoiding the challah, favouring the salads, and refusing top-ups of wine.
Came a cropper on the desserts though. Initially opting for the pears in lime jelly, I found myself unable to resist a small serving of Beulahs incomparable sticky toffee pudding. This proved to be a gateway dessert for me, and before long I was snarfing down a slab of honey cake as well. Still, in terms of delicious v calories ratio, both those desserts would score pretty highly. I’ve barely eaten a single breadstick since discovering how calorie-laden those nasty, dry, tasteless things are…
September 3, 2013
Lyra’s first day of school. She’s been champing at the bit for days, and was up first thing, and dressed and breakfasted with a good hour to spare. Just as well — we needed to wash out the overnight nit killing product and comb her hair through.It was surprisingly nice to see all Lyra’s classmates and their parents. Makes me realise that we are building a shared history with these people, and no doubt I feel as close to them as I did to Nova’s class in five years time when this chapter ends.
Nova’s last day at home — she starts tomorrow. We did her hair as well, then she headed off to hang out with Evelyn. She’s done a really good job of organising get togethers with her mates since we’ve been home. I notice she’s gained a bit of height on the other kids this summer, narrowing the gap with Shira and actually overtaking Sarah. When we measured both girls this morning, Nova was 4’10” and Lyra just over 4″.
Nova’s Kindle that she bought with her birthday money from Grandpa Ed arrived today. What a beautiful little device it is. I’ve never been tempted to go down the electric book route myself, but now we have one in the house, I’ll have a chance to try it out. Certainly makes sense for a voracious reader like Nova, whose bookshelves are bulging with books she has no intention of parting with.
Made a great dinner tonight: lemony-leek meatballs, roasted cauliflower salad and green salad. Dessert was apple-rhubarb crumble with all our own fruit. Had a very small serving of that — my weight loss is stubbornly stuck at one pound this week so far, and I have to negotiate a Rosh Hashanah dinner at Freddy and Beulah’s on Wednesday…
September 2, 2013
Last day of summer holidays… It has been short but it certainly feels like we’ve packed a lot in. Went for a long run this morning, doing 1:10:00 round the Heath. Tiring, but doable. Next long run, I’ll aim for 1:20:00…Found a neat app called Footpath that allows you to trace your running routes on a Google map with your finger to work out exactly how long they are. My Garmin thing is supposed to be doing that for me, but I find that the distances vary hugely from day to day, which throws out all the stats about distance, pace and so on. Actually, Footpath has just confirmed that my Highgate Wood loop is exactly 1 1/4 miles (as I always thought it was), and the basic Heath Loop is pretty much 10km…
September 1, 2013
Rabbits! Woke pretty early this morning — the luxurious, jetlag-induced lie-ins seem to have worn off. Crept upstairs without waking anyone and finished my novel. I’ve been reading The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern. A fantasy-romance story that tells the tale of a duel and love affair between two young magicians that takes place in a mysterious circus. Enjoyable escapism…Lyra headed round to Alex’s to play then onto a classmate’s birthday party. Adam headed off to an Arsenal match, and Nova holed up in her bedroom with Fay. I was left to my own devices for much of the afternoon. Put in a good stint in the garden, then had a go at making fish tacos.
I started by making my own flour tortillas, which wasn’t an unqualified success. I thought they were too thick and doughy, more like naan breads than tortillas. The tequila-marinated tilapia fillets were pretty tasty though, and with the shredded cabbage, coriander and chipotle mayo, they approached what I was aiming for. Look forward to refining that meal…
