10.8.10 ~ cat puppets

As a birthday treat for Alyx, I arranged for Robyn to do a puppet-making workshop with us while the boys went on their Emirates Stadium tour. Later, while Jake napped, we all played a quiet game of Uno for old times’ sake. In the evening, Paul and I took advantage of one last night of babysitting and went out for dinner at Mildred’s. Although we enjoyed it, we really just wanted to have a lie down in peace and quiet. And even at home with Tony, Jo & Alyx for company, Jake cried when we left and asked for us.

Alyx's kitty drying on the windowsill

My blue and orange cat

9.8.10 ~ 100 word diary

Tony, Jo & Alyx headed out for Buck House, Harrods & Hamley’s, Paul went back to work and Jake and I were suddenly left together in the silence after the whirlwind. I asked him if he wanted to go out and he replied, “No, later. Make it, trains” and proceeded to push used Paris metro tickets through a lego ticket machine. Even promises of icecream were met with, “No, busy.” But go out we did, if only to do some shopping. I was worried he would be sad to be without the others today, but he was calm and happy.

8.8.10 ~ 250 word diary (house trees & fried ice cream)

After a stressful start to the day, doing yet more laundry, being ignored by a moody Alyx and trying to get everyone organised to have breakfast and get dressed in time to Skype Mom & Dad before going out, things improved when we got to Kew Gardens.

After eventually dragging Jake away from the “pretty flowers”, at Alyx’s lead, we discovered and wandered into beautiful “house trees”, waited as the kids played in the new Plantastic play area, had lunch by the lake, fed geese, heard the odd laser-weapon sound of the Goldeneye duck, stopped and chilled out under some trees while Jake napped. Then began the trek for a Vietnamese restaurant (Pho for Jo – for medicinal purposes), which ended in us walking out of a Thai restaurant off Tottenham Court Road, then Paul, Jake & Alyx going home and me, Tony & Jo staying in Central London and discovering the fab Thai Metro restaurant on Charlotte Street and having a pretty darn good time. We ordered spring rolls and chicken satay to start, then Weeping Tiger (sizzling rare beef with chilli soy sauce) with rice, a noodle dish we don’t often find on menus outside of Thailand, stir fried vegetables and Tom Yum soup. For dessert, Tony had coconut icecream, Jo had chocolate and I had fried ice cream. Vanilla fried in batter and covered in cream and some sort of syrup. The first time I’ve ever had it, and probably the last. Delicious but so bad for me.

In the "house tree"

7.8.10 ~ 100 word diary

Another day of being tourists in London. Started off at Tower Hill then walked along the Thames up to Waterloo Bridge, passing Southwark Catheral, The Globe and Tate Modern -where the Turbine Hall was pronounced as boring by Jo and I got stupidly offended, but made up for it by buying myself children’s books on Paul Klee and Hundertwasser. A late lunch at Wahaca jollied us up. Jake napped as we walked up to Westminster for photos of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Then more walking to Pimlico (with an ice cream stop) before getting the tube home.

Having my brother around, I recognise in him so many of
the weird and wonderful quirks I have and feel comforted.

6.8.10 ~ 100 word diary (returning)

I had just been getting my bearings, warming up to and enjoying Paris. Then we left. There was unexpected culture shock, even for me, but I now wish we’d had more time there. Tony & Jo were, unfortunately, disappointed by Paris. They’d had very romantic notions of it and did not expect it to be the way it was. So they were very happy to be back in London. I felt out of sorts at first, but quickly got back into the swing of things. Getting back home and having everyone’s mountain of laundry to start on saw to that.

The drawing Alyx made in the Visitor's Book
of the apartment we stayed in.
It's her & Jake.

5.8.10 ~ 100 word diary (in Paris: Pschitt and stuff)

Tony & Jo head off for another try at the Louvre and the rest of us explore the Jardins de Luxembourg. We stop for some time at the playground and then later stop for another disappointing lunch. Alyx’s hot dog was too French (in a baguette and covered in melted cheese) and my panini was not Italian enough. The chips were good though, and Alyx enjoyed her Pschitt. We all met up later for a wander through Ile de la Cite, where Jake made us all carry him while running until we chanced upon a picturesque playground near a monument.

In the playground of the Jardins de Luxembourg

A monument

4.8.10 ~ 300 word diary (in Paris: mishaps, Shakespeare & Co and fear of torture)

While Alyx, Paul, Jake & I wandered through the Musee d’Orsay, Tony & Jo tried to get in the Louvre but gave up when they saw the queues. So we met for lunch where Tony had a burger served without a bun which he will never forget. Then we got on the Batobus (boat) for Notre Dame (which I didn’t like as much as the Sacre Coeur), and Shakespeare & Co where I could’ve stayed happily for several hours. Even Jake enjoyed the children’s section and Alyx sat reading The Book of Genesis by Robert Crumb.

Later, another boat trip to look up the skirts of the Eiffel Tower and then back to the apartment. Leaving Jake with Tony, Jo &Alyx, Paul & I went out for our first night out alone together for over two years. We went to Au Grain de Folie, a veggie restaurant in Montmartre. The food was good but there was one (very charming) woman doing everything and we had to wait half an hour for a menu and over an hour for our food. By the time we’d finished our meal, we decided to have our apple crumble takeaway since we wanted to get back in time to put Jake to bed ourselves. In truth, Paul started us both worrying that Jo was going to simply lock Jake in the bedroom and let him scream himself to sleep the way she did with Alyx when she was Jake’s age. So the end of our meal was somewhat tainted by fears of Jake being mistreated. Of course no such thing happened, though Jo reported that Jake was sad the whole time we were gone and clearly missed us, crying a lot and wandering around the apartment looking for us. Even Alyx couldn’t cheer him up.

Forgetting my hat and having to wear Paul's

No photography is allowed inside museums, galleries or Churches in Paris.
This was a poster outside the Musee d'Orsay.
Kind of lucky, since it was also my favourite painting in the Musee.

Notre Dame, detail

A park near Notre Dame and Shakespeare & Co

I think I might need a tissue Daddy.

3.8.10 ~ 100 word diary (in Paris)

A mad day full of epic meandering, starting at the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs d’Elysee, to a tranquil park for snacks, then past the British Embassy where Tony got told off for taking photos, past Place de la Concorde to Opera, where Alyx was accosted by a filthy giant chicken, then lunch. I had the most tasteless salad ever and Jake gave himself tomato-sauce face from eating pasta, and then finally back to Montmartre for the grand but quietly impressive Sacre Coeur, despite the tourists, with an essential stop for ice cream and sorbet eaten with cardboard “spoons”.

Hmmmm, how did that happen?

Improvised "spoons"

Sacre Coeur

3.8.10 ~ 100 word diary (in Paris)

The view from one of the bedrooms of our rented apartment

Travelling everywhere should be as simple and easy as getting to Paris on the Eurostar. Even Jake enjoyed the journey. The Paris Metro made me realise how good the London Underground really is. We arrived in Montmartre in the rain and went the wrong way to our rented apartment on foot, but all was forgiven when we stepped through the door. On a private street and four floors up, it’s the poshest place I’ve ever stayed. But cosy too. After getting settled and having takeaway kebabs for dinner, we wandered around the neighbourhood and found a lovely park and playground.

The private road our apartment was on

Catching up ~ 31.7.10 & 1.8.10 (100 word diary entries)

31.7.10


Took the family to the British Museum and Covent Garden to be tourists for a day. I’d forgotten how crazy busy and full of tourists London can be on a weekend in August. I couldn’t help feeling fed up and annoyed. Jake wasn’t too happy either. We didn’t make it to Trafalgar Square or the National Gallery as they all had to head off to the Emirates Stadium to watch Arsenal play in the Emirates Cup. Jake and I headed home where he didn’t nap and we spent the afternoon and early evening watching Mr Tumble and playing with trains.

Kew at The British Museum

Assyria

1.8.10

Took Jo & Alyx to Epping Forest to go horseback riding. The rest of us wandered through the forest while waiting. Jake and Paul played by a lake. I was immersed in The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest. Afterwards, we had a disappointing lunch at the Queen Elizabeth pub. We learned the hard way that you should just have the roast when you go to Sunday lunch at a pub. The carvery meals looked wonderful. Our meals were not. After, they headed off to the Emirates and Jake and I headed home. He napped and I packed for Paris.

Jo on Moggie

On holiday...

I'm off on holiday tomorrow for a week in Paris.  Oooh la la hoorah hoorah!
See you when I'm back.