In honour of our 14th wedding anniversary, Jules made a chocolate bread and butter pudding with apricot and orange glaze - delish!
We also went to Hugo's at Queens Park for brunch. Sofia slept through it all in her pushchair and only woke up as we turned into our street on the way home.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Anniversary pudding
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Officially a person...
We took Sofia out in the pushchair today, all the way to the Camden Town Hall near Kings Cross. We took the Thameslink train there, which was an interesting experience. Lucky there were two of us to carry the pushchair up and down all the stairs inside the stations at either end.
Registering Sofia's birth was a painless exercise - we got shown into the registrar's office and she filled in all the details for the birth certificate on her computer and printed us out several copies, as requested.
So now we have everything we need to apply for Sofia's flash red passport - everything except her passport photo, which I'm not sure how we're going to get. You can do it in a photo booth apparently, so long as your hands are not showing. So she may need to learn to hold her head up first!
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Childbirth is not all bad
This was taken soon after the birth, proving that childbirth is not always as horrific as everyone says. Or perhaps it is horrific, but once you're holding your child you forget. It's hard to tell afterwards!
Meant to be a Heath...
Meant to be a Heath, originally uploaded by Racmol.
Sofia Madeline Matheson Heath was born at the Heath Birth Centre, Royal Free Hospital, Hampstead, London.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Panicky parents
We took Sofia out for her first outing in her huge, all-terrain New Zealand made pushchair yesterday. She was wearing her merino hat and blanket that her Grandma gave her and then another fleece blanket on top of that. It was about 12 degrees and cloudy outside.
We walked over to Finchley Road, about a twenty-minute walk. When we were almost there we had to stop to check she was still breathing under all those layers. She was lying very still but eventually she screwed up her face when we poked her gently.
Then we went to a kitchen shop to buy a big container to sterilise the breast pump in. That took about five minutes. From there I went into Boots and Jules walked her around the block.
After that, I suggested we go to Homebase and get another vase, as I knew we had some more flowers from my work arriving that day. (The card came separately and said 'flowers to be delivered on Friday'.) Jules refused, as he was starting to panic that Sofia wasn't warm enough. So I quickly bought a vase in Wilton & Noble, a very posh gift shop, and then we scurried home. Sofia started to cry about five minutes away from home, and our main reaction was of relief that she was ok.
So anyway, she doesn't have a cold and she doesn't seem to have suffered any ill effects from her outing but her parents were a nervous wreck by the time we all got home.
Today she has basically spent the day in bed. She's always been able to sleep anywhere and through anything so I don't think we can say that she's particularly tired after her day out.
Anyway she will have to wake up soon, as the midwife is coming to do a heel prick test. That will be the second needle she's has to deal with in her first week of life. I just hope she's tougher than she looks!
We walked over to Finchley Road, about a twenty-minute walk. When we were almost there we had to stop to check she was still breathing under all those layers. She was lying very still but eventually she screwed up her face when we poked her gently.
Then we went to a kitchen shop to buy a big container to sterilise the breast pump in. That took about five minutes. From there I went into Boots and Jules walked her around the block.
After that, I suggested we go to Homebase and get another vase, as I knew we had some more flowers from my work arriving that day. (The card came separately and said 'flowers to be delivered on Friday'.) Jules refused, as he was starting to panic that Sofia wasn't warm enough. So I quickly bought a vase in Wilton & Noble, a very posh gift shop, and then we scurried home. Sofia started to cry about five minutes away from home, and our main reaction was of relief that she was ok.
So anyway, she doesn't have a cold and she doesn't seem to have suffered any ill effects from her outing but her parents were a nervous wreck by the time we all got home.
Today she has basically spent the day in bed. She's always been able to sleep anywhere and through anything so I don't think we can say that she's particularly tired after her day out.
Anyway she will have to wake up soon, as the midwife is coming to do a heel prick test. That will be the second needle she's has to deal with in her first week of life. I just hope she's tougher than she looks!
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Sofia's birth - the good, the bad and the gruesome
It all started about 3 am Monday, when I went to the toilet and sprung a slight leak on the way down the stairs. It did occur to me that this might be my waters breaking but I also thought 'Hmm - clearly I haven't done enough pelvic floor exercises and now I'm losing control of my bladder - how embarassing!'
So I went back to bed and fell asleep again, not giving it another thought.
At about 7 am, Jules and I got up and I told him about this. He said 'Do you want me to stay home?' and I said 'Well, I guess you could take the morning off and we could go see the obstetrician at least.' (I had an appointment to see her at 11 am anyway.)
By the time I was having breakfast at 8 I was having slight period cramp-type feelings. So I rang the Birth Centre midwife and had a very calm conversation, in which she said 'Oh well, come in at 11 for your appointment and we'll see.'
By 9 o'clock they were definite contractions, so I called back and this time she said 'Ignore your obstetrician appointment and come up to the Day Assessment Unit.'
Jules rang a cab around 9.30 and when it arrived at 9.40 I was struggling to be able to walk down the stairs. I had several really strong contractions on the way to the hospital and was very glad the traffic was light. At 10 am we got to the hospital and I got out of the cab and leant heavily against a parked car. Then we got into the lift and I had to lean against the wall there as well. When we got to the 5th floor birth centre reception, it was closed and you couldn't get through the doors as they had a security system. I just held onto the railing around the wall and moaned.
Luckily a passing midwife spotted us and nipped through to get help. Two days later she dropped into the ward and said 'Oh, hello, so you had your baby then.' I just looked at her - I had no idea who she was. I vaguely remembered meeting someone quite helpful and female, but I had no idea of any details like what she looked like.
So we were shown straight through into a private room in the birth centre. I took off all my clothes immediately and got into a nightshirt and the midwife (Suzie, very nice) examined me and said 'You're fully dilated.' Which was an incredible surprise - basically I was going to have the baby in less than 2 hours!
Then there was some time where I just squatted beside the bed and moaned a lot, with Jules saying 'You're doing really well, Rac' and rubbing my back and Suzie checking occasionally with a mirror and saying things like 'Well, there's the baby's head.'
Then I was allowed to push, which was a huge relief - it was all I felt like doing by that point. Jules told me later that when Suzie said to stop pushing and pant, it was because the head was out and she had to hook the cord over the head but I had no idea what was happening at the time.
And I did that thing that I was sure would be humiliating and embarrassing - i.e. squeezing out a poo while you're pushing - but Suzie just folded up the padded square that it fell onto and whisked it away. (Jules says, for the record, that he also did this and some bottom-wiping. I'm sure that this is more information than anyone wants, but isn't he a trooper?)
These padded squares are great - just like a sanitary towel only about ten times the size - there was a whole trash can full of them covered in blood and gunge by the end but the room was still clean.
So Sofia came out in a rush and Suzie grabbed her and handed her to Jules. Then I was told to lean back into a bean bag and they gave her to me, all covered in vernix (white gunge) and with the cord still attached. And apparently I made funny noises and said 'Oh, there you are' and was quite emotional. I just remember someone telling me it was a little girl - and being thrilled it was over.
Except it wasn't - then they had to get the placenta out (a natural delivery, not sped up by an injection. Suzie asked me and I said that was what I wanted - apparently hospitals are often too busy and go for the injection, not because it's better but because it's faster.) That was ok, but it was absolutely massive - at least as big as Sofia.
And then my uterus wouldn't contract properly and I lost 350 mls of blood so I had to have a syntocinon drip put in and stay connected to that for four hours.
I also had a small tear so that had to be stitched. On Sunday I had read the handout from NCT class about doing perineal massage and thought to myself 'Yeah, I should start doing that really, so I don't tear'. Oops - too late! They had to insert a large tampon thing to stop the bleeding from the uterus getting in the way and that REALLY hurt. That was actually worse than the labour! Most of the stitches are internal - you can only see one at the surface.
Jules meanwhile had Sofia to hold and she was weighed (5 lbs 8 oz or 2506 grams) and had her Vitamin K injection in the thigh which she really didn't like.
Sofia was born at 11.18 am and we got to stay in the private room until 11.30pm. Then I got wheeled down to the postnatal ward, where four mothers share a big room with four curtained cubicles and Jules had to go home.
The paediatrician came to visit at 1 am, which was a bit weird. She was meant to come during the day but ran out of time. Anyway Sofia was fine - just a bit small but without any obvious problems.
All in all I have no complaints about the Heath Birth Centre or the Royal Free Hospital. The food was pretty good and there was plenty of it which was lucky because I was ravenous the whole time. It also had plenty of fibre e.g. bran flakes for breakfast and lots of fruit and vegetables so when I finally had a bowel movement it was not painful and I didn't worry about the stitches breaking, which the books say most people panic about, because they're quite constipated. Have I talked enough about bowel movements yet or do people want more?!
Several people demonstrated breastfeeding for me, but the most useful person was not the breastfeeding specialist but one of the midwives who had similar-sized breasts to me and showed me what she would do if she were me. And that worked - whereas some of the other holds and positions just didn't.
I stayed two nights in hospital because there was a mix-up with my paperwork, which only the obstetrician could sort out, and she was unavailable at the end of day two. But that worked out well, because Sofia finally got the hang of breastfeeding the second night.
Jules was delighted that the birth centre had his surname in its title, and we took a picture of Sofia in her carseat under the 'Heath Birth Centre' sign. The tag around Sofia's ankle said 'Baby Matheson' but I'm happy for her to be a Heath, when it comes down to it.
All in all it was a positive experience and one that Jules has just described as 'probably the greatest experience of my life'. We feel very lucky.
So I went back to bed and fell asleep again, not giving it another thought.
At about 7 am, Jules and I got up and I told him about this. He said 'Do you want me to stay home?' and I said 'Well, I guess you could take the morning off and we could go see the obstetrician at least.' (I had an appointment to see her at 11 am anyway.)
By the time I was having breakfast at 8 I was having slight period cramp-type feelings. So I rang the Birth Centre midwife and had a very calm conversation, in which she said 'Oh well, come in at 11 for your appointment and we'll see.'
By 9 o'clock they were definite contractions, so I called back and this time she said 'Ignore your obstetrician appointment and come up to the Day Assessment Unit.'
Jules rang a cab around 9.30 and when it arrived at 9.40 I was struggling to be able to walk down the stairs. I had several really strong contractions on the way to the hospital and was very glad the traffic was light. At 10 am we got to the hospital and I got out of the cab and leant heavily against a parked car. Then we got into the lift and I had to lean against the wall there as well. When we got to the 5th floor birth centre reception, it was closed and you couldn't get through the doors as they had a security system. I just held onto the railing around the wall and moaned.
Luckily a passing midwife spotted us and nipped through to get help. Two days later she dropped into the ward and said 'Oh, hello, so you had your baby then.' I just looked at her - I had no idea who she was. I vaguely remembered meeting someone quite helpful and female, but I had no idea of any details like what she looked like.
So we were shown straight through into a private room in the birth centre. I took off all my clothes immediately and got into a nightshirt and the midwife (Suzie, very nice) examined me and said 'You're fully dilated.' Which was an incredible surprise - basically I was going to have the baby in less than 2 hours!
Then there was some time where I just squatted beside the bed and moaned a lot, with Jules saying 'You're doing really well, Rac' and rubbing my back and Suzie checking occasionally with a mirror and saying things like 'Well, there's the baby's head.'
Then I was allowed to push, which was a huge relief - it was all I felt like doing by that point. Jules told me later that when Suzie said to stop pushing and pant, it was because the head was out and she had to hook the cord over the head but I had no idea what was happening at the time.
And I did that thing that I was sure would be humiliating and embarrassing - i.e. squeezing out a poo while you're pushing - but Suzie just folded up the padded square that it fell onto and whisked it away. (Jules says, for the record, that he also did this and some bottom-wiping. I'm sure that this is more information than anyone wants, but isn't he a trooper?)
These padded squares are great - just like a sanitary towel only about ten times the size - there was a whole trash can full of them covered in blood and gunge by the end but the room was still clean.
So Sofia came out in a rush and Suzie grabbed her and handed her to Jules. Then I was told to lean back into a bean bag and they gave her to me, all covered in vernix (white gunge) and with the cord still attached. And apparently I made funny noises and said 'Oh, there you are' and was quite emotional. I just remember someone telling me it was a little girl - and being thrilled it was over.
Except it wasn't - then they had to get the placenta out (a natural delivery, not sped up by an injection. Suzie asked me and I said that was what I wanted - apparently hospitals are often too busy and go for the injection, not because it's better but because it's faster.) That was ok, but it was absolutely massive - at least as big as Sofia.
And then my uterus wouldn't contract properly and I lost 350 mls of blood so I had to have a syntocinon drip put in and stay connected to that for four hours.
I also had a small tear so that had to be stitched. On Sunday I had read the handout from NCT class about doing perineal massage and thought to myself 'Yeah, I should start doing that really, so I don't tear'. Oops - too late! They had to insert a large tampon thing to stop the bleeding from the uterus getting in the way and that REALLY hurt. That was actually worse than the labour! Most of the stitches are internal - you can only see one at the surface.
Jules meanwhile had Sofia to hold and she was weighed (5 lbs 8 oz or 2506 grams) and had her Vitamin K injection in the thigh which she really didn't like.
Sofia was born at 11.18 am and we got to stay in the private room until 11.30pm. Then I got wheeled down to the postnatal ward, where four mothers share a big room with four curtained cubicles and Jules had to go home.
The paediatrician came to visit at 1 am, which was a bit weird. She was meant to come during the day but ran out of time. Anyway Sofia was fine - just a bit small but without any obvious problems.
All in all I have no complaints about the Heath Birth Centre or the Royal Free Hospital. The food was pretty good and there was plenty of it which was lucky because I was ravenous the whole time. It also had plenty of fibre e.g. bran flakes for breakfast and lots of fruit and vegetables so when I finally had a bowel movement it was not painful and I didn't worry about the stitches breaking, which the books say most people panic about, because they're quite constipated. Have I talked enough about bowel movements yet or do people want more?!
Several people demonstrated breastfeeding for me, but the most useful person was not the breastfeeding specialist but one of the midwives who had similar-sized breasts to me and showed me what she would do if she were me. And that worked - whereas some of the other holds and positions just didn't.
I stayed two nights in hospital because there was a mix-up with my paperwork, which only the obstetrician could sort out, and she was unavailable at the end of day two. But that worked out well, because Sofia finally got the hang of breastfeeding the second night.
Jules was delighted that the birth centre had his surname in its title, and we took a picture of Sofia in her carseat under the 'Heath Birth Centre' sign. The tag around Sofia's ankle said 'Baby Matheson' but I'm happy for her to be a Heath, when it comes down to it.
All in all it was a positive experience and one that Jules has just described as 'probably the greatest experience of my life'. We feel very lucky.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Sofia Madeline has arrived
Born on the 26th Feb at 11:18am
Weighs just 2.5 kg
I'll leave the proper post till her Mum gets back from the hospital, which should be later on today. It happened very quickly. Rac's waters broke at 3am and she went back to bed. At 7am she complained of some period cramping, we left for the hospital at 9:30 and Sofia was with us at 11:18. It all went really well, we had the birthing room til 23:30 when Rac was transferred to the Maternity ward. She's now sharing a room with 3 other mothers.
p.s. Bump's name is subject to change - we have 6 weeks to register her.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Saturday, February 24, 2007
With a little bit of luck...
...this could be our new garden, complete with summer house, currently used as a studio by the resident painter. There is also a patio area for barbeques at the back door, which is where the photographer must have been standing when taking this photo.
We made an offer on a lovely 2-bedroom garden flat in Queen's Park today and the vendors accepted. Of course, under the English system it can all still fall through up until the very last minute, but we're very happy - and relieved not to have to give up our dream of living in Queen's Park and be exiled to South East London. It is just what we wanted, and just where we wanted to be as well.
It also means I can keep all my healthcare arrangements the same and we stay close to all the people we met in our antenatal class, my new friend Angeline and Geoff and Heike. And it's just a ten-minute walk to Kilburn on the Jubilee Line.
Bump's room has already got a large built-in bookcase and cunning shelving over the top of the door, which is inhabited at the moment by Paddington Bear, some of his friends and a lot of books and toy vehicles.
The only thing is that the vendors still have to find a new house to buy so it won't be a quick process. However, we could probably do with some breathing space to adjust to some of the other changes in our lives in the next few weeks...
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Pidgin Post - brief update due to sore hands
Carpal tunnel syndrome means typing hurts so, in brief:
- my lens sold for £44 + 9.95 postage and packaging - a good result
- we made an offer on a garden flat in Kingsgate Road, just around the corner here, and missed out by a couple of thousand pounds
- 4/5ths of the baby's head can be felt above my pelvis
- we went to see Hot Fuzz and loved it - could have been cut by about five minutes but in all other respects very funny and very English
- I went to see another more expensive garden flat in Queen's Park that I absolutely love (example of fantasticness: a summer house in the garden that the current owners use as a painting studio) and I'm taking Jules to see it on Saturday
- my blood pressure is slightly raised and there is protein in my pee (again) so I have to go back in tomorrow to have it checked out. They're muttering about beginnings of pre-eclampsia and induction again but last time this happened it turned out to be a minor blip so I'm not worried, just sick of having so many appointments
- Angeline and I went for a swim at Swiss Cottage yesterday - turns out my new friend is 6 years younger than me (as well as five weeks less pregnant) so I don't feel so bad about how many lengths she fits into a half hour swim, or the fact that she's run 'oh, a few' half-marathons...
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
No longer an ebay virgin...
Good things about being a SAHM:
I'm also in the process of selling my 70-300mm lens, because it won't work with my digital SLR, only old-fashioned SLR cameras. It has so far attracted two bids and 20 people are watching it. Quite exciting really.
And yes, maybe I DO need to get out more.
In other news, today I descaled the kettle. Oh, the glamour of my life...
- local organic shopkeepers give you a complimentary pain au chocolat when you buy bulk raspberry leaf tea
- you've got time to sell stuff you don't want on ebay
I'm also in the process of selling my 70-300mm lens, because it won't work with my digital SLR, only old-fashioned SLR cameras. It has so far attracted two bids and 20 people are watching it. Quite exciting really.
And yes, maybe I DO need to get out more.
In other news, today I descaled the kettle. Oh, the glamour of my life...
Monday, February 19, 2007
Househunting blues and baby coffee dates
I had the best day today - felt like a real lady who lunches and goes shopping for fun.
I met my new baby-friend Angeline (another MW wife) at Caffe Nero on Kilburn High Road and we discussed exciting topics like pushchairs, perineal massage, nursing bras and our husbands for two hours - before going baby-shopping at Adams.
We're meeting again on Wednesday for a swim and another coffee/herbal tea at Swiss Cottage. Revelation: staying at home is actually fun if you have someone to play with!
Note to Robert: Following your advice, I bought 10 (TEN) bibs today. Will that be enough to be getting on with, or (I'm guessing) woefully inadequate?
The house-hunting continues. We decided not to offer on the granny and grandad 1930s house in Brockley because Jules didn't like it as much as I did, even though it was nice and cheap. And if we're honest, we still want to live in a garden flat in Queen's Park as we love the area.
So the search goes on - kind of frustrating, but I figure every house we see gives us a better idea of what's out there. There is a garden flat that looks lovely that is available in Queens Park - right at the top end of our budget - so I'm going to see that one day this week hopefully.
In other news, Bump's All Blacks polarfleece arrived today (size 6-9 months) so now we're all ready for the World Cup! I also got him/her an All Blacks kiwi (small) to save Wom from harrassment...
I met my new baby-friend Angeline (another MW wife) at Caffe Nero on Kilburn High Road and we discussed exciting topics like pushchairs, perineal massage, nursing bras and our husbands for two hours - before going baby-shopping at Adams.
We're meeting again on Wednesday for a swim and another coffee/herbal tea at Swiss Cottage. Revelation: staying at home is actually fun if you have someone to play with!
Note to Robert: Following your advice, I bought 10 (TEN) bibs today. Will that be enough to be getting on with, or (I'm guessing) woefully inadequate?
The house-hunting continues. We decided not to offer on the granny and grandad 1930s house in Brockley because Jules didn't like it as much as I did, even though it was nice and cheap. And if we're honest, we still want to live in a garden flat in Queen's Park as we love the area.
So the search goes on - kind of frustrating, but I figure every house we see gives us a better idea of what's out there. There is a garden flat that looks lovely that is available in Queens Park - right at the top end of our budget - so I'm going to see that one day this week hopefully.
In other news, Bump's All Blacks polarfleece arrived today (size 6-9 months) so now we're all ready for the World Cup! I also got him/her an All Blacks kiwi (small) to save Wom from harrassment...
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Thierry Henry, Arsenal v Blackburn Rovers
Taken by me with Jules's little IXUS. I'm quite proud that I actually got the ball in motion for once.
It was a lovely sunny day, but sadly a 0-0 draw. Better than a loss, of course, but disappointing all the same.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Scan results: smaller than average but still growing
So we went for the foetal growth scan plus doppler scan this morning. In short, the results are that the baby is still smaller than average but the abdominal circumference has picked up a bit and the bloodflow from the placenta and to the brain is all looking good.
So Bump listened to Jules's pep talks and has put a good effort into getting bigger. It's all a big relief that our baby can now come when it's ready and doesn't need to be induced.
And in other news, Matt got us tickets to Arsenal v Blackburn in the FA Cup tomorrow. Very excited - am practising all my chants.
"We love you, Fre-eddy because you've got no hair,
we love you, Fre-eddy because you're everywhere...'
So Bump listened to Jules's pep talks and has put a good effort into getting bigger. It's all a big relief that our baby can now come when it's ready and doesn't need to be induced.
And in other news, Matt got us tickets to Arsenal v Blackburn in the FA Cup tomorrow. Very excited - am practising all my chants.
"We love you, Fre-eddy because you've got no hair,
we love you, Fre-eddy because you're everywhere...'
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Standing up to the transport police
Today after I had lunch with Jules I leapt on a bus to come home and swiped my Oyster across the pad. The bus driver called me back as I hadn't had quite enough money on it and I hadn't noticed. So I got out a £10 note to give him and he said 'NO, you can buy tickets at that machine out there.'
Me: OK - are you going to wait for me?
Him: I can't wait - look at the traffic.
Me: Well, I'm not getting off then.
I went and sat down and my heart was pounding like crazy. I thought - I've done something illegal, I'm going to be kicked off the bus, there'll be a fine - what will my parents say?
Three stops down the road I realised that you CAN still buy bus tickets with cash, but the driver was just too lazy to cash my £10 note. So now I'm feeling very proud that I stood up for myself for once and didn't let the public transport nazis intimidate me. OK, so I thought I was committing a crime, but I did it very assertively!
Me: OK - are you going to wait for me?
Him: I can't wait - look at the traffic.
Me: Well, I'm not getting off then.
I went and sat down and my heart was pounding like crazy. I thought - I've done something illegal, I'm going to be kicked off the bus, there'll be a fine - what will my parents say?
Three stops down the road I realised that you CAN still buy bus tickets with cash, but the driver was just too lazy to cash my £10 note. So now I'm feeling very proud that I stood up for myself for once and didn't let the public transport nazis intimidate me. OK, so I thought I was committing a crime, but I did it very assertively!
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Bump - nothing like his/her parents
Our baby has a smaller than average abdominal circumference. It used to be average and now the rate of growth has slowed down. The obstetrician is concerned and has ordered a doppler scan for this Friday. If the rate of growth is still slow, or has decreased further, then she may decide to induce two weeks early. Which would be (gulp) 25 February or thereabouts.
Obstetrician: But there's no point eating an extra 1000 calories a day - because if the placenta isn't delivering nutrition, it won't make any difference how much you eat.
Me: That's good - I'm not sure I could fit them in.
Obstetrician: Yes you could - it's just a couple of donuts!
Just to be on the safe side, I have been eating a lot anyway and taking my fish oil and prenatal supplements religiously. So we'll see, come Friday, if Bump has gained anything from this, or whether it will all go on my hips.
Every night Jules says sternly: 'Come on, Bump, you're still not pushing your mum's belly button out.'
Poor Bump - maybe s/he is just small. It's not a crime, is it?
Obstetrician: But there's no point eating an extra 1000 calories a day - because if the placenta isn't delivering nutrition, it won't make any difference how much you eat.
Me: That's good - I'm not sure I could fit them in.
Obstetrician: Yes you could - it's just a couple of donuts!
Just to be on the safe side, I have been eating a lot anyway and taking my fish oil and prenatal supplements religiously. So we'll see, come Friday, if Bump has gained anything from this, or whether it will all go on my hips.
Every night Jules says sternly: 'Come on, Bump, you're still not pushing your mum's belly button out.'
Poor Bump - maybe s/he is just small. It's not a crime, is it?
Monday, February 12, 2007
Strange but true: bloggers blog for comments
Recently my number one commenter (no prizes for guessing who that is) said that he felt he was monopolising the comments area and should scale back his comments. This is just plain wrong, for two reasons.
No blogger ever complained about getting too many comments. What is discouraging, however, is when you devote a Sunday morning to creating a slideshow of your husband trying valiantly to assemble a crib and then NOONE COMMENTS. Did they see it? Did they like it? Did they laugh? You'll never know if they don't comment.
Some people of course prefer to email their comments privately, which is fine, but it does mean your blog displays 'O comments' at the bottom of your post, and no blogger likes to see that.
So let's have a reader poll - after 18 months of trekking with tigers (reborn as SAHM SAHM but different), is it worth continuing? Does anybody care one way or the other?
No blogger ever complained about getting too many comments. What is discouraging, however, is when you devote a Sunday morning to creating a slideshow of your husband trying valiantly to assemble a crib and then NOONE COMMENTS. Did they see it? Did they like it? Did they laugh? You'll never know if they don't comment.
Some people of course prefer to email their comments privately, which is fine, but it does mean your blog displays 'O comments' at the bottom of your post, and no blogger likes to see that.
So let's have a reader poll - after 18 months of trekking with tigers (reborn as SAHM SAHM but different), is it worth continuing? Does anybody care one way or the other?
A mouse in the house
When we got home from house-hunting on Saturday afternoon, Jules said 'Ooh!' as he came in the front door. He'd just seen a mouse run down our stairs and into the cupboard under the stairs where the vacuum cleaner lives.
So that would explain that funny smell we hadn't been able to identify, but that seems like it's coming from under the floorboards in the living room and the spare bedroom.
Later, when we went looking in that cupboard for the screwdrivers to put the crib together with, the mouse ran out and into the kitchen and disappeared through a hole in the corner of the joinery between the oven and the sink. We haven't seen it since.
On Sunday I bought two traditional mouse traps and Jules baited them with peanut butter and we tried hard to put them somewhere where we wouldn't stand on them in the night. One is in the kitchen under the vegetable basket drawer thing and the other is behind the door in the spare bedroom.
My other choice was to go for a glue trap, which traps the mouse's paws in glue and then you have to 'dispatch the mouse humanely' yourself. How mean is that - leaving the mouse stuck in glue for hours awaiting its own demise? Or I could have had straightforward poison but then what happens if the mouse dies under the floorboards? Very smelly...
Anyway our mouse is too smart for us as both traps were untouched this morning. It is obviously too well-fed (it's quite a large mouse) and the peanut butter is not tempting enough.
Maybe the problem is that there are enough biscuit crumbs etc on the floor already to keep it going for some time. Note to self: sweep kitchen floor.
Ah well, I've always wanted a pet and this one is no different to my cat Fleur - she used to run away when I tried to get to know her better too. Like I said, this mouse is one smart cookie.
So that would explain that funny smell we hadn't been able to identify, but that seems like it's coming from under the floorboards in the living room and the spare bedroom.
Later, when we went looking in that cupboard for the screwdrivers to put the crib together with, the mouse ran out and into the kitchen and disappeared through a hole in the corner of the joinery between the oven and the sink. We haven't seen it since.
On Sunday I bought two traditional mouse traps and Jules baited them with peanut butter and we tried hard to put them somewhere where we wouldn't stand on them in the night. One is in the kitchen under the vegetable basket drawer thing and the other is behind the door in the spare bedroom.
My other choice was to go for a glue trap, which traps the mouse's paws in glue and then you have to 'dispatch the mouse humanely' yourself. How mean is that - leaving the mouse stuck in glue for hours awaiting its own demise? Or I could have had straightforward poison but then what happens if the mouse dies under the floorboards? Very smelly...
Anyway our mouse is too smart for us as both traps were untouched this morning. It is obviously too well-fed (it's quite a large mouse) and the peanut butter is not tempting enough.
Maybe the problem is that there are enough biscuit crumbs etc on the floor already to keep it going for some time. Note to self: sweep kitchen floor.
Ah well, I've always wanted a pet and this one is no different to my cat Fleur - she used to run away when I tried to get to know her better too. Like I said, this mouse is one smart cookie.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Handyman Jules - kitset crib assembly 101
Visit flickr for the brand new slideshow of Jules putting the crib together last night. Hours of entertainment...
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Friday, February 09, 2007
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
By popular request: Isla sings 'Hey baby'
Now you can all watch Harold's video of Isla singing 'Hey baby' in the car on youtube.com.
If you enjoy it, why not rate the video (out of 5 stars) or leave a comment on Youtube?
If you enjoy it, why not rate the video (out of 5 stars) or leave a comment on Youtube?
Monday, February 05, 2007
Start of the new regime
...and the blog's reinvention as a photo blog, due to the author's carpal tunnel syndrome. Expect few words for a few weeks.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Temo and his penguin are not to be separated
I thought I had blogged this story, but it turns out I had only emailed it to some people. So here is an excerpt from an email to Annie that explains what happened just before this photo was taken.
"Ruth's visit was good - Temo knows who we are now and is a lot more talkative.
Best moment was when we went to the Natural History Museum on Sunday and Temo picked up a large stuffed penguin from a low-level display in the museum store, rested his cheek against it as if appreciating its softness then bolted, sprinting the length of the shop and out into the museum foyer with the big dinosaur skeletons, clutching the penguin to his chest.
He was very disappointed to learn he couldn't take it home - Ruth is in that vigilant lets-not-collect-possessions state that you get into before a big trip."
A girl of many puddings
Heath by birth, Heath by nature - why stop at one pudding when you can have a 'motley of puddings'? We think they meant a medley, but the translator who did the menu at our local Leon in Pigalle didn't speak perfect English!
I've just inherited Jules's old phone and saved the photos from it so you can now see a selection of puddings (among other subjects) from 2006 on flickr.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
The Galloping Uncle
For your viewing pleasure, here is one of Sara and Luke's videos from the day we all went to Brighton.
Watch The Galloping Uncle on Youtube
Watch The Galloping Uncle on Youtube
Monday, January 29, 2007
A year in books - 2006
Books I enjoyed in 2006, in no particular order:
Books written to second draft: 0.4 as at end of 2005, no progress in 2006 (a secondary project for 2007!)
- Gone with the Windsors by Laurie Graham
- Love Rules by Freya North
- Where or When by Anita Shreve
- A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve
- The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice
- The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook by Matt Dunn
- The A to Z of Us by Jim Keeble (sadly, not as good as the brilliant My Fat Brother)
- Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
- The Rough Guide to Pregnancy and Birth by Kaz Cooke
- Your Pregnancy Bible by Anne Deans
- Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult (but now I'm done - one Jodi Picoult is quite enough for any one year)
- The Chronicles of Llyr (again) by Lloyd Alexander
- The Magician's Guild trilogy by Trudi Canavan
- The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
- Some dire thing that Sue left behind (in disgust, I believe - and I've now inflicted it on someone else through the CancerResearch shop on Kilburn High Rd) involving a little girl being 'kidnapped' by her father during a marriage meltdown
- Angels and Demons by Dan Brown (just could not go on after page 3)
- Birds without Wings by Louis de Bernieres (actually this is really interesting but too big for handbag and reading on tube - will come back to it)
- Perfume by Patrick Suskind - really oddly written and fascinating but too dark for my mood at New Year - will come back to it)
Books written to second draft: 0.4 as at end of 2005, no progress in 2006 (a secondary project for 2007!)
Friday, January 26, 2007
As if we didn't know we have too many stairs...
Yesterday I missed the last step before the roof terrace, and in an effort not to fall on Bump, I did myself an injury instead. Turns out to be just a badly sprained ankle, but I spent a fun hour and a half at A & E being prodded and x-rayed, and worrying about how I would manage to give birth with a fractured metatarsal.
The most worrying bit was when I overheard the charge nurse saying to a junior: 'Go up to the first floor and see if they've got any crutches. We haven't got any left, and if we get any broken legs tonight we'll just have to discharge them at this rate.' Very reassuring.
Still, I did eventually get a nice leaflet about what to do about a sprained ankle and I got a taxi called for me to go home in, so I can't complain too much. Admittedly I had to hop along to the lifts and go up to the ground floor where the guy who calls taxis is as the A & E reception desk staff wouldn't call one themselves but hey...
Anyway, one packet of frozen corn and a restful evening ordering Jules about from the couch later, it is much improved. Had to sleep downstairs last night but managed the stairs this morning to loll in the sun on our bed.
It's forecast to be 18 degrees this weekend and the sun is streaming in. We've cancelled our house hunting trip to south-east London and we're enjoying the novelty of a free Saturday.
The most worrying bit was when I overheard the charge nurse saying to a junior: 'Go up to the first floor and see if they've got any crutches. We haven't got any left, and if we get any broken legs tonight we'll just have to discharge them at this rate.' Very reassuring.
Still, I did eventually get a nice leaflet about what to do about a sprained ankle and I got a taxi called for me to go home in, so I can't complain too much. Admittedly I had to hop along to the lifts and go up to the ground floor where the guy who calls taxis is as the A & E reception desk staff wouldn't call one themselves but hey...
Anyway, one packet of frozen corn and a restful evening ordering Jules about from the couch later, it is much improved. Had to sleep downstairs last night but managed the stairs this morning to loll in the sun on our bed.
It's forecast to be 18 degrees this weekend and the sun is streaming in. We've cancelled our house hunting trip to south-east London and we're enjoying the novelty of a free Saturday.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Out to dinner after my work leaving do
I'm the one with the big grin...a free woman! Long may it last...
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Global warming?
Wikipedia says a snowdrop is one of the first flowers to bloom in spring - but since when is 17 January spring?
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
This blog's title, Spicy Basil and other fine things from Thailand
Some people may be wondering what 'SAHM SAHM but different' actually means.
"Same same" is an English saying that Thai people use, and it's used like this.
'So...zucchinis and courgettes - are they different?'
'No, same same.'
'OK... what about oranges and mandarins?'
'Ah...same same - but different.'
And of course SAHM stands for Stay At Home Mum.
Last night we went to Thai on the River for Jules's birthday, which was pleasant enough except that I had to ask three times for more water before any arrived. This affected my enjoyment a LOT as I was in the middle of a very hot curry at the time!
The whole experience made us appreciate our local thai place, Spicy Basil, even more than we already do. For a start, they make everything fresh in front of you, mains cost £4.20 and they're happy to do a pad thai without peanuts on request. And the food is just so good - far and away better than Thai on the River, which is a lot more expensive and doesn't provide as quick and friendly service.
So yay for Spicy Basil, the Queen of Kilburn High Road!
"Same same" is an English saying that Thai people use, and it's used like this.
'So...zucchinis and courgettes - are they different?'
'No, same same.'
'OK... what about oranges and mandarins?'
'Ah...same same - but different.'
And of course SAHM stands for Stay At Home Mum.
Last night we went to Thai on the River for Jules's birthday, which was pleasant enough except that I had to ask three times for more water before any arrived. This affected my enjoyment a LOT as I was in the middle of a very hot curry at the time!
The whole experience made us appreciate our local thai place, Spicy Basil, even more than we already do. For a start, they make everything fresh in front of you, mains cost £4.20 and they're happy to do a pad thai without peanuts on request. And the food is just so good - far and away better than Thai on the River, which is a lot more expensive and doesn't provide as quick and friendly service.
So yay for Spicy Basil, the Queen of Kilburn High Road!
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Conclusive proof - we're having a cat!
Our baby, like its mother, is clearly a cat person. I know this because, while I was waiting for Jules to have his hair cut on Saturday, the hairdresser's spaniel jumped up on the couch and sat on my lap.
Maybe this panicked Bump, maybe s/he was just in a playful mood, but the next thing the spaniel was rearing up, having received a sharp kick in the ribs! I thought it best to transfer the dog to the floor at this point - but I was very proud!
Maybe this panicked Bump, maybe s/he was just in a playful mood, but the next thing the spaniel was rearing up, having received a sharp kick in the ribs! I thought it best to transfer the dog to the floor at this point - but I was very proud!
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Bump's first outfit...
...plus some scary pregnancy photos are up on flickr to celebrate the 32 week mark. Not long now!
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Antenatal classes - good clean fun
We had our first antenatal class last night and it was very entertaining and not at all scary.
I didn't get off to the best start, squashing one of the realistic newborn baby dolls as I sat down on the couch! Then I temporarily forgot one of the three things I was meant to know about the person I was introducing to the group, but at least everyone laughed.
Each couple (everyone was part of a couple) were given a baby doll at the start of the class and told we had to treat it like a real baby while we were in class, (i.e. support the head, in particular) for the rest of the course.
Our baby is the freaky-looking one, with its hands stretched out zombie-style, but at least we didn't get the crying one that you have to comfort to make the noise stop.
The funniest thing was the tea break. J had the baby so I got the drinks. He asked for a black tea, so I thought I'd better have cold water - which was fine, as I don't like caffeine at night anyway. There may have been decaf tea on offer, I'm not sure.
I came back to J and the guy he was talking to with a water, a black tea and two jaffa cakes. I put the tea down on the kitchen bench and gave J the jaffa cake. Then I put my drink down too and took the baby so he could drink his tea.
To pick up my drink, I had to wedge my jaffa cake between two fingers of the baby-holding hand. So I put the water down again and carefully transferred the jaffa cake to the other hand, trying hard not to get melted chocolate on the baby's suit.
Other guy: You did that very skillfully - and I like how you prioritised the safety of the jaffa cake!
Our leader is really nice and not at all Thou Shalt Do It This Way. There were no scary videos - but from now on we'll watch one 'normal' birth a week - water birth, caesarean, home birth etc.
I've got one of the latest due dates in the class. Some people are due before the last class and noone is having a home birth. So weekend homework is packing our hospital bag...
I didn't get off to the best start, squashing one of the realistic newborn baby dolls as I sat down on the couch! Then I temporarily forgot one of the three things I was meant to know about the person I was introducing to the group, but at least everyone laughed.
Each couple (everyone was part of a couple) were given a baby doll at the start of the class and told we had to treat it like a real baby while we were in class, (i.e. support the head, in particular) for the rest of the course.
Our baby is the freaky-looking one, with its hands stretched out zombie-style, but at least we didn't get the crying one that you have to comfort to make the noise stop.
The funniest thing was the tea break. J had the baby so I got the drinks. He asked for a black tea, so I thought I'd better have cold water - which was fine, as I don't like caffeine at night anyway. There may have been decaf tea on offer, I'm not sure.
I came back to J and the guy he was talking to with a water, a black tea and two jaffa cakes. I put the tea down on the kitchen bench and gave J the jaffa cake. Then I put my drink down too and took the baby so he could drink his tea.
To pick up my drink, I had to wedge my jaffa cake between two fingers of the baby-holding hand. So I put the water down again and carefully transferred the jaffa cake to the other hand, trying hard not to get melted chocolate on the baby's suit.
Other guy: You did that very skillfully - and I like how you prioritised the safety of the jaffa cake!
Our leader is really nice and not at all Thou Shalt Do It This Way. There were no scary videos - but from now on we'll watch one 'normal' birth a week - water birth, caesarean, home birth etc.
I've got one of the latest due dates in the class. Some people are due before the last class and noone is having a home birth. So weekend homework is packing our hospital bag...
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Henry the historic horse struggles under an uneven load
Give the people what they want - that's my motto. When I blogged Jules falling off a tiny plastic chair and nearly giving a cyclo driver a hernia in Vietnam, the comments flooded in from all over the place.
So here's another girth-related story, complete with illustration. The sign above the historic merry-go-round at Jardin des Tuileries said children under seven must be accompanied by an adult - but I don't think it meant on the same horse! Poor Henry probably hadn't carried such an uneven load in all his 135 years. I particularly like his startled expression and the way his front legs are rearing up and his back legs nearly dragging on the floor...
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Friday, December 22, 2006
Ice skating at Somerset house
At lunchtime, after Trafalgar Square and before the Tower of London. Yesterday they took in Big Ben, the London Eye, the changing of the guard, Downing Street and Westminster Abbey.
Did someone say it's impossible to see anything if you've got kids with you?
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Full house
Four Heath-Dyers, one sheep and one panda present and correct - and asleep upstairs. Apparently it's been a very long Wednesday...
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Six months pregnant
...looks a lot like this. More detail on flickr for anyone who desperately wants to know.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Pheasant, potato and artichoke dauphinois and braised cabbage with pancetta
Jules has been badgering me all afternoon to post his culinary efforts of yesterday, so here they are. The dauphinois and the cabbage concoction were delicious, even though the pheasant dried out a bit while waiting for its accompaniments...
PS - a photo of the replacement ring is now up on flickr.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Friday Wombat Blogging
Some people have complained about the silence, so here's an update on our very exciting November.
We've been looking for a house. We nearly bought a flat in Queen's Park, after seeing it on a fabulous sunny Sunday morning with the doors flung open from the living room into the garden - but then we went back at night and came to our senses. Something about the way the resident cat picked her way carefully between the furniture made my fantasy of a small child gambolling across the living room evaporate.
So now we're going to explore the wilds of South London, where we can afford more than 60m2 which - let's face it - is just not enough.
Jules thinks the baby can recognise the sound of a violin now - mainly because it woke up and starting waving its limbs about during an episode of Grey's Anatomy, which featured a long violin solo while a professional violinist was having heart surgery.
We went to see Arsenal thump Liverpool a week or two back, which was excellent.
We are in intensive testing and fixing of the new content management system at work. So far I've checked about 100 web pages in the new system and I've ticked the 'page ok' box 12 times, so I think it's safe to say the launch date of 11 December is looking unlikely.
I picked up my new engagement ring last week, designed by me to the value of the 3 rings I lost when we were burgled and paid for by the insurance company. It's impressively sparkly - and has to be listed separately on the house insurance. The band is a bit thicker than my wedding ring, but apparently upgrading your wedding ring is frowned upon for some reason so I will just have to hope everyone is so dazzled by the sparkle they don't notice...
Friday, November 03, 2006
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
G'day from WA
Well, we all survived our jaunt to Western Australia. At least two of us are bigger than when we left and one is a lot more wriggly but the important point is - no DVTs.
At 12.45 and 5am today, I was wondering if the baby had jetlag, when I remembered the helpful pie chart in The Pregnancy Bible called 'Waking and Sleeping Patterns of a Newborn'. It's in two different shades of orange (crying and feeding) and green (sleeping). There is a large orange wedge between midnight and 3 am and another one from 4 to 6 am. Then it says 'Your baby does not know or care about your normal sleeping patterns.'
But I digress. We had a good time in WA, even though Jules had to buy a polarfleece on day 2. We swam in the sea three times - twice because it was hot and once in the Southern Ocean at dusk in a moment of insanity just to say we'd done it.
We saw a lot of wildlife - this particular humpback came to visit the whalewatching boat we were on but we also saw them from the shore at Cape Naturaliste. Plus kangaroos and big lizards and random emus at the side of the road and a wide selection of parrots in the national parks.
Yawn - fading fast and it's only 9 pm. Watch this space for Friday Wombat Blogging.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Fetal anomalies, goo and mutterings
We went for the fetal anomaly scan today. Apparently the baby is very active and the following appear to be normal: heart, head, face, spine, neck and skin, chest, abdominal wall, gastro-intestinal tract, kidneys and bladder, extremities, skeleton. They're going to have another look in three weeks, just to make sure.
There were three doctors at the scan, one of whom seemed to be there specifically to look at the heart. They examined that for about ten minutes, muttering under their breath the whole time, then breezily declared it all looked normal. By that time, I was imagining open-heart surgery at six weeks...
It has a smaller than average head and abdomen and longer than average arms and legs. It is already sucking its thumb, and is lying the wrong way up, but it's a bit early to be worrying about that.
No pictures this time - will order some at the next one on 3 November.
There were three doctors at the scan, one of whom seemed to be there specifically to look at the heart. They examined that for about ten minutes, muttering under their breath the whole time, then breezily declared it all looked normal. By that time, I was imagining open-heart surgery at six weeks...
It has a smaller than average head and abdomen and longer than average arms and legs. It is already sucking its thumb, and is lying the wrong way up, but it's a bit early to be worrying about that.
No pictures this time - will order some at the next one on 3 November.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Honorary Gooners
Two of Matt's gooner mates had a baby recently. They have called her Scarlett, but apparently that is just because they liked the name, nothing to do with Arsenal at all.
So we have been to the new stadium on their tickets twice in a week and had a fab time at each game. We have even had a gooner burger (aka chicken balti pie) each in a flash red box and we can sing along to all the chants. We have, however, stopped short of buying one of these...
The new stadium is very impressive, especially when full (always) and at night. Instead of lights on four posts at the corners they have a circle of lights right around the top edge of the stadium, so you don't get any weird shadow effects.
Saturday's game was against Sheffield United, who were not much good really, and Arsenal scored 3 times at the opposite end to us. But then at last night's Champions League game, Henry headed a goal in right in front of us, which was just as well as I missed the other one due to trying to hear Matt's explanation of the chant that ends with a very complimentary line about Martin Joll's mother.
Jules even tried out his finger pointing at the opposition fans. Maybe next time we go he'll even be able to carry it off.
So we have been to the new stadium on their tickets twice in a week and had a fab time at each game. We have even had a gooner burger (aka chicken balti pie) each in a flash red box and we can sing along to all the chants. We have, however, stopped short of buying one of these...
The new stadium is very impressive, especially when full (always) and at night. Instead of lights on four posts at the corners they have a circle of lights right around the top edge of the stadium, so you don't get any weird shadow effects.
Saturday's game was against Sheffield United, who were not much good really, and Arsenal scored 3 times at the opposite end to us. But then at last night's Champions League game, Henry headed a goal in right in front of us, which was just as well as I missed the other one due to trying to hear Matt's explanation of the chant that ends with a very complimentary line about Martin Joll's mother.
Jules even tried out his finger pointing at the opposition fans. Maybe next time we go he'll even be able to carry it off.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
The Cinque Terre (well, four of them)
We arrived by train into Monterosso mid-afternoon on a fabulous hot Monday. Found the hotel easily and then went straight out for a swim, which was wonderful and cold. The beach at Monterosso is mainly stones - there are a few sandy patches of private beach where you have to pay for deckchairs, which seems a bit mean because if you have a deckchair, what do you care if it's stony underfoot? So we lay on the stones and came away with interesting pink indentations.
The next day we caught the train to Riomaggiore, the furthest away of the five villages and walked back through Manarola to Corniglia for lunch. At Manorola there was a fantastic-looking deep patch of sea that you could climb down a ladder from the rocks into, and we thought about it, but there was nowhere to change and we thought we'd get uncomfortable walking the rest of the way in wet togs. A bit foolish, as all the way from Manorola to Corniglia you could hear the thunder and see the storm coming. It struck just as we got to Corniglia for a nice pasta lunch, so that was good timing.
After lunch we walked on to Vernazza, getting progressively wetter. It was probably the most interesting stretch of track, with old olive groves to look at on both sides, but very slippery in the wet. At Vernazza we discovered there was a train in 5 minutes and leapt on it, as the rain was only getting heavier.
Walking back to the hotel, Jules got waylaid by the sight of someone else's roadside tiramisu so we stopped for a bit then went back for hot showers. Bliss. No swimming that day.
Today we have got a couple of different trains to Parma, and we will be having a look at Modena and Bologna over the next few days.
The next day we caught the train to Riomaggiore, the furthest away of the five villages and walked back through Manarola to Corniglia for lunch. At Manorola there was a fantastic-looking deep patch of sea that you could climb down a ladder from the rocks into, and we thought about it, but there was nowhere to change and we thought we'd get uncomfortable walking the rest of the way in wet togs. A bit foolish, as all the way from Manorola to Corniglia you could hear the thunder and see the storm coming. It struck just as we got to Corniglia for a nice pasta lunch, so that was good timing.
After lunch we walked on to Vernazza, getting progressively wetter. It was probably the most interesting stretch of track, with old olive groves to look at on both sides, but very slippery in the wet. At Vernazza we discovered there was a train in 5 minutes and leapt on it, as the rain was only getting heavier.
Walking back to the hotel, Jules got waylaid by the sight of someone else's roadside tiramisu so we stopped for a bit then went back for hot showers. Bliss. No swimming that day.
Today we have got a couple of different trains to Parma, and we will be having a look at Modena and Bologna over the next few days.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
From Lucca to Monterosso
Having a lovely time in Lucca, where it is quite hot and there is a gelati stand on every corner. Have done all the things you usually do in Tuscany - climbed the tower and walked all the way around the city wall. Tried to visit Puccini's house but it was closed for restoration. Someone had crossed out the 'opening Spring 2006' with a vivid marker and written 2010 in its place!
Today we are off to the Cinque Terre, having found somewhere to stay in Monterosso at the last minute. This will involve 3 trains, but all quite short distances.
Late last week we got all excited when we got home to find two delivery cards, indicating that the rest of our insurance replacements had arrived. So we leapt in a minicab and went to one depot in Cricklewood to pick up my ipod and then down to Park Royal to pick up what was meant to be Jules's laptop and digital camera. By the size of one of the boxes it was clear someone had stuffed up and ordered him a desktop PC (weighing 30kg!) but the depot staff insisted you could only refuse both items or take both items, and as he wanted the camera for our holiday, Jules thought we should take them. Got home to discover the smaller box contained someone else's ADSL modem...
So now we have a huge box squatting in our spare room. According to Geoff (who has actually done this) if you ask them to collect it and they don't within 30 days, it is yours and you can then sell it on ebay!
Today we are off to the Cinque Terre, having found somewhere to stay in Monterosso at the last minute. This will involve 3 trains, but all quite short distances.
Late last week we got all excited when we got home to find two delivery cards, indicating that the rest of our insurance replacements had arrived. So we leapt in a minicab and went to one depot in Cricklewood to pick up my ipod and then down to Park Royal to pick up what was meant to be Jules's laptop and digital camera. By the size of one of the boxes it was clear someone had stuffed up and ordered him a desktop PC (weighing 30kg!) but the depot staff insisted you could only refuse both items or take both items, and as he wanted the camera for our holiday, Jules thought we should take them. Got home to discover the smaller box contained someone else's ADSL modem...
So now we have a huge box squatting in our spare room. According to Geoff (who has actually done this) if you ask them to collect it and they don't within 30 days, it is yours and you can then sell it on ebay!
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Heir to the Empire
...or an indistinct smudge, depending on your point of view.
If you know what you're looking for, you can see the eye sockets and the jaw.
The highlight of this morning's scan was seeing the baby flap both arms vigorously.
Getting a low-risk nuchal translucency result of 0.7mm was pretty good too.
ETA: 11 March 2007
Friday, August 25, 2006
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Handy food safety tip from Jules's boss
Never eat shellfish in a month that doesn't have an 'R' in it.
Or in France, at any time.
Or in France, at any time.
Friday, August 18, 2006
The Attack of the Parisian Bistro
Poor Jules has been very sick all week and is signed off work for seven days, with a nasty fever and a suspected intestinal parasite. It all comes of being too polite - he thought his mussels were not really hot enough on Sunday but was reluctant to send them back in case they got nuked.
The meal in question was not even the worst we had in Paris - that honour goes to Le Vieux Bistro, near Notre Dame. Don't even THINK of eating there, unless you think a cassolette is a big bowl of oil with overcooked carrots and crunchy raw potatoes floating in it. Bleah!
This morning, Jules said plaintively that he had contemplated moving the mattress from the sun lounger into the bath and sleeping there, so as to be close to the toilet, but in the end he just settled down in the spare room, sweating and shivering under his towel and some clothes he found there. Didn't seem like a good moment to say: 'You don't mean the CLEAN WASHING, do you?'
A busy and domestic weekend ahead, by all accounts.
The meal in question was not even the worst we had in Paris - that honour goes to Le Vieux Bistro, near Notre Dame. Don't even THINK of eating there, unless you think a cassolette is a big bowl of oil with overcooked carrots and crunchy raw potatoes floating in it. Bleah!
This morning, Jules said plaintively that he had contemplated moving the mattress from the sun lounger into the bath and sleeping there, so as to be close to the toilet, but in the end he just settled down in the spare room, sweating and shivering under his towel and some clothes he found there. Didn't seem like a good moment to say: 'You don't mean the CLEAN WASHING, do you?'
A busy and domestic weekend ahead, by all accounts.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Monday, August 07, 2006
Weekend in Wien
Just back from a flying visit to Vienna, where we did a lot of walking and ate a small farm of meat, as you do in that part of the world.
We arrived on Friday night, quickly realising that we have now become so blase about travelling that neither of us had the first clue where our hotel was. Had to ring them up and ask for directions, but we got there in the end.
On Saturday we took the u-bahn out to Schloss Schonbrun and spent a pleasant few hours wandering around the palace and gardens. The palace is quite impressive, but much like any other European palace in many ways - you know, Room of Mirrors, grand ballroom with chandeliers and frescoed ceiling etc. The interesting bit was the history of the Hapsburgs - had never realised, for example, that Marie Antoinette was one. As Jules said, the whole 'let them eat cake' story is doubtless a gross misrepresentation - and actually indicated nothing more than the Viennese faith in the peace-making powers of coffee, Sachertorte and a bucket of whipped cream...
After a pleasant lunch in the Bierhof, we went for a wander around the museum quarter, stopped for obligatory afternoon cake and then went to the Leopold Museum - mainly 20th century Austrian art - which was excellent. They had huge black and white reproductions of Gustav Klimt's three murals he did on health-related themes for a university. Sadly the university rejected them as too suggestive of death and then the originals were destroyed in a fire. But you can see they would have been very impressive.
That night we went on a long trek in the rain in search of a pork knuckle. Would have helped if we'd realised the Prater was a park, not to be confused with Praterstern or Praterstrasse, but we found the place in the end. I asked for a 'kleine' pork knuckle, but that turned out to mean 900g instead of the standard kilo. Jules amused himself taking pictures and texting family members things like 'Rac just ate half a pig'.
On Sunday morning Vienna was a ghost town and finding breakfast was a bit of a mission. Then we went to the Kunst Historisches museum, which is full of the sort of art I hate - still lives with dead fish and deer, and fat naked people pretending to be Greek and Roman Goddesses complete with grotesque cherubs. One or two interesting Rembrandt portraits and a single Vermeer but by and large I would give it a miss.
After an ample pub lunch, we walked across to the Belvedere, an old palace converted into an art gallery, where there is a lot of early 20th century Austrian art - Klimt, Egon Schiele, Anton Kolig etc. They have Klimt's The Kiss, which is huge and a lot more textured than you'd imagine. Infinitely better experience than the KHM.
And then it was time to catch the train to the airport.
Back to the burglary - the new laptops, cameras and so on should be arriving this week so we'll be back in business photo-wise soon.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Technology-free household
Since we had our front door kicked down on Friday, we no longer have any laptops (among other things) so the blog will not be updated for a bit. Also we have not done anything interesting, due to spending most of the weekend at home entertaining the crime scene investigators, detectives and locksmiths.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
The fabulous new Dualit toaster
Here is what cookware.co.uk has to say about our new toaster:
"The ultimate toaster, this is the design all the celebrities go for - it oozes quality and style.
A true design classic, an object of desire for over 80 years.
It's not just its classic looks, inside is a professional toaster manufactured to such a high standard that you'll never have to buy another toaster again. It will provide fast even toasting every time year after year."
Never have to buy another toaster - did you hear that, Julesy?
Some members of the family may be amused to hear that it doesn't actually pop up. You choose how long you want to toast for and it ticks away then shuts itself off, keeping the toast warm for up to ten minutes.
We were sold, anyway.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
NEVER toast a taco!
I was just sauntering out of the living room after dinner when I heard an undignified squawk from the kitchen and arrived in time to see Jules frantically unplugging the (flaming) toaster from the wall. Then he wet a tea towel and threw it over the top as I rushed to shut the door into the hall before the smoke alarm went off.
After a reasonable interval, I opened the door again to investigate. By now the toaster was in the sink, still flaming. Filling it with water seemed to solve the problem.
Jules was busy extricating something charred and unrecognisable - formerly a taco. Did he not see the pool of fat left on the oven tray after the tacos were gently heated, perhaps?
And then, just as he was proclaiming that the toaster would be fine once it dried out, he spotted the blackened burnt-out taco shape on the inner element.
Rest in peace, toaster - with many thanks for a year's good service. According to the wanton toaster destroyer, we're getting a cool retro pastel one next!
The alarming thing is that the smoke alarm, which goes crazy if you so much as toast a crumpet, remained completely silent in the event of a genuine fire!
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Regent's Park AND Paddington Rec - 13.5km
Very tired now. Failed to get up early enough and it was very hot.
Sensibly, the PDSA charity shop on Kilburn High Road had reduced all its England flags by 50% yesterday morning. Wonder if they all went?
Sensibly, the PDSA charity shop on Kilburn High Road had reduced all its England flags by 50% yesterday morning. Wonder if they all went?
Monday, June 26, 2006
Michael Owen: keeping the World Cup in perspective
The highlight of Michael Owen's first tv interview after ripping his anterior cruciate ligament in two was when he described how he agonised over how to explain to his small daughter what had happened.
The resulting phone call:
Michael: Daddy has broken his knee, darling.
Michael's daughter: Look, can you call me back - Postman Pat is on.
Tags:
michael owen
postman pat
The resulting phone call:
Michael: Daddy has broken his knee, darling.
Michael's daughter: Look, can you call me back - Postman Pat is on.
Tags:
michael owen
postman pat
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Regent's Park and back
Went for our first 7-mile run this morning - down to Regent's Park and back.
Plan for the rest of the day - lie in heap on couch and eat things. Oh, and watch football. Obviously.
regents park
run
couch potato
Plan for the rest of the day - lie in heap on couch and eat things. Oh, and watch football. Obviously.
regents park
run
couch potato
Friday, June 23, 2006
Monday, June 19, 2006
World Cup 2006 and the Gascony Ave gloryhound
After seeing his native team soundly beaten yesterday, Wom has bounced right back, now wearing full Tunisian regalia and jealously guarding the remote.
And now Spain has just equalised - how do I explain that we don't have any red and yellow tea towels?
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Wildlife at work
Courtesy of Jules, here are the ducks who have made their home on the roof terrace outside Marshall Wace on top of the Adelphi building. The hedge funders have made them a shelter complete with straw.
Oxford - home of the bicycle
We took the train up to Oxford on Saturday to see the Alfred Jewel, which lives at the Ashmolean Museum. There was also a black and white photography exhibtion on there, called something like 'Oxford by night', and every single photo had a bike in it. Then we saw this pub, and started to understand why...
Sunday, June 11, 2006
A dip in the (Hampstead) pond
It's been the most fabulous sunny, hot weekend. This morning we went over to Hampstead Heath for a swim in one of the ponds, which was excellent. There were lots of people there but the ponds are so large it's not at all crowded and the water is refreshingly cold. There were even two geese and their goslings watching from the bank.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Scenic highlights of Tipperary and Killarney
We flew into Waterford in a little propeller plane just before midday on Friday, and were treated to an envigorating landing in high winds. Waterford Airport is just a shack on the edge of a runway - it makes Dunedin Airport look serious and international.
Temo's expression when we arrived said as clear as day: "Not them again!" But we were undeterred, and settled in for a cruisy afternoon in Clonmel.
On Saturday Jeremy had to go to work, so the rest of us went to the farmers' market (very small) and then leapt in the car and drove to Cahir. Stopped in to see Cahir Castle, which was a pretty common-or-garden castle with not a great deal to see.
Drove on to Cashel for lunch and went up to see the Rock of Cashel, the ruins of an old fortification and church on top of a hill - a bit like Glastonbury Tor but with a much larger building.
Had to laugh at the Rock of Cashel's attitude to accessibility. The road up to the rock starts out on a moderate slope and then goes steeply upward, at about the same incline as the bottom half of Sutherland St. At the top end of this steep section, there is a disabled carpark. Found myself imagining the disabled person wheeling their wheelchair out of the car and then losing control...
Not to mention the fact that there are 12 stairs up to the reception and then another 10 steps or so up to the actual site. After Jules and Ruth had lugged the buggy up the first 12, Ruth asked the woman on reception if the site was accessible and she said 'Oh, yes, there's a couple of steps up from here but then everything's flat.' So they carted the buggy up the next flight of stairs, only to find that the rest of the site was covered in stairs, all over the place, and your only option for avoiding them was to climb up steep grassy slopes instead!
But anyway, the Rock of Cashel was more impressive than Cahir Castle - an amazing setting with views for miles around.
Later that afternoon we stopped in at an old pub in Fethard, where Temo had his first sample of Guinness. Didn't seem to make a good impression.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
A bad influence
I love this photo for many reasons: the expression of intense concentration, the motion blur and the resourceful use of the stick from the first icecream as a spoon for attacking the second one!
We had a great time in Ireland - more tomorrow.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
A walk in Constable country
Yesterday we caught the train from Liverpool St to Manningtree, to go for a walk in Constable country - that is, the area where John Constable lived and the setting for several of his major paintings. We walked from Manningtree to Flatford Mill along a muddy lane with white blossom in the hedges on either side.
This is Flatford Mill itself, on the Stour.
And here is Willy Lott's house, and Constable's painting of the same view.
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