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the weekly end.
My mother would like you to know that the Nana has arrived and has been here long enough to have done all our laundry (and that was no small feat), enjoyed Mary Catherine thoroughly, enjoyed some sightseeing adventures and only pissed Andrew off once. A few snaps from our weekend are here.
Went to Cath Kidston today and went a bit off the rails - but bought some fabulous new towels for our bathroom and a new plate/bowl/cup combo for MC. Oh, she also got a new tote bag that is so adorable and even more fantastic is that she told us all that she loved Cath Kidston!
We've made a few minor cosmetic changes to our house - new lights in Mary Catherine's and our rooms and new linens for us. It's been very good fun making it feel more like our home and trying to decide what our combined style is. I'm not sure there's a name for it! Modern quaint? Eclectic quilts with modern lines? My sense of decorating style has changed dramatically since moving here. Gone is my love of all things tartan with a rather odd hunting lodge flavour. Now I appreciate more modern furnishings, but still have a love of vintage. Maybe we're vintage eclectic?
My mother described it as a real-life 800 square foot Ikea show home. I'm not sure if that's a compliment!
33 years ago today - an amazing person was born. he's patient, charming, kind and an excellent father. he has excellent taste in design, computers, art and (wait for it) women.
he's amazingly intelligent and is always willing to lend a helping hand or a thoughtful ear. he's the best friend anyone could ever wish for.
happy birthday andrew. xx
This morning I was lazily ignoring the alarm, playing with mary catherine's hair when I noticed... Here we go again.. Nits. Andrew fetched our lice battle gear (electronic zapping comb, nit comb and chocolate for bribery). I started combing and while I saw about 10 unhatched eggs, I didn't see their beloved mother crawling around. They were also quite high up the hairs they were glued to, like at least 1.5 centimetres. I'm pretty sure from my last round of research, that they shouldve been out sucking blood by that age. So now I'm wondering why they didn't hatch. Could it be the bright sun and extreme heat at Legoland fried the little blighters? I've combed out the eggs and the lice electric chair didn't zap anything (which is slightly disapointing because it's my sick thrill to listen to the parasites fry). I'm stumped. But pleased, mind you!
whew what a weekend. saturday was the usual swimming/coffee followed by a lengthy visit to the canary wharf motor expo. now i'm not a 'car person' but it was mildly interesting. it was so hot out that we stayed at the wharf longer than we normally would just to be in the air conditioning.
that afternoon we went home, put together our new fan and did a few household chores, like laundry and dishes. oh the glamour.
yesterday, we went to legoland with toby and his parents. it was so hot and bright that it was like being at an amusement park on the surface of the sun. had it not been for the great company, it would've been a bit miserable. we rode two rides but mary catherine and toby most enjoyed the water park bit. i must say, even though i was soaked, it was most enjoyable and cool.
i'm not cut out for this kind of hot weather. i think it confuses people here because i'm from the southern united states, where it's known for being very hot and humid from about april to october. what they fail to realise is that i've spent my life avoiding the sun, heat and humidity. so getting through temps in the 90s and bright sunshine without air conditioning is agony.
it's actually in the top three of the things i hate about it here.
so now it's monday. my mom arrives tomorrow and of all weeks for the housekeeper (she's a sub for our regular beloved person) to be ill and not able to come. we tidied a bit on saturday, but it's so muggy in our house that it's effort just to sit around and not sweat. cleaning was out of the question.
it's supposed to be cooler today, rainy even. so hopefully the house will be a decent temp for us to get down to some nitty gritty tidying.
I totally forgot to mention... Mary Catherine has spent ALL week (well, since Monday) without a dummy other than in bed at night. That means no dummy in the car or when she's playing at home.
I'd like to take credit, but she's just been forgetting them or spitting them out. The car thing, she's just not really mentioned it and we've stopped hiding them in our pockets.
Could it be that she really won't take it to college?
i think i've reached a dork milestone. today i found a tutorial on how to use my office phone. the scary part is that i was thrilled. what does that say about me?
this week is c.r.a.w.l.i.n.g. past so very slowly. i seem to be in a bit of a slump with nothing particularly interesting to blame for it. i know i burn the candle at both ends a bit, but i'm not feeling over-tired just a bit blah.
i don't think it has to do with hitting a cyclist with my car door, ending a friendship or anything particularly particular. is a mystery.
i do know that i miss my housekeeper, who's on holiday and that my husband's birthday is next week and father's day is this sunday and i'm feeling a bit unprepared for that. think a legoland tee shirt would fit the bill?
Apparently our car suffered a bit of damage caused by our run in with Joe Bicycle. Lovely. On DLR now to Stratford. I've made a reward chart for Mary Catherine that I'm going to debut tonight. She can be a bit stubborn about getting in her car seat and getting out of the bath, so I'm hoping this will help. This week's incentive - Legoland with her friend Toby (and his wonderful Mummy and Daddy, of course). We've not told her yet - she's going to be absolutely over the moon. Mom arrives next Tuesday. The only analogy about how stoked I am about her visit that I can think of is how, at the end of summer camp - I would sprint towards my parents iin complete adoration. Those jaunty runs will pale by comparison.
Opened my car door into a bicyclist about 30 minutes ago... Andrew and Mary Catherine are driving him to his office as I type and I'm on the bus into work. I feel horrible. He seemed fine, his bike handles were a bit scuffed but is otherwise in good shape. His knee is scuffed and he's probably going to go to the hospital for an xray. Let's just hope his next appointment isn't with his lawyer. What a cracking start to Tuesday. Damn.
Hello from the depths of the jubilee line.. Not that this will be sent until I surface, but it's nice to be able to post from wherever and whenever. Today has been manic.. I am pretty sure that by being 100% honest with a friend (same friend featured in last week's pajama unpleasantness) that I now have one less friend in the world. I'd been giving it great thought and I've been less than happy with the state of our relationship that I wasn't being very true to myself, or very fair to her, if I continued to pretend there were no issues between us. I am a firm believer that not only is friendship a two-way street, it's something that shouldn't be super hard work. I didn't want to seem 'two-faced' whilst waiting for our relationship to give up the proverbial ghost. So I was honest to her and to myself. She's a nice enough person and there will always be some very fond memories that I'll take with me. Who knows, maybe I've misjudged the solidity of our friendship and we can work through the issues, but I'd be surprised. The kicker is that I've tried to be really, really nice sorting through this - which isn't really like me. I usually explode, freak out and regret lots. This time around, no regrets. Interesting sensation. Ah - bond street. Mind the gap, won't you?
Hello from today's central London adventure - The Rainforest Cafe! Mary Catherine is loving it and I have to say, seems to be more into it than she was at the zoo. She thinks the gorillas are 'a bit scary' but has started beating her chest just like them. We're finished with our meal, just the check and the gift shop left to navigate.
good day and happy friday to you.
we've had our first 'naughty word' utterance, which i think is a toddler milestone.
we pulled into the driveway and mary catherine exclaimed, 'oh crap!' and then looked at me and smiled.
i asked her where she heard someone say that and she said, 'daddy says that.' it was too funny!
Some of you might find this funny... I've bolded the ones that particularly apply to me. I can't believe I've been living in the UK for almost five years. Where does the time go?
1. You don't even bother looking out of the window when you get up in the morning to check what the day is like. You know it is overcast.
2. You believe that Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday are all good nights for drinking. Sunday day is also entirely reasonable.
3. You can't remember what 'customer service' means.
4. After a big night out you find yourself looking for a Curry house and not a 24 hour McDonalds.
5. You start to accept queuing as a way of life.
6. More than three hours sunlight on summer days seems excessive.
7. You always call soccer 'football' ... and you have a team ... and it's not Manchester United.
8. You don't think twice about buying a packaged sandwich.
9. A sunny lunchtime means searching for a patch of grass and stripping off practically down to your underwear.
10. You expect men to actually cut, comb and style their hair (using hair products) and to wear decent clothes. Jeans and a T-shirt are no longer socially acceptable.
11. You think 40 quid for a haircut is quite reasonable.
12. You start every conversation with Hiya or Alright
13. You only just realise you have lost your sunglasses-you left them in Greece 2 summers ago.
14. You start thinking English cuisine isn't all that bad after all, I mean, it's hard to beat a full English breakfast.
15. You are on to your 6th umbrella and your second overcoat.
16. You buy a disposable baby BBQ from Argos.
17. You realise your sunscreen is the stuff you originally brought from home with you.
18. A day at the beach means wearing the warmest clothes you own while standing on golf ball-size pebbles and the thought of swimming doesn't even enter your head.
19. You actually say, "Sorted" or "its all gone a bit pear shaped".
20. Wearing a suit in a pub is relatively normal attire.
21. You have given up complaining about the Victorian-like banking services offered in the UK.
22. You have given up explaining why you are half an hour late to work as no-one notices or even cares. In fact - you may even join the one hour gossip session around the coffee machine before booting up your computer.
23. Coming to work with a hangover is entirely accepted and indeed expected at least once a week
Crazy day.. So busy I'm writing this from the lift! (That's elevator to you americans)
Today I asked a friend a question.. Not a particularly interesting one or one that was meant for any other reason than to spark a little conversation. It wasn't mean or judgemental or on any 'hot' topic. Her response, to paraphrase, was that she felt another website post would be the result of our conversation. So it was the first time someone refused to talk to me for fear of ..... Actually, I'm not too sure of what. I am perplexed, vaguely annoyed and slightly ambivalent. I'm not used to people judging me or my opinions before I've even stated them. It's all very interesting. Perhaps even more so than the original topic of conversation (which, for the record, was about pajamas).
overheard on the train this morning
two businessmen in suits, mid to late 30's...
'your highlights are fading'
'yes, i know, it's the wax i'm using'
it was surreal.
yesterday in our attempt to explore more of the city we live in.. we went to tottenham court road, parked and explored a bit. i say explored, i meant shopping.
we went to purves & purves, which is right up on my list of 'the most fabulous shops on the planet'. if you're ever in london, i highly recommend a visit. the one on TCR is pretty huge and has a great range of furniture, lighting and textiles.
they had a section of children's furniture and we found the most delictable bed for mary catherine. she loved it and as you can see from the picture, would probably quite like it as her eventual big girl bed. it is, however, £257 and that doesn't include the pink mattress cover, so we are going to try and find something in the same vein, but more in our price range.
just as incredible as the bed, was the lamp next to it - and that little baby was £323.
we are totally in the mood to revamp our house a little bit. it's been almost a year since we moved in and i think it's now time to make it ours a bit. more later.
this picture of mary catherine - well it describes how i feel today! the mama needs coffee. instead, i'm having a berocca, because a refreshing orange mega-vitamin drink is better for me. and it has the entertainment factor of making me wee orange.
too much information? welcome to monday!
Friday
Has been totally crazy - nothing special, just busy at work. I'm sitting waiting for Andrew and Mary Catherine at the train station and it's so cold out! Grey and rainy and I think I just saw my breath! Man I love english summers!
Do you feel ignored? Sorry about that.
Life is chugging right along and I'm finding myself with not a lot to say that's of particular merit or wit. (I know, I know.. you're thinking, 'so what's new?')
I am very happy that it's Thursday already. We don't have swimming on Saturday as it's half-term, but we'll hang at the Wharf anyway as I have a haircut booked. My follicles are already tense with glee as I'm looking a bit shaggy, I think.
Last weekend was enjoyable. We took Mary Catherine bowling, of all activities and she loved it. She also bowled us off the scorecard. I'm not a regular bowler, so I take defeat in my stride - but it really was one of my worst performances. And, there was no hand air conditioner at this bowl-a-rama, which is a real pity. Mary Catherine thought the shoes were a total treat (who knew they'd have them in her size!) and she didn't want to give them back when it was time to go.
We also had our first visit to the London Zoo, which was nice but it's an old zoo and the animals all looked a bit sad to me. Maybe I was projecting, as it was a bit of a grey day. We got to see three giraffes, which are Mary Catherine's favourite animals - so it was worth the trip. However, the £28 price tag on the entry fee was a bit hard to swallow.
Oh - and we had water pouring through our ceiling and doorframes twice during the weekend. I woke up on Monday morning to the sound of rain in the kitchen. The upstairs neighbour had some work done on her flat and apparently a few things went wrong. Not so nice.
More as I think of it.
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