Sleepover

Adam came to my house last night for his first sleepover. We started our evening with a visit to McDonalds. We had to go to the one near my house because our regular is closed for repairs. It was disappointing. The food wasn't as well cooked and I gobbled up 600 kcal in spite of it. I can't believe I'm actually commenting on the quality of food at McDonald's!! Then we came home and watched Shrek. We were in bed by nine. It's the first time in a very long time that I have had anyone in my bed. In addition to Adam there was a teddy bear, a McDonald's toy, my ipod and a torch (flashlight). We fell asleep and had a good night. I woke up at 8 and made morning tea for us to have in bed. He eventually woke up and we drank our tea and planned our morning. We ended up at the farm for lunch. He had a good time and I had a great time.

Another move for the Princesses

I am in Canterbury this weekend to help the girls pack. Moving day is Tuesday. My job was to pack the bathroom so I had the chance to nick some of their excellent cosmetics and face products. I’ll give them back when I’ve tried them out. Canterbury is a beautiful little town, very clean and well run but it’s not Brighton. They will be in Eastbourne at first in a rented flat while they look for a house. Brighton is closer to Oxford which is another big plus.

Jane and children left on Wednesday and are safely back in SLC. It was wonderful having them here. I miss her. Rachel grows larger by the hour. She has about six weeks to go and is busy making a little girl nursery for Jemima (only kidding).

Reducing Pictures

I am still trying to learn how to downsize my pictures quickly for quick blogging. If this works then it is a picture of Alison playing the "Tasting Game" with the children on Saturday afternoon.

My birthday celebration weekend

I know I had a birthday party in Los Angeles at the end of June but I think you can't celebrate too often so I arranged for Alison and Sian and Vanessa to come to Oxford for the weekend (10 days ago). Jane and kids were already here and of course the Gees are in residence. I added to this family group a few neighbour/friends and we had drinks and birthday cake on Friday evening. Rachel made the cake and Charlie, Chloe, Catherine and Sam decorated it. Adam's contribution was to blow out the candles. Why do your own blowing when you have a four year old who is so good at it.
On Saturday we had a girl fest at the local day spa. Rachel and Alison had pregnancy massages in the morning whilst Sian and Vanessa went to Nigel's coffee morning which is a regular Saturday morning event. He is a neighbour and also a painter and writer so it's a treat to spend an hour or so at Nigel's. In the afternoon, Sian, Jane, Vanessa and I went to the Spa for "The Spa Experience". We spent two fantastic hours in the inner sanctum which they had reserved for the sole use of our quartet. First we were in to the jacuzzi to warm up and soften up then we went in two's into the mud chamber. They had provided us with a plate with six different colours of mud and a piece of paper with written instructions as to which bits of our body would benefit from which colour. Jane and I went in together and; once coated with mud, we sat in big plasic seats, closed the door and turned on the steam. The lights went out and we sat under a "canopy of stars". This was actually holes in the ceiling but it was a good effect. The steam came out of an Oriental, Buddha kind of thing on the wall. At the end of half an hour, we were supposed to experience the "tropical rainfall". Water was meant to come out of tiny holes above our big plastic seat, wash off the mud and go down a drainhole in the seat. It was a bit of a dribble so we ended up under the proper shower before lying on loungers to finish off our time. Two things stood out and made this a truly English experience. Beside the lounger was a pull cord which we were told to pull if we wanted a glass of wine (in America it would have been green tea). Included with our towels and dressing gowns was a packet of crisps (potato chips) - ham and mustard flavour.All things considered, I would say this was a repeatable experience. Catherine and Chloe had manicures. Saturday evening we all went to dinner at Cafe Noir. Excellent.

But that's not all! On Sunday I christened my two new dining room tables by having family Sunday lunch for 13. It was brilliant. What a great family I have. I was only sorry that Daniel, Michelle, Olivia, Craig and Ryan couldn't be there.

Trying to catch up

I want to talk about myself in relation to the birthday celebration last weekend but I must do some gardening first. We are celebrating Sam's birthday this evening with a fireworks display at the farm. His cake will be in the shape of a soccer ball and decorated appropriately. Sam is eleven. I'll be back with my own fascinating news later.

flood pictures

Jane in the flood

Floods

Oxfordshire is under water at the moment. Actually, that is an exageration. It's fine where I am because I live on the top of a hill. Rachel, on the other hand lives beside the river Thames so they have water lapping at the foundations. Their house and barns are okay but the fields and roads in and out are covered with water. Fortunately the baby isn't due until September otherwise she would likely end up being winched out by helicopter if she went into labour. Actually, that too is an exaggeration. Charlie can always get the tractor down Binsey Lane. What is it about Rachel and babies and floods? The last flood happened when Adam was about four days old and the midwife had to be tractored in to check on mother and babe.

The Ballerina

Chloe is 3rd from the right-------



Chloe had her ballet recital on Saturday. Fortunately, the farm was not yet flooded so we were able to drive to Bicester without mishap. These are a few pictures. She looked 100% the ballerina: the hair, the makeup, the figure, the tutu and especially, the posture.

George's Jubilee

We all gathered in Halifax last weekend to celebrate my brother George's 50 years as a Jesuit. I well remember in 1957, I was 16 and he was 20, we all went down to the train station to see him off to his new life as a Jesuit. Of course, our Mum and Dad couldn't be with us this time but Jane and Fred and I were there to congratulate him and wish him well. The place was brimming over with relatives and good friends. People had come from all over Canada. We are so very proud of him.

Lobster Land

In Paris McDonalds has wine on the menu; in Nova Scotia, it's lobster. Daniel and I had to try it. The locals were scathing but we enjoyed it. I also had lobster with my sister and her family in Moncton. It was more authentic and it did taste better. I love seafood and the Maritime Provinces excel.