Honest to goodness real homemade pasta

Not that there are any pictures (camera battery dead) but this afternoon I made real live fresh pasta. Some of which I turned into ravioliat CK's request and some that we cut into taglietelle.

It was the first time in a million months I haven't acually made pasta sauce but I absolve myself bc, you know, I made pasta and then turned it into ravioli.

I hope the effort is rooly trooly appreciated because you know, he isn't my father!

Sylv needs your help!!

This is my mother's latest quilt.

As always stunning and, despite what she would have you believe, beautifully crafted.

While my initial response was 'What an ace quilt for a little girl' and 'Ooo! I recognise that fabric!!This one is actually going to her god-daughter, a woman older even than I.

The problem is the binding.

She can't decide whether to go with the olive green or a slightly more lively (and seemingly patterned) orange. What so you think?

Hmmmm?

Staff meeting apologies to be minuted.

I would like to proffer formal apologies for my non-attendance at Saturday's Inaugural Staff Meeting but, factoring in the time difference and all, I have a reasonable excuse - I read the memo too late and was already booked to go into Central London.

Getting off the train at Waterloo I took the Tube to Regent's Park. A mistake on my part but the walk down Great Portland Street onto Portland Place resulted in me ending up in front of my life's soundtrack - Broadcasting House.

At this point I went 'cross-country' crossing Cavendish Square and using a non-Oxford Street entrance went into John Lewis. Squeeeeeeee! The biggest JL in the country and there was no one with me who would whinge, moan or roll their eyes about mooching through its seven floors of consumer heaven.

I spotted the 'Bobbi Brown' counter and meandered over hoping they would give me a whole new look. Nothing. So I looked at the woman behind the Benefit counter meaningfully. She sat me down and proceeded to apply her products. It was only once my chin was being twisted in her firm grip that I took a proper look at her. A Yemeni drag queen with an obvious passion for turquoise eye shadow and Nefertiti eye liner applying a make-up line created by a company in San Francisco. This did not bode well. I made the decision to stay clear of Soho when I was out walking again.

By the time I escaped her potions, lotions and puce talons it was 12:30 and my meeting with my aunt was scheduled for 2pm. Turning left into Oxford Street I headed toward the first mandatory stop in any visit I make to the Big Smoke - Liberty of London then across Regent Street and down Savile Row and onto Old Bond Street for a look through the windows of all the flash jewellers. Heading onto Piccadilly I went past the Ritz and into Park Place to meet my very aged aunt at the Royal Overseas League Club.

Given that she is a few weeks off 81 and had spent the previous four days hitting the highlights of London - two theatre trips, visits to Patisserie Valery, walks around the galleries and just that morning a trip to get her hair done - I declined her offer to walk around Green Park and we sat and had tea in the gardens at the 'Club'.

Having exchanged all our news over a couple of hours I left to head back to Waterloo to get my train. Once back onto Piccadilly there was nothing for it but to head straight to Fortnums where the concierge of the China department tempted me to a weekend in London by telling me about the special Burleigh event happening in-store on Monday. I stayed strong and resisted but it was hard.







A tree grows even in Central London on this corner of Albemarle Street & Piccadilly.


Moving through London is a bit tricksy any day at 5:00 but on a warm(ish) Spring Friday the people were everywhere so rather than squeeze onto public transport I decided to walk across town.

In search of a present for destructoBoy I stared death in the eye and entered Lillywhites. Five floors of sporting goods and equipment. With my prize claimed and good mother staus assured I continued on, crossing Pall Mall and passing the Athenaeum Club I walked down onto The Mall.

(that tiny speck at the end is Buckingham Palace -honest)

I walked through the archway and out onto Trafalgar Square.

Turning the other way I could see Big Ben at the far end of Whitehall.

With an hour and a half until departure I decided to walk up The Strand and cross the Thames up near Fleet Street.

Looking up the river The Palace of Westminster and The London Eye were silhouetted by the Constable-like clouds.

The Royal Festival Hall in the foreground. I wish I had taken a picture of the fabulous 25 foot tall straw fox artwork that is out in front of it at present.

On the other side of Waterloo Bridge is St.Paul's Cathedral, 'The Gherkin' and the beginnings of 'The Shard'.
And then rounding the Imax I was at Waterloo Station with just enough time for a restorative drink before heading off into the sunset on my trusty Great Western steed.

And so I hope the committee will accept my apologies and reasons. I hope to make a staff meeting one day.

(All pics taken with my camera phone and I am NOT responsible for Blogger's stupid layout shenanigans.)

Recent times in pictures

The White Rabbit was late for a seventh birthday party!

Gorgeous Baby Will.

Hanging out on top of The Hill.
My Assistant in the Winter sunshine.

Mother's Day Dinner made by destructoBoy.

The Oncoming Storm

Easter Saturday tomorrow and the clouds come rolling in.

My bastard b-i-l is coming to stay for a couple of nights.

Some of us may have reacted with poor grace to this news.

Alone. All alone.

So here I am, the day before the end of January and I have been kicked out of my home.

I shouldn't complain really I suppose.

The sun is shining. The sky is blue and finally the temperature has risen into positive numbers. That and the fact that my banishment is only temporary. As I wait for the ping of the text message to say I am allowed back I am sitting ina flash chain coffe shop at a table with comfy seats. I have an uber-trashy newspaper, CK's baby laptop, my knitting plus a MAHOOSIVE hot chocolate has been consumed.

One can only imagine the things that are taking place back at Trash Towers.

Last year during my exclusion they were designing and decorating the '40' magnet that now adorns my fridge. The year before I walked the dogs in the bitter cold and dark while they secretly baked a cake. Apparently it was CK's determination to keep it secret that stopped him washing the dishes that were already waiting to be done. You see, he didn't want me becoming suspicious so he only did the implements of baking. He was corrected of this misapprehension very swiftly.

Tomorrow will show the results of today's adventures.

So anyway this past week up at Trash Towers we have

- had the architect visit and been extremely excited to think we wouldn't need planning permission but reality soon intruded. (I know I have posted this already but I did say the ecitement was extreme!!!)

- had words with destructoBoy's teacher bc I am sending him to school in tears as he is so bored. Was very restrained about the whole thing and tried to work w her (trust me it isn't easy) but think the older, v . experienced teacher sidling into room on a pretext during meeting AND then contributing more than a little rude and quite odd.

- been pondering the balance of letting daughter attend much desired sleepover vs not wishing her to watch 'Zombieland' movie OR 'Sun, sea & sex' tv programme.

- been gobsmacked at friend thinking it funny to point out on Facebook that she thinks I talk to much. Perhaps I do love but there is a time and place is all I am saying.

- watched OMD become increasingly wobbly-headed and unsteady. Think he may have had another episode. Current in-house theory is extreme cold exacerbates his condition.

- found job to apply for. Right field, close-by, not ridiculous hours. All this adds up to me being unlikely to get it! Never mind, shall send in application anyway.

- have given into the frigging headcold that has been visiting. Am so completely over having to exist on lipbalm and water. Promise that one day my lips will be uncracked?

- made one of Jodie's softies. OK so his head is a little skewiff and I didn't put on the seperate face bit that actually makes him a monkey but d/Boy and I were pleased.

- made a fairy skirt for god-daughter bc it is really only 4yo who will wear the things I make (see note about 'skewiff' above).

- tried to knit lace patterns. With each attempt I manage several rows correctly and then BAM! the whole thing goes wrong. Do you think it is personal?

- had a pedicure AND an eyelash tint. Beautician lady is also teaching assistant at d/Boy's school so indulged in good gossip. Plus tint was free as she was practising for her course. Noice!

- planned day out to Southampton with CK tomorrow. John Lewis, Ikea, Waterstones and as many other nice shops as I can fit into the available time there. Damn you school pick-up necessity!

- made biscuits AND cake for school cake stall.

- had lunch with lovely friends in gorgeous cottage. Some people just have the magic touch with design and acessories.

- been with a friend when she received horrible news.

- , as always, taken time to be grateful and appreciative of the small things that make up life.

Wishing you all a fabulous February.

Roads are open - Hurrah!

Sadly this means that a rotten bastard 'nasty cold' has been able to ascend the heady heights to Trash Towers.

d/Boy and I have spent the past two days with mahoosive fevers (I say mahoosive but haven't used a thermometer since I was a concientious new mother), achey joints, snotty noses and sore heads. CK and Pr C-W have been extremely fabulous slavies and fed us regularly with medicines, liquids and restorative hot broth. This of course means that both of them will go down with it just in time for Christmas Day.

And what use is that may I ask? Who will cook the Christmas meal then?

Having made the trek over here for the holidays Giovanna & Paolo have been marooned down the hill in a lil' village before making a mercy dash to rescue niece stranded at Heathrow by snow, ice and (ahem) managerial incompetence. This turns out to have been a false alarm as she got a standby flight last night and to the best of my knowledge is now 1/3 of her way back to being on the right continent if not in the correct place.

I am guessing between that and the plague brewing at Trash Towers they are beginning to wish they had stayed at home to enjoy the rain and wind there!

Oh roll on 'The Perfect Christmas'!

Officially Marooned at Trash Towers!

Have just had word that all of the roads leading to the Outside World from up here on The Hill have been closed.

I feel a bit like Captain Oates.

We may be gone sometime.

I am an embarrasment as a mother.

destructoBoy has been attending an Arsenal Training Club for the last couple of Friday nights. This is an invite only programme and undoubtedly means that one day my boy will be Captain of the England Team and lead them to the country's first Wold Cup victory since 1966.

That is if he doesn't drown first.

His first session last week took place during an the tail end of an all day downpour of very heavy, very cold, extremely wet rain. I lasted five minutes before heading back to read for an hour in the dry of the car.

This week it was cold but fortunately dry so I stood and watched. There was another mother and she and I chatted. She pointed out her sons, detailing the afterschool and Saturday clubs they attend. I commented on our lack of football knowledge and the fact that d/Boy has spent most of the Autumn choosing which Premier League club to support as neither CK nor myself have any allegiance. Or it must be said, interest.

We watched in silence for some more minutes stamping our feet and shivering politely side by side.

"So is that your younger son? The one wearing the Yeovil Town strip?" I asked knowledgeably, taking comfort in my recognition of the local football team.

"Actually, it's the Chelsea keeper's away strip."


"Oh."

We continued watching in deepening silence.

ScottFest 2010

Move over Glasto! The kids and I headed to ScottFest last Saturday.

The weather order was filled perfectly. Blue skies, huge fluffy white clouds and no breeze.

We got there early and set-up the prettiest tent in the universe and while the terences went off to explore I sat and read the paper CK had packed for me.

One of the dads took great delight in teaching d/Boy to ride a motorbike. My boy was a bit wobbly to start but after the first circuit of the showgrounds he got it and was off. Ride like the wind Bullseye!

Princess Curly-Wurly took full advantage of the mahoosive blow-up assault course and the stilts (Although fortunately NOT at the same time. No broken legs here thanks.) before comandeering the quad bike and pegging it around the perimeter of the venue as fast as she could. My heart was in my mouth the entire time until she took me on a ride and I realised 'as fast as she could' was not the same as 'as fast as the quad will go'.

Despite packing two bedrolls, three pillows, one mahoosive airbed, three sleeping bags, two duvets, two double thickness fleece blankets, a basket of warm clothes to wear as the evening approached, jammies, loo roll, knitting, drawing paper and pencil, food to keep the troops going through until breakfast including my assistant, water for us all, a deckchair for me and picnic blanket for the rest (breath) two trips were required back up the hill. The first was for more food and water. The second for CK's spare set of car keys because I was sure I had locked his in the boot. The alternative was too dreadful to consider.

The whole event was chilled out and relaxed with people taking it in turns to cook, tend to children, mix and pour drinks. There was a marquee put up so that the evening's entertainment (Nick Tatham) had somewhere to sit while he played and a fire pit for us all to stand around and toast marshmallows once he had finished.

One of my arch-nemesis was there and put his mono-pod (or eco-pod or some such stupid name for a solid-sided domed tent) right in front of my prettiest-tent-in-the-universe. Within about five minutes he came across all smiley, hippy-happy and said

'Can't we be friends? I hate having to avert my eyes when I see people.'

'I'm not the one who said I don't like Australians' says I sunglasses down, attitude high.

'Oh you shouldn't take any notice of that. I'm a South African. (WTF?!?) Friends?' as he stretched out his hand.

Again he said 'Friends?'

Sunglasses still on I agreed and shook his hand, all the while grimacing on the inside.

d/Boy was getting quite tired by 10pm so after making the mahoosive trek to the far end of the Showgrounds and using the real loos (glamping all the way here baby) he, my assistant and I retired for the night. After a 20 minute struggle with the bedding mountain we fell asleep. Princess C-W crawled in at 11.30!

We slept well until half 3 when the requisite night-time wee was required. Of course I could not find the lead so had to hold my assistant while excavating a very sleepy d/Boy from the bedding mountain then around the back of the tent for a wee rather than head to the other end of the field. All relatively straight forward until my bladder decided it too needed to experience the full joy of camping so still holding my assistant I had to undertake all aspects of outdoor weeing with one free hand.

The whole experience was exacerbated by the proximity of the tent to a boarding kennels. My assistant was wriggling like a lunatic and growling through my hand clamped around her jaw all while d/Boy was standing admiring the bazillion stars visible in the cloud-free sky. As we settled back inside the blanket mountain that d/Boy turned to me and said 'I don't like camping.'

We shall see next Summer my boy, we shall see.

Silverpebble's shadow-a-long

The afternoon sunshine bounced off the freshly painted walls filling her room with gentle light.

I watched her delighting in the results of the weekend's hard work.

A new room in which to begin a whole new chapter of her life.

Part one of a Summer in pictures.

Hilltop visit by very clever, talented and funny famous author.

Teary farewells at the end of primary school.

Long cool drinks required to survive those hot days.
(honest we DID have some)

Fridge fascists at work. Princess Curly Wurly tidied and cleaned the fridge. Eveything being put back in was given an exact spot that corresponded with the map attached to the front of the fridge. Map complete with demands for compliance OR ELSE. Even now a month later CK remains in fear of putting things in the wrong place.

Purchase made on behalf of Missus Moog last Saturday at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham.

'Tis the season to be jolly...

... someone may have just bought a fabulous Christmas present for Christmas 2010. And it may be for a visiting vistor at Christmas 2010 and chosen by a resident superhero. Just sayin' is all.

All pleasantly exhausted.

Day dawned dry.

Somewhat belatedly we got to the venue.

A half-closed gate is usually indicative that one should NOT try and pass through said gate.

If one is sounds sufficiently apologetic in the UK one can get away with an awful lot (viz above).

Princess C-W and destructoBoy enjoyed the low ropes but were too busy hanging with their mates to line up for the abseiling and rock-climbing wall.

CK greatly impressed at the archery line. Managed to land a few arrows, even got one in the yellow! Perhaps a new hobby is on his horizon?

Next stop the river and Pr.C-W was off into the water within minutes. I looked across at one point from my spot on the bank to see my girl standing tall on the kayak seat! Great fun but eclipsed when five of them took to the water on a homemade raft. Lots of splashing, paddling in circles and cold legs but it was one thrilled and delighted girl who shivered her way back to the car to change into dry clothes.

After BBQ lunch sitting with friends we legged it back to the river's edge as dBoy and his friend Dervish had first dibs on getting into the kayaks having waited so long before lunch.

Hilarity ensued. destructoBoy got brave enough to stand up in his kayak while Dervish walked across the raft of kayaks sitting midstream. He fell in twice accidentally and deliberately the third time.

dBoy, with two other lads, balanced on a raft and paddled up and down the stream. He too ended up wet through but considers the prize his as he remained (for the most part) dry.

Exhaustion had us all by this point so we made our way home warming up and drying out while scoffing chocolate biscuits, Fruit Tingles (Australian bob) and fizzy drinks and listening to the second series of Bleak Expectations.

A big HooRa to our local Scout leaders for organising a fabulous Family Day Out in such a wonderful setting.

No really, just like a photoshoot.

Getting there.

As children we used to call these the Devil's marbles.

Honeycomb.

From their own hives.

Something beautiful on the walls.

The side verandah.

Looking down the drive.

Just hanging around.

Sylv grape harvesting in the garden.

My cousin quince-harvesting nearby.

Looking toward the back verandah.

This year's bumper harvest.

Built with timber from an old building on the property.

Back verandah.

Did I mislead you? It was unintentional.

The picture in the last post was taken at my cousin's house. I think she lives in a photoshoot. NO surface in my house is that clear.

As soon as I upload all my pics onto a computer on this side of the world you can see more but first I need to fight off the jetlag. An afternoon sorting out the crops in the Lower 40should do the trick.

Easter holidays 2010

chocolate.

Chocolate pancakes.

Tilling and seeding the Lower 40. Potatos, onions and flowers all planted.

New tent! Bought with their own money. Has been a source of great delight and fun since it was first put up.

Uhoh!

After a fabulous half hour hacking through the undergrowth d/Boy found 25 tennis balls. Funny how he got everyone's attention.

d/Boy went on a patisserie kick. We had eclairs. It is safe to say these were greatly enjoyed.