Christmas

Christmas Eve, 1am Father Christmas has been!

Olive getting her stocking ready

And refreshments for FC and his reindeer

Opening her stocking

Chocolate on her face, sparkly new hairclips in her hair, Christmas jammies on, clutching her lovely new Babydoll and very, very happy

A very happy (and grainy) Christmas family pic

What a wonderful Christmas it's been! Fantastic food, family time, champagne and presents. Lovely moments to remember, like Olive on Christmas Eve, so excited in her bed telling all her friends (toys) to go to sleep so that Santa will come "George the monkey, lie down, Dougie get under the covers, Dougie's big brother be quiet" Then 'Daddy we've all been sleeping is he here yet?". We had a fab Christmas Eve feast with my brother-in-law and his partner in our kitchen with much champagne and chat until gone 1am. Luckily O gave us a very merry start to Christmas Day with a lie-in until nearly 8am - unheard of and much needed! Christmas day was so much fun, watching O play with all her presents and M outdid himself with the most amazing spread and the best roasties ever! I even made a trifle! Sooo much food.

Had a lovely day with friends and their children yesterday in their massive new house by the river. And last night I was so happy to catch up with my oldest and dearest friend Sharon who is over from the States at her folks in Scotland for Christmas. She decided to come at the last minute and unfortunately our timings clashed with O and I being there the week before she arrived, but we made up for it with an evening long catch up on the phone last night and as usual it was just like I had seen her only yesterday. Top of my New Year's resolutions for 2008 is to keep in touch with her more, I do miss her so. When she went off to nursing college and I was having a year out deciding what to do with myself mooching around at my parents' house and working in a bar, we used to write to each other on a weekly, often daily basis. We'd search out funny postcards and notes to send each other and fill with the latest on our lovelifes and gossip from home. I still have some of these and they still make me laugh. We realised last night that this was over 20 years ago, how did that happen???

Tomorrow we have our wonderful friends the C's and their children arriving to help celebrate New Year's Eve. The food is chosen, the fizz is on ice and O is dancing on the ceiling already at the thought of E and H and of course Figsy the dog to play with. Can't wait, it's going to be loads of fun.

Feeling happier

Lovely day today and I feel much happier. We spent the morning at our local market. Olive fell asleep on the way there in her buggy so M and I had a peaceful half hour with coffee, croissants and the paper from the coffee stall. It was a very chilly day to be sitting outside (it has been so cold here lately that O and I saw a think layer of ice on top of the nearby Regents Canal on Thursday!) but we were all wrapped up warm and cosy. Once O was awake we wandered round the stalls and bought some delicious cheeses, bread, saussions, handmade granola, wonderful cavolo nero, curly kale, chard and herbs to have on Christmas Day. I feel so lucky to have this on our doorstep. Then we hit the local playground in London Fields and were surprised to see it has been refurbished with some colourful, new climbing frames and equipment. We had lots of much needed fun and laughter running around, playing and kicking the ball with O, before walking back with O on Matt's shoulders for a picnic lunch in front of the Charlie and Lola Christmas special. I think I love them as much as O does. Next on my list is completing our Ocado order which I should be doing instead of writing this! Tomorrow is the flower market for lots of beautiful blooms to dress the table and house with. Christmas Eve we need to pick up our turkey. I have a horrible head cold but I am feeling festive. Going to light the fire tonight and watch the Strictly Come Dancing final (it's my guilty pleasure!)

Only 3 more sleeps to go...

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

How did that happen, it's almost here already! We're so looking forward to the break though, M is on holiday and we are all feeling a lot like this:



Life has been hectic since we got back from Edinburgh and I haven't had enough time to blog about it. It was so, so lovely to catch up with family and friends and we came back feeling very festive and extremely proud of ourselves that we managed the journey without any problems. O was brilliant, she loved the train, pulled out all the stops to impress the folks, was loads of fun and behaved impeccably the whole time. She didn't sleep much, but you can't have everything! I also came back with very toned arms, almost everyone I know lives in either a massive gorgeous Georgian flat, or a massive gorgeous tenement flat (oh as a Scottish Londoner I felt the pull of the square footage envy) beautiful but either up or down many flights of stairs. Carrying toddler and/or bugaboo up and down them is a much better work out than the gym!

So it was an extremely shattered but happy Lindsay who stepped off the train at Kings Cross. After a week's worth of solo responsibility for the monkey I was ready to let my hair down. Luckily we had our amazing, wonderful, fabulous babysitter booked and M and I hit Bistrotheque with some friends for cocktails, food, wine and more cocktails. Ouch, the next day was not good but my wonderful husband let me sleep and lounge around in my dressing gown, bliss.

Oh, and her most favourite and her best thing of the whole trip: the carousel on Princes St gardens. She could have stayed on that for days.

A great big Scottish adventure

O and I are off tomorrow on our great big Scottish adventure! It's the first time we have braved the train on our own. I'm not nervous about the journey itself, more about the logistics of getting us, plus buggy and bags onto the train. I'll just have to collar a friendly looking guard and ask for help. I'm so excited to be going to Edinburgh at this time of year, it's such a gorgeous city anyway but it reinvents itself as a winter wonderland at this time of year. Princes Street Gardens are thronged with twinkling lights, a German market, night food markets, a huge, old fashioned ferris wheel, carousel and wonderful ice rink. Plus the Botanic Gardens have a Christmas Festival with lots of events for children, and Castle St is a gourmet's delight with organic food stalls and lots of local produce to try. There's so much going on, O is going to love it!

Olive-isms

I was singing to O while I changed her nappy the other day, a favourite song of hers about a steam train. I said, being silly, "Are you a steam train rolling down the track?" to which replied seriously "No mummy, I'm a monkey-girl." I said "what about me?" "You're a good girl mummy" "And Daddy?" "Daddy has blue eyes".

Tire slashing and theft

This week we have had the negative side of living in central London shoved right in our faces. On Thursday night one of the tires on our car was slashed and then yesterday as I queued outside our local fishmongers my bag was snatched from our baby's buggy. Tire slashing is senseless, and snatching a bag from a pushchair - how low can you go? Aside from the fact that I had just taken out £100 from the cashpoint, I was most upset by the loss of O's things, and the thought that they would just be dumped somewhere once my purse had been rifled. A cute Petit Bateau hat and mitten set, her juice cup, Winnie the Pooh toy, box of biscuits, little car and banana were in the bag, standard fare for any mum out and about with her toddler, but they are her things and precious and it smarts me to think of them being taken. I lost my Orla Kiely purse and cards, a brand new!!! just out of the box Benefit compact, Burts Bees lipgloss and my gloves. I felt very angry and annoyed that I hadn't been paying more attention but ringing the police made me feel much better as he said that I shouldn't have to be paying attention, it's totally wrong that I can't stand in the fish queue and chat with my gorgeous girl, catch up with neighbours and take my time without worrying about where my bag is. So thank you Mr Policeman. There is a CCTV camera right outside the shop so whoever did it may be on camera. And if anyone spots a black and white patterned fabric Katvig tote bag dumped in the vicinity of the Essex Road, it's mine and I'd be grateful to have it back.

But thankfully we had some lovely friends and their adorable children coming to stay and they made us all feel so much better. O had a ball, and was actually shaking with excitement that they had brought their dog with them and she was staying the night at our house! Much, much shrieking ensued! And it was wonderful to hear our little house filled with sound of chuckles from 3 wonderful small people under the age of 4. We had top deck trip on a double decker bus, a lunch and a mooch around the Southbank. I love the Southbank. It's so atmospheric to be down by the river, taking in the various styles of architecture, the book stalls in front of the BFI, the boats, the twinkly lights in the trees and the different people going by. It's one of my favourite walks and I do think the regeneration work has improved it, especially for families. And one of these days M and I will go there on our own and drink cocktails in Skylon, hold hands and admire the view.

Once the littlies were in bed we kicked off with Kir Royales and salted almonds while I cooked seabass with potatoes and wild mushrooms, then chocolate pots and amaretti biscuits. Much wine drinking and catching up until the early hours meant a few sore heads when the fun kicked off again this morning, but nothing that some freshly baked granola muffins (I love the opportunity to play the domestic goddess!) and virgin marys couldn't fix before heading off for a walk in Victoria Park and feeding the ducks.

We may have to consider buying a dog I think!

Then we had lunch here, rotisserie whole chicken served at the table with all the trimmings. We had 3 very tired children by this point and were slightly worried that we were in major meltdown territory but all 3 behaved beautifully. So I sit here feeling tired and very contented in spite of our bad luck. So lovely to spend time with old friends and see our children become friends too.

Baby, it's cold outside!

Brrrr! Very cold and frosty morning in London Town today. The frost was still melting on the car roofs when O and I left for our walk this morning. It was bright and sunny though, another glorious blue sky day. We've had our log fire going and got some wonderful mohair rugs that we bought in Sydney from here out from the airing cupboard to snuggle under. I love this sort of weather! Perfect for curling up with a good book. On my bedside table at the moment are:

The Pursuit of Love Nancy Mitford
The Mitfords, Letters Between Six Sisters Edited by Charlotte Mosley
Darkmans Nicola Barker
Couples John Updike
Why Love Matters:How Affection Shapes a Baby's Brain Sue Gerhardt
UK Vogue
The Cooks Companion Stephanie Alexander
How to Eat Nigella Lawson
Inside Out September/October edition
Time Out

I read Love in a Cold Climate recently which prompted me to reread The Pursuit of Love. Nancy Mitford is fabulously enjoyable read, a bit like Bridget Jones with a period setting. The Mitford Sisters were such an astonishing family, I'm looking forward to getting into this massive book of their letters. This year's Man Booker list was inspiring and Darkmans has had such good reviews. Couples is there because I've been meaning to read some Updike ever since I was given some extracts from his work on a writing course I did a while ago. The next title is on my reading list for school. Reading this it gives me the shivers to think of what the so called 'strict' childcare expert Claire Verity was preaching on the Channel Four show Bringing Up Baby. I never miss Vogue! The two cookbooks are to help me plan meals for the weekend as we have friends staying. Inside Out is a brilliant Aussie interiors magazine which makes me long for the light, colours and laid back contemporary style there. Finally Time Out. We have a subscription to this which we really should cancel as we just don't get out enough these days! Ah well, at least I can read about what's hip and happening in London!

This weekend we are taking friends and their children to the Barbican to catch some of the London Children's Film Festival, then once the littlies are tucked up in bed (hopefully) we will get down to some serious catching up over a drink or five! I can't wait!

Lastly I can't resist posting these two really cute pictures of my little O in her Halloween outfit.

Scary Liv!

Pretty Liv!

Weekends

Weekends can be oddly tense affairs in our house. We look forward to them all week and then when they get here we are strangely disappointed. The partner power struggle which is familiar to any couple with a young child or baby often spoils things. Who is more tired, who hasn't had any time for themselves, who got up in the night again etc etc. This then against the desire to spend time together as a family, for M to spend quality time with O on his own and for M and I to have some time together which doesn't involve household chores or domesticity. It's all about time, and balance and not having enough of either.

However the last couple of weekends have been blissful. Last Friday evening once O was sound asleep in bed I relaxed with a vodka and tonic while M cooked steak and mushrooms in garlic butter which we ate on the sofa watching this week's recorded Flight of the Conchords. The more episodes we watch the more I get into this show. The musical element works, I love the dorkiness, their friend/manager just cracks me up and their accents remind me of an ad for cheese which was on tv when we lived in Aus for which the tagline was pronounced 'your frund in the frudge!'.

Saturday I lay in. Bliss. M fed, watered, played with, dressed and changed O. We are trying to cut down the amount of tv she watches at the moment as she is turning into square eyes. I could hear several demands from her, and lots of 'Beebies isn't working today' from him. Then M went off to do some much needed clothes shopping. I took O off here to meet a friend and her daughter for coffee and take the girls to the park. O and her friend were a picture of childhood joy running through the autumn leaves, giggling and yelling. Back home for nap for her and Guardian reading and tea drinking for me and M. Then we walked O round to a birthday party and M went to the pub, possibly the first time he has done this on a Saturday afternoon since she was born. Day was rounded off with a thai from here and watched The Devil Wears Prada. I love thai food but haven't yet found one in East London which hits the spot. Our neighbourhood joint in Sydney has spoiled us for life I think, still have dreams of their heaven beef and deep fried perch. If anyone can recommend a good one then please let me know!

Sunday I had yet another lie-in and read my book while M took O to the flower market for flowers and bagels. We then drove to see friends in Hertfordshire and were spoiled with a fabulous roast lunch and lots of cuddles from their beautiful baby girl. It was lovely to see how O engaged with the baby and was very gentle with her. She really enjoyed rolling around on the baby's playmat and babygym which she was way too big for!





This weekend has been full of glorious autumn sunshine. Walks in the park, crunchy golden leaves, wonderful food and family time.

I haven't done a massive amount of reading but two books have caught my eye, both with a parenting theme. Tim Gill's report on childhood and how children are growing up with less opportunity to take risk and therefore learn and grow for themselves. I really agree with his premise, but as a parent living in central London I do wonder when we will feel happy to let O go to the park or walk home friends etc unaccompanied. The second was an extract from a book in the Observer Woman magazine called Mommies Who Drink, the author of which seems like an antihero to the monotony of parenting tomes and gurus who pile the pressure on us to be the perfect mother. There was a huge backlash against this book in the states, but the extract was hilarious and I may have bought it on the strength of the title alone! I also managed to borrow Douglas Coupland's new book from my brother-in-law to add to my bedside pile of reading.

A beautiful film

Went to see Once at the Barbican last night.

Beautiful. I found it really touching. There was such passion in the performances and wonderful chemistry between the leads. I loved the music, especially Marketa Irglova's voice. Wonderful that films like this are being made on a budget of $150k. So glad that Cillian Murphy pulled out as Glen Hansard's performance was so natural and inspiring. I'm off to get the soundtrack now.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog! I've recently been introduced to the world of blogging by my lovely friend Rebecca and as I enjoy reading them so much I thought I'd like to give it a go.

The hardest thing for me to do is to begin! I find it very easy to write, but even easier to hit the back space button and delete it all. I'm going to stop procrastinating and just write something!

Gorgeous blue sky day in London today. After I dropped O off at nursery I had a walk along the canal on the way to the pool for a swim. I recently started a college course on a Tuesday but it's half term week so I enjoyed meandering my way along in the crisp autumn sunshine. Lots of geese on the water, heard on the radio they have been swept in early on a freezing wind from Siberia and it means we have a cold winter ahead. I love passing the narrow boats, all with their woodfires smoking today, me peeking in the windows romantacising on who lives there and what it would be like to live on one. After my swim, I enjoyed my weekly dose of trash courtesy of Grazia magazine - La Moss drops 10 years in the blink of a new fringe. Then I headed to Borders where I scooped a haul for the lucky Olive: Boo! Made you Jump! and Say Cheese! Charlie and Lola books, Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Diary by Lynley Dodd and A Very Busy Journey by Richard Scarry,

She is a massive fan (as am I!) of Charlie and Lola, and I thought the Richard Scarry book would be good preparation for a pre-Christmas trip to Edinburgh I'm taking her on. It's the first time I've gone solo with her on the train journey so am rather nervous. It will either be wonderful and lovely or I will arrive a frazzled and stressed out wreck from chasing her down the train and attempting to stop her scribbling all over the upholstry. But, whisper it, I do have a secret weapon in the form of a personal DVD player on which she can watch said Charlie and Lola in desperate moments.

I also scored some mini biker boots and a belt for myself from Gap. I'm always so impressed by their accessory range, I think it's down to Katie Hillier, ex Marc Jacobs?

The rest of the day should be spent catching up on writing my journal for my course, and getting stuck into some more of my reading list. Which brings me to the title of my blog. My life has changed in so many ways since I became a mother, but the one constant which remains, and I always manage to find time for, is reading. Books, magazines, newspapers, and now blogs, I squeeze them in somewhere. I've always loved reading. One of my strongest childhood memories is the excitement of getting a new Enid Blyton book and having to stay up all night with a torch under the covers to get to the end of it. I wish to pass this love on to O, and so far books do seem to be one of her favourite things, with the odd newspaper thrown in here and there!

Completes first novel aged 10 weeks

Unimpressed by the mayoral propaganda

So I guess my blog is going to be a bookish blend of my life, motherhood, loves with some rambling reviews of what we are reading thrown in for good measure.

We even find time to read in the pub