Category: Holiday

December 22, 2014

The Magic starts here..

The Elf-on-the-shelf has been a stroke of genius to the spirit of Christmas in this house – so much so we had to find him a female companion (mind out of the gutter please….) so Bella had her own elf too (At eight she’s on the cusp of not believing) – their presence has been totally embraced with homemade presents and letters regularly being left for them (generally saying the other has been up to no good!). The other tradition that underlines the children’s belief is their annual message from PNP Santa..it’s a beautiful dose of pure nostalgia – there’s a choice of a free message – which really works if you have young children or only one so you don’t get a repeat..or pay £2.99 for a longer message, more photos and a choice of story..this year, for the first time, I upgraded..it was so worth it, particularly as there was an option for the Elf to get a special mention..how perfectly magical? There’s no denying their power now!

The basic concept is that Santa speaks individually to your child and looks at photos of them through the year in their special book..then they find out whether they’re on the good list…or the naughty list..with the option of behaving better before the big day…it’s very, very, clever and utterly seductive. And it’s not just limited to children..there’s an adults version too with true mirth in hearing this Santa mutter ‘I hear you regularly fart in bed’ and other such gems..

I’ve uploaded Bella and Charlie’s messages to Facebook if you want to see the quality of the messages for yourself, and just for posterity, I videoed their reactions this year:

…Once you have laughed and once you have loved this Christmas..the rest is just background noise..

Laters, Kate x

December 18, 2014

Christmas Spirit..

The lead up to Christmas is gathering momentum like a shaken, very expensive bottle of vintage champagne ready to explode everywhere, with no-one actually getting to taste a drop. So starts the month of spending, drinking and ironic hair extensions: There’s so much emphasis on the extravagance of Christmas – the more you spend does equal the more you love don’t you know? – that the real joy of Christmas is suffocated like a candle without oxygen. There have been years when I’ve literally sobbed into my mulled wine on Christmas Eve as I’m still working my way through the pile of effing presents that still need to be wrapped…and missing out on all the bits I truly love – the making, the baking and the creating…I’m not religious, but I find my peace in austerity and gentleness away from the whining notion of entitlement and endlessly wanting it all..

So this year I’ve kept it simple..Bella’s stocking is everything to do with sewing with vintage bits I’ve collected from Ebay. Charlie’s is an Art box equivalent with paints, plasticine and the odd robot. The kids broke up from school yesterday, and I’ve managed to get everything done and out the way – the proverbial decks have been cleared (well..almost..cards not quite in the post yet..) but it’s been a long, hard term: The kids are on their knees, so am I..but now we can shut the shutters, close the door and concentrate on lazy days with moments of madness and doing all the things that make Christmas special for us…These lights made from photocopies and ordinary glass tumblers are up there at the top of the list…

I can’t wait!

Laters, Kate x

November 12, 2014

Cut!

This is the result of a short trouser mistake I made by booking a hair cut for myself during half term – I did realise my error, but because our internet and mobile connection was so bad where we were staying, I had no chance to re-arrange it..so I had no choice but to bite the bullet and take Bella and Charlie with me. To my credit, before we left home I asked both of them – Do you both have your tablets to play on? Yes, they assured me. Except, when we got to the hairdressers…

‘Right – you both sit there and play on your tablets… be good, I won’t be long’…

‘But mummy, you never said to actually bring them with us’…

‘^%&^$%^%£%@$^&%^(*1!’

So there was nothing for it but to hand over my phone…

The moral of this story is never, ever, mix hair cuts with young children..always pay the cancellation fee…

Laters, Kate x

November 2, 2014

Life through a Lens..

I don’t normally post on a Sunday..but unless these go out now, I fear they ever will…Pictures from our half-term week away to the Kent coast including Camber Sands, Deal and Kingsdown…

Laters, Kate x

November 1, 2014

Mwha-ha-halloween!

If you ask my kids what celebration most floats their boats they won’t say birthdays or Christmas..It’s Halloween every time…and I’m not sure it’s just about the unlimited supply of sugar. For them it’s the drama of being out in the dark with their friends, dressed as something totally alien, doing something that would be utterly forbidden in normal life. This year Bella went as a wolf..who might have a few cat tendencies..we got a bit confused..

Charlie was Batman!

This year we went to a friends for a party..first time I haven’t decorated our house in years..

Ready for the off, treacle treating bags at the ready..

It’s not America..but people and their houses do embrace Halloween in SW London..there were some impressive sights..

We all thought this was a statue standing next to Robin Williams grave….until he went Boo!

Loved these pumpkins with their noses!

Returning home..a scariest costume of all..a vision of the teenager-to-be…

Mwha-ha-haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Laters, kate x

October 29, 2014

Our Day x

We wore the leather off our soles and the skin off our feet with our trip yesterday..I thought it was such a cunning and devious plan to link the Mexican shop and the Tower of London together – they’re both on the same side of the river after all – but sadly there’s no transport link between them..we ended up pounding the streets of London. Although, having said that – it’s a good place to pound. First stop was Milagros in Columbia Road – at the weekend this is a bustling, heaving flower market with much more besides (well worth a visit – there’s a Spanish restaurant at one end that does the best breakfast ever..) but during the week all the old shop fronts literally close their shutters – we were very lucky our destination was one of the few that was open..

We indulged..Frida Kahlo is my favourite..

It’s a fascinating area bridging hip Shoreditch and lively Brick Lane.

The kids took pictures of each other..

With varying degrees of success…

The Tower was magnificent. It’s such an iconic part of London with it’s foreboding stance against the march of time, combine that with the pure brilliance of this installation ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ to commemorate the allied fallen in the First World War and it’s a combination made in heaven. Tom Piper is the designer, Paul Cummins the ceramicist, both have captured something utterly unique: Is it Art..or is it theatre?

Each handmade ceramic flower represents a fallen soldier.

It’s as if the very stones of the Tower are bleeding.

It was a brilliant decision to allow the planting to happen gradually in waves. It started in August and by the 11 November, Remembrance Day, 888,246 poppies will proudly stand, filling the moat – it has made this edifice to death into a living, breathing structure both celebrating and mourning loss.

At 4.55 every day – dusk – a solitary trumpet plays the Last Post and a roll call of 180 of the dead are read out.

I so wanted to hear the trumpet …but there’s always a limit with children and mine – after a long day and with 25 minutes to wait – had reached theirs..

We headed home..

But if you think my two are always angels..

Think again…

Laters, Kate x

October 17, 2014

Islands in the Sun x

It’s the last day before half term starts..seems to have whizzed past. I can remember standing at the school gates thinking I thought this day would never come..I’ve been standing at the same gates for the last week, praying for half term. The kids are on their knees…so am I…we all need a break, chill-out time and long walks by the sea..

We’re hoping to head back to Kent, the husband’s work permitting, for a bit of nostalgia and basic living. I can feel my heart singing just at the thought..

So I’ve just got to get my act together today…2 coffee dates, 2 playdates, send back a pair of boots that arrived in the wrong colour, wrap Bella’s birthday presents (her eighth birthday on Sunday. Can’t believe it), pack cake ingredients n tins, source creative stuff to take with us (requested by Bella: Another heart singing moment) and a few board games and a football, pack for everyone (still hate)…and then leave the house spotless as we have relatives arriving whilst we’re away..shouldn’t be too hard!

I’ll just keep looking at these dream kitchens and pretend it’s my reality…or that I have staff!

Laters, Kate x

September 16, 2014

Ancient Greek Jellies..

The wonderfully iconic Ancient Greek Sandal’s are about to introduce their latest baby – their first ever jelly shoe made from 100% recyclable rubber. It’ll be available in 2 finishes (matt and glossy) and in a variety of colours at a designer-brand-pleasing-price of £70. Looks like next summer is sorted already….

Laters, Kate x

September 1, 2014

Elegant Edinburgh..

For the last four days we’ve been visiting the glorious City of Edinburgh, oozing with life and culture and it’s row upon row of gorgeous Georgian architecture…we stayed in a flat on the top floor of this row..complete with 64 steps up..

But worth it for the view right out to the Firth of Forth. Situated in a little road at the end of Princes Street, it’s hard to believe this is the middle of a capital city..another of Edinburgh’s many charms..

We were up there for family celebrations which took place in Edinburgh Zoo….

My Uncle Jake (now based in California..the shirt is the give away) was celebrating his 75 birthday, along with his 25 wedding anniversary and the fiftieth wedding anniversary of his best friend..

My father, our Scottish connection and proud of it.

It gave a chance for Bella and Charlie to meet the scottish cousins (I doubt Charlie will ever live this photo down..forever immortalised..)

Who got on like a house on fire..

And danced the night away!

After the party we had a chance to explore the City..

And Charlie was thrilled that he got a chance to finally try zorbing..

And talk to a stormtrooper in a kilt..

A beautiful, beautiful city..we’ll be back..

Laters, Kate x

August 18, 2014

Part 2: Lefkada x

We left Spetses and started our epic journey to Lefkada..it’s almost impossible to capture the sense of height from photos, but this was the gorgeous spot half-way to Korinth that we stopped at for lunch.

We then drove through all manner of road works to Patras and the new (for me) and incredibly beautiful bridge that now spans across the sea in place of the Rio Antirrio (always remind me of something out of Narnia) ferry. It was after that we hit the real problems – we were a bit too reliant on our sat-nav who we’d inadvertently set to ‘Poros – Cephalonia’ instead of ‘Poros-Lefkada’..it kept trying to take us back to Patras to catch the ferry….Not good. After purchasing a paper map we got stuck behind all the lorries offloading from Patras…and Charlie made us pull over for his epic wee..and we had to watch as all the juggernauts we’d painstakingly overtaken noisily pass us again…it still pains me..

But it was worth it. Even if, according to Bella, there were 42 bends down to our resort! Lefkada is mountainous!

The view from where we had breakfast every morning.

We’d buy freshly baked pain au chocolat’s, croissants, cheese pies, apple pies or (my weakness) doughnuts from the attached supermarket, then bring them through to the taverna where they would provide plates and hot coffee. Poros Beach Camping, where we stayed, is a family run affair – one sister running the accommodation, another the supermarket, brother the taverna and mama the cook. Pretty perfect..

It was a beautiful beach – very different from Spetses..the stones were much whiter and there was dramatic, flowing purple seaweed to snorkel round, but always the crystal clear water.

Hiring a boat – just out from the main town of Nidri there are 6 islands to visit..

This is Scorpios..the infamous private island of the late Aristotle Onassis..now it belongs to a Russian Oligarch. We were checked out by bodyguards on a speedboat..we gave them a wave and blew them a kiss..amazing place, but what a price to pay..

The island that caught my attention was Megalonissi..sleepy, off the beaten track..we stopped for lunch.

This part of Greece is definitely cooler..there’s even grass!

(The only picture of me in the whole holiday!)(and taken by accident)

(That, and a hand..)

The pool..we’d spend the morning here before having lunch with Costa at his taverna on the site.

Part of the huge success of this holiday was the fact it was the first one where both children could swim…as a parent it meant we could finally relax.