Yearly Roundup!

The newsstands are heaving with End-of-Year Double Issues, every TV station has its 2007 countdown... so it must be time for the Planet Wulfagar Yearly Round-Up!

Considering we saw in 2007 with the local police, detailing our New Year’s Eve burglary, the year could only get better from there . And better it did get:
One wedding (participatory), two weddings (attendatory), two new jobs, three babies-of-friends, three tennis tournaments (well, only one of us got to all 3, Mr Cincinnati), one 5k personal best, Britney shaved her head, jail beckoned for Paris while Lindsay escaped with rehab, er – sorry, slipped into the HeatWorld recap there for a minute.
So congratulations to Pete & Carmen (wedding attendance #1) and Ben & Anita (wedding #2).

And to Duncan & Sabine (baby Lilya); Andy & Sam (baby Charlie); and Anna & Jules (baby Imogen).

And of course to Ichiro, for hit number 200, a home run off of Roger Clemens at Yankee Stadium, providing Ashley with his number 1 moment of 2007. (Well – maybe his 2nd favourite moment...)

Seeing the Mariners beat the Yankees in New York was definitely a highlight of the year, however, coming as it did in the middle of a fabulous NYC-DC visit. We were lucky enough to add a few more cities to the list this year, including 2 new countries (Sweden and Morocco, if you’re counting for the next Planet Wulfagar quiz).

I never got around to posting about our most recent trip, Venice, so I’ll sum up in three words: Lots of walking.

Closer to home, we added a new honorary citizen to Planet Wulfagar: Mr Toots, the friendly neighbourhood cat. And I do mean friendly – I’ve never seen a friendlier feline. So we have a semi-pet, which is great, as we have neither time nor space nor lease conditions that allow a full-time pet, but this way we get some animal cuddling time in, always helpful to keep stress levels down.

On the career front, Ashley moved closer to home, leaving Contemporary for a more senior role working directly for Seapine. I moved even closer to home for a time, leaving LBi for a role doing eating bon bons and watching soaps. Fortunately, however, I’ve more recently started as a 'digital client partner' (all together now, 'oooh') at agency TMW. It’s only a week so far, but looking good.

In addition to all the soaps and sweets, time at home meant Crafty-Girl time – 2 cross-stitch pieces, 1 needlepoint, tens of holiday cards, and 1 Empire State Building. I’m especially proud of the Building, as it required quite meticulous work, though I would’ve been prouder if it had won me the trip the New York!

My real highlight of 2007? The time we spent with friends and family, whenever and wherever possible – and we’re looking forward to more of that in 2008, so hope to see you soon!!

Feeeeed the Wo-oo-oorld

NPR just reported on FreeRice.com -- which I've neglected after the initial buzz. So in this holiday season, give some holiday cheer and rice by testing your vocabulary at FreeRice.com (and Dad -- they're adding in some tougher words for those you word-iacs who make it to level 50...)

Just heard on NPR about this fascinating sounding book: Cartographia -- a collection of maps by Vincent Virga, which illustrates how maps "reveal as much about the society that created them as they do about the geography of the places they describe."

I think my favourite example he draws is of North by Northwest, where there's a scene in an office in DC, which places the Capitol outside the window, which would imply the office itself was on the Mall -- an impossibility. But rather than sneer at the stupidity of Hitchcock, Virga points out that this 'remapping' if you will, is a plot point, to show the looming presence of the government in this scene. (confession: though of course I have seen North by Northwest, I cannot remember this scene for the life of me, so take his word for it. When I think of NbN, I only see crop dusters and Mt Rushmore...)

Gobble gobble

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Ok, as usual, a little late, but am finally recovered from our Turkey Day feast, which, given the fact for some reason it’s not a national holiday in this country, we celebrated on Saturday.

I tried to be so prepared – which meant making the cranberry sauce on Tuesday – but that was about as far as my early preparation went. At least I remembered to ‘stale-ify’ the stuffing bread by leaving it out over Friday night.

Menu for the day? Pretty much the classics – turkey, stuffing (my first that didn’t start with the words ‘Stove Top’), sweet potatoes, green beans, aforementioned cranberry sauce, spicy cornbread, and of course dessert & more dessert. Pumpkin pie of course (though, sacre bleu, it’s not one of my favourites, so luckily the one other American attendee volunteered for that one!), chocolate brownies (you must have one chocolate dessert for any dinner party. It’s the rule.) and cranberry apple crisp – all topped with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. Yum, yum, and double yum - If I say so myself.. though I think the empty plates give a good indication of the yum factor. And also serve as a sign that we did a pretty good job of consuming our estimated 4,500 Thanksgiving meal calories. Each. Some of the carnage can be seen in the photo here – unfortunately we forgot to take any of the shiny untouched meal before the knives came out, so remains are all you get...

Key learning from hosting a dinner party for 12? SERVING SPOONS! The last time around I borrowed so many dishes & other implements from Kim, who we missed this year (though I’m sure you enjoyed that week in the Bahamas...) Ah well – we’ve got a while to amass a few more of our own before our next one...

So many thanks to ‘the other American’ (only 2 at this year’s festivities, counting me) for bringing 3 dishes (especially that pie!) and my dear American-in-spirit husband for the best mashed potatoes ever as well as delicious gravy, and our guests for the wine, champagne, charades and company that sweetened the evening and my favourite holiday all the more.

Nostalgia

Awww... 10 Things I Hate About You was on last night. I do love that movie - and I think it gets cuter each time I see it. I managed to keep my 'that's my high school!!' squeals down to only 3 or 4 times. Or maybe 5. Hmm...

Don't think it's supplanted 16 Candles ("Lek. Big lek." "Married? Married. Married? Yes, married. Sheesh.") as my all-time favourite teen flick, but it's definitely up there.

So - what's your favourite classic teen movie that can stand the test of time? And is it on this list? (Why is 16 Candles only 49 out of 50? And where is Better Off Dead??)

[On a side note -- why, despite having many of these films on DVD, do I only get excited and watch them when they show up randomly in the tv schedule?]

Do you know your venesection from your fellah?

Test your vocabulary at (www.freerice.com -- I couldn't figure out how to link out from the image) AND donate rice through the UN. It's rare they say to get above level 48 -- I am *so* going for it...

Yum yum yum

Four forks (or should that be spoons) for this Spicy Corn Chowder from Epicurious... like many of the reviewers I added a potato and jalapenos -- thicker and spicier. (maybe a little too spicy -- jalapenos + overfill on the cayenne pepper = firy tongue). And super easy to make. Yum and double yum - certainly one to add to the autumn / winter rotation. Looking forward to tomorrow's leftovers for lunch already...

Happy Halloween?

Last night, the 30th of October, mind you, hubby & I were enjoying a pleasant dinner at the newly refurbished local bistro, when who should wander over to our table but 2 budding ASBOs (aka delinquents), girls of about 12, 13, with white face paint and wearing crude garbage bag 'costumes' over their clothes.

One of them came forward to our table and mumbled something about 'trick or treat' to me. I replied quite snappishly 'It's not Halloween, what are you doing here. And I don't have any candy anyway, as of course it's not Halloween.' She looked suprised that I even questioned her right to demand favours, in a RESTAURANT, the DAY BEFORE Halloween, but quickly recovered: 'Just give us some money'. Give us some money?? What?? That is NOT Halloween, and that is NOT trick-or-treating. And of course, I said 'No.' Again, I think somewhat to her suprise...

Luckily the manager came out shortly after, as the girls were making their way to the next table, and ushered them out. No doubt to hit up the next restaurant or pub, where no doubt many give in to their demands, muttering 'Halloween - stupid American holiday'.

And yet - that's not how *I* remember Halloween. Have I gotten to the stage of 'back in my day'? And I know it's been years since I celebrated Halloween in the US. So - US-based readers (of which I must have oh, 4 or 5) tell me: Is media coverage in the US dominated by more tricks than treats? Do you worry about being egged or mugged, rather than whether the candy will run out?

Or do you agree with this columnist, who believes Britain has put its own yobbish spin on Halloween, so please stop blaming the US of A. America may not be perfect, but let's take a little responsibility people...

Time to celebrate

Happy Candy Corn Day! Not really a big seller over here -- shame - it's not one of my favourites, but nothing says Halloween more... And if it's good enough for NPR, it's good enough for me.

Ich bin ein doughnut

Ok, ok, so Kennedy never made the ‘I am a jelly doughnut’ mistake, but that was the only quote I could think of about Berlin. And yes, in true procrastinator style, I’m finally posting about my Berlin trip – only about 3 weeks late... As always it’s impossible to cover everything about a trip in a single blog posting, but will try for some highlights.

One impression of Berlin is that it wears its recent history in particular on its sleeve much more evidently than any other city I’ve visited. Or is that just because the ‘last great war’ and the subsequent Iron Curtain still hold a grip on our (my?) historical knowledge. I felt that I both knew a lot and knew nothing about Berlin’s history, so was glad we tagged on to a walking tour of the city that included ‘800 years of Berlin history in 8 minutes’. A bit compressed, but still an education.

It’s also large and small at the same time – according to Wikipedia it’s the 2nd largest city in the EU, and yet we seemed to cover the same general area in our 3 days, and felt very comfortable the town, in a similar way to much smaller places I’ve visited. I’m sure that’s because the city itself sprawls much further than the tourist-centric maps we had, but still, it felt very familiar very quickly.

We didn’t do a lot of sightseeing – however you can’t help but see sights just by walking around. By far the most impressive I felt was the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (part of that visible recounting of history). The memorial goes on and on; visitors can get almost lost within it – it’s both stark and in some ways human at the same time. The artist refuses to explain what it means – rather it’s up to each visitor to interpret and take what s/he will, and it was interesting to hear the different responses given by members of the walking tour.

The Jewish Museum was impressive as well – not least because of the architecture. I was most impressed, however, with the breadth of the historical record, showing the presence of Jews in Berlin for centuries. You wind through the exhibits mostly chronologically, learning about significant personalities here, impacts on the city there – all leading to, but not solely focused on, the Holocaust... which of course you know is coming, but seems all the more horrible with the knowledge of the contribution to and identification with the city the Jewish population had.

Particularly chilling to me was the ‘Memory Void’, with its installation ‘Fallen Leaves’ – rudimentary iron faces scattered like so many bodies. You’re supposed to walk over them, which I did, but it felt sacrilege, and I had to leave. The piece is also supposed to be forward-looking, though leaves fall the tree lives on... but while I appreciate the metaphor of life going on, I think that affords too much natural order to the Holocaust – there’s a difference between leaves and lives ending naturally or being stripped from the tree while still green.

We did more than wallow in WWII memorials, however – lots and lots of walking around, and much window shopping! Berlin has much to offer on the shopping front, both boutique and department store, and we made sure to investigate whenever possible. We also were very pleased with the Time Out Guide’s dining recommendations, including an ‘American Style’ diner for Sunday brunch (yummy bacon, though the pancakes were, umm, a little different. Tasty, but not exactly fluffy Bisquik specials!) We made sure to partake of some classic tourist activities as well: standing in both East & West Berlin (echoes of standing in East & West Hemispheres in Greenwich); looking for remnants of the Wall; passing by Checkpoint Charlie; and eating some yummy pastries. And of course, no holiday is complete without a visit to Starbucks, or its local imitator, in this case ‘Balzac Coffee’, which – other than the name – seemed scarily identical to Starbucks in every way. Weird.

Another highlight of the trip was talking. And talking some more – it was absolutely fabulous to catch up with Liz, my travelling companion and first-year-in-London flatmate, so thanks to her again for suggesting the trip... already looking forward to our next outing!

(PS - for more photos, you can check out Flickr...)

38 & counting

Happy birthday to my Lego-loving, Spurs-supporting, super-cycling, older-than-me-for-a-few-months-at-least husband. Here's wishing you a fantastic fun-filled 39th year...

Real live celebrity spotting

OMG. How could I have waited so long to post THIS?! I was enjoying the Golden Age of Couture exhibit at the V&A last Sunday, when an American accent (and cloud of lingering cigarette smell) caught my ear (and nose). I looked over, and there was a tiny doll of a girl (tsk, young woman), with tousled blond hair held back by enormous Wayfarers on her head, wearing short studded boots (possibly Louboutin) on her teeny skinny legs, and a huge furry hooded parka reaching to mid-thigh (the same length as her dress or skirt or whatever underneath - couldn't quite tell.) The round eyes delineated with black kohl confirmed my guess... I was in the presence of one of the Olsen Twins. (must confess, I'm not enough of a Heat or US Weekly reader to know if it was Mary-Kate or Ashley...)

I can sheepishly report I played junior stalker the rest of the way around the show to see if she had any celeb gossip I could gather -- unfortunately she and her friend pretty much only talked about the dresses in the exhibit. How dare they deprive me of a juicier story?!

And of course, no way did I have the courage to play junior papparazzo and take a snap on my mobile - so no visible proof, you'll have to trust me.

Beats all those sightings of George Stephanoupolous when I lived in DC, that's for sure!

Great website find!

I can't believe I've only now heard of this site: Chow.com -- for anyone who loves to eat, especially to eat out. It's jam-packed with reader comments, like for example, how I might find Andouille sausage in the UK. I think it's probably NYC-heavy, but covers other metropolitan areas, both US & beyond, and even has one category "Elsewhere in America". Yum. I only wish I'd seen this before our NY / DC trip!

needlecraft inspiration

Another year, another trek to Alexandra Palace and the Knitting and Stitching Show. Given the number of projects I already have piling up, I pretty much avoided the kit-selling-stalls (though couldn't miss the amazing Michael Powell, though did manage to resist buying one more Jennifer Pudney, as cute as they are.)

No, this year I just marvelled at the raw material, and all the different techniques -- embroidery, quilting, knitting, papercraft, beading, lacemaking, batik (and of course cross stitch), and on and on and how much do I wish I could do them all?! Ok, maybe lacemaking doesn't hold a huge appeal at the moment, but I absolutely would love to learn how to make a quilt. And I even know what I want it to look like. I just need the knowledge and the sewing machine!

And the artists on display - some amazing work with textiles. I think that's worth the price of the admission. Of course, no photos allowed, so can't post any here, but I get so inspired seeing what can be done with needle and thread and just a little imagination. So impressive! Already looking forward to next year...

How to celebrate?

It's National Chocolate Week... however shall I celebrate? Toll-House cookies, anyone? Or is it wrong to use an American classic to commemorate a British, um, 'holiday' (aka, corporate PR event)?

Sunday Puzzle Success

Woo-hoo! I knew if I went about it methodically I'd find the answer to this week's challenge:

Name a well-known city in the United States, two words, 10 letters altogether. Add the letter A at the front, add the city's two-letter state postal abbreviation at the end, the resulting 13-letter chain will be palindromic, that is, it will read backward and forward the same. What city is this?

(ps - mom & dad -- if you try to figure this out, do so before checking the comments!)

Li'l(le) adventure

Eek - am about to head off on my girly weekend to Berlin, and realised still haven't posted anything about our little weekend in Lille a few weeks ago. Last trip on Eurostar before it moves to St Pancras. Only there for about 28 hours, so not much time, but we did manage to cover a fair bit of the town. Of course, this was possible given the fact almost NOTHING is open on Sunday -- so that limted our options for our main day of travel to walking & walking some more. Which was fine, really - a great weekend for it, and we got to see many sights, including the massive street market (which is only open on Sunday - the reverse of everything else). Umm - it wasn't as cute and gift-laden as I expected... ah well - don't need to spend the money anyway!

A few selected photos:
Notting Hill Coffee -- unfortunately neither this nor 'Covent Garden Coffee' were open, so no chance to sample a Lille Latte

Meerkats at the larger than expected free zoo

A very very tall tower with supposedly a great view of the town. Open most days... except, err, Sunday

Cute little hotel if we ever go back [note to self - include more non-sundays if we do!]

Finally worth paying attention...

I mean, if NPR's going to cover cricket, I guess it must be a real sport after all.

A respectable showing

Saturday saw PlanetWulfagar visiting the Stonor Cricket Club pavilion in an effort to retain our Quiz Night Championship Title... The team roster was a little different this year -- an all Agar showing, with Ash & his parents and li'l ol' non-cricket-trivia-knowing me.

As you may have guessed from the headline, we didn’t quite make it – but, considering we were the smallest team (4 to others’ 5 or even 6!), we were pretty happy with our bronze medal finish. [Strangely, the organisers didn’t listen to our request for a ‘small team’ handicap, or my suggestion of taking each team’s final score & dividing it by the number of team members. Our 50 would’ve become 12.5 to the winning team’s paltry 9.17. Not that I’m bitter...]

What questions helped us to our 50/72 total? Which ones kept us from the top spot? All I can say is thank goodness the Quizmaster has a fondness for American sports – so naming Brett Favre’s team was no problem. A few others:
1) The shortest verse in the Bible, found in the Gospel of John (thank you trivia brain!)
2) Mt Aconcagua is in which country (d’oh... we just missed this one)
3) Which of these cities is the furthest west: Oxford, Portsmouth, or Sheffield?
4) This star is the lead in Michael Clayton
5) Which is the highest grossing film franchise?
6/7) And I’m particularly proud we were able to name the (individual) artists responsible for “Persistence of Memory “(the artist is Spanish) and “Mother and Child Divided” (the piece is in need of repair)

So - not bad... and we’ll get ‘em next year!

Maybe I should've kept that Slingbox...

D'oh - really really annoying that NBC is no longer selling shows through iTunes. I'll have to watch Season 2 of Heroes with all the other non-Americans - whatever will I do??!

New York, DC, both helluva towns

So –we’ve been back from the States for 2 ½ weeks – about time for a holiday recap! It would take me nearly the length of the trip to cover *everything* we did in such a packed week (and you’d die from exhaustion / boredom reading it all!) So instead – some highlights:

• Walking over the Brooklyn Bridge – iconic views, and the friendly policeman out of central casting who pointed out the shortcut to getting onto the bridge. And when he heard Ashley’s accent, stopped & chatted a bit about the upcoming NFL match to be held in London – with ‘his boys – the Giants’

• Going for a run in both Riverside and Central Parks on a sunny Sunday morning, ending our run with H&H bagels, lox, Starbucks coffees and a fat Sunday New York Times. Could we be any more New York-y?

• Wandering through Washington Square Park, and stopping with the locals (or other tourists – who knows? That’s the great thing about New York, such a mix) to enjoy a jazz interlude, complete with spaced out drummer, and blissful keyboardist in his own world
  
  
  
• Checking out Rye’s classic Playland (since 1928!) – I never knew there were so many variations on kiddie rides. Next time though – it’s the big kids turn!

• First visit to Yankee Stadium – and trading good natured comments with the 99.9999% of fans there who were cheering on the Yankees. Of course, we were good natured because –amazingly – the Mariners were winning; they were good natured because they could see the Yankees were still going farther in the post season... best moment of the game: Ichiro hitting his 200th hit, Ashley standing up and shouting, everyone in our section looking at him, and Ashley responding, as if for explanation, ‘we’ve got the same birthday’

• US Open vs Wii Open in Rockefeller Square. Missed out on tickets to Flushing Meadows – take in Federer and Williams on the big screen set up in Rockefeller Square. OR cross the street and see 2 people you’ve never heard of battle it out on a different sort of big screen – playing Wii Tennis in the ‘virtual open’
  
• Taking in New York skyline at night – at Top of the Rock – definitely one tourist attraction worth a visit (though how come our photos don't look as good as those on the site?!)

• Travelling back to DC for the first time in 10 years – and finding it quite surreal. Almost everything seemed the same, and I had to keep reminding myself that it really was 10 years later, and I’m 10 years older. But then little changes would appear – like the fact my old shared house at 17th & P has been turned into individual apartments. Or I’d pass a corner and think ‘hmm... was that always here?’ I think Ashley got tired of me saying ‘Ooh – I ate here once’ or ‘this is where I got my drycleaning’. Yes, dear, very exciting.
  
• Getting coffee at ‘my Starbucks’ on Connecticut Avenue – I almost told the girl at the counter ‘I was a barista here 13 years ago’... but figured she wouldn’t be perhaps as accommodating with my recollection stories as Ashley

• Enjoying a day out at the Zoo – one of the best in the US, if not the world... I especially like the gibbons, though can’t give a specific reason why...

• And of course – the real highlights (saving the best for last!) – getting to see family & friends – from Chez Olson (yay – place in White Plains looks great, happy to see you looking settled in with so much space), to our Hotelier Friedman Towers (thanks Kim – not only for Upper West Side pied-a-terre, but the great Mexican recommendation for Rosa Mexicano), to Zoo buddies the Caltrider Clan, where I finally got to meet the lovely Lauren and beaming Ben...

Fantastic trip... when do we go back?

I did not know that...

What did you learn this weekend? Me? I learned -- courtesy of an 'invest in our great city' ad -- that Łódź in Poland is pronounced 'wodge'. And here I always thought it was 'shuh-shev-skee'. Ok, really, I just assumed it was pronounced 'lohdz', but maybe everyone knows it's 'wodge', and I'm just a little late to catch on.

I think Polish must be one of the most difficult languages to learn.

Magazine Week?

How did I not know it was Magazine Week? See, this is why magazines are losing readership... when someone as addicted as I didn't even know to celebrate this week? How are the little, non-caring, dilettante readers supposed to find out?

I want to go to *this* movie!

Smell-o-vision returns... and Willy Wonka is the perfect subject! (I always think of that movie with a weird mix of fondness and creep-me-outedness... but I guess that's its charm. And the original only, please. Call me a luddite if you will, but I never got that Johnny Depp high-pitched lisp thingy...)

Schoolhouse Rock for the 'aughties?

How come WordGirl wasn't around when I was a kid?!

Another day, another 5k

A little slower this time -- but with 20,000 other runners on a tight course in Hyde Park, I had a reason! So, relatively happy with my 31:31, though could've done better. But why-oh-why do people overestimate their abilities?? If the sign says 'Est time 25 - 30 min' DO NOT start in this wave unless you know you can finish in that time!

I'm all for inclusive races & getting as many people out as possible, especially for charity-driven outings such as today's run, and I'm certainly no speed demon, but there must be a better way to train newbies on basic race etiquette. I mean, I roughly know my pace, and know not to start in front of people faster than I am... More signs along the way saying 'walkers keep right'? More obvious information in the race pack?

Or am I being a race snob and I should just live with it, and do a better job of getting to the start line earlier so I have a better chance of being closer to the front?

29:17

Woo-hoo... think that's my fastest 5k ever, this morning in Battersea Park for the Trees for Cities 'Tree-athlon'. So thanks to running partner Verity for keeping me moving, and Ashley for cheering us on as our bag man...

I've got another one tomorrow, but no Verity or Ashley -- so a scientific test of how important support is! (of course, I think I know the answer to that already...)

10 year anniversary

August 31st, 1997. A sad anniversary for many (especially here in the UK) – but for one (yes, me, as it’s all about me, remember?) it was the start of a new adventure, as I headed to BWI airport, excess baggage in tow, bound for Heathrow, London, and the great wide world outside of the US of A.

And now it’s 10 years later – who woulda thunk it, but I’m still here, and looks like for the duration. So – as I make the reverse journey, off to New York & my old DC neighbourhoods for a vacation, I thought a look back at stats from my 10 years could be interesting...

7 – mailing addresses
12 –flatmates
174 – issues of Heat Magazine read until the content became Big Brother, all the time and I became big bored, all the time
40 – percent increase in grey hair
100 – percent increase in cost of covering said hair
10 – new countries visited
2 - siblings-in-law (hi Jess! hi Amy!)
2 - niblings (hi Toby! hi Beruria!)
87 – work related UK train journeys
3 – irate letters to Virgin Trains to complain about UK train journeys
5 – extra hours wasted on the worst of those journeys; a 2 hour trip to Manchester that crawled into 7 hours total...
16 – extra days I got to spend in Tacoma, waiting for my work permit to be renewed after an administrative error
4 – hours I spent waiting in line to get my indefinite leave to remain status
£635 - cost of getting a UK passport, if I so decide
1392 – days of since my 2nd date with my first Match.com correspondent
1275 - days after that 2nd date, I turned that first Match.com correspondent into my...
...1 – husband (all together now – awww)

(note – some figures are estimates, though I think the husband figure is pretty accurate)

How did it get to be Wednesday already?

Another long & busy weekend, this time 3 days to fill, as Monday was a bank holiday. (ok, and yes, I know, it’s already Wednesday so a bit late for weekend recap, but where did the time go??!)

Saturday started not only with sunshine, but also with a pleasant little fete right on our doorstep – well, on the Green to be specific. How could we give it a miss? After leisurely read of the papers, we wandered over for a lazy trawl through various charity stalls and game booths, munched on hot dogs & burgers, and generally enjoyed the atmosphere (though we did pass by the flower show, not really our thing!)

That evening it was into town for tapas treats followed by a little London culture – in the form of Miss Coco, Coco Peru... (sung to the tune of Roxie Hart). Drag queen, monologist (make that mono-luger), balladeer, and all around raconteur, she entertained us and the whole theatre with amusing stories and observations, interspersed with appropriate songs (aforementioned Chicago piece, a few Disney selections, and of course the fabulous Dolly Parton). Definitely a recommended evening, and Pete & Ashley got in the spirit beforehand with their special matching Miss Coco cocktails...

Sunday it was off to Stoke Row to visit the in-laws – starting with al fresco lunch & jazz at the Rising Sun – courtesy of the stylin’ (or is that smokin’) sounds of Queen Street Jazz...followed that with some cricket watching (the game, not the bug), and more al fresco dining, this time dinner chez Agar (Stoke Row branch). Can you sense an outdoor theme to the weekend? Who knows how long the sun will be here this time, we’ve got to take it while we can.

Monday we did duck inside for a little while at least – for an afternoon of Bourne, Jason Bourne. Enjoyed the Bourne Ultimatum, as all the reviews have said, fast paced, Matt Damon’s great in the role, and we also tried to track how many of the cities he visited we’d been to as well (ooh! There’s Madrid! Hey – look – Waterloo Station! New York! We’re going to New York on Friday! Moscow! Er... nyet on that one)

3 days o’ fun – not bad for the last bank holiday weekend...

Missed wedding list item...

So, I was in John Lewis the other day, when I saw the ultimate in sleeping luxury. And I say ultimate, because that's its name: the Ultimate Preference TV Bed. A massive bed, with a TV in the footboard! From the description: "integrated digital tuner & DVD player... individual handsets allow you to select your perfect sitting position for watching TV... for additional cost other options...include Massage... and HD cable for Sky"!

Well, I was about to whip out my credit card right there & then - I mean, hey, what's £11,800 anyway when it means you can have the ULTIMATE? But then I remembered oh yeah, Ashley's really too tall to have a bed with a footboard. And besides -- it may cater for individual seating heights, but how does it cater for individual viewing preferences? Show me the 6'6" model with 2 screens and headphones, and I'm yours!

Weekend report

Another busy weekend. Well, busy Sunday – Saturday of course was spent pining for Ashley, away in Ohio for the week. Yep, pretty much a whole day of sighing & moping around, oh woe is me.

Luckily, I got over *that* pretty quickly, and packed in enough on Sunday to make up for it.

Started off with a trip to the Design Museum, one of my favourite London museums – always interesting exhibits, and small enough that you can see the whole thing and not get overwhelmed. I went specifically for a small exhibit called ’50 years of Helvetica’, but that appeared to be over. Instead, the main attraction was architect Zaha Hadid – who’s designed some fantastic buildings, including, interestingly enough given Ashley’s present location, Cincinnati's Richard & Lois Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art.

Here's a photo of the architect's model... Not sure how much it looks like the real thing -- but I guess it's there!

I was more interested in the work of graphic designer Jonathan Barnbrook, in particular the typefaces he’s designed. I find it fascinating the variety of type that can be/has been designed, and the detail that has to go into making them consistent, and the way designers can be so precise in the mood each can convey. He’s a very political designer, however, and I started to get tired of the anti-Americanism that ran throughout about every piece on display, aside from the typography. It just got a bit old, surely there must be a *few* other targets in the world. Perhaps disagree with some current policies, but the country and its people do have some good sides, and are not solely responsible for any negative thing going on in the world today. (and I’m not a particularly gun-ho rah-rah USA-USA person, but really, the work started to grate. Maybe because it’s so easy to pick on America, work that does gets a little boring and trite. It’s much more of a challenge to have your art be a bit more open and questioning.

After that, headed over to lovely pub lunch with friends and home again just in time for tennis with Emily. I won’t go so far as to call it a game, as neither one of us can serve, and we’re lucky to keep a rally going of more than 3 hits... but still, it makes for an amusing afternoon. Chatty dinner followed, rerun of top 50 funniest movies (Number 1 is still Life of Brian; I've seen 37 of them, not bad I think).

And here we are, Monday once again...

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to the other Stepfh, my oldest (in duration of course) friend... there's still 90 minutes left in Saturday in Seattle, so I've got it in just under the wire!

So here's wishing you a fantastic day, weekend, year, and much more -- and thanks as always for a friendship that's lasted nearly 2/3 of our lives! (of course - that means the only way we can stay as young as we clearly are is to move that meeting date earlier and earlier... I think we must've met before turning 10, can you believe it? ;-)

(PS - that photo was taken December '90/Jan 1991... the Stepfhs learn to ski... looks like the scanner works!)

Yawwwnnn

Stayed out a bit past my bedtime last night -- yawwnn -- though for a good reason. Thanks to Margot for organising an outing to SummerScreen at Somerset House. Enjoyed watching Rear Window on the big screen in a fabulous setting... and the memory of enjoyment is greater, now that the memory of my aching back (from sitting on the hard ground with only a picnic blanket) and frozen toes (brr -- a bit colder than I expected) has decreased!

Definitely worth going, though perhaps the next time I'll opt for a non-school night... Didn't get home until a little after midnight... and couldn't fall asleep until after 1:30 (hmm -- wonder if the fact Misery was on tv had anything to do with that). In any case, I think tonight will be an early one.

Proud as a peacock... er, peahen

Look who's made the press! Ok, it's just a sentence. And it's local Cincinnati business news. But hey - today: a sentence in Cinci; tomorrow a paragraph in Pittsburgh. And who knows -- in time, a whole book in Boston or Budapest... the possibilities are endless.

But really, congratulations to my sweet husband on his success.

Gushing stuff over now -now returning you to your regularly scheduled gruff exterior.

Match report

First of all – a pinch and a punch for the first of the month! (er, at least that’s what Ashley says his gran used to say...)

In all of my ramblings about the busy weekend just past, I completely forgot to give the exciting match report from the weekend prior!

Yes – the time this season has rolled around again to Ashley’s stint as Stonor Cricket Club Match Manager. When we arrived at the lovely pitch Sunday afternoon, it was overcast and chilly (brr...) but we were in luck, the sun actually peeked out a bit, and I even took off my cardigan and stopped saying “I’m coooooolllllddd” for a change.

As for the match itself – well, first Stonor was up to bat, and they did that for a while, and some runs were scored, and some people got out, yada yada yada.

And then the other team was up, and Ashley bowled brilliantly, but unfortunately they batted even more brilliantly, and the end result was not in Stonor’s favour.

But enough about the match itself – if you want details about that you can check the website...
More important was what happened between the innings – my chance to shine at the Cricket Tea. Yes, because it’s all about me. I’m quite competitive when it comes to my yearly tea, doncha know.


Despite the pressure of expectation – given last year’s well received inaugural tea – I think I ably acquitted myself, with a spread including cheese biscuits, oatmeal-chocolate chip-dried cranberry cookies, and the crowning glory, mini-chocolate muffins, as you can see below. Combined with some hearty sandwiches and earthy tea, the treats made for a well enjoyed (if I say so myself!) break.

And once again I am amazed at a sport that has a snack break half-way through... but happy to supply said snack when called upon!

Now... what to do for next year???

Another busy weekend

Tons going on this weekend – starting with Friday. Ashley took the day off, so we enjoyed breakfast at one of our favourites, Giraffe, building up strength for more tennis lessons later that day (one of these days I may even learn how to serve!)

That evening, then, off to the V&A for a little dose of culture – specifically the ‘Alternative Village Fete’. A classic of the British summer, updated with an artistic bent. So – rather than shoot a water pistol through a clown’s mouth or some such game, one competition had players racing to be the first to sharpen a new pencil and pop a balloon. We enjoyed wandering the creative stalls (sculpt Queen Victoria out of grey play-doh! Burp your favourite tune for a prize! Take a lucky dip in the prize draw!) and even treated ourselves to a unique ‘portrait’ – made using a typewriter! Ashley’s is the better likeness I think...

Saturday’s sun inspired some belated spring cleaning, so it felt like a productive morning. (and an excuse for an afternoon nap!) Even more of an excuse for the nap was the need to be able to stay up past our bed times, as we were off last night to our first visit to The O2 – the all new & improved Millennium Dome – to see the Scissor Sisters. The venue itself is pretty impressive, with 2 arenas (one stadium style, one more ‘intimate’), a massive 11-screen cinema (which just hosted the UK Simpsons premiere), and several restaurants & bars. Oh, and an indoor beach. (which I didn’t quite get, as there was no indoor sea or indoor sun to accompany said beach. I don’t really see the attraction in sand in & of itself – I only tolerate it when it’s part of the whole sun & sea combo!)

As for the concert (my first since Elvis Costello in 1991!) – loved it. And I only know a few of the songs... I’d bought the tix as an early birthday gift for Ashley, who’s more of a fan. I thought the crowd was excited, and so was the band, and – aww – it was the lead singer’s parents’ 34th anniversary & they were there to celebrate & he dedicated a song to them. One more time – aww... We got home *way* past curfew, but it was worth it. I even managed to sleep in to 8:30 – so it must’ve been a late night!

Finally, Sunday, Ash headed off for another cricket match (post game report – he said he’d bowled the best game of his career so far, though sadly the game ended in a draw). And I – I headed for the zoo, thanks to a free ticket that was due to expire the end of this month. I enjoyed the new ‘Gorilla Kingdom’ exhibit, though the enclosure still seemed a bit small. The butterfly house was similar to that at the Pacific Science Centre, and just as fascinating to see the gorgeous lepidoptera up close. And I especially liked Meet the Monkeys – similar to the butterfly house, but with squirrel monkeys! So close you want to reach out your hand for them to hop on (except of course for all the signs saying ‘these monkeys bite!’) Taking pictures seemed a better route...