The Wild Things that happen in London and Bristol

Think this will be the last for the scrapbook... before your return.
What a complete treat for me today - I am utterly alone in this huge house until tomorrow, as Zoe has gone to a friend's for a sleepover. 
Here are one or two things to give you a flavour of the last couple of days, and our day trip to London. We went to the V&A and had a wonderful time looking at the collection of old photos Julia Mary Cameron, Irving Penn, Diane Arbus, Cartier Bresson, wonderful... we also went to a new gallery about theatre and performance, and attached to it was a small installation created by (Eurythmics, Sweet dreams are made of this,) Annie Lennox.  We had a lovely lunch in the V and A hall, (Kate has been), and then rode off on the bikes to Harrods, where we saw Australian beef, how ridiculous is this, fed on beer, and then apparently 'massaged' before it is slaughtered, selling for £200 a kilo!  (Michael Caine is a regular customer there, along with the Russians who apparently have settled in the area). Then we meandered through Hyde Park and on to the British Library, just as Zoe got a huge puncture in the bike!

Irving Penn 1917-2009

He was an American fashion photographer and this image he took very unplanned apparently... we both loved it.

This is a photograph from the 1870's!! experimenting with movement (well before any moving image...)

This is Zoe experimenting with her moving image in the theatre gallery...

 ...and experimenting with her tummy's capacity for lunch. Notice the stunning Victorian tiles in the background.

Come on Zoe, get on with that photo!

This is one of Harrod's windows displaying the very glamourous, Miss Havisham from Great Expectations, Dickens' 200 year anniversary of his birth.

 Zoe and I happy in the British Library...

Here are the beautiful flowers which we received on Valentine's Day from a secret admirer somewhere distant...

 and last but not least here are the two of you in a different time and space.

We look forward to your return!

xxxx

JUST THE TWO OF US

We've had a very very wonderful few days, and Zoe and I have just about got used to being alone in this HUGE and FREEZING house as the cold set in, hollering to each other up the stairs 'Night, Zoe!' 'Night, Mum!' 

Here are the windows - taken a bit of a beating these last couple of weeks...

Stages was great. I really enjoyed it. Zoe was in two performances - Rise, which was really very good, in spite of her misgivings I think she has probably learnt a lot from that gruelling Saturday morning schedule, and Kinesis  Here she is watching the Kinesis senior dance group... can you make out her jumper?

We had a lovely walk from home through Ashton Court and the Harbourside in beautiful sunshine on Saturday, first day of half term, and ended up at Jamie's for pasta and delicious chocolate pudding! (Very rich, though. I will make it when you get back - got the recipe from the new head chef!)

WOW. Ashton Court looked really beautiful!

 Zoe with Jamie's pasta!

We have enjoyed doing some unusual things....


Went to see this at the Bristol Old Vic one evening. 
Translunar Paradise
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w5DUdKaL_E

I loved it - an award winning piece, and rightly so, all mime and very lovely. So much more emotion when no talking... you could hear a pin drop in the audience

Zoe took me to experience a dance company performance at the Arnolfini  DISGO

http://darkinensemble.com/works/disgo

It was quite cool, and we had to dance with the dancers, with lights and loud music, a bit like being at a club, well sort of, except they kept containing us and doing their own thing too. Interesting the way they tried to involve and manipulate us, sometimes, but not always very successfully.  I felt a bit frustrated at times...

Went to the Feilers for supper with Bev and Rob too, and watched SHORT CUTS, really good but very long, about 3 hours!! film based on short stories by Raymond Carver - lots of utterly dysfunctional families in suburban California  (came out in 1993 I think, the large mobile phone gave it away..)

Have decided to hang up my bike .....................   and walk everywhere!

More of our stuff

Well, we haven't kept this up for days.... we've been lax and lazy, - no not really - just busy keeping the family happy, and everything ticking over. 
Here is a flavour of the activities we've been getting up to.
Sunday lunch - the apple pud ' I swear we could have sold this!' says Zoe...

 the wintery walk to follow the Sunday lunch.

Kate won't recognise herself in a week! shorts, and sunblock maybe... PS First thing she wants to do is get a Vietnamese haircut.

Had a lovely week. Bev invited Kate and Lucie and I to supper with all of them on Wednesday to meet their French girl. We had pizzas, made by Bev, and apple crumble made by me.  The girls got on well and it was a really nice evening.
On Saturday Deb, Ant, and Lucy and Lawrence and I went down to the cosy Moroccan place downstairs to listen to a lovely 4 person band. as below...

We had a big plate of middle eastern mezze and tea.  I really enjoyed it. Fun evening.
This morning I chopped some wood, and tried to tidy the garden a bit. This evening I have been knitting (yes, not eating) strawberries...

 Kate has been doing biology all over the sofa

 And Cornflakes has been feeling the cold.

Zoe is having fun downstairs with a friend. I think they are doing a marathon HP film watch.

Family trip to cinema

Here is our outing en famille to the movies... on a cold

January afternoon.

The film was wonderful - pitch perfect in every way, and of course I cried, I always do! the children loved it too. 

Tom leaves on Wednesday so at least you have caught a wee glimpse of him before he heads back to student life in London, after four weeks at home.

hi.

hi. I've been absolutely forced to write something by my darling mother...hm, what is my subject??
ok, you know i love the bullet points..........

-i have braces. they're repulsive. after having them for one week and one day, they've eventually eased pain slightly, by that i mean i'm used to having metal in my mouth, not the way i look or my horrendous mouth diseases.

-Mum declined to show any of my amazing photography soooo here we go:

bam, this is great..
-ok, let's hope no one i know is reading this... me and mums lovely cycle ride was due to the fact that rise   was making me weep (literally) and i dislike it very much so after a few weeks, when stages is over, i'll give it up! i feel the slightest bit bad, only because i'm in desperate need of exercise, but i don't really like anyone who goes and the dread i feel is horrific.

-talking of all that-horrendous, i know-next weekend, i have to wake up at 8.20, cycle to rise, do rise for only to 1 or something, then cycle back home, then cycle to the dance centre where i've got kinesis from 2-7, then on sunday, from 10-5....uhhh when will i have time to revise german speaking?!?

-talking o' tests, i had 25% of my science completed last thursday where i did physics1, chemistry1 and biology1-i think it went alright, i don't know.. i felt like i revised for most things in it just some of the stuff was worded strange... i've got all the 2's on wednesday and am really needing to revise for that! STRESS.

-ooh you know what, i've always wanted to have a blog, when you get me this-------

i'm going to do one of those fashion blogs taking a picture of what i wear every day, i find them very interesting (obviusly not on school days, that'd be dull) so yeaaah.....

-am loving tumblr at the moment- check out MY blog! http://foldingpaperdaisies.tumblr.com/ it's just stuff i like and such...

anyway, i'm off for a bath, am jolly tired! Need to get up and have a solid revision day! yaaaay......

Mucho liebe

Zoe

xxx

GTC's - GIRLS THAT COFFEE, OR GTT (GIRLS THAT TEA)...

Today Zoe and I had a lovely morning cycling around in beautiful cold sunlight: we went from home to Easton and back to Clifton where we had tea and hot chocolate in a little cafe called Zazu's. It used to be in Stokes Croft and has recently moved.

We then came home and this afternoon I have been making marmalade. Lovely pastime, and the smell is of course gorgeous.

14 jars of it... Do hope you'll like it.  Don't worry - it's not too sweet.