I'm trying to lay low today. I got all busy and out and about on Friday and was getting the bus home when a ticket inspector asked to see my oyster card and I had that awful, awful sinking feeling when I realised I'd forgotten to "touch in" with it. No replay option, no other life to use up, just a conversation which ended with me paying him £40 instead of £80 if I'd not paid on the spot, and then thanking him, THANKING HIM, when he gave me the receipt of doom. So Brooke, if you're reading this when you're older and wondering why I was a bit tight around your 8th birthday, just know that a momentary lapse in concentration can be costly and an unexpected £40 missing from the monthly budget can really screw things up. I did actually tell the girls about this, and Taya said I could have ALL her money, all the Euros and coppers she has at home. Which was nice of her, even if I can't buy Brooke a birthday present with €3.70.
So yes, it's time to stay at home and finish up some of those 18 month old WIPs. The quilt that has needed backing and batting now just needs binding, two crochet blankets just need their ends weaving in (my least favourite job) and then I shall get back to the cross stitch I got for Christmas last year. Of course I am also doing copious housework (I think the husband sometimes reads this...) which is another challenge since it turned out the entire flat had to be replumbed after a layer of concrete was dug up by pneumatic drill so you know, there's dust pretty much everywhere and on everything. I am tempted to ship half our possessions to the charity shop rather than have to clean them all. Housework is such an endless and thankless task. And all those posts on Pinterest which claim to easily remove all the stained grouting from the shower? THEY LIED.
The girls are on permanent countdowns at the moment. First they were excited about Halloween ("SWEETS!"Taya chanted), then Bonfire Night, now Brooke's birthday (with a small inserted moment of excitement last night when Brooke lost a tooth) and then it will be Christmas in their sights. Halloween was a big success this year as we went trick or treating (with great success measured in full buckets within an hour) in costume, followed by decorating our gate to entice other trick or treaters to us.
![]()
![]()
Bonfire night was a fun affair over at Jodi's with about a million other kids and some lovely grown ups (and some of the best homemade chocolate brownies I've had in a long time) and then watching the fireworks with gleeful faces. Taya asked to see inside the St John's Ambulance and was allowed to do so. I think we are only missing Lifeboat to complete the set now, since Brooke scored Police Van at Pride and they are both pretty familiar with Fire Engines.
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
In other news, we went for a walk/bike ride/scoot in Kensington Gardens at the weekend and one of those naughty parakeets tried to nibble Taya's finger. She sobbed but bravely went back over (to the same beaky pest I think) to carry on offering up some seeds. Brooke was making me very anxious by feeding seagulls, pigeons and geese (my top three most revolting birds) at the same time so I stepped away and ate a Twix to distract myself from the avian horror scenes.
![]()
Here's another thing I need to get down before my memory fails me. A little family ritual is to listen to music whilst we have dinner. Chris connects to the Sonos speaker and we each take a turn to pick a song to listen to. The girls often dictate that no one else can sing along to their choices (except Katy Perry's Dark Horse, when Brooke is always allowed to be Juicy J and say "There's no goin' back" in a comedy gangsta voice whilst Taya does a Walk Like An Egyptian dance). So here are some of the regular choices which come up:
Katy Perry - Last Friday Night
McAlmont & Butler - Yes (Chris and I were playing cards recently and I put this on and now HE WON'T STOP PLAYING IT ALL THE TIME.)
Woodkid -Run Boy Run
Diva Dance from The Fifth Element (the girls can hit a lot of those really high notes!)
Linda Ronstadt - Tracks of my Tears
Green Day - Boulevard of Broken Dreams
The Bangles - Walk Like An Egyptian
MC Hammer - U Can't Touch This
Foo Fighters - Learn To Fly (Brooke loves the video for this one too)
Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal and Thriller (Taya's favourite video)
Years & Years - King
Jason Derulo - Trumpets
Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe
Chris Cornell - You Know My Name
Fleetwood Mac - Tusk (Live version with the USC Marching Band.) They also love to watch the video of this and pause it at the moment where Mick Fleetwood looks totally beserk, 4.49. I love this video too and wish I could fly back in a deLorean to be at that gig, although if I had that capability I would first go back to Shepherds Bush and put my Oyster card in my hand as I was about to get on that bus.
Anyway, onwards. I'm off to experiment with other dirty grout solutions.
So yes, it's time to stay at home and finish up some of those 18 month old WIPs. The quilt that has needed backing and batting now just needs binding, two crochet blankets just need their ends weaving in (my least favourite job) and then I shall get back to the cross stitch I got for Christmas last year. Of course I am also doing copious housework (I think the husband sometimes reads this...) which is another challenge since it turned out the entire flat had to be replumbed after a layer of concrete was dug up by pneumatic drill so you know, there's dust pretty much everywhere and on everything. I am tempted to ship half our possessions to the charity shop rather than have to clean them all. Housework is such an endless and thankless task. And all those posts on Pinterest which claim to easily remove all the stained grouting from the shower? THEY LIED.
The girls are on permanent countdowns at the moment. First they were excited about Halloween ("SWEETS!"Taya chanted), then Bonfire Night, now Brooke's birthday (with a small inserted moment of excitement last night when Brooke lost a tooth) and then it will be Christmas in their sights. Halloween was a big success this year as we went trick or treating (with great success measured in full buckets within an hour) in costume, followed by decorating our gate to entice other trick or treaters to us.
Bonfire night was a fun affair over at Jodi's with about a million other kids and some lovely grown ups (and some of the best homemade chocolate brownies I've had in a long time) and then watching the fireworks with gleeful faces. Taya asked to see inside the St John's Ambulance and was allowed to do so. I think we are only missing Lifeboat to complete the set now, since Brooke scored Police Van at Pride and they are both pretty familiar with Fire Engines.
In other news, we went for a walk/bike ride/scoot in Kensington Gardens at the weekend and one of those naughty parakeets tried to nibble Taya's finger. She sobbed but bravely went back over (to the same beaky pest I think) to carry on offering up some seeds. Brooke was making me very anxious by feeding seagulls, pigeons and geese (my top three most revolting birds) at the same time so I stepped away and ate a Twix to distract myself from the avian horror scenes.
 |
| This time with her sleeve pulled down over her hand. |
Here's another thing I need to get down before my memory fails me. A little family ritual is to listen to music whilst we have dinner. Chris connects to the Sonos speaker and we each take a turn to pick a song to listen to. The girls often dictate that no one else can sing along to their choices (except Katy Perry's Dark Horse, when Brooke is always allowed to be Juicy J and say "There's no goin' back" in a comedy gangsta voice whilst Taya does a Walk Like An Egyptian dance). So here are some of the regular choices which come up:
Katy Perry - Last Friday Night
McAlmont & Butler - Yes (Chris and I were playing cards recently and I put this on and now HE WON'T STOP PLAYING IT ALL THE TIME.)
Woodkid -Run Boy Run
Diva Dance from The Fifth Element (the girls can hit a lot of those really high notes!)
Linda Ronstadt - Tracks of my Tears
Green Day - Boulevard of Broken Dreams
The Bangles - Walk Like An Egyptian
MC Hammer - U Can't Touch This
Foo Fighters - Learn To Fly (Brooke loves the video for this one too)
Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal and Thriller (Taya's favourite video)
Years & Years - King
Jason Derulo - Trumpets
Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe
Chris Cornell - You Know My Name
Fleetwood Mac - Tusk (Live version with the USC Marching Band.) They also love to watch the video of this and pause it at the moment where Mick Fleetwood looks totally beserk, 4.49. I love this video too and wish I could fly back in a deLorean to be at that gig, although if I had that capability I would first go back to Shepherds Bush and put my Oyster card in my hand as I was about to get on that bus.
Anyway, onwards. I'm off to experiment with other dirty grout solutions.