where to start?

where to start after all these weeks? tracing back to my last entry perhaps in chronological order the next thing was little deac's birthday and the question "where to start" pops right up again as my dear husband was showered with pressies this year - you name it he got it!

 

a few highlights from the long list: thanks to dd (darling daughter) who probably wanted it badly for herself deac finally got one of jeff soan's famous seals, and actually a particularly pretty one, we believe. he's now happily sitting on the dining table that came with it (the seal that is).

a good number of books next, but deac will hardly remember. books enter (and never leave) this household on a daily base, so nothing new.

but this year had more in store and because of a highly organized campaign there is a sparkling mandoline now in the kitchen - no, not the music instrument, but the razor sharp slicing devise that supposedly cuts all vegetables and fingers into paper thin layers in no time. well, we'll report...

this and all kinds of goodies plus a large cake made for a splendid birthday with a dinner in our favourite local indian. nice one!

brockley open studios 2011

brockley open studios this year happened early for us as we admired the opening of the memorial gardens in norwich by artist and bos organizer paul de monchaux albeit from afar though we had a lovely invitation and it is just as always that work gets in the way of more interesting things. paul's sculptures have an eternal quality and are weighty statements yet light and uplifting even when reminding us of a sad past.

it was his and ruth de monchaux' studio that we spent most time in the brockley open and it is not only their art but their company as well that we seek. the works on display and the atmosphere in the studios are genuinly refreshing my spirits and i was only half joking when i askled whether i could move in.

deac and rike were more adventurous and found a few newcomers that they liked but in the end the old favorites won and jeff soans again has a few creatures less in his hut. no party this year as we didn't have enough time to prep but later in the summer we hope to invite a few friends.

speech day

our first ever speech day and - wow - we are invited as the child gets a special achievement prize and we are so proud of her! she later thought both mum and dad were a bit embarrassing, all waving and crying, but honestly we can do a lot more if she'd really ask for it...

she has done well though and we think deserves the price rightly: all the sports, cyber mentoring, music, model making, and five million other activities together with a good academic record meant that rike had a great start into secondary school and can ever be so happy with herself.

handing out the prices and pictured here with her is no one else but her school's former ceo dr elizabeth sidwell, who recently was appointed school commissioner for england. and even mr skinner is wearing his obe badge proudly - what an illustrious round!

ashdown forest llama park

as promised a few words on the ashdown llama park in kent which was new to us and quite a discovery as i didn't even know that llamas (and alpacas) live quite happily side by side in this country. and why not - they are well kept with great views of the surrounding country side, make funny little noises when they see a visitor and thank god didn't spit at all. extra treat was that the day before fluffy baby 'sky' was born (above), happily hopping around and with an enormous energy already. just cute...

lambeth palace garden party

for the second year in a row I was able to sneak in with the musicians into this most beautiful city garden that lies behind the old lambeth palace and, once in, test-eat as much cakes and cookies as i felt like while my dearest two were playing in the band and therefore couldn't pester me.


rike though got somewhat suspicious as i saw her waving at me with this "get me one, too" look on her face but maybe not so i ignored it. the weather was not quite as splendid as last year, but the gardens were even wilder due to the hot spring.

southwark concert band delighted as always, starting with my favourite "slavic farewell", and i hope that the funny noises that occasionally came from the sax were only heard by me. in the break then i got a chance to capture the formidable scb conductor, bob bridges, who gracefully not only put up with deac and rike, but now with me as well coming after a photo. oh dear.

happiness is a new car...

i'm trying to figure out now how long exactly it took between the old car was stolen and the arrival and registration of the new boy and from the top of my head i'd say a solid 2 1/2 months. 10 weeks at the mercy of london's irate public transport which kind of works ok if you go into town but is utterly miserable if you try to go across the boroughs.

here a few examples: brockley to clapham £26 by cab, or 3 buses or into town and out again. at night. or: brockley to grove park. 2 buses and therefore only £4.40 and only one hour twenty minutes for what is essentially less than 5 miles. but if one of the two buses you need steadily refuses to show up you might as well walk, which would have been faster in the first place. or: two heavy instruments from brockley to brixton and back at night. with a child. and, and, and.

yes, it's true: you can live without a car in london. and, no, i do not like it. it's messy, expensive, takes for ever and all the time you wreck your back with all the stuff you need. my husband probably disagrees. but, wait: wasn't he the one who took the car to the corner shop this morning to get his newspaper??

so the new arrival has made his maiden journey over (under?) the dover strait swiftly by eurotunnel only to be parked at the next bm-dealer until the great and good people at the dvla finally gave him the thumbs up. if you happen to need to know anything about exporting a car from germany into gb just ask me - there cannot possibly be a paper or form that i don't know about. plus opening times of all relevant authorities, including holidays. trust me!

BUT: it's here, it's taxed and already on the congestion charge register. so more to come about our trips soon, starting with kent and the llama farm yesterday.

centre for young musicians

congratulations to our darling daughter (NOT pictured) that she auditioned for and got a place at the centre for young musicians where from september onwards her lovely instrument will add to the noise, we hope. well done!!!