Sunday, January 28, 2007

Snow!

More than I have ever seen.





San-Brighton-Cisco


We went on a holiday to Brighton. People are always talking about how second rate it is as a holiday destination, but I LOVED it! There is so much there, and it is so well set up for tourists. Not in a bad way - very un-English in that there is lots of fresh, yummy, contemporary food, and the high street is full of the usual suspects, but not ONLY the usual suspects. Very refreshing. Brighton is extremely gay. I had no idea. Thankfully in Brighton that means good interior decoration, gorgeous looking independent shops, and non-stodgy food. It's definitely not 'The Courthouse' by the seaside. They say Brighton is England's San Francisco.
The Royal Pavilion is an amazing experience. I have never seen folly on this scale. A Chinese Style Palace with a Taj Mahal exterior. Much more fun than Windsor Castle - so much more frivolous (well, Windsor Castle is not frivolous at all).


The old Brighton Pier which burned down.


England's Gold Coast.


Queen's Park snowman.


Pigs in space.


Love the dutch tilt.




My how our standards have dropped
since we had Betty Jean. We would
have run a mile from a place like this
before we had her! Plastic tablecloths,
kids everywhere, and all the food served is yellow.


Mmm - Plate-O-Grease.




The Pavilion from the outside.






Sunday, January 07, 2007

Party Season

Betty Jean will very soon be one year old. It's been a huge 12 months, so to celebrate, Betty Jean invited her three closest buddies over for pink champagne and egg and dairy free (but surprisingly tasty) cupcakes. Iyla had to be sent home early in a cab.


Thelma and Matteo.


Iyla gets the party started.


Lemon icing - the best bit.


Iona finds other kids' toys WAY more
interesting than her own.




Gail and Matteo.









New Year's Eve we went to a
Kiddy Session of the English National Ballet.
Betty Jean loved Alice in Wonderland.





Iyla's 1st Birthday Party.


Too much partying!




South Africa - Julian's travels.
We're such slack chook parents!
We assumed the girls weren't laying, but they
had been busy indeed.

I know, so domestic it hurts. There's more of this to come in 07. Julian and I are having playing "Garden Gladiators" this Spring. To spice things up a bit (yeah I know gardening isn't that sexy), we're having an output contest. I have already made my garden calendar for 07 while Julian has started scavenging for garden accessories like home made cloches and black PVC (it's to warm the soil, not for a codpiece). Julian is doing a course this year on the History of Art at St Martin's and I am doing an etching course. In the name of MORE self improvement, I have made around 60 New Year's Resolutions, and I am going on my first diet since the wild success of Atkins (no sarcasm at all - it works!) It's a Grazia diet, and it's about eating healthily and snacking on unlimited fruit. What will they think of next?