Adventure Day in Adventure Playground with Intrepid Adventurers

Sunday was a cold, rainy, wet-snowy day.  Chris had left earlier in the day on a flight to Canada, and I thought that the kids, dog and I should get out for fresh air and exercise early in the day so that we could have a nice, cozy, relaxing afternoon in fuzzy clothes, not having to go outside at all because we don't have a dog that sometimes has to leave the flat to pee, even when it's cold and rainy and snowy.  (sigh)

Unrelated, I'm starting to (perhaps rightfully) worry that, a few years from now, when all three children are in therapy, someone will utter the word "adventure" and they will all twitch involuntarily.  I digress.

A few weeks ago, I walked through Holland Park and was startled by a random peacock.  Then another.  Turns out, the place is lousy with peacocks.  We drove past it on Saturday, and I mentioned it to Tamsin.  She told me that she'd never seen a peacock before.  "Not even a picture?" I asked.  

I seem to have failed the third child.

So, out we went in the very wet cold.  There was a bit of grumbling on the way, and once we got into the park, we had to slog through very muddy paths, but then we saw it...the Adventure Playground.  Due to the sleet, mud and cold, we were the only idiots people in there, so I broke some rules and brought Ziggy into the no-dog zone and let him offleash.  He and the kids ran around, exploring the amazingness.  

And then we saw it.  

THERE WAS A ZIPLINE!!!  (Did the all-caps give it enough gravitas?)  

The kids actually took turns and helped Tamsin bring it back and get on it.

Ziplines actually foster teamwork!  Who knew?

Zipline Law is very clear about the mandatory screaming of "Cowabunga!"

Ziggy enjoyed himself with a feather.  A large feather.  A large, brightly-coloured....waitaminute...

Tamsin saw her peacock, well, two peacocks, a peahen, and a fox.  And a suspiciously large pile of peacock-esque feathers.  We saw the fox several times (or possibly three different foxen), but bold as anything in the daylight.  He probably had a full belly and no fear.

The fun went on for about an hour, but the cold, wet, and mud added up to increasing crankiness from me (I wasn't on the zipline)... and then in some of the troops as well.

Shivering, muddy adventurer.  "Can I take off my socks?  They're wet."

The walk back to the tube station was considerably less exciting than the walk from, but the kids were highly motivated by the thought of Starbucks hot chocolate, which was conveniently available right beside said tube station.  So, yay!  Also, we wrapped Tamsin's wet feet in Ziggy's towel, which was very classy.

Wet, muddy, adventurers with hot chocolate.  (Well, not the dog, of course!  That would be crazy!)  (The dog has a puppuccino, which is seriously a thing.)  (England is so weird.)

We made it home eventually, despite one of the adventurers getting off the tube at Baker Street, unnoticed by me.  Luckily, Ailsa's outside voice alerted me (and most of Greater London) that Tamsin had escaped.  We got her back before the doors slid shut, but it was terrifying.*

When we got home, the kids were inside the flat, wet clothes in the washing machine, and into fuzzy jammies before I could even get my muddy shoes off.  Popcorn and peanuts, big glasses of water, and a movie later, and we all agreed it was a good outing...but I think we'll wait a little while for our next one.

Post-adventure, warm and dry in fuzzy clothes, settled in for a movie.

* All of the kids have been repeatedly drilled in what to do should they get off the tube alone or not make it onto the tube with the rest of the family.  So far, only one has been put to the actual test, and he failed miserably.  Luckily, it was a family outing, so Chris stayed with the girls and I flung myself back onto the tube like a movie star** after Vaughn, who had dropped his gloves.  We got to the next station, and I quizzed him (pop quiz!) about what he should do next (the correct answer is "get off at the next station and Stay There"), and he tried to cross the platform to get on a train that was on a different line altogether.  In short, should I have not been with him, I would still not be with him now.     

** Chris says that I did not look like a movie star, but he was probably just jealous that he didn't get to act like Keanu.***

*** Ha ha... ha.... "act" like Keanu.  I made myself laugh there.

Well, I did it

So, I finally had enough.  The last straw came when I was visiting my parents, and my mom kept suggesting that I use her hairdryer after showering.  So, I finally did, for about 40 minutes because that's how long it takes.   And yes, I guess it does "look nice" when I take the time, but do I really have 40 minutes to style my hair every second day?

The answer, of course, is no.

So, as it goes, I woke up yesterday, having a fairly good hair day.  And I thought I'd take a goodbye selfie.  Since my selfie skills are still very basic, the goodbye photo was actually about 12 photos, which felt very silly and vain.

Oh hello!  I didn't see you there!  .... Why, yes, I always look like this.

And here I am, 20 minutes lighter (at least).  We'll see how it looks when I style it myself.  It still fits into a teeny-yet-super-thick ponytail, and, if it turns out actually as I wanted, I will be mistaken for Kate Hudson* the next time I leave the house.**  The kids didn't notice for about 30 minutes, then Vaughn said, "Mommy!  Your HAIR!" and that was it.  Ailsa liked the curls and gave me a hug, and Tamsin said she liked it too.

When Chris got home, he sort of looked like he was going to cry, but then I started to look like I was going to cry too, and he got over it and told me it looks nice.  And that he supports my growing this out, "should I want to".  And also, he really liked my long hair. 

Would you believe that this is an actual photograph of Kate Hudson in my kitchen??? 
No?  Well, would you believe that the follow-up selfie actually took more tries than the original? 
Leading me to believe that I have made a horrible, horrible mistake? 


Ah well, too late now.

* Kate Hudson before the head-shaving.  Although....

** Since the whole "being mistaken for Kate Moss" thing hasn't really worked out.

CBR/HBR

On returning from this morning's 8-mile run to Big Ben and back (this is a cry for help - please save me from this crazy running group and their organized, goal-oriented approach!!!), the Cranky Book Reviewer showered (you're welcome) then took a few minutes to update my Currently Reading list. 

The amazing thing about that list is that YOU see only the 10 most recent books I've entered, while the edit function allows me to see ALLLLL of the books that I've recorded (have reread many, and have "possibly" read a few more over the last 10 years and forgot* to add them). 

Wow.  Just...wow. 

This blog has been an amazing way to share with far-away family and friends what we're up to, being (almost) as snarky as I please in my story-telling (my mom reads this blog!).  I love going back to a year and reading through it, especially from when the kids were babies and I was too exhausted and shell-shocked to be able to actually remember anything.  Thank goodness I took photos and videos and wrote down the stories!  (But WHY didn't I write down more of them???)

Back to the books, though - what an amazing list I've compiled!  Essays, history, literature, humour, best-sellers, science (humorous), Celebrity autobiography, obscure bargain-bin finds...  I look at that list and remember most of them, some not at all.  Some have been reread so many times that they're like old friends.  Some are dog-eared to mark a page with a quote that touched me, and those quotes are written down in a notebook by my bed.  The books I've read have helped shape who I want to be, and it's amazing to be able to back and see what I was reading way back before I got married, and at the different points in my life. 

Happy sigh.

Happy Book Reader.



* "forget"/"be ashamed of"...tomato/tomahto.  There "may" have been some romance novels here and there that didn't make it to the list...

Houghmas 2017

(all photos can be enlarged with a click)

No snow?  No problem.  Santa will still come!

It is possible that there was no Houghmas 2016 post.

To make up for that, today I give you the Houghmas 2017 Extravaganza!

(insert your own festive gifs here!) 

(or better yet, go look one up, like the one of Buddy the Elf shouting, "Son of a Nutcracker!")

(Go ahead, I'll wait.)

(pause - I just Googled it myself)

(aaaaand I'm back)



First of all, the obvious needs to be stated:  London is not Ottawa.

For some reason, giant pink flowers bloom here at this time of year. 
The getalong gang thinks it's pretty neat.

Here we are on December 22nd, enjoying a nice warm afternoon at the park.  Green grass, green trees, and the green pathway behind Tamsin is covered with nice green moss.  People plant in December, their "spring planting".  I almost approached a gardener to tell him that it would never work, but it looks like I'm wrong.

And here they are, 5 short days later.  We arrived in Ottawa late on Boxing Day, and when we awoke the next morning, the kids begged to play outside in the snow.  It was -28.  "Stupid cold", by anyone's definition.



However, what mother, two days after Christmas, could possibly deny her offspring to get the bleep out of her house?  "Dress warmly!" I said, tea in hand, jammies still on, and away they went.

 I was trying to capture the ice on her eyelashes.

Tamsin lasted 20 minutes (5 more than the requirement for hot chocolate when it's -28).   The other two played outside in that cold for almost 50 minutes!  (Evidently, and unlike their parents, they have not gotten soft over the past 5 months.)

We spent a day and a half at grandma's, with a delicious turkey feast with aunt, uncle and cousins, complete with cookie decorating and wii tournaments, then off we went to visit our cousin Kaiden and his very gracious parents.

On the menu:  STEAK.  Delicious, Alberta steak.  We were so excited that there was a rugged man around, willing to brave the f-f-freezing temperatures so that we could have a great meal!  We salute you, you manly man, you!

Study in Canadiana, Part 1:  Things you don't see in London:  barbecuing steak at -25. 

Kaiden looked like he had no idea what kind of festival was coming to his house, but I like to think that he'll miss the x-treme excitement of Hufflings on Holiday.

From there, we went to a fantastic wedding at Calabogie Peaks because SEAN GOT MARRIED!!!!


FOR REAL!!!!

TO AN ACTUAL GIRL!!!


His brilliant and gorgeous bride and beautiful son will keep him on his toes.  It was an amazing party, as expected. 


The kids made tons of new friends, and the girls will be (s)talking about their idols and style icons, Emily and Grace, for the next year, at least!

Canadiana, Part 2:  You may have to zoom in, but I wanted to get a picture of very specific Canadiana:  the view of a Poutine truck from the drive-thru of a Tim Hortons.

Canadiana, continued:  stuck behind snowplows on the highway.  It just feels right.

The next day, we braved arctic temperatures (only -25!) and the bunny hill!  Chris and I are now rocking our lift passes... they unfortunately say "Carpet" in large black letters, but I'll own it.  This selfie was supposed to include the kids on the carpet lift behind me, but ... uh ... didn't.

 I always tried to explain to Chris why, in Medicine Hat, I'd bundle up on a winter day with a bright blue sky.  In the prairies, a blue sky is a warmer day, but here in Ontario, it means STUPID COLD.

Apres-ski, with pink cheeks and smiles all around!  The two graduates of ski school are in the back, and the daredevil/natural is in the front.  They are all looking forward to strapping on the skis again in February, when we head to Austria for (yet another) school break!














We flew back on the red eye, so the kids could sleep the whole time whole family could become almost hallucinogenic with how insanely sleep deprived they are.  The next day, severely jet-lagged, we staggered to the park for a lengthy introductory ping pong session in fresh air and sunshine.  Turns out that Vaughn is a natural!*

Home again, home again, warmity warm.  

Real life starts again tomorrow.  All in all, it was amazing, busy, exhausting, and too quick.  We were so happy to see the few people we could see, and look forward to everyone else coming to visit us here!  We hope that everyone else had as happy a holiday as we did, and that 2018 is full of laughter and health.

Cheers to all, and to all a good night!






* Although was possibly a hallucination.

The Cat's Away

(Also, Fancy Ladies, Part 2)

I have been horribly delinquent, but Chris just left for Salisbury, so the holiday post is on its way.  In the meantime, curl up on a good book, pour some wine, bake a baguette, and paint your nails.

This morning, we went to the British Library for the Harry Potter History of Magic Exhibit.  No photos were allowed inside, alas, due to the hundreds of years-- and in some cases two-thousand-year-old books and scrolls.  I could have used more information, however, like Why were the French the only ones who saw unicorns, and Whatever happened to the real dragon that guy preserved in Ethiopia? (Seriously.)  Apart from those obvious holes, it was bloody brilliant!

Chris left at 7.  All kids were in bed by 8, their snacks were made for tomorrow and the dog had a little walk while the baguette baked and the boursin warmed.
Truth:  this photo was taken at 9:10 pm.  By 9:20, the tray was empty. 
And why yes, that is a penguin on my thumb.

You are never too old for penguins.

Fancy Lady Update:

Although there are no photos from the third fancy outing of December, I feel that I peaked at the second.  This dress was found in a charity shop, and although I'm not into labels, perhaps I can impress those that are:  this is a Vivienne Westwood.  Somebody in my neighbourhood is my size, but about a foot taller than me,* and apparently donates their extremely expensive clothing without ever wearing it.  

PS:  I win.

* this dress is described as "mid-length".  I beg your pardon.

PPS:  I still win.