Wild About Breakfast!

Not only am I learning the various names of mushrooms but I am really appreciating  the edibles which are making their way in to our meals more than a couple of times a week now. We have had an abundance of delicious Russulas and are now moving on to the season of Ceps and other Boletes. Andy is beside himself with excitement - the sun and rain are working in perfect unison and the mushrooms are responding.

Tanked!!!!!

It was so hard for me to leave Emma but Darrin and Tim felt they could give her a really good home and she would be company for their sweet and furry George!

She has been there for six weeks and there has been numerous hidings, concerns, catty hisses and then finally a week ago the corner is turned...Emma brings in a dead bird which means she likes someone or something in the house. All was going to be well.

Here she is having a sneaky tipple............needless to say, the goldfish are hangin' low.

Passing the Torch

It'offical, my house moves on to my wonderful friend Julie! This house belonged to Jill before me and now on to Julie. This short sale has been going on for a few months and it looked as if it would never happen, but this week, the deal was made and how perfect is it that I am in Florida this week to seal it!

Julie and I have known each other for 10 years and met my accident at a charitable event, A Batchelor Auction!!!! I knew the day would come when men would be a mere commodity to raise some coins and trust me when I tell you that this bunch of 'Florida Dudes' would have raised more money by agreeing not to go home with you. Even if they had been renting Adonis, Julie and I would have left empty handed because that is just the sort of girl we are....and both of us have remained empty man handed for the most part until I met Andy. In fact Julie and I became the couple,  Janet and Jim, Ruth and Chris, Jill and Del and Heather and Julie. So as a couple we have shared countless dinners, drinks and laughs and loved every minute of it. 

Julie is one of the most positive people I have ever met and just glows with happiness and enthusiasm for life and her surroundings. The glass is always half full, people are only seen for their goodness and no-one fills a dishwasher like Julie does....so orderly.......such precision...I am in awe of this skill!!!!!

So on August 3rd, 4418 goes to Julie...it will get a nicely cut lawn, a massive clean, certainly a paint job and a whole new life to wrap its walls around. I wish her all the joy in the world because it is one of the most charming homes you could imagine.....full of light, landscaping and memories. Here's to you Julie....enjoy!!!! XXXXXXX

Well & Truly Rocked!

Following our tea at Browns, we headed to the Dominion Theatre to see the show We Will Rock You with music by Queen. I was a huge Queen fan in the 80s so this was going to be quite a treat. We managed to buy great seats at the front but Lorraine got to hers first as I had to make a quick 'loo stop'. When I headed for the front I saw our row and her blond head. Our row was full and the people seemed quite irritated when they needed to manouvre their popcorn, drinks and programmes to stand and let me pass to get to my seat. After treading on lots of feet and hitting knees with my bags, I was horrified to see where Lorraine was sitting - right at the beginning on the row on the opposite side and mine was actually the aisle seat..........hilarious!!! I am sure the other show goers were ready to punch me. I really must get new glasses.

The story was somewhat lame but music was great and the younger folks in the crowd seemed somewhat bemused when all of us 'oldsters' were punching the air, clapping and singing without inhibition..especially We Are The Champions and We Will Rock You. What is wrong with the youth today....they really need to learn have a good time...haha.

As an added note, no-one was even close to the amazing vocal talents of Freddie Mercury but they went for it with gusto!

Tea at Browns Hotel

A tradition that has been been passed down through at least four generations in our family is High Tea at one of the more distigushed estabishments in London, such as the Savoy or The Ritz. As it was Lorraine's 47th birthday on Thursday, this was definitely an event that was long overdue and this time, we selected Browns Hotel behind the glamorous, and outrageously expensive boutiques of Old Bond Street.

When I met Lorraine at Charing Cross she looked relaxed and happy considering her marathon to get the 2pm train after dropping of Adam and preparing Mum to have everything at her finger tips while she was out.  From Charing Cross we took a gentle stroll past Trafalgar Square, along Pall Mall, in to St. James Place and on to Old Bond Street. We marvelled at some of the little side streets that looked like Diagon Alley from Harry Potter. I wonder if I'll appreciate this 'quaint-ness' of London in a year's time.

We loitered, salivating in front of Cartier and Graff at the oppulent displays of diamonds and I pondered if I should not be marrying an Arabian Sheik in May instead....hmmmmm!!!! Lorraine dragged me in to Charbonnel et Walker, one of the most beautiful chocolate shops you could imagine and selected a small box for my Mum. Then off to tea!!!


Browns Hotel was absolutely charming with its rich oaked paneled lounge filled with rich, red velvet sofas and immaculate silver tea service. We enjoyed a champagne apperitif while they filled our small table with perfect, tiny pastries, finger sandwiches and crumbling scones with cream and jam. We toasted my Mum and my sister Janet and were sorry they couldn't be with us on such a lovely day.

Farewell Amy

Written July 23, 2011

Amy Winehouse died today. Lorraine and I were in the middle of our lovely afternoon tea at The Browns Hotel and Andy sent a text saying she had been found dead in her Camden home.Not a supprise but sad none the less. I was a huge fan of her 'heart on her sleeve' lyrics, torch song style and sultry music. Maybe such brilliance can only be birthed out of torment. My favourite songs will remain Brother, Love is a Losing Game and Valerie. A short life but an indelible mark on the music world. Maybe she had given everything she had and it was her time to go but thank you Amy, for sharing your pain and love in your artistry.

Colic & Crayons

Charlotte is the best, most wonderful, sometimes most annoying daughter you could possibly wish for. Everything with Charlotte tends to be magnified...not just kind but KINDEST, not just sweet but SWEETEST, not just fun but FUNNEST and not just difficult, THE MOST DIFFICULT - she is life on steroids and I LOVE HER. She was a handful from the day she born - she had colic, she was demanding and everytime I put her down she cried. Here was a girl who knew what she wanted from day one and it was a joy when she could finally talk and tell everyone (in her husky little Charlotte voice) what it was! She was always way too clever for her age. One of my favorite Charlotte stories was when she was three years old and scribbled on the wall with a crayon. Her Dad, anxious to ensure she learned a lesson, gave her a wet cloth and told her to scrub it off...after a few minutes he said 'I bet you don't feel like a princess now'...without so much as a pause she responded "Cinderella scrubs"; we had to rush out of the room to hide our laughter.

My second favorite Charlotte story was when I was preparing her for day care at the age of three. I was trying to tell her that her body was hers and there was nothing wrong with it but noone should touch her inappropriately. She was looking at me as though I had three heads so I netted it out by saying "if anyone touches your vagina you must tell me".....ahhh....she got it and looked at me with an understanding and serious face and said "yes, and if anyone touches your vagina, you tell me..." - PRICELESS!!!!

I cannot believe how and where the years have gone. She is nearly twenty one and now ready to move in to her own apartment by herself - her own space - she is excited and I am excited for her. Well done Charlotte, you REALLY are a grown up and I love YOU XXXXX

The Secret Weapon

Jill is one of my oldest and dearest friends in Florida and represents a turning point in my life. There was a time about 13 years ago when I was on the point of moving back to the UK, but after some painful reflection and legal 'meetings' with the childrens father realized it would not happen. At that point I decided to buy a house and fate opened it's arms to a beautiful warm home bathed in light and a new friend Jill. Jill had lived in the home for about five years and left a warm peacful energy. In addition, she left a baseball bat in every closet - that's Jill - the sweetest, gentlest, toughest person I know!!!!!!

Jill is adored by everyone that knows her but at the top of that list is her husband Del. Del was her perfect match, sweet, kind, gentle and a Marine! Del was always the first to step up to his role as a soldier but felt the World's Leaders missed a huge opportunity by going to war when they could have just sent in Jill. With her capacity of bringing the most hardened male to a blubbering mess within minutes of meeting her and sharing his life story, trials, tribualtions and heartaches she could have easily talked Saddam Hussein out of many of his crimes AND if all else failed she could have beaten him to death with a baseball bat.

We have shared countless stories with our animals, our trips, our families and our 'projects'. Jill will always be in my life and I thank her for so many gifts.......friendship, health and laughter to name but a few.

Murder Before Breakfast

Sometimes it takes me a while to process a snippet of information or comment - I am not sure why but I think my brain subconsciously prioritizes based on what's going on around me. Two days ago I recollected Andy telling me about an old school friend of his (who I also knew) and the fact he 'may' have been involved in a murder.He actually told me this over a year ago but the subconsious kicked in and I began processing the information. I cannot stand MAYs in any shape or form so bright an early yesterday morning Andy and I sat in bed with the laptop and began our criminal investigation.

Roy Heath, nicknamed Skippy, moved to Braintree from Australia when he was about 15 years old. He was nice looking, charismatic boy but a ticking time bomb with a relatively short fuse. Apparently he was a heavy smoker and a heavy drinker, all by the age of sixteen!! He was an only child and came from what Andy described had relatively normal parents and so everyone was shocked when the Mum and Dad were charged with embezzlement and they disappeared from Braintree overnight. Skippy also disapeared and moved to London. Several years later, Andy heard he was involved in an armed robbery at a service station, someone was killed and he was imprisoned for manslaughter - and that was the last anyone heard until last March.

Forward 25 years to 2010 and headline news!!!!! Police had received a tip off that a body was cemented under a patio at a Fulham home and began digging - literally. Sure enough, they discovered a corpse that was reportedly over 15 years old. The home was owned by Roy Heath, aged 52 and on his death bed from throat cancer. It had to be Skippy- it all added up!

Apparenly, Skippy had met up with the Kray twins during his first prison sentence. The Kray twins were notorious crime lords from ther 1960s and were responsible for murder, prostitution, drug rings etc. Although they were incarcerated from late sixties they managed to manipulate a lot of crime from within and it looks like Skippy became one of their pawns. The extent of Skippy's crimes appear to be unknown but in addition to a murder victim under the patio, there was a murder of a business rival 15 years before that  police couldn't make stick. He died shortly after the body was discovered but in the years prior to his death was reported to be drinking up to 18 lagers a day!!!!!!!

In retrospect, Skippy was a clearly a sociopath but it's incredible what you can dig up when you start doing  a post mortem of your past....

Mum

One of the greatest benefits of being back in Ol' Blighty is the fact my Mum and sister are just two hours away. Despite the distance of my American residency for the last twenty plus years the 'girls' in our family have been fortunate to remain close . We have always telephoned each other once a week and my mother has been the greatest letter writer....in fact, over the years, I have saved the majority of her letters and just love re-reading the stories of our family homes, animals, batty village neighbors and family.

Mum now lives with my sister which is now a blessing as her health has declined so much in the last couple of years. Every time I see her, she seems weaker and seems to be gradually fading away....I fear for the day I am going to lose her and I know it is not far away....for now, I can only sit with her, hold her hand, remind her what a wonderful Mum she has been and watch her drift in and out of sleep....

Fairlight & Family

Just came back from a lovely weekend visit to Mum and Lorraine in Fairlight, East Sussex. The weather was unusally wet for this south east corner of England. Being trapped between the Southern and Northern Downs this small area typically avoids the rain . Fortunately, I was sporting my waterproof  Black Dog Jacket that Andy and I got in Marthas Vineyard back in May. First time I wore it - very exciting!!! Here is my fashion statement, with the other black dog, Solo.

Fairlight is a small, sleepy village, up on the cliffs above Hastings. There is one village shop, a pub and a farm store which is absolutely charming. Andy and I like to buy our honey, and more recently, bird seed from there.

I thought I would give my farm store shopping a miss as I came by train but Andy, being the task master he is, insisted I not go home empty handed. So arms laden with bird seed, I had to travel from Hastings to Charing Cross by train, Charing Cross to Golders Green by tube and walk up the hill home with arms like a Gibbon! Thanks Mr. Andy!

The Rise of the Russula!!!

Halleluja! The Russula has risen and we were stumbling over countless varieties this morning as Andy and I had our own personal foray on the way home from Hampstead, through the Heath and into Golders Park. Just shy of the donkeys, nestled in between some oaks were a spectacular variery. The more I see these fruits, I marvel at the richness of color. Here is a Purple Black Russula! This is actually an edilble with an apparent spicy twang!

Hop-a-Long

I have decided that I am going to get rid of half of Andy's shoes...the left one on every pair that he owns! WHY?? Well, due to the fact he spends so much of his time with ONE FOOT smack bang, right in his MOUTH!

The latest one was absolutely priceless!  I mentioned that I was going to get my nails done earler this week and he asked me if I no longer felt the need to make the effort to stay on top of my 'grooming' now I have my man. Hmmmm...now where do I go with that!

Almost as bad as the response when I was leaving after my first London visit with him. I asked him if I had changed much and he responded 'apart from the weight, NO!!!! (From me...expletive, expeltive,expletive..)

There have been a number of these accidental remarks, and they REALLY are accidental AND in reality they are quite hilarious AND after all, I have the ultimate revenge don't I - I CAN BLOG!

Ripped Ticket

Tom is one of my favorite people in the world. His sense of humor is brilliant for someone so young; dry, clever and most of the time just 'plain wrong'. He was the easiest baby, the easiest child, the easiest teen and I imagine will be the easiest boyfriend and husband too.

He never asked for anything until he  stumbled upon his passion for music and addiction to guitars. An addiction that has propelled his song writing talents in to an unimaginable maturity and quality for someone so young. His band, Groove Alliance provides a great platform for him to exploit his confidence and showmanship BUT WHAT IS WITH THE NAME!!!????? Andy and I have made countless suggestions - Ripped Ticket being top of the list and MY creation. Please Tom, get rid of the name that represents a bunch of old men trying to emulate the Glenn Miller Band and pick something that projects youth and creativty - AGAIN, like Ripped Ticket

With him now so far away I am just counting the months until he finishes high school and can come and join me in London.

One Lovely Meatball!

It's without a doubt that I really do have the best friends anyone could wish for. They will literally do anything for you at the drop of a hat.  Chris and Ruth are right up there at the top of the list.

For the past year they have been my taxi from Fort Myers to Miami for my clandestine Atlantic hops to London. No doubt their heads were spinning from the hundreds miles of Everglades, the ongoing terrain remaining the same, the gas gauge declining at a formidable rate and the occasional bobbing of Aligator heads from the aligning canals. The one carrot that got them over to the other side was the lure of Ikea. To Ruth, there was the ability to shop, shop, shop at the incredible bargain prices BUT for Chris there was a far greater prize - the IKEA MEATBALL DINNER- Swedish Meatballs, Cream Gravy, and Ligonberry Jelly.

Sophie's New Romper Stomper Playground!

Counting the days until Sophie is safely in London. Am worried about the long flight but am sure she will arrive in one piece. August 12th.....not long now.

Legitimized

You'd think going home to your native country would be easy - they would welcome you back with open arms but apparently it's not that simple.  Firstly I have prove that I am who I say I am; my name has changed (more than once), my address has changed (more than once) I no longer have a drivers license, National Insurance Card or utility bill with my name on it. I may as well be Mata Hari! I have to rebuild my identity.

There is one consolation; my apparent sickness of being a serial boot buyer (in Florida) is now in the past. My sixteen pairs of Florida boots, if you are counting, are no longer a dark little secret at the back of my closet. They can be seen, they can be worn, they will be legitimate. Now, if only it were that easy for me.

Snack Attack

As the typical British summer gets in to full swing, the natives are tortured by the unpredicatable nature of the weather. When the meteorologists predict rain you are guaranteed a sun drenched scorcher ....when they predict sunny you get the full blown downpour - it's a given!

For Andy, this volatile pattern is pixie dust to the mushroom...these fruits need an abundance of both to bloom AND bloom they have. They are sprouting up all over the place - Russulas, Boletes, Agaricus, such noble names, but without 'mushroom eyes' you would probably miss the majority of them - unless you are a squirrel. These provide delicious little snacks and make these 'little greys' Andy's Enemy Number One!

Dancing Cheek to Cheek

Heaven
I'm in heaven
And my heart beats
So that I can hardly speak
And I seem to find
The happiness I seek
When we're out together
Dancing cheek to cheek

Courtesy of Irving Berlin 1935