It's been another week of early starts for Harriet because we still do not have a second car. I have, however, chosen a new Land Rover that is almost identical to the previous one. We were supposed to pick it up this weekend but it is not yet finished so we must wait a little longer. Provided this one hangs around for a while it will be worth it.
So we had the weekend to ourselves and yesterday was a dog day. We drove to Ware and from there walked along the river to Hertford. It was great weather but people must be on holiday because the park, so often heaving with people, was more or less empty. That meant at least that we could let Scamp and Pip off the lead without fear of them running off with some poor family's picnic.
The evening was dedicated to movies. Alas we started with the best of the night - Kung Fu Panda - and although the rest were good, nothing quite managed the charm and fast paced wit of that cartoon. A true classic - one for the adults as much as the kids.
Today we decided to have a day with more people and less dogs so we went to Greenwich. As we walked on the Thames Path I remembered that Sarah lived nearby and sent her a text suggesting we meet up. We had a walk around the park and then a drink in a nearby pub (another one Harriet can tick off her list as she visits nearly every pub in this country).
It's been a relaxing and welcome weekend.
Sunday 26 July 2009
Monday 13 July 2009
Smiling through it all
The first unfurnished place we had was our flat in Loughton. It was little more than a shell with a terrible carpet and so our first trip was inevitably to the Ikea at Lakeside in Essex. Having had motorhomes for so long it's difficult to remember a time when our sole means of transport was a Nissan Micra but that is all we had.
We bought so much stuff that even flat packed it could barely fit into our little workhorse. It was so full I was contemplating travelling home by train and that would have been the safest thing to do but somehow I squeezed in. If we had to brake suddenly I would have been smashed between a coffee table and a chest of drawers in the best case scenario.
And so it began. Our house has always been furnished in a masculine style with lots of dark wood against magnolia. Yes there was odd lapse, including an outrageously uncomfortable bright blue sofa bed which we inflicted on so many people, little realising that we might as well just have smashed up some wine bottles and asked them to sleep on that.
We wanted to soften the place to make it look like more of a home for us and the dogs but also our little girl. But in fact we needn't have worried as she has gradually taken over the place with swings, gyms, bean bags and assorted stuffed rabbits.
I'm thinking about it because Jay and she are away on holiday with Pip, Sarah and Jess in Cornwall. I'm here with only Scamper, Billy, Mango and the tortoises for company. There's no real alternative because I have so little holiday left and that which I do I want to keep for Christmas.
It's been less than a week but that's a long time. Last I saw her she was perfecting the art of rolling over and soon, so very soon, she will be on the move. She'll be starting solids and then before I know it she will be going on holiday by herself to Ibiza or somewhere else of which I disapprove, perhaps just to annoy me.
The hardest thing for me at the moment is when I go up the stairs I see a pink dress and white cardigan hanging up. It's new, too big in fact and she's never worn it. It's no substitute for her wide beaming smile but it makes me smile and that will sustain me for now.
We bought so much stuff that even flat packed it could barely fit into our little workhorse. It was so full I was contemplating travelling home by train and that would have been the safest thing to do but somehow I squeezed in. If we had to brake suddenly I would have been smashed between a coffee table and a chest of drawers in the best case scenario.
And so it began. Our house has always been furnished in a masculine style with lots of dark wood against magnolia. Yes there was odd lapse, including an outrageously uncomfortable bright blue sofa bed which we inflicted on so many people, little realising that we might as well just have smashed up some wine bottles and asked them to sleep on that.
We wanted to soften the place to make it look like more of a home for us and the dogs but also our little girl. But in fact we needn't have worried as she has gradually taken over the place with swings, gyms, bean bags and assorted stuffed rabbits.
I'm thinking about it because Jay and she are away on holiday with Pip, Sarah and Jess in Cornwall. I'm here with only Scamper, Billy, Mango and the tortoises for company. There's no real alternative because I have so little holiday left and that which I do I want to keep for Christmas.
It's been less than a week but that's a long time. Last I saw her she was perfecting the art of rolling over and soon, so very soon, she will be on the move. She'll be starting solids and then before I know it she will be going on holiday by herself to Ibiza or somewhere else of which I disapprove, perhaps just to annoy me.
The hardest thing for me at the moment is when I go up the stairs I see a pink dress and white cardigan hanging up. It's new, too big in fact and she's never worn it. It's no substitute for her wide beaming smile but it makes me smile and that will sustain me for now.
Sunday 5 July 2009
Out and About
The dot matrix signs on the A406 were coy 'Central London Road Closures, Event, Sat 4th July'. So little wonder perhaps that when we were walking through Leicester Square panic suddenly spread among a group of topless young men for whom the penny had finally dropped. 'Put your t-shirts on lads' was the cry of the scout who had been sent on ahead to ascertain why there was a music stage in the centre of the square.
How tragic - they had probably looked forward for months to a stag weekend and found themselves in the middle of London Gay Pride. "Do they think we're benders?" muttered the tanned, toned, topless man whose designer jeans and underwear had fallen out and were trying to get as far away from each other as possible.
Pride always provokes some strong reactions and many people complain that while they have no problem with homosexuals they do not approve of having their noses rubbed in it by a float of drag queens, go-go dancers and overt kissing. I have no truck with this sort of attitude. Were it not for the overt defiance of some of the most marginalised people in the Stonewall riots (which Pride commemorates) there would be no equality in law for many people. Sectarian marches like Orange Order parades or BNP meetings are more of a problem for me.
It has been an extremely good week of weather and we decided that we would go to Pride on Saturday with Harriet. The politics of Pride aside it was wonderful to walk around the closed roads of Soho and enjoy a pint in the middle of the road. Soon after we arrived a man approached us and asked us about Harriet - he told us he was here on business from the US and he too had a child. He beamed as he opened his wallet and showed us a post-it note written in a child's handwriting that said 'I love you papi'. He smiled at Harriet and bounced back off down the street.
It was a nice start. I admit that I was concerned about the reaction. We haven't experienced direct hostility but the vast majority of people who have been, let's say, less than fully supportive have been gay.
We met one of our Facebook friends for the first time in Trafalgar square. He has just had a child and it was an amazing contrast between that tiny little newborn and Harriet. How quickly they grow up.
The Mayor of London was not present this year because he had his son's birthday party. That was a shame but the office of Mayor had done an extremely good job and the large signs that read Gay-Mayor of London-Lesbian and Bisexual-Mayor of London-Trans were extremely eye-catching. We met another couple who also asked about Harriet. Jay was wearing his "Who's the Daddy?" T-shirt so that probably helped. One said that he had been married and never gave children a second thought but now he had come out it was on his mind. They asked lots of questions about how we did it and how much it cost.
The political speeches were not well received. Harriet Harman was booed and the Conservative Jeremy Hunt received a very hostile reaction and people threw (plastic) bottles. Despite this the Tories are probably quietly confident that they are making progress since this week's survey for Jake (a gay professional group) showed that support for them reflected the general opinion polls and was good. David Cameron has apologised for the monstrosity that was section 28 (the ban on local authorities 'promoting' 'pretended' family relationships) and while that won't placate a Pride crowd filled with socialist workers, trades unionists and Stonewall it will probably work for most people. The Labour government has been the most supportive and successful in equality and I felt sorry for Harriet Harman.
Anyway, it was back off to Soho for a meal and a drink. Everyone looked at Harriet and actually I was surprised at how few other children were there. We had one hostile comment from someone who felt that we were showing off and that we had it all. I can well understand the frustrations of people who want something so badly and can't find a way to make it happen. Apart from that we met some lovely people and we had a great time. Luckily there were plenty of people who just asked direct questions and you could see the relief wash over others who had been too timid.
It was a lovely day out. Thank goodness for those riots that made it possible.
How tragic - they had probably looked forward for months to a stag weekend and found themselves in the middle of London Gay Pride. "Do they think we're benders?" muttered the tanned, toned, topless man whose designer jeans and underwear had fallen out and were trying to get as far away from each other as possible.
Pride always provokes some strong reactions and many people complain that while they have no problem with homosexuals they do not approve of having their noses rubbed in it by a float of drag queens, go-go dancers and overt kissing. I have no truck with this sort of attitude. Were it not for the overt defiance of some of the most marginalised people in the Stonewall riots (which Pride commemorates) there would be no equality in law for many people. Sectarian marches like Orange Order parades or BNP meetings are more of a problem for me.
It has been an extremely good week of weather and we decided that we would go to Pride on Saturday with Harriet. The politics of Pride aside it was wonderful to walk around the closed roads of Soho and enjoy a pint in the middle of the road. Soon after we arrived a man approached us and asked us about Harriet - he told us he was here on business from the US and he too had a child. He beamed as he opened his wallet and showed us a post-it note written in a child's handwriting that said 'I love you papi'. He smiled at Harriet and bounced back off down the street.
It was a nice start. I admit that I was concerned about the reaction. We haven't experienced direct hostility but the vast majority of people who have been, let's say, less than fully supportive have been gay.
We met one of our Facebook friends for the first time in Trafalgar square. He has just had a child and it was an amazing contrast between that tiny little newborn and Harriet. How quickly they grow up.
The Mayor of London was not present this year because he had his son's birthday party. That was a shame but the office of Mayor had done an extremely good job and the large signs that read Gay-Mayor of London-Lesbian and Bisexual-Mayor of London-Trans were extremely eye-catching. We met another couple who also asked about Harriet. Jay was wearing his "Who's the Daddy?" T-shirt so that probably helped. One said that he had been married and never gave children a second thought but now he had come out it was on his mind. They asked lots of questions about how we did it and how much it cost.
The political speeches were not well received. Harriet Harman was booed and the Conservative Jeremy Hunt received a very hostile reaction and people threw (plastic) bottles. Despite this the Tories are probably quietly confident that they are making progress since this week's survey for Jake (a gay professional group) showed that support for them reflected the general opinion polls and was good. David Cameron has apologised for the monstrosity that was section 28 (the ban on local authorities 'promoting' 'pretended' family relationships) and while that won't placate a Pride crowd filled with socialist workers, trades unionists and Stonewall it will probably work for most people. The Labour government has been the most supportive and successful in equality and I felt sorry for Harriet Harman.
Anyway, it was back off to Soho for a meal and a drink. Everyone looked at Harriet and actually I was surprised at how few other children were there. We had one hostile comment from someone who felt that we were showing off and that we had it all. I can well understand the frustrations of people who want something so badly and can't find a way to make it happen. Apart from that we met some lovely people and we had a great time. Luckily there were plenty of people who just asked direct questions and you could see the relief wash over others who had been too timid.
It was a lovely day out. Thank goodness for those riots that made it possible.
A moan
Well, what can I say?
It turns out that the Land Rover we bought is stolen despite our having all the documents, the HPI check and both sets of original keys. The garage paid for a hire car while it was being investigated by the police but now we must get our money back and find a new one. My car desperately needs to go in for a service but since it's our only mode of transport it can't and it's extremely difficult at the moment. Harriet is dragged out of bed and put in the car seat (aka the 'grumble chair') and my commute is at least an hour longer each day.
On the more positive side Arto passed the MOT so Jay, Harriet, Sarah and Jess can still go on their holiday next week. I have had important meetings with the regulator this week so on a couple of days I did take the car and Arto had to be on standby as our second vehicle for emergencies.
I'm pretty fed up at the moment. I am making no progress with the lawyers who have not only done nothing but have also lost a substantial amount of money we had sent to them. We haven't managed to get the documents from the US we need and Harriet's visa is running out.
Anyway, I'll isolate this moan into one post and tell you about all the wonderful things that have been happening separately.
It turns out that the Land Rover we bought is stolen despite our having all the documents, the HPI check and both sets of original keys. The garage paid for a hire car while it was being investigated by the police but now we must get our money back and find a new one. My car desperately needs to go in for a service but since it's our only mode of transport it can't and it's extremely difficult at the moment. Harriet is dragged out of bed and put in the car seat (aka the 'grumble chair') and my commute is at least an hour longer each day.
On the more positive side Arto passed the MOT so Jay, Harriet, Sarah and Jess can still go on their holiday next week. I have had important meetings with the regulator this week so on a couple of days I did take the car and Arto had to be on standby as our second vehicle for emergencies.
I'm pretty fed up at the moment. I am making no progress with the lawyers who have not only done nothing but have also lost a substantial amount of money we had sent to them. We haven't managed to get the documents from the US we need and Harriet's visa is running out.
Anyway, I'll isolate this moan into one post and tell you about all the wonderful things that have been happening separately.
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