I have tried to write this blog a couple of times over the weekend but it always ends up as a bit of a political rant. It's about healthcare - a touchy subject for both the UK and the US and one on which I could go on and on.
But that's not the really the point of this blog - here I just want to concentrate on the family's activities so I will restrict myself to that. We visited the doctor on Good Friday having finally overcome the hurdles to getting insurance.
It sounds like a dull but necessary trip but was actually a really rewarding part of the day. Our doctor's secretary let us know that the doctor likes to spend time getting to know his patients and so it proved to be. He spent ages with Harriet and she was her usual adorable self. A common trick she plays at the moment when we get into a subway car is to shout as loudly as she can "I'm shy!" but it is only really with a few people that she genuinely plays shy. The doctor is a man and therefore gets her full attention straight away.
We know that she is happy and healthy but it is so rewarding to have that validated by a professional. He took lots of measurements and while it confirmed what we knew it still felt good to have it from him: she is in the 90th percentile for height and 80th percentile for weight. She chatted away to him and although he did detect 'an English accent' he seemed to be very pleased with her.
Then of course it came to us. J at last gets some more painkillers pending an operation on his other arm and I was told that I was in good shape with the observation that I have a slow heart rate. Nothing to worry about just 'interesting' apparently.This hopefully just reflects the amount of work I have done at the gym (yes Cathy, the gym, I do go!).
J does a great job with Harriet so there was no doubt in our minds but still, nice to have it certified by someone who should know,
Sunday 24 April 2011
Sunday 17 April 2011
Far Far Away
Our original plans to get out the city were scuppered by the scandalous cost of hiring a car. So instead we got together two dollars and twenty five cents each and hopped on the subway, the A train to be precise.
The prosaic names for lines and stations in New York are a small price to pay for a cheap and quick way of getting about. The A's an express and rattles through Brooklyn and Queens pretty quickly, I mean I have taken the Jubilee line and the DLR so to me it is practically supersonic.
We were headed to Rockaway Beach. Our first stop was the dog park. Pip had travelled in her box so you can imagine how she reacted to being let off the leash in a grassy park. Yes, she had a two minute sniff and sat down next to me.
The strangest thing is that dogs who would most enjoy New York are Scamper and Billy. Pip is so aloof and doesn't actually think she's a dog but Billy would love to race about and Scamper would love to supervise the run. We know they're very happy of course but sometimes it would be nice to have a dog again.
We cut through some housing estates down to the beach. Harriet had a play in the play-park and then we walked along the boardwalk. The wind was extreme.
It was a day not to play in the sand but to admire the violent, crashing waves from a safe distance. In the UK this would be massively over-developed but here there was virtually nothing.
It's the strangest place because it's so familiar, just not from New York, more like some small town in which we've stopped for gas. I know that must sound incredibly patronising if you're from there but hey I'm a foreigner, I don't know any better.
Our dining options were limited with a dog so it was a great joy to find a Wendy's with a few picnic tables out back. We were famished and could enjoy our modest triple-deckers while gazing across the water at Manhattan. We had got out of the city but it was still reassuring to see it so close and soon enough the A was whisking us back home.
Great day.
The prosaic names for lines and stations in New York are a small price to pay for a cheap and quick way of getting about. The A's an express and rattles through Brooklyn and Queens pretty quickly, I mean I have taken the Jubilee line and the DLR so to me it is practically supersonic.
We were headed to Rockaway Beach. Our first stop was the dog park. Pip had travelled in her box so you can imagine how she reacted to being let off the leash in a grassy park. Yes, she had a two minute sniff and sat down next to me.
The strangest thing is that dogs who would most enjoy New York are Scamper and Billy. Pip is so aloof and doesn't actually think she's a dog but Billy would love to race about and Scamper would love to supervise the run. We know they're very happy of course but sometimes it would be nice to have a dog again.
We cut through some housing estates down to the beach. Harriet had a play in the play-park and then we walked along the boardwalk. The wind was extreme.
It was a day not to play in the sand but to admire the violent, crashing waves from a safe distance. In the UK this would be massively over-developed but here there was virtually nothing.
It's the strangest place because it's so familiar, just not from New York, more like some small town in which we've stopped for gas. I know that must sound incredibly patronising if you're from there but hey I'm a foreigner, I don't know any better.
Our dining options were limited with a dog so it was a great joy to find a Wendy's with a few picnic tables out back. We were famished and could enjoy our modest triple-deckers while gazing across the water at Manhattan. We had got out of the city but it was still reassuring to see it so close and soon enough the A was whisking us back home.
Great day.
Saturday 9 April 2011
Over the hill?
We play this game every year, from March to April, in which my husband pretends to be a year younger than me. Still, whether he likes it or not, time waits for no man and he soon catches up. He's just jealous because he knows that my grey is more distinguished than his!
The irony is not lost on me that next year is the year I originally said I would like to have children. It is good to make plans but good to have a plan B, C and the rest!
It looks like a beautiful day in New York and I'm sure we'll have a good day. Honestly, it will probably be like most other Saturdays and centred around Harriet but check out the little details: we'll swap the cheap plonk for some champagne, perhaps even some of the real stuff. But what could be better than that?
Happy Birthday and welcome to the club J! But don't worry I'll still be leaving it before you next year (to get the next one ready for you in April) xxx
The irony is not lost on me that next year is the year I originally said I would like to have children. It is good to make plans but good to have a plan B, C and the rest!
It looks like a beautiful day in New York and I'm sure we'll have a good day. Honestly, it will probably be like most other Saturdays and centred around Harriet but check out the little details: we'll swap the cheap plonk for some champagne, perhaps even some of the real stuff. But what could be better than that?
Happy Birthday and welcome to the club J! But don't worry I'll still be leaving it before you next year (to get the next one ready for you in April) xxx
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