Rio managed to quickly edit (see the rubber marks) her adorable faux pas, by calling Santa - Satan... too bad as it really made us laugh.
We've spent Christmas day at Brahm's place/ aka Martin Jacques' pad. Amidst Christmas crackers, delicious turkey studded with roasted chestnuts, proper pudding with brandy butter, it really felt like a British Christmas. But we did remember fondly and miss the good old egg nog days. Brandy butter is good, but it is no egg nog replacement.
Dear old Satan, I mean Santa, paid us a quick visit, and dropped off more toys to pack. The biggest hit appears to be the cooking set of red enamel pots and pans. Playdoh is being transformed into pasta, cookies, meat, muffins, by our two ardent cooks. Soon enough we'll have too many cooks in the kitchen. Although that might not be the worst day in Kai's life.
Rio's last term at her London school is quickly coming to a close. It's quite amazing how far she's come since she started in 2008. She's now a fluent reader, amazing speller, knows her 2,3,5 and 10 multiplication tables (up to 12!) and is an expert on the Fire of London (which she uses to rub in our faces everytime she proclaims herself the smartest one in the family).
Here are few highlights from this year's Christmas play. Ila couldn't contain her enjoyment with frequent, very loud, comments throughout the play.
The Christmas fairies represent Rio's entire Year 2 class. When she leaves there will be just 5 girls in the class.
We've spent Thanksgiving with our good Hampstead based American friends. Kids got their faces painted with Indian war paint and then were forced to endure Charlie Brown Thanksgiving specials. Dinner included a rather decent & not overly lean Essex farms sourced heritage turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, chanterelle/pancetta/apple/rustic bread stuffing, green beans, roasted brussle sprouts, & salad. And then for dessert we had 2 amazing pies - pumpkin and apple with vanilla ice cream.
Shopping for a turkey makes you realize how many Americans live in NW London. Tons of supermarkets had "Thankgiving Turkey" - note that they do not celebrate anything like that here. But they do eat turkey and goose for Christmas. Too bad everybody had to rush home as Friday is just another school and work day. At least we made some effort to recreate a bit of American tradition at home.
We came across these two very interesting berries today: strazzberry, which is apparently a cross between a strawberry and a raspberry & the kiwi berry. Both are quite interesting .The strazzberry has a very spongy texture with a hint of raspberry. It's also quite juicy. The kiwi berry tastes a lot like a goosberry, but with a thinner skin and a less tart flavour.
We promised Rio when we moved to London that we'll get a dog. And months went by with vocal and silent recriminations...and then our neighbor rescued us by getting a black lab puppy named Brahms. So we finally got our part-time dog. And he's perfect - especially since we only take him when we feel like it & he never chews any of our shoes & we get to give him all the stuffed bears that are overfilling our toy chests.
Christ Church was designed in 1852 by Samuel Dawkes and enlarged by George Gilbert Scott in 1860. Now it's a host of one of the better parochial (as in private school quality for free - if you don't count going to church every Sunday) schools in Hampstead - Christ Church School.
While Rio went to the Fairy Shop grotto to celebrate a friend's 7th birthday party, we took Ila to the Fenton House for the apple festival. We bought many different varieties of heirloom apples and stopped for a venison burger. Rio is the meantime was transformed into the flower fairy. The fairy dust must have gone to her head, as she is currently cleaning out her room & tossing toys that she doesn't need into a big waste basket. Our new policy - no new toys till Christmas. She even recorded the promise in her diary. We'll see...
Not that Maria slaved over the last month making Snow White and Ariel (or maybe so she says), but just in case you're inspired here's a guide how to make your own pinata.
How to make your own Pinata: Step One
Blow up a balloon and tie a knot at the end. Then, place the balloon on the 10-inch bowl for stability while working.
Take newspapers and tear (don't cut) into strips about 1 inch wide and about 6 inches long (you tear so the strips have fairly rough edges and that helps to make a smooth overall surface).
Pour papier-mache paste into a disposable bowl and dip the newspaper strips into the papier-mache paste. Then, spread them at an angle (and overlapping) onto the balloon thoroughly covering it.
Continue doing this until the balloon is completely covered with one layer of paper. It'll take up to 24 hours to dry.
Cover your leftover papier-mache with saran wrap so that it won't dry out. If it does, then add some warm water.
Step Two
After your first layer has dried, take a long piece of strong yarn or string, double it so that it is even stronger, and wrap the midpoint of the string around the bottom of the balloon, pulling the ends up to the top. Then tape it to the balloon in a few places and knot together the ends of the string 6 inches above the top.
Step Three
Now, with strips of Disney magazines, cover the balloon (including the string) placing the strips at a different angle from the first layer (using different colored strips lets you distinguish one layer from the next, ensuring a uniform overall thickness..)
Again, allow the second layer to dry.
Step Four
After the second layer is dry… Guess what? A third layer, to make it almost indestructible (almost is the key, unless you have a handy pocket knife at the event). Cover the balloon with newspaper strips, covering in yet another angle. You should smooth over any rough edges that might come about.
Step Five
This is where you cut a 2-inch square hole on the top. But don't cut all four sides of the hole - only three sides so that it will be like a flap and you'll be able to close it later.
Step Six
This is where you start decorating! You can decorate however you like. Choose colors that suite your theme, add different colored tissue squares and glue them all around, add streamers, etc.
Step Seven
Make sure the inside of the pinata is completely dry before you fill it (so that the candy won't stick to the sides). Fill it about halfway with all kinds of candy, trinkets, little gifts etc.
After filling the pinata, tape the flap that you made and cover with more decorations.
Papier-Mache Paste:
This is the recipe for a smooth, light paste that is very easy to work with.
Combine 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and 2 cups cold water in a bowl. Add this mixture to a saucepan of 2 cups boiling water and bring it to a boil again.
Remove from the heat and stir in 3 tablespoons of sugar. Then, let it cool (it will thicken as it cools). Once it cools, the paste is ready for use.
125th Anniversary Picnic at Rio's school. Luckily the weather cooperated.
And later - sleepover playdate at Hudson and Leyton's house, while mommies went to see 'September Issue' at the Everyman Cinema. Ila didn't get the memo that she's supposed to sleep when the babysitter says "Sleep time" and insisted on reading one book after another.
Best time to visit - right before the fair starts.
Wish they had more of the old-fashioned entertainment - clairvoyante, the bearded lady, lobster girl, dog boy...instead of Snow White rides supreme. Guess where we're not going this weekend!
