Update on the girls

Posted on July 26, 2010 by helena

Much has happened. The girls went off to Italy to stay with my mother. Then they went to Croatia with my aunt. What happened between then and their week-early return yesterday is a little hazy. But according to my aunt they refused to speak to anyone and spoke only in Swedish to each other, thus ensuring no one else had the first clue of what was going on. They tell me my aunt was rude about “our family”, even questioning my ability to cook Spaghetti Carbonara. Imagine that….

They are now back with my mother (mormor) and jolly happy they are too, as you will see from baby Bea’s latest email:

Hej hej, mormor is very happy and she says she enjoys much more having us here then us beeing at piera’s and yesturday mormor said we could look at her postcards and in the middle of them i saw a pretty little book written Menu on and i said hey mormor look at this and then she said we could write the menu on some other paper and put it in the book because the paper in the book was hand made so that’s why today we are having a whole day of restaurant. Oh that must of been fun did everybody eat it ?
We also went to go and eat Pizza yesturday olivia got pizza with ham i don’t know what mormor got and i got the pizza with nothing inside and with rosmary i think it is on top. then we went to see the film we played in the park and we left mormor alone but if we wanted water we went and said can we please have water after when it was nearly finishe the film the man was talking so i ran to the park and i tripped on a rock and went flying then i hit my leg on something like the side thing on the sidewalk and then i got blud and a broose it really hurts when we got home mormor put cream on it and the cream was really cold but it was my fault because i shouldn’t of been running to the park that was silly. And mama on the boat it was going really fast and it was bumping around and water came on the windows the lights were moving it was so scary and while i was on it my legs would shake every second i wouldn’t stop and plus it was very cold and very hard to fall asleep im gonna stop writting now because my message is gonna blow
Lots of love bea
xxxx

Summer is here

Posted on July 22, 2010 by helena

I may be accused of writing a spurious blog about the summer just so that I can post this picture of Rafa that a kind-hearted work contact sent me yesterday.

I deny this accusation. Summer is a very interesting topic and should be written about often, and at great length.

As Henry James said: “Summer afternoon – summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”

If you live in Abu Dhabi, then this Samuel Taylor Coleridge quote is perhaps more apt: “Summer has set in with its usual severity.”

Unless of course you happen to be on a beach with Rafa….

Seven today

Posted on July 19, 2010 by helena

There is nothing quite like the build-up to a birthday for a child. Leo has been in a state of excitement for the past three months. and this morning it was finally time.

“It’s my birthday,” he told me at 6am. He was standing by the mirror. “Gosh I’m big,” he said measuring his height against the glass. “When I was six, I was just to here, and now I’m all the way up to here.”

I have been spending more time with him than ever before with the girls gone and Rupert busy with Hugo and Julia who have arrived with a possy of friends.

Last weekend Leo and I had practically two days together, watching New Moon, playing chess (he beat me every time) and football (indoors naturally, and yes he beat me, 10-3) and just chatting.

At one stage I added something to my novel. He was standing behind me reading over my shoulder.

“Mummy, your book is going to be really great,” he said earnestly. “I know, I just read a bit, and I REALLY liked it.”

So I am assured of a best-seller. Maybe I should hire Leo as my publicist.

He opened his presents this morning and I KNOW he was was hoping for an electric guitar but the only one we could find was several hundred pounds and twice as big as him. So he got a funny kind of skateboard in two pieces that looks impossible but I thought would be good for his ballet balance, some clothes, a book and a Spiderman lego game.

I have to say, nothing that really made his little face light up with pure joy (well, maybe the Spiderman thing did a bit) and I felt awful.

Having said that it is still only 10am. I am taking the afternoon off work and there are more presents to come from other people as well the cake ceremony (in the shape of a football baked by my friend Noch) and a trip to a kids’ fair so there is time to make it the memorable day he so longed for.

Happy Birthday to my little man.

PS Here is Noch’s cake

Better late than never…

Posted on July 17, 2010 by helena

I don’t know what it is about popular culture but I seem to get onto it about a year after everyone else. Take Lady Gaga for example. Our magazine had her as the cover story last year. I naturally thought my story should be on the cover as opposed to some pop star I had never heard of. Today I bought her album – brilliant.

It’s the same story with Twilight. Today Leo and I watched New Moon. Which is better than the first one because you have the sexy Jacob to drool over as well. My stepson just asked me which one I prefer; Jacob or Edward. Both I replied. I think it’s unfair to discriminate.

I don’t know what it is about Twilight but there seems to be no age limit to its followers. I was introduced to it through, first and foremost, my children. But also by quite a few friends, some similar in age to me, who told me all about the new love of their lives, one Edward Cullen. Is it the brooding Darcy-style looks? The long lingering stares? Or the fact that he holds the most potent anti-ageing tool there is between his jaws?

If someone can explain the phenomena then please do. But even if no one can, I am happy just to be carried along. Eclipse on Monday…..here I fall……

Ballet boy and grown-up girls

Posted on July 12, 2010 by helena

I can’t believe how quickly time is going at the moment. I guess it hasn’t helped that Wimbledon was on and the World Cup and I have been trying to finish the book (almost there thanks to help from my friend Noch who has given me final impetus and ideas on plot) and it is so hot here I feel like I’m going to melt….

Anyway there is news to report; Leo passed his ballet exam, in fact he got a distinction, I am the proudest mother ever. You can just see him in the picture with the visions in pink.

Today we drove the girls to Dubai for their flight to Rome and two months away from Abu Dhabi which will include a long stint with my mother (bless her), a trip to Croatia with my aunt and uncles and some time at Sainte Cecile.

When we had checked in Olivia realised she had forgotten her little pink wallet in the car. I was made to walk with her to get it, 10 minutes in 50 degree heat, horrible.

“Oh well,” she said once we had retrieved it, “at least now you know exactly where the car is parked.”

I felt a pang of deep sadness as they skipped off, all grown up with their shaved legs (yes, I caught them in the bath with a razor), their ipod touch (a present from Bea’s godfather) and pink lip-glosses in small plastic bags. They are growing into young women and it seems to have happened almost overnight.

I always said when people told me it goes so quickly that no, actually it felt like this had been going on for an extremely long time, but suddenly the end is in sight, and it’s scary.

Apart from anything else I will have to buy industrial bags of razors.

A weekend of revelations

Posted on July 4, 2010 by helena

So the most shocking one was that I found myself supporting Germany against Argentina. It started with a nasty foul by the Argies and then a game of football played by the Germans the way it should be played. Totally magical and heavenly to watch. The beautiful game in motion. I may not have any friends left by the time this news gets out, but I am now a German fan…

My second revelation was Twilight. OK so I know the third film is now out, but it seemed as good a time as any to catch up on the first one. I loved it. I think I am well and truly in touch with my inner tween. Edward Cullen. Yum.

I also realised that Leo is far more perceptive than we often give him credit for. My friend Justine came to see me and was bemoaning where all the time had gone since the last World Cup.

“What on earth have I been doing for four years?” she wailed.

“Sitting around drinking wine, like Mummy,” said Leo.

The Wimbledon final is about to begin and just so you don’t think I have gone totally awry when it comes to sporting allegiances I end with this…good luck Rafa, to you I remain faithful. Forever. Unless Edward Cullen starts playing tennis that is.