mocktails and moustaches

Last Friday evening Larissa got older and perhaps a little wiser as she mastered the making of mocktails and wore a paper moustache. In fact we all did. As the moments went by the laughter grew louder and aching bellies rested about the living room as giggle-induced tears danced down our cheeks.
Twas truly a blissful event.

let it snow

Let it snow, let it snow. I put on my coat this morning, all ready for the short commute to the cafe. I walked down the hallway to the front door and heard Asha calling from our bedroom, "How cold is it outside?" I opened the door to make an assessment. "Cold. It's also raining." I looked at the dimly lit street once again, "Wait. That's snow. It's snowing!"
I was so full of glee that I perhaps would have wet my knickers a wee bit had I drank more than half a mug of tea! I don't remember the last time I was so excited. I caught some snowflakes on my nose and eyelashes and some on my sleeve too. I smiled all the way to work on account of what I could see floating about me. An hour or so passed and the snowflakes grew, in size and numbers. Between coffees I relived my initial excitement with Jacinta, a fellow Australian who works in the office beneath the cafe. We stood by the glass doors and stared into the street, where the air was speckled with white. Oh! It was so beautiful. Another hour or two passed and so did the snow. I hope it returns. I do.

oh christmas tree, oh christmas tree

On Tuesday evening Claire, Asha and I ventured out in the cold to Kings Cross to see the Lego Christmas Tree. Twas an exciting event. We then returned to our cosy abode and ate yoghurt and watched films. Bliss. I love Christmas time. I also love that Asha and I rearranged our bedroom recently so that our beds are together on account of it is so freezing. And until Claire left town on Wednesday she snuggled in too. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

are you having a holly jolly christmas?

I most certainly am. I love Christmas. More than any other time of the year. Tis my favourite holiday season on account of the joyful faces and the swell spirit that is ever so present.

I've been busy, busy, busy making wrapping paper and posting parcels and being generally merry.

Last night the annual Parsifal Christmas Dinner took place at the Palace. It was magical. Though lacking in Who-pudding and rare Who-roast-beast, so very delicious was our feast. 

While recovering from food-inuduced comas we gathered on the green rug with a wee piano and tea light candles to sing Christmas songs in sweet harmonies. As the night grew colder we revived our bodies and our minds with pavlova, made lovingly by Asha and I. Perhaps there was too much love in it though, or perhaps a little too much sugar? This combined with our over tiredness saw us rolling about the floor in fits of giggles. My laughter was so wild and uncontrollable that it sent me sliding down the stairs on my belly, and had me in foetal position on the floor by the front door. Dear me, it was wild. 

I settled myself down and ended the night with a lovely conversation with my lover. Twas a blissful, blissful event. I love Christmas. 

My secret gift to Sophie. Upon receiving it she exclaimed, "I'm going to keep them forever. And I'm going to have three children!"

My Secret Santa gift. A lovely London Tea Towel for my kitchen. 

FYI: It's not poo. Tis the extra caramel filling from Sophie's macaroons. We thought we were funny. 

you look so happy

"You look so happy!" said Paige when I made an entrance into the living room at midnight last night. And I am, I am happy. So happy.

I had the cosiest slumber on the couch the night before, with the manufacturing of z's commencing at half past nine. The past week I have been assigned the task of drawing Christmas bits and pieces here and there about the cafe so a little more chalk detailing took place at work, which was enjoyable. Unfortunately I didn't finish before sunset, but I did witness the change in lighting on account of the sun was actually out today and skies were blue not grey!
When I got home I did the thing I'd been looking forward to all afternoon. I spoke to my Swede. A proper conversation, the first one of the week in fact. It was so wonderful. We talked about Christmas and presents and traditions and my new brown knitted dress and how excited we are to see each other. He's so lovely. I'm so smitten, it's sick.
When the sun was well and truly sleeping I went to Richmond, to The Mitre. My (once weekly, now occasional) Wednesday dwelling space. I almost abandoned my plan to make the commute to instead stay in with Little Asha and watch Matilda but I;m so glad I went. The sunshine from the morning still had me in a good mood so I walked up and down the platform, heel to toe along the yellow line at West Hampstead and whistled to what was playing in my ears while I waited for my train. Any by stander may have thought I was somewhat autistic but that's ok. Maybe I am.
I saw my picture on the wall at The Mitre, Chris bought me a drink or two, Sebastian greeted me with a kiss on the cheek and let me taste his J2O, Alan said it was nice to see me and Marco (along with all of the above) told me once again and over and over that I was magnificent.

I was so happy. I am so happy. So happy.

Today I wore slightly mismatched clothes because I can and FYI I don't even care. 

mumma on the block

The time has come folk for me to tell the tales of the happenings of late November, when The Mothership came to visit. I spotted her at the tube station and waited with open arms for her to come running. She did. I held her tightly while she wept for several minutes. Then we made our way to my humble abode, stopping along the way for tea and crumpets at my cafe.

On our Friday we ventured to Borough Market where we ate delicious things and spotted Lily Cole, the Tate Modern, St Pauls Cathedral and my beloved Dukes Head in Richmond. This may have been the greatest Dukes Head experience on account of I was spontaneously accompanied by a saxophone and a bass guitar and it sounded magical.

Perhaps a little inappropriate but necessary nonetheless. Despite the cold we hung naked in a hammock for several hours today. Kidding, this was part of an exhibition in the Tate. 

Our Saturday consisted of shopping adventures on Oxford Street and a family dinner at the Palace in Celebration of mine and my Swede's Birthdays. Truly Scrumptious.

We were heathens on our Sunday and went to Green Park and Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square and the National Portrait Gallery instead of Church. Don't judge. We had a swell time finding our inner child amongst autumn leaves and all shades of brown beneath a blue sky and cuddling on the couch when the sun went down.

In the days that followed we took a trip to Edinburgh. And oh my! was that an adventure on account of A: the fact that we struggled to understand the language the people spoke, B: the castle, C: the giggle fit we got into exiting the castle, D: the sights we saw and E: the christmas market that we played in for hours on end.
* There were plenty more photos of Edinburgh, plenty. But I'm being greedy and keeping them for myself because they were taking to many minutes to upload. Apologies.

This is where/when the giggle fit took place. I was being blown down the hill while Ma was suffering from a serious coughing attack. I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard. I very nearly did a wee tinkle in my tights..

Twas so windy that Kewpie got tangled in my hair! oh!

The semishly stolen red mug you may see in my Mother's kitchen cupboard.

We returned from Edinburgh with our tummies full and continued to fill them as we ventured about London Town for the next couple of days. We even went to my favourite place for breakfast.

I dyed my hair blonde so I'd fit in in Scandinavia. Not really. 

And that was that. Now she's gone and we in the palace are without our Sorority Mum. Boo.