The hills are alive...

A mini blog out of nowhere! What a surprise! I just need to share my excitement, which on the grand scheme of things probably highlights how I need to get out more, but all the same. I literally have butterflies that a mega icon is doing a book signing in my local Barnes and Noble tomorrow. I say mega icon as this person was the star of one of my favourite childhood films, one of THE favourite films of all time, a Christmas classic in fact. Now to narrow it down to stars of my favourite childhood films... I'm never going to meet Judy Garland, I'm not sure whether Tommy Steele is still around either and ET quite clearly was never going to happen. So that leaves the wonderful Julie Andrews!!! I will forgive the fact that for some reason she thinks she is qualified to write children's books and try and queue with the masses to meet Julie Andrews. From what I understand, she is book signing from 4pm and they are handing out wristbands from 11am but you can they go home and return later, so hopefully the queue is do-able with a teething toddler... My only concern is that I will probably just cry with excitement. They just had the Von Trapp children from the film on breakfast TV with Julie (first name terms now) singing 'Doe A Deer' and that made me well up.

Saying that, I'm still recovering from watching Corrie on iplayer and watching Jack go to meet Vera. Oh my goodness. You must be made of stone if that didn't make you shed a tear or two. It was just so beautiful and perfect.

Now m and d have left, it's oh so quiet in Stepford so have been busy cleaning, tidying and putting away the Halloween decorations for next year. I've even had to get rid of one of my pumpkins due to serious squirrel attacks. I've also noticed that the toilet cleaner smells of germolene which I can't work out if I'm happy about or not...

BW and I are off to join our local 'Mommy and Me' group later this morning so hopefully it will go well, and BW won't be the first child in Stepford to get a ban from playgroup.

Wish me luck that I get my wristband. Maybe if I hum some Sound of Music classics they'll put me at the front of the line just to get rid of me. Either that or I'll go dressed as a nun.

It's not called the Fall for nothing, you know...

Slippers. Blankets. Cups of tea with nice biscuits. Favourite pair of jeans. Duvets. Woolly socks. All of these things make me feel comfortable. Not just comfortable in a 'sitting on a comfy chair' type of way, but comfortable in a 'I am at one with the world' type of way. It's rather odd, as I didn't realise that I missed that feeling until I had it back, if that makes sense. As you can probably tell, I am in the middle of 'guest season' and it's made me think of home a bit more than usual. It has been lovely to spend time with people who sometimes know me better than myself. And also, as much as I am loving getting to know my new friends better, it's nice to be back with people where I don't feel I need to be on my best behaviour. And there are some things that can only be shared with friends that you've had for 26 years...

However, having my friends and family over has given me a new burst of energy in settling down in Garden City, which has been likened to Stepford and the town in the Truman Show by my guests over the last two weeks. I've taken my first step in becoming American and signed Boy Wonder and myself up for 'Mommy and Me' group starting next Wednesday and also put BW's name down for preschool starting next September. My friend, Katherine, and I went to do a visit together and it felt great to escape without the children, even for a couple of hours!!

Our guests have been a first time New Yorker, here to do all the main sights, old time New Yorkers and my m and d, who are first time New Yorkers but whose main priority is family time - so a nice mix. Having Sira here was a perfect opportunity to do a 'TV/Movie Location' bus tour, which was great fun but would have been more beneficial if I watched 'Gossip Girl'. I spent most of the time writing down addresses on my iphone so I could tell future guests where all the locations were. What we did learn is that the owner of the Huxtables house from the Cosby Show is a very nice chap who lets you sit on the steps and have your photo taken. Whereas the lady who lives in Will Smith's house in 'I am Legend' is a miserable old mare who has boarded up her lower windows and added a big gate. When I was with Sira I had my picture taken with one of those half naked teenage chaps ('boys' makes it sound sooooo wrong) at the front of Abercrombie and Fitch. Quite clearly that was just for Sira's benefit, not mine. At all. Not even a little bit.

It was a good job that Sara and Pete bought a fantastic selection of English goodies over in their case to make room for the large amount of shopping they took back. I think I impressed them with my cooking skills but it's a good job they didn't stay longer as I used up all of my four recipes... Tom and Boy Wonder did Trick or Treating USA stylee and had a lovely time, although Sara was rather disappointed that Paul didn't wear his Halloween head boppers.

I'm also 'feeling the love' from across the pond at the moment. Not one, but two, tickets for Take That next year (oh yes) so I just HAVE to come back for a short girlie few days in July. But the best thing, the really nicest, loveliest thing, was that Jane took Paul and I to Al's 40th bd party, in the form of large photos stuck on sticks (a scary thought, I know) so I got to snog the bd boy after all, as well as some of my other favourite men and a few newbies. It had the result that I was able to look at Al's photos and smile and laugh, instead of cry because I wanted to be there. Thank you Janey xxxx

As far as I know, our 'photo heads' are heading their way to the Lake District for another 40th bd event (that's you, Phil) and from that point on, will be available for birthdays, weddings and Bar Mitzvahs...

Aah it's nice to be wanted....

Yes yes I know I've been very, very slack on the blogging front recently but I really had lost track of how long it had been. It has been on my to-do list and has sort of been there a while. However, I'm now starting to get people checking that I'm ok as I haven't written my blog. So to put those lovely minds at rest, here I am.

The summer whizzed by in a blur of 100 degree temperatures, visits to the pool and finally getting to the beach. Our beautiful beach, as you can see, takes less than 15 minutes to get to now I have been brave enough to drive on the parkway. Paul's mum was over for three weeks so I was able to go into Manhattan for a couple of 'tourist' days and visit all the places I feel too guilty to take the buggy into. I went and saw the original 'Winnie the Pooh' toys in the New York Library, watched the stars in Grand Central and got the shivers looking at all of the armour suits in the Met (I swear they were looking at me ;-))) ) I even had time to watch my first ever 3D film "Toy Story 3" and am only just recovering from the emotional trauma. Paul and I took the opportunity to drive up to a very pretty wedding in Niagara-on-the-lakes (yes, we did have an invite) which seemed a really good idea until we had to do the drive home in the pissing rain. It also gave us our first taste of driving back into Long Island on a Sunday evening, cue horrendous traffic jams, no visibility and a drive home time of 11 and a half hours. The photo was taken during a lull of rain, just before the heavens opened and Manhattan started to resemble Gotham City.

Since we last spoke, Boy Wonder has had his second birthday and is all grown up now! He seems to have developed a bit of a party obsession but we are quite lucky that he has no understanding of what a party really is. We took him to the sofa shop on Saturday and made a few 'whoop whoop' party noises and he had a great time!!! We had some of the neighbours around for an afternoon tea party and got them all tipsy on Pimms.

We are now approaching the Fall season and everyone is already planning ahead for Halloween. It seems to be a big thing here with lots of houses already getting dressed up. We went to a Halloween Superstore yesterday to get some goodies. By the door they had large moving models and a little girl sitting cross-legged whose head spun around. All very tacky but a bit too similar to Chucky for my liking. I am still having Chucky nightmares after being in the Haunted House at Universal Studios and a real mini-person dressed up as Chucky jumped out from behind a bin and scared me. Looking back, the sensible thing to do would to have realised that it wasn't really Chucky and to have moved on. However, I was absolutely petrified, frozen to the spot screaming, with the Chucky-midget dancing around my knees. It was only after Paul had stopped laughing that he finally pulled me away to safety. I rather enjoy having an over-active imagination until situations like this happen and I don't know what to do with myself. (I'll save my trauma about the ride in the Chamber of Horrors where the people dressed up as mass murderers jump out for another time...) xx

Social Butterfly

As the title of my blog suggests, I have been fluttering all over the place this week. A total of four dates in my diary no less. I am sitting in another coffee shop blogging (so very New York) while Boy Wonder is being hot-housed . When I'm finished I'm off to pay for some swimming lessons and run around some shops. All on my very own.

Earlier in the week, we went to play at our new friend's house. I am trying to arrange a future marriage between Boy Wonder and the lovely Madison. So far it is going well, judging by the huge smooch on the lips that he left her with on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday, we sat next to the 'magician man' in the bookshop which, sadly, still remains one of my highlights of the week.

Yesterday we went into Manhattan and had a lovely day, despite the early rain. The boys all had a lovely play so the girlies could have a good chat. The boys even got a free lunch as the Dept of Education are providing a free lunch and breakfast daily to all children under 18 in the open play spaces in NY. Then I had lunch in my first American diner and yes, we did order some blueberry pancakes. It was all very fifties and vinyl looking. Walking through Times Square, I saw the large statue that is drawing the crowds ready for the big 'Pucker Up' snog fest which is happening on Saturday afternoon. There were lots of couples sweeping each other off their feet having their pics taken underneath.

The train journey home turned into a toe-curlingly (is that a word??) embarrassing experience. All was quiet and peaceful, until Boy Wonder turned an alarming shade of crimson and practised his grunting 'going to the toilet' sounds. Rather loudly. For a very long time. Now there is a definite lack of anywhere to change children on the train other than a smelly, pee covered hovel which I was determined to avoid. Not to worry I thought. I'm sure he can cope until we get to the car. Boy Wonder had other ideas. He then started to wail loudly, shouting "Poo! Poo!" at the top of his voice. So the other other passengers who were lucky enough not to smell him, could definitely now hear him. At first I tried the 'denial' approach but his insistent cries of "Poo!' could not be ignored. Somehow, and I'm still not too sure how I managed, I changed him in the toilet on a shelf about 20cm wide. He was not a happy bunny. But the passengers were mightily relieved...

Last night, I went to the neighbour's 'clothing party', which is like a tuppaware party for clothes. I was rather nervous as I didn't know anyone. This was compounded by the fact that I was introduced as the 'new neighbour, Amelia'. It turns out that the host couldn't remember my name so ask our other neighbour who told her I was called Amelia. I don't know whether they think I look like an Amelia or if they think it's a very English name, but either way it's good to know you've made an impact on your new neighbours (!) Anyway, all was going well, rather helped by a nice large glass of wine, until it came to the time to try some of the samples on. Everyone was trying on stuff and coming down to show their friends who 'oohed' and 'aahed' in all the right places. I then took some stuff up to try on but when I had it on was stopped by the thought of 'Who exactly am I going to go down and show??? I don't know anyone! Who will 'ooh' and 'aaah' over me? :-((((( I forced myself to go down and lots of very nice strangers did the 'oohing and aahing' on my behalf. The salesperson from the clothing company then came over to tweak me who said I'd need a smaller size in the top. I told her that I was wearing a XS which she then started pulling about and saying 'My goodness, you really are tiny on top'. Now this really isn't a compliment. On any level. Ever. Needless to say, I didn't buy the bloody horrible top but I did get a long hoodie cardi thing which I'm sure will be all the rage in Garden City this Fall/Winter season.

xx

Sweaty Betty

Well it's all a bit Sweaty Betty here at the mo - the last thermometer check showed 101 degrees. My delicate 'english rose' complexion is taking a bit of a battering as it is constantly being smothered in 50plus factor suncream. Now this may be a positive in terms of sun protection but unfortunately doesn't allow the skin to 'breathe'. Hence, I end up walking around with a permanent halo of sweat forming around my hairline and running down my neck. Clearly this is not a good look and a total contrast to the matt, groomed appearances usually in show in Garden City.

Since we returned from the UK, I've been working hard on my mini-project called 'Challenge - Find Some American Friends'. It's been going rather well so far and I'm pleased to report that I went out on Tuesday evening with my new friend. Yes, just the two of us and we had a lovely dinner, thank you very much. OK, my new friend is Australian not American but has been in the US for a long time (but is also new to the area) We've also been next door for a BBQ with the neighbours and been chatting to a few people at the pool. So the project is still work in progress but going well.

Boy Wonder had now started at his little pre-school on a Monday and Friday morning and so far has come back exhausted from each session. Hopefully he can develop his 'sharing skills' a bit as well as continuing to bring home the best art work ever seen for his proud M and D. So good, in fact, that I made a special trip to ikea earlier to buy lots of colourful frames to display his masterpieces. Sam sent me a link the other day to a story about a seven year old boy who sold some of his paintings for 150,000 pounds so maybe that's how BW will find his fortune.

People are already making plans to come over next year so if you are thinking of coming at some point let me know as soon as you can. Joanna and Sara are already booked to come over by cruise next August - how exciting!! I'd love to come by cruise at some point. Maybe I can convince Paul to bring BW back on the plane and I'll join them five days later... I've recently discovered that our local mall is the fifth largest in the US (not quite sure how I didn't notice this before last Friday!) and is full of all the shops that you find in the city, including Bloomingdales, Macy's, JCPenney, Anthropologie (Joe - can you believe how excited I was?) So those of you who do stay may have to leave just a little extra space in your luggage for goodies home...

What I loved about our trip home...

* The lovely BA staff who made Boy Wonder a bed when he didn't fit into the cot...

* Having a hug and a tear with Jane at the airport

* Enjoying my first proper curry since March courtesy of The Viceroy in Bourne End

* Buying toiletries in Boots

* Girly pizza lunch with Sira

* Sharing Holly's birthday and the excitement of being 9

* Watching Boy Wonder sit with the 'big children' for the birthday tea

* Eating Yum Yums with Joanna and Sara

* Finally getting to cuddle two beautiful new babies and their yummy mummy's

* Sara handing me a Pink French Fancy cake

* Jane's homemade chocolate brownies

* Going out in public on a Friday night!!!

* Dinner with Sam and John

* Hot Chocolate with marshmallows

* Getting through a large amount of Cathedral Cheddar over lunch with Alex, Holly and Boy Wonder

* Arriving at Hogfest and seeing Sara, Pete, Tom, Ben and Sam D already there, having chosen

the best shady spot

* Catching up with the lovely Rachel

* Getting a beautiful wedding invite from Shelli and Matt, even though they know we won't be

able to make it :-(

* Joe's Daisy Duke's and Pete's six pack

* Joe's singing and being proud of her all over again

* Katy Bell turning up as a surprise guest

* Sam and John looking after Boy Wonder so Paul and I could go to a 10 year Wedding Blessing

* Paul and Al laughing like schoolboys when singing 'All Things Bright and Beautiful'

* Seeing faces from the Towers that I never thought I's see again

* Watching 'Celebrity Four Weddings' with Jane and thinking Pete from Big Brother is strangely attractive

* Having a clear run to m and d's

* Sunny BBQ at the Flying Fish

* Family outing to Eastbourne and finding the Monsoon Sale starts tomorrow

* Finding the new Peter James and Lynda La Plante books at Sussex Bookstore

* Liver, bacon and onion gravy cooked by Dad

* Catching up with with Corrie

* Going to 'just one shop' with mum and returning three hours later

* Dragging Daniel around Brighton in the hope of finding a dress (and failing)

* All my friends who responded to my facebook plea to solve the dress problem

* Sam - who will be my personal shopper when I can pay her

* Finding the dresses that I liked were half price in the Joules sale so I bought both

* Being in the same country as Sara when she got her good news

* Getting to Blackburn in just over three hours

* Nibbles and wine with Ed and Becky

* A very English picnic in the rain with the family Walmsley

* Angie winding up Phil

* Arriving back at J and A's with BBQ prep in full swing

* Watching Alex making his special marinade

* Realising Jane has made Banofee Pie for pudding

* Running my fingers through Dom's curls

* Leigh turning up in his pilot uniform just for me (I think)

* Watching Dan finally succumb to holding baby Sophia

* Harrassing Dom until he started playing the guitar

* Dom's look of surprise when Julie started singing, 'Wow, you really can sing!'

* Dom refusing to sing any Elton John (boo) but redeeming himself with 'American Pie'

* Holly not noticing when Jane fast forwarded 'Mamma Mia' so she could stay up late and watch the end...

* Extra long cuddles with Sophia

* Hot chocolate with Liv and not discussing New York for an hour

* Meeting Sam for lunch and finding out she'd printed out a whole load of photos for me

* Moules and frites

* Seeing how much Jack has grown

* Jane's roast dinner

* Watching 'Britain's Next Top Model' and thinking they must have been struggling for girls this year

* Finding out that Alex has a 'sm-eyes' game

* Dating in the Dark - genius

* Having a better night's sleep Monday night than Sunday

* The BA check in man changing our seats so we were all together

* Boy Wonder being a total star on the plane

* Arriving back at Poplar Street and it feeling like we were home

Not long now....

I saw this dentist when I was in the city on Thursday morning and it amused me. I hate the dentist and even I would be persuaded to visit that one. I met the NY posse in a lovely park and we let the boys run wild. Elaine went to get cup cakes and drinks and came back with them all in lovely bags which made them all the more satisfying. We saw both sides of NY taxi drivers too. Elaine's driver was a miserable git who begrudgingly moved some of his boxes to fit her buggy in the boot, then couldn't do it and wanted Elaine and her son to get out. She stayed put and the buggy fitted in. The taxi driver that Katie and I had couldn't have been more helpful and helped us with the buggies without us even asking.

I went into town on Thursday instead of Wednesday as I have been busy watching the tennis this week. It actually worked out well as our air conditioners had broken and our landlord's brother, Brian, came to fix them. It turned out that they hadn't actually broken at all but in our English ignorance hadn't actually been using them properly. These are big units which fit into your window frame and it seems we were quite lucky they hadn't fallen out as they should have be screwed in to the window frame. Brian and I then went down in the basement as he wanted to explain how he had organised the laundry area. 'Do you wear stockings?' he asked. My first thought was, 'Ooh that's random' and my second was, 'That's a bit forward.' But it turns out he was talking about me covering the end of the washing machine hose with some tights to catch all of the fluff. Paul has grand plans to create a den down in the basement but this is definitely on the 'to do' list. I still can't come up the basement stairs without speeding up as I get to the top and my heartbeart quickening.

My Wimbledon experience ended yesterday with a bit of a deflated note. I hadn't realised that the channel I was watching wasn't actually showing the Andy Murray game live. They had shown the first game live so I just assumed that the second one would be and I didn't pay any attention to the clock on the scoreboard. During the second set, I got an email from Paul's mum which finished off by saying that Andy Murray was two sets down. I just assumed she was mistaken. I was then talking with Sara on Skype and Sara made a comment about Andy Murray losing and I said I thought he might get the second set. Then I went online and saw an article about the lovely David Beckham supporting Andy Murray still wasn't enough to help him win. That's a bit premature, I thought. Then I did actually look at the sports page and realised that the match had actually finished and hour and a half earlier. Made watching the third set a bit of an anti-climax really.

We finally got our pool passes sorted and spent the morning at the Garden City Community Pool. The toddler pool was full of happy toddlers playing, apart from Boy Wonder who stubbed his big toe after being there 30 minutes and wasn't a happy bunny at all. I can imagine that we will spend most of weekends there for the rest of the 'pool season' so Paul can top up his tan. Boy Wonder and I will go there during the week too (purely for BW's benefit, of course) I think it will also be a good place to meet other people as I got chatting with the woman who is organising the local playgroups that we'll be going to. I have finally made contact about joining the 'Welcoming Club of Garden City' so watch this space for details of 'movie nights' and how I hijack their 'Book Club'.

Am really looking forward to our whirlwind visit to the UK. Now is the time to let me know if you have any urges for Hershey bars, Reece's pieces or Smucker's Hot Fudge sauce!

I like driving in my car...

...even though I am relying heavily on my sat nav and been sent to the wrong destination twice this week. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a dirty Simon Cowell talking one so

have had to make do with a normal one. The very helpful man in the store pointed out that I could set the voice to an english accent so I could understand it (?) so now I have 'Serena' to tell me off when I've gone wrong.

Now we have the car we have been able to venture out to the large store which thankfully is a bit cheaper than the one we were previously using. It's called 'Stop and Shop' and I love it mainly because it had an 'english' section in the same way it has an 'asian' and an 'italian' section. I actually stood in front it looking at the stuff and my eyes filled with tears. I never thought I'd be so happy to see a jar of Branston pickle. Icame away with Heinz Baked Beans, Heinz Tomato soup, Branston pickle, HP, Ambrosia rice pudding, jaffa cakes and two milky bars. They even had Bird's custard powder, Robinson's lemon squash, Hartley's jam, Hob Nobs and rich tea biscuits!! They also had some rather unusual stuff that I can only assume that

americans have been told that english people like - random bread making mix and spotted dick. The sad thing is that I've

not touched my jaffa cakes yet as I'm just enjoying looking at them.

Paul has been nagging me as I forgot something on my last blog which should have been mentioned. Paul did some DIY. Yes, you read that correctly. Paul did some DIY (Alex and Pete - you can now stop laughing and pick yourselves off the floor) Paul took his friend Steve to our

equivalent of Homebase and came back with four curtain poles and a drill. Paul seemed quite confident about approaching this new challenge and I just smiled politely. After this initial enthusiasm, the drill and poles stayed on the table for a couple of weeks until we finally decided to tackle the job. I must say, Paul did very well (bless) even though I was nearly sick when I was holding the (step) ladder. All four poles are very straight and haven't fallen down yet...

We had a lovely time watching the football yesterday with the NY posse. Katie kindly invited us round, Elaine made St George cupcakes and I took along the english napkins. I've also enjoyed watching Wimbledon this week (I'll cheer for Murray even if you rest of you won't) even though I've had to put up with John McEnroe's brother Patrick commentating. Is he also a tennis player, I wonder?? I must say, they were all very excited about the Queen's visit today and I found out from Roger Federer that Queen had cheese instead of strawberries and cream. I mean, at Wimbledon! Goodness me, that made them all chuckle.

Stick that, Hose!!!

Was rather nervous about my driving test this morning. My last 'lesson' with Hose was on Monday night and I swear he spent the whole hour and a half trying to catch me out and dent my confidence. At the end I asked him if he thought I'd pass and he said I could do if I had a lenient inspector as I still had issues and that's why he said I needed eight extra lessons. I was so nervous about this morning but the worst fear was that I'd fail and have to drive back with Hose being smug. And Paul had arranged for us to collect our car tomorrow so felt under no pressure at all...

I was collected at some ridiculous hour this morning and had an hour driving me around with Hose trying to confuse me again. We then arrived at the driving test location. The test location is just the side of the road in a trading estate type area. About 20-30 cars are given the same time slot and it's first come, first served to form a queue. We got there 40 minutes early and were still the 8th car in line. There was a group of inspectors who go down the line car at a time and you just keep moving along until it's your turn. They had obviously got through the 8.30 cars in good time as I only had to wait until 8.40 even though I had a 9am slot. After all my worry, I was with the inspector less than eight minutes. I needed to show left turns (only one on what I'd call a slightly busy road), right turns, a three point turn and a parallel park. At no point was I actually driving 'in traffic' as there was no cars anywhere. They score you on a point system which gets entered into a computer thing. I got 5 points for taking a left turn too wide, 5 for being away from the kerb after parallel parking and another 5 for adjusting. You can get 30 points before they fail you. The machine printed off a receipt showing all my points and I keep that with my learner permit until my proper license comes through. All rather painless in the end. Now I just can't wait for it to be Paul's turn....

We watched the footie last weekend but it's quite hard to feel the excitement over here as it's hardly mentioned. I was sooooo excited to see Steve McManaman commentating on ESPN as he is my most favourite player in the whole wide world ever and is the face on my special Liverpool mug. For rather different reasons, I was rather pleased to see David Beckham supporting his team mates. He really is a work of art. Paul is working from home tomorrow as he is off to Singapore on Saturday so will be watching again in the afternoon. Wednesday's match is in the morning here so going to watch it with my NY posse with all the little boys in their England strips. I've been getting Boy Wonder in the mood by making him listen to 'Three Lions' about ten times each day. Come on the boys!

As I will hopefully have the car, I'll be able to explore a bit more of our local area and I'm going to try and sort out our membership to the recreation park for special Garden City folk. It has three pools, a playground and cafe. If I get bored, I might tamper with the sprinklers in our garden so Eddie the sprinkler man will have to come and fix them... ;-)

And to finish, big and very special congratulations Elaine. She knows why x

Life in the 'burbs

With each day, we are settling into more of a routine and adapting to life here in sunny Garden City. I am trying to get up extra early (for me anyway) and enjoy a cuppa in the garden before Boy Wonder gets up at 7am. Admittedly, this has been helped by Paul who continues to be the earliest riser ever and wakes daily about 5.30am without an alarm, presumably due to some unusual body malfunction. Also, I am aiming to shower and dress straight away without slumming it around in my dressing gown. The fear of having one of the 'big hair' brigade from Garden City knocking on the door has certainly encouraged me to pull my finger out. However painful it is to drag myself out of bed (6am this morning!!!) I am loving the peace and quiet in the garden at that time of day.

Last Friday evening we went to the 'Belmont Festival' which was held down Seventh Avenue in GC to celebrate the Belmont Races the following day. There was lots of food stalls and music which kept Boy Wonder entertained. There was a chicken wing competition with all of the local restaurants serving their own individual chicken wings. You were given a ticket and after you had tried all of the options, you could vote for your favourite. The winner would win the trophy and the prestige of 'The best wings in Garden City' and get a sign to put in their window!! For some reason, the local firefighters were also trying out their chicken wings, so obviously I voted for them because I like firemen...

The highlight of the last week was clearly my visit from Joe and the time I spent with her and her mum (Joe - please tell your mum I will snipe her soon...) On Friday morning, I took Boy Wonder in on the train and we spent most of the morning chasing him about. That was after the most wonderful cuddle I got from Joe when we met. On Saturday, I had a free pass so I got the train into town and spent a girlie Saturday doing shops and lunch. And also lots of sitting around, drinking and chatting. Totally fab.

I had my first driving lesson on Monday night with my Spanish instructor Hose (the 'e' is meant to have an accent over it) and it was clear from quite early on that we would struggle from a slight language barrier. This didn't really matter once we got going as all he said was to turn left or right for an hour with not much else. I think I did ok (despite Hose saying that I was clearly a driver but he wanted to make me a 'fine' driver) but I do need to work on my spatial awareness on the right hand side of the car. A couple of times Hose grabbed the wheel and turned it which I thought was a slight over-reaction. It didn't matter as I can't take anybody seriously called Hose (Jane will know why!!!!) My road test is next Thursday so watch this space...

Had a lovely parcel from Carole turn up this week full of goodies, including a box of french fancies. This resulted in a rather long thread on facebook about expats being desperate for English goodies but also proved that I do really have some new friends in New York - they are not figments of my imagination that I have created so that my parents won't worry that I'm lonely!! I went into the city this morning to see my New York posse and spent the morning drinking tea while the boys all bumbled about. I've put some feelers out around here about toddler groups and stuff so will try and meet people here too. I might even make a friend with an American person...

Now the house is starting to look a bit more sorted I'll add some pics next week and of the local area. Hopefully by then, our sprinklers will be turned on so that we are not letting the rest of the road down by having straw outside instead of lush, green grass.

Officially a desperate housewife!

I had a lovely last week in Manhattan and the big move came around rather too quickly. I was just starting to get into the city way of life, helped immensely by the invites of my 'new best friends' (that's for you Elaine if you're reading!!!) Boy Wonder and his new little friend Beckett had a fab time pretending to be fireman at the Children's Museum and we also went for a lovely afternoon with the paddling pool to take the sting out of the heat. My mission is to go back into town each week and that should be easy enough as the train station is only 15 mins walk away and should be painless as long I don't attract the attention of the NYPD...

Garden City. What can I say? Well, it makes Wooburn Green look quite a 'happening' place to live. I will post some photos of the house but can't bear to take any until I've finally finished unpacking, which is taking a tad longer than I expected due to an extra pair of 'helping hands'!!!

The area is very 'Wisteria Lane', all very neat and tidy with trimmed lawns and very straight pavements. The houses are all different but seem to co-ordinate in an odd house type of way. We have one of those mailboxes with the little red flag and the postman will even collect post from inside it that you want him to post!!! How exciting is that?? Now feel the urge to post lots of stuff in my mailbox so don't be too surprise if you receive a card from across the pond. I've also had a long chat with a lovely man called Kevin who was 'Sanitation Supervisor' who very patiently explained to me the difference between garbage and rubbish and who didn't laugh at my whoops of joy at being told the household waste gets collected twice a week. We have spent most of our time in our 'yard' which we seem to share with a rather large collection of birds and a large group of squirrels who spend all day chasing each other all over the trees.

We went to the park this morning which I thought was rather lovely but got talking to people there (all very friendly) and apparently out of the five parks in Garden City it is the worst one and is having a makeover soon. One of the women referred me to the 'Garden City Welcoming Club' which I looked at online when I got back. I'm not too sure about whether to make contact as I might turn into a Stepford wife. I had a good chat with Sara about it who gave her usual good advice, which this time was to encourage me to sign up, that I should tell them I could start a book club and she would write me a reference, but most importantly I would need to have 'big hair' at all times in order to fit in. I need to give this a bit more thought. Also I have already somehow agreed to hosting an 'English' gathering for the local neighbours (they do a different country each month) so any ideas for that would be appreciated. Sara has already got in with, "Well, knowing your limitations you'll struggle without Marks and Spencer!" so anything more constructive than that please. Sad thing is, Sara knows me so well she is spot on.

Boy Wonder actually started calling me 'Mummy' yesterday which is rather cute. He has been saying 'Daddy' for a couple of weeks now so I'd been having a bit of name envy. I obviously spent too much time watching 'Deal or No Deal' over the winter as Boy Wonder now shoots, scores and then raises both arms in the air and shouts ,"Noel!!!!!" which is still funny even though he has done it about 100 times now.

Can't wait for this weekend as my lovely Joe is coming out for a visit with her mum.

And I'd like to finish by saying well done to my bro, who has got himself a job at last. Brilliant news!!

That's our boy...

The boys watch the girls while the girls watch the boys who watch the girls go by...

Do do do.....

Can't think where he gets that from.... x

What's it all about, Alfie?

Well, long time no speak. My brother has been staying since last Monday so I've been making the most of it and have been out and about every evening instead of blogging. I nearly remembered what it was like to have a life!! Waved Daniel off on his bus back to JFK earlier so have been tidying and packing up the apartment (more about that later) to keep myself busy. I really enjoyed showing Daniel around as it was his first time in New York and did all of the tourist stuff. I have found out that this involves stopping every six metres in order to take a photo and also doing a lot of waiting in line. When Paul and I were here in a tourist capacity, there was only us and the snow, so no queuing nor photo taking as it was too cold to remove my gloves. I'm not too sure what Daniel is going to do with his 200 photos of buildings and cars, but what do I know? He did take some fab ones of Boy Wonder looking very toddler like, so I'm sure he'll send me some large copies as a 'thank you for having me' gift... ;-)

The rest of our LA trip went well. I took Boy Wonder to Disneyland twice, mainly to escape the concrete jungle of the hotel we were staying in. For those of you who have seen 'True Lies' with Arnie, it's the hotel where he takes the horse in the lift. Not sure who enjoyed Disney more, Boy Wonder or me, and I've still got the words to 'It's a small world' spinning around my head. Luckily, the flight back to New York was significantly shorter than the one going across there and Boy Wonder slept for two and a half hours of it.

Have had lots of wonderful news this week. Sara, Pete and Tom have welcomed Ben into their fold (later than expected!) and I found out earlier that Rebecca gave birth to Sophia this morning (definitely earlier than expected!) It's the first time since we've arrived that I desperately wish I was at home and able to see my friends and welcome the new babies into the world. I am just so, so happy for them all I could burst. Am looking forward to our July trip home even more now. It's rather odd now that the term 'home' refers to family, friends and a country, as opposed to a place where you live. Will that change? I doubt it.

As I said, I have started packing up the apartment as we are due to move to the 'burbs later this week. The good news is that our container of furniture has arrived in the US. The bad news is that we have been randomly selected to have our container X-rayed which is due to happen tomorrow. Fingers crossed all should be well but if there is anything they are unhappy about, it could delay our delivery for weeks. We have new electrical goods and enough clothes to last but it may mean us sleeping on an inflatable bed for a while!! I am also the proud owner of a piece of paper that means I have a NY Learner permit driving licence. It took hours of hanging around to do my written test (20/20 correct. Smug?) and now have to do a five hour pre-licencing course on Tuesday evening. Can't wait for that one...

I'd like to finish this post by remembering June, Gemma and Mick, three special people from St Bernadette's who were all taken too soon, and also the mum of one of our friends who lost her battle against cancer this week. All of them people who showed what real strength is all about. This link is for Gemma - I really hope you can open it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSI0ZStEnfw

Richard. North. Patterson.

I'm now sitting in our new hotel which is very different from the last. We are in downtown LA in a HUGE hotel which looks like it belongs in a Seventies disaster movie. It even has the lifts on the outside of the building and we are so high up (29th floor) my ears have been popping going up and down. Boy Wonder has finally fallen asleep in his crib which we have pushed into the bathroom, so looks like Paul and I will have to pee in the paper bin. There is a nice area outside with a garden and pool, and we can see the 'Hollywood' sign in the distance which I do think is rather cool.

Santa Monica continued to be wonderful. We had a lovely trip down the coast to stay with our friends, Steve and Julia, and their two girls. They live in San Clemente which is about and hour and a quarter south of SM. We had a great time and Boy Wonder was rather perturbed to wake up on Sunday and realise we hadn't brought the girls back with us to amuse him.

It was the 'Mother's Day' USA style on Sunday and we were lucky enough to have a day where everything went exactly to plan. We had a (very small) lie in, the morning on the beach, a nice lunch, Boy Wonder slept in his stroller while Paul and I read by the pool, we then all played in the pool before getting ready for the evening where we took Boy Wonder out for his first curry.
I decided to wear a nice frock in the evening and got changed while Boy Wonder was in the bath. Just before I was going to get him out, he turned an alarming shade of red and started to poo in the bath. This isn't the first time it's happened so Paul and I were feeling rather confident in handling the mess (so to speak) better than the last time. Now, Boy Wonder's tummy has been slightly unsettled and the sight of all this floating poo was obviously too much for him, as all of a sudden, he picked up a bit and threw it across the bathroom floor. It was a bit like slow motion as I jumped away laughing 'no, no, no' and the flying poo missed my lovely dress by an inch. It actually went splat, I don't think I've ever seen anything go splat before. Paul and I then laughed so much we scared Boy Wonder, who will probably now be scarred for life.

As Paul is busy working, I'll be spending the next few evenings in the hotel room so I needed to get another book as the one I've just started ('Case Histories' by Kate Atkinson - thank you Sara) won't last me long. I went into my beloved Barnes and Noble and had a good rummage around the mystery section, which in the UK would be deemed the 'crime' section. Now as most of you know, I'm rather partial to a bit of crime and forensic pathology, and I find it hard enough trying to work out which Ian Rankin/Reginald Hill/Ruth Rendell/Peter Robinson/Kathy Reichs books I have/haven't read, and that's without them all having different USA covers. I finally decided on a good, old Richard North Patterson instead, so I needed to go to a different section. I thought the best way to find what I wanted was to ask a member of staff. It sort of went like this...
Me: Excuse me, can you tell me where I can find the Richard North Patterson books?
Staff member: (looks blank)
Me: The Richard North Patterson books? Where can I find them?
Staff member: (turns head to side and looks at me like I'm some alien from outer space)
Me: Can you tell me where they are please?
Staff member: (shakes head in a confused fashion) I can't understand you. I'm sorry. What?
Me: Richard (pause). North (pause). Patterson.
Staff member: Oh. Is that what you're trying to say? In the fiction section. (Walks off)
Me : (Walks off calling him many names, none of which I can write on my blog as they'll make my Dad blush)
Anyway, I got my book in the end, and jolly good it looks too. In case you are interested, it's called 'The Spire', by Richard North Patterson...

Tomorrow will be a long day as Boy Wonder and I are off to Disneyland for a day trip, and don't get back here until 9pm. It will be exactly a year since we met Boy Wonder for the first time so will be nice to do something special. Can't wait!

A quick one...

...while I drag myself away from watching the election results as they happen... My mind is currently boggling trying to get my head around it all. I think if I ask Paul to explain to me just one more time how a hung parliament works, he might just poke me between the eyeballs.

So there we were having a lovely dinner outside and totally missing all of the chaos with the car bomb found in Times Square. We didn't hear any more sirens than usual or see any more people. You'll be pleased to know that Times Square was packed again by Sunday morning, just with a few TV cameras here and there.

As you may know, we are in Santa Monica at the moment. We took the six hour flight on Tuesday and finally turned into the people that Paul and I used to avoid at all costs on planes. Boy Wonder was an absolute pickle for the entire flight. It was as if we had given him a shot of sugar before take off. In the end, we had to make a decision. Either, let him annoy the hell out of the woman in front by letting him sit on Paul's lap and poke the TV screen and hang on her headrest, or, try to prevent the afore-mentioned fun and have a major screaming strop which would annoy the hell out of the rest of the plane. It was a no-brainer really. For some strange reason, the minute the plane started it's descent, he fell asleep and was totally sparko.

We finally arrived at the hotel a little later than planned, due to having to track down our stroller which had been tagged to fly on to San Francisco, and getting the shuttle bus to the wrong car hire company as Paul hadn't checked the paperwork. So we were all rather exhausted by Tuesday evening.

The last couple of days have been lovely. Boy Wonder and I have been strolling along the seafront, up and down the pier, sitting on the beach and running away from the sea. The weather is rather warm and my freckles have come out so I must have caught some sun.

Anyway, must dash and watch the unfolding drama that is politics in the UK.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_McLkAue6Q

Paul and I have been practising blending in and have started to watch some of the basketball on television. My thinking is that Paul is watching to get some tips for when he is shooting hoops and the neighbourhood teenagers start watching. The other night we were watching the 'Cleveland Cavs' and I saw the biggest man in the planet who turns out to be Shaquille O'Neal. Even by basketball standards, he is huge! I thought Shaquille O'Neal was around in the 80s so what do I know?? I also watched Lebron James who is meant to be the current golden boy of basketball but all he did was miss the target. While this was on, there was some unusual cheering and shouting from outside. There was a group of about 12 people who were behaving in a rather odd manner and seemed to be doing some sort of 'follow my leader' type exercise. This involved lots of jumping, leaping and twirling down the road and also included some rather impressive human dominoes. It was a bit like the Fat Boy Slim 'Praise You' video. I'm sure it was very liberating and looking back I'm rather disappointed I didn't run and join them.

Something to amuse those of you that have had the pleasure of talking to Boy Wonder on Skype... As you know, he likes to bang the table and expect the 'other person' to fall over or do some sort of party trick and then he likes to show lots of his toys. I was watching the election debate on the BBC website and Boy Wonder obviously thought I was chatting to friends on Skype. By the end of the debate, there was a whole pile of toys on the table that Boy Wonder had been trying to show the politicians and he was rather miffed that none of them had fallen on the floor in order to make him laugh.

I went to the theatre again today to see 'A Little Night Music' with Catherine Zeta Jones and Angela Lansbury. CZJ was rather tall and really rather good. Angela Lansbury is 84 years old and just a legend. She was absolutely magical, being wheeled out like Miss Haversham, and I was rather sad when she died at the end. I was rather concerned that she was in a wheelchair because she really couldn't walk but you'll be pleased to know that it was just the role she was playing. As much as I enjoyed it, I'm not overly keen on musicals and out of the three shows I've seen, it is the one I wouldn't want to see again, even though I very nearly shouted out 'I love you Jessica Fletcher' at the end. I hadn't given much thought to it before but the audiences for each of the shows have been totally different. The Scarlett Johannson audience was quite a young crowd (you see how I slipped myself into that group), the Denzel Washington audience was very culturally mixed, and the Angela Lansbury audience all seemed to worthy of their bus passes (I'm not there yet!) It took hours to get out of the theatre at the end as all of the oldies were struggling to get down the stairs with their walking sticks.

We have been having a mini-heatwave here and this morning I took my boys for a walk along the Hudson river to show them the walk I did yesterday with my new friends. I have met a few people and we have got together three times this week which has been lovely. To finish off a wonderful day, we went out to dinner this evening and got ourselves a table outside so we could all watch the world go by. Boy Wonder was as good as gold and charmed lots of the passers by. There was a lady waiting outside with her pet rabbit under her arm, who was wearing a rather fetching bandana (that's the rabbit not the lady). I am used to all of the New York dogs being dressed in various attire, and to be honest, I now feel a dog is rather under-dressed if it isn't wearing booties as a minimum, but the bandana wearing rabbit out on a Saturday evening was a tad bizarre.

Tonight, Matthew, I'm going to be ...

Martha Stewart! Forget Nigella and Delia, the way forward is to be Martha Stewart so I've been out and bought myself some 'cups' in order to follow recipes the American way. Quite clearly, this will improve my baking and cooking skills tenfold from what they were in the UK so if you are planning a visit, you can look forward to some culinary delights ;-) In reality, you are more likely to get something in line with the Swedish chef from the Muppets. While I was out and about doing errand type things, I also paid sent off the money to pay my summons so fingers crossed I can forget about that now, with no long lasting effects other than a over-whelming fear of the Port Authority Bus/Subway station and butch police women.

We had a short break in the rain so I took Boy Wonder for a wander up and down the ramps of Bryant Park. All was going well until we had a battle of wills about holding my hand/the buggy versus running like numpty into the nearest crowd of strangers. Quite clearly, this was a no-brainer which resulting in a tantrum that could have been used as a case study in Dr Green's 'Toddler Taming' book. I avoided the stares of the businessman talking on their mobiles while somehow getting Boy Wonder in the stroller while he was still clutching clumps (yes, actually clumps) of my hair. Surprising, I was still an oasis of calm but that is only because I have a very well used copy of Dr Green's book on my bedside table and it clearly states that toddlers have no sense, and that's what I keep hold of.

The weather was slightly better today so I took Boy Wonder back to the 'City Treehouse' which is wonderful. Last week he spent the whole hour playing with the water and inside the secret caves of the tree and it only cost me $10 as it was our first visit. Today we did the 45 minute power walk to get there and paid $20 as it was our second visit. Boy Wonder spent 30 seconds in the treehouse then spent the rest of the hour pushing a car up and down the corridor, which he could have done at home. We are off to the West coast next week so we won't be able to go and see if they charge $30 for the third visit...

I have had a very good week in terms of new chums and have been over for lunch and a cuppa twice this week with my new posse. Today I went to an apartment that had a roof terrace. Everyone needs a friend in New York with a roof terrace!!!! I met a new person today who I'm going out with on Friday so I'm looking forward to that. Everyone in the group is lovely and they are going out of their way to make me feel welcome. They all have little boys from 12 months upwards and Boy Wonder is the 'big boy' in the group which makes a nice change for him and it's rather sweet watching him trying to talk and explain things to the younger ones. It's such a good feeling to have some dates in the diary and not to have to worry about how to fill each day (there is only so much sightseeing you can do in a week!)

I'm amused to see that Gordon Brown has been charming the voters back in the UK. The election doesn't even warrant a mention on the news over here - the 'special relationship' with the US that the UK keeps going on about doesn't seem so 'special' from this side of the pond. I'm looking forward to reading the feedback on tomorrow night's debate.

Thank you to everyone who has responded to my teabag SOS!!! I'm sure you all feel my pain! x

It's a new dawn, it's a new day...

After the post-traumatic stress that I'm sure lots of you suffered after reading my last blog, I'd like to start with a joke to lighten the mood.

Knock knock

(Who's there?)

Interupting cheese

(Interupting cheese who?) - While this is being said, the 'knock knock' person shouts - CHEESE

When the person looks confused, the 'knock knock' person says, 'See, I told you I was an interupting cheese'...

This highly amusing joke is part of my favourite US TV ad about a particular brand of cheese that has to be properly matured in order to be sold. Quite clearly, the cheese who tells the joke isn't chosen. This joke has kept Paul and I amused for hours...

Anyway, as I said, it's a new dawn, it's a new day and I'm feeling good. I've had no more drama that has reached the dizzying heights of Thursday, thank goodness. I recovered by eating Toys R Us pic-n-mix (SO much cheaper than FAO Schwarz!) and Paul brought home some Magnolia Bakery cupcakes so all was (nearly) forgotten. I had a lovely afternoon on Friday as I met a couple of other local Brit moms at the playground and Boy Wonder slept in his stroller in the shade so I was actually able to have a proper conversation. They were horrified about my subway experience and said that everyone gets stopped like that at some point but they usually get a police officer with an ounce of manners and decency. Apparently the station I was at has a reputation for having some of the toughest officers as it can be a bit of a magnet for some of New York's more 'interesting' characters.

Yesterday we set off early and got the subway (oh yes) down to Battery Park where we took a boat tour. We had originally planned to get the boat to Liberty Island but the queue was too long. We ended up on a boat tour that went around the southern tip of Manhattan, back around the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and then past Brooklyn. The Statue of Liberty is my most favourite New York sight and she was in all her glory against the blue sky. When we were on the subway heading home, some Bavarian-style folk musicians came on the train to 'entertain' the passengers before going around with their cap. 99% of the passengers averted their gaze, apart from Boy Wonder who stood up clapping and dancing and who clearly thought that this was the most fun he'd had all day.

When living in New York you have to spend your time watching films that are based in New York, and this week we have watched two. The first one was 'The Day After Tomorrow' which I gather had something to do with global warming. Last night we watched 'The Gangs of New York' which was rather more interesting. The film is based in the five points area of Manhattan which today would be halfway between Chinatown and the Financial district, which was the neck of the woods we were in yesterday morning. The slum at five points had at least one murder a night for fifteen years until it was closed down in 1862.

You will be pleased to know that the good weather has moved across your side of the pond and it rained all day today and looks likely to continue for a couple of days. Staying in will give me a bit of time to think of lots more funny jokes to tell you.... xx

Shaft

New York is one of those places when you can turn a corner and a sight or a sound can make you think 'wow'. Sometimes it's 'wow that's beautiful', sometimes it's 'wow that's amazing' and sometimes it's 'wow that's uber cool'. And I had one of those moments the other day. The sun was blazing and I'd just been watching them remove the ice-rink at the Rockafeller centre ready for summer. I turned towards 5th Avenue and a car pulled up caught in traffic. It was a massive black car with black windows and had the theme tune from the 70s New York cop film 'Shaft' blaring out. It had some of those flashing lights that pulsed in time with the music. Even Boy Wonder had a little dance. The music and the location made me think, 'wow, that's uber cool.'

Today though I had a morning where I thought, 'wow, that's pretty shite,' and I'm still recovering. My plan was to brave the subway alone for the second time and head down to the Children's Museum of the Arts so Boy Wonder could join in with the 'Wee Arts Exploration Group'. I was queuing for my ticket and worrying that the subway was still really busy even though it was gone 9.30am, which is the time I've been told not to even both trying to get on a train with the stroller. I paid for my ticket and then tried to work out how to get through the turnstile. There was a wide door for wheelchairs and then a row of turnstiles. The last time, I was shown how to swipe the card at the turnstile next to the wide door, push the bar round as if you were walking through and then you could open the wide door. This time though, the five turnstiles next to the door were all 'exit' ones with streams of people heading my way. While I was working out how to open the door, someone came through the wide door and held it open for me so I went through.

As soon as I was through I was approached by two police officers. The lady cop asked for my ticket to check it so I gave it to her and she went off. I stood having a very nice chat with the man cop about the subway and times when it gets less busy. Then the lady cop came back with my ticket and asked to see my ID. I showed her my UK driving license and my US bank card which also has photo ID on. She kept these and asked where I lived and I told her and she asked again if I had more ID so I said I had my passport in the apartment but nothing else on me. She then told me that I could be arrested for not having any New York ID with me and went off again to talk on her walkie talkie.

At this point, I still wasn't too sure about what I had done wrong but I was starting to panic as I had images of being thrown in a cell with lots of rough, tough women and Boy Wonder being addicted to crack by teatime. She came back again and told me that my driving license would have to do, even though her boss had told her not to accept it, but basically to count myself lucky to be given a summons when she should be arresting me. Now, those of you who know me well can imagine I was having a sort of public nervous breakdown at this point as I assumed a summons meant I was being taken off to court. She completed the form (which took quite a while because I could hardly speak) and she wrote on the summons that I had 'entered through the exit gate to avoid legal payment of fare'. I tried to point out that I had paid for my ticket to which she replied that 'may or may not be the case'. I said that we could go to the booth where I got it but she said that was irrelevant as I didn't swipe my card. In hindsight, I can see that now but at the time I felt so mortified that they were saying I hadn't paid at all. Then another lady cop came over, and again the first cop went on about my lack of ID and how I should be arrested and the second cop pointed out that my UK license is fine as if they went to the UK then they would only have their US licenses. It looks like I just got unlucky with a jobsworth as she just said again how she was doing me a favour as her boss told her not to accept it.

They handed me my summons - which is a $100 payment within two weeks - and I asked to be shown how to get back out as all I wanted to do was to get back home and have a good sob. She then asked me why I wasn't going on to my destination, to which I snivelled a very British, 'I just want to go home for a cup of tea.' So there. That told her.

Paul rang the number on the top of the summons for some clarification on the whole ID thing and apparently the lady cop was talking nonsense and I have a number in case I want to complain. To be honest, I realise I was in the wrong and would just rather pay the thing and forget about it. But does that mean I'll be letting them win?? Should I be standing up for the small people??? Either way, I don't care as I was totally distraught about the whole experience. It took me forever to recover from getting my first and only three points on my UK driving license and this is much worse!!! I have just re-read what I've written above and I haven't conveyed even a quarter of how scary it was.

Shaft.

Shafted.

Whatever.

Pro-active is my middle name...

Yes, really. I have been a very busy bee today. In fact, I seem to have put together a week's worth of pro-activeness all into one day. But before I tell you about today, I've really got to share with you how truly fab Denzel Washington was yesterday. The only reason I got tickets to see 'Fences' was that my brother was meant to be with me. So I wasn't overly enthusiastic about going alone until I arranged for a friend to come with me. The buzz inside the theatre was amazing and when DW walked on stage the place erupted. All of the cast were wonderful (with only one weak link I felt) and it was a privilege to watch. I must say, Scarlett Johannson was good, but yesterday I really felt like I was watching a Hollywood superstar. Which, indeed, I was. I must say though, my brother Daniel would have hated it... ;-) What was even more special, was that they put on some extra 'theatre' in the interval with two women just sitting along from us having a blazing argument about one of them disturbing the other by opening their sweet wrappers too loudly. This was proper 'head waggling, finger shaking, Ricky Lake (remember her?) style' arguing. It went on and on and the whole auditorium turned and stared at the extra half-time spectacle. The usherette just stood by and watched. Now, if that had been at the Maybox, we would have been right in there. At least it made the 15 minute interval speed by.

The volcano ash story has finally become the top news story on the breakfast 'Today' show. I was rather amused to listen to an American 'Aviation Transportation Expert' (whatever he does) being interviewed. He final comment was, 'Dan, it's much better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air, than being in the air wishing you were on the ground.' Well said, I thought. They then finished the segment with some video footage of the volcano and ash, with REM's 'It's the end of the world as we know it' playing in the background, which I did think was a tad extreme, but hey, what do I know? All I will say, is that I know Jane and Alex are wanting to come home but I would really they were not on any of the early 'guinea pig' flights!

After that I started to become pro-active and finally braved the Midtown Social Security office to try and apply for my social security number. I need one purely to be able to apply for my driving license and seeing as my car is being delivered on 1st June I really need to get going. I was slightly anxious as I had heard that if you say that is the reason you want one, then they send you away saying a driving license isn't a good enough reason. It didn't help that the first person I heard behind the counter was telling someone that wanting a driving license wasn't good enough. I sat and waited in the room with a rather unusual cross-section of Manhattan residents in all of their glory for an hour, getting myself more and more in a tizz. I shouldn't have worried as she looked at my passport, visa and marriage certificate and that was it. I didn't even have to explain why I needed it. Pro-active task number one ticked off.

Then I came home and finally completed pro-active task two and finally connected my new laptop to the internet, which really wasn't as hard as I thought it would be once I'd worked out which white cable to fiddle with. Straight away, Sara called me on Skype for a lovely chat and I've since spoken with m and d, my little bro and jane and al. I'm finally connected to the rest of the world and my plan is to try and get online during the day when Boy Wonder takes a nap. So do let me have your skype details for those of you that have them.

Today we have been here a month. Wow.I'm almost feeling a native New Yorker. But not yet. xx

Bloody Volcanoes....

As you will already have worked out, my little bro has not been able to come out and visit. He has changed his flight three times and it still looks unlikely he will make it. I can imagine that there must be lots of people who need to travel from A to B for emergencies and others who are stranded away from their families. So when I am cursing bloody clouds of ash and feeling gutted that my bro can't be here, I'm trying to think of all the other people who are in much worse scenarios. I was SO looking forward to showing Daniel around so will have to plan an even better itinery for when he (hopefully) comes over in May.

We have been out today and finally sorted out our house (subject to all parties signing the lease.) We went back to the property that we really likes last week and met the landlord, Boon. I was rather nervous about meeting the landlord as it reminded me of something from years ago. Paul and I went to look at flat in Acton which we had found in the Loot paper and were shown around by the landlady. It was one of those arrangements where the landlady lived downstairs and she rented out the top floor. We loved the flat and thought the viewing had gone really well so we rang the landlady back later that day and were really disappointed to hear that the flat had just been rented out. We continued to search but didn't find anything so were really pleased to see the flat re-advertised in Loot a couple of weeks later. Paul rang the landlady and reminded her of our viewing and said that we were still really keen and how pleased we were that the flat was now available. There was an awful pause before the landlady blurted out that she wouldn't rent to us as she didn't like us and then she slammed down the phone. Luckily that didn't happen today! We are hopefully off to the village of Garden City on Long Island.

I can't get my head around American TV at all. The only programme that I watch is ANTM and a bit of Dancing With The Stars but even that isn't the same as my beloved Strictly. I did watch Celebrity Apprentice last night though. I realised that other than three of the contestants (Sharon Osbourne, Michael Jordan and Cyndi Lauper) I've got no idea who anyone else is so it's a bit like watching the normal apprentice. Though Donald Trump is definitely no Sir Alan.
We are also getting a lot of trailers for a remake of 'Nightmare On Elm St'. Have I missed something?? Was the original really that long ago?? Does it really need a remake? I think not. Freddy Krueger is still wearing the stripey jumper and they seem to have copied the old version scene for scene judging by the clips in the trailer.

Something I saw on the local news that amused me. There is a new exhibit at the Modern Art Museum - sorry the artist's name escapes me. It involves two real naked women standing opposite each other in a doorway. The article was about how they have had to raise security levels as people keep groping them. What tickled me was that they interviewed some chap in a rather dodgy rain mac who was explaining how it was very difficult to squeeze between the naked women without touching them as there wasn't space. He remarked how concerned he was that they would end up with lots of chafed and sore skin after all of the rough fabrics had been brushing past them all day. I'm sure he was salivating as he was expressing his concern. In my opinion, he looks a little too concerned...

It's all a bit cloudy here at the moment but looking forawrd to nice weather next week. Going back to the theatre like Billy No-Mates tomorrow to see Denzel Washington in a play called 'Fences'.

Fingers crossed the ash blows away soon...

'Yes but mine doesn't do eating.'

Where has the time gone since Saturday?? I wish I could say to you all that I have been doing some wild and crazy New York things but life has started to have some aspects that are verging on normality. Wild and crazy no, but I have been doing some lovely things. Thankfully the weather is mild and sunny but without the high temperatures of last week.

On Sunday we met for lunch with some ex-pats that we had been introduced to through an old work colleague of Paul. We had a lovely time and the food was to die for. I had the largest bowl of macaroni cheese in the world which was dripping with cheese and which tasted like heaven. Of course, you needed to move beyond the stodginess and the calorie overload to truly appreciate it but I had no issues with that. In fact, I brought the half that I didn't eat with me home in my first doggy bag and had it for dinner too. On the way to the restaurant, we ended up in a school playground which had some good playground equipment and some basketball hoops. Paul would like me to tell you all that he ruled the court and hit some hoops. He hasn't yet been brave enough to join the teenagers that play in the court opposite the apartment but maybe he is building up to it.

Today I went to my second 'meetup' with local parents who live in the Hell's Kitchen part of Manhattan which is a block or so west. The name apparently comes from a conversation between a veteran cop and his rookie partner while watching a riot on West 39th back in the 1800s. The rookie is supposed to have said, 'This place is hell itself,' to which the veteran cop replied, 'Hell's a mild climate. This is Hell's Kitchen.' (Honest, m and d, it's not like that now, you don't need to worry!) Anyway, we met at a lovely park and everyone was very pleasant but I spent most of the time chasing Boy Wonder around. I did meet three Brit moms though and one of them gave me her number so I'm going to arrange a 'family dating' session with her. The longest conversation I had was with a nice lady who had an equally active toddler. She asked how old Boy Wonder was so I answered 19 months. To be polite I asked the same question (this seems to be what you 'do' when you are with other moms - it is quite dull) and she replied 17 months. So I said something along the lines of them being a similar height, to which the lady replied, 'Yes, but my son doesn't DO eating.' Excuse me! What was she trying to say??? I did point out that Boy Wonder has only put on 1lb since last October and in that single moment I turned into one of those boring, defensive mothers that I dread. Why on earth am I telling a stranger how much weight Boy Wonder has or hasn't put on??????? Hint to self - make some friends...

However, I will share with you the joys of living with Boy Wonder as I know you'll all be interested. So far this week, he has moved boxes to stand on to try and reach the locks to escape (again), styled his hair with sudocrem, learnt to put his own nappy sacks in the bin and dirty laundry in the basket and has now developed a habit of waving goodbye to anyone and anything, including doors and fountains.

I need to go now so will finish off by saying that Dr Phil and Judge Judy are both well. Am rather excited as my bro turns up tomorrow night and I can't wait to be his tour guide. xx

Greenwich Village

Before I tell you about Greenwich Village, I'm going to attempt to add a video of Boy Wonder playing on the big piano at FAO Schwarz last week. It was one of the many things we did to escape the heat. I'm sure you'll agree, Boy Wonder gives Tom Hanks a good run for his money. Let me know if you are able to view it. It is only short so don't spend too long trying to download it. I should say before you watch it, 'no children were harmed in the making of this video'.... ;-)

This morning we all set off bright and early (well, it was for me but Paul had been up for hours!) to Greenwich Village. The plan was to show Paul all the places that I went to on Thursday afternoon. We had a lovely morning but were slightly fooled by the bright blue sky outside and hadn't really dressed for the occasion. We shivered our way along the Highline and got warm walking through Chelsea Market where we found a fab bookstore which had a children's area for Boy Wonder to sit and do colouring while I rummaged through the cards. I love Greenwich Village as you can see lots of sky and pavement!!!!

We stopped for lunch at an english chippie called 'A Salt And Battery' and sat and watched the world go by. Paul continued teaching Boy Wonder to say 'No no no no' while waggling his finger and shaking his head. I'm hoping that will come back to haunt him at some point. Next door is a lovely english tea shop called 'Tea and Sympathy' and and their sister store 'Carry On Tea and Sympathy' where I was able to buy some Heinz baked beans. The shop is set out like an olde worlde shoppe with all of the engligh food favourites. I didn't stay in there too long as I was starting to salivate over the pink french fancies. Maybe my bro can squeeze a pack in his case when he comes to visit on Thursday. Hint hint hint..... x

Busy busy busy

Boy Wonder and I decided to have a more leisurely morning yesterday so we went to the playground until it got too sunny. Then we went for a quick trip to Toys R Us in Times Square and I decided to grab a hot chocolate and sit in the shade to watch the world go by. My happy mood was literally dampened by some dork (tee hee) who spilt his hot coffee over my back and arm while I was waiting in the queue. He did apologise and I can only assume it was by accident but then he just left me standing there with coffee running down my arm. It was one of those awful moments when everyone just stares at you. I tried desperately to think of some witty or cutting remark but my mind was blank so I just grabbed some napkins and cleaned up. I found a good people-watching spot but was then surrounded by a school/college group of British teenagers who were obviously at the end of their trip as they were taking 101 different photos of a variety of combinations of friends against a variety of backdrops.



After watching all of their teenage antics, I walked back passing the Hilton Theatre which is going to stage 'Spiderman', which has music and lyrics written by Bono and The Edge. I was looking at the progress backstage (I walk past the stage quite often and the doors are always open) and I got talking to a crew member who said the show doesn't start until November. I asked why they were getting the stage ready so early and he said that 'Spiderman' is going to be the 'biggest stage event' ever and that they need to do months of rehearsals and practise with all of the equipment as Spiderman really will be climbing the walls and flying across the theatre. Yes, really! So if that sounds like your 'thing' then you may want to book a trip after November!

In the afternoon I headed off for my first 'meet up' with total strangers. I thought I would attempt the subway so went to the station around the corner that has lift access. I must admit it was all rather painless and luckily the trains were quite empty. When I got off the train, three different people came over and asked if I needed help with the stroller up the stairs but I declined their kind offers as I thought I needed to work out where the lifts were. All was going well until I realised I was lost inside the station and couldn't find the way out. The sign saying exit with an arrow to a lift actually took me back to the train platform. I went up and down the lift a few times trying to work out where to get out. A very nice lady steered me in the right direction and was also the first person since I've been here to comment on my english accent.

When I finally escaped into the fresh air it was a relief. Around 14th street the buildings are much lower and life seems to go at a bit of a slower pace. I walked to the Highline where I was meeting the others and was predictably right on time as always. Everyone else was running late so I had ten minutes trying to work out whether the best thing to do would just be to run in the opposite direction and be happy with my own company for a bit longer. I then decided that if the afternoon was a total disaster I could leave early and never see them again. In the end, I'm glad I stayed as I met with three other 'moms' and their toddlers and had a lovely afternoon. As well as it being nice to have a walk and a general chat with adults during the day, I hadn't realised what a wealth of local information I could pick up in such a short space of time. I found out which parks were the best, the toddler friendly restaurants and the best subways when you've got the stroller. The others made me feel really welcome and after the walk we went into Chelsea Market for a drink. All of the children were born within about three months of each other so they all had tips of where was suitable for Boy Wonder. I'm due to meet up with one of the girls again next Wednesday afternoon so already I'm starting to fill my diary!!

Without going in to all of the 'Phil and Kirsty' type details, we saw five properties today in Long Island. Four in Port Washington - one was too scruffy, one too small, one too old and one too new - and one in Garden City which was just right. We are heading out again this week to either New Jersey or Westchester to have another nose about. I love having a good wander around other people's houses!

Short but sweet.

A short but sweet blog today. I am going to try to slow down this evening as I re-read my last blog and it was full of typing errors, none of which I can blame Paul's laptop for! Hopefully when my new macbook is up and running I'll have much more time to spend on my blog...

I am still laughing at the story about the two german woman who have been arrested for attempting to smuggle a corpse on a plane at Liverpool airport. According to news reports, the old man was wrapped up in a blanket and dark glasses and the women told airport staff that he was asleep. It just makes me think of watching 'Weekend at Bernie's' with Rachel when we went to Boston in 1989 to stay with my Uncle. We thought it was the funniest film in the whole wide world ever and rolled about laughing. Of course, when we returned to England and saw the film a second time, after raving about it to everyone, it wasn't quite the same. It must have been the American cinema experience. We also saw 'Dead Poet's Society' and people stood and clapped at the end. I'm sure we didn't get that at the Maybox.

We had a bit of excitement nearby yesterday evening when a series of manhole covers blew up and caught fire on 50th street between 8th and Broadway. Apparently it had something to do with the gases building up on the subway (?). I walked past the end of the road this morning and there were lots of fire-engines still there but no more explosions since last night. Talking about fire-engines, on the way to Central Park walking up 8th you pass the local fire-fighters station and on the wall they have a large mural remembering the fighters from that station who died on 9/11. Sixteen firefighters from that one station died. Just from that one station.

I tried to get to the sandpit in Central Park as early as I could and made it about quarter to ten. Even then, the sun was baking hot so we didn't stay too long. There was a right bunch of miserable so and so's at the park today and, though I know I shouldn't say it, but some really unpleasant children. Maybe being a teacher has set my expectations too high but when a little squirt takes away Boy Wonder's special shovel without asking and then won't give it back when I ask, well, in my opinion he deserved the sand that Boy Wonder aimed at his face.... ;-)
Can I just point out though that Boy Wonder only threw the sand when he saw little squirt's brother doing it first! Everywhere in the parks you see signs that say thank you for respecting the fences. I assumed this meant look after the fences and not pull or lean on them. I've now worked out it means don't climb over the fence onto the plants.

Anyway, after a miserable, sunstroke inducing time at the park we went to meet Paul for lunch via the Magnolia bakery. As you may know, Paul enjoys a nice bit of chocolate cake so I asked for the last slice which was a pretty hefty chunk. The lovely lady put it in a special box and went away. When she returned, she said with all seriousness, 'I'm sorry but this piece of cake is too small,' to which I replied, 'Oh dear. What do you suggest I do?' (That's a line I've stolen from Paul). So off she went again and saw her manager. When she returned, she asked if I was going to have anything else and I said I was about to get a cupcake. That was when she uttered the wonderful line, 'Well in that case, my manager says you can have the chocolate cake for free.' 'For free?' I replied. 'Oh yes' she said as she floated away into the heavens. OK I made up that last line but you get the picture.

Happiness is free cake in 87 degree New York heat. xx

Ooh now with photos!!

I have finally worked out how to add photos so I can now amaze you (bore you) with images as well as words. I thought I'd start with a picture of my favourite cupcake shop. I have never watched 'Sex In The City' (there's something a bit odd about SJP's face) but I have since found out that Carrie Bradshaw is a bit of a fan of the Magnolia Bakery and apparently it is one of the stops of the 'Sex In The City' New York tour bus. Maybe if SJP ate more cupcakes she'd look a bit healthier...

My next photo is of Bryant Park. This is where they have the free ice-rink in the winter. I took this picture on Saturday morning where they were busy laying the lawn. Since Saturday, they have had the sprinklers on and you aren't allowed on it at the moment (the sod is settling apparently). As you can imagine, this large expanse of empty grass is rather tempting for Boy Wonder and more than once has he had to be retrieved. Today, we met Paul and sat at the Bryant Park 'Reading Room' where they loan you books or magazines. They have a children's selection of books and mini tables and chairs.

I have joined a couple of 'meet people' groups which is a bit daunting. I am going for my first 'meet' on Thursday afternoon for a walk along 'The Highline'. Apparently this used to be an elevated piece of road which has been turned into park space. So far, there is only me and another person but it's a start. I am feeling quite nervous already but looking forward to maybe meeting my first new friend. Originally I was going to brave the subway but I may walk in the sun as it's only 23 blocks downtown. I have been told that each block takes about a minute but I'm not convinced. This doesn't seem to include getting stopped at every corner. It will also get me out and about in the afternoon (Boy Wonder will have to nap in the buggy) as I'm slightly concerned I'm getting addicted to 'Dr Phil' on TV. Today I watched debate about obesity in the Us and they had Kelly Osbourne as their special guest (?) and I was quite surprised to hear her speaking with an accent like the queen.

I though I'd add a picture of Boy Wonder as my final one, only because I think he looks rather lovely. This picture was taken before his skin flared up (we are thinking some sort of allergy so have our first doctor's appointment tomorrow) and also before he acquired the rather large cut and bruise on his forehead. It's dangerous work exploring the steps at the local playground. Tomorrow I'm going to collect a toddler basketball hoop that he can play indoors which will keephim busy. I'm sure it'll be no surprise to learn that he already has daily football practise!!

Would you have liked a present too?

That's better - my birthday quote in tact. Nothing like a bit of Altered Images on your birthday. Paul did suggest a quote from the Sugarcubes 'Birthday' just to impress Sara, but the lyrics were a bit random even by my standards.



Have had a very busy few days in the sun. Despite Easter being called a holiday weekend, there are no bank holidays although Paul was able to take a half day off on Friday. Friday morning was dominated by parks once again. Boy Wonder and I started in Bryant Park, which I'm sure I've mentioned once or twice already and is already on my favourite places list. In the winter they have a free ice-rink and they have just finished laying the lawn for Spring.



After Bryant Park, we headed down Broadway and went to Madison Square Park which is near the Flatiron building. Anthony Gormley, the sculptor who created 'The Angel of the North', has a new installation called 'Event Horizon' based in and around the Flatiron district. It is 31 slightly different naked sculptures of himself dotted on the buildings and one in the park. When the event launched last month, the police were inundated with concerned passersby who thought people were about to jump off the buildings. I took lots of photographs of the sculptures I spotted and had some practise with the zoom on my camera. Then Boy Wonder and I continued along Broadway to Union Square which had their farmer's market on so was very busy. Our destination was the lovely playground - and was also the destination for every other child in New York. Again, the playground was full of exciting equipment and had a sandpit. When you entered through the gate, I needed to add the buggy to the line of about 50 others lined up against the fence. It was rather tricky finally encouraging (??!) Boy Wonder to leave but then we went across to the orginal Barnes and Nobel bookstore and I bribed him with some more picture books. Unfortunately, as the child of a teacher you end up with all of the old classics, so we added 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' and 'We're Going On A Bear Hunt' to our collection.



Yesterday morning, the three of us set of early and headed for Central Park. The park had another 10K run going on and there were runners everywhere. The park was full of people enjoying the sun and mad people doing their aerobic classes out in public. We went to the park and Paul spent most of the time in the sandpit and on the slide and when he was lucky, Boy Wonder joined him. After Paul was worn out we walked further into the park as far as the boating lake and found a good spot for our picnic. After that, the boys headed back for their afternoon nap and I set off for Bloomingdales. Once again, once I was inside Bloomingdales I remembered it's not my cup of tea - or maybe it would be if I had a bottomless pit of cash.



When I was heading home, I was spotted by a young man (now I'm 38 do I get to call men in their twenties 'young man'??) who broke off his call and asked me where I got my T-shirt. Apparently he designed it for Macy's and was rather surprised when I told him that I bought it back in England. He then proceeded to point out all of the bits that had been added to his design. I have decided to believe him and not think he is a weirdy beardy for these reasons - he didn't smell of alcohol and sway, he was quite charming and finally, I haven't been stopped by a 'young man' for a while (well, not since I was asked if I was going clubbing in December when I was out in Uxbridge. But he appeared from behind a bus stop and was definitely weird).



Today I have turned 38 and even if you've had a lovely day, that's quite a shock to the system. I had a lie in with Boy Wonder climbing all over me, then had lovely chats with m and d, Jane and then Sam and John, who sang 'Happy Birthday' to me so loudly that their cats started to cry.

Then we went to Bryant Park (do you see a routine forming??) and then walked down Fifth Avenue which had been closed to traffic due to the Easter Bonnet Parade. Paul had found an italian restaurant opposite the Modern art Museum where we were actually able to sit outside and enjoy the sun while watching the world go by.



This time last year, Paul and I had just arrived in Brazil and Boy Wonder was just a face on a piece of paper. We still hadn't had our match confirmed, we couldn't sell the house and were unsure of where Paul's job would lead. It's amazing to think how far we've come! Let's see what the next year will bring...