Washing machine (T)

Eddie, loudly, in the kitchen, with Anita hovering outside, while contemplating the washing machine, with his hand suspiciously close to the door's handle: "I won't open the door while it is going"...

Eden Project (T)

A holiday with children isn't really a holiday in the get-away-from-it-all sense; we spent most of our time traipsing from one destination to the next. When the weather was fine, it was the beach or if possible some sort of train (miniature one pictured).





When it wasn’t we went to the Eden Project, a series of huge futuristic greenhouses with tropical and Mediterranean conditions inside. The greenhouses were fine, though there was a slight whiff of sentimentality about the attached cause, something about saving the planet via supporting third world smallholders.

Cornwall (T)

This week, we're on holidays right at the bottom left hand corner of England, in Cornwall, with Laurence & Eva and their twins. Both mums are in last stages of pregnancy, so in all you could say there are 10 of us here, which is quite something. When we can be bothered going through the rigmarole of downloading the pictures, I'll put some up here.

Both Anita and I are really enjoying Sebastian at this stage in his life - 15 and a half months, just the right size to fit in the crook of my arm. I think of my own life in terms of the activities with which I fill my months and years - what will I be doing in August, September, October.



But by October, Sebastian will be responding to the world quite differently to how he does today. He'll be that much more aware, he'll start to have his own plans. Right now, he is so desparately keen to get involved with everything, eager to impress his brother and to amuse his parents, so keen to have a joke, never really quite sure what is going on but nevertheless full of enthusiasm. Biddible, suggestable, he also shakes his little head to say 'no' to most questions, for the joy & devilment of it.

Apparently choirmasters say that the month before the voice breaks is when the choirboy's voice is at the most beautiful and poignant, and it's the same with young children, that they are fast moving onto the next thing, leaving behind something you'll always miss.

If you like this sort of thing, you'll like this (T)

America (T)

I've just got back from 10 days in the USA & Canada. Megan joined me in New York over the weekend(where we saw this painting at MoMA). The black line on Jasper John's painting isn't part of the original, it's the 600 mile route I drove from Kansas City to Chicago via the outskirts of St Louis, at the end of my trip. Any excuse to eat in those diners.

Tower Bridge is Falling Down (T)

The old London Bridge v Tower Bridge confusion unsurfaces again.