David Garrick's temple to William Shakespeare, by the Thames at Hampton, opposite Sarah's house. Ruby playing with Sarah's monkey. Ruby and Maisie playing postmen on Saturday afternoon. A pack of delicious venison and red wine sausages, a gift from Sarah. A goose and duck eggs, gifts from Kate and Dan's trip to Devon. An ideal Mum-Bike that Ibolya admired. Sunday lunch at the Persian restaurant, down the road. And lots of face licks for Ruby at the Mayhew Animal Home Easter Fair on Sunday afternoon.
It's a day or two over two years since Ibolya and I found out Ruby was on her way and what prompted me to start writing my blog. I could never have imagined that the little person that would finally emerge could be anything as wonderful as little Ruby has turned out to be or that we could possibly be so blessed and fortunate to have another on the way. So I'd like to dedicate this post to Ruby, who made me start this blog in the first place and who has kept me so motivated to keeping it going. I'd also like to let her know, if she's reading this at sometime in the future, that you have given your Mummy and I more joy, happiness and wonderment than it's possible to know. Everything new that you do (your new words this week are 'apple' and 'shoe' and we watched you for 20 minutes last night, repeatedly climbing up the arm chair in our bedroom, sitting yourself down, opening Mummy's diary and scibbling in it with a pencil) feels like the proudest and most amazing things we've ever seen or heard. I started Rob Blog with a picture of the pregnancy test that told us you were on your way, so two years on, here are a few pictures (from the last couple of weeks, taken by Mary) of what you get up to during the week, when we're at work.
On Saturday we made our bi-yearly trip, with our friend Sarah, to Hampton for the 3rd Hampton Boy Scouts jumble sale. It was slim pickings this time round but Sarah did find me a very snazzy pair of Banana Republic leisure trousers - definitely the best pair I've ever had. It always a huge pleasure seeing Sarah and she made us a wonderful lunch in-between the morning and afternoon jumble sessions.
I've been looking forward to the new Joanna Newsom album for ages. I'd decided that in respect for this phenomenal (and very attractive) talent and the sheer ambition of producing a 3 disc album - I'd buy the CD of it, my first CD purchase for years, I've downloaded all my new music for the past 5 years, until last year when Spotify started up. I got really excited about going into a record shop to buy it. But when I called in at Fopp, near Seven Dials, last Thursday, I was told that it had actually come out the week before and was completely sold out. I checked with a few other music stores and they were all sold out too. Defeated, downhearted and all sold out online too, I had to buy it on ebay. But it was worth the wait; it's a monumental and otherworldly album, that like a great book, demands concentration, time and is hard to put down once you've started listening to it. It also leaves me awestruck how Kate Bush has such a dominant and indelible influence on contemporary music. You can hear her in everyone from Joanna, to Laura Marling, Goldfapp, Florence and the Machine, Bat for Lashes, Fever Ray and Ellie Goulding.
I've been listening to Laura Marling's second album 'I Speak Because I Can' everyday on my way into work this week and it's a very remarkable album. Not just because it's better than her first, ('Alas, I cannot swim',which was a stunning debut)but the maturity and quality of the song writing is so impressive from someone so young. It's an utterly English album, probably the most English album you will hear this year and quite likely the best. I also really like it as it's surprisingly uplifting given that it's a break-up album, in the best tradition of Dylan's 'Blood on the Tracks', Joni Mitchel's 'Court and Spark' and Marvin Gaye's 'Hear My Dear', which is, without doubt, the best break-up album of all time.
The weeks are speeding by at an unbelievably fast pace and I can't believe it's now Week 26! The start of the last 3rd of the pregnancy, two thirds in and 13 weeks to go before the due date. Ibolya and little bubba are doing incredibly well; Ibolya is absolultley blooming, looking more beautiful than ever and showing no signs of slowing up her parental, work, or home responsibilities. She is though getting 'restless leg syndrome' in the evenings, which is a very odd feature of the later stages of pregnancy. Ruby seems to know something's going on in Mummy's tummy and she been patting her tummy and saying 'baby', with lots of encouragement from us. As for little bubba, she can now open and close here eyes, sleeps and wakes at regular intervals and may suck a finger or thumb. She also might be hiccuping a lot this week. She's about 36cm long and 760g. We have another scan on Thursday which will help determine if Ibolya will be able to have a natural birth or not and I can't wait to see our little one again.
I've been playing this song (and Beirut's fantastic albums) a lot since Rupert introduced to him last week. Such a nice and simple video too. Ibolya likes him as she recognises the Hungarian 'Gypsy/Jazz' influences. I hope you like it too.
I've got my Mum to thank for reminding me on Sunday morning of a place I've been looking forward to taking Ruby for ages, one of my favourite places in London, Coram Fields. Somewhere I've been to many times over the years and always longed to have by own to child to take there with me. After soft boiled eggs and soldiers for breakfast, we caught the Central Line (our super quick Euston service wasn't running) to Holborn and had a lovely walk through Georgian Clerkenwell, down Lambs Conduit Street (love that street) and through to Coram Fields. We had a great time meeting all the animals and playing in the playgound. Afterwards we walked to the magnificent Brunswick Centre (I've always loved the Brunswick Centre), past one of my absolute favourite cinemas in London, The Renoir, and had a fantatsic, bargain, (2 courses for £10!) lunch in Carluccio's. It was such a brilliantly enjoyable family outing - thanks Mum.
On Saturday afternoon I went with, my brother-in-law, Matthew and my nephews Oliver and George to my their first ever game of league football and my first since I was about 12. The match was Nottingham Forest versus Peterborough, at home, at the City Ground. Being back at the City Ground felt very nostalgic and strangley like nothing had changed in all those intervening years, except I didn't know any of the players. It wasn't the most exciting game ever, Forest comfortably won 1 nil and in keeping with an authentic British Football experience, it was wet and cold. But it was great to be with the boys and and I also got to see my twin sis, my youngest niece Florence, Mum and Dad, cousin David and Arthur and Rosemary Bennett. So a very enjoyable and productive family day.
