At Home With The Braithwaites

My, what big teeth you have...

2012-02-12T21:55:00.001-05:00

There's nothing quite like eating out with a ten year old, a nine year old and a six year old. Here we see Max, elongating his teeth with two straws. Hilarious. If you are 10, 9 or 6. And bearable if you are 41. But not hilarious.

We met Chris for dinner tonight, after I took the kids to see Journey 2. I thought it was okay on the whole. Not sure the whole 3D thing isn't over-rated mind you. The most interesting thing happened when we arrived. Long story, but we were late and the cinema was mobbed. I found the boys two aisle seats across from each other and then went off to find some 3D glasses and try to find two seats together for me and the Madster. When I got back with the glasses I saw that in Dominic's row there was a woman next to Dominic, but a space next to her and then a guy with a space on the other side of him too. So I asked them - very nicely - if they could both budge along so I could sit with the kids. Well they did so, but not happily. The guy was particularly unchuffed about it and groused that I should have turned up in time if I wanted to get seats altogether. Maybe he had a point. But maybe when they saw me with 3 kids at a kids' movie they should have offered to move!

Anyway, I muttered something about not realising if you came early you could expect three seats for the price of one and sat back and watched the movie. The kicker came on the way out. Those two grumps were there TOGETHER!! And upset because I made them SIT NEXT TO EACH OTHER. Can you believe it??

Quiet

2012-02-11T21:38:00.000-05:00

Ahhh. There is nothing like the sound of silence after three kids have gone to bed and there is just us two and our books and some red wine and the fire.

We had another big day of swimming as Dominic took to the water at 7.25am warming up for his Championship events. He was feeling a bit low after a loss at soccer last night and Max's exploits and achievements... but he had a fabulous time. He and his friends came third in the Medley relay which means he gets a medal. Yay! Then he won his heats in the backstroke and breaststroke, improving his times in each, and then he improved his time in the 50 free finally going under 37 secs and coming second in that heat. He has made brilliant progress and was in the top ten for everything with his best result in the backstroke. And he was smiling again.

Then this afternoon he started his own sports reporting blog. It's called Eat, sleep, talk, sport and he has started with his report on today's match between Liverpool and Man Utd. It is nearly all his own work. I tried very hard not to edit it, but he was ready to leave the auto-correct of Utd. And I really didn't think a report full of Man 'Nut', although funny, was quite what he was aiming for!

5 Medal Max

2012-02-10T22:36:00.000-05:00

Max has come away from the YMCA Swimming Championship this evening with 5 medals. He was in two relays - medley and freestyle - and they won both. He came third in the breastroke, third in the 50 freestyle and won the backstroke. New personal bests in all races. He is unstoppable.

So for our pictures of the day we have the winning 25 freestyle team wearing their all new pirate swim caps. Max said - 'Tyler didn't wear his in the backstroke. He should have. That hat is magic.'

And for the record - here is the Championship result sheet for the 25 yard backstroke. Go Max!!

Fun Fact Friday

2012-02-09T21:04:00.002-05:00

I thought I'd share Dominic's script for his second appearance on his school T.V. station tomorrow.

Did you know heliophobia is fear of the sun? I'm Dominic Braithwaite and this is Fun Fact Friday. Did you know panophobia is the fear of children? I'm offended. Let's hope none of the teachers have that. Did you know peladophobia is the fear of bald people? Oh come on, it's not that scary, it's just people with no hair. Symmetrophobia is the fear of symmetry. This is your ticket out of symmetry homework. Now this last one is crazy. Panophobia is the fear of everything! Fear of life, fear of death, everything, all rolled into one. Now this week's question is which country had 3 presidents in 24 hours? That's a lot of presidents for a day. That's all for this week.

Answers on a postcard please - or as a comment would be fine. I wouldn't have a clue if I hadn't seen the book he found all the facts in.

With apologies to the apostrophe police

2012-02-08T19:36:00.002-05:00

Okay so the punctuation is a bit off, but here is Max's design for an imaginary new cereal. I rather like it and he's made a great maze for the back. I had so many things to choose from for the photo of the day. We have a new fish! And Maddie has made a valentine post box which I've photographed but might save for the blog on the 14th.

There have been lows today though too. The dogs have yeasty ears. And ear mites. That was an expensive and very long trip to the vet. And when Nina got back in the car I almost broke my own nose because she jumped in before I'd opened the window part of the jeep's rear and she got stuck. When I lifted the window it smacked me in the face. Very painful!

I can also report that Dominic had his first sex education class today. He was really not feeling well last night but made a miraculous recovery so that he wouldn't miss this educational milestone. He has reported, however, that there wasn't much to it. It was just about puberty, he said.

O Brother, where art thou?

2012-02-07T23:16:00.003-05:00

Okay Uncle Alan, we need you.

Rubik's cubes are back and I really don't want to have to learn how to do the bottom layer. In fact, I've tried a couple of times this evening and I just need YOU. You were the one who could do these damned things in under 40 seconds. YOU are the man for this moment. But we are not on the same continent.

Which is annoying.

This is the perfect opportunity for me to off-load the boys onto their uncles for a while... and I can't do it. Or the damned cube.

O brother, where art thou!!

(I wonder if George Clooney or Odysseus would be able to do the Rubik's cube??)

Funny old thing

2012-02-06T15:42:00.000-05:00

Today in our writing workshop we were doing prompts themed around setting and descriptive writing. Kat and I produced some items for description for one of the prompts.

I took, amongst other things, my soda siphon bottle.

I was eight years old when I found this up on a shelf beside the water tank in a house we had just moved in to. Since then I reckon it has moved house with me at least 12 times. I do like the fact it says Edinburgh on it.

Butt paste. Really?

2012-02-05T22:46:00.001-05:00

Apparently yes! Today I went to my first ever baby shower. It didn't rain babies thank goodness, and I was able to take a photo of my favorite of the gifts given to the one of us wearing a conspicuously large bump.
Butt paste! Talk about telling it how it is. Sudacrem seems quite quaint in comparison.
This is also super bowl Sunday. Dominic went to a party with his mates and the rest of us went to a "loaf-off". Anyone care to guess what that was??

Max is no. 1

2012-02-04T22:13:00.001-05:00

Another Saturday, another swim meet. Dominic made excellent progress once again, taking four seconds off his 100 freestyle time and more than a second off his fifty freestyle too.

But while he had a good day, Max had a great one. He was in three races and won all three! By far his best swim meet. He went under 37 seconds for a fifty freestyle, comfortably won the 100 IM and just made it home in front in the breaststroke, despite his swim cap popping off. Swimming is great for Max. He is relentlessly competitive and quite happy to take coaching points whether he wins or not. Here he is having a post-race de-brief with A.J., who calls both him and Dominic "Great White". In his accent, that rhymes with Braithwaite. Not in mine.

A handsome loss

2012-02-03T21:48:00.002-05:00

Not a good result tonight for Dominic's team. They were beaten by 5 goals to 3 and in the first half it looked like a slaughter. I don't think the fact that he looks very handsome in his orange goalie jersey would in anyway compensate Dominic who took the loss badly. They played much better in the second half and there was even one of those almost great moments when Max (playing up as many of Dominic's team mates couldn't make the game) passed to his elder brother who oh-so, so nearly scored.

In other news, we have three excellent report cards in today. And for those that have been following the fish saga, I'm pleased to report that all three see-through fish and the maybe-evil-ghost-shrimp are still alive and well. Now that they are settled we'll probably all lose interest, forget to feed them and one of them will starve to death. Not really.

New York New York

2012-02-03T00:40:00.001-05:00

My first ever trip to the Big Apple without a passport. I planned to take an amazing photo of the city but circumstances got in the way of that ambition so here is a photo of the ice rink by the hotel bar.

I am staying in a boutique hotel. Quirky but I prefer a Hilton. It is a familiarity thing I guess. There is only so much trendiness you can take post 40.

So my rant is about trains. You can fly all over the world and the process is always the same. Why are trains so different everywhere you go. The intercity to NYC was no different. Some bizarre ticket stub on back of seat thing was required which I got wrong. Also I took a seat in the quiet carriage. You had to be quiet!!! Lots of shushing and frowning.

Home tomorrow thankfully.

Book report

2012-02-01T20:48:00.001-05:00

So Dominic is a bit of a favourite with the school librarian, so much so, that when she decided this book was perhaps a bit too mature in content for the Elementary lending shelves, she asked me if I thought it would be okay for her to lend to him anyway. I said yes.

And then it transpired that the school nurse - who is lovely - had also read it and she really thought I should read it too. And so I have.

It is a pretty cool book, all about a boy from a very difficult background moving to a new town and a new school in 1968. Some of it is pretty harsh - his father takes him to a tattoo parlour and has Mummy's Boy tattoed on him against his wishes on his 12th birthday. That bit nearly made me cry. And then his brother comes home from Vietnam, half blind and in a wheelchair. But there are also wonderful characters - the librarian that teaches him to draw, the daughter of the man that runs the deli, some of his teachers and a local writer - but not the Principal, or the sports coach, at least to begin with.

Dominic liked the writer and the famous baseball player and the parts about the crimes going on in town which the main character's other brother is wrongly believed to have committed. So thumbs up for plot and characters from us.

100 days of first grade

2012-01-31T18:38:00.003-05:00

I rather like Maddie's homework tonight. Apparently she will have attended first grade for 100 days next week and this is SIGNIFICANT. I don't know why. But it is. She has made a tee-shirt with 100 blobs of paint on it and now this sheet where she had to number the boxes from 1 to 100 and stick a small object in each box.

Once upon another life, when Chris and I had first moved in together in Heaton Moor and we had no money whatsoever, we used to go to jumble sales. I'll need to check but I think Sibyl came too. Anyway, at one of these I bought a jar of buttons. Probably some half-baked, book-born idea that a button box was the kind of thing a girl setting up home ought to have. Of course I've barely used them. I mean - who was I kidding (except myself!) However.... cometh the day, cometh the buttons. We had fun making this.

No art to see the mind's construction...

2012-01-30T22:47:00.000-05:00

According to Shakespeare you can't judge on appearances. The trouble with Stevie G, our Ghost Shrimp, is that's he's see-through. As we gathered round the tank this morning wondering why there were only two of Max's little fishes swimming about we all took a good long look at this little fellow, sitting proudly on top of the Sphinx. Could he really be a killer? Did he really take out all the guppies - Rainbow, Pinky I and Pinky II? He doesn't look like a murderer. He doesn't look like much at all. Ghost Shrimp are pretty hard to read, to be honest.

Happily the missing little guy - Fuzznoodles II, Gerald or Bob, not sure which - turned up hours later safe and sound. Sighs of relief all round.

Same old, same old

2012-01-29T23:15:00.001-05:00

So...swimming again.
Could be a problem with this blog a day concept. We are too boring! But no! That won't do!
Max and I left the house at 7.10am and got back from his meet at about 2pm. This was an invitational for aged 9 and under so a day off for Dominic but lots of races for Max. Somehow he just keeps getting better! There were kids from about 6 or 7 clubs there today. He came 7th in the 25 freestyle with his first time under 17 secs. He was 5th in the 25 breaststroke, shaving more than a second off his personal best and he improved his time in backstroke for the second day in a row, won his heat and came a brilliant 2nd over all.
Of course, being Max, he was disappointed not to make an improvement on his time in the 50 free (he was still 6th!) and only 3 of the top boys in his team were there so they only came 2nd in the relay... But it seemed to me that he had a pretty good meet!

Swimming without sharks

2012-01-28T23:23:00.001-05:00

Maddie and max were working on a Lego video today so this picture is by them.

Dominic and Max then had a shark free swim meet and both did great.
Both boys came 2nd in their backstroke races and they both won their relays. Max also swam his first Individual Medley - and won by a mile.

Winter season underway

2012-01-27T22:09:00.002-05:00

Really it's not easy to take a photo through plexiglass of moving 10/11 year olds. Honest.

Anyway, Dominic's team opened their new winter indoor league with a convincing 7 to 2 victory. After establishing a 5 goal lead they were only allowed to shoot from distance and there were other goals that were disallowed.

Dominic and I had a chat about this policy on the way home. He didn't think much of it. They don't do that in the Premier League. His very words!

I think it is nice though and have seen similar rules put in place in Max's soccer and baseball teams. Max even scored once and turned round and immediately apologised, which was quite funny to see.

Dominic, as first pick goalie, had an excellent first half with some dramatic saves made. Then he was strong in defence in the second half too. It flew by - two 20 minute halves with lots of action because the ball couldn't go out. Only down side.... it was 9.45 before I had my first drink. And it is FRIDAY, you know!

BTW - a better day on the fish front. No more fatalities although Max and Maddie did sit in front of the tank (much in the manner of the two kids in The Cat in the Hat - who also had a fish, it occurs to me) for quite a while. They were monitoring Stevie G, our Ghost Shrimp, in case he tried to eat Bob, or Gerald or Fuzznoodles the Second. He didn't. Yet.

Back to where it all began

2012-01-26T23:22:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I went back to Canada for the first time since we moved. It is the birthplace of our North American adventure. I stayed at the hotel from where we launched our house hunt and hung out in the bar where Kate and I decided we should move.

The photo is of my entry stamp. The weather wasn't great so opportunities for pics were limited. I did go for a nice run round Port Credit. That isn't something I would have ever imagined I would be doing when I first went there in May 2008. It was snowing so at least somewhere is getting a winter.

2 fish fatalities today. We think the ghost shrimp is a murderer.

The Big Gap

2012-01-25T20:46:00.002-05:00

Maddie's other front tooth has gone. The tooth fairy needs to remember to call tonight. It's strange but I feel a little sad. The last of the baby front teeth gone. Soon I might be the only person in the house with a baby tooth. Who knows.

No fish fatalities today. Phew.

Go away I'm reading

2012-01-24T20:15:00.001-05:00

Lise brought me this fab mug - but it seems to have been appropriated by Maddie! Here she is reading a book about dolphins for homework.

She also came home with a couple of library books. One was a book of tongue twisters. Tonight we have particularly enjoyed trying to say out loud:

Peggy Babcock at work, Peggy Babcock at play.
Peggy Babcock tomorrow. Peggy Babcock today.
Peggy Babcock, repeated, is tricky to say:
Peggy Babcock, Peggy Babcock, Peggy Babcock, ole!

Try it!

New group

2012-01-23T22:03:00.001-05:00

So today was the first day of a new venture for me and my friend Kat, running our own writing workshop. We were really happy with how it went. We have some interesting and capable people to write with and we were productive but also had fun. More info on www.ninemilewriters.com

Sadly there is also fish news. I thought it was Rainbow, but no, it was Pinkie, the other guppy, who pegged out last night. Haven't told the kids yet, but I have made sure I've got the receipt out of Chris' car. We are also closely watching King Kenny, the Upside Down Cat-fish. He's either under the weather or daft. Fingers crossed for daft.

"Mum! Rainbow got stuck"

2012-01-22T16:39:00.001-05:00

We had a hilarious ten minutes of serial fish drama today as first Max and Maddie, then Chris, and finally, with impeccable comic timing, Dominic, all separately inspected the fish tank and thought our new friend Rainbow was trapped under the sphinx.

The fish were acquired yesterday after an amusing trip to the pet shop. Max only wanted transparent fish - they have to live in packs - so we have 3 of them. They are see-through fish. His father is unimpressed. Then we have two male guppies. Rainbow is one, chosen and named by Maddie. Finally we also have a ghost shrimp and a catfish which swims upside down. Dominic named those two.

More fish news soon (inevitably).

In other news, despite going out to collect an armchair and lots of fishies, three hours before feeding 27 people, we had a very enjoyable almost-Burns-night last night. The haggis was actually pretty tasty and the Cullen Skink was excellent. It was a good day for fish really...

Two pics today

2012-01-21T14:31:00.001-05:00

The picture on the left was taken nearly 4 years ago on Formby Beach. The picture on the right was taken today in our back garden. Safe to say that Max still likes to leap around, he just makes a bigger thud when he lands now!

Chris (posting as Kate).

First Snow of 2012

2012-01-21T10:13:00.000-05:00

Back home!

Winter has finally arrived but it looks like it will only be here for a couple of days with temperatures expected to be springlike by Monday. I played around with this in iPhoto - the world hasn't turned purple.

Tonight we are having the neighbs round for Burns Night drinks. They do all seem quite nervous about the threat of haggis but we are going to be gentle and serve it as small bites.

Right - off to tidy the house, find some Scottish music (Altered Images, Runrig and Hipsway perhaps??) and check that my limited whisky collection is up to snuff.

London

2012-01-20T23:34:00.001-05:00

Today's picture comes from London. I have spent the week in the UK. Lots of moving around and a different bed every night.

Kate asked me to take a picture of something Londonish today. I spent a lot of the day looking at the Post Office Tower but decided the sky was too grey and horrible. The question that kept coming to mind was - does the Post Office Tower actually do anything anymore?

There was lots of talk about Sherlock Holmes and the latest BBC series so this photo seemed very appropriate. The underground logo is just so... British!!

Well not that bad!

2012-01-19T18:52:00.001-05:00

Feeling guilty. Not that boring. Teachers very funny. Dominic played well. He is the green blur here. The mad woman in the skirt is ms Clarke, Max's wonderful teacher last year and the man in orange is the highly popular music teacher, mr zumpeta.

Boring basketball

2012-01-19T18:18:00.001-05:00

Somewhere in the middle of that (yawn) is max shooting. He missed. Now the teachers v 4th & 5th grade match is starting. It's a raffle to see who gets to play. Got to give credit to the teachers for being up for it. Kids happy. Wish I'd brought my book though!

Far flung photo

2012-01-18T20:04:00.003-05:00

Here is a photo of a can of soup, taken in Bramhall today by Chris but being posted tonight in Pennsylvania, from where I ordered it, to be delivered to Chris' mum. She is already feeling better but when we saw on Facebook that you could order personalized, get well soon cans of soup from anywhere in the world it seemed like a great idea.

Makes a nice change from sending flowers.... and probably lasts longer if you don't eat it.

A good idea at the time

2012-01-17T21:05:00.000-05:00

Okay so I thought it was our turn to do some entertaining with our local friends and that it would be a good idea to have a kind of a Burns Supper. It's my fault. Let's get that clear.

It's my fault that on Saturday we are having 8 or 10 adults over and their 8 or maybe 9 kids for a Scottish night.

It's not my fault that in this country its illegal to import haggis. But perhaps I ought to have checked that out a little earlier.

Still, the internet is a wonderful thing and I have managed to acquire 2 small haggi, slightly worryingly calling themselves bangers and very worryingly having been made over here.

I'm already consoling myself that no one will want to eat the damned stuff anyway and have decided to serve it as a canape rather than in the proper manner with mash, carrots and rutabaga (Yes! Really! Look it up! Rutabaga!)

Full report will be issued on Sunday.

First fish post

2012-01-16T21:21:00.001-05:00

So we bought Max a fish tank for his birthday. I can see foresee many posts about these fish... the joy of the day we bring them home... perhaps a little profile on each fish... there will probably be obituaries... Yup. The fish are going to be a feature.

Today we went to the pet shop and bought decoration. This fun looking fellow is a sphinx-type in a state of decay which allows for interesting holes for the fish to swim in, out and all about.

We contemplated tropical fish for a bit and Dominic and Maddie bickered about which ones were boys and which were girls. Dominic sounded pompous and Maddie just ridiculous. Max changed his mind about which fish he liked best about 64 thousand times.

And hurrah, he'll get to do it all over again when we go back to get the fish when the tank is acclimatised. Can't wait.

In other news, we posted a lego video to youtube and facebook. The boys are loving the great feedback. There are plenty more where that one came from and they are all their own brilliant work. I am a proud mama.

Favourite things

2012-01-15T20:27:00.001-05:00

On our Sunday dog walk today, we all found different things that we liked best about it.
Chris may edit this, but I think his favourite thing was that we all went and nobody moaned.
That pleased me too, but I liked it best when Max did an impression of how the lego men in his movies walk. Very John Cleese.
Max, on the other hand, liked it best when the dog were let off the lease at the end and rampaged across the grass to knock him over with their boundless love and doggie enthusiasm.
Sugarella Maddie said she liked the candy that was handed out at strategic moments as we went round.
And Dominic?
Dominic's favourite thing about the walk was getting back in the car.
Sums us all up really!

Oh boy!

2012-01-14T22:52:00.001-05:00

Max had his birthday party this afternoon/evening. We had 6 of his mates and 2 of Dominic's over. They played capture the flag in the garden, FIFA 12 in the basement and munched pizza in the sitting room. The cookie cake went down a storm and Max had a wonderful time.

After 3 hours of unmitigated joy, Chris and I said goodbye to our guests and began drinking. That's parenthood.

Thumb Off

2012-01-14T00:08:00.001-05:00

The current sport of choice in the Braithwaite household is Thumb Wrestling. The result from tonight's grudge match was Kate 3 Chris 0. I blame the descent into hysterics for my poor showing.

In other news we have the birthday playdate party for boy 2 tomorrow. We have no plan but Sergeant Major Dominic will be leading be overseeing parade drills and leading troop inspection. Also Kate in on page 348 of the book she is reading and is finally enjoying it. The rest of the family are breathing a sigh of relief.

Chris writing as Kate!

Happy Birthday Max

2012-01-12T18:32:00.000-05:00

Today Max turned 9! Here he is this morning looking as handsome as ever.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

max is a great brother!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That was Maddie's thought for the day!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So one of the big reasons for resurrecting this old blogalog, is that recently I had to fill in a form for school about Max when he was younger and going back through the years on here was a major help. We read out all the birthday profiles and the kids loved them. Time to re-start that tradition. Here goes:

Looks
Max is TALL. When I go in to do library duty with his class he seems to loom over his chums, almost head and shoulders taller than some of them. He also has BIG FEET which perhaps is part of how come he's so good at swimming. Somehow, he has also managed to stay blond and partial as I absolutely am, I think the picture says it all. Max is cute.

Personality
He's a sweetie. Max's teacher told me that she thinks he is cool and if she was a kid, she'd like to hang out with him. She also told me he is mature (not quite so sure about that), but then maybe she's not seen him lose anything or fail to get his own way. I don't know why he seems to be so good at almost everything, but I know how he gets his own way - by being charming. Sometimes in quite a calculated way! That said, he is naturally kind, very, very thoughtful and observant and an all round good kid.

Skills and Experience
Max is a story-teller and a film director. He's a lego movie king. He's in the A team for soccer and one of the top swimmers in his age group at our Y. He's intensely competitive, especially useful in swimming as he spends all his practice sessions simply working to get to the front of the line in his lane. He has learned to play the recorder a bit, but pretty much flunked Spanish class last year so I don't think he'll be a linguist. He's not a great lover of reading, despite being an A grade student at absolutely everything, so if I was a betting person (which I'm not) my money would be on a future in comic animation or something like that. Arty, but also very practical.

Likes
Max likes sport - doing, not watching. He has been known to say that he 'needs another sport' because he doesn't have any practices for anything on a Monday evening. He loves Nina & Lulu, his DSi, his favourite movie last year was Real Steel and his favourite book is A Tale Dark and Grim (which is good!). Favourite foods... pizza, bagel, shrimp, cheese, sandwiches and anything with lots of cake and cream.

Dislikes
Getting out of bed in the morning, being told off (another Braithwaite that can't take criticism - that'll be a full house then!), homework, meat.

What we love about Max
Genuinely lovable personality, kindness, sense of humour, interesting observations on the world, sportiness.

What sometimes tests us a little
Inability to get himself out of bed in the morning, dislike of going to bed at night, ability to wind up his older brother.

Presents this year - a fish tank, a DSi R4 & lego (of course)

A piano, a piano

2012-01-11T19:10:00.001-05:00

That blog title is specially for you Dad xx

So today Maddie had her second piano lesson and it went really well. As a completely unmusical person, it is highly pleasurable for me to watch her tackle her lessons. She is so charmingly enthusiastic and impressed whenever the teacher plays anything that I think she will be teacher's pet in no time. In fact if Maddie had nothing to do but listen to the woman play for 30 mins, I think she would be quite satisfied with the whole experience. She has four books that she is whizzing through and has promised to do all her theory homework this week.

Will it last? Who knows.

In the interim, I need to clean those piano keys. Doh. More cleaning.

Spelling Bee!

2012-01-10T23:14:00.000-05:00

Today I attended my first ever Spelling Bee. The top 16 spellers in fifth grade faced off in a tense and gripping battle with words both regular and irregular - and Dominic did not go out first!

Happy just to have qualified, Dominic had been clearly the bottom speller in every practice session and when I heard a parent behind me talking about a child sweating to learn the words in time for today I knew that Dominic, having spent maybe 10 minutes looking over the sheets, was without a hope.

Not that he wanted to win. Last night he even asked me if I would mind if he lost on purpose if he made it down to the last two. As he pointed out, winning meant having to do another Spelling Bee.

In the event my consent was not required. Dominic made it through three rounds and was in the last eight. It was a highly respectable performance in what was a genuinely serious and tense competition with the kids standing in front of all their teachers and peers using a mike and being literally in the spotlight. For the record, he spelled echoed, audience and fascinating correctly, before stumbling on impenetrable.

The reluctant frog

2012-01-09T21:53:00.000-05:00

Maddie did not want to go swimming tonight. Last week she actually had to swim a whole length and it made her legs hurt. We are delighted that she happens to be the only person in her group and so is getting one on one tuition. She is less than thrilled. There is no rest when you are the only one swimming!

On the way home from the Y, while her legs might have been tired again, there was nothing wrong with any muscles connected to speech. She prattled on at length about a science experiment they've been doing at school and talked, as she often does, about being a teacher when she grows up. Being a teacher, according to Mads, would be very interesting. What she would like about it, is teaching people. Oh, and being in charge of the big white board. I think she just wants to be the boss.

It's a hard enough life

2012-01-08T21:10:00.001-05:00

Here are Dastardly and Mutley, sorry, Shaggy and Scooby, sorry, Nina and Lulu in the back of the jeep this morning. Hurrah for sunny January mornings.

Now. Nothing to do with the photo, but I wanted to record the 3 junior Braithwaites efforts at criticism this weekend.

Maddie has been working on a book report. The story has a winning title, 'My snow monsters do drink hot chocolate', and Maddie has identified that it has a beginning, a middle and an end. So it must be good.

Dominic was, as you would expect, a little more advanced in his Amazon review of Black Beauty. He wrote that the story was awesome, highly emotional and that he enjoyed the fact that it was told by the point of view of the horse. I was impressed, first that he read it, second that he loved it, and third that he knows about point of view.

But it is Max's comment on the movie Annie which Maddie and I watched yesterday that has amused me the most. Max was in the room throughout but when I checked he insisted he wasn't really watching it. 'And the music was terrible Mummy,' he said. 'It nearly burned my ears off.'

:-)

Billy the Fish

2012-01-07T20:46:00.002-05:00

Today the Braithwaite daily photo comes from Jennersville YMCA and is presented by Chris.

I spent most of the day at a swim meet with Dominic. Sadly Max couldn't make it because he hasn't quite recovered from bronchitis. He is expected to be back in the pool tomorrow.

Summer swim team generally involves sitting on a sun lounger while the boys diligently retrieve Diet Cokes from the snack bar. A great way to read, relax and top up the tan. The hardest part is remembering to get up to watch a race.

Winter swim team involves hanging around a concrete warehouse, sweating and sucking in chlorine fumes. That was today for 6 hours, with a hangover. It was worth it because Dom had a great meet with 2 personal bests and two podium finishes. I found a treadmill in the middle (Dom was events 14, 64, 74 & 84) and ran for 5 miles.

In other news the boys officially have the same size feet! I felt that an important fact to share. I have also got a Playoff Fantasy Football Team. The draft was a last night. This involved sitting around a neighbours dining table while my fellow competitors pondered over their selections. The selection took several hours hence the hangover. I went in with an unconventional approach which I think caught the challenges off-guard. At least they waited until my second pick before they started laughing. By all accounts I have a great tight-end!

Pennsylvania morning

2012-01-06T16:30:00.003-05:00

And finally - pictures taken with my new camera lens.

I love the view from our front door. Almost makes up for having to get up for those dogs. This morning I found they had discovered how to open and empty the shredder in the study. Lots of doggie fun.

I've had another day at home with Max today although we did venture to the supermarket as the cupboards were spectacularly bare. I bought him a sandwich at the deli counter while we were there - his favourite kind - a hoagie. To the uninitiated, this is a bread roll shaped a bit like a torpedo, and as stodgy and unappetising as you are probably imagining.

I asked for ham and cheese. The lady asked me if I wanted mayo. I said no, just butter. She thought I asked for mustard. So I said no, butter. She looked at me like I was a nut-job and started giggling.

This, as I explained to Max later, is the kind of thing that happens to me a lot.

You rang m'Lord

2012-01-05T13:30:00.004-05:00

Just when I was wondering what a person stuck at home with a sick child takes a photo of if that person is maybe doing a photo-a-day-challenge (emphasis still on the maybe), Max sent me a text on his itouch.

No, I was not upstairs. Or downstairs. No, there was no closed door between me and the young princeling. Okay, I was not actually quite in the same room as him, but I was certainly in earshot. This boy is a born text-er. But he didn't get a bagel.

My other favourite from him this morning is the one he sent to his Dad at work asking Chris when his coffee break was so they could face-time and have a "talk". Still the cute invalid at the moment then. But he is getting better. And there's the phone ringing in the kitchen. That'll be him again now! Grr.

Max's marvellous medicine

2012-01-04T15:29:00.003-05:00

Less than marvellous really, but here is my photo of the medicines poor Max was prescribed this morning. After a night of wheezing and little sleep, I took him to the doctor who gave him a nebulizer and many prescriptions for asthmatic bronchitis. Not good.

Still, he remains a jolly chappie (if a little less mobile than normal) and he has watched two movies and chatted with his dogs so it could be worse.

I had planned a photo of our piano as Maddie has her first lesson tonight. Maybe next Wednesday...

Is it a sign?

2012-01-03T16:36:00.003-05:00

Okay so I am on day three of this 'I might be doing a photo-day-challenge but I don't quite want to commit myself' thing and already I'm in trouble.

The kids went back to school so I thought I'd take a cool zoom photo of a part of the school bus. I'd use my new lens and it'd look great.

First mistake - not trying to do it this morning. Of course after the palaver of waking them all and shaking out their brains, rattling them into their shoes and jackets and shepherding them down to the end of the road, this silly photo thing was the last thing on my mind. And when I did remember it, I was even quite pleased. After all on Tuesday afternoon I'm the only one there at the bus-stop, so no public photo taking or being tempted to admit that 'I might be doing a photo-day-challenge but I don't quite want to commit myself'.

Second mistake - camera out of charge. Of course I didn't check until two minutes before I was supposed to step out the door and of course, this is just the kind of spanner in the works inevitable in a project like this one (the one I'm not really doing) especially because my track record of going somewhere to take photographs with a memory card, or a battery, or worst, without even the camera, is pretty horrendous. But hey, this is only day 3 and I've taken the other two photos so far on my iphone anyway. So out I go.

Third mistake - light. The sun is pretty low by 3.45 in these parts and I can't get near the end of the road without wearing sunglasses. What was I thinking of? There's just no way this is going to be a photo of any merit.

Finally, as I stood there pondering on this project (that I'm not doing) and how my fingers were going to freeze because it's minus 3 and you can't work an iphone through lovely warm mittens, I decided to forget the bus and take a picture of the stop sign instead.

So. Is it a sign?

Rule Britannia

2012-01-02T14:09:00.003-05:00

We have been putting away the Christmas decorations and chucking out the tree. It may be a bit earlier than tradition demands but it went up early and has been moulting ever since.

This photo is of a new decoration Mum brought for our tree this year. It became a favourite with me straight away.

It's also appropriate as Max is feeling a bit homesick. It's a combination of having seen his grandparents in person and in skype and because we've been watching some old videos recently. Apart from yearning for his relatives, he is feeling nostalgic for Ack Lane in Bramhall. Despite the fact that cars whizz up and down there at dangerous speeds, he is missing the proximity of his old friends and shops in walking distance. He's a sensitive wee soul.

New year, old game

2012-01-01T14:37:00.004-05:00

Last night we stayed in with the kids. We had been out the night before in a 'dive' bar listening to bluegrass music (oh god, banjo tunes) with some of our neighbours. Culturally challenging it may have been, but we had a good time and were quite happy to have give a low-key welcome to 2012.

Dad said, while he was over here for xmas, that when he was a kid it was a tradition in his house that they played Monopoly on Hogmanay. It seemed like a good way to pass some time so at about 9pm we set out the board on the coffee table in front of the fire. The most essential player was Chris. Sadly, it is a fact universally acknowledged that whenever our three children play a board game without their father's glowering eye upon them, it is only a matter of time before one of them will up-end the board in a tantrum. And it seems that the boys are more or less subdued by the paternal eye these days.

Not so Maddie (aged 6).

Although she didn't actually tip the board over, she did manage to steal about twenty thousand pounds from the bank (ok - so I was the softie banker), renege on various debts and appropriate a property without handing over any of her loot whatsoever. She offered criminal violence to her elder brother when asked to stump up for landing on the electric company and when things were clearly not going her way she retired to the sofa with Nina (large black dog) and her thumb for comfort. I wonder if Al Capone ever sucked his thumb?

So today at 3pm the boys and their Dad are going to have a proper game without the cheater of the house allowed anywhere near. I imagine my job is to distract the miscreant. In the meantime, I am toying with doing a 365 (or 366) photo challenge this year. I may not even make it through January, but here is a picture taken today. Points will be awarded to anyone spotting the problem with our Edinburgh Monopoly set.

Out and about in Edinburgh

2011-08-15T18:51:00.001-04:00

We found some Gormley

Kids in Edinburgh (Not America)

2011-08-13T15:37:00.001-04:00

We spent a bit of time hanging around the Fringe Buskers yesterday. Today we caught a show - "The I Hate Children Children's Show". Some very gentle magic that the kids loved. Off to Falkirk tomorrow.

On the Bunny Road

2011-05-05T16:33:00.003-04:00

We are always on the look out to see what the big guy is wearing. Maddie is a particular fan. I've found a vantage spot to take his photo from and will try and follow his seasonal apparel.

And here is another view.

Play Action!!

2011-04-11T13:53:00.003-04:00

Yes I know that is a footballing term over here but it seemed appropriate for Max. We are creating a life around Little League baseball. This weekend brought home the first Braithwaite run and win! Not only that, Max won the game ball for a double play. One day I will understand the rules (it may be part of our permanent resident interview) but for the time being we are bringing a certain Britishness to the event by clapping politely at inappropriate times. Anyone for tea and cucumber sandwiches?

Little League

2011-03-28T19:58:00.001-04:00

What Max didn't want to share was his cup, aka. box in cricket parlance.
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Super Models or Baseball Groupies?

2011-03-28T14:38:00.001-04:00

An example of what Kate and Mads get up to while Max is at baseball training. I, on the other hand, sit attentively transfixed to the activities on the field.

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Gladiators

2011-03-26T15:22:00.001-04:00

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Dominic watching Liverpool against Man U and celebrating the win

2011-03-06T22:13:00.001-05:00

Yes, he did look from his PSP for a couple of moments!
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The light here can be amazing

2011-03-06T22:07:00.000-05:00

Not today - it has rained all day!!!
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Turning into teenagers

2011-03-02T09:13:00.000-05:00

Two boys didn't want to get out of bed this morning.

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Update pictures

2011-02-20T12:59:00.002-05:00

Everyone is growing up.

Believe it or not...

2011-01-22T21:49:00.001-05:00

...This is a picture of Max. He is the black dot just to the right of my head. A fab day's sledding today.
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Sometimes they don't make it to bed

2011-01-22T21:32:00.001-05:00

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Finally - all 3

2011-01-22T21:31:00.001-05:00

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2 down and 1 to go!!!

2011-01-22T21:22:00.001-05:00

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Okay - where is Max?

2011-01-22T21:12:00.001-05:00

Headed to bed

2011-01-22T21:05:00.001-05:00

Haircut Day

2010-12-31T18:49:00.001-05:00

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Maddie reviews her Christmas

2010-12-25T08:38:00.000-05:00

Max shares his Christmas

2010-12-25T08:37:00.001-05:00

Dominic and his Christmas loot

2010-12-25T08:37:00.000-05:00

Max is brief

2010-12-25T08:36:00.000-05:00

Mad and her iPod

2010-12-25T08:35:00.000-05:00

Some Christmas thoughts from the younger Braithwaites

2010-12-24T20:23:00.003-05:00

Recognise anyone?

2010-12-20T13:15:00.002-05:00

Last Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, Dominic had a great role in a production of Hansel and Gretel. He was Frick, one of two stupid goblins in the pay of the Gingerbread Witch. He was tremendous. The production was good - some technical hitches and issues with microphones and lights but the sets were great, the singing was impressive and Dominic... was Frick. Brilliant!

The death toll rises

2010-12-17T11:59:00.001-05:00

This is the third victim of puppy madness. They've also smashed a coat hook thingy and chewed up a blackberry charger. And yet they look totally cute and innocent. Hmmm.

Yes - double trouble!

2010-12-02T22:09:00.001-05:00

OMG

2010-12-02T22:07:00.000-05:00

These pictures tell a story. But not the whole story!

Running man

2010-11-22T18:16:00.000-05:00

When did Chris become a serious runner? I guess it's about a year and a half now and his progress has been amazing. Yesterday he ran his second half marathon in 1hr and 40 mins. He didn't seem that impressed although he did admit that being in the top 400 out of 8000 was pretty cool. And that's forgetting the transatlantic flight on Friday and his feeling that his training hadn't gone particularly well.
Look out for a full marathon next year. And more suffering for me! Yes. Living with a slim person has always been my curse. Now he's fit and healthy too. How will I cope??

Sunday morning

2010-11-07T10:20:00.000-05:00

Max just won his first ever swim team race. Dominic didn't place but swam beautifully. Freestyle over, we are now sitting waiting for relays and breaststroke.

It is a bit like an indoor camping holiday - and not in a good way. And I'm not going to watch any more races. Chris will have to cheer them on. My nerves can't take it!

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T23:49:00.002-04:00

Here are the Braithwaite 3 out for Halloween this year. Max Vader is in the classroom and Maddie and Dom are pictured in the parade. Despite her obvious happiness during said parade, Maddie got off the school bus and had a huge hissy fit that she didn't want to be a witch for Halloween any more, she wanted to be Dorothy. It turns out that there were three or four Dorothys and they looked very pretty so, being a total girl, she wanted to be one too. Maybe next year.

Missed vocation

2010-10-25T11:08:00.002-04:00

Once upon a time in a pub in Chelsea a rather smart-alec friend of a friend asked me what my talent was. I remember stuttering something and wishing I was elsewhere and then a lingering feeling of unease that perhaps I didn't have any talents. I expect I lit another cigarette and drank my beer a bit too quickly.
WELL. Finally I have the answer. I am a talented pumpkin carver! This design was chosen by Max and executed by me! I have three more pumpkins lined up outside waiting for me to give them a makeover. Photos will follow!

Getting into the spirit of things

2010-09-25T13:53:00.004-04:00

Yesterday we experienced our first "Spirit Day" at our new school. This involves nearly everybody wearing a really loud orange and red tie dye tee-shirt and being enthusiastic about it. They do this once a month and each month there is a theme - this month's was Friendship. The friendliest kids in each class get a certificate and, as Dominic was one of those chosen by his teacher, Chris and I got to go and see him hug the Husky.

Yes - the Husky. The school has a mascot who appears at these assemblies to tumultuous applause and hugs and high fives all the kids. There was a very strong ra-ra-ra element to the event. The teachers were cheered loudly, the kids cheered each other loudly and at the end ten kids got to hold up the letters making the school name and they did the whole "Give me a P etc... PLAYAWAY" thing.

It was many things this assembly, but most of all it was unlike any assembly Chris and I have ever been too. It was jolly. It was happy. For miserable sarcastic fellows like us it was a bit scary too, but in a good way. The picture shows Dominic leaving the embrace of said Husky. He looked a bit reluctant about that part but otherwise, this new school is getting a big thumbs up from all the little Braithwaites.

"Barack Obama ruined my recess"

2010-09-16T10:08:00.004-04:00

This is a quote from Dominic. The president does an address to all school children once a year and this was the first thing Dominic said to me when he got off the big yellow school bus. When pressed he did manage to tell me that it was all about working hard which sounds pretty fair to me. But then I'm not a nine year old obsessed with being in goal for soccer/football during recess/break.

So we are in America and I should be blogging about it....

Goodbye Canada

2010-07-14T15:42:00.001-04:00

It seemed fitting to send a quick update from 24F.

So we just said goodbye to Canada. After 2 days of packing, loading and a night in the airport Marriott we are on the plane headed over the lakes toward PHL.

We are being moved by a great set of people led by our very cool driver Mike. He is currently 29,000 feet below us negotiating the Braithwaite possessions across the border on our behalf. The kids love Mike, shouting his name continuously during the process. "Will we see Mike when we get to the new house" seems to be a major concern for the junior Braithwaites.

So we have all said our various goodbyes (drinking the residual beer and wine was great fun - until the morning after). Up to this point everything has gone very smoothly, I think the pain was in the preparation.

More to follow from Kate I hope who is much more eloquent with such things.

C

Last flight home

2010-07-08T23:54:00.000-04:00

So my usual seat 26F was taken for the flight home tonight I had to switch over 26A. Poignantly, this is my last flight to Toronto because we move next week.

On Wednesday 14th July 2010 we arrive in PHL to take up residency in the Braithwaites' new gaff in Pennsylvania. I got the chance to wander round the new abode this week. Never again will the place be so peaceful and uncluttered. I will endeavour to send updates on the move over coming days. Below is a shot of a very tidy and empty room. We plan to camp there before the furniture arrives.

In other news Dom just turned 9. The standard yearly report will be submitted by Kate soon. Max is growing his hair. This week he asked me to streak it with lemon juice. We were out of lemon so we used lime. It seemed to work! Kate has reached the final of a writing contest and Maddie can jump into the pool with gay abandon. She seemed to learn this in time for the kids pool party we had on Sunday. I am signed up to run a half marathon so lots boring blogs to come!

C

I want that man's credentials!

2010-06-22T13:30:00.002-04:00

Dominic tackled the role of Mayor Shinn in The Music Man last Thursday and Friday evenings in a local theatre. He was great. It is difficult to believe that he is not yet nine and was one of the youngest performers on stage (although not the shortest by any means). He seemed to get a real buzz out of it. It was a great character role and one that required the actor to shout and stamp his feet quite a bit. The boy himself admitted that he didn't find it hard as he has been known to behave rather like that at home.

In one of those synchronsitic thingys where you hear a name and then hear it everywhere, one of the songs in the show is called the Well's Fargo Wagon. As a family we are hitching ourselves to the Well's Fargo Bank's mortgage wagon tomorrow when we close on the house in Kennett Square (mushroom capital of the U.S. of A, I'll have you know). It has been an experience buying this house with no credit history in the US and money in Canada and the UK. For quite a while we only had ten bucks in our US bank account which I suppose might worry a mortgage company in the post sub-prime whatsit, but it felt like they were after our blood and/or inside leg measurements for a while last week. Still. We survived. And the finishing post is in sight.

Football Fever

2010-06-12T11:15:00.002-04:00

Here in Oakville the World Cup has kicked off. This has nothing to do with events on the field in South Africa, it has more to do with the arrival of World Cup literature from the UK.

The boys have developed an almost encylopedic knowledge of the beautiful game. Dominic's head is so full of facts it may explode. Every sentence currently starts "did you know" and generally ends with something along the lines "in the 1990 World Cup England mainly ate pasta". It is the big game tonight, England vs. USA. Thankfully we are still in Canada as the boys passionate support for their home country might cause the to be in breach of their US visa conditions and see them deported by 430pm EST.

A big thanks to Conor for buying every football magazine in the store. Also thanks to Colin and Fraser for the wallcharts that we battle to complete at the end of every game.

Have we watched a game yet? No!

Dinosaur children

2010-06-05T09:04:00.001-04:00

It has been a while since I blogged. To fill the gap here are some pictures of the kids at the science museum in Philadelphia. They jumped into a time machine and found themselves in a primordial forest.

Finally 40

2010-05-22T19:42:00.001-04:00

So Kate hit 40 today. It is traditional to write some commentary at this point of the festivities, but first a photo.

Kate is handing out birthday apple pie to the children in this photo. As you can tell they are not necessarily thrilling their mother with their demands for more of this and that but it does make for a great photo.

We have spent the day just chilling and went on a really nice walk to the park. Tomorrow we are headed to the US to get the kids assessed for school. I have assessed them - urban terrorists.

So as Kate enters the next decade what can I say about the last. Well Kate copes remarkably well with everything that we throw at her. In the last 10 years we have bounced around the UK and the now world. Wherever we have landed Kate has found wonderful places to live, while at the sametime making great and lifelong friends. I am not sure how she finds the time for working and writing. We are just about to embark on yet another life experience which Kate is taking in her usual calm stride.

Following the traditional format -

Likes; champagne, pinot grigio, steak, Spooks, period drama, Lulu Lemon, my car, our new house in PA, her bed and her secret passion American Idol.

Dislikes; our cross trainer, the "European" appliances in the Canada house (I mean you move to North America for the house size refridgeration), mornings, Canadian schooling, the calorific value of cheese, our kettle and ice hockey.

Feel free to complete the list with your thoughts. The above is just a random selection.

Thanks everyone for your amazing videos. I would love to share with the world but we are keeping them underwraps to protect the participants. You never know when the content may be used against you!

Spot the difference

2010-05-22T19:08:00.001-04:00

This week's pics of the kids. And the answer is; Dominic finally agreed to get his hair cut.

I think you will agree it is a vast improvement. Max is very enthusiastic.

In other news Mr. Mallard brought a hot date to our pool this morning. They hung around and chilled for the morning. Given the chilly weather it is good to get some use put of the pool. Let's hope it hits the forecast 25 degrees this week. Oh dear, we are off the Philly!

Surprise suprise 2

2010-05-20T19:33:00.001-04:00

This is the moment that the blushing birthday girl discovered a party was being held in her honour. Actually most people would blush at what Kate said to Sian at this point.

Thanks go to Sian and David for lending us their amazing house. They were fabulous for organising and hosting such an amazing night. Dave was a particular superstar for staying up until 6am to wash the disposable plastic champagne flutes. Sian disposed of them.

Kate launched herself into the party spirit with gusto. Sadly she doesn't have her stamina of old and Cinders retired to bed when the clock struck 12. Her much younger husband on the other hand jumped in the pool fully clothed at 2am and then hit the hottub until 4am. He arrived home wearing only a towel.

Did I just make this all about me?

Surprise, surprise

2010-05-17T16:48:00.002-04:00

I am going to be 40. Hell, we're all going to be 40 (unless we've already been 40) so what's all the fuss about?

As it turns out the fuss is rather pleasant. My lovely husband and great friend Sian threw a surprise party for me on Saturday. Any suspicions I had were very minor and much enhanced by not being able to think who would show up at a surprise party for little old me. Seems I didn't think hard enough. There was certainly a party-worth of people and what's more I even liked them all. I also heard that some daft but utterly lovable Brit-friends were almost there too but the volcano put them off. That would have been totally wonderful but I would certainly have burst into tears and looked deeply ugly. Oops. Showing my hidden shallows again.

Anyway, I'm very lucky to have Chris and Sianny looking after me and even though I am still only 39, I feel more than ready to slip over the hill now. Happy Birthday to me!

As promised...

2010-05-15T15:57:00.000-04:00

...some hot off the press kid pics. They are reverse age order today. I am assured these things matter. We are trying to teach Dom why the knife, fork and spoon were invented. I am not sure that he has been paying attention.

Another week

2010-05-13T22:53:00.001-04:00

Another week on the road comes to an end. This is my view from seat 26F which is my favoured seat on the flight between YYZ and PHL. Only a few more short weeks to go before everyone is relocated to Pennsylvania and I won't have to do this commute anymore. I just need to nip back to the UK to collect some gold bars to pay for our colonial mansion.

So what news from the Braithwaites. Everyone seems very excited to move. Kate is particularly enthused to be moving somewhere with hills and many more trees. I think the tree thing is helped by not having Ford's biggest SUV factory at the top of the road. Max is very excited to be getting a bedroom that is upstairs. Dominic is happy that this will be the last move for a while and Maddie is keen to check out the 5 year olds that live on the street with us. I am looking forward to being the proud owner of my own well and sewage system.

In other news, everyone is doing fantastically well at swimming and we have some performances coming up for our artistic bunch. Also Max can really motor on a 1.5km run. I struggle to keep up! Having said that I am now built distance rather than speed having just stepped up to 10 miles rather than 10 kms.

I will do some photos of the troops this weekend. Hopefully the boys will let us get their hair sorted.

C

I just had to blog this

2010-05-08T10:55:00.001-04:00

Last week coming home from Philadelphia, in another delayed and miserable journey, young David, my rather attractive and soon to be married travelling partner, received this note. It was handed to us be a slightly embarrased and intrigued server. David took the ladies up on their offer while I chilled in the evening sun. He came back with their phone numbers. What a champion!

At home with the Braithwaites

2010-04-29T22:45:00.002-04:00

Big news from the Canadian Braithwaites, we are soon to become American Braithwaites. Above is a picture of the property we bought this week. For a someone who has only purchased a house in England the US experience is completely alien. Anyway some amazing work from Kate and Gloriann, our superb realtor, for finding this gaff. I managed to take this suitably enigmatic shot with my iPhone. Here is one of the back yard as they say in these parts.

We managed to score the house in 2 days of manic viewing. I was lucky as I only had to review the short list. At times it felt like we were destined not to succeed. Sunday's drama was a cancelled flight, a reroute through Newark, a very late flight, an emergency landing, a very long bathroom trip and a "through the night" drive to Pennsylvania. We did it though.

In other news, I ran the oakville 10km and finished 101st across the line. Technically I had the 97th best time in 44m57s meaning I need to refine my starting technique. You can see the finishing results on http://www.mercedesoakville10k.com/ I really enjoyed the experience and I can't wait to do some more. I am currently thinking half marathon or a 10 miler. Good luck to everyone running the Broad Street run this weekend. Yes, I am officially a running bore and running obsessed.

Gotta go - landing

VAV

2010-04-24T09:57:00.001-04:00

Last week I was officially a VAV, volcanic ash victim. I guess that I am now a VAS, volcanic ash survivor. I finally made it home last night after a long journey home through New York. Every cloud has a silver lining though as we were forced to endure a weekend in London. The highlight was running round Hyde Park and some walking tours of London with other stranded colleagues. This morning was a return to normality and breakfast with Maddie.

In other news; Dominic has been screen tested for a commercial on TV, Max is progressing extremely well with the piano and Maddie is learning some killer ballet moves. Jeans and Les just arrived and narrowly avoided being VAVs, while Kate heads down to Philadelphia next week to score a house. I have still to blog the getting a visa story. I run the Mercedes Oakville 10km tomorrow and broke 45 minutes thus week. Finally we open the pool today.

Sorry for the compressed news. More details to follow to fill the gaps.

You can take the girl out of Scotland....

2010-03-14T13:08:00.001-04:00

Frozen water

2010-03-10T12:38:00.004-05:00

We went to Hilton Falls at the weekend and slid our way across to enjoy it close up. I didn't get quite up as close as everyone else did as after I fell over the first time my interest waned somewhat. Dominic did make it up too but the snap with him in was out of focus.

Spring has sprung

2010-03-06T18:38:00.000-05:00

Max has been determined to climb a tree in the garden for the last few weeks. The weather has changed in the last few days and it really feels like spring. So off Max set to climb one of the trees at the front of the house. As you can see from the photo he can get pretty high. Dominic was pretty close behind but complained constantly about the debris that Max dropped on him.

In other news I have just finished week 2 of 4 weeks on the road. Kate has finished another course at Toronto University and the kids have all just finshed another course of swimming. The kids all did really well with some great comments from their instructors.

Training continues for the Oakville Mercedes 10km. I managed 10km in just over 47 minutes this morning. That should keep me safely in the middle of the pack.

Anyway more blogs to come so I am not going to use all the material here.

Chris

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Nocturnal Activities

2010-02-14T14:24:00.002-05:00

Valentine's day is a big thing here in Canada. Dominic obviously took this to heart and got up in the middle of the night and made everyone cards. Here they are proudly on display. I am probably exposing you to too much of the decor of our house than I would like. Think rental property, I don't see Kate and me going for the white marble fireplace under our own steam.

In other news, yesterday we went bowling and then to Swiss Chalet for dinner. Actually our expectations were quite low but it was suprisingly good. Well they sold beer which is always a good thing as far as I am concerned. I have also entered a 10km race. I am not sure why but I have. My mission is to find a really natty pair of running shoes. I will keep you posted on progress.

Chris

Fashion Guru

2010-02-13T11:43:00.001-05:00

Maddie likes to choose her own clothes these days. I have my own view on what she puts together but I thought that others might like to comment. Here is today's ensemble chosen for hanging around the house.

In other news this week. Kate continues to recover from an ankle sprain she received slipping on ice in the city. Dominic spent the week chucking-up at every opportunity. The sitter opted out on tonight after a Dom vom experience during the week. Max also had a nose bleed on Tuesday night so no wonder.

Yesterday was a day of Valentine's parties at school. We now have a house full of heart shaped everything. Oh, and the Olympics started. Will Canada's run as being the only host nation to have never won gold on home soil continue? Actually our hosts have managed this twice.

Chris

Before

2010-02-06T11:34:00.000-05:00

Given Max's general disappointment with his haircut I feel obliged to defend my craftsmanship. Fortunately I took this before picture. As you can see they were complete mop heads before modification.

What news this week? Dominic had to give his book report to his class today. If this was anything like the rehersal, with Dom trying to be enigmatic and intruiging, it must have been a hoot. Maddie has new shoes which she is exceptionally happy about and one of Max's front teeth is sticking out at 45 degrees waiting to fall out.

While it hasn't snowed much this year it is bitterly cold. We do try and get out despite this. Here are some pics of us in sub zero temperatures last weekend playing at Coronation Park. You don't see too many locals out at this time of year.

And the big kid. For UK friends, did you ever think you would see Kate in a white coat?

The other big kid was taking the pics. Even though it is cold you do see lots of people running and I am no exception. Yesterday, in a mild -3, 9.5 km took 47 minutes.

Between countries

2010-02-02T11:02:00.002-05:00

Sometime this year we will (allegedly) be moving again. There will be good points and bad points to leaving Canada. There are times when it just doesn't feel like home here. This advert is on TV all the time and always makes me feel very, very foreign:

But then I look at where we are planning on going:

Today is Groundhog Day and it looks like its a big thing in Pennsylvania. Can't wait.