On Saturday afternoon, Georgie and I woke up from a thoroughly-enjoyed two hour nap to find this little beauty staring up at us. Lily Rose was a gift from papa and we couldn’t be happier. Welcome to the family, Lily.
With absolutely nothing on the itinerary, Sunday proved to be the perfect day for the kids to take their bicycles out for a ride and for the adults to finally soak up the rays by our pool. Things can get somewhat hairy with two two-year olds running around, unable to grasp the concept of drowning but there were more than enough hands to help keep them safe. Of course having a massive canvas cover over the entire pool that can easily hold up to 200 kilos is also a huge relief. However, swimming ‘lessons’ have been bumped up on the activity agenda and my little dude is adapting beautifully, kicking his legs and blowing bubbles. I’m hoping he develops a respectful relationship with water because living on an island means bare feet and lots of fun.
It’s a refreshing change of scenery for me to lounge around my house all day. With a toddler, it’s hard to stay put. They get bored, you get frustrated and before you know it, you couldn’t care less about the scribbling on the walls, if it means getting two minutes of peace and quiet. The mall and park has always been my answer to moments like these. But over the three months we’ve been in our new home, Georgie and I have developed a new pattern. We rarely leave our little corner of the world and spend hours potting around the garden, cooking, baking and painting. I even managed to put together a little bit of art in the form of stamped triangles. Also, I made a salad with fresh rocket from our vegetable garden. Pat on the back for me because up until three months ago, the only plant that survived in my hands was a cactus. I feel I have a lot to be proud of, especially my little dude who is talking up a storm these days and learning to appreciate days filled with music and Sunday afternoon burgers with the family.
The Victoria Sponge cake or Sandwich cake has to be one of my favourite ‘white’ cakes ever. My dear friend, Alexia makes one of the best I have tasted. I sorely miss her now she’s living in London but I must admit I miss her baking just the same. My version, which I whipped up last Friday afternoon while Georgie was with his grandparents, was taken from The Great British Book of Baking, a gift from my mum. Excellent but made even better thanks to my sister’s homemade strawberry and blackberry jam.