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Monday, February 04, 2013

When you're bringing up children, you see a lot of changes in the space of four years...


Well ok, maybe not that many changes. Stefan's still got the same shirt, and Toby looks a lot like his sister. The Arab Spring seems to have dried up though.

Anyhoo, the photo on the left was taken in September 2009, and the one on the right was yesterday. I think Stefan's got a portrait of himself in the attic. Frankly he's aged even less than that shirt. He is, however, living with a couple of characters who are looking much older than they did a few months ago.

Here's one...


... and here's her sister...


In May of last year, we called that second cat 'Big Kitten'. Frankly we didn't know the meaning of the word. Big, I mean, not kitten. She's now so large that she wouldn't look out of place on a plinth in Trafalgar Square, and she might have to be renamed Fatima. As for her sister, she's the cat formerly known as 'Good Walker'. Which is ironic as she's always lying down.

Obviously our main motivation for visiting Stefan & Andrew yesterday afternoon was to check on the progress of Shimmy's kittens, but once there, we thought we might as well chat to their owners. Stefan and I had an in-depth discussion about serious corneal injuries and their appropriate treatment, which could have formed part of a City & Guilds diploma, but in reality was just an anecdote about the time he got hit in the eye with a zip whilst emptying the washing machine.

Andrew, meanwhile, showed off their new KitchenAid food mixer, the effectiveness of which I refused to take on trust, insisting instead on trying two slices of home-made chocolate banana cake in an effort to convince myself of its powers. In the end, I had to admit that it's worth every penny, but offered to carry out more research if required.

One of the joys of visiting Stefan & Andrew is that they basically live in a converted novelty shop. While other people fill their homes with dull, practical necessities, Andrew prefers to put the fun back into functional. No sooner do you sit down on the leopard print sofa than you're drinking fruit juice through a straw with a built-in moustache...


So while Stefan got to know his future godson...


... I helped Amelie to open her late Christmas present from the boys. It turned out to be a set of stainless steel children's cutlery, engraved with cute animals. Not only was it gorgeous quality and just what Amelie needed, but it made a refreshing change to leave someone's home with a set of cutlery without having to hide it in Lisa's handbag.

Having allowed our hosts time to discuss their mutual love of SpongeBob SquarePants with Amelie, there was just time for me to look sophisticated with a cool, refreshing drink...


... before it was time to pose for the obligatory group photo. Quick, before the wind changed. With our daughter in a somewhat difficult mood, it took six attempts to get this one...


It's only when you've had half a dozen goes, that you realise with a sinking heart that the one where Amelie shows her bottom is the best you're likely to get.

3 comments:

Andrew said...

He might be wearing the same t-shirt, but you missed the big difference -he's not arabic any more!

Phil's Mum said...

Those kittens are bigger than their mother is now - and THAT'S saying something!

Phil said...

I presume you needed the tea towel for the dishes.