Summer in London

While Bethie has been away in DC, summer arrived in London.  Summer in London is brief and exceedingly pleasant, and Charlotte and I have been trying to take advantage of it while it lasts.

We've spent a lot of time at our local parks, which are beautiful and popular.  After a long session in the sandpit, Charlotte cools off with an ice lolly.

Our good friends, the Hallidays, have had us over for several barbecues while Bethie has been away, so Charlotte has had some good time with her best friend, Emily (note the necklaces!).

It's been warm enough that Charlotte has been able to use her summer pyjamas.  They have an elephant on them, and that is clearly their best feature.

Extra days at nursery while Mum is away = additional admirers of her painted toenails.

Fashionable child.

We celebrated a nice day off together yesterday by having dinner at the Sparrowhawk, our favourite Crystal Palace pub.  Charlie has become a great restaurant companion.  She had the pot of catsup and a bowl of peas, I had the burger (which is fantastic!) and the chicken and mash she didn't eat.  She said "cheers" whenever she saw someone raise a glass.  We shared sticky toffee pudding.  Seemed a bit wintry for late July, but chilly weather is always right around the corner here. 

Charlie asks for her Mum several times each day, including first thing each morning.  She gets so excited when I ask her if she wants to see Mum, and she hugs and kisses the iPad when Bethie is on FaceTime with us.  Thankfully, she's home tomorrow!  We can't wait!

Visiting the Peterka's on their Urban Farm

welcome sign outside their door

My brother and his family live in Shoreline, WA (just north of Seattle) on their urban farm.  They have all kinds of beautiful crops, two beehives and even chickens!

(Forgive my crappy photos, I didn't bring the big fancy camera, so these are just iPhone photos!)

CHICKENS!

busy bees

Charlie and I had a fantastic time listening to a mini concert, eating fresh eggs and veggies from their yard and catching up on life.

home grown and home cooked

I heard all about their busy schedule of homeschooling activities and socialising and they asked me all about living in London.  Unfortunately we didn't get to see Meghan, but we did get to hear a bit about what she's up to these days as well.

of course Charlie convinced them to read her some books

Quote of the day:

"People say the problem with homeschooling is the socialisation and I say, 'Yeah!  I know!  We've got to stop doing so much of it!'"  -Brian

group photo (check out my brother's epic beard)

Zeth

My niece and nephew, Devon and Zeth, are both bright and multitalented.  Here is a snippet of a song they sang for us during our visit:

This last video is of Charlie meeting one of the chickens.  She got such a kick out of them! The video ends with a shot of the busy beehive:

Italy Part IV: wild Italian greens . . .

One of the most favourite parts of our holiday in Italy was when the owner of the villa, Elda, invited us to help her pick a vegetable that grows wild on the villa property.  We can't seem to figure out what it was called, but it looked more like an herb than a veggie.  I failed to get a good picture of it while it was still on the stalk (you pluck the leaves off before eating it), but you can see a good shot of it in the video below.

Elda explained that the vegetable grew wild in the area and that it is generally eaten in risotto or a frittata or as a side dish.  But before you can eat it, you have to pick it!  Jason and Elda did the dirty work while Charlie and I picked flowers below.

The hill where it was growing on the property was extremely steep, but they both navigated it quite well!

Once we had bags and bags of greens, Elda explained how to pluck off the leaves and then sent us on our way with an enormous bag of the stuff!

You can see what the veggie looks like at the end of this little video:

And here it is once we picked it off the stalk:

Here it is again once Jason sautéed it in some olive oil (as per Elda's suggestion):

Though he cooked it up the greens as Elda suggested, he served it in a very non-Italian dish of lamb and hummus.  It was delicious!  

The veggie was very mild and vaguely spinach-like.  I have to say, our favourite part of it was picking it in the gorgeous Italian countryside!  

PS:  Jason also made this amazing focaccia bread for dinner that night.  We sampled something similar while in Italy, but I have to say that Jason's was better!

Italy Part III: Charlie dances and then sits on a suitcase

Untitled from Bethie on Vimeo.

Italy Part II: Singing in Vicenza

When I was invited to join the English and Italian Lute Societies for a concert at the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Italy, Jason and I decided to make a vacation out of it.  As a result, I missed out on some of the vacay due to rehearsals, but Jason and Charlie got to spend quality time together (Jason is working on that post . . . ) 

I had two days of rehearsal and then more rehearsals on the day of the performance.  Rehearsals were held at the Villa Caldogno which is just north of Vicenza.  There were quite a few people with cameras hanging around and I have lifted many of their pictures to post here.  

I had the pleasure to sing with two lovely sopranos:  Jenni and Rebecca

We were accompanied by fifty lutes, theorbos and baroque guitars.  For those of you not familiar with these instruments, it is very rare to have this many of them playing together at once.  The idea of it seemed a bit odd to me at first, but once I heard everyone together I thought the effect was interesting and really quite beautiful.  

Though our first day was spent in what was basically a large conference room, the second day of rehearsals was in the stunning Villa Caldogno.  

If you look beyond my silly expression you may notice some familiar faces lurking outside the window in the picture below:

Jason and Charlie would come around when I had breaks and Charlie LOVED running around and exploring the grounds of the villa:

We were not supposed to take pictures in the Teatro Olimpico, but those who managed to snap a few have shared them with the rest of us.  Before I share those, here I am in my dressing room.  I was quite relieved to have my own room given the strapless bra I had to navigate . . . 

I don't have a very good picture of me in my dress, but you can get an idea from the picture below.  Forgive the awkwardness of the photo below.  I was attempting to flirt while singing the most oddly syncopated piece I've ever sung!

And here I am angry a (the gorgeous!) Rebecca when she denies me her love:

Jason and Charlie sat up in the nosebleed section (right by a door, just in case) and Jason snapped this picture with his iPhone of my big solo.  He said that, despite it being way past her bedtime, Charlie sat on Jason's lap and quietly and attentively watched the entire concert.  When she saw me she would say, "mama" and point and she would applaud after every piece.  I can't tell you how much that warms my heart!

Italy Part I: Castello di Barbarano

We had a fantastic time in Italy!  We have lots of photos to share (though most are from our iPhones due to a dead camera battery.  Doh!) and we'll share them over a number of posts.  I'll start with our accommodations:  Castello di Barbarano.  This place was amazing and it was one of the cheaper options we were able to find in the area.  Seriously folks, if you're looking for a place to stay to get a true Italian experience stay here!!

We rented a small apartment in an 18th century building on the grounds of the villa.  It wasn't fancy, but it was just perfect for us.  Whenever possible, we always try to get a place with a kitchen when we travel.  We end up eating out less and we always have a good time exploring grocery stores in foreign countries.

Anyway, here is a brief tour of our accommodations:

The villa is on a hill overlooking the town of Barbarano Vicentino on one side and an expanse of Italian gorgeousness on the other side.  Here is the entrance from the street:

It took us a while to find the place because we were thrown off by the church next to the entrance.  We just assumed the entrance was part of the church grounds, but it turns out that the church belongs to the villa.  It is described as the "family noble chapel" and was built in 1709:

You enter the grounds through a small tunnel running through the main villa which was built in the 15th century on the grounds of a medieval castle (hence the name of the villa:  Il Castello).  

If you look straight ahead as you enter through the gate, down the long driveway lined with lemon trees, you see the 18th century building where we stayed:

This building has been broken up into four lovely apartments.  I didn't get any good pictures of the inside, but it was really lovely.  Trust me.  You can see pictures of the inside by visiting their website.

Beyond this building is a large walled in garden:

Charlie loved running around and inspecting the weeds vegetation:

She also took long, contemplative walks while pondering the meaning of life:

The grounds are absolutely stunning.  There is a lemon orchard and lots of old stone staircases and charming details everywhere you look.

As I mentioned, the villa is set up on a hill.  Here is the view from the grounds into the little city below:

The town is pretty sleepy, but they do have an excellent gelato shop!

Here is the view from the other side:

It is truly stunning there and the owners are friendly and helpful.  We hope to go back again!  In the meantime, stay tuned for more Italy posts!

Ciao!

Charlie, Jason and I are headed to Italy!!  I've timed this to post on the day we arrive.  So imagine us sipping espresso or perhaps eating big bowls of spaghetti while you read this.

I was asked to sing with the English and Italian Lute Societies along with two other sopranos in Vicenza, Italy.  Vicenza is the home of the oldest surviving enclosed theatre in the world, the Teatro Olimpico (built between 1580-1585), and this is where we will be performing.  It is an absolutely stunning, drop dead gorgeous space:

Teatro Olimpico

stage of the Teatro Olimpico

We decided we wanted to stay someplace a bit rural, so we're a bit of a drive from the theatre and rehearsal space.  We found a little cottage on Airbnb.com that is on the grounds of this villa that the owners refer to as Il Castello (The Castle):  

We will probably be making day trips to Venice and perhaps other nearby cities, but also plan to explore the smaller villages and enjoy our down time together.

We may have time to post from an internet cafe at some point, but don't worry if you don't hear from us.  We'll be back in a week!

CIAO!

Jet Lag Baby

this picture taunts me

Charlotte and I have been up until 4am for the past two nights (as I type this, it is 11pm on the third night).  4am is 8pm on the west coast of the US which was when we were putting her down to bed on our trip.  She's taking short naps so she should be super tired at night.  Nope. 

Jason read that babies need a day of recovery for each hour of time difference.  We were a whopping eight hours earlier.  I don't think I'll ever sleep again. 

Jason and I have both been taking nighttime duties, but as I don't have to check in at an office in the mornings, the bulk of nighttime duty has gone to me.  We play with toys, read books, watch infomercials and try over and over again to do relaxing, sleep inducing activities such as drinking warm milk and singing quiet songs.  She won't all for it. 

So, in the meantime, we're counting down the days for things to get better.  And they will get better . . . eventually . . .

More Cousins

We've spent the last few days with Jason's stepbrother and his family in Denver, CO.  They live in a gorgeous (and spacious!) house here with their two daughters Susie (8 months old) and Maggie (3 years old).  Even though Susie and Charlie are only four months apart, Charlie was more interested in following Maggie around.  Although, I'm sure that will change by next time we see them!  

Here are some pictures from our visit:

Susie and Maggie

Charlie is going to miss all their great toys!

Charlie learned a lot of new play skills from watching Maggie play.

playtime

What a sweet face!  

The girls went on a walk with the dads which allowed time for Jenn and me to work on refreshing our cloth diapers.  THANK YOU JENN!!  

Ready for a chilly walk.

Susie-Q