Working Flat Out.... on my Belly

Hello Dear Readers,

This week I did something I probably should have done a long time ago, and was on my list of stuff to do during the Year of Me, but somehow didn't get around to. Some of you might know/remember I was born with a large mole on my "natal cleft" (learned that word this week) that made it difficult for me to sit on my tailbone, or do yoga and other stuff.  On the encouragement of my friend Lucy at my birthday party, I called the doctor to have it removed.  And on Tuesday, I did.

My boss very kindly drove me to the hospital (it was raining, and the Hospital is awkward to get to from Kew, which is why I usually cycle, but for obvious reasons that wasn't going to work this trip).  I went in to the doctor and he explained the procedure and risks etc.  After I got my bottom half undressed and was laying butt up on the table, one of the nurses popped her head around and said, oh, you know my husband, he works at kew.  I do know him, he's one of three American's working in the Herbarium.  London is such a small town after all.  Anyway the doc cut and cut and cut, and when I thought he was onto the stitches already, turns out he was still cutting!  When he finally showed me the result, I said, HOLY CRAP!!  Since I'd never actually seen it (no one can properly look at their own "natal cleft" I had no idea how big and ugly it was, thank goodness it wasn't on my FACE!  In all he removed an ellipse about 1 in long and 1/2 in deep from my tailbone and very neatly (so I'm told) sewed the whole thing up with two layers of internal stitches.

So I've been working from home the past week, alternately on my belly and standing at the computer.  The first days were really painful, I could only sleep lying very still on my stomach and my legs ached.  My mother, who worked in dermatology, advised me that if it were her bum, she wouldn't sit or bend for a week to prevent tearing anything and ending up with a keloid scar (like the horrid one on my leg).  Friday I went to dinner with my friends for knitting Lucy's Birthday.... and stood awkwardly at the head of the table.... see above photo. I did venture to work today and sat (on a pillow and a doughnut).  So far so good, but no cycling for two months!! Two months!  I'll probably finally finish reading Anna Karinina on the train I suppose, thank goodness Patrick gave me his smart phone.

In other news, speaking of Patrick, I don't think I posted a photo of his finished Birthday Sweater!!

 Aww,  he's so handsome in it, so long as you can get past his FACE!

 I'm also totally psyched that my friend Molly is coming to London on Wednesday.  She has to do something for work, but we are meeting up afterwards for dinner and a catch up.  I saw this totally cute summer (esp. for England where the summers necessate not only a summer jacket but a summer scarf and sometimes summer gloves....) dress which is part knit part sewn.  I cannibalized a tank top I made that I never wear any more, and cut up a sheet which Molly gave me when we visited in March.

I had some scraps left over from the skirt part, so in the proud tradition my mother had of making matching purses for our dresses, I made this little matching purse for Katelyn.  I try to make things to fit her but she defies traditional sizing.  So even if the dress doesn't fit, she'll have this cute bag anyway.  I put a bee on it because Molly said she's been really into staring at bees, and she also is really into putting things in and out of bags and boxes etc.

I'll keep you updated on my bum situation, but so far so good, at least that's what Chris tells me, I can't see a darn thing!

Cheers.

The long goodbye.....

Hello Dear Readers,

Well I reached the end of a two week vacation.  You know it was good because I forgot my work login this morning when I finally went back and had to get the IT guys to fix it.  One of them suggested I prevent that in the future by not going on vacation.......

 We had a pleasent last few days in Cyprus, visiting the port, meeting up with our friends Stavros and Margarhita (who are getting married in July, poor dears.....) 

Dad, Jeff and Chris also earned the respect of the Mouchtares of Aramou (Chris's family's village) by participating in one of the Easter Games.  We have no idea what it was they were playing (something about a pepper??) but they were really good sports about it, even though he kept whipping them with a knotted towel.

Back in London we did more tourist things, we went to see A Chorus Line (yes, I may have heavily influenced that decision, and yes it was AMAZING live and on stage.  The only way to see it.  The ONE and only way to see it.  Singular. Sensational.)

We did a few things outside the beaten path, including going to one of the best kept secrets of tourist locations in London, Hampton Court Palace (where I went with Hannah 3 years ago and Molly last August). 
Here is me whipping dad at a game of fox and geese in the Royal Eating Hall, or something like that.

I also got mom to go into the center of the worlds oldest hedge maze, despite her claustrophobia. She did her best The King and I impression, keeping up a string of chatter and conversation while power walking through and asking if we were done yet.


Friday Cat and Jeff flew back to Boston, and Mom and Dad stayed on till Monday.  We spent the day quietly, mostly cleaning up the house as the first showing to perspective buyers was on Saturday.

On Saturday morning we took Mom and Dad to our fav local coffee spot, the Daily Grind and walked down to the rowing club and showed Dad all the renovations.  In the afternoon we saw the Roy Lichtenstein retrospective at the Tate Modern.  I enjoyed it immensely, but then I nearly took a minor in Art History so I think it meant a lot more to me than the others, but we still had a nice day walking around the South Bank Area, exploring the cute shops and artistic venues.  We also took Mom and Dad to that classic English resturant, GBK or Gormet Burger Kitchen.  At least that went over well with dad!

Sunday we explored the medieval city of Kingston and their tiny farmer's market (and famous artwork of domino phone booths), but by the evening we were all worn out of traveling, and the boys played scrabble against each other on their devices while Mom and I watched Hey Cinderella!

 Mom and Dad left this morning, all in all I say it was a successful vacation.  From Mom's perspective it afforded her the rare opportunity to photograph all three of her children on the same continent at the same time!

 Look how thin we all look next to Cat!!  Check out my wild PJ's that mom brought me, they are flannel, surprisingly hard to come by in England.

 And here are all the Lindon's and "New Recruit" Lindons!  Still all able to fit on one couch, how much longer will we be able to say that?

Wooahhhh, we were all fine until Jumbo Cat sat down with her enormous pregnant belly!  Wave!! Whale!!!

Hope you are all enjoying May as much as I am, and I have a SECOND bank holiday in May to look forward to!

Cheers

Happy Easter! Again!

Hello dear Readers,

It's been a very busy couple of weeks as my Mother, Father, Sister and her husband, Jeff, flew into London on the 27th of April.  Here we see me after P9X and Insanity, and my sister's big baby bellly!

 We spent the weekend in London and had a mini birthday celebration for us three kids (mine was March 11, Cat's March 30 and Patrick April 30). Saturday we did Kew and Maids of Honour on Sunday and flew to Cyprus for Easter week EARLY on Monday morning.  Kew was brilliant for color with the cherry trees out and lots of flowers, but it was really cold!  Patrick is even wearing the heavy wool cabled sweater I made him for his birthday.

 The Maids of Honour was really crowded, but we found space for most of us inside for a cup of tea and split an afternoon tea tray.  Pat and Dad sat outside drinking their manly coffees.

 In Cyprus we did a lot of the usual tourist things.  After flying in on Monday early we hit Coral Bay beach after lunch and enjoyed the clear warm(ish) water.  The next day we did the ancient site and mosaics.  It was great seeing this stuff again because I haven't really played tourist in Cyprus pretty  much since my first trip here, it's usually chores chores chores.  Here were are at what I think is the house of Dionyses.

 Of course after a hard hot morning looking at ruins you need to get your Frappe on!  A good solid hour cooling off at the port and people watching.

 We spent a lot of time at the beach this trip, more than I can remember doing in a long time, which is great.  To me summer is the beach, so I feel like I haven't had a proper summer in a looooooong time (we're talking 2006!).

 We went up to the city of Lachi in Polis for a morning, and explored Geroskipu's beach in the afternoon.  Saturday we went to St. Neofytos monastery which is about 15 min away and did more tourist stuff, and then Coral Bay beach again in the evening!

 This is Easter week for the Orthodox faith, so we went to midnight mass last night.  Not really my thing, stayihng up late, church, candles and lots of kids doing little bombs to commemorate the evening, pretty much all the things I hate.  Oh and Chris mad sheep head for him and Jeff for dinner.  It was buy one get one free and, well, two heads ARE better than one.......

Today is a quiet day with the family, Chris and Jeff are next door now stoking the fires to make Souvla and mom and Niki are in the kitchen making stuffed grape leaves.  Tomorrow we plan to make the long drive into the occupied part which my dad is interested to see, then back home to London on Tuesday afternoon.

I thought it would be weird my family meeting Chris's for the first time, but it's actually not bad at all, and I realize I speak a lot more Greek than I thought I did.  It's also a hell of a lot nicer being here when there are people I can talk to and who aren't trying to feed me all the time!!!

Cheers