Freddy the Fish, 1998-2009
At the age of eleven years, Freddy the Fish met his ultimate end at 5pm on Monday April 27th, 2009, following a short illness.
Freddy started life as a party favor, given to our daughter on her friend's 4th birthday on April 21st, 1998. He led a round and active life, uncomplainingly embracing the full sphere of his aqueous environment. His friend, the Little Mermaid, abandoned him when he was three, but a new friend, the little green turtle stayed with him until the end. He chose the little green turtle's back as his final resting place, where he lay on one side and breathed his last.
Freddy will be missed by all that knew him, fed him and changed his water.
RIP
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Off we jolly well go!
I'm writing this now because I'm not quite sure when next I shall write. This time tomorrow I'll be on my merry way to spend several days in dear old Blighty. I'm so looking forward to it - not least because I'll be catching up with friends and relatives whilst sightseeing and taking our two youngest to experience the sights and sounds of London. The last time they were there, they were four and six years old respectively so this time, at ten and twelve, they should be better able to enjoy all the things we will do.
The preparations for such a trip take a disproportionate amount of time and effort but the hope is that everything will be plain sailing, no stone will be left unturned and that all and every cliche known to man shall be used in hastily blogging these words of farewell. Lest the marauding masses be on hand to study our every move I shall refrain from blogging our itinarary, but you can be sure that I will report back in detail at the end of the month.
Don't forget me while I'm gone!
The preparations for such a trip take a disproportionate amount of time and effort but the hope is that everything will be plain sailing, no stone will be left unturned and that all and every cliche known to man shall be used in hastily blogging these words of farewell. Lest the marauding masses be on hand to study our every move I shall refrain from blogging our itinarary, but you can be sure that I will report back in detail at the end of the month.
Don't forget me while I'm gone!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Prom
Having our very own all-American prom queen in the house is interesting from the British mum's point of view. I've heard that proms are now becoming popular in the UK but they were something I'd only ever seen in American movies until I came here 16 years ago. The whole prom business is a new experience for both mother and daughter. I've never been been to one and neither has she.
My beautiful size 2 daughter is blessed with a figure and a popularity which I could not even have dreamed of at her age. She's a high school freshman and she's been invited to the Junior prom, so we were thrown into to this comparatively early by age, but rather late in the day for dress shopping. I never realised what a business it was. For a start, who'd have thought we'd be frequenting bridal shops to try on dresses? I, who have never purchased any single garment for more than $50 for myself, find myself watching my 15-year old try on $350 dresses and actually considering buying them! Behind all the practical thinking and my dismay at the costs involved, there is a starry-eyed me who sighs and says 'Wow! I can't believe my child is doing this'. It's all so glamorous and since my own day of glamour was confined to my wedding day, it's hard to realise that we might be doing this again next year.
We have looked at many many prom dresses and the one she's in love with was the first one she tried on. It's completely gorgeous, very impractical and far too much money. Unless she's going to stand around looking statuesque in a Nicole Kidman sort of way and dance elegant waltzes, the dress is going to suffer. Even if the dress survives the prom and the high heels remain painfully on the feet, what happens at the after-prom party? That's the part I really don't understand. It's being held at a local sports centre. There's nowhere to sit comfortably with a drink and certainly it isn't a place for a bedazzling sequinned gown - there are just indoor soccer fields. What are they going to do? Are they going to run around playing soccer in their finery? Apparently they're going to be there until 5am and I suspect she will have had enough before that.
We still haven't found the right dress and unfortunately most of the remaining size 2 dresses are not to her taste. The Dream Dress has already been purchased by a girl at the same high school and the store will only sell two identical dresses to girls from one school - the idea being one for each prom (Junior and Senior). Unfortunately they could not tell us which prom the other girl was going to, so either they or we take a chance on showing up and finding a twin, or we look for something else. Personally it wouldn't bother me at all to find myself wearing the same outfit as someone else - I would find it amusing and would probably go and make a joke aobut it with the other woman. But I think that's just the British way, because apparently here it's considered something of a social faux pas. So we continue shopping.
I'm proud and excited to have a gorgeous all-American daughter going to her first prom with her boyfriend. I want to run around making a fuss and taking photos but actually I probably won't say very much at all because that's also the British way. It's glamorous and exotic though.... like having a real American mailbox on a stick.
Post Script
After another afternoon of dress hunting, we returned to the first shop and even after trying a couple more styles, we ended up buying the Dream Dress and sharing the cost between us because we learned that the other girl is a senior and is therefore (probably) going to the senior prom. The dress is every bit as exotic as we remembered and we have one very happy daughter. :)
My beautiful size 2 daughter is blessed with a figure and a popularity which I could not even have dreamed of at her age. She's a high school freshman and she's been invited to the Junior prom, so we were thrown into to this comparatively early by age, but rather late in the day for dress shopping. I never realised what a business it was. For a start, who'd have thought we'd be frequenting bridal shops to try on dresses? I, who have never purchased any single garment for more than $50 for myself, find myself watching my 15-year old try on $350 dresses and actually considering buying them! Behind all the practical thinking and my dismay at the costs involved, there is a starry-eyed me who sighs and says 'Wow! I can't believe my child is doing this'. It's all so glamorous and since my own day of glamour was confined to my wedding day, it's hard to realise that we might be doing this again next year.
We have looked at many many prom dresses and the one she's in love with was the first one she tried on. It's completely gorgeous, very impractical and far too much money. Unless she's going to stand around looking statuesque in a Nicole Kidman sort of way and dance elegant waltzes, the dress is going to suffer. Even if the dress survives the prom and the high heels remain painfully on the feet, what happens at the after-prom party? That's the part I really don't understand. It's being held at a local sports centre. There's nowhere to sit comfortably with a drink and certainly it isn't a place for a bedazzling sequinned gown - there are just indoor soccer fields. What are they going to do? Are they going to run around playing soccer in their finery? Apparently they're going to be there until 5am and I suspect she will have had enough before that.
We still haven't found the right dress and unfortunately most of the remaining size 2 dresses are not to her taste. The Dream Dress has already been purchased by a girl at the same high school and the store will only sell two identical dresses to girls from one school - the idea being one for each prom (Junior and Senior). Unfortunately they could not tell us which prom the other girl was going to, so either they or we take a chance on showing up and finding a twin, or we look for something else. Personally it wouldn't bother me at all to find myself wearing the same outfit as someone else - I would find it amusing and would probably go and make a joke aobut it with the other woman. But I think that's just the British way, because apparently here it's considered something of a social faux pas. So we continue shopping.
I'm proud and excited to have a gorgeous all-American daughter going to her first prom with her boyfriend. I want to run around making a fuss and taking photos but actually I probably won't say very much at all because that's also the British way. It's glamorous and exotic though.... like having a real American mailbox on a stick.
Post Script
After another afternoon of dress hunting, we returned to the first shop and even after trying a couple more styles, we ended up buying the Dream Dress and sharing the cost between us because we learned that the other girl is a senior and is therefore (probably) going to the senior prom. The dress is every bit as exotic as we remembered and we have one very happy daughter. :)
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