Sunny London.

Not a cloud in the sky and warm three days running. Late morning found the kids and me walking to Highgate Cemetery ( http://www.highgate-cemetery.org/ ). It is hilly and overcrowded and beautifully overgrown with many stones wrapped in ivy and paths lined with baby's breath plants. C. commented a number of times how sad it was that there are so many lost graves, that there is no one to remember these people. It is good to see things through the her eyes; I see only beautiful stones and plants and listen to the birds and feel the peace of the place. T. was focused on looking for graves of folks who died in 1932, 1976, 1982. The first one to find all three won, he won (of course).

It is wonderful to spend time with C. and T. I remember when they were three and 0; now we have conversations that bring out their opinions and independent ideas. They are interesting and entertaining. I'm enchanted. C&P no longer have an aupair as C. has taken the past two years off from working so that she could be more available to the kids. She has made such a lovely home - the house is good in and of itself, but the atmosphere and the look is comfortable and easily elegant. The back garden is an oasis. We had lunch outside. Yesterday, the kids and I spent a couple of hours lounging about on picnic blankets - I knit and they played with my DS. C&P aren't going to be too happy that I've created two DS addicts.

After our time in the garden, T. went up to do homework (they go to a French school and this is the week French kids have Spring Break) and C. and I baked cupcakes from Nigella Lawson's recipe for fairy cakes ( http://www.recipezaar.com/24903 ). We didn't follow the recipe exactly as we used a mini-cupcake pan and frosted them with a raspberry drizzle and sprinkles. For the second batch we added chocolate chips - oh, yeah. They are fantastic. T. and I made a chocolate cake next. Super simple recipe, but something went wrong... I think the bowl was too hot from melting the chocoate - the eggs started cooking and things became a separated gooky mess. We used the hand blender to make it look like cake batter. It baked up nicely and has a gentle flavor, but about 20 minutes after removal from the oven saw the cake deflate to half it's size. It is like a spongey baked fudge.

Today and yesterday were just spent hanging out in the wondrous weather, Monday was a travel day - up for breakfast at 7:30a.m. and out of the hotel, in the car, on the road by 8:05a.m on our way to Shannon airport. We had to leave early because R's parents had an 11:15a.m. flight. I didn't fly out until 12:55p.m., but I entertained myself with duty free shopping and reading. I landed at London Heathrow at 2:30p.m. and was headed out of there on the Heathrow Connect train to Paddington at about 3pm. Change from the train to the Tube, change Tube trains at Embankment, catch a bus at Kentish Town, walk a short way up the hill from the last bus stop and walk into C&P's house around 5pm. Blech. I know that was a tedious listing of my day, but that's how it felt.

Tomorrow is another day of travel - I leave the house by 9:30a.m. and I land in Moscow at 8:30p.m. local time. For now, I'll enjoy the company of C&P and C. and T.