Today I went to my second NIA dance class and I LOVED IT...it is described as a personal growth, body-mind-spirit fitness program, incorporating moves from traditional aerobics, all kinds of dance, yoga/pilates and martial arts.....check it out at http://www.niac.ca/on/aboutnia.php if you've never heard about it....it is apparently very popular in North America but just catching on here in the UK.

After the class we met up with Dorit, Peter and Zach, (Dorit teaches the class and Zach is in Bailey's class at North London Rudolph Steiner) and other friend of hers Jen and her son and we checked out a new park we've been meaning to go to called Friary Park. The British sure know how to do parks and playgrounds, I tell you.....they almost always have a great cafe or restaurant there too. I had a great greek salad, but then everything tastes great when you're starving after a good workout! The NIA classes are the closest I've come to skating in the old days in a LONG time.

Now we are 'prepping' for daddy deserting us for three days! He is off on his BMW motorcycle adventure to Germany for his medical appointment....he'll be soaking up the dream because he'll have to dive back into his thesis when he returns...only a few weeks left!

We also bought a new old (!) computer off Ebay today. Jaxon has been begging us to get some kind of video game system for a long time but opted today to spend his money from Grandma and Grandpa Werry towards a new family computer that can play PC games that he would have played on a playstation or something but he can also use the internet, play chess and checkers with Grandma June and Roy (and whomever else is willing!) and use other software that he has like his Lego Digital Designer and others. We have all been 'fighting' over daddy's laptop as the other computer has been working on and off and is not fast enough for games.

Anyway, hopefully this computer will work out well. Jaxon is pleased with his decision after much research and consideration. Now he wants to get a paper route to pay for games and such...only we don't think they do that here....although there are alot of flyers delivered by people....he may have to wait until Canada for the paper route thing...he is really keen though. He thinks he will ride his bike to do it..we'll see!

Sé was teething pretty hard again today but is still as sweet as ever, charming everyone with his smiles. Almost sitting up but too impatient to bother....he just wants to stand....he's all legs! On his belly, he can spin in a circle, pull himself forward a bit and gets up on his feet and knees but can't quite get right up on all fours yet. He'll be 6 months on Friday.....wow, time flies!

TTFN,

Lisa

Well, here we are back in London after another big adventure! This time, we started in Sussex at the Steiner School Camp - beautiful countryside, high class camping with fully stocked communal kitchen and food to die for! Not what we're used to in Canada, where we have to put the food in the car or up in a tree so the bears or raccoons don't storm the tent!! Kids had a great time playing and swimming, adults enjoyed great food, drink and music around the campfire.....the highlight for me was the KIA dance workshop!!!Just like skating again!! Felt great to have such a fun intense workout and move to the music.

Then it was off to la loire, actually south of the loire, near la Vienne, in a small village called Berthegon (north of Bordeaux) to stay with Claire and Jason in their old stone farm house. It was REALLY hot and 'buggy' but the company was great -kids played with Gil and Hester and swam in their little pool. We toured many chateaux in the area, including the home where Da Vinci spent his last four years - IBM engineers built some of his inventions and designs and that was definitely a highlight in Amboise - oh, except for le marché where we nearly lost Bailey!! The police had him after he had left the market, crossed two streets and returned to the bar in front of our hotel we had only stayed in for one night!!!! Another highlight of this visit was definitely the meal Jason prepared on our last night of prawns and squid..worth cutting our camping trip to Versailles short.

We spent the extra night in Amboise as there was too much to do, so we only camped for one night in Versailles. A five minute walk from Huttopia - which we would definitely recommend - is the RER train to Paris....20 minutes later and Sé and I were in front of la Tour Eiffel!! After a lovely day exploring Paris by bus, visiting Notre Dame and strolling around the left bank, Sé and I took the Eurostar through the chunnel and were home in Muswell Hill in less than four hours!! Amazing!

Now we are just trying to unpack and get things done -like Ian's thesis -without any particular routine or rhythm to our days .....it's like starting over again, this summer holiday thing!! Jaxon enjoyed his first real visit to the library to pick out books his he started reading full on - that was fun!