Sunday, April 13, 2008

visitors

Our house is full of Very Large boots and trainers at the moment.

Endless cups of tea are being made (some of them are also being drunk, some are being left half-drunk in mugs secreted in unexpected places around the house).

Cousins are being introduced to school friends and vice versa.

The curtains in the spare room have not been opened for a week.

There is a certain teenager sweatiness in the air.

There is much hilarity and watching of DVDs.

Coming from such a small (and rather cloistered) island the boys are very impressed with the number of Starbucks in London, and the size of our HMVs.

They went to Camden Market yesterday and I think their heads nearly exploded.

and thats a picture of our home this week.



Here are a few pictures taken on the beach right by the boys' home in Jersey.

















15 comments:

tut-tut said...

Lucky boys to live there and have all of you in London! Great photos. They make me think there are endless possibilities out there for all of us. Very hopeful.

Do you remember the series The Prisoner? For some reason, that red ball (buoyish thing?) made me think of it. Patrick McGoohan . . .

lettuce said...

T-T i know what you mean about the hopefulness - sky and sea have that effect on me too.
and yes! i remember it - i think it was called Rover. And was quite sinister. great series - if not very hopeful.

Shammickite said...

I loved having a house full of teenagers when my boys were living at home!
The piles of huge shoes just inside the kitchen door.
Dirty cups and glasses left all over the place.
Large people opening the fridge to see if there's anything "good" inside.
And video games blasting machine gun noises far into the night.
Life's a lot quieter now.

mouse (aka kimy) said...

I feel as if I'm right there in your house with it's invasion of new teen energy....the large shoes tossed about (oh how I pray no one has seriously stinky feet), half drunk cups all about, the unique perfume of teenage hormones....

the photos from the beach are spectacular....thanks for a little trip to the shore....

oh the vietnamese restuarant in nyc is called pho viet huong @ 73 mulberry st.

according to a frommer's review:
Chinatown has its own enclave of Vietnamese restaurants, and the best is Pho Viet Huong. The menu is vast and needs intense perusing, but your waiter will help you pare it down. The Vietnamese know soup, and pho, a beef-based soup served with many ingredients, is the most famous, but the hot and sour canh soup, with either shrimp or fish, is the real deal. The small version is more than enough for two to share while the large is more than enough for a family. The odd pairing of barbecued beef wrapped in grape leaves is another of the restaurant's specialties and should not be missed, while the bun, various meats and vegetables served over rice vermicelli, are simple, hearty, and inexpensive. You'll even find Vietnamese sandwiches here: French bread filled with ham, chicken, eggs, lamb, and even pâté. For the daring, there are the frogs' legs, but don't expect what you're used to at your friendly neighborhood French restaurant -- these require patience and fortitude. All of the above is best washed down with an icy cold Saigon beer.

you are going to have a blast in ny! can't wait to see you in dc - email me what time you get in on may 1st .....hope it's early; if so maybe we can rendezvous and visit a bit! email me - I arrive flying into national 10:30 a.m. on thursday may 1.

Reya Mellicker said...

Oh! Camden Market!! I want to go, too (imagine whiny teenage voice).

Or ... don't imagine it!

Sounds like a blast. Fun for everyone. I bet the cousins will not soon forget this vacation. Excellent!

R.L. Bourges said...

I can just see it: when the three boys and the teen aged daughter had their friends over (and their friends' dogs too), our place felt as if the rivets might pop out of the roof from all the energy pouring in and out of the house. It got loud and messy but most of the time, it was great fun (but oh: in our case, those milk encrusted glasses behind couches and under chairs - grrrr!)
Enjoy the onslaught, Letty - you won't believe how quiet things will be afterwards.
best

dennis said...

Dennis loves the beach pictures. Dennis would like to live there!

Akelamalu said...

It's strange isn't it - they want to leave that lovely beach for town and I'd love to leave town for that beach! ;#

Jay said...

Lovely photos - I sure wish I could come visit!

Anonymous said...

What lovely beaches. I need to live nearer the ocean. I'm way to far away and I do need it.

Pod said...

beaut pics lettle. lovely light. another place to stroll....
i was disturbed as a podlet by prisoner. even now i still scream and jump in terror if a white ball or balloon rolls or flies my way....

Anonymous said...

Yikes, Lettuce, these sandy 'outdoor' pics may be precisely the reason I love Oxford Street (only joking).

I love your description of 'a certain teenager sweatiness in the air'.

Enjoy.

dennis said...

Dennis loves teenagers! lots of attention, dropped food and laptime.

Lynne said...

Sounds like your house is full and happy!

Lovely photos, especially the ripply one that came first.

lettuce said...

ex-shammie, the boys are too polite to go poking around in our fridge. (they SO want to visit again!) But i think they spent ALL of yesterday on the playstation. or the xbox. or one or the other..... or even both?

kimy, no feety stinkiness thankfully!
thanks for the foodie info., its on our itinerary! will email about meeting in DC. :o)

Reya I'd LOVE to visit camden market. (only if you don't do the whiney voice tho)
(well no, tbh, even if you do!)

lee i woke far to early this morning, i'm sure its a subliminal need for quiet time alone before they all wake up.

I think Dennis would enjoy the geese and ducks on the beach.

lamalu, thats exactly how i feel!

jay you'd be most welcome.

deb, there is something about it, isn't there?

poor traumatised pod. it was a most sinister series altogether.

lol sally. (but i love london too)

ta lynne. see you soon!!