We survived !!!!!

Caroline is in England until Sunday, which leaves me home alone. I am being looked after by Toby and Isabelle.

They have done terrific job, they woke me up, reminded me to eat breakfast, (and lunch,with snacks), taught me about Noah and the Ark. They also made sure all our blood pressure was ok and we were up to the task (see pic)

And that was by 9am.....

From there, Isabelle spoke to me at length about the importance of education, and nutrition while studying..and then promptly showed me how to make a packed lunch...

Meanwhile Toby showed me the importance of relaxation , how to chill, and generally take it easy...(Don't think he actually got up to help all morning.)

After school we spent the afternoon making Carrot and Walnut Muffins with Aiden (Master Chef and Musician)

Then headed back home, via the bottle shop. (Picked up a nice Malbec, Selected by Lady Isabelle, she liked the bear on the label)

Izzy co ordinated the evening clean up, with guests arriving at 8pm.

Toby decided to call it quits at about 7ish.......lazy bugger......that boy needs to start pulling his weight around here. He still hasn't found a job.

Izzy and I prep'd for diner, along with Mr Hunan Delight, who by a stroke of genius arrived with everything cooked, in nice little boxes and ready to eat...Amazing...he even brought chopsticks. He left, taking some of my money, saying he would invest it wisely...Smart man....

Peter and Sarah arrived from Bermuda and were promptly shown how to strut to "Don't Stop Me Now", by Queen....(Izzy's typical bed time, wind down routine !!)

She was quick to secure us an invite, (the whole family) to the beach in Bermuda next year...(nice work Iz)

A good day...Some tired bodies though !

We all wished very much that Mummy / Caroline / Wifey was with us..........Not quite the same without her.

She would have been incredibly proud of her daughter, Isabelle who was centre of the party, until she crashed around 8pm. One too many Milk Cup's, I believe......she needs to pace herself......

She would also be proud of Toby who was incredibly calm despite daddy's stress, over simple things like cleaning bottles at 6am......

Theme of the day, described best by a new book Daddy and Toby found while Izzy was at school....

In "Cargo" at the weekend. That's Chicago to you and I, but Izzy hasn't quite got that one mastered. Not yet anyway.

Out there for some RGL Training. It went very well and was a lot of fun. Managed to catch up with a number of people I haven't seen for a while.

Got back late Saturday night, so it felt like a very short weekend.

Those were the days.....AIG's share price whizzes by at $45.81... today closed at $3.75

Another day of financial incertainty today for AIG. Hopefully the stories of a financial rescuse are not merely speculation....

Fall is Under Way...

The leaves are falling and the birthday parties have started.

Some of the things happening in September are obvious, Leaf Peeping, Izzy's birthday, early casualties of the premiership !

But there's also a string of birthday parties for Isabelle to attend...All her friends are virtually the same age, so each weekend there are various events ...She's quite the socialite ! Its exhausting for us though....

Got back from Baltimore on the train late last night. On the way home from the station I was reminded of the date by two shining columns of light projecting from ground zero.

I never did see the actual towers themselves. My first visit to the US came shortly after September 11, 2001. But this image certainly serves to show of how they must have dominated the skyline.

Once I made it home, I decided to go down to Brooklyn Heights to look more closely. A large number of poeple had the same idea. It was a strong reminder to cherish what we have since we don't know what lies a head. A humbling experience.

Amazing how time passes by.

I cannot believe it is 7 years since we were all watching the television, not believing what was being shown. But the most unbelievable of images are still strong in our memory.

A Sycamore tree had protected St Pauls Chapel from the blast caused by the falling towers.

An artist made a mold of the stump from that tree and with other tree segments made a large sculpture called Trinity Root to stand as a testament to life, humanity and the positive response to the catastrophe. This sculpture stands in Trinity Church on Broadway.

Look who's 3 today !

Happy Birthday Isabelle

Lots of Love

Mummy, Daddy and Toby

xx

Mrs O

Here's To You....
Love You.....xx

Hey, would you mind stepping back a little....you're in my sun....