Running with the Night

If only because Lionel Richie is playing Hyde Park and his concert is filling my living room. Which is a bit hot and dark. It has been in the high 80s for days (in London, this is news, friends!) so I'm keeping the lights off and windows open. Our fan is on the ship. Look out, St Swithin's Day! It promises to be a sunny 40 days ahead. We're blue we won't get to witness that, but also cheered by the amazing proper summer send off we're getting from London town.

And it has been a bright few days here in many ways. We had a few weekends worth of grand festivities in the past days. I think we might be on fast forward until the end. It is good to be distracted from being sad.

Friday we celebrated great report cards and I treated myself to a pair of overalls good enough for Prince Harry's girlfriend to wear to Glastonbury. I think my homework coaching, rucksack packing, reading log completion and spelling list mania has earned those. Also that vintage typewriter.

Saturday morning found the Mister and me in the garden of Buckingham Palace for the Coronation Festival. I must have said a kazillion times, "I'm having SO much fun!" Picnic lunch from John Lewis, displays by all the royal warrant holders, Pimms. The whole lot of it was super. Hard to find a favorite bit except of course, my date!

Meanwhile, half of our people were off to birthday parties. Then we transformed from palace guests to flat hosts for Big Brother (turning 9!) having his first slumber party. It was a great time with sweet boys we'll miss terribly. But no fooling, I did a quick calculation sometime early this morning and comforted myself with the knowledge that it is likely quite a while until we host another slumber party. I may sleep most of that time.

Then today we met our French (and Argentinian) friends in a square to celebrate the storming of the Bastille. You can bet that when I learned "la Marseillaise" in 1986 I didn't envision singing it in London with my 4 children. Those sweet friends surprised Big Brother with a cake (from Paul!) and sang "Happy Birthday" to him. In French, Spanish and English.

These are the days we'll remember.