BBQ Burger

As one does here in the UK on a bank holiday weekend, I fire up the Webber - thankfully, the weather holds (rain would not stop me nor England, mind you).

Madeleine mills about and I tell her the secret to a perfect burger: kneed a small dimple on the top to capture juice; never flatten with spatula.  Cook on maximum heat, super quick, to sear the top and maintain the middle medium or pink. Since at home, eat with hands. Madeleine: "That's nice Dad."

Bank Holiday W/E Y'All

Word

It is a bank holiday weekend and not a moment too soon (overcast, but predictions for 'partly sunny').  I do some yard work, watering - usual stuff.  Madeleine and Molly to the movies and pre-load  at the 'All Pounder' shop : enough candy to fill a shopping bag, which they devour during the film.  Me, I get used dropping the gals off for three hours, no supervision.

Fulham FB Club

Rusty is helpful

I give Eitan (in bed, 10AM) the choice: backyard chores or walk with me. He demures but comes along as I drop Madeleine off at Barn Elms for football then the towpath with the dog.

At about Eitan's age now, Grace and I in the routine of walking Sunday afternoons usually at the Little Farm or Nimitz Way in Tilden Park. It was an anxious time, 7th grade, and those walks helped form my early teens.  The secret, I tell Eitan, that Grace listened.

Madeleine: "What if Molly shows up while I am in the shower?"
Me: "She can wait in the kitchen. With me."
Madeleine: "Just promise me you won't be embarrassing, OK?"
Me: "Never in life, my dear."
Madeleine: "And no singing either."
Me: "Can I pledge the allegiance to the flag?"
Madeleine: "Definitely not."
Me: "Hum the star spangled banner? That's not really singing."
Madeleine: "Ugh, Dad, just don't do any of those things. Just try not to be yourself."
Me:
Madeleine: "Just this once. For me."

I Am Number Four

Friday evening.

Sonnet in Colorado to see her father and brother+Adrianne; today they are to Denver to join her extended family for Beecher's memorial.

Me, up the stairs "Eitan you have to do your revisions" (for summer term exams)
Eitan: "I just got home, I'll do them later."
Me: "You'll do them now or tell me when."
Eitan: "In half an hour. At 6PM."
Me to Madeleine: "Sometimes you have to drop the hammer on that kid."
Madeleine: "Yeah. But you never do it enough though."

Paris In Spring

Paris fountain

There is nowhere else I would rather be than springtime in Paris. Though it came late this year (and our recent family visit mostly in the cold) when the city blossoms, she is beautiful. On the edge of the Touleries Gardens, overlooking Place de la Concorde and the Eiffel Tower, I do my sun salutations.

San Ramon, Berkeley

Back row: Hilary and Rosie; Katie, Lesley, me

From the neighbour's stoop to East Sheen. How the hell did that happen? Anyways I had a sweet bowl cut and one must give credit to Grace for putting me in some cool red flooding trousers with blue top. Classico.

Some Brass

Madeleine has made excellent progress on the trumpet - here our gal plays 'Skyfall' from the recent Bond movie. When she first picked up the instrument I thought it would be another three-months-and-out activity but she has hung in there and developed her talent.

Han Solo

I was just the right age for Star Wars in 1977 when it dropped on the cinema like a Death Star. I stood in a line, around the block, with my mom and sister at the Coronet Theatre in San Francisco's Inner Richmond district (which, sadly, closed in 2005). Star Wars dethroned the prior year's Logan's Run another sci fi foible without the rabble-rousing battle-to-the-death parable of good vs. evil.  And no tie fighters.

I revisited the original three Star Wars when they were re released in theatre in the 1997.  And yes, I am feeling old.

Aneta and Sonnet walk in the door, me in the living room blasting KC & The Sunshine Band's '(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty'.
Aneta: "I love this crazy family."

Marc

w/ coach

Marc is the reason we are part of Elm Grove, not easy given it is a 40 minute drive into Surrey for Thursday and weekend training and home matches.  Marc once a semi professional footballer, so he knows the game, but it is his attitude and encouragement of the boys that count in my book.  He has been coaching most of his squad since they were age five.

Unfortunately Marc will step back next season so Eitan's future with the All Stars uncertain following the final games in the Premier league of the Surrey Youth Division.

Nail Biter

Dog fight

The Surrey Cup Final a thriller.  The All Stars outplayed and outclassed in the first half, where the ball mostly stays on our side of the pitch.  Alphie the goalie makes two leaping saves that, by rights, should have put Elm Grove out of the match.  Somehow it is nil-nil at the break.

But disaster: In the first several moments of the second half KPR hit a perfect cross finding a willing boot to open net, 1-nil.  The rest of the game on tenterhooks and we wonder : will the equiliser arrive? And it does, with moments to spare, in regular time.  Jubilation !

Extra time begins and Jack and Eitan go to work in a brutal physical display of football that leaves KPR's forwards shaking their fists and looking towards the referee, who fails to oblige them.  PKs a menacing possibility. But then - one minute left -  Elm Grove awarded a penalty from 20 meters out. Rob (last year's team player) hits a perfect bender, top of the goal box, and Elm Grove are Surrey Cup champs for the first time in club history. Bravo !

Victory well deserved

Elm Grove - Surrey Cup Final

Pre game lineup 

The goodwill hand shake

The Elm Grove 'All Stars' take on the Kings Park Rangers U13s in the Surrey Cup Team Final, which the boys qualified for in dramatic fashion several weeks ago.  This has been quite a season and the parents are as nervous for the boys as, well, the boys are for themselves.  The team arrives an hour before kick off so Marc, their fabulous coach, can put them in the right frame of mind.  Us non players stand around and discuss strategy.

On Bowie

Eitan snacks

Me: "Ok, tell me who this singer is." (I play David Bowie's 'Five Years' on the Sonos)
Madeleine: "Um, ' The Beatles?"
Me: "You're kidding right?"
Madeleine: " I don't know. The Police? Green Day?"
Me: "Shoot me now please."
Madeleine: "How should I know ? It's not like I was born then."
Me:

Great Names

The dog and I know what day of the week it is.

As it is the NFL draft, I consider that African Americans have a lock on the best names. In the first round there is not one John or Dave, Doug, Paul, Joe or even Sean. Instead we have Tavon Austin (picked 8th, Rams), Jarvis Jones ( #17, Pittsburg), and my favorite Desmond Trufont (# 22, Falcons).  This guys parents somehow knew he would be in the pro's.

But the great names don't stop in this year's draft.  How about Jarious Jackson, formerly with the Denver Broncos? Or Dante Culpepper (Minnesota Vikings).  They just roll off the tongue. One can imagine the city block pick-up game, sun setting, dinner smells in the air and mom on the porch: "Jarious, boy, get your ass in here. And I mean now"

Hair & Soup

Painting back steps, 1986

Back when I had a full head of hair I did everything to destroy it. Like the summer following freshman year when I bleached it with lemon juice.

Madeleine: "Do I have to eat this?"
Me: "You will finish your dinner. And enjoy it."
Madeleine "But I haaatte soup."
Me: "How can you hate soup? If it wasn't for me and your mother, you would starve to death."
Madeleine: "So untrue, Dad."
Me: "What was the last thing you enjoyed eating ?"
Madeleine: "Sushi."
Me: "That was like two weeks ago. Anything else?"
Madeleine: "I don't know. Chinese?"
Me: "Just finish the soup."
Madeleine: "I'm just saying."

School Day

Sonnet and I start at 5:50AM, like this morning, to shuffle about a bit then take Madeleine to school on public transpo (she likes to arrive 45 minutes early) or Eitan by school coach (he gets an extra half-hour sleep).  In winter its is dark until 8 or 8:30AM but spring is payback with plenty of morning sunshine and the birds chirping.

Marcia and Larry depart for Paris. Unlike my generation, they are dressed to travel : Marcia in Brooks Brothers and Larry pressed khakis and blue blazer.

Marcia And Larry Visit

Marcia and Larry arrive from New York en route to Paris then Portugal.  Larry has a list of Michelin three stars for Paris which "is where we plan to blow the budget." They lived in the 16e from 1980-82 when Larry responsible for European credit for Citibank - a big ticket job back when ex-pat MBAs qualified to do such things (Larry HBS). Now the top fliers come over as associates at the i banks or consulting firms.

The last we saw Marcia and Larry was Vermont. They have settled into the joy of being grandparents and Diane announces she is expecting #2. All is good.

We, the extended family, watch Eitan's football match.

Marathon Day

Ka Boom

Moving clouds with warm sunshine. Green grass, first leaves budding.  Elm Grove 7, Woking 3.

London Marathon : Tsegaye Kebede (Ethiopia) finishes first in 2:06:04; Priscah Jeptoo (Kenya) in 2:20:15 for the women. Mo Farah runs his first half marathon in 58:28.

Tres Amigos

Luke and Cyrus and the trio complete - here the little goofs play some foosball while listening to rap music.  And to think they consider me uncool.

At about this age my friends discovered weed and girls and snuck around making snide remarks ignoring or unaware of the adults; gladly this not the case with our guys here - they just want to torture the dog and pass the football or watch the boob tube. All good by me.

Margaret Thatcher, 1925-2013

RIP, April 8

Margaret Thatcher was in the background of my youth. Not front and center, mind you, yet because of my year in Switzerland and her relationship with Reagan, she was always there, in my imagination. And, of course, she was Britain -  I assumed everybody in the UK like her. Tough. sensible. Bad teeth. 

I was not aware she was breaking Britain's trade unions and social contracts, modernising the post Second World War UK economy around free markets,  rewarding some and leaving many behind. Divisive, she remains so today.

Bordeaux

Ah, Friday evening.

I return from Astorg's annual meeting, my eighth, and three glorious days in Bordeaux. 

We are treated to the world's very, very, best wines and tours of the region's most famous houses : Domaine de Chevalier, Chateau Haut Lafitte, Chateau Yquen (perhaps the greatest) and Chateau Cheval Blanc. We learn about the grapes, including the reds ( Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot) and whites (Semillon, Sauvignon blanc). 

Our guide one of France's formost wine collectors and connoisseurs and revels - revels - in his explanation of the geography, lore and of course, wines which we consume in joy and abundance - 13 tastings yesterday excluding refills.  

This, between presentations of three successful investment funds.

Pictures coming.