Record the happy moments with Stan and Flo

We got them in Jane Norman – size 8 short. It is the first time I’ve bought Florence something in a grown up shop. Also bought her a canvas jacket with lots of zips and lapels, in New Look. Another grown up size 8. My little lady!! She looks really trendy and smart.

Flo spotted a pretty top in the school outfittrs. You wear it over jeans but it has a little skirt thing attached and it says Angel on it in gold writing. I bought her this and…

a pair of size 6 rugby boots!!

Little girl, big feet.

I met Stan and Flo outside the barbers in Woking and got Stan’s hair cut. He looks hardly any different. I wanted to buy him a nice warm jumper and ended up buying a rubbishy fashion item, but a nice shade of blue, and a checked shirt. He was very pleased. Poor Florence had fallen over and ruined her tights and hurt her knees.

I took them skating! Stan demanded a trip to London, and then the challenge is not to spend, spend, spend. I hoped the ice rink at Somerset House would be open, but no, there was only one still open, at Canary Wharf. For those who don’t know London, Canary Wharf is a landmark tower in what used to be Docklands, in other words, the East End. Now it’s been developed with flashy offices, shopping malls, restaurants, homes, etc. and Stan likes it because it’s all new. He really doesn’t like old things at all. So we got there in good time, and the children were both adept at skating, and didn’t get bored with their hour’s entertainment. Florence got better and better at skating. Stan was not so sure footed, I think that now he is tall, he finds it more nerve-racking. But he manages.

We got a bit lost then, trying to find a loo and the tube, and the children seemed to think I was time-wasting deliberately. I then took them to the National Portrait Gallery, because it is a long while since I’ve been there. This is a very small gallery, but has recently been extended and contains more modern and contemporary works. I thought it might inspire Stan, my artist, but alas, it did not, he disliked practically everything I pointed out to him.

The Bloomsbury Group was well-represented, and I was particularly pleased to see that Carrington has three pictures in there. She was unknown during her own lifetime, and spent too much time trying to earn money by craftwork, and looking after Lytton Strachey, so that she didn’t give herself the time to produce much, which was such a shame. I love her use of colour, and her compositions! I could smack the stupid Bloomsburies for not giving her more encouragement.

Anyway, Stan was fun on the train up, he shared his MP3 with me so I could comment on his music.

He needs some good mates, and he needs a girlfriend, and I don’t mean one of those silly types who stands around waiting to be noticed, I mean one with a life of her own.

on Saturday. Her friends were charming, and over their pizza they discussed the Big Bang and the nature of the universe, quite animatedly and without being cute. I was very proud of them! Oh yes, they also discussed ear-piercing – who’s allowed, who’s not – lip gloss and nail varnish, and why anyone would want an ipod shuffle when it hasn’t got a screen.

It was delightful to see Florence’s reaction as she saw it. She loves it. Before I drove her to school she went outside and played with Alex and Jamie. Finally, Stan stopped titivating his hair and got out there too. Nothing he likes more than a snowball fight.

He really likes his drum teacher too. He sounds a bit of a show-off, and Stan likes guys who impress him.

Flo is doing a secret Santa for a girl she doesn’t much like. We found a brilliant gift, a white chocolate snowman which you decorate with sweets and sprinkles. I think she’s a bit sad about having to give it away. We walked back home after the shops singing “Little Donkey”.

She got a very good report – very good at Science and English, pretty bad at Maths.

Stan was not happy with the colour of his hair – blond fading to brown. He wanted to be blond. Ideally, I would have taken him to an expensive hairdresser’s and got him professional streaks, but money is far too tight.

so to compromise I bought him a bottle of a substance called “Sun-in”. You spray it in and dry it with a hairdryer, and quickly notice the difference, at first brown hair goes ginger, but of course, the more you use it the blonder it goes. Strawberry blond was a rather startling stage, and then it was more of a golden colour. Stan has taken to spraying and dryig the front of his hair every morning, and he has just finished his bottle of Sun-in. He is now a rampant bottle blond, and although it’s a bit tacky, he really draws the eye. Which is what he wants. He really wants to be noticed.

Stan is doing a lot of creative writing for English, and his story writing technique is VERY GOOD.