Squashes and funfairs

We've stayed close to home again this weekend. It's been extra special because M hasn't had to go into work, though he's had to do a bit of working from home.

Yesterday, Saturday, we breakfasted on pain au raisin, hazelnut and raisin toast, and babycino (for little R) at the delightful Vintage Cafe in Finsbury Park, then walked up the hill to the funfair at Highbury Fields. There, little R indulged in a big bucket of popcorn, which she only very reluctantly shared with us. Afterwards, we walked back down the hill for a late lunch at Argentinian restaurant Garufa. M ate their famous burger, little R devoured the empanadas which she loves because they remind her of non-spicy samosas, and I had creamed sweetcorn and scrambled eggs with smoked salmon.

Back at home, and after putting little R to bed, M made devilled crabs from a Margot Henderson recipe in a recent Observer Food Monthly edition. They were so quick to make and had a fresh and zesty bite to them. For dessert, M baked fresh figs with a drizzle of honey and some crumbled blue cheese. They were incredibly moreish. We ended the day watching Jeff Bridges play a faded country singer in the spectacular Crazy Heart film. His singing voice was amazing, with a depth and range that made me shiver - a hint of Johnny Cash, a dash of Leonard Cohen. I must buy the soundtrack.

Today, Sunday, M went for a long run around Hampstead Heath and I took little R to Church. I usually go alone each week, but I am trying to get little R accustomed to attending (and sitting still and quietly!), so she comes with me every few weeks. It's the local church attached to her school and this morning she was excited to sit next to one of her school friends there. They whispered together and coloured in. After M returned home, we walked to the local market to buy bread, fruit and vegetables. Little R met another school friend there so they played while we shopped and chatted and generally caught up with each other.

The rest of the day is being spent at home watching DVDs and playing (little R), doing laundry and reading and knitting (me), and ironing work shirts and preparing roast chicken with stir-fried kale with pancetta and garlic for dinner later (M). Sunday is also hair wash day for little R. I think I'll spend the evening, after little R is in bed and we've had dinner, reading. I finished reading The Playdate yesterday. It was a disappointing book mainly because of bland writing. But I've started Night Waking by Sarah Moss and it's turning out to be both well-plotted and well-written - a winning combination.

So now another week approaches - a week of writing for me. But I'm also a mother so I'll be hosting a couple of playdates for little R after school. She starts swimming this week and continues with the Street Jazz class she started last week. She loves this class. She also wants to do a performance (singing & drama) class after school but I will wait until the new year before enrolling her because school goes fulltime in a week and I know she will be exhausted.

A new era

I didn't stray far from home this weekend. M worked both days (and nights) and as it was very hot I didn't fancy going into central London. M's sister was over from Gloucestershire and on Saturday we went up the hill to eat cakes in the new Muswell Hill market and browse the vintage clothing racks there. Then we spent the rest of the sunny afternoon in the grounds of Alexandra Palace, licking lollies and playing in the park. In the evening, after Little R went to bed at 7pm, I cooked spaghetti bolognaise which we ate watching Woody Allen's return-to-form comedy Whatever Works with the brilliant Larry David and Evan Rachel Wood. In bed, I finished reading the gripping Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and started another psychological thriller The Playdate by Louise Millar.

On Sunday, my sister-in-law, daughter and I made a brief visit to the community market in Harringay then met up with family (on M's side) for a delicious South Indian vegetarian feast of dosas and thalis at the family-run Jai Krishna in Turnpike Lane. If you're ever up in north-east London then I highly recommend this place. We're regulars though the food is a bit too spicy for Little R so we make sure she eats something beforehand and then once there she snacks on poories and poppadoms.

This weekend marked Little R's first weekend as a school student. Yes, my darling little 4 year old daughter started primary school on Monday. Our local primaries are generally excellent so we had no trouble filling in all six choices on the council schools form last year. We were incredibly lucky to get our first choice school. Wow, the beginning of a whole new era for her (and for us). What a milestone!

Naturally introverted

I am a natural introvert. I am not necessarily shy, nor am I unsociable, but I gain my energy through solitude and not company. An hour in company requires two hours or more on my own in order to regain equilibrium. I am fine in an anonymous crowd - I can feel gloriously alone in the midst of people I do not know. I was happily single for years whilst living in busy London, prior to meeting my husband. When I met him, we clicked because he is a natural introvert too. We give each other a lot of space and we do not feel the need to always converse together. Parenting a small child is also a noisy affair, though I am blessed with a child who can spend a long time playing by herself, letting me have some quiet time if I request it (a rare quality in a 4 year old, I know, and she doesn't always comply!).

On Saturday, M had to work and Little R was spending the day with Grandma. So I took the opportunity to take off into my own world. I meandered around Kew Gardens...

I listened to music and watched the movie Take This Waltz. Then I met M for dinner that night at the Korean restaurant Koba, where we ate pickles, pancakes and BBQ beef.

Sunday was spent visiting friends - Little R's Godparents and Godsisters and celebrating a birthday. A particularly relaxed day because I'd had the previous day to myself.

Fun at the fair

We managed a good balance between being busy out and about and relaxing at home this long Bank Holiday weekend.

First thing on Saturday, we shopped for provisions locally (fish from Walter Purkis, vegetables for the grocer shop next door and bread from Gail's). Then it began to rain, but we chanced it and journeyed into central London to check out a few art shows - the Deutsche Borse 2012 photography prize at the Phototographers' Gallery (I came specifically to see one of my favourite photographers Rinko Kawauchi) and graffiti artist Mr Brainwash's first London show at the Old Sorting Office. I thought the latter's work would be over-hyped, over-wrought and over-blown but walking through the sorting office's cavernous spaces, I was drawn into the work's humour and satire.

Lunch was sushi rolls, sashimi salad, lotus crisps and edamame beans at So Sushi in Soho. Little R has mixed reactions to sushi - sometimes she eats raw fish with gusto and other times she rejects it on the grounds of being "too slippery" or even "too stripy" (the salmon!). This day she turned her nose up at it and tucked into the edamame beans and lotus crisps instead. We should have ordered tempura and teriyaki for her.

Dinner at home was grilled sardines and salad.

Sunday was a sunnier day, so we drove to Hampstead Heath. There we picked blackberries, visited the funfair on the Lower Heath and ate candy floss (of course!). We returned home and ate smoked salmon sandwiches in the garden. Then we made a start on sorting out our overloaded bookshelves. Too many books, in every room, but when packed nicely on shelves they are a joy to look at. I am always a bit perplexed when I go to someone's house and see hardly any books. But then we're a family of bookworms and I shouldn't be such a snob.

Dinner was fish again, but this time grilled sea bream and salad.

On Monday, we drove to London Zoo. M and I have annual membership here but now that Little R has turned 4, she needs to be a member too. I think she felt quite grown up posing for her photo and taking possession of her very own membership card! I enjoy admiring the foliage at the zoo as much as the animals - I always come away with ideas for our garden.

Also this weekend, I finished reading Joshua Ferris' Then We Came To The End ("They spend their days – and too many of their nights – at work. Away from friends and family, they share a stretch of stained carpet with a group of strangers they call colleagues" - Amazon) which I absolutely loved, mainly for the finely tuned characterisations of a broad cast. I've now started reading Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, which I am already engrossed in.

And so another week begins - the last week of the school holidays. Little R has her last performance workshop and I have the last chapter of my novel to complete. In between we have friends and family visiting. Hurrah!

Scenes from our home

Sunday calm

Sunday was an altogether calmer day. For a start, it rained so the air and therefore our tempers were cooler. We didn't do much but read, play and visit the local market.

Purple sand, blue skies and frayed tempers

What a glorious Saturday we had, with blue skies and hot sun. A little too hot and muggy for me. And for Little R too, who whinged rather too much on Saturday. Um, okay I admit it that M and I whined quite a bit too.

Blue skies over Bermondsey / Our little family chilling in the park / White Cube, Bermondsey / Rainbow fun at the White Cube / Zhang Huan at the White Cube / Running through the book maze at the Royal Festival Hall / Ice creams and purple sand on the Southbank / Back home to cool off under the sprinkler / Al fresco dinner of lamb chops and tabbouleh for M and me - our good tempers restored as the weather cooled down