Dearest Family and Friends
57 Cumberland Street, San Francisco CA 94110
Phone Number: +1 415 738 2112
Nadine 415 595 0023
Skype: nadinemellor
February Highlights
EsmeFive Months
What an angel, a plump little cherub, rolls of flesh cascading to her knees, Rubens perfect, missing only the golden curls. She’s fascinated by the world around her, smiling or staring at everything and everyone. When she’s not being cranky, that is - if tired, hungry or out of sorts – moods are clearer now. Her personality is emerging.
Tremulously charming with strangers and watchful in new situations, both playing and playing up are reserved for home. She blows bubbles, sucks her bottom lip in, looks pensive, gormless, has started to dribble - these can appear within nanoseconds of each other.
Suddenly she’s no longer a tiny baby, getting long and strong, rolling over and over – to the right and the left, popping up in Cobra position, grasping at objects. At our party she rolled across her bedroom for the first time, stopped only by the wall, marvelling at her own mobility, inching her way towards objects of desire. 
She officially moved into her own room the first weekend in February, graduating from a pile of sheepskins on our bedroom floor to a cot. We slept with her for the first week, ensuring a smooth transition. Almost immediately she slept through the night, her nighttime feed phasing out. 
Our favourite thing is first thing in the morning to find Esme wide awake, grinning with joy to see us. We feel so special and happy; she’s ecstatic to greet a new day and consequent new adventures.
She laughs with glee, anticipation and great excitement – especially when playing ‘Ten in a Bed and the Little One Said’ and we roll around the bed together, her arms and mouth wide. Mummy and Daddy are still a source of delight and pleasure, gratifyingly. She LOVES bathtimes with us both, we dry her singing ‘rub a dub, Esme’s out of the tub’.
I sing to her loads – songs for dressing, undressing, playing, cooking, cleaning, dancing, bathing and chilling. She shrieks, squeaks and squawks back at us, trying out her voicebox in cat-like manner. 
She can balance on my legs while I raise them into the air, and on my chest when toning my abs. 
Endearingly she snuggles into my neck and puts her little arms around me; 
less charmingly she kneads at my breasts like a little cat.She and Marcus are really scoping each other out now. They’ve been seen holding hands in restaurants, and romping naked together on the bed. We babysat for him one night and she grabbed his ears and shoulders in a most forward fashion.
Alarmed, he grabbed his crown jewels for protection in that reflex boy manner. 
We then had a lovely bath together followed by a big bedtime double feed (photos upon request).
Lelli
Esme and Soren who we do the nanny share with, have taken to new Brazilian nanny,
Lelli, very well, loving hanging out with her. They go out and about in the double stroller, 
often to the park. We were worried that Esme wouldn’t take a bottle from Lelli, which she didn’t really, but Lelli has got around this by spooning milk into her instead. And if Esme’s a bit hungry one day a week, she’s got fat reserves to live off. 
Soren and Esme mostly ignore one another; Esme sometimes grabs his ear or kicks his head or gets her leg over him. A true gentleman, he looks variously baffled and surprised, and so far has restrained from reciprocal action!Lelli has thankfully taken to EC (Elimination Communication) very successfully, peeing Esme under trees and in receptacles as required. We did go through the potty pause for two weeks at the end of the month where all three of us (Colman, Lelli and myself)
seemed to be missing far more than we were catching, we’d pee her and she’d not cooperate and struggle and squirm. And then magically, just when we were all about to shoot ourselves, she resumed as before. Phew. Now, what was that about her personality coming through? Sadly, my wrists are no better although I now know the medical term, which is gratifyingly impressive - De Quervain's Tenosynovitis – coool! So my March resolution is to try to get it sorted out.Top
Festival of Nadine and Colman
February is our month. Both birthdays, the date of our first encounter, Valentines and, this February, the first anniversary of my Leap Year proposal four years ago. The weather cooperated with our festivities – it was pretty much sunny and unseasonally warm the whole month with a few colder greyer or foggier days thrown in to the mix.
Both of us knuckled down to work – it was my first full month back – and time was devoted to careers. Usual juggling of work time with Esme time with fun time with domestic time. Kristan and I operated well as a team, working the nanny share time to best effect. I managed to get swimming and to yoga and Pilates a few times so the physical recovery continued – only a few pounds left to shed, toning the next goal. 
Never a good sleeper (luckily Esme has inherited Colman’s genes so far) I’ve been waking very early – partly because I expect her to wake for a post-midnight feed although that is now less and less likely, and partly because I’m me. So I lie in bed a while before getting up to work,which perpetuates the problem but has allowed me to see some fantastic sunrises over the East Bay, and do a couple of hours work at a conducive time to be doing business with Europe before she wakes.
For the proposal anniversary I took Colman as a surprise to the SF Symphony to hear a mixed programme: Michael Tilson Thomas conducting two of his own works followed by Siblius No.7 and Shostakovich No.9. The Davies Hall is such a fine venue and we had seats on the side terrace above the musicians so despite being dog-tired we were both entranced by the orchestra bowing, blowing and beating away while the Perspex acoustic panels rose and fell just above.
Other cultural highlights included two trips to the SF Ballet with Amy B and Adam, to the Crowded Fire theatre company and to the Asian Art Museum with Armani. We had a Babies Brunch in local cool eatery, Farina.We also visited Meredith and Jason to admire brand new baby Leo,
an amazing reminder of how far Esme has come in her five short months of life – what a tiny, helpless, sleepy little sweetie pie. En route we went to Crissy Field and watched the extraordinary late winter light over the Bridge, on Esme’s cherubic face, on the water and sea-strand. Yes we must do this more often – note to selves to take more time out as a family.And thrillingly, I won at the Oscar Party, guessing most results correctly, and triumphantly took home the top prize – the Golden 'Gina – now pride of place on the mantelpiece, and er, yes, it is! So we’re hosting next year. Unless it’s cancelled through lack of interest – viewing figures at an all time low.
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Restaurant of the Month
For my birthday Colman treated me to a fabulous night out at Masa’s Restaurant - a wonderfully pretentious gastronomic occasion. A contemporary French ‘food temple’, one of SF’s top restaurants for 20 years. Combining French flair with Californian originality, wit and seasonality, their speciality are their tasting menus. We went for it and chose the aptly named Love and Decadence 9 Course Menu with wine pairings to match – with His and Hers options for each course apart from the main fish and meat. In fact, if you added the amuse-bouche as we sat down and the chocolate trolley at the end, it was a gut-busting 11 courses. 
The Amuse bouche of wonderfully delicate lobster foam set the tone. Followed by Caviar – Colman’s Siberian Osetra on a bed of seasalt in a scallop shell; my Californian Golden on a sea urchin flan with crème fraiche. Next the Sashimi: mine on ruby grapefruit; Colman’s in a tian with edamame and a smear of teriyaki across his plate. My Seafood dish was divine Maine Lobster on truffles and melted leeks while Colman’s Scallop was decorated tiny black trumpet mushrooms and a lettuce broth. We both had the Turbot on asparagus. The Foie Gras course saw a divergence again – mine seared and Colman’s in the form of a terrine. Guinea Fowl presented itself for the Bird entry; we both enjoyed the New York strip of beef fanned over radishes and baby beets. 
My palate cleanser pear with lemongrass jus was simply the best Sorbet I’ve ever tasted; Colman enjoyed tangerine with cardomom syrup. By now we were in the home stretch. Four excellent Cheeses from the cheese trolley – none sampled previously and all perfect – presaged a rich end to proceedings. Dessert for me was a warm Valrhona truffle cake which looked the business, yet Colman’s apricot custard paquet of puff pastry, rum-soaked apricots and a warm sour cherry sauce actually topped it. We did manage to squeeze in the chocolate trolley to finish. We waddled out of there dazed with taste sensations, delighted by the glory of food and wine.Top
Santa Cruz
Adventure of the Month
To quintessential Californian hippie-dippy beachside town, Santa Cruz on the second weekend in February. Beloved by counter-culture tribes of every stripe, sexual orientation and age, the town boasts a biodiesel gas station, vintage shops, the oldest beachfront amusement park on the West Coast, farmers markets every day of the week, genre-busting buskers (including the shoeless slacker fiddlers) and obsessive surfers.
Our Motel was perfectly perched on the cliff overlooking Santa Cruz Beach and the Boardwalk and Wharf. We arrived Friday night, had terrible Chinese takeout (laughing at the irony in contrast to our epicurean extravaganza two nights prior) and awoke to glorious sunny weather with White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows chasing Anna’s Hummingbirds through the garden and hedgerow. 
Below was the beach where hardy surfers strode into the surf; in front of us the iconic Wharf, our first stop after breakfast. We strolled in the sunshine, watching the breakers curl and crash beneath us, the gulls wheeling above. Beside us in the sea, basking sea lions (see above) nursed their cubs, while lazily floating and rolling. We soaked up the sun, Esme wore her vintage sunhat with style, I indulged in birding for the first time this year eagerly spotting grebes, waders and sea ducks.
We then cruised around Downtown SC meeting up with Rachel, who is originally responsible for introducing me to the DLG. We had a leisurely lunch, and then headed North along the coast for a couple of miles to Wilder Ranch State Park for a blowy beautiful walk along the cliff tops. 
Once we were on the cliff edge proper it proved too windy for Esme and we were forced to retrace our steps, giving Colman and Rachel the perfect excuse that a sojourn in the wine bar would be the right way to round off the day. Esme played on the table while the adults got tipsy. We rolled home at 8ish – what a nice day.
Sunday started grey and colder. We headed home very slowly, taking the coast road, stopping to watch fanatical surfers jumping off cliffs into boiling swells; if successful in catching a wave they leapt from their boards at the last minute to avoid being dashed onto the rocks. We visited Natural Bridges State Beach where 
Colman had hoped to surprise me with flocks of migrating monarch butterflies. Unfortunately they had all flown the week before – early. Another ominous sign of climate change. So we pottered about the beach and striated tidal pools, Colman taking good care not to slip with Esme strapped to his chest. Our adventure ended at Pescadero Marsh Reserve to sight Blue- and Green-winged Teal, the final weekend bird list topped 30 species – a fine result!Bird of the Month
From the 30 seen that weekend, one was a new (although common) bird – the Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis - strutting its stuff on Santa Cruz Beach. A life lesson here – for ages I’d dismissed all the seagull flocks as Western Gulls, very numerous, insouciant, large and raucous, (this picture was taken at the end of the Wharf) without bothering to take a closer look.
But further inspection this time paid dividends – a smaller yellow-legged slender-winged bird with a dark ring around the end of the bill and a streaked nape, was chasing the waves amongst the Western Gulls. And once seen, easily identified subsequently.Top
Party
Joint Birthday PartyWe held our annual joint birthday party on Colman’s actual birthday as it luckily fell on a Saturday. Although the worst weather of the month, with stormy rain all day,
around 50 people braved the elements to party on with us, much to our pleasure and delight. 
We had suggested Dress Up as a theme –
realising only after sending the invites that this could mean fancy dress in American. However, most people seemed to understand the message - we weren’t visited by two halves of a pantomime cow for example – and looked very fetching in their best bib and tucker. 
Best Costume Prize probably went to Ava - astonishing that she's not even five yet!Esme looked charming in her party frock – thanks Yasmin! – and entranced all before going to bed with Marcus (again! people will talk!) at a pretty civilised 8.30. My top, a birthday present from darling Sonia in London, arriving just in time –
thank you my dear.The first guests - those in the family way - arrived at 5ish. Hats were worn. Frocks performed. Cleavages were low. Suits were dashing – thanks boys
for so many of you dressing up. Much alcohol consumed. The DLG were on suitably riotous form. 
And the last to leave – yes it was a DLG member, congrats Amy H – at 1ish. We fell into bed at 2 and having been really restrained all evening, I foolishly drank lots of champagne at midnight so had a terrible hangover the next morning – the headache didn’t go until the end of play Monday – youch. But still, worth it for such a simply marvellous party.
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Presidential Race
So called Super Tuesday, 5th February, was meant to be the apogee of frenetic countrywide campaigning. 
The once open race dwindled down to two Democrat horses, and to only one for the Republicans quickly. In San Francisco Obama is the chosen one, although Clinton took the state. Clinton posters are on display, but the proliferation of Obama posters, bumper stickers, leaflets, window displays and even pavement stencils is marked. 
On Super Tuesday schoolchildren were out exhorting people to vote; hysterical Obama supporters screamed at cars on Market Street to support their candidate; Obama ‘campaign literature’ littered the streets. 
Whatever the merits and demerits of this form of democracy, and of the Democrat contenders themselves, the sadness is the lack of profound debate, and the pretty overt misogyny deployed in any discussion. It does seem as a consequence Obama could be the better ‘unifying’ candidate although, worryingly, it's shaping up to be full on gladiatorial combat.And also that Colman and I should start accessing American media as the race for the White House hots up – the only TV I watch all year is the Oscars!
Mural of the MonthTaken in Santa Cruz
Love and hugs
Nadine and Colman xxx
PS Still availability in our social calendar for visitors!
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