Dearest Family and Friends
57 Cumberland Street, San Francisco CA 94110Phone Number: +1 415 738 2112
Nadine 415 595 0023
Skype: nadinemellor
January Highlights
Esme
Four Months
She’s more beautiful than ever – in our eyes at least! With nearly a full head of hair – despite the slipped monk’s tonsure adorning the back of her head – we have had to remove several dreadlocks which were collecting all manner of floor-dwelling objects. Wide brilliant blue eyes possess formidable powers of cuteness. They draw all towards her.
Developing at a prodigious rate she now amuses by putting her foot in her mouth – first the right and then the left and latterly both at once. Her fist often firmly thrust into her mouth; eager fingers tug at her
leg warmers or socks, absentmindedly pulling them off. Her favourite game is Peek a Boo, uncertain smiles gathering in confidence as she tracks your eyes, happy when her expectation as to where you will next appear is fulfilled; her toy du jour is the octopus from Granny and Poppa for Christmas.
Colman’s favourite game is to lie beside her on the floor and copy her movements; a very intense workout – grown up abs are nowhere near in as good shape. Annoyingly, my wrists are in dire shape,
the base of the thumb at the wrist bone is in agony at times as I hold her or do the most innocuous task. No great gain without some small pain I suppose.Her laughter is nearly silent, large gaping mouth emitting squeaks, particularly when you hold her high up in the Flying Baby pose and dive bomb her sideways – Esme in Spaaaaace!
She is still entranced by her own image in the mirror and is increasingly aware of other babies, especially when placed in her space on the baby gym. Both Soren and Marcus experienced a bout of hell cat Esme, yowling and scratching at the suitor beside her under the hoops. Poor Soren still has the scratch on his cheek. 
Now she can hold on to objects and grab them when within reach. She can turn sideways, roll over and assume cobra pose, head high, eyes alert. She can wriggle out of her bouncing cradle while balancing Octopus in her feet. And rolled off the bed in Tahoe landing face down, luckily onto her nest of sheepskins on the floor; bad Mummy suffered agonies of guilt long after Esme was back to her happy self.
At the 4 month check up Esme weighed 13.5 pounds and is 25” long with a head circumference of 42cm. And (probably unwisely) had the second bout of jabs at the beginning of First Cold, which lingered long, didn’t deprive her of sleep or food, produced an impressive cough, and spread to all and sundry. Sorry Soren…Best of all, she continues to be ‘convenient’, not minding when ignored by Mummy and Daddy, able to amuse herself, being parcelled about, and cooperating lots with EC (potty training). We are totally entranced!
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Year Beginning
The weather has been, quite rightly, very wet and stormy through January, in recompense for the drought-like conditions of 2007. Lashing torrents of water, high winds and low cloud have confined us to the apartment for much of the month; trees toppled (we were woken one morning at 4am by the sound of chain saws, later that day impressed by the remnants of a 4x4 the unfortunate tree had imprinted itself onto) and roads and services shut. We experienced the worst storm in 10 years in the first week of January, with winds up to 100mph, heavy snowfall in the Sierras and extensive flooding. 
Which has been good really. As we really needed the rain, and if you’re heading back to work it is helpful not to have major distractions tempting me out of doors. For January I worked one day/week. Both familiar and strange to be back at the coalface! Kristan and I interviewed nannies, enthusiastic about the terrific Lelli from Brazil who started last week of January three days/week. Two days Soren comes to our place; the third day Esme goes to his – a few blocks away in Noe Valley so a perfect early morning workout for me walking up and down the hills. Much needed to get back into shape!
Other highlights included visiting Rob and Jecca in Burlingame,
theatre outing with Dan and Dayna to see Speed the Plow, and to Sketchfest with Kristan, Steve and Michelle for an evening of sketch comedy. And having friends over to dinner – Congratulations to Danny and Akemi on their engagement.Film of the Month
January was also frantic film-watching month to vote for the BAFTAs. We watched Hairspray (full on frothy fun), Before the Devil Knows you’re Dead (strangely overlooked by all the best of end of year lists), In the Valley of Elah (towering performance by Tommy Lee Jones), No Country for Old Men (brilliant and unsettling), Eastern Promises (dark, familiar as set in my ‘hood in London, searing), I’m Not There (kooky but unsatisfying), La Vie en Rose (extraordinary central performance), Paris Je T’Aime (surprisingly coherent for a portmanteau film), Brick Lane (sensually shot, faithful adaptation), Charlie Wilson’s War (fun and polished but a bit slight), Away From Her (very poignant small film) Bourne Ultimatum (dazzling editing job), Juno (charming, witty, wonderful), Kite Runner (wistful and lovely but obvious at the end), and I got to the cinema to see epic There Will be Blood anchored by the spell-binding Daniel Day-Lewis. Flaws yes, but overall a mesmerising portrait of place, time and personality.
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Walk of the Month
One sunny morning, one of the few this month, Kristan drove us to Crissy Field for a lovely walk with our babes along the Bayshore. The sky was scrubbed and shining. Enter stage right, a Stroller Boot Camp posse, shepherded by a whippet-thin lady with her dog on a lead barking orders. Frenetic newly post-natal mothers, clad in designer jogging gear, pushing babies in prams, ran up and down the front, leaping up and down on the promenade wall. 
Lacking such drive and iron woman proclivities, we gently amble towards the Golden Gate Bridge, and stop for a lengthy gossipy lunch in the Crissy Field warming hut. We meander back, marvelling at the view towards the city and Alcatraz, happy to be living in such a beautiful city.Restaurant of the Month
For Dayna’s birthday we returned to LuLu in Soma, having secured the services of our first babysitter. Dan generously treated us to a banquet of house signature dishes including the mussels in butter in the skillet. We returned to find Esme asleep in Jonathan’s arms – very sweet. For Adam and Meredith’s birthday to buzzy Spanish bar and restaurant, Cha Cha Cha, which was very loud and busy, so Esme didn’t manage to sleep throughout. We realised our days of dining out with Esme are numbered. It was a good run while it lasted!
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Orr Hot Springs
Californian Event of the Month
Geoff invited us to a surprise birthday weekend away for Armani at Orr Hot Springs set at the end of steep winding roads in the hills to the west of Lake Mendocino. Billed as a clothing optional resort, we were intrigued to say the least! We got there after dark on the Saturday as Colman went to a stunning wine tasting en route (more below). Luckily Armani seemed pleased to see us!Orr has a sauna, steam room, rocky warm spring-fed pool which in turn feeds the swimming pool, two steaming hot spring-fed communal large tubs, a redwood hot tub and private large porcelain baths. Happily for my prudish English nature, the winter weather ensured people kept their clothes on apart from when at the pools.
Orr also has a bustling, friendly communal kitchen where we created gourmet feasts on both nights – well Geoff and Colman did – and a convivial dining room where Esme and Marcus were billed and cooed over by the other guests: grown up backpackers, Californian New Agers, the lesbian vegetarian posse from New Jersey, cosmic hippies, romantic couples. We slept very well discovering in the first morning that Esme had been sleeping on the floor in a draught straight from the inch gap under the door. So we made sure to bundle her up properly the following evening.
Yoga Pose of the Month
On our first morning I volunteered to look after Marcus and Esme while Colman had a massage (possibly the best I’ve ever had, Ed.) and Geoff and Armani had some quality naked time together in the hot tubs. Both babies had failed to eat properly at breakfast and now were starving. So after 15 minutes of trying to comfort one and then the other to no avail, I began to feed Marcus who was howling the loudest, at which point Esme looked at me and was inconsolable. There was only one thing to do. Double-barrelled.
I brought all my yoga experience to bear as I assumed the downward facing puppy pose over the bed, assuming an adult would appear some time soon. After 10 minutes or so I started to sing to keep my mind from fixating on my aching arms, upper thighs and calves. Having run through my show tunes repertory I resorted to Billie Holiday. Geoff and Armani returned to find me singing her standard, God Bless the Child, with both babes latched on.
We went for a lovely walk in the Montgomery Woods State Reserve after this excitement. A damp grey day, yet the two predominant colours of copper, as seen in the rich redwood bark and fallen leaves, and vivid green malachite, of the new shoots, ferns and mosses, shone forth. 
We strolled through tall straight Ents, passed by steaming hot sulphurous pools, marvelled at the detail of life even in winter, delighting in the shafts of sunlight penetrating the forest canopy and the mist wreathing the saplings.Thank you, Geoff for inviting us – lovely weekend away – great to swim naked in the pool and bliss out in the hot tubs and steam room.
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Tahoe
DLG Weekend of the Month
The Annual DLG Lake Tahoe trip was on the last weekend of January,. All this rainy weather presaged good ski conditions but very bad driving conditions. We set out at 7.15 on the Friday night, rain having tipped down all day, 
the sky dark and foreboding. Rain hurled itself at the Zipcar as we crawled onto the freeway and inched over the Bay Bridge. Eventually we were clear of heavy traffic, wipers working overtime, as the rain poured. After several hours we started to climb the Sierras. The rain was at this point nearly horizontal, turned to sleet and then to snow. 
At the first summit we stopped, paid a Latino posse $20 to put on our snow chains, praying Esme wouldn’t wake. Conditions improved as we began our snowy descent towards Tahoe City, the traffic began to thin out, top speed of 30mph permitted and the moon began to shine through the scudding (yes scudding) clouds. We reached our destination at 1am, mighty relieved, just in time for Esme to wake.Laura had booked well – lovely two-storeyed chalet with hot tub, ping pong table and big squashy sofas. Bed at 3, woke at 6 entranced by the luminous moon and soft dawn light brightening to
blue skies with snow-draped conifers, icicles fringing our windows. Having expressed but forgotten to bring the milk, I was stymied unless Tracy stepped into the breach. Very kindly she did and so I was free to dress up in ski gear for the first time in 8 years, 
and head for Alpine Meadows with most of the posse including Jen in her fetching new jacket. It was a perfect day’s skiing. Clear skies, fresh snow, gorgeous views towards Lake Tahoe and the surrounding mountains (this is Delfin, Suzy and I at the top of Roundhouse with the Lake in the background), 
slopes active but not too busy, a manageable size of resort, no more than 5 minutes to wait at each ski lift, and I got my ski legs back quickly. Simply sublime. While I was away, Tracy had also done a double-barrelled job with Isis and Esme. (No picture – sorry) 
After a huge dinner and hot tub action we crashed early, hoping for more superb skiing on Sunday. Alas, the snow storms came back with a vengeance that night, and despite our keenness to ski, the lack of open lifts, howling gale, poor visibility, whirling snow, treacherous roads and the fact one of our snow chains had broken, meant discretion bested valour and we all headed home (bar gung ho Rachel), crawling along at 5mph for the first 2 hours in inching traffic, peering through the snow at a grey shrouded world.Top
Wine Tasting of the Month by Mission Boy: Bordeaux Grand Crus, 2005
“The 2005 vintage is, without any doubt in my mind, one of the greatest Bordeaux vintages of recent decades” , “an extraordinary vintage”, Why? For a detailed explanation you can read Jancis Robinson
For now all you need to know is how much I was looking forward to the opportunity to taste dozens of the most sought after wines side-by-side. 2005 is indeed remarkable. The wines have lots of everything: colour, fruit, tannin, acidity but in most cases remarkably in balance. And yet a wide range of styles showing what variety Bordeaux has to offer.
Some wines were amazingly ready to drink (they’ve only just been bottled). Its no surprise to find a superb and affordable Beaumont giving immediate pleasure, but bigger hitters that are already pleasurable include Langoa-Barton which is already flavourful and complex, Haut-Bages-Liberal, cinnamon spices on the nose, very fresh on the palatte and even Pape-Clement. Normally a needing lots of time (and each of the above will benefit from more of that) P-C had wonderful smoky, ashy nose and upright, bright fruit.Naturally some of the deepest wines gave only a hint of pleasure still many years down the road. Leoville-Barton stood out as a dense and tannic monster which will take years to reveal its true colours. Who am I to say exactly how it will turn out.
The plush and lovely Merlots of St Emilion and Pomerol included samples from by Conseillante, Canon-la-Gaffeliere “over-extracted giving a sour finish” I thought Beausejour Becot “very thick, very fruity, port-like” and best of my tastings: Angelus simply “Beautiful”.
Thankfully I was able to relieve my palatte of all that intense fruit and tannin with two marvellous, contrasting Sauternes: Doisy-Daene always a favourite of mine, the 2005 was “very light in colour, nose of milk and honey its ethereal. Dances across the tongue” (you can tell this was near the end of the tasting) and finally a purely delicious Climens “textbook botrytis nose, could be used to demonstrate noble rot, tastes dense and think. The very opposite of Doisy. Pure orange marmalade”.
Bird of the Month
On our walk along Crissy Field we passed a Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias, statuesque in lush wet grass beside the path, barely 10 yards away, oblivious to humanity in his own world. Such a regal presence, sunshine glinting on his pewtar-coloured feathers.
Mural of the MonthBumper Sticker of the Month
Love Not Liposuction
Stencil of the Month
Love and hugs
Nadine and Colman xxx
PS Come and visit – such a good exchange rate they’re accepting Euros in New York!!!
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