Clives Fruit Farm in Upton-Upon-Severn

   It's been quite a while since I've posted anything other than Keila's monthly updates. I can't actually remember what topic I was covering last, actually. Was it Palma? In any case, I give up. We have been too busy this summer, what with traveling back to the US, trying to maintain a normal schedule while dealing with a (still) bum leg, you name it. So....I'm going to just skip over whatever topic I was on last and move ahead to....berry picking!!!
 This past Sunday, we overslept thanks to jet lag and didn't make it to church. So, instead we headed to Clives Berry Farm for some pick-your-own (PYO) berries. We were a few days too early for the cherries, but the strawberries were nearly over-ripe, and the raspberries were perfect. Keila had a great time stuffing her face full of strawberries. She apparently doesn't like raspberries quite as much, or else she was full by that point, since she did a better job of putting those into the basket.
 In addition to the PYO plots, Clives also has a really cute farm shop with free range eggs, a butcher's counter (no thanks), and an assortment of home-made/hand-made/local products. There is a small cafe in the shop too. Service at the cafe was rather slow since Clives was crowded (there are signs stating that there will be a wait during peak times, but this was slow even with the warning), and we felt that the cafe staff could've been a bit more polite. One woman was nice; the younger girls...not so much. The rest of the farm shop staff were very friendly and helpful, however.
 Clives is a working farm (I'm not sure what all they do, but there were signs to beware of the tractors), complete with hens, pigs, geese, ducks, and even a peacock. They also have a children's nursery there, which would be great if they weren't a half hour drive from our house.
 I did a quick search online, and apparently Clives is best-known for their apples. I guess we'll be heading back in the fall to see how they are. If they're anywhere near as good as the berries, I will be buying a lot!


         Heading to the strawberry plots at Clives Fruit Farm

Raspberries at Clives Fruit Farm

Peacock!

We were too late for the PYO eggs

Clives Fruit Farm....inside the farm shop

  

Keila is 32 Months Today!

   First off, I just realized that I cannot count. For some reason, the past 2 months, I've posted that Keila has turned 37 and 38 months, respectively. Where did I get that from?
 Anyway, today Keila is 32 months! Really. We've been back in the US visiting Grandma for the past month, and here's what we've been doing.

1. Keila is using complete sentences most of the time now. She also loves to ask WHY? thanks to listening to her cousin say it all the time. I was hoping we'd hold off on the 'whys' for a bit, but no such luck. And yes, responding to one 'why' invariably just leads to another one!

2. Nap time isn't really happening while at Grandma's. I'm hoping we get back on track when we return home in about a week, as Keila still desperately needs them and has been pretty worn out lately.

 3. Keila has been having a blast playing in the sprinkler and the kiddy pool outside on sunny days. She also has a favorite construction hat and binoculars, which she sometimes wears when playing doctor.
 Keila was pretty excited to go see the fireworks for the 4th of July, although in the end she much preferred rolling down a hill at the park where the fireworks were instead of seeing the actual fireworks, declaring them 'too scary'.
 We're also having a bit of a daily battle with her little cousin: he throws things at her and pulls her hair or pinches; Keila retaliates by knocking him over or smacking him. Toddler wars!

 4. Story of the month.....not really a story this month, but Keila did see her first movie in the cinema! We went to see Monsters University a few days ago. Keila easily sat through the entire movie, although a few points did scare her onto my lap. Poor girl had a nightmare that night, too, so perhaps we will hold off on any  more Disney movies for a while.

 5. I haven't weighed Keila or measured her height recently. I'd say that she's at least average still, but maybe we'll stick her on the scale when we are weighing our over-stuffed suitcases later in the week.

  Until August.....

Keila is 38 Months Today!!!

   Yet another month has flown by. What's happened since last time? Mommy's got a broken leg, we've visited Barcelona, and now we're prepping for a trip back to the US. Keila is a busy girl!

1. Keila talks. And talks. AND TALKS. She's outgrowing some of her shyness and will tell random people all about what's going on in her life. The stewardesses on our Monarch airlines flight back from Barcelona all got to hear about how Keila's little friend Sammy was coming to her house in a few days. Take the kid to Barcelona, and all she talks about is a playdate at home. =)
 Keila is also repeating a lot of what we say, word for word. She's showing more interest in what Japanese words mean too, and she will ask me what I'm saying if she doesn't understand some of her Japanese books.
 2. We've gotten our naps back on schedule, and sleep is going much better at night, too! I'm of course waiting for jet lag to kill any and all progress that we've made, however.
 3. What has Keila been interested in this past month....well, anything on the iPad still, but she's also been liking to play doctor and also dress up as a princess or in a 'wedding gown'. The blanket on our couch is cream-colored, so it is therefore a wedding gown. And she's started doing my hair too, since the new unicorn we got her came with various hair clips and brushes.
 4. Story of the month. Just a quick one....but when I asked Keila what she wanted for dessert, she yelled 'Daddy's beer!' Needless to say, she did NOT get any of that dessert! I think she was quite happy with some chocolate pudding instead, after we had a talk about how Daddy's beer is special just for him.
 Yesterday was Keila's (belated) 2.5 year check. She scored well above average on everything except for the section where she's supposed to be able to climb stairs with alternating feet. Honestly, what 2.5 year-old climbs stairs like an adult already? I'm more than fine with her taking them one at a time; better safe than sorry.
 5. No idea how tall Keila is still. People keep commenting that she's tall for her age, but she seems just about average to me?
  It's late, so that's it for Keila's June update. Until July....


                      Golfing with crutches....

Forn de Sant Joan in Palma, Mallorca

  Finally getting around to our Easter holiday in Mallorca! Or Majorca, if you like.
After getting settled into our hotel, first stop was of course, lunch. We chose Forn de Sant Joan based on the fact that we stumbled across it while out for a walk, and I remembered it had high ratings online. Plus the 21 euro set lunch seemed like a great deal.
 Food was great, and the service was exceptional. Even though Forn de Sant Joan is obviously a rather classy and upscale restaurant, they provided a high chair for Keila along with some crayons and paper for coloring. Our waiter and the manager both made quite a fuss over her, so it was obvious that children are welcome (at least for lunch...we did eat there again for an early dinner, but I'd feel bad taking a child in to eat during later evening hours).
 Appetizers in the set lunch included a choice of creamy tomato soup with avocado mousse and herb oil; Alaskan salmon tartar with capers, coriander, lime, and mustard ice cream; or grilled vegetables with pesto and Parmesan shavings. We opted for the soup and the salmon. The soup was superb; the salmon was also quite good but the mustard ice cream was an acquired taste (I liked it, hubby didn't).
 Main course options were: Grilled sea bass with a Saracen wheat risotto and zucchini with chive aioli; duck Magret with red berries and vanilla potatoes; or giant macaroni with carmelized onion, mozzarella, and truffle cream. Seeing as the last one seemed like glorified mac n' cheese, we chose the first two. I still feel bad about eating the duck, however (sea bass was out thanks to the gluten-containing wheat). Both dishes were good, but I'm not just really a fan of fowl other than chicken.
 Finally, dessert! 2 choices here, so we got 1 of each: creme brulee and 'Banana connection'. I can't remember what the banana dish was, but it had gluten in it so I didn't taste any. The creme brulee was ok but again wouldn't have been my first choice since creme brulee in general is a bit boring.
 Forn de Sant Joan does serve gluten-free bread if you ask, but I the service charge for it (and for any other bread they bring to your table) is 2.50 euros a person. So be sure to tell the waiter if you don't want bread before he puts it the basket down.
 All in all, it was a really good lunch at a reasonable price. I'd give the restaurant 5 stars based on our lunch experience, but our return visit at dinner brought it down to a low 4.
 We arrived for dinner exactly at opening time, and only then realized that the set menu was for lunch only. Our mistake, not the restaurant's, but I doubt we would have returned if we'd known, seeing as how expensive the regular options on the menu are. For starters, we had grilled octopus (14.50 euros), some kind of pork that I did not partake of (15.50 euros), grilled eel (14.50 euros), a pumpkin soup (8.50 euros for a regular-sized bowl). We shared one main of seared tuna (24.50 euros) and one dessert (7 euros), along with an order of fries for Keila (4 euros). We (and by 'we' I don't mean me) also had some beer and a glass or two of wine, along with one bottle of water for the table to share.. Bill came to 115.90 euros, and I left still hungry! We ended up eating a second dinner at our hotel because I was starving when we got back. What we ordered sounded like a lot, but the portions were miniscule.
 I could handle the menu being over-priced, but our service wasn't nearly as good as it was at lunch, either. Perhaps because the restaurant was getting full, it took quite a while for a few of our dishes to arrive, and I was beginning to wonder if they'd forgotten our order. Also, when I told the waiter that I couldn't eat the bread, she didn't bother to even offer a gluten-free option that time. In her defense, maybe she was new?
  In summary: go to Forn de Sant Joan for lunch. Dinner was just too little for too much money.

Forn de Sant Joan
C\Sant Joan 4
Palma de Mallorca


            From the lunch menu: creamy tomato soup with avocado mousse

   Alaskan salmon tartar

       Quack quack!

 Banana Connection for dessert

From the dinner menu. Grilled eel priced at 14 euros. Wouldn't have been a bad price except for the portion size: tiny! (Compare it to the wasabi on the plate).

  Grilled octopus was delicious.

Tiny portion of seared tuna. Again, about the same portion size as the eel, for 24.50 euros.

 Rather small (but tasty) scoop of chocolate ice cream for 7 euros.

Keila is 37 Months Today!

  Yep, my little girl is officially closer to 3 than she is to 2 now. How has time gone by so quickly?? And it seems like the past month has gone by even faster. We had a visit to Thomas Land, a mini-holiday in London, a tour of Keila's future nursery school, etc etc.
 Oh, and I think I forgot to post last month that Keila has outgrown her peanut allergy!! YAY! After almost 3 hours in the children's clinic at the hospital involving 1 teaspoon of peanut butter followed by 2.5 peanut butter chocolate cookies, it was pretty obvious that Keila's peanut allergy is a thing of the past. And that she gets really, really hyper when given too much chocolate and sugar. She literally bounced off the clinic bed just before we left. Good thing it wasn't too far from the floor.
 Anyway, on to Keila's monthly progress report.

1. Language is still improving daily. Keila uses lots of full sentences now but we hear a lot of commands too. 'Dada! NO!' or 'Daddy, get up NOW!' are some of her favorites. Also 'Wasabi, get DOWN!'. Keila will chatter away at home but can be quite shy in public. People keep telling me 'Don't worry, she'll really start talking soon'....hah!
 Keila is also showing a big interest in Japanese hiragana, and she will make me sound out each sound while pointing to the matching characters in her books. 
2. Sleep is still hit or miss. Most nights Keila will sleep through, although it just depends. She doesn't tend to like going to bed still and will often make up excuses such as needing a drink of water or having to go to the potty. Keila is also dropping at least one nap a week, leading me to fear that she may drop napping altogether soon!
3. Keila's favorite things this month include: doing puzzles on the iPad, along with spelling and matching apps on the iPad. Basically anything on the iPad whenever she can get ahold of it. She actually calls it 'MY iPad'. Nice.
 When Keila can't get to the iPad (ie Mom hides it as often as possible), she's been enjoying 'reading' her books, taking her dollies on walks in their stroller, and since it's getting warmer, playing in the back garden. Snails are a huge hit. 'Where do they live? Where is their house? Look at this snail!!!' I'm going to haul out her little tricycle tomorrow and see how well she does on it for the first time. She's used some at play groups before so hopefully this one will be easy for her.
 4. Story of the month: I chopped up a big chocolate Easter bunny and used it to make chocolate chip cookies. Keila had been asking to eat that bunny for days (I kept telling her 'not today', and of course she noticed that it was missing and asked where it was. I told her that it was now in the cookies I'd made. Keila looked concerned for a minute then happily declared 'So Keila has to eat cookies!!!'
 In other news, Keila also finds passing gas hilarious. She will proudly announce whenever she 'toots' and then laugh about it. She also likes to tell Mommy and Daddy that they are 'stinky' in Japanese. I'm not really sure how this came about, although we probably don't help the matter by laughing along with her.  Here is a recent video for your viewing pleasure: Keila Kusai Kusai!
 5. Keila was exactly 14 kg last time she climbed on the scale. I don't know how much she weighs right now though.

 Speaking of not sleeping, Keila is up and yelling for me right now so that's it for this month.

Wrapping Up Rome: Pizza, Shopping, and Some Sightseeing

  This is going to be the last post on Rome, not because I've run out of places/restaurants to review, but because I want to cover Mallorca (Majorca) before we go on another trip. So, I'll just mention a few places quickly.....
 First off: Dar Poeta pizzeria, located not too far from where we stayed in Trastevere. We'd really wanted to go to Ai Marmi (another pizzeria also known as 'the morgue' because of its stone tables) but they were closed for the holidays. Bummer. They must be amazing, as when we tried to go, we met another couple outside the gated entrance who'd come halfway across the city to eat there too. Much disappointment was had by all that night!
 Anyway, back to Dar Poeta. First time there (we ate there twice, since as I said, they were really close by), we got carry-out and ordered a marinara pizza and one with anchovies and olives. Marinara was good, anchovies one was way too salty for my taste. Second time, we ate in and had another marinara and then one with cheese and mushrooms. The restaurant got quite crowded while we were eating (we arrived maybe a half hour after opening and were lucky to get a table right away), and there was a line outside by the time we left. Service was efficient but hurried as the waitresses had so many tables to cover. I wasn't impressed by the mushroom pizza either, and we actually left about a third of it on the pan. Perhaps I'm spoiled by Chicago pizzas and all the good food we had in Florence, but I can't say that I was terribly impressed by this place, and we weren't sure why it had so many raving review.s Decent pizza yet, but nothing spectacular. However, prices are reasonable and as long as you don't set your standards too high, Dar Poeta is all right for a casual meal.
 Dar Poeta Vicolo del Bologna 45/46, Rome (in Trastevere)

Next up: Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary, in the Torre Argentina ruins (home to Pompey's Theater, among other buildings). This cat sanctuary is non-profit and run entirely by volunteers. When you need a break from sightseeing and want some relaxation time with furry friends, this is the place to go. The sanctuary is home to about 250 cats, many of which love any extra attention they can get. To enter the sanctuary, just look for the sign at the corner of via del Torre Argentina and via Florida, then go down the nearby steps. Donations are always needed, although we didn't feel at all pressured to hand over any cash when we visited. They also have a little gift shop, so you can help out that way if you feel the need to get something material for your monetary gift.
  Here's the link if you want to check them out: Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary



   I REALLY wanted to take this little guy home with us! Good thing we couldn't fly him back, as I doubt that Wasabi and Sushi would have approved.

    Cat in the Torre Argentina ruins

Finally, a great little store in Trastevere: Polvere di Tempo, literally 'powder time' or 'powder of time'. In a time when shops and merchandise is becoming increasingly globalized, Polvere di Tempo transports you back to the age of the artisan. This shop, according to their website, 'specializes in time-keeping devices- but not clocks or watches - and in all manner of scientific instruments, ancient measuring devices, and old fashioned curiosities'. The interior of this shop is simply amazing, and since I asked, the owner's daughter was kind enough to agree to my taking a few pictures. (Note, if you do get to visit this lovely shop and want to take photos, be sure to ask. I always ask, but apparently lots of people don't think to do so, and I can definitely see how it would get annoying to have unapproved flashes and shutter clicks going on in such a peaceful shop).
 We bought a lovely compass-inspired keychain to take home, and there were so many more items that I really wanted to purchase! Polvere di Tempo is definitely THE store to hit up for unique souvenirs,  or especially for gifts for the man who has everything.

 Polvere di Tempo, Via del Moro 59
Here is their website, complete with a map for locating the store: Polvere di Tempo.

   
                 Some of Polvere di Tempo's wares. Simply beautiful pieces.  

So, that's it for Rome! Next up: Malloraca and all its amazing restaurants!

Yotvata Kosher Jewish Restaurant In Rome

How do other people with toddlers manage to blog? I feel like it's all I can do to keep the house from smelling most days, let alone find time to write a post! So here it is going on May, and I'm still writing about our trip to Rome last December! This may/may not be the last post on it, but I definitely wanted to (quickly) talk about this restaraunt: Yotvata. We ended up here after another restaurant we'd been wanting to try was full, and am I ever glad our #1 choice didn't work out! Yotvata has the BEST Jewish artichokes! And basically just the best fried food in general. My husband said it was like eating tempura, ie not a greasy battered mess, but rather light and crispy. We ordered one of Yotvata's fried plates, which included white fish, some vegetables, fried cheese, and of course the Jewish artichoke. Yotvata's Jewish artichoke was so good that we promptly ordered another! They aren't cheap (5 euros per artichoke or something like 12 euros for a fried assorted platter), but they are definitely good.
 The decor and atmosphere are a bit dated, but the pasta was pretty decent and need I mention again, the AMAZING FRIED FOOD! Service was ok but nothing to write home about. It was quite busy when we were in though so that may have been part of the reason it was hard to flag down our waiter.
Don't go here if you've got a heart condition or are trying to be at all healthy. But if you're on vacation and want to indulge in some delicious fried goodness, then by all means hit up Yotvata.

Yotvata (Kosher Jewish Restaurant)
Piazza dei Cenci, 70 Rome Italy



    Homemade pasta at Yotvata

Massive fried platter at Yotvata

Fish egg pasta that I can't remember the name of...too salty for my taste, though