And God Created the Au Pair. Pascale Smets

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СКАЧАТЬ card & purveyors of credit like Sainsbury’s. Sainsbury’s similar to ‘Relate’ as they will be reuniting a separated family this Christmas. Have provisionally booked flights arriving 17th leaving 29th. Dan will come later. Let me know if those dates don’t suit. Actually don’t bother as I don’t think I can change them.

      

      From: Nell Fenton

      To: Charlotte Bailey

      

      Excellent. We are very excited, though Rob and Ollie having some trouble with the concept that your arrival is not going to be today, or at worst tomorrow. Feel warmly affectionate towards Sainsbury’s and hate people who don’t have credit cards or, worse still, those people who have them and use them wisely.

      

      From: Nell Fenton

      To: Charlotte Bailey

      

      Just back from parent night. I thought my heart could not sink any further, but was proved wrong by the appearance of school principal to join our meeting. Not, fortunately, the giant arse (head of whole school) but Mrs Doughty, v sensible if slightly scary woman (head of the lower school). The main concern is Rob’s attention span (or rather complete absence thereof). They were very nice about him, Mrs Doughty spoke v affectionately of him, as indeed she should, he being a particularly endearing child. She said he is very complex – well, yar, had noticed that myself as it happens. Anyway the upshot is they want me to take him to an educational psychologist to see if they need to ‘modify the school programme for him’. Came out of there feeling absolutely crushed. Struggled as usual to fill the allotted 15 mins re Josie as she, as ever, gives no cause for concern. Even more difficult with Ollie’s teacher on account of the fact that greatest challenge he faces at school is not pooing himself (so far 100% success rate).

      

      From: Charlotte Bailey

      To: Nell Fenton

      

      Makes you long for the days when your biggest worry was whether your boob tube would stay up at the Bourne Club disco. Try not to worry too much, he’s such a lovely boy & clearly bright. (By the way, hats off to Ollie.)

      

      From: Nell Fenton

      To: Charlotte Bailey

      

      Have been working v hard on turning the children into proper over-scheduled little Canadians. Josie and Rob do skating on Saturday mornings now. All Canadian children must know how to skate. It’s the law (probably), anyhow don’t want mine left out and they’ve been enjoying it even though it’s a bit of a shag dragging ourselves out every Saturday morning and lugging all the skates and helmets etc along.

      

      From: Charlotte Bailey

      To: Nell Fenton

      

      Sounds irritatingly wholesome to me.

      

      Went shopping for Hugh’s birthday yesterday, if only all present shopping this straightforward. Basically everything I bought if it was not a train was something to do with a train. Lots of wooden track from Early Worthy Centre, a couple of trains from there & then some Brio stuff to go with it. Brio invented by marketing genius who makes turntables, tunnels, etc, etc, unavailable elsewhere so obliged to buy the Brio version – genius lies in the pricing, chief executive at Brio factory plucks ludicrously high figure out of thin air, marketing director doubles it & then distributor’s wife adds a nought. Net result being Brio engine shed costs about the same as the garden shed Albert is trying to persuade me I need. (Didn’t buy it, just marvelled at the price.) Anyway Hugh now kitted out with basic train track a bridge & Brio Thomas the Tank Engine train & tunnel. V excited about giving it to him.

       DECEMBER 99

      From: Charlotte Bailey

      To: Nell Fenton

      Re: emergency situation developing

      

      Haven’t made/bought & therefore obviously sent out any Christmas cards yet & people keep sending the bloody things to me. Present buying also v much in arrears as was lulled into false sense of security by buying what I thought were loads of presents in October & then doing nothing till now. Checked present drawer yesterday – unfortunately loads turns out to be 3 & none of those particularly great. So now you must quickly tell me what you want & what your offspring passionately want that is also easily available, extremely cheap, light & easy to carry. Dan & I just going to give each other stockings this year – the felt sort filled with thoughtful little gifts not spanky stay-ups for pervy sex (although sure Dan would prefer to give me some of them rather than the waffle iron I am going to ask for – intend to become the sort of person who makes fresh waffles for breakfast). Re Xmas cards – have you received Selena’s annual soft-focus photo of her children charading as a Christmas card yet? I haven’t & am also eagerly anticipating Annabel’s Christmas round robin describing in fascinating detail events of the past year – its highs, its lows, its ups, its downs, its ins, its outs, etc, etc … although actually there never are any lows, downs or outs. Last year, best she could manage was burning 50 home-made hot-cross buns intended for Easter fete tea. May have to ring you when it comes, to read it to you, as Dan doesn’t derive the proper enjoyment from it. If only she knew how much pleasure her Christmas message brings.

      

      From: Nell Fenton

      To: Charlotte Bailey

      

      Am naturally eager to share Annabel’s holiday message with you. Christmas very much a time to spread happiness and am therefore delighted to be able to share similar (though email), from Suzette which came this morning. Am of course flattered, though somewhat taken aback to already be in the ‘dear friends’ category but one shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Think it does add a little extra touch of class to share with her 100 closest friends the coy hints about her marvellously active sex life with Kane. Clearly if one is as attractive as she is, one’s husband can’t keep off rogering one senseless every 5 mins. Don’t suppose this is so in Annabel’s case, what with being married to a man of the cloth.

      

      Dear friends

      

      A very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year to you all. Another year has flown by and Kane and I and our beautiful girls are happy and well. As the years pass we find more and more joy in reflecting on our many blessings and as this year draws to its close we can certainly look back with peace and happiness in our hearts.

      

      The girls are growing up so fast, Sophie is almost as tall as I am now, a real young woman, and they are both so funny and special and continue to do wonderfully well in their studies. We are very fortunate. Sophie is proving to be quite a gifted artist with many of her pictures displayed around her school and Takara is still a very keen gymnast СКАЧАТЬ