Music to our ears

We had word from the hospital that the preliminary reading shows that all is still stable in Isabella's head. We will get the official results when we visit the clinic the week after next. For the time being we are extremely happy and can move forward for another three months.

Isabella also saw a new eye doctor prior to the MRI. He is collaborating with her neurologist and doing research into her type of tumor. He commented, as many have said before, she has excellent vision, you would not know she had a tumor touching her optic nerve. All good news.

Back to summer. The girls have been doing tennis camp this week. They are exhausted! And we are being entertained by a laughing pig we bought at Vancouver airport. It is hilarious, just when you are feeling run down after a long day, Matilde waves her hand and piggy starts chuckling and snorting. It is totally infectious and before long we are all laughing.

More news when we have it.

Lots of love,
Emma and Gregorio. xxx

Yee-Haw, the cowboys are home!

Ya better believe it! 

Cowgirls: Olivia, Ottavia, Mati and Bella

We have returned home from our Canadian adventure. We left Vancouver at some ungodly hour on Saturday morning, transited through Toronto and US immigration (in Canada?) at its best...we just made our connection to DC and arrived home to a 'sauna' last night. For the past four days we have hardly taken our fleeces off, it barely made 18 C during the day, so the 40 C plus humidity that greeted us on arrival was a little shocking!

We had a fantastic time. The Calgary Stampede lived up to all our expectations. From the moment we landed there was a sea of cowboy hats and boots wherever we went. We were quick to kit ourselves out in said gear and join in the festivities. The opening parade was great fun, lots of yee-haws and yahoos - a complete celebration of Canadian culture on horseback. The vibrant colours of the cowboy and cowgirl attire, the native Indians, the Mounted police (Mounties), local wildlife and much more. We were a little concerned at being in the front row as a cowboy rode down the street on a rather large bull. We witnessed a proposal of marriage from a fellow parade watcher close-by to one of the cheerleaders but of course, the highlight was seeing William and Kate at the beginning of the parade. It was quite fleeting but we did capture the moment on film! There was a definite nod of acknowledgement as Isabella and I waved our union jack bandanas like mad.

Yee-haw

oh yeah!

The stampede itself was an enormous playground of entertainment. We were swept into the excitement of the Rodeo and the chuckwagon races. Isabella was very excited at the prospect of winning some serious money but our lucky numbers did not come up. We joined the Stampede Square Dancers for a morning of 'swing your doll to the right, now you take mine and I'll take yours". Its quite exhausting but what a scream! The final evening concluded with a spectacular show akin to the Cirque de Soleil (it seems everywhere you go in Canada there are street performers in training for these types of shows) and fireworks.

Lake Morraine

Ready to fly

From Calgary, we left the plains and headed north into the Rockies. We spent the first five days in Banff. beautiful scenery and fresh air. We enjoyed some great hikes and saw lots of wildlife - black bears, elk, mule deer, mountain goat and big horn sheep. Try as we might, we did not see a moose. We saw lakes of every shade of blue and green that you can imagine, endless streams, waterfalls, beautiful wildflowers and alpine vistas. One of the best hikes was around Lake Louise, a picturesque milky green lake, and then up through the trees to the serene Lake Agnes. A pretty strenous hike and a mere 11 C outside but definitely worth it and we were rewarded with quite the best cup of tea at the teahouse at the top. We took a short helicopter ride over the snowcapped peaks. A smooth ride with a few whaooo moments from me up front, as I thought we were about to clip the mountain ridge and squeals of excitement from the girls behind "papa, look at all those sticks down there!" " They are tree trunks, Matilde!"

Our hotel for the stay in Banff had a wonderful hot pool overlooking the mountains. We would retreat here at the end of the day and relax enjoying the evening light. It didn't actually get dark till 11 pm. Isabella and Matilde are such water babies, we were even there on the last day in the rain and 15C outside. It would have been too much to coax Gregorio in that evening.

The hikers at Maligne Canyon

The drive north through the national parks to Jasper was fascinating. There is very little in the way of human life, just one petrol station I think and the road often closes in the winter. But the scenery leaves you speechless. I had only ever seen glaciers in the winter but now I understand what they are. The icefield parkway is full of glaciers, one more spectacular than the next. Each glacier is impressive and leave you feeling so small and insignificant on this earth.

Inside a glacier cave

We enjoyed three nights in Jasper in a very tranquil setting, in the lap of luxury. The girls are learning my fascination with hotels. They immediately walk in and check out the details and give it a vote. Overall they gave the hotel choices for this holiday a resounding 10! We had a lovely room overlooking a peaceful lake, with snowcapped mountains beyond. Our hikes here were less strenuous but the scenery equally magnificient. We hiked up to Edith Cavell glacier and even walked on it. In fact Gregorio and the girls even walked into a glacier cave. A French man close by looked at me and said "il sait qu'il est dangereux d'entrer" My reply, "mon mari est fou!" They survived and have the pictures to prove their exciting adventure. The glacial lake below complete with icebergs was captivating and we seemed to capture it from many angles in the warm sunlight. The girls enjoyed making rock sculptures and we even witnessed an avalanche way up high. It seemed like an impressive waterfall at first and then one realised that it had stopped.

Emerald Lake

We set off at sunrise on the Monday morning, as the mist was lifting in the valley, I think we encountered more animals than cars for the first hour as we drove along Trans Canadian Highway 1. We had several stops en-route and finally some nine hours later we decided to call it a day in Kamloops. It is hard to imagine how much space, how many trees, how many mountains and how much water there is in Canada but that's mainly what we saw for the whole drive. Once out of Alberta and into British Columbia we were mainly out of the National Parks so there was much more civilization and commercial advertising on the roads but still the sense of awe inspiring scenery continued.

Capilano suspension bridge

After a restful night on a nice ranch overlooking the river, where we fed the horses, we continued onto Vancouver. The drive was much less impressive. We had been advised that the Fraser Canyon was a scenic drive, maybe we were fed up with driving or we had been spoilt in Alberta but we couldn't wait to get to Vancouver. Several hours later we discovered that Vancouver is a sprawling mass of traffic and road construction. Welcome back to civilization! Prior to getting to our hotel we enjoyed several hours enjoyment at Capilano. Across the gorge they have created an extremely long suspension pedestrian bridge. Now, between you and me, I have a little phobia at the best of times about crossing bridges. I was convinced that Isabella would be a little scared and it would be a lesson in overcoming our fears. Wrong, she and Mati danced and skipped across the bridge, enjoying the swaying motion while I clung to the wire rope for dear life! By the second or third time I was used to it. On the other side there is an amazing tree top adventure linking these extremely tall and magnificent fir trees by a series of rope bridges. It was a lot of fun.

Vancouver felt like a strange mix of Sydney, San Francisco and England. The weather, forgive me, was decidedly an English summer. Many people were in shorts and t-shirts but after 11 years in Washington DC, it did not feel summer like to me. As we wandered through Stanley park and looked out at the sailing boats on a blustery day, I was transported back to Stokes Bay, looking out over the Solent towards the Isle of Wight. We spent a day in Victoria on Vancouver Island. And again I was in England - walking through the Victorian shopping alleys I was in Brighton; eating quite the best fish and chips on the quayside, I was in Cornwall and licking a 99, I was back in my childhood dreams! And then there was the moment I found daisies on the grass. Now I know most English people try desperately to rid daisies from their perfectly manicured lawn but my daughters didn't know what I meant by daisy chains, now they do! Maybe its the climate in DC but I haven't seen a daisy in years.

The Canadians have a more European approach to food and as always food was a major part of the Impavido holiday. Of course, we had some great croissants, pains au chocolat, delicious cheeses and sublime pate (note it is impossible to get decent pate in the US but the French charcuterie stall in the Granville Island market was mouthwatering) Perhaps the most pleasant surprise to me were the classic English favourites that I was able to introduce to the girls. Sausage rolls and cornish pasties became a regular feature of our picnics.

Vancouver also has the largest Chinatown this side of the Pacific. We spent a good morning wandering around the shops. Is there anything the chinese don't pickle or dry? The exotic aromas and sights were quite fascinating. We found a great restaurant, which the girls loved and we went back three times for various Chinese banquets. After the morning in the chinatown market I was a little less adventurous on our choice of dishes!

the nearest we could get to finding a moose

All in all a magnificent holiday and a great way to celebrate my upcoming birthday. Every day the girls sang to me and they told everyone it was my birthday! Sorry this has turned into a bit of an epic tale, well done for making it to the end.

Back to reality. Tomorrow Isabella has her latest MRI and eye tests. We will update you as soon as we have news.

Hope you are all enjoying your summer.

Lots of love,
Emma & Gregorio. xxx

Running a marathon

Does the school year feel like a marathon to you? I am told, running a marathon is just as much a mental test as it is a physical one. Remember 5K is my running limit, I can dream of completing 26 miles.....Anyway, as we enter the home straight of the school year, my body is screaming at me to stop while I need to assert my mental will power to reach the finish.

While May was filled with sports days, choral recitals, a Brazilian wedding, having fun with the grandparents and Matilde's sleepover birthday party - oh yes we had nine seven year olds camped out in the playroom - June has been about Shenandoah camp for Isabella, a sleepover at the beach for Matilde, Music Theory exams for Isabella, and the non-stop parties. Is it possible that SO many kids were born in May and June? Of course not, but so many people disappear for the summer, they have to be crammed in before Independence day. So then there are all the gatherings with friends before they escape the Washington humidity and mosquitoes and this year quite a few of these gatherings are tinged with sadness. Gregorio and I are quasi-Washingtonian at this point (13 and 11 years respectively) and we are now witnessing  another wave of departures. We are bidding a sad farewell to some good friends, some returning to Europe, some to more distant climes.

As you can see, it is non-stop running from one event to another, so you are asking where is the mental challenge? Isn't getting myself dressed, remembering to put my deodorant on (let alone make-up) and getting to work enough? How many more lists do I need to make? I am beginning to lose track: who needs  piano books today? who needs a permission slip to go on a trip? have I bought a birthday present for the latest party? I need a babysitter for tonight? Oh darn we've forgotten to give Isabella's monthly medication. You know the list goes on.

And then there is the mental test you really were not expecting. Last week-end, Saturday started so calmly. Matilde, the party animal was all excited to attend her friend's farewell party on a pirate ship on the Chesapeake Bay. We decided to make a day of it and have crab cakes at our favourite pub in Annapolis for lunch then we'd drop off Matilde and have a wander around the port, past all the sailing boats in the sunshine. No, it was not to be! She had a complete melt down and would not dress up like a pirate, have her face painted and she certainly was NOT going on the ship. We still don't know what the reason was, we tried all the usual parental bribing tricks - in the end we forced her on the ship and off we went around the corner....and sat for an hour and half thinking we'd done the wrong thing and she would make us suffer for years to come. Yes you can imagine, she came back screaming with laughter and joy as the pirates cruised back into dock. This is Gregorio and I caught on film, summing up the energy for another bout of  "oh Matilde, you will have a great time etc!" Aren't parents great at putting a smile on?!

And talking about smiles - they are beginning to spread across our faces as we see our prize the other side of the finishing line, the marathon is almost over for the year - yes we are about to take off for Canada. We will be in Calgary for the opening of the Calgary Stampede. "The Greatest Outdoor show on earth. Where ordinary people become cowboys!" We'll see the opening parade, the Rodeo, chuckwagon races and we're going line dancing at the place where the stampede cowboys hang out - and we'll be wearing our cowboy boots!! Matilde is planning on strutting up to that famous British couple who are also going to be there in her cowboy boots and hat and saying "hey, how you doin'? We're English too!" Watch the press! From Calgary we are heading up into the Rockies to enjoy the fresh air, amazing scenery and wildlife in Banff and Jasper and then we'll drive across country to Vancouver. I'm sure we'll have a few photos and stories to share later in the summer.

Oh and Isabella is doing really well. She is a growing up into a lovely happy and considerate girl. In fact she is a saint, she went on the pirate ship with Matilde. She can now get her curly blonde locks into a pony tail. She is absolutely thrilled about this. This afternoon the Principessa had her ninth birthday party at the pool. I think a great time was had by all. Her crowning glory of the evening was jumping off the high diving board for the first time. And once you've done it once, there's no stopping you. Getting them all out of the pool was difficult. Her next MRI will be at the end of July. We'll keep you posted.

Lots of love,
Emma & Gregorio. xxx

Race for Hope 2011

This year the weather was dry and not too hot - just perfect for running! Some 12,000 people, of all ages, turned out to show their support in the fight against brain tumors. Team Impavido - the Fearless ones - was out in force. The Italian grandparents had arrived and were kitted out in shorts and t-shirts ready to roll, we had toddlers (strapped into their strollers for the ride), lots of kids (some with scooters) and our leader - Isabella, proudly wearing her survivor t-shirt.

We all completed the 5K course, some faster that others (much to my annoyance, bravo Gregorio!) We even had team members running in London to show their support. The Mall was a little emptier for Peter and Janie than it had been for Will and Kate!

Race for Hope is an emotional event for us but we are happy to be a part of it. It is great to come together with the brain tumor community, not least to watch the courage and determination of the many brain tumor survivors participating.

Peter & Janie on their walk/run at Buckingham Palace

We are truly grateful for all the money that has been raised to fund research and find a cure. Team Impavido has raised over $3,000 so far but more is still coming in. Thank you all for your support to this worthy cause that is dear to our hearts.

After the event we had a fun celebration in the garden for the team - a rather typical English BBQ - we laid everything outside, it rained, we moved inside, it stopped and we moved outside again. And so the afternoon continued between sausages, a glass of pimms and a slice or two of crostata di nutella.

Some of Team Impavido at the end

Life is not slowing down, now that we've run our annual 5k - We've got sport's day coming up and Isabella and the choir are singing at the British Embassy and at the end of year concert. However, she is more focused on a school sleepover this week, its all part of the latest topic on how to survive. The teachers are either mad or competing for the teacher of the year award. Matilde seems to have lots of social engagements coming up including her end of year ballet recital but she is focused on her 7th birthday sleepover - apparently we are inviting all the girls from the class for a night of fun!!

Lots to keep us busy during this last term at school. We will be back in touch when we have more news. Isabella will have another MRI at the end of July, in the meantime enjoy the spring.

Love,
Emma & Gregorio xxx
PS I have added some photos of our Royal Wedding street party  below. Our princesses are coping with their new-found fame! The girls were featured on the local news but even more exciting for them, the feed was picked up by Sky news and they were seen overseas as well! A proud Grandpa called us from Mallorca to let us know he had seen how we had celebrated the Royal Wedding.

A good week for Princesses

Isabella had her latest MRI on Wednesday. On Thursday we received the good news that the tumors are still all stable and so we move forward another three months. The next MRI will be at the end of July.

We have been enjoying the Easter holidays - basketball camp, several visits to the cinema, dinner out, some very variable weather, a lovely Easter week-end enjoying the spring time gardens, eating far too much and making up for 40 days without wine! (well almost).

This morning the English daughters joined their patriotic mother from the early hours to watch the Royal Wedding live from London. Isabella and I stumbled around in the dark trying to get the internet to work, eventually we just turned on the TV and the Italian grandmother, jet-lagged as she had only arrived yesterday, stumbled into the wedding sofa party at 4:30 am. Matilde gave the dress a big thumbs up and gave us all a running commentary about which of the carriages she had seen and been photographed in front of last summer as the Royal Procession moved down the Mall back to the Palace. At 8:30 am we were finally satisfied that the wedding was official, Kate and William had kissed not once but twice and we could go and have breakfast.

At lunchtime we joined a fun Royal Wedding street party at the British School - Principessa Isabella dressed as a relation to Queen Victoria, while Contessa Matilde from a few decades later strode confidently into the street scene with Lady Lottie and were captured on the local TV news. Their day was made. Matilde signed the poster that will be sent to the Royal couple - her phonetic spellings are still adorable.

We conclude the school holidays with the Race for Hope on Sunday. We have quite a team who will be running and walking with us. Tune in next week for some photos. It's not too late to donate. Many thanks to all those who have already done so.

Lots of love,
Emma & Gregorio. xxx

Red, White and Green

It has been several weeks since I last wrote....we have been busy, so what's new?

We were skiing in Vail, Colorado during the half term week. Fantastic snow and great weather. I highly recommend a ski trip there, though our legs are not as young as they used to be, the pistes just kept going on and on. Over on the Blue Sky bowl, one nips in and out of the trees, even an intermediate skier like myself, I felt like I was in the opening scene of a James Bond movie. Magic. I will also add this family certainly employs a great travel planner. The apartment could not have been better placed. Lift downstairs, pick up the skis, drop off the kids at ski school at 9 am and hop on the chair lift and off Gregorio and I went for the day. Kids were entertained and exercised till 3:30 pm. Meanwhile we were enjoying ourselves on cloud nine, poppyfields and espresso (who invents the names of these pistes?) The highlight for the girls was that their ski instructor had taught Michelle Obama and daughters the day before!

All this after they had met royalty. Prince Michael of Kent visited their school the week before half term. Isabella and the choir performed for him and Matilde's class chatted with him. Matilde (the oh-so-English daughter) told the prince she was from Italy. I'm not offended really. This week over supper the girls have decided that they are going to marry an Italian. Of course, I would agree with their wise choice but I am not really sure why they think he has to be Italian...perhaps they are just missing papa' who is currently at 3, 500 metres in La Paz, Bolivia (the week in Vail, same altitude, was good training).

And talking of things Italian. As many of you know, this year is the 150th anniversary of Italian Unification. The Italian Embassy has launched a competition for children to design a t-shirt celebrating this anniversary....and there is a monetary prize (apparently) for the winning design. Isabella has decided she is going to submit four entries, win all four and then she will be able to buy papa' his Ferrari. Yep, we are still missing papa'. What I love is the no-nonsense approach to financing one's dreams that all children seem to have. At least, she has realised that the lemonade stand is probably not going to generate enough for a Ferrari. Matilde, as assistant to the dream project, is motivated as she knows that papa' will buy her a bunny if they buy him a Ferrari....right, dream on.....

So back to reality. Isabella graduated to a green belt in Tae Kwon Do this week. She is still very focused on this sport, which is great and calculating when she might get to a black belt. Watch out! Matilde is getting ready for her spring ballet performance. Though she continues to say "I hate ballet" Certainly regular classes are not nearly as interesting as being a bumble bee in the Nutcracker. Spring has returned to DC and we are out on our bikes again and starting tennis once more this week-end. It is all go with homework, playdates and slumber parties fitted in-between.

We are already beginning to plan our summer holiday. Another Canadian extravaganza is in the pipeline.  I am turning a significant age this year and will not grow old gracefully. We have decided to do something different and are heading to the Calgary Stampede "where ordinary people become cowboys" at the largest gathering of cowboys in the world - rodeos, chuckwagon racing eat your heart out! And of course, buying a pair of cowboy boots will be de rigeur.

Isabella's next MRI will be at the end of April so we will update you in early May if not before on what we are up to. The Race for Hope in DC takes place on May 1st - let me know if you wish to join the team - walkers or runners accepted and sponsors for this great cause to end brain cancer are greatly appreciated.

I am continuing to pursue several leads to get Isabella's book published and more widely distributed to the brain cancer community and beyond, but it is a slow process. Meanwhile, I am making great headway in creating photo books for the girls from when they were born. Yes we have rather a lot of photos, I've made it to the end of 2009.

Hope the green shoots (financial and botanical) are springing up with you. From a crisp but beautifully sunny day in DC - somewhat similar to 11 years ago today in London. Happy anniversary, Gregorio!

Lots of love,
Emma xxx

All Stable

We received an email this evening: all remains stable with Isabella's tumour. We were getting increasingly anxious as the days went by so much relief in the Impavido household this evening. Waiting for medical results doesn't get any easier. We will see the doctors on Thursday morning for full details and learn when the next MRI will be.

Otherwise all is well. We are keeping busy with work and school. Isabella is getting close to testing for the next belt in Tae Kwon Do. And when she is not playing the piano or singing in the choir her newfound favourite past times are knitting (her grandmother taught her over Christmas and papa's scarf is coming along very nicely) and cross stitch. She is up early at the week-ends and retreats downstairs to sit in perfect tranquility knitting or sewing. Meanwhile Matilde is still doing lots of ballet, but the regular classes are nothing like as exciting as The Nutcracker. She is currently rehearsing a singing and dancing routine with her friend for the upcoming school talent show.

We have been skiing a few times locally this season but we are really looking forward to a trip to Vail Colorado.

May 1st is the date we plan to run 5k again in the Washington DC Race for Hope, more news on that in due course.

Lots of love,
Emma & Gregorio. xxx