Bayswater, London

Angus is a magical word

I actually flew from Bologna to Birmingham this time. Hadn't been too impressed with London Stansted when I was in London in April for Singapore Day. It took longer to fly to Birmingham, but there was relatively little queue at passport control (as the only other person around travelling on a non-EU passport I even managed to cut queue) and the rail link to Birmingham International Railway Station took only 2 minutes. One can choose to travel with National Rail or with Virgin and the journey to London took 1h15mins. On my way back I spent the night in one of the Accor hotels just opposite the airport as I had a very early flight this morning.

Birmingham from the plane

I went straight to the Burberry Outlet in Hackney Central. They have moved next door to a rather nice boutique that made shopping there much more pleasant than the last time. Well, Dutchess, for your info, I spent at least an hour trying on more than a dozen trench coats but wasn't pleased with any of them. Finally I came upon this gorgeous cream-coloured leather trench but alas tried as I did to suck in the chest it still wouldn't fit me. Still, I managed to spend a small fortune in the store.

Burberry Outlet in London

I stayed in the same room at the same hotel though they have jacked up the price by 50%. It came with English breakfast this time though I wouldn't recommend it. The bacon was as tough as leather, the grilled sausage was very oily. I opted for the buffet breakfast instead the next morning - and was really pleased with the pains au chocolat, croissants, hard-boiled eggs etc.

Bayswater

Inverness Terrace where the hotel is

I have probably tried almost all the Cantonese Roast Ducks in the Chinese restaurants lining the Bayswater-Queensway area. My favourite is Gold Mine's, its Chef apparently used to work at Four Seasons. The meat was succulent and tender, the skin nicely roasted and not dry and the sauce that came with it went really well with just steamed rice. Its Char Siu and Siu Yoke were so-so on the other hand. Never got round to eating Tim Sum like I wanted to as the queue at Royal China was very long. Wendy and Franck brought me to eat Singaporean/Malaysian at Kiasu instead. Merci encore pour le déjeuner!

Whiteleys since 1863

A building in Bayswater

I wanted to visit the Tate Modern but failed to find the time. It was a toss between that and checking out H&M for Baby Boy's ski suit. The latter won and I spent 2 hours at Whiteleys buying out Marks and Spencer (I love its food section), H&M, Boots and weeping before Gap, Zara and HMV because I couldn't buy anymore due to lack of luggage space (and this time I had 25 Kgs instead of 10). The ground floor at Whiteley's stank a little as they have a fresh fish and meat mart, but the cake and pastries stand nearby made up for it. By the way, I resisted. I will be in France in December, I can wait. But check out the French pastry shop just outside Whiteley's instead. I almost stopped breathing when I saw the Fraisier in their window display.

Alley behind my hotel room

If you ask me, London is not half as beautiful as Paris. But it is nonetheless such a charming and wonderful city I just love it. Everywhere you go there is something to eat and something to do, it's just so happening. Every corner I turn I hear people speaking French, Italian, Spanish, German...And most of the Chinese there speak Cantonese. This augurs well.

More buildings in Bayswater

They are going to increase transportation prices in January. But it would still be better than having to take the car. While I was there, all the newspapers were harping on the MPs and their expenses - or Stephen Gately's funeral. I read about 3 papers daily (courtesy of the hotel) and was really happy just being alone in my tiny room with nobody to talk to. I am back just one afternoon and I've already lost my voice screaming at the kids. I should have extended my stay.

Meeting Van

Our wedding present to Van (MIL painted it)

The Sabbath finished on Saturday with the arrival of the night. And I made my way to Hendon Central on the Bakerloo line to meet my old friend, University and Club mate Van whom I've not seen for a few years - since her 2003 wedding in London that I attended with my family to be precise.

The wedding dining hall

I must admit that I thought my worst fears had come true when I saw her. Her beautiful golden brown locks were nowhere in sight. Before me was an Obasan wearing something that looked like a shower cap, like in those documentaries I've followed on TV or read in the papers about Orthodox Jews. Did she shave her hair? I wanted to cry.

The beautiful bride

But she reassured me that she still has her real hair. Though she has decided, after some initial resistence, to adhere to the usual married woman practice of either covering her real hair or wearing a wig (albeit a very expensive one) when she goes out. And deep down she's (almost) still the same talkative, intelligent, fashion-loving, love-a-good-bargain Van that I've known since I was 18.

We caught up for a few hours in her lovely, comfortable and tastefully-decorated house in a predominantly Jewish neighbourhood. I was really happy to see her again after all these years. I was reluctant to leave. Van has a special place in my heart. I realised that over the years we have all gone our separate ways, but with old friends like her, I often feel that I could pick up from wherever we've last left off anytime we should meet again. And I was also reminded about how one should take stock of certain ideas that one has formed especially from second or third-hand experiences. There is nothing like knowing an event or person first hand before forming one's opinions.

Having said that, I do not think that I'll ever buy this wig or shower cap business, or be able to accept that Van and I, we will never be able to eat noodles at Wagamama's together again. And I do not know if I could even extend an invitation to her to stay with me if she should ever visit - my house is definitely far from Kosher. But I understand her reasons for choosing to live her life the way she sees fit and I respect her for that. I am happy that she is happy and I thank her for this opportunity to understand her religion and community better. And the next time I visit her, we'll eat Kosher Thai or Indian together. In the past, we've always so enjoyed eating out together.

That evening, there were fireworks in the sky. Hendon Central was celebrating Diwali. So many parallel lives, beliefs and celebrations. I am fortunate the Hub likes me exposing my hair, boobs, thoughts whatever. I like a Cartesian man who doesn't like me to look like a dump when I am out of his sight. Most women see their husbands only a few hours a day (exclude those sleeping hours) so if they could only look good for their men, it's painful contemplating spending the majority of the time trying one's best to look ugly. I for one have difficulty imagining that God would give women hair so that we could hide or mutilate it.

Diwali Treat

Sample of the Diwali Offering

I was on my way to Marylebone Station to catch a train to Bicester Village when Sh sent me an sms telling me to collect Diwali goodies from her son. It was a cold morning so the news were heart-warming, though I started to worry a little after that - because it wouldn't be another 2 days before I would return home and I feared that the goodies would have disappeared by then.

But they were still there when I reached home this afternoon. Hub and the kids had been too busy last weekend to eat all of them. If one hoped that the family would suffer boredom in one's absence, it would be quite futile. Because the Hub is quite good at ignoring the boring little chores in life and just concentrate on the bigger more pleasant things. The laundry was waiting for me when I arrived; the wash that I did before I left was still hanging outside; the children's homework still waited to be supervised; I've forgotten to ask if they've been washed. The ski trip was waiting for me to book it...I was spared the state of the kitchen though, thank God, since the cleaning lady arrived before me today.

But the kids had a good time with their father and he probably thinks that looking after children is easy peasy, one just needs to bring them to play golf, run in the park or visit friends who have children of the same age. Still, it is to my advantage that the weekend went well for them, hopefully this would mean more similar weekends for me in the near future.

Meanwhile the sweet and savoury titbits that Sh gave us were very good. I am especially fond of the murukku. Thank you so very much, Sh! It was really nice of you to have thought of sharing this special occasion with us through your food.

Happy Diwali/Deepavali 2009

Festival of Lights

This week Sh was very busy. Preparing a big feast to celebrate Diwali, I was told.

I think it is wonderful that no matter where they are, how few or numerous they are, they will still make an effort to celebrate special festivals that are important in their culture. Wish I could say the same for myself.

How many years have I not celebrated the Chinese Lunar New Year? Or Mooncake Festival? Or any festival for that matter? I've even forgotten when Baby Girl was 6 last year to offer her red eggs and noodles because the 1st month, 1st year, 6th year and 60th year are important birthdays in the Chinese culture.

This term, the Babies have been working on a Unit of Enquiry that certes, gave me work to do, but it included working a little on important traditions, rituals and events in our families and/or cultures. Hub's family is very weird in that they do not celebrate anything if they can help it and I've often thought it a miracle that FIL actually got a (very short) service at church when he died. And I knew Hub had cousins when his aunt died. And I've only met one of them once in all the years I'm married to the man. That is to say that he didn't help the kids do the homework.

Back in Singapore, Deepavali is a public holiday. I will be in London then. Though I couldn't gatecrash in some Indian home and help myself to the goodies, I will be with you in spirit.

Happy Diwali/Deepavali to my Hindu friends!!!

Risotto ai Funghi Porcini

Risotto ai Funghi Porcini

Risotto is less popular than Jasmine or Basmati Rice in this household. But this evening I was accused by everyone of being stingy with my portions. Though the kids are not too fond of mushrooms in general, the dried porcini added fragrance to the broth and we all know that when fresh porcini is in season, it is irresistible.

My version of Risotto ai Funghi Porcini contained :

olive oil

red onion

garlic

fresh funghi porcini

dried porcini and chicken broth

white wine

bay leaves

crème fraiche (optional)

freshly ground black pepper

Needless to say there was arborio rice, nicely coated in the fragrant oil and porcini mushrooms before being cooked in the chicken and dried porcini broth. The Italians eat their risotto al dente, so do not overcook the rice. Remove the pan from the fire when the rice is just cooked and where there is still liquid in it as the grains will continue to absorb the broth. I did not overcook the porcini mushrooms either, as they could also be eaten raw.

Risotto is always best eaten immediately. With a good serving of freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Olive Oil Chocolate Cake

Olive Oil Chocolate Cake

It started getting really cold since yesterday. I know it because I couldn't wear my Birkenstocks out and I am starting to feel low. I also think I know why the English and the Germans are usually such great bakers, though a little colder they probably would just turn to vodka.

I felt the urge to bake this morning. I needed some warmth and the smell of baking chocolate in the house - though I stopped short at butter. I haven't had my cholesterol tested since 2 years ago (after paying 60 euros for the test - think of the blocks of premium butter I could buy with that), but knowing that age is catching up with me, I thought I had better just play it safe.

So I baked an Olive Oil Chocolate Cake. And ate it with loads of whipped cream. Oops.

Olive Oil Chocolate Cake :

110g Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 Tsp Vanilla extrait

1/2 Tsp Almond extrait

230g Flour

1/4 Tsp Salt

1/4 Tsp Baking Soda

4 Eggs

170ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil

180g Sugar

50g Brown Sugar

Heat oven to 160°C. Grease a springform tin with olive oil and lightly flour it.

Add about 8 Tbsps of hot water to the cocoa powder and mix it into a paste. Add the vanilla and almond essence. Set it aside.

Mix the flour, salt and baking soda.

Combine the eggs, olive oil, sugars and whisk till you get a creamy mixture.

Add in the cocoa paste and whisk some more till it's evenly mixed.

Fold in the flour.

Bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes.

A slice of the cake (before the whipped cream)

Probably the kind of cake that would go well with a crème anglaise. If you want to taste the olive oil, it would be better not to bake it with chocolate.

Meanwhile, before I leave I have a few loose ends to tie. Had to buy another music book for Eldest Son's guitar lessons and a present for a birthday party that Baby Girl will attend on Sunday. Took the opportunity to make a quick trip to the Ferrari Store in Maranello and grab a few gifts for London. Have to reserve our ski trip to Morzine. They have decided that I must spend the New Year freezing on the slopes. Made a list for the Hub. When le leaves, he just do it. When I leave, why do I feel like I couldn't do so just like that? And he told me yesterday that I'm not indispensable...I should go away more often. So, where next?

Preparing for Take Off

Beef, Egg and Potato Curry with Organic Wholewheat Chapati

One good thing about making an effort is when you get appreciated for it. Which doesn't happen often in this family. One gets taken for granted so often one needs to run off somewhere from time to time pour changer les idées. Anyway, many mothers from the Middle Years have been writing/calling to tell me how much their children have enjoyed the birthday party last Friday. The boy didn't get stung for nothing.

Actually I'm going to London again because I like being in a big city once in a while. Do not get me wrong. I am really making the most of my stay here in Modena, I've even told Hub a few times in the past 2 years that we should try harder to be part of the village. Twice we've attended Maranello's Community Fair and once Castelnuovo-Rangone's and all 3 times Hub insisted that we leave after just 10 minutes. He may be a little snobbish about it, but it is true that the quality of these fairs usually leaves much to be desired. Quite a waste of the pretty flyers and even more so the fireworks that often come after. This winter, on our way to France, we may visit the Weihnachtsmarkt in Stuttgart. As I remember it, it was beautiful and professional - from its installation to the things they sell.

I've been busy packing for Friday's trip and will have to miss the school's special Open Day on Saturday. Yes, there will be school for the children this Saturday as the ISM would like to present a normal school day to visiting families. Thought it would be a good time to leave the kids with the Hub as they would be at school on this day and he could go do his own thing. Even when I go away I have to try and make things easy for the man. Not that he would even realise it.

Sweet pancakes made from improved Lapis Sagu batter

And the days leading to my trip saw me making the family's favourite dishes to make up for all the Cantonese Roast Duck and Chicken Tikka Masala that they would be missing. I added flour and double action baking powder to the leftover batter for the Lapis Sagu and made sweet 3-flour pancakes. Quite yummy.

Then last night we had Beef and Egg Curry that I served with Chapatis made of organic wholewheat flour. This evening we will have a Chunky Pasta and Vegetable Soup with a stock made from boiling Piemontese beef for 2 hours. I have decided to only cook "branded" beef from now on. For info, the mg of cholesterol in a 100g piece of Piemontese beef is just 48.5mg compared with other beef (73mg), pork (79mg), roast chicken (76mg) and sole (52mg). And the meat is very tasty and tender, makes it worth the higher cost.

Chunky Pasta, Quail Eggs and Vegetable Soup

Tomorrow evening, eve of my departure, I will make a Risotto ai Funghi Porcini. I've managed to buy more of the fresh mushrooms this morning (current price : 26 euros per Kg) and am dying to cook them.

I heard that it is very cold in London now, which makes the packing a little difficult. Am hoping to bring less there so that I could come back with more. Will be meeting 2 friends sur place, including my dear long-time friend Van who has realised her ambition to marry another Jew a few years ago and who has been keeping a beautiful Kosher household since. If I had started blogging then I could have written a piece on her lovely wedding in London.

Singapore-style Black Pepper Prawns

Black Pepper Prawns

Since that boy turned 13 a few days ago, I've had a spate of bad luck. They really followed one another, from the wasp sting to news that my new Lancia Phedra will only arrive next month (4 months' wait!) to Baby Girl not feeling well to dad's good friend dying (quite young), and this morning, we received yet another expensive bill for our flat in Paris. I finally washed all the bedsheets seeing that the sun was shining so brightly, but of course the minute I took out the wash to hang, the sun disappeared and it started to rain, with thunder, lighting, blackouts, wind and all. After I told the cleaning lady to vacuum all the carpets, the vacuum cleaner stopped working. I started emailing my sister to whinge about this and the computer shut down with the blackout. How's that?

Maggi Assam Laksa Noodles

I needed something to boost my morale and of course I turned to food. To start with, to earn back some better luck, I made lunch for the cleaning lady. Nothing fancy, just some of my favourite Maggi Assam Laksa Noodles. She loves instant noodles and I wanted her to try a few of my favourite ones. By the way, ever since I've read warnings about how bad the wax coating most instant noodles is and how boiling the soup mix could be bad for health, I now cook the noodles at the same time as I boil a kettle of water for the soup mix. Cook everything separately and eat them together. And for a few weeks now I even throw away the oil that comes with the dry noodles. Dunno what kind of fat they use.

Chicken with Ginger

This evening I made my children's favourite Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry and a rich plate of Black Pepper Prawns (no crabs) Singapore-style for me. Recently there was some polemic about the Malaysian Tourism Minister wanting to patent what she claimed to be Malaysian dishes so that nobody else could lay claim to them. I'm sorry for the Malaysian tax payers that they had to pay this joker's salary because not only was she proving herself to be insipid and lacking real ideas for her portfolio, but at the same time she could provoke a few diplomatic incidents with all of Malaysia's neighbours (if they decide to take her seriously, of course). She may even find fewer tourists as a result.

Countries in our region share similar migration histories. Most of us have relatives in the neighbouring countries. We have seen the creation of similar local cuisines. Laksa for example, is everywhere and yet is different in each place. Char Kway Teok in Penang is not the same as Char Kway Teow in Singapore. Neither is the Chee Cheong Fun. But within Singapore, Indonesia or Malaysia itself, dishes of the same name may not necessarily taste the same. Every hawker has come out with his own rendering of each dish. Humble me may not even cook the same dish the same way each time. Each time I may forget something or may decide to try a new ingredient or use another method. What's the fuss.

So just to irritate people like her, I insist that my Black Pepper Prawns are made Singapore-style. The way I've eaten them at certain places in my country.

Kept the heads for the flavour

Black Pepper Prawns :

500g Prawns (shell on or peeled)

1 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce

1 Tsp Kecap Manis

1 Tbsp Dry Sherry/Chinese Cooking Wine

1 Tsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Coarse Ground Black Pepper

1 Tbsp Butter

1 Thai Chilli

Ginger

Garlic

6-10 Curry Leaves

Heat up the wok and dry roast black pepper. Remove and set aside.

Mix all the sauces and sugar together.

Melt butter in wok, fry ginger, chilli, garlic and curry leaves till fragrant.

Add in the prawns. When they start to curl, add in the black pepper.

Stir well and finally add in the sauce and coat the prawns well in it.

Serve hot on steamed Jasmine rice.

Lapis Sagu (Steamed Layered Rice and Sago Flour Cake)

Lapis Sagu

Whether I was 3 or 30, I always eat Lapis Sagu in layers, peeling one layer off the other. And my children do the same too, though they have not been brought up in Singapore. Over here we do not have Bengawan Solo to buy the lapis sagu from so I was obliged to make my own.

Lapis Sagu (not cooled, badly sliced)

Lapis Sagu :

500ml Coconut milk

200g Rice Flour

140g Sago or Tapioca Flour

1/4 Tsp Salt

280g Sugar

Screwpine leaves or a drop of Pandan essence

300ml Water

Red, green etc food colouring

Oil

Mix the rice, sago flour and salt.

Add in the coconut milk and make a smooth batter.

Prepare the syrup by boiling the sugar with the water and screwpine leaves. Or add in a drop of the pandan essence when the syrup is ready.

Add the syrup to the flour mix and stir well.

Coloured batter

Divide into a few portions to colour them.

Oil the container and prepare to steam the batter.

End of steaming

Steam each layer for 3-4 minutes, adding on another layer each time the one before is ready. When batter's all used up, steam for another 15 minutes and then cool the lapis sagu for a few hours (but not in the fridge). Makes it easier to cut and eat.

A slice of the lapis sagu before it was thoroughly cooled

I forgot to oil my container and I didn't colour my batter strongly, so the end result was pastel and I lost 2 layers while demolding the cake. There should be about 9 layers altogether. Never got to the cooling-for-a-few-hours stage, the whole family ate it up within minutes.

PS : Kueh Kosui uses a similar recipe but instead of white sugar one has to use Gula Melaka and Brown Sugar. And steam them in little cups to be served when cooled with lightly-salted fresh grated coconut.

Gift of Signed Cap

Signed by Kimi and Massa

Anyone following news in the industry would know that DC (the man behind the design of the California and 458 Italia) will be leaving the company at the end of the year. I never usually praise anybody if I can help it, but this guy is style personified, kind, sweet and so very interesting. It will be the company's loss, mark my word.

Personally I am upset with the news as I have grown comfortable with having them next door and knowing that we could meet for a meal every now and then. I have grown pretty fond of the couple as I must have mentioned it before.

Last evening we invited them over for dinner. M got the boys a cap each signed by Kimi and Massa. That's so very sweet as she remembered that Eldest Son lost his last year and had a earful from me for it.

Foie Gras de Canard on French Bean Salad dressed in Olive Oil and Aged Balsamic Vinegar

In order to be able to join in the conversation, I cooked dinner beforehand : French Bean Salad with Duck Liver, Boeuf Bourguignon, Camembert and Tarte Tatin. Served with Krug Champagne, red Burgundy wine...A very French meal as you can see.

Boeuf Bouguignon (with fresh Funghi Porcini) on Fresh Tagliatelle

It was a truly lovely evening and we talked about Umbria where everyone has fallen in love with. One of M's brothers has bought a large property in Ovieto and it makes everyone want to do the same after visiting it. I think I would probably love Italy more if I were to live anywhere else but in Emilia Romagna. Between the pigs and the ceramics, Modena is really not a pretty city. I prefer rolling hills and cypress trees.

Hopefully we'll be able to meet up again before the end of the year. I will miss them so very much.

Eldest Son is now a Teenager(?)

Wasp-fearing Teenager Moritz Picking Grapes

I do not recall turning 13 as being such a big deal, but the boy has been fantasizing about it for the past year or so and is really happy today when the day finally arrived. Yes, my first-born turns 13 today, and I am once again reminded of how old I have become.

When I was 13 I was in Secondary One and the only thing worth remembering was the horror of having to study 8-9 subjects instead of 4. Otherwise life hadn't been any different for me, I grew fatter than ever, my grandfather still walked me to school and back, I still couldn't go out with my friends...

He seems to think that being 13 automatically qualifies him as a teenager. Ok, it does if teenager simply means someone who's between 13 and 19. But a teenager is also a juvenile between the onset of puberty and maturity and as far as I can see, he hasn't sprouted height nor (extra) hair and is still a big baby who plays Runescape and who leaves empty milk boxes in the fridge. And he doesn't help much with the younger ones, the other evening, I came home after taking away some dinner to find the 2 Babies crying 300m from the house (in the dark) and our friend sitting in the living room watching TV. He didn't even know they had left the house!

And with him turning 13, it also means that I had to spend a few days preparing his application for deferment from National Service (in Singapore) and getting stomach ulcers for that. It is also for sure now that he would cost us alot of money each time we travel.

Baked Curry Puffs

Still, I spent hours yesterday preparing the filling for today's curry puffs and a few weeks organising his birthday party that he would celebrate with all of his schoolmates from the Middle Years. I hadn't planned on bringing anything to school actually, but was told by the boy that since I had brought curry puffs to school on his last 2 birthdays, the teachers were sort of expecting them again this year. OK.

This year's party started with a grape harvest at Il Piccolo Mugnaio (an agriturismo in Torre Maina) and finished with a dinner at the Japanese restaurant Izakaya in Maranello. Truth be told, I wasn't really thinking about cost when I organised this birthday, but as I calculated the amount of cash I would need to withdraw so as to pay for the ice cream cake, the grape harvest (yes, you labour and still have to pay for it) and the dinner, I was stumped. That was 1 month of my parents' allowance to be spent in 5 hours. 16 children came for the event. And the sushi went off really well. I can only hope that the Hub wouldn't insist on knowing how much the total bill came up to or I would have much less to spend next week when I go shopping in London.

Driving behind the grapes during harvesting season

The idea for the grape harvest came in succession. First when I met Arturo near the vineyard next door and he told me that they would be harvesting the grapes end-September; then when I was driving and was blocked so very often lately by slow-moving trucks filled with grapes. I knew then that I had to organise one for the kids.

See his swollen right eye (which would get really bad later)

Today was the only day it rained in 2 weeks. But we were able to harvest the grapes because it rained just before and after and not during. Eldest Son was the only person stung (just below the right eye) by the many wasps hanging around. They knew who the Birthday Boy was alright.

Harvesting Grapes

Maria, the owner of the agriturismo, started out by explaining to the children how balsamic vinegar and wine are made using the same grapes but different methods. The children also learnt about making lambrusco wine and about growing vines and were each given a pair of scissors to pick the grapes. Then they transported the grapes back to the main building and pressed out grape juice with their feet the ancient way. Nowadays of course they use machines to do the job, but that wouldn't be as fun. Some kids spent their time eating the grapes and tasting the juice, apparently they were really tasty.

Making Grape Juice the Old Way

Tasting the Fruit of One's Labour

Grape Juice

Then those kids ran wild and disappeared up the hill behind the agriturismo chasing one another as well as the poultry minding their own business around them. I think they had an educational, fun and healthy afternoon out. I bought a few bottles of the expensive but oh-so-good balsamic vinegar of Modena made in-house. They make great gifts.

Hills, children and poultry

Dinner at Izakaya gave the teenagers a chance to eat together like adults (without having to foot the bill). There were sushi and makis, fried prawn-cheese-cured ham rolls, chicken yakitori, fried chicken wings, fried rice and ice cream birthday cake. It was difficult trying to photograph the dishes as the food's gone the minute the plates reached the table. The adults ate dinner separately and I got the restaurant owner to make us a few Chinese dishes in addition to a sushi boat.

The children's sushi boat

After dinner, the kids ran outside to play a few games and then the ball was over and I came home to digest my food in front of the computer.

Happy 13th Birthday, son of mine! May you grow wise and healthy and be very happy in your life.

PS: Frontal shots of the children will be sent to their families later.