Maudsley again

Waif and I had a good visit to the Maudsley yesterday. She weighs 43.9kg   !!!!!   :-)   This is a massive gain of about 2.5kg on 3 weeks ago and she is on course for reaching her target weight of 48kg by September.  She needs to do this if she wants to be able to go to boarding school in 2012.  I am sooooo proud of her.  On the day itself, she was very upset because she had had an upset stomach at school in the morning and was worried that her hard work would be unrecognised, but even so she showed this great gain.

Waif suddenly LOOKS so much more healthy, and normal, and beautiful.

Older Daughter couldn't come to the appointment as she is doing work experience in a hospital this week, pursuing her ambition of entering medical school.  My husband was aiming to come but mixed up the times so missed it but actually it was a very short and easy session as it always is when Waif has made good progress. She only gets a complete grilling when she has not put on much weight.

In the later afternoon, we went to Waif's Prizegiving ceremony at school. It was a result as the guest of honour, Sir Isaac Newton (not really, but similar) was stuck on the motorway so we were spared the speeches and were able to escape into the late evening sunshine for drinks with the staff in double quick time.

I guess even when it goes smoothly, the Maudsley is a strain for Waif.  As is usual on visit days, she ended the evening in floods of tears and sobbing and wanted lots of hugs and cuddles.  Ostensibly this was about having some itchy mosquito bites but really it was a Maudsley day.

Today, I had a day out with Waif.  We went to the Hampton Court Flower Show - we took the train to Richmond and then cycled along the river bank for the remaining miles.

We stopped at one of the Conceptual gardens and fortuitously spoke to the designer as I asked him about his pink cornflowers.  He explained the philosophy to us:

Around the outside were tall thin perspex columns that could be blown with the wind (of fashion) and acted as a "cage" for the size zero models inside.  The size zero models were represented by tall thin drainpipes painted bright pink, and the audience and onlookers were multicoloured cornflowers.  "They think they are special but are just ordinary meadow flowers blown about by the lightest of winds of change".  The perspex pipes were the cage that is difficult to see but surely traps the thin models.  Waif and I were slightly dumbstruck.  It was very beautiful and I hope to post a picture of it in due course.

Sgh, we are not wholly there.  Waif was stressed out by the crowds on the way home and picked her skin so much it bled (her latest place is on her ear - there is usually one place on the go at a time).  Ho hum, perhaps that is within the limits of normal but it is sad for her that she is not more relaxed in the face of stress.  Poor thing.

Tomorrow, Waif's french exchange student arrives on eurostar and OD has her 16th birthday party in our house (yikes).