Calum's Album

Image: Isaac Strang Photographer.

Last month I mentioned our very quick trip back to England. In all the years we have lived in Israel - and it's over 20 now - we've never made such a short trip. Our nephew was celebrating his Bar Mitzvah but it was still school time and there were exams to do as well. There was no alternative. A weekend in London it was!

Obviously I packed an album in to my suitcase for the Bar Mitzvah boy. Red-haired Calum enjoys playing tennis, is into football (of course he is - nearly everyone on my husband's side of the family supports Arsenal!) and is a keen reader. He is a techie too. He has an iPad, is a YouTube fan, and also likes playing FIFA on his PS3.

I have shown Calum with his iPod and a book tucked under one arm, and a tennis racket in the other. To one side of him you can see his PS3, his school's badge, a football, and a small pile of books. On the other side is the Arsenal crest, and a plate full of his speciality chocolate chip meringues. Apparently he is a good baker.

I decorated several pages inside the album as well. The opening page shows his school's badge, some pencils and books (top). Next I added a football and the Arsenal crest. Calum enjoys watching The Simpsons (just like his cousins here in Israel), so Bart featured on one of the pages. More chocolate chip meringues followed, as well as the YouTube logo, the FIFA15 game cover and a teeny tiny PS3 controller. My youngest son was very impressed with that!

I added a tallit (the Jewish prayer shawl) to each page in shades of blue and purple - just like the one Calum wore in the synagogue for his Bar Mitzvah ceremony - and featured them on the cover too. Finally I added the date of his Bar Mitzvah, Calum's name and the words 'Bar Mitzvah' in Hebrew. According to his mum, my sister-in-law, there was a "vague green theme going on" at the party (it was actually so much more than that!), so the background on all the decorated pages became a nice forest green.

We had a lovely time in London. Even though we were only there for a few days, we squeezed a lot in! We watched proudly as our nephew performed his Bar Mitzvah in the synagogue, and partied with him on the Sunday evening. We fitted in some shopping, and went on a really interesting London Walks guided walk of Old Hampstead Village. The kids went zip wiring, leaping and swinging at Go Ape, and we all thoroughly enjoyed an unforgettable production of The War Horse at the New London Theatre on Drury Lane, in the heart of London's "Theatreland".

Not bad for a three day visit!