Cousins

This morning for brunch we met my second cousin, Alexis, for the first time.

Her English father visited us in Australia when I was about 10 years old. It was a momentous event meeting someone from so far away and I remember it well.
Shortly afterwards he married a Dutch lady and sent us a photo of his twin daughters, Alexis and Natasha.

I saw Gerry once more in 1976 after he had divorced and was living in Paris. Sadly he died quite young some years later.

We were never really in contact with his daughters who grew up knowing little of their father's family.
Fortunately we have since made contact with them.
My sister, 59, met Alexis a couple of years ago in New York, where she lives with her American husband, Rob, and my daughter Helen has met Natasha in London.

It was so lovely to meet Alexis and Rob today. Our brunch ended up lasting two and a half hours and I think we have persuaded them to make a trip to Australia.

This afternoon we walked along the High Line, a former railway line now converted to "green space" and a nice walk and went to Grand Central Station which lives up to it's name.

We ended the day with a delicious dinner with Ron and Judith at Cafe Luxembourg, an upmarket restaurant in the West End and detoured by Times Square on the way home.
I have to admit this city really does buzz.