Post by Di on Oct 11, 2008 19:11:42 GMT -5
This interview by Sophie was first published in The Telegraph October 2005.
A good read about how Sophie spent her weekend.
Di xxxx
My perfect weekend: Sophie Raworth
Walks by the Thames and her dad's cappuccinos are unmissable for newsreader Sophie Raworth, writes Lucy Atkins
I don't have much planned at weekends, except to hang out with my husband, Richard Winter, and our 16-month-old daughter, Ella. I get home (from presenting the BBC's Six O'Clock News) on Friday night at about 7.30pm and, since one set of grandparents looks after Ella on a Friday, we'll ask them to babysit for the evening, too.
Water baby: 'Since the day I was born, I've lived within a five-minute walk of the Thames,' says Sophie Raworth
Having children really changes your relationship with your parents: we see so much more of them now. My mother can't bear to be without Ella for more than a few days at a stretch.
Richard and I will go to see a film. Now that we have a baby, we tend to watch most things on DVD, so it's quite a treat to go to the cinema. I'm seeing Pride and Prejudice this weekend. I'm very choosy. What I like best are period films or clever dramas, something memorable and uplifting, such as Cinderella Man, which I saw recently.
We'll eat at one of my favourite neighbourhood bistros, Aglio e Olio on London's Fulham Road. The owner is a tall, dark, charming Italian who always welcomes us and chats. When I gave birth to Ella in the nearby hospital, he'd do take-outs of my favourite dish - chicken pappardelle with roasted veg - and send them over with Richard, complete with cutlery.
I'm eight months pregnant so can't drink, but normally I'd have a glass of some full-bodied red wine or other.
I know very little about wine, so I'm always happy for someone else to choose it. I'm not keen on pudding, so we'll leave early and trot straight home to bed.
I'm always up early on Saturday, at 7am, with Ella. I'll take The Telegraph and the Mail back to bed and read them, drinking cup after cup of bog-standard tea (decaf now I'm pregnant), while Ella potters about. Eventually, we'll get up and go for a walk along the river.
Since the day I was born, I've lived within a five-minute walk of the Thames. I grew up in Richmond and adore the fact that you can be in the middle of London, but pop down to the river and walk for miles and miles.
Most of all, I love how the scenery changes as you go - there are areas where you feel you're in open country and can't see a single building, then urban bits where there's loads going on.
I love the bustle of the river in the spring sunshine most of all, with the cyclists, rowers and people spilling out of the pubs, but I also savour the little things, like how the river changes with the tide and the light. There's always something to look at.
When we get hungry, we'll call a couple of friends and meet in Carluccio's, right on the river. I don't go there for the food really, I just love it because it's so child-friendly. There are always loads of families and Ella can toddle in and out of the waiters' legs and they're all tolerant and sweet with her.
We'll then potter about at home for the rest of the day. I'll almost certainly watch Roman Holiday, my grandfather's favourite film. He died 10 years ago, but I have lovely memories of sitting on his knee and watching it with him.
I'll then often do something like stick some photos in the album. I get quite a sense of satisfaction from doing small domestic tasks like that, when I get the chance. During the week, there's never any time. I look after Ella in the mornings, then put her down for a nap, grab a sandwich, greet the nanny and shoot off to work.
Around 8pm, we'll go out for a low-key dinner at a friend's house. About eight of us will gather round the kitchen table, chatting away with bottles of tasty red wine. A glass will be thrust into my hand (just water these days) and we'll sit around and gossip until a big dish of crisp baked potatoes and a thick beef stew are plonked down. I'll probably pass out by about 11pm, but my friends will stay up gassing until the early hours.
Next morning I'll lie in bed with the Sunday papers. I always turn to the news section first, then travel, which is my passion. I fantasise about all the amazing places to visit, but the reality is that I need to find a way of going skiing somewhere in France (we always go to France) with a toddler and a baby, probably with parents or a group of friends. I've been skiing every year since I was a child.
Later in the morning we'll head off to one or other sets of parents. Sunday lunches have always been a big part of family life for me: traditional roast lamb with about 10 people and lots of children running around. I'll relax with one of my dad's frothy cappuccinos, a speciality of his, while the grandparents play with Ella.
After lunch there'll be a family walk. I've gone to Richmond Park all my life and I just love the simple feeling of the open space, and peace, so close to central London. Ella will be in bed by 7pm, exhausted, and we'll crash in front of Waking the Dead. Finally, I'll round off the weekend by watching the news. It's my way to catch up and mentally prepare for the week ahead.
A good read about how Sophie spent her weekend.
Di xxxx
My perfect weekend: Sophie Raworth
Walks by the Thames and her dad's cappuccinos are unmissable for newsreader Sophie Raworth, writes Lucy Atkins
I don't have much planned at weekends, except to hang out with my husband, Richard Winter, and our 16-month-old daughter, Ella. I get home (from presenting the BBC's Six O'Clock News) on Friday night at about 7.30pm and, since one set of grandparents looks after Ella on a Friday, we'll ask them to babysit for the evening, too.
Water baby: 'Since the day I was born, I've lived within a five-minute walk of the Thames,' says Sophie Raworth
Having children really changes your relationship with your parents: we see so much more of them now. My mother can't bear to be without Ella for more than a few days at a stretch.
Richard and I will go to see a film. Now that we have a baby, we tend to watch most things on DVD, so it's quite a treat to go to the cinema. I'm seeing Pride and Prejudice this weekend. I'm very choosy. What I like best are period films or clever dramas, something memorable and uplifting, such as Cinderella Man, which I saw recently.
We'll eat at one of my favourite neighbourhood bistros, Aglio e Olio on London's Fulham Road. The owner is a tall, dark, charming Italian who always welcomes us and chats. When I gave birth to Ella in the nearby hospital, he'd do take-outs of my favourite dish - chicken pappardelle with roasted veg - and send them over with Richard, complete with cutlery.
I'm eight months pregnant so can't drink, but normally I'd have a glass of some full-bodied red wine or other.
I know very little about wine, so I'm always happy for someone else to choose it. I'm not keen on pudding, so we'll leave early and trot straight home to bed.
I'm always up early on Saturday, at 7am, with Ella. I'll take The Telegraph and the Mail back to bed and read them, drinking cup after cup of bog-standard tea (decaf now I'm pregnant), while Ella potters about. Eventually, we'll get up and go for a walk along the river.
Since the day I was born, I've lived within a five-minute walk of the Thames. I grew up in Richmond and adore the fact that you can be in the middle of London, but pop down to the river and walk for miles and miles.
Most of all, I love how the scenery changes as you go - there are areas where you feel you're in open country and can't see a single building, then urban bits where there's loads going on.
I love the bustle of the river in the spring sunshine most of all, with the cyclists, rowers and people spilling out of the pubs, but I also savour the little things, like how the river changes with the tide and the light. There's always something to look at.
When we get hungry, we'll call a couple of friends and meet in Carluccio's, right on the river. I don't go there for the food really, I just love it because it's so child-friendly. There are always loads of families and Ella can toddle in and out of the waiters' legs and they're all tolerant and sweet with her.
We'll then potter about at home for the rest of the day. I'll almost certainly watch Roman Holiday, my grandfather's favourite film. He died 10 years ago, but I have lovely memories of sitting on his knee and watching it with him.
I'll then often do something like stick some photos in the album. I get quite a sense of satisfaction from doing small domestic tasks like that, when I get the chance. During the week, there's never any time. I look after Ella in the mornings, then put her down for a nap, grab a sandwich, greet the nanny and shoot off to work.
Around 8pm, we'll go out for a low-key dinner at a friend's house. About eight of us will gather round the kitchen table, chatting away with bottles of tasty red wine. A glass will be thrust into my hand (just water these days) and we'll sit around and gossip until a big dish of crisp baked potatoes and a thick beef stew are plonked down. I'll probably pass out by about 11pm, but my friends will stay up gassing until the early hours.
Next morning I'll lie in bed with the Sunday papers. I always turn to the news section first, then travel, which is my passion. I fantasise about all the amazing places to visit, but the reality is that I need to find a way of going skiing somewhere in France (we always go to France) with a toddler and a baby, probably with parents or a group of friends. I've been skiing every year since I was a child.
Later in the morning we'll head off to one or other sets of parents. Sunday lunches have always been a big part of family life for me: traditional roast lamb with about 10 people and lots of children running around. I'll relax with one of my dad's frothy cappuccinos, a speciality of his, while the grandparents play with Ella.
After lunch there'll be a family walk. I've gone to Richmond Park all my life and I just love the simple feeling of the open space, and peace, so close to central London. Ella will be in bed by 7pm, exhausted, and we'll crash in front of Waking the Dead. Finally, I'll round off the weekend by watching the news. It's my way to catch up and mentally prepare for the week ahead.
