Hello Kitty
Saturday, 5 February 2011
I’ve got a niece! You might have noticed on the news page that (after running around the world in January like a panicky criminal) I only planned to leave town once this month, because she was due and I didn’t want to be far away. Then, most unlike her aunt by nature, she turned up early!
But I’m still not going anywhere, except for four days in Nottingham, because I can’t bear to tear myself away from her. Interestingly, she turns out to be the cutest most adorable baby in the world. I don’t normally post about personal family things, but surely such a phenomenon must be recorded?
I know, I know, you’ll think she looks like Winston Churchill. But that’s only because you never met my Grandma Isabel.
Anyway, I’m a very proud aunt. Here’s Kitty Coren:
Comments
jim carr at 4:14 pm on February 5th, 2011
i hope you are patient Victoria? You have a fair wait until you can begin to spoil Kitty. There will be the christening, the first steps, but she will be perhaps two before the trips to the zoo etc. then she will grow up, discover boys, ignore auntie vicky, until she has her own child, then it starts all over again! enjoy.
Kim G at 4:27 pm on February 5th, 2011
Awwww, she very cute, congratulations!
Lucy Greenfield at 4:28 pm on February 5th, 2011
Aw Thanks for putting up a picture of your beautiful little niece Kitty Coren.
Jane at 5:41 pm on February 5th, 2011
Takes after her Dad then, two fingers up to the world! Utterly scrumptious.
Phil B at 7:41 pm on February 5th, 2011
I’m afraid I must correct you, Victoria.
My own baby niece is the cutest, most adorable in the world.
Kitty however is a close second.
Sian at 10:05 pm on February 5th, 2011
Aaaw, what a cute little girl! You’ll have loads of fun with her.
JazBenz at 11:16 pm on February 5th, 2011
aaww look she’s already doing the victory sign with her fingers… or it’s her way of saying “Hi aunt Vicky, I’ll gladly pose for your blog!”
Enjoy the cuteness and the finger grabbing =)
Vida at 9:22 pm on February 6th, 2011
She’s adorable - which is obviously why you adore her! The fact you are related is purely incidental (why is she screwing her eyes up, you don’t look THAT scary?)
I am a twitter and blog virgin so my reason for being here is just to say ‘lozenge’ rhymes with orange rather interestingly, don’t you think? Will i get thrown out now for breaking all the rules? Hope so.
Love Vida x
hope you win lots of polka dots, they’re fab!
palladian at 9:15 am on February 7th, 2011
How sweet. But don’t you dare go teaching her poker. Not just yet anyway! “Daddy, daddy, that naughty Auntie Vicky’s taken all my pocket money again. She told me JJ was a strong raising hand, when all the time she had QQ!”
Amanda at 8:54 pm on February 7th, 2011
Many congratulations! It’s wonderful news and thank you for sharing the picture of the gorgeous Kitty.
Mike at 10:43 am on February 8th, 2011
Many congratulations to you and your family Vicky. A lovely and cuddly addition for all the Corens.
Hugs and X’s
Ginger Pogue at 12:06 pm on February 8th, 2011
Ah lovely news, a lovely photo and a lovely name!! You should check out the song “Kitty” by the legends that are the Pogues on their first album!!
Chris at 6:34 pm on February 8th, 2011
How cruel would it be not to let the lickle beauty have a cousin VC? I read on your Twitter that you had abstained from smoking before visiting..I wonder, if you HAD to give up a vice for good, which would be the easiest to leave behind? Gambling, smoking or alcohol?
Victoria Coren at 7:50 pm on February 8th, 2011
Oh, alcohol. I don’t much care about that. And I don’t consider playing poker a vice - I’ve won money, made friends and challenged my brain!
I suppose that can be summed up as: it’s hard to give up smoking.
Chris at 9:13 pm on February 8th, 2011
Ah VC thanks for the reply - stupid I know but it cheers me up. Your defence of poker not being a vice is perhaps eloquent enough to get you a seat in the Commons.. I won’t suggest which side. I do think Kitty’s a lucky girl to have such a smart and lovely aunt.. even if Auntie Vicky does whiff of ‘eau de fume’. What would it take I wonder for you to develop enough resolve to kick the habit? How about some kind of charity sponsorship? You strike me as someone who would hate to let others down.. Be lucky
Rob King at 11:10 am on February 10th, 2011
Congrats Vicky, and Well Played Giles and significant other (sorry, I don’t know her name).
She is a cutie.
I have but one favour to ask Vicky, please don’t start using a plastic covered picture as a card protector. It’s just that I think those are a bit naff. Hope to see you in Manchester, subject to getting a seat. And congrats on the recent winning run. Maybe you’ll be the first ‘Stars pro to take down a UKIPT?
Legoo at 6:53 pm on February 10th, 2011
The only way that picture could get cuter would be if there was half a dozen cute kittens strategically placed on the arm of the chair.
Big hands. All the better for holding cards with.
Congrats, VC.
Chris (again!! ..sorry) at 7:44 pm on February 10th, 2011
Hi VC, I recall that you’re ‘pokering’ in Nottingham from tomorrow and hope you’ll forgive my curiosity but do you have any superstitions or habitual preparations to aid the obvious poker skills? Walking backwards around a rabbit’s foot umbrella stand whistling the Marseillaise backwards perhaps? Best of luck!
Lyndon bolshaw at 11:44 am on February 11th, 2011
hi Victoria, congratulations, on becoming an aunt. I became an Uncle too in October, since April last year have taken a new position working in Saudi Arabia, for Royal Saudi Air Force, so looking forward to meeting up with my nephew in March when on leave.. Have been playing the quiz ‘‘Only Connect” online’ out here in Taif to keep me entertained…you’re wonderful ..
X
robin at 9:00 am on February 14th, 2011
Now you have something to go on mumsnet and talk about. Babies, babies, babies,
won’t be long now till you get broody and have your own! LOL x
Chris at 11:42 am on February 16th, 2011
I listened to a recording (on iPlayer) of your dad reading some of his stories about Cricklewood last night. Splendid! .. just didn’t do much for the insomnia! I can quite see why he didn’t swear.. I suspect that his razor wit and grasp of the English language would have enabled him to fell a heavily armed posse at a hundred yards. Like father like daughter then. You have much to be proud of and not everyone can say that, or listen over and again to their dad’s dulcet tones. Sorry Nottingham didn’t come good but where would the pleasure be in winning all the time? Not everyone can be ‘a Winner’ ..unless they’re on Twitter of course :-) X
markey at 1:13 pm on February 16th, 2011
My standard, ‘never fails’ baby advice.
Don’t ‘shush’ as in a librarian shussh be quiet.
Go for ‘shershshsh’ as in white noise from an untuned radio.
Works every time.
Chris at 3:40 pm on February 16th, 2011
I’ve just read the whole Michael Winner Twitter saga and it makes me sad. He appears to have done little to recognise that you genuinely considered his Tweets as being from another or be even the slightest bit grateful for your concern for his Twitter account by making a call to tip him off. I’m really disappointed at his open/public display of rudeness and feel genuine empathy for you VC - I don’t care how tough you appear online, THAT sort of stuff has to bloody well hurt. This isn’t a comment pertinent to this blog post and doesn’t need a reply. So won’t be offended if you just bin it.
Ben at 5:27 am on February 17th, 2011
I don’t think VC took the Winner twitter thing seriously, and she was right not to - it was all three kinds of nonsense. The funniest tweet was this one though,
The on-off romance between @VictoriaCoren & @MrMichaelWinneris off. She didn’t like his dribbling, he couldn’t see past her poker front.
Martha at 11:32 am on February 20th, 2011
Victoria - congratulations on the niece, commiserations on the Michael Winner debacle.
Reading about it today in the Observer made me think of this little webcomic, you might like it.
http://www.gabbysplayhouse.com/?p=1444
(I would have posted this in the appropriate place, i.e. under the article, but then I would have had to create a CiF account, and then I might turn into the kind of person who sits around making ridiculous comments on Guardian articles all day long, and who cannot tell the difference between a boring article about Twitter and an interesting one about misogyny.)
Tim Munro at 3:36 pm on February 20th, 2011
Congratulations on being an auntie! Wanted to respond to your Observer article of 20.2.11 and only do Facebook not Twitter so am writing here.
Michael Winner has no talent whatsoever! He is a useless film director and why anyone listens to his right wing rants and now his awful, leery comments about you, I can’t imagine. If 10.25 is too late to call it’s not surprising as he is a nasty,tired old fart who has to be tucked up nice and early these days to charge up his deeply sexist and reactionary opinions.
Your father was a brilliant, witty journalist and writer who is sadly missed and will be remembered long after Michael Winner. Don’t let it get to you. You have talent. Winner is the loser; a busted flush to your full house of wit and erudition!
Tony at 4:06 pm on February 20th, 2011
She doesn’t look like Churchill. She looks more like Joe Pesci, for what it’s worth. Also, congrats to Giles & all of you. Or youse, or you youts, whichever.
Nick Robinson at 9:41 pm on February 20th, 2011
While on family things…I had a memorable encounter with your late father in a pub in St Andrews when he was University Rector….must have been 1975. We were in a group who bought him a drink and he came over to reciprocate…I remember him as a truly lovely man, and I am pleased to have met him, if only that once.
Regards, Nick
Heather Mallick at 12:01 am on February 21st, 2011
She is gorgeous, this Kitty Coren is, and your dad would have been proud. I was so sad when he died and wrote a tribute to him in a column. Your dad, you see, was a hero of mine because he taught me how to write, or rather how to try to write. I wrote an essay on his death on my website (sorry, this sounds awful and self-aggrandizing, I know and I do apologize), which is www.heathermallick.com and keep it on my homepage. And Michael Winner is a horrible person and your niece is exquisite, so there.
Markjb at 9:40 am on February 21st, 2011
Congratulations Vicky..and to Kitty on arriving in a great family.
Sorry bout the old storm in a d-cup .
....“You win some and you lose some - ( no one ever says it when they win) ” : Sam Taplin (my friend’s) lyrics..
I’m imagining a future dictionary corner on Countdown:-
“There are many words or phrases originally thought used in a negative way but turning to positive use eg “the Big Bang”.
“Strane” was originally thought to be a typo of ‘strange’ ie unusual, but now, by association with Alan Coren becomes a cool complimentary word for someone very funny, witty. clever or thought provoking but at the same time kind, gentle, noble, entertaining, convivial, attractive warm hearted, sympatico…ie unusual in a nice way.”.
See you in Oxford’s Catweazle club sometime? ; - )) x
Vince Kempsey at 10:31 am on February 22nd, 2011
Congratulations Victoria. I remember how proud I was of my first niece. I was 14 at the time and so pleased to be an ‘uncle’ though I’ve never used the term with any of my nieces and nephews. Catherine is now 50 and living in Crete. We are more like brother and sister than uncle and niece.
Be happy. Love Vince
Trish at 6:59 pm on February 22nd, 2011
She’s gorgeous
RomanticRecluse at 1:01 pm on February 23rd, 2011
Poem for Kitty Coren
A family united
In a safe and loving home
Friends who leave you delighted
The freedom to play and roam
If you should get all of these
Then you are a lucky girl
When you are old enough please
Help to build a better world
luke at 5:26 pm on February 23rd, 2011
Just to let you know that you have my full support re the Arse Winner’s tweets. The guy is a massive *cough* and the sooner he leaves this planet the better. Lovely baby by the way.
Ken Singtone at 9:02 am on April 3rd, 2011
I have resisted for two months, but I have to say
Aunt you lucky!