We took the Quinny Zapp Xtra out today for the first time. We had plans to meet a friend for lunch so hopped on the tube to the other side of London. We had a lovely walk along the Thames, lunch in a great pub, followed by a spot of shopping. The Quinny did us proud, easily managing the tube system, escalators and lifts. We weaved in and out of the people at a busy shopping centre and hung our shopping bags off the handles (even though you’re not meant to!).
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This weekend in London hundreds of properties open their doors to the public. According to their website ‘It is a truly city-wide celebration of the buildings, places and neighbourhoods where we live, work and play, and is your opportunity to get out and get under the skin of London’s amazing architecture.’ I’ve participated in Open House as long as I’ve lived in London and visited the Foreign Office, a Secret Bunker in Neasden, the London Eye, flats in the Barbican, Grimm’s Dyke, the Thames Tunnel, St Stephen’s Hall, the old Kingsway Tunnel, Trellick Tower and many more amazing buildings. I…
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Having a child makes you see things in a different light. I have a new found appreciation for the world and my life. Today we looked after my 6 year old niece as well as our little one. We let her pick what she wanted to do and went to McDonalds for breakfast followed by a trip to the Isle of Wight Zoo. In comparison to our local zoo this zoo was quite small and before Edward we would have walked round within an hour. However we managed to spend four hours looking at the jaguars, lions, tigers, lemurs and…
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I’m surprised to admit I love traveling on steam trains. There’s something about the smell, the atmosphere, the style and comfort of the carriages. Today we took our little one to the 36th Island Steam Show at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, a beautifully restored stretch of the old line which once crossed the island. We were fortunate to have a carriage to ourselves and sat back and enjoyed the view on the hour-long round trip. Edward seemed to enjoy every second of our day out, from his first ride on the miniature steam train to the vintage traction…
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We started weaning at 17 weeks according to advice from our Health Visitor. We tried some baby rice and quickly progressed to vegetable and fruit purees. Almost two months later and our little one will happily have three meals a day wherever we are. I’ve learned to stuff the changing bag with jars of food as well as milk, a change of clothes and several bibs. We’ve been working our way through the Plum goodies we won recently and Edward will happily munch through half a pot of the vegetables followed by half a fruit pot. Today we stopped to…
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Today we had a rare trip into the West End. We took the little one on his first trip to the British Museum followed by his first trips to Cath Kidston and Orla Kiely – my two favourite shops! I have a real passion for Orla Kiely. I drink out of Orla Kiely mugs, I sleep amongst Orla Kiely sheets, I use Orla Kiely handbags, and travel with my Orla Kiely suitcase, wash bag and make up bags! There’s only been one occasion when I rocked up at a hotel and realised I had a number of clashing Orla Kiely…
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Last week I was lucky enough to win tickets to the first ever Vintage at Goodwood festival via a competition on the Tesco Clothing website! Vintage at Goodwood is a music and fashion led celebration of creative British cool from the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s & 80s. I was VERY excited as I really wanted to go but couldn’t justify the cost with a new baby and being on maternity leave. Vintage at Goodwood Goodwood is in the middle of some beautiful countryside and after we parked up and made our way to the site we were greeted with a…
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In July 2008 we were lucky enough to spend a day exploring the acoustic mirrors at Denge followed by Derek Jarman’s garden in the shadow of Dungeness nuclear power station. The garden was built around his cottage on the shingle beach. Flowers were planted around items which had been collected locally, including shells, driftwood, and fishing tackle. Flower beds was interspersed with stone and wooden circles and interesting metal sculptures. I love this place although I wouldn’t want to live there! This post is for Week 21 of The Gallery: Nature
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Today we went to the Farnborough International Airshow 2010. It was a bit of a drive but my husband really wanted to see the Vulcan fly and I love the Red Arrows! We couldn’t leave Edward behind but needed something to protect him from the noise of the aircraft. A friend recommended Peltor ear defenders which come in pink or green. They were perfect for the job! They fitted snuggly over baby ears and kept all unwanted noises out. As you can see, Edward slept through the day 🙂