The Olympics are such a big event that I really want to make sure we experience as much as we can living in London. Yes, we have tickets for some events, if the tickets ever turn up, but there are plenty of other things we can do too. Today we ventured into London to spend some time at one of our favourite playgrounds – Coram’s Fields. It’s only a short walk from Kings Cross so it’s perfect little day trip if we want to leave Zone 3 for a couple of hours. Whilst we were out we went train spotting…
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Today we all ventured into the West End for a very special event at Hamleys. Hornby, the classic British toy brand and Official London 2012 product supplier, have produced a huge range of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games souvenir products which we were to see. Olympic memorabilia for big kids The train-mad husband and Big Brother loved seeing and playing with the Olympic Train Set and Scalextric Velodrome. Little Sis and I had a good look at the British Classic Vehicles, Destination London 2012 Taxi Collection, mascot key rings, figurines and racers. As well as looking at the collection…
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I’m definitely more excited about planning how we’re going to decorate our new house than I am house hunting and actually moving. We’ve let house hunting slip recently although we’re planning on going this weekend, weather permitting. We’re all getting fed up of constantly tripping over things, items falling out of overstuffed cupboards and just in general dread of the children needing anything bigger than a pack of nappies. Decorating and buying furniture is exciting though and I’ve been spending hours looking at nursery furniture as Little Sis will finally get her own room. I’m trying to steer clear of…
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There’s a great sweet shop in Covent Garden which sells all kids of American sweets. On my last visit I bought some packs of popping candy thinking they would be great as a cupcake topping! I made some simple cupcakes using the vanilla recipe from the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook. I then made a buttercream to which I added a few drops of vanilla essence. I put a dollop of the buttercream on each cupcake and sprinkled popping candy on top. They whizzed and fizzed and looked quite pretty sparkling in the sun (obviously I made these last week before the…
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Last week the toddler and I were invited to a VIP performance of The Go!Go!Go! Show at The Empire Leicester Square with celebrities including Sara Cox with her baby Renee, Chloe Simms with daughter Madison, Michelle Heaton with her baby Faith, Javine Hylton with daughter Angel and both Nicola McLean and Danielle Brown with their families. It’s not often we get to spend any time together without Little Sis so we were both excited by the prospect of a trip on the tube, a show in the West End and the chance to mingle with some celebs. The Go!Go!Go! Show…
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The other day we went to Westfield Stratford. I love that place as, although I’m not a big shopper, I love the fact that I can visit John Lewis, Waitrose and Lakeland all under one roof. There’s also plenty of places to eat, a fab viewing platform over the Olympic site, a pop-up Cath Kidston store and the baby changing/feeding rooms are a genius idea. As I’ve mentioned before the toddler has really taken to Lego Duplo. He has enough sets that he can build houses and generally let his little imagination flow. My husband and I are both Lego…
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One of my favourite press cuttings, yes I’m old, is of me and my school friends with a card we made and sent to Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer when they got married in 1981. Hey, we got our picture in the paper, my first taste of ‘fame’! Also in the family archive is a photograph of me and my sister sitting on the front wall of our old house. The wall had been painted for the Queen’s Jubilee in 1977 and my mum had stuck a poster up in the front window for the Royal Wedding. We were…
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Are you looking for the perfect gift for Father’s Day? I have a wonderful giveaway which the winner will receive in time for Father’s Day. Sussex based model-makers, Chisel & Mouse, handcraft iconic buildings in miniature. By blending state-of-the-art techniques with traditional model making skills they have created an inspired collection of high-quality models which are beautiful to the eye and touch. Forget about the mug, magnet and key ring! Football-loving Dad’s can have their own souvenir of Arsenal, Craven Cottage or Ibrox Stadiums – the ultimate stylish memorabilia. There are also some wonderful models of iconic buildings, including Battersea Power…
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Yesterday I received an email from my mum, asking if I’d seen the latest Banksy which had apparently appeared on the wall of our local Poundland overnight. I instantly googled to find out more, inwardly cursing the fact she knew what was happening in my own neighbourhood before me! We went down to take a look as it’s not every day modern art appears on the doorstep! The graffiti has been stencilled on the side wall of the shop just off Wood Green High Road. It features a small child at a sewing machine making bunting, some plastic union jack…