Over the past few months Pinewood Studios transformed its water filming facility into a retro Drive-In showcasing some of the best films it has helped to create over the years, including Bridget Jones Diary, Harry Potter, Mama Mia, Slumdog Millionaire, Mission Impossible and Notting Hill.
Continue reading "What to do this weekend? How about the drive-in movies?" »
As I pulled into the dreaded Sainsburys carpark at 4pm when all the other disgruntled and tired mothers of the day have decided it’s also a good time to zip in and buy milk, Eliza pipes up from the back seat…
For people such as myself who get lost easily. I’ll colour code the conversation. Eliza is Pink and I am Blue
“What’s a Birth canal mum”
There is no better way to teach children the enjoyment of fresh fruit and vegetables than an inspired trip to a London Farmer’s Market; all of which feature a very high standard of quality.
All the fruit, vegetables, meet, cheese, jams, juice and are locally grown or hand made by the farmers themselves. The markets are not solely organic, but the food is fresh and local with some farmers selling organic crops. Though the harvest season is waning, there are still plenty of fresh, root vegetables to make into a comforting feast to keep the seasonal malaise of Daylight Savings Time at bay.
What makes the London Farmer’s Markets particularly well-suited for families, aside from their wholesome appeal, is their close proximity to fun things for our little ones to do. If you bring a rucksack to carry your bounty from the market, you and the kids can not only enjoy healthy produce, you can go on to enjoy some near-by attractions.
Continue reading "A Foodie Saturday or Sunday: Take the Kids to a London Farmer’s Market " »
The Victoria and Albert Museum doesn’t expect many visits from the Star.
I’m not sure why this is true, given that its sumptuous cafe – there are glittering chandeliers, high ceilings, domes, columns, impressive interior tiles on the walls and the floors and the ceiling, as well as stained glass windows – was full of families with young children yesterday.
But having sculptures of interestingly textured stone at floor height is an invitation to disaster. Of course you are now so very into your toddler game that, as you saw the Star heading delightedly for a particularly inviting looking East Asian dragon, you reasoned that, as they had put these statues out on display within easy touching distance of all and two-year olds, they must expect, nay, perhaps encourage, a bit of tactile investigation.
London cannot wait till 2012. The city will be at its best, a summer of sport, the capital’s famous landmarks shown off with the world’s best athletes competing for gold and hopefully Team GB will have the same, if not better success as they had in the Beijing games. I rode my bike past the magnificent Olympic village and was truly blown away with the size of the venue and the prospect of watching the biggest global sports event being held there.
What’s going to happen when the races are finished? Legacy? I hope so. Without the L word, this whole show will have been a waste of time and money. I trust Lord Coe and Boris and I am sure they fulfil their promise of using the games to raise the level of elite sport in this country, use the venues for future events and most importantly get kids excited about sport.
For five years our weekends and most holidays were spent at a tiny coastguard cottage on the Solent. It was in the middle of a row of ten. We shared front gardens with our neighbours on the left and back garden with our neighbours on the right. For some reason the weekenders used the front gardens, which faced the sea, and the full time residents used the back gardens, so we never really had to share at all. But there were long expanses in the mid winter when we simply didn’t use the cottage and felt guilty when we weren’t there, in fact felt guilty whenever we went anywhere else. When it was cold we couldn’t face the drive, the weather and the wind. We gave it up in January, as it didn’t make sense to be paying for two houses in the middle of a bleak recession. At first it was exciting to be in London with so much to see and do. I liked tramping the dirty pavements and going to cafes, and seeing random last minute films. There were friends to invite over and museums to visit, but having exhausted trips to the country to stay with out of town friends and with a five year old and an eight year old to keep amused things became tense. Our small garden, (well more of a patio) is not enough to contain them for more than a few minutes. When we had friends over for lunch the other day they spent quite a lot of time playing on the flat roof outside Belle’s room. The adults ate lunch and pretended not to notice or to care about the potentially life threatening situation.
If you do not have school-age children yet, you likely are not aware that this week is half-term. Many small playgroups will be closed and the museums will be packed but there is still on lot going on for even the teeniest of the Under Five’s in Central London.
The Westminster Children’s Centres and the neighbourhood pools will be open; you should ring ahead just to confirm that the times have not changed. Battersea 1 O’clock club will also remain open from 1 – 4 daily for the under fives.
If you want to fight the crowds, the Museum of London has some amazing activities for the over 3’s, as does the Transport Museum (£10 per adult with no fee for children, or £30 for an annual family pass). The V and A has a ceramic workshop where you can make beads or plates. The Foundling Museum and the National Gallery have storytelling sessions. The Tate has a great Halloween session. Whole Foods Market will have some activities as listed below.
Whether you’re brand new to London or have lived there all your life, “24 Hours: London” has something for you. Catering to everyone from tourists to foodies, shopaholics and spa addicts, this dynamic guide is packed full of well-known and totally unusual things to do in London. You’ve seen the Changing of the Guards, but what about the Guard’s Museum?
This user-friendly guide gives you opening hours, contact information, travel directions and even tube stops. What makes it unique however, is how the information is presented. Author Marsha Moore breaks down the day, hour by hour, around the clock and gives you the best London has to offer. Jet-lagged and raring to go at 5 in the morning? Bored at 3pm? No problem, Moore has plenty of suggestions. From fish markets to phantom houses, bat-walks to burlesque teas, Marsha Moore covers it all!
Continue reading "You’ve seen the Changing of the Guards, but what about the Guard’s Museum? " »
The whole family is suffering from colds at the moment. I rarely got colds before our son was born and now in his ten months of life, I’ve lost count of the number of colds we’ve all had and how many sick days my husband’s taken!
Being ill with a baby is in itself something challenging too. You can’t just have a duvet day and wallow in your own self-pity when there’s a little one to look after. They are miserable with their sniffles and you are miserable with yours and it all makes for some long days. Parents of older children tell us how it only gets worse, as once they attend school they pick up bugs all the time.
In a desperate attempt to reduce the number of colds we get (as we move into prime cold-catching season), I researched cold prevention and the best ways to deal with a cold when you do have one. I learnt that I don’t spend long enough washing my hands – you’re meant to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ twice as a measure of how long to wash and rub your hands.
Yes, I know it’s too early for Christmas carols but I can never resist a pun, so this is just a quick update on my night up West with one of my favourite gal pals – Ruthy Ruth who helped me get my work mojo back many months ago. We loved The Ivy – all swank and bubbles, a fab place for a pre theatre supper if ever I found one.
The show was great too.
