Summer Holiday Preview Part 3: London Duck Tours

Posted on July 24, 2013 by katese11

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Continuing our series on the newly-arrived summer holidays, here’s a chat with another iconic London attraction – the “ducky boat“, aka London Duck Tours

Please note that the tour is not recommended for children (toddlers!) under 3.

1) What do you get for your money? Anything that’s not immediately obvious?

Perfect for all ages, it’s the only way to experience the sights and sounds of central London on land and river without leaving the comfort of your seat!

 2) How do you cater for kids?

Tours are fast moving, fact packed and interactive and quacking good fun!

 3) Time for a spot of name-dropping, cause we all love that. Tell me one celebrity who’s been to visit you recently.

Victoria Beckham

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 4) Food is always top of my priority list. Where can you eat near the start of the tour?

Southbank has many restaurants, also the Real Food market at weekends has lots of choice for everyone.  Try the very convenient slug and lettuce (children welcome),  or if you’ve brought your own then why not visit Jubilee gardens (next to our departure point) for a picnic and a run around?

 5) What are your peak times and quiet times?

School holidays and weekends extra busy.  Off peak would be normal term time week days and the colder months

6) Each of the attractions we’re interviewing has a Dr Who connection. Can you tell me what yours is?

1st episode of last series was filmed on the Southbank, next to our departure point.

 (LWAT note: And me and Eva missed it by an hour or so. But we spotted the Tardis! The Duck Tours also featured in Nativity 2, featuring beautiful former Timelord David Tennant <3 )

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7) This is the British Summer we’re talking about. How is the tour affected by the rain?

We have fold down windows to keep the bad weather out

8) What’s your favourite biscuit?

Custard cream of course, it’s traditional, British and yellow like us!

 9) Is there anywhere you can store a buggy before going on the tour?

Yes, of course, we either look after it for you at our departure point or store it in the shop

 10) Do you have any special events coming up this summer?

D-day Ducks – our Second World War experience operate every 1st Sunday in the month

James Bond tours – take place every 3rd Sunday of the month

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11) What is your USP – i.e. something no other attraction has?

Apart from the dramatic splashdown  when we turn from a bus to a boat, each tour has a unique tour guide with their own individual version of the tour, so there’s always something new to discover

 12) OK, this is your moment to say whatever you want to. Give us your 140-character Twitter pitch on why families should visit you this summer.

#Summer #Holidays the #kids are #bored! Give them fun, adventure and teach them some history with #London Duck Tours! http://po.st/Y7ZSff 

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Summer Holiday Preview Part 2 – Long Distance Train Travel with Kids

Posted on July 22, 2013 by katese11

IMG-20130720-03322I’m writing this from an underground train on the Northern Line, heading towards Waterloo. Earlier today, we got the bus from Kennington to Euston. You may be forgiven for thinking that this is all we do every Saturday – obsessively shuttle up and down between NW1 and SE11, in hope of settling week-old grudges. But no, there is something different about this Northern Line. For one thing, it just went overground, something our normal line doesn’t do until around Hampstead Garden Suburb. Secondly, it’s filled with unfamiliar stops – Sandhills, Bank Hall, Bootle. There’s not a non-caucasian in sight and instead of the usual jumble of accents and languages there’s only the one – Scouse. We appear to be in Liverpool.

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And, in the words of Talking Heads “you may ask yourself, how did I get here?” And the answer is that when we got to Euston, we chose not to head straight back down again, in a comedy and convoluted way…instead, we got on a Pendolino train to Liverpool Lime St, with the end aim being to get to Southport. Liverpool may be Land of my Fathers, but Southport is Land of my Brother, and we’re off to see him, his wife and their baby daughter CousinZ.

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So, I can’t yet report on what you do with a clutch of small children in Southport, but I can give you my top 10 tips for long distance train travel with kids:

1) Book a ticket for your 4-year-old

I love saving money. Who doesn’t? And it is fab-i-oso that I don’t need to pay extra for a child that is not yet 5. But not buying a ticket means you can’t reserve a seat, and therefore run the risk of having a sprawling preschooler on your lap for 2 hours. Booking 3  seats of a 4-seat table meant that even on a packed train, no-one tried to sit next to us. It was worth the extra £8/way.

2) Know where the toilet is

Sound advice for any child-related outing, but sitting next to the loo makes things so much easier. I noticed the ducky-signed changing table on my first visit there and wondered whether Eva would give me a chance to try it out. I’ll let you figure out the ending to that one.

3) Be prepared

I packed more snacks than anyone could ever possibly need for a few hours’ journey and we still could have done with more. Dog-shaped biscuits (not dog biscuits) went down well with Roo and he enjoyed his sticker book and Octonauts magazine. We were attempting to travel light, but that didn’t really happen.

IMG-20130720-033244) Take advantage of everything on offer

Virgin Trains have the best feature ever for those with a soon-to-die CrapBerry battery – Charging points at every table. We used those a lot. The mythical kids’ packs never materialised, but we did get some free snacks later after a rumble with a buffet car man (see below.)

5) Know your limits

The aisles on the Virgin trains will fit a lightweight, narrow pushchair down but only just. Our old one wouldn’t have had a chance. And it won’t work if you have a balloon and/or a carrier bag attached to it either.

kings x 6) Don’t trust in time

The “long” bit where you cover half the country will seem to go relatively quickly. The local train where you cover the last few miles will go on forever. There is no logical reason why. As a pretty Scotsman once said “wibbly wobbly timey wimey”

7) Children WILL foil your plans

If you want your children to sleep on the train, don’t let them both sleep in the afternoon before. Self-explanatory really, and failure to comply will result in a drifty-eyed boy just as you’re pulling into the station. Having said that, if anyone knows how to keep children awake without poking them with a sharp stick do let me know…..

8) Discreetly breastfeeding a toddler

If you’re hoping that no-one on a crowded train will notice that your breastfed baby is actually 15 months old, dressing them in a baby-pink babygro helps make them look younger. Letting them hop down from your knee and wander off down the aisle saying “aya!” to everyone ruins the illusion somewhat.

9) Fun with blinds

Blind goes up, blind goes down. Repeat. Ad infinitum.

10) Concentrate!

Don’t spend so long writing a list of tips that you fail to notice you’re almost at the terminus. Unless your kids like being flung off the train in a rather hasty manner…

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And now I’m finishing this on the return train from Manchester to Euston and I have one bit of advice to offer anyone who works in the buffet car of long-distance trains. Remember that episode of Friends where Rachel and Joey are having a heart-to-heart and the annoying waiter comes over to banter with them, before concluding “not that kind of table”? Watch that. Absorb that. Put it into practice. If a tired-looking mother with a baby boards your train and your hot selection consists of one single mushroom panino, break it to her gently. Don’t just say that you’ve been working for 10 hours and have sold £800 of sandwiches, so you must be doing something right. If she grudgingly agrees to buy one of your 10-hour old sandwiches, don’t badger her about not making it a meal deal. She wants mango juice. If the mango juice isn’t part of the deal, that’s OK. She’ll understand that. Don’t make puppy noises and tell her how inexplicable her decision is. At this point, she has told you several times how hungry she is, and all this banter is getting in the way of her eating. Just process the damn sandwiches. And whatever you say, make sure it’s not “Don’t hate me”. That ship may have sailed.

Are we nearly there yet?!

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Coming up next! Summer Holiday Preview Part 3: London Duck Tours

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Summer Holiday Preview Part 1 – The London Eye

Posted on July 18, 2013 by katese11

DSC02889“It’s Summer, it’s Summer (oh oh oh)…Happy in the Morning, Happy in the evening, Hooray for the summertime….”

<switches CBeebies off for a moment>

Yes, it’s finally looking summery out there, and the school holidays start next week, which means, for us, almost 7 weeks of no rushing to pick up and drop off! But on the flipside, it’s almost 7 weeks of entertaining 2 small children. I suspect others have this conundrum too, which is why we’re putting together a Summer Holiday preview, with chats with some of London’s biggest attractions as well as some ideas on free things to do this summer. And to start things off, we’ve done a Q&A with Lauren Mictham, of the London Eye…

F1_J80446_LondonEye_301) What do you get for your money? Anything that’s not immediately obvious?

As well as the stunning panoramic views (you can see for around 40km from the top), visitors to the EDF Energy London Eye also have free tickets to the incredible 4D Experience, a groundbreaking three minute 3D film telling the story of a visit to the London Eye through the eyes of a little girl. It has spectacular in-theatre effects including wind, bubbles and mist which add a breathtaking fourth dimension, finishing with the famous New Year’s Eve fireworks!

There are also state of the art Samsung Galaxy tablets in every capsule with lots of information on the views and landmarks you are seeing.

People may not realise that you can buy combination tickets for other Merlin attractions at discounted rates when you come to the London Eye, so if you fancy popping a few yards down the riverbank to visit the SEA LIFE London Aquarium or the London Dungeons after your rotation you can get some brilliant deals. We also have a London Eye River Cruise hosted by expert guides that departs from the pier below the London Eye.

2) How do you cater for kids?

Children under four go free but do require a ticket, and baby changing facilities are available in our ticket office and onboard the London Eye River Cruise Experience. We can even cater for children’s birthday parties on the London Eye, with a private capsule, party hats and cake! You can also hire a magician or face painter to make the experience even more special.

3) Time for a spot of name-dropping, cause we all love that. Tell me one celebrity who’s been to visit you recently.

Kate Moss actually holds the record for the most celebrity rotations on the London Eye – a massive 25! We also had Sarah Jessica Parker here recently with her kids.

4) Food is always top of my priority list. Where can you eat near the Eye?

We have concession stands selling snacks and drinks on site and the south bank is full of wonderful places to eat, from sit-down restaurants to gourmet pizza stands and street food markets. There are a range of great restaurant deals on our website with exclusive discounts available.

5) What are your peak times and quiet times?

The London Eye is at its busiest during the months of July and August. We are also busy during school holidays, Bank holidays and weekends. The busiest time of the day would be from 11:00am to 3:00pm.

6) Each of the attractions we’re interviewing has a Dr Who connection. Can you tell me what yours is?

The London Eye featured in the first ever episode of the BBC’s Doctor Who re-launch in 2005. The London Eye was taken over by an alien and turned into a giant transmitter that made shop window dummies come to life!

7) This is the British Summer we’re talking about. How is the Eye affected by the rain?

Each of the capsules is weatherproof and fully climate controlled, so visitors can enjoy their visit in comfort whatever the British weather is doing! Even if it’s raining the glass walls mean that you still get a panoramic view of London.

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8) What’s your favourite biscuit?

Definitely Marks & Spencer milk chocolate rounds – they’re more chocolate than biscuit! Of course, everyone at the London Eye particularly likes biscuits that are wheel-shaped.

9) Is there anywhere you can store a buggy near the Eye?

Buggies and pushchairs have to be folded completely flat and all items removed before taking them on board the London Eye and when waiting on the boarding ramps. Facilities are available inside the ticket office for buggies which are fixed and cannot be folded down.

10) Do you have any special events coming up this summer?

Every Friday until the 9th August we have Eye Nights, where the Eye is open until midnight so people can take in the views of London in darkness. We’re also running different seasonal experiences this summer, including a enjoying a glass of Pimm’s during your rotation or some Spanish-inspired nibbles in our evening wine and tapas capsules. To entertain our guests on the ground we are also introducing some brilliant new queue line entertainers, including stilt acrobats, balloon modellers and extreme unicyclists!

11) Can you take a “granny trolley” onto the Eye?

Only small day size rucksacks and bags can be taken on a capsule, not large or wheeled bags. If you do have a large bag, we recommend using the left luggage facilities at Waterloo train station.

12) What is your USP – i.e. something no other attraction has?

It would have to be the fact that the London Eye gives visitors a moving, ever-changing view of London; at every stage of your experience you catch sight of something new. We’re the largest cantilevered observation wheel in the world, in the best possible location on the south bank to get up-close views of some of the capital’s best-loved landmarks, such as Buckingham Palace and Big Ben.

13) OK, this is your moment to say whatever you want to. Give us your 140-character Twitter pitch on why families should visit you this summer.

The London Eye is your one stop shop for a great day out in the capital and is a truly unique experience that the whole family can enjoy.

New Years Eve Celebrations Begin With A Bang

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A 2013 Padding Pool Special

Posted on July 16, 2013 by katese11

DSC03050Yes, that’s Eva – toddler extraordinaire, at Brockwell Park water play this morning. Which was mostly functioning, unlike last Monday when it was dry as the proverbial bone. Should you find yourself in a parched pool, here’s an updated list of wet play areas, with 6 areas I’ve been to since last year’s list. Pack swimwear, or suffer the consequences….

1) Diana Memorial Playground

DSC01761Actually only has a small water play area, but a fab place to hang out for the day with its giant pirate ship and sandpit.

2) Ruskin Park

IMG-20120904-01098Paddle South London style – next to a train line. Also has an ice cream stall.

3) Victoria Tower Gardens

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Water play in the heart of Touristville? Seems too good to be true, but there is a new water feature in the freshly-developed playground

4) Ladywell Fields

DSC02463There aren’t many rivers in London you can dip into, but this one in Lewisham is clear and shallow. Perfect for paddling and Poohsticks.

5) Lloyd Park

DSC01871Another wet play area that’s opened since last summer – this East London spot has a potent sand and water combination area. Bring wetwipes galore.

6) Clapham Common

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A simple, old-school paddling pool very near the tube. Very big and popular.

And just for fun, here’s my updated Sandpits and Paddling Pools Google Map!


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Big Fish Little Fish – 14/07/13

Posted on July 15, 2013 by katese11

DSC03037(I started writing this on Sunday, so for argument’s sake…let’s say it’s still Sunday when you read it)

It’s been a long and complex day, so buckle up baby, I’m gonna tell you all about it, in excruciating detail.
This morning we went to see “Monsters University” at Clapham Picturehouse, for film-reviewing purposes. That’s straightforward. Then Nathan had to go to church, for film-viewing purposes and the rest of us skipped off to go a rave. Yes, you heard that right.

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But first there was lunch to be had. And being right next to Clapham Common, we decided to picnic there. On Thursday, I reviewed “The Internship” and, feeling peckish afterwards, nipped to McDonalds for a fruity ice drink and a cheeseburger. It was the first time I’d eaten McDonalds in several years but darn them, they lured me in with those fruity ice drinks. I’m a sucker for them (hence my loss yesterday). Point is, McDonalds in Peckham is probably what most would consider one of the lowest-ranked eating experiences in London. So, today I decided to level the playing field a bit and go to Waitrose in Clapham. For sushi. So there.

(I actually had some sushi on the way to Peckham as well, and was imagining myself on the Yummy Mummy episode of “Faking It”. The judges would say things like “Kate has all the right elements, but it’s just not coming together correctly. Buggyfit=good, Baby Cinema=good, sushi=good. But most people shower between the Buggyfit and the Baby Cinema. And you do NOT eat sushi on the bus.”)

Where was I? Yes, Clapham Common with a picnic. And those in the know will know that Clapham Common has a paddling pool. Apparently those in the know now includes Reuben.

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Ever had one of those days where you regret taking the kids’ wetsuits out of the changing bag? I did. But no problem – Reuben agreed to paddle in his pants and t-shirt, on the understanding that he kept them dry and only got his legs wet. Wanna see his attempt at doing that?

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Must try harder.

A similar conumdrum saw Eva paddling in a tutu:

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Later abandoned for a hugely saturated nappy. Chic, huh?

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The paddling pool itself was nice – strangely warm, though I’ll attribute that to the sun rather than other children’s saggy nappies. You can never quite shake the feeling that’s you’re right next to a blooming big road. Still, it’s handy for the bus routes.

But we didn’t have long, and in the absence of preparation I dried them off on a pair of pyjama trousers and dressed them in an assortment of random changing bag clothes. These were their carefully picked rave outfits, before WaterplayGate:

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You’ll see the after later. Then we had a 21-minute wait for the 37 bus to Brixton, during which time I tried to dry Roo’s sunhat and Eva’s Hello Kitty t-shirt by hanging them on some railings in the sun. A woman yelled at me not to forget them, as if I was in the habit of leaving my belongings casually scattered around sw4. Although it’s not inconceivable. While they were drying, a man came and smoked over them anyway, so it was all a touch futile.

Then, finally, we got to the main event of the day – the “Big Fish Little Fish” family-friendly rave (subtitle “2-4 hour party people”). Essentially, it’s lie going clubbing but with your kids. To this end, they have proper club DJs and it’s dark. Really dark. I lost Reuben a few.  times in his (now navy) t-shirt.

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If it all sounds a bit surreal, that’s cause it was. I didn’t get much dancing done cause of the perils of chasing two walkers around a darkened room. If Nathan had made it, it would have been much more fun. As it was, Roo did some of his trademark mad dancing (as honed at his nursery party) on the stage, while Eva wandered off in a different direction, trying to drink the dregs of other people’s beer. Shame, because the set-up was quite cool – glowbands on the door, free cake, a snack and juice table for the kids…it was just hard to relax with a 1:2 adult:child ratio.

We met up with Zee’sMa and Zee’sPa, who had a far more sensible 2:1 ratio, but even they were finding a disco in the heat a bit much. Zee’sPa said it was a bit like a surreal wedding reception. Though I’ve never been to a wedding reception with a cockney singalong midway through before.  Thinking about it, no club I’ve ever been to has had a cockney singalong halfway through either.

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But it other ways, it did remind me of my favourite pre-kids club – Buttoned Down Disco. Something about the mix of Northern soul and techno, with glitter cannons and a bubble machine. When we got the chance to dance, me and Roo pulled some cool shapes. But most of our time was spent in the “quiet room” (with all the toys in…you can guess how quiet it was) or outside, eating ice-cream. Had it been less of a roasting day, we probably would have been on the danced floor more.

DSC03020So, an interesting event. Definitely one to tackle with some parental back-up and probably best enjoyed when it’s less than 30c. But definitely something different to do with a Sunday afternoon!

More details here (official site)

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The Great North(ern Line) Run – LWAT is 2! And 200!

Posted on July 13, 2013 by katese11

purple tees2

This Toddler blog is 2 today

It was 2 this morning

And so we sing, and do silly things

Like race down the Northern Line

(to the tune of “Little Bo Peep”, aka “The Ethelred Birthday Song”)

It is time, LWAT is 2 years old today, and 200 posts old. It’s quite a moment. And in case you missed it, we are running a Northern Line Race down the Charing Cross and Bank branches, but overground. The rules are here.

Basically, we divided into 2 teams of 2 . Team A was Kate+Eva, going down the Charing Cross branch. Team B was Nathan+Reuben, going down the Bank branch. There were a few last minute changes, like swapping the children over and scrapping the buggy…but those are mere details

Here’s what happened along the way:

(Just for fun, the stations are clickable,  so you can read our previous adventures in the area as we go along)

9:40AM and we’re in the Friends House cafe, opposite Euston station. We got there too early for the Wellcome Collection to be open, so went with a plan B. Happily, it turned out to have lots of space and toys and books for the kids:

DSC02970We had croissants, juice and coffee and I took a photo of Nathan that I’m not allowed to share here. A coin was tossed, teams decided and we were ready to go..

BANK CHARING XOh wait, we weren’t. Reuben had put together an alphabet jigsaw puzzle and needed to sing his way through it before getting ready. And then I got into a conversation with someone who’d made their own sling when their kids were little and now she uses it for her grandkids. And then…

We were off! It was…

10:43ish GO!

10:48 Team A (that’s me and Eva) reach our first station, Warren St:

DSC02973Stopping only to explain to a couple of confused tourists the difference between the Wellcome Collection and the Wellcome Trust, and why battering on the doors of the closed office building wouldn’t get them very far.

A few short minutes’ walk and we hit….

10:54 Goodge St

DSC02974At this point, Team B were still waiting for the 205 at Euston, so we were comprehensively kicking their asses. Time for our handicap – a stop at Paperchase to buy a birthday card for Reuben’s Auntie Sabbage. And could there be a more appropriate card than this?!:

CARDIt’s so perfect I wanted to cry. Meanwhile Team B had reached their first station:

10:58 King’s Cross

kings xIt was, comprehensively, ON! A few minutes later we had finished our power walk to a pile of crap Tottenham Court Rd, which is a check in at:

11:03 TCRRRRRRRRR!

DSC02980At the same time as Team B were at:

11:04 Angel

angelMeanwhile, Eva and I had negotiated our sweaty way around the back of Centre Point to jump on a no 29, resulting in our next check-in:

11:10 Leicester Square

DSC02981Which was our 4th station out of 8, while Team B reached 3 out of 9 a minute or two later:

11:12 Old St

old stSo, to re-iterate, we were clearly ahead. And checking in at our next stop a few minutes later *may* have led to cockiness:

11:15 Charing Cross

DSC02983So, I decided to stop for a refreshing fruit cooler at Costa – it was pretty sweaty work carrying that baby and changing bag around!

While we were choosing our blend, Team B had jumped off the 205 and checked in at their next station:

11:18 Moorgate

moorgateBut we didn’t pause for long, honest, and took a quick photo of the actual Charing Cross before checking in at:

11:26 Embankment

DSC02986At which point, CrapBerry had died so I had no idea that Team B had reached:

11:26 Bank

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at exactly the same time. After some confusion about whether Liverpool St was on the Northern Line (it isn’t, and if Nathan says I said it was, he’s misquoting me) they found a 133 bus stop and had an apple:

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Then, eventually they hopped on a 133 and were off again…

And this is where it all went wrong for me. Mellowed out by my icy fruit drink, I dawdled across the Golden Jubilee Bridge, taking this lovely panorama on the way:

DSC02989Then I stopped at the Royal Festival Hall for a pee (icy fruit drink’s fault again) and to call in at the poetry library to see whether I could get online and update the Fbook event. I was a bit overly concerned about what the Fbook attendees were thinking and forgot about the winning the race bit.

Meanwhile, Team B were knocking those stations down like skittles on the 133, taking in the following:

11:40 London Bridge

London Bridge

11:42 Borough

borough

11:46 Elephant & Castle

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By which point, I had finished faffing around with toilet breaks and internet and was running at breakneck speed towards the bus stop at Waterloo (possibly I would have broken Eva’s neck if I had jiggled her about much more…), and very narrowly missed the 59, resulting in a grumpy check-in at

11:46 Waterloo

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We waited 5 minutes for the bus, but I think you can guess what was happening on Team B….

11:50 Kennington

KENNINGTONYes, the boys won. We were on a slow-moving 59 to Kennington Park, then dashed down the road to the tube to find them smugly standing there.

SWEATY MUMMYIt was …12:05

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A clear victory for Team B and a lesson to me about thinking I have all the time in the world. I actually wanted to let them catch up a bit, to stop Reuben getting too upset at losing, but we can safely say that one backfired. Congratulations to Reuben and Nathan and Happy Birthday LWAT!!

Posted in Creating precious childhood memories or something (days out) | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Get Ready For….The Great North(ern Line) Run

Posted on July 10, 2013 by katese11

funky-northern-line.pngSo, tension is heightening….it’s almost time for the Great North(ern Line) Run!  Fro those not in the know, it’s LWAT’s 2nd birthday, so we are choosing something in London that has TWO branches and splitting into TWO teams of TWO. Get the theme yet? It’s also the 200th post!

Starting line is the Peyton & Byrne cafe at the Wellcome Collection, Euston Rd and finishing line is Kennington tube (first one to touch the “No Northern Line today” sign wins) In between those two points, anything could happen. But for those who want to know, here are The Rules:

1) Team A shall take the Charing Cross route, passing the following stations: Warren St, Goodge St, Tottenham Court Rd, Leicester Square, Charing Cross, Embankment and Waterloo

2) Team B shall take the Bank route, passing the following stations: Kings Cross, Angel, Old St, Moorgate, Bank, London Bridge, Borough and Elephant and Castle

3) Each team shall take  a photo of each station as it’s passed, and “check in” by posting on the Facebook event

4) Team A shall comprise of one parent+Reuben and buggy

5) Team B shall comprise of one parent+Eva and sling

6) The teams shall be decided by toss of coin at the starting line. Kate will toss a coin and heads = Bank (Team B) and tails = Charing Cross (Team A)

7) Team A has one less stop and a shorter route, but they have the following handicaps:

i) The one-way system of Tottenham Court Rd means that the first section must be walked (between Euston and Tottenham Court Rd station). The section between Charing Cross and Waterloo is also probably going to be walked, so that’s a lot of walking.

ii) Reuben

So, them’s the rules. Here’s the Facebook event for those who want to follow the live update. And here are the children’s t-shirts for the event.If you see us, make sure to wave!

tube teeshorts

Posted in Facts! And facts are important! | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

LolliBop Winner Revealed!! And ComicCon With a Toddler

Posted on July 6, 2013 by katese11

IMG-20120819-00947It’s the news that at least some of you have been waiting for….the winner of the LolliBop competition. And this time, to stop the winners name annoyingly appearing in the preview text, I’m going to tell you what we’re up to today. We’re off to London Film and ComicCon, with (of course) a toddler. And some spare geeks. I’m exhibiting there, with tvandfilmreview.com and may even get to meet some celebs…by sci-fi standards anyway. We’re leaving Roo with his beloved “Auntie Sabbage” but taking Eva. I’ll come back and edit this post later to let you know how that went.

But enough suspense. Using the power vested in me by LolliBop and random.org, I am happy to announce that the winner is…..

Nic Horne!!

Congratulations Nic, we will be in touch soon 🙂
And now off to geekfest…..

IMG-20130706-03286The fact that it’s taken me half a week to update this post shows just how knacked I was after 9 hours of wall-to-wall geek. As with most things in life, it would have been easier without Eva, but we managed just fine. The never-ending supply of biscuits on our stall helped, and Nathan bringing her in 3 hours after I got there certainly helped.

If you’re thinking about going to a comic convention with small children, take heart – lots of other people have the same idea. There were loads of kids there and, to my shame, most of them were dressed up (we had an outfit planned for Eva but it was too darn hot to go through with it. Didn’t stop the people in PVC catsuits or full stormtrooper outfits). There was our stalls, giving away free sweets and toys but most of them were full of breakable, collectable things. So it would have been a bit of a nightmare taking Reuben (“I want zat giant Iron Man!”). It also got crazily busy around lunchtime, and there was no space to run about. This gives you an idea of how packed it was:

IMG-20130706-03287At this point, I had retreated upstairs to the canteen with my spare geeks, and we luckily managed to bag a table (it was bang on1 2:00). So, Eva could both eat something and stretch her tiny legs. But downstairs, she was firmly wrapped most of the time, except when I let her out to run around in the gap behind our stall. As I interviewed some  vintage Dr Who actors, she had to be hauled away fussing. By 3ish, she was a bit over it all so we went for a mango smoothie at Crussssh before a final push on the stall. But she did well, considering.

IMG-20130706-03288So, if you’re considering ComicCon with a toddler, make it reasonably snappy, build in lots of breaks, don’t try and interview anyone unless you have back-up and take infinite quantities of biscuits with you. Oh, and dress them up as a Jawa…

Posted in Facts! And facts are important!, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Some Local News and Some Reminders….

Posted on July 3, 2013 by katese11

funky-northern-line.pngThis is going to be a complete mish-mash of a post, and for that I apologise. But there is reasoning behind it – I have a very special post planned for post number 2-0-0 and it’s going to co-incide with LWAT’s 2nd birthday 13th July. Hooray! These kind of things make me very, dorkily happy. So, to celebrate Nathan and I are taking a child each and a branch of the Northern Line each, and racing from Euston to Kennington, using buses, buggies and the power of feet. Join the Facebook event for live updates, but also don’t be surprised if posts are a bit…sparing for the next few weeks.

IMG-20120819-00947In that spirit, let’s have a few more blog reminders before going on to the order of the day. First up, you still have a few more days to enter our exciting LolliBop competition for a family ticket to the best festival in town. In other news, we have a Q&A coming up with London Duck Tours and the London Eye as part of our summer holiday preview, so if you have questions for them please send them to me via the contact form below!

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Onto the local news! Well, the new playground on Doorstep Green is finished and there will be an official opening event on 13th July 2-4pm. We visited yesterday, to have a quick recee. There’s a climbing frame, one daisy-swing, a slide and a sandpit. And some curious blue tree trunks:

DSC02955It’s small, but it’s ever so pretty. Not entirely sure what the superfluous bit of brickwork in the middle of the grassy bit is. Maybe something historical? Anyway, here are some more snaps:

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In other playground news. St Mary’s Playground at Elephant is being redeveloped (again!) and Mr Katese11 got a photo of the plans. Looks like there will be water play and a zipwire – woo! But not till 2014 at the earliest – boo!

elephant parkIn other news, we visited Archbishop Justin (not Fletcher) at his house (not “Justin’s House”) on Saturday, for the Lambeth Palace fete and had a lovely time. Most of Roo’s nursery friends were there, so I may have given Nathan the impression that I know every 4-year-old in the SE11 area.  Here’s Roo doing the 3-legged race with his friend Helen:

lambefAnd this weekend is the annual Kennington fete in Cleaver Square (Sunday 7th July, 12-4pm). If the weather’s nice we may well skip church to be there. See you there?

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London Eye + River Cruise – 30/06/13

Posted on June 30, 2013 by katese11

DSC02913There are few London landmarks that fill me with quite as much fear, as well as excitement, as the London Eye. See, I’m a bit afraid of heights. Not a heights fan. Never have been. Yet, I am a fan of beautiful views over London and you do get some of those on the Eye.

DSC02909I’d been on the Eye once before, pre-children when my niece and nephew were staying. They were 10 and 9 respectively and thought it was great fun to fling themselves against the glass sides of the capsule while I quivered in the middle. That was a decade ago, and now it was time to face my fears, with a different niece.

We boarded early on a Sunday morning – my niece (11, quite responsible), Reuben (irresponsible), Eva (irresistably cute) and me (acutely petrified). Nathan stayed on the ground, with the buggy and all our stuff and lounged in the sunlight, reading his comic while I paced nervously. We got on quite quickly, using the fast-track option, and security was both swift and efficient. I stupidly gave Reuben his own ticket to hold and he looked blankly at me when I asked him where it was. But then he produced it with a flourish, from under his hat.

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So, we were aboard. Roo spotted the doors marked “do not lean” and instantly wanted to lean on them, but he was soon distracted by going “up, up into the clouds” and he looked eagerly out of the sides, spotting such famous London landmarks as “my nursery”, “Henry’s house” and “the big purple cow”. My niece spotted all the slightly lesser known landmarks, like Big Ben and St Pauls. I concentrated on trying to see where our house was – and found the estate, but not our exact block. Incidentally, there are 360 maps available if you want to find places of interest. Not sure Henry’s house is on there, but you can see it here.

DSC02905And then we were nearly at the top.  London was spread out below us and, as Roo said “The people are all tiny and far away”. And he was right. Here’s Nathan:

DSC02898He’s a dot! A tiny dot! And meanwhile, we were summiting….

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The view was incredible – I could see from Alexandra Palace to Crystal Palace and a whole lot further than that. It was still a bit misty because it was early morning, and we were actually in the clouds (Roo didn’t believe me until I showed him the tiny water droplets on the outside of the capsule). So, some of my pictures are a bit misty, but here they are:

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Doesn’t South London always look remarkably green in these kind of things? It’s not like that on the ground

After we’d “landed” we went to see the 4D London Eye movie, which was included in the ticket price. If you don’t know what 4D is, it’s 3D but with effects – in this case, bubbles, snow and smoke. I won’t say much more for fear of spoilers, but we all enjoyed it, especially Reuben. He chased the bubbles and tried to catch them all and reached out for the 3D seagulls. It was a standing show, but luckily he was running in front of people taller than him so he didn’t get in their way. Running is not recommended, due to slippery floors from the snow. But Reuben’s a renegade, as ever.

Such antics made me think that it might be a bad idea to go on the open deck on the river cruise. It looked glorious in the sun, but would have meant both children sitting still for 40 minutes and that seemed unlikely at best. So, we went on the lower deck, which was practically deserted and Eva could toddle about as much as she wanted. At this point, Reuben had a bit of a meltdown because he was hungry (he’d eaten most of his snacks already and so we’d left the snack boxes with Nathan). The cafe on the boat was closed, so he just had to make do with a half-eaten packet of raisins. It was quite a long 40 minutes.

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Which is no fault of the cruise’s, of course. The trip went up to the Houses of Parliament, then down to Tower Bridge and back and there was witty, engaging commentary throughout. It’s just that ours was enhanced by the whingings of an overtired 4-year-old. If I was to do it all again, I would leave a bit of a bigger gap between Eye and Cruise so that he could have a proper run around in the Jubilee Gardens playground and maybe some food before having to sit still. But that’s just my child. Eva was equally restless, so I think I was asking a bit much of them to do both experiences together. My niece spent most of the cruise wrangling one or other of them, so didn’t get much of a chance to see the sights or listen to the commentary. But she was pleased to spot the Globe and Cleopatra’s Needle, both of which she’d learned about in school. I was pleased to spot a Mississippi style paddle steamer, which I’d learned about on TV. Good all round!

DSC02917VERDICT: An enjoyable day out then, and the Eye especially was enjoyed by all of us (and the movie). Probably worth spacing activities out if you’re doing it with littlies.

More details here (official site…)

DSC02914Disclaimer: I was give free admission to the Eye in order to review it. All opinions remain honest and my own, except for the ones that are Reuben’s…

Posted in Creating precious childhood memories or something (days out) | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments