Our Adventure

We're home, exhausted but home, packed full of memories of our adventures. Memories of smiles and discoveries, of objects seen to go with lessons learnt and stories heard. Of famous artists found for the first time and explosions in a lab. Of hotels and beds squashed together, of train travel over ground and underground. Such beautiful sweet memories I will hold forever, some of them captured and shared.

see original here on Pintrest

So this is our London.

 Day One - Off we go.

Our trip begins! Why are train stations always so cold?

And a two hour journey needs some entertainment!

When I visit London I can't stop looking around and noticing things that make me smile!

I love travelling on the tube. I also discovered that I love the look of wonder on my girls faces and the inquisitory discussions we had about trains travelling underground.

 

However we didn't go to London for the transport links. First stop...The British Museum.

The look of wonder and amazement and voracity with which Munchkin 1 went from one exhibit to the next. Devouring every Egyptian artifact and explaining their significance to me. Canopic jars are seriously disgusting might I add!

The next stop....for Mummy!

A flying visit, yes. But still I stood in awe at the Kings Library. This picture does not do the sheer scale and number of books justice!!

Day 2 - Open top bus tour!

I can't believe how much the girls enjoyed this. Even ice cold toes and noses didn't deter them for quite some time!

 Tower Bridge

 Big Ben, with the London Eye in the background

Reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

St Paul's Cathedral

A whistle stop tour of the Poetry and Dreams exhibition in the Tate Modern. Introducing Munchkin 1 to the likes of Picasso (who's work is ugly, by the way - her words not mine!)

Then on to Trafalgar Square and a visit to the National Gallery. We got involved in a feather and wing art installation. Listened to a story teller use the art work in the gallery to tell a story (really great) and then introduced Munchkin 1 to the likes of Monet (who she loved - that's mi girl!) Cezanne and Van Gough.

Day Three - Time to go home, nearly!

A trip to the Science Museum - Daddy's day ;-)

A demonstration of how to make a rocket fly into space and a quick experiment to see if the Munchkins could power electrical equipment with pedal power. I won't disconnect from the grid just yet though!

 

That left just enough time for a quick stop at Harrods....Oh how the other half lives!!

However I did discover some gorgeous lifts!

Oh and some cute friends too!

That was a packed couple of days, time to go home.....we're beat!

What special memories have you made this week?

I will leave you with this, Within Temptation. Nothing at all to do with London or the sweet memories made. It is however totally beautiful and the final gorgeous discovery of this break. Back to work tomorrow!

PS - In the last few days I have been bestowed 2 blog awards. One from the fabulously talented and witty blogess Katie at Nested and the other from my dear friend; the obnoxiously talented photographer and blogger Lee Johnson. I promise I will graciously accept these awards and compose appropriately lengthy speeches to said acceptances in due course! Today I think I have overloaded you lovely readers enough.....Stay tuned ;-)

The colour of sadness

So Deb at Kicking Corners set a challenge this week to create a new colour. In all seriousness she put out there a great writing exercise; giving us all the same set of words, pictures and music she sent us out into the world to see what we could create. The theory being that no two people could create the same thing, even when given the same ingredients. Have you ever noticed that no matter how closely you follow the instructions in a recipe book yours never turns out looking like the picture? 

I digress, here is what I created whilst listening to the celtic/fairytale music and all before the track ended (shhh, don't tell anyone the track is an hour long, sounds better if when you don't know that!)

I have highlighted the 3 words I chose to use and this is the image that stuck in my mind when I cam to write.

link to original here

“I’m not strong enough for this” Delen whispered through her tears, looking down at their intertwined hands.

“Yes you are. You are the strongest person I have ever met.” Bryce replied using his finger to pull her chin up and force her to look him in the eye. “You are the first human in a millennia to be strong enough to find us.”

“That’s different. I’m not strong enough to live without you.”

“You have a life that needs you Delen. I will not let your story end just because ours has reached its conclusion. I need to know that you have lived.”

“But you are the piece that has been missing, why do you have to be taken from me just as I found you? How will I know that this was all real and not a dream.”

“Kira, look up. What do you see?”

“Our stars.”

“Every time you see the stars you will know what we had was real, you will feel me in your heart. And in that way I will live on, inside you always.”

The village horn sounded, the end was near. Bryce stood and pulled Delen into his arms, one final embrace before he would watch her walk away. They looked into each other’s eyes, their lips met for the last time, the taste of salt bitter on their lips. The Delen pulled away, if she didn’t do this now she wouldn’t go.

“I will always remember you Bryce” Delen whispered, their fingers keeping contact as she backed further away. When their arms could stretch no more Bryce pulled his fingers away, Delen felt her heart lurch. She drank in her last view of Bryce; trying to remember every last detail, cataloguing it for future use. And then she turned and began to walk.

As soon as she was clear of the village Delen began to run, run toward the place she would call home but it wouldn’t be...it could never be she had just left her home behind. Sobbing, her chest heaving from running Delen heard a thunderous sound and turned in time to see the village consumed in a tower of wrath, obliterating their existence. But she would know who they had been.

Delen collapsed under the weight of the memories that flooded her with each heaving sob; Bryce teaching her to haggle in the market place, the brilliance of the night stars as from where they lay making shapes by joining them like a giant dot-to-dot, but mostly she would remember the other part of her soul. She suddenly felt blessed to have had the time they did together, short as it was at least their souls were reunited for a time. And would be again...

PS because I forgot yesterday, Happy Valentines Day :-)

Random Thursday - Best Ever New Year

I have had the best New Year in probably about 16 years. We had no plans, no wild parties, no fire works, no-one else to celebrate with......just us. Now we never make plans and never celebrate with any one but usually end up in bed before the dongs.

I think that is what made this year so special, simplicity!

New Year's Eve: The kids didn't last till midnight (although I didn't expect them to) so a glass of wine, a log fire and New Year's Eve the DVD it was. Corny in it's entirety but I loved every minute!! (my previous best was baked beans on toast al a carte)

New Year's Day: A sunrise, coffee and a note pad. Followed by a family walk on the beach and a hot chocolate to warm up with afterwards...I tell you what the pictures tell the story better.

 

Blue sky and sunshine we could be anywhere, right?

 

Sunbathing like this?? Um No!

 

 

Yep, that's more like it!

 

 

We splashed over the rivers in the sand

 

 

Spotted Nessie (although there was some debate about this one!)

 

 

Click on this one to see a bigger picture and you will realise that we definitely weren't in Kansas (yes it was a little windy)

 

 

Yummy warm up treats and a spot of me time, only a spot though....

 

 

Because Jessie showed up Yee Haw :-)

 

I hope your New Year transition was a magical as mine. What did you get up to?

 

Oh and I have discovered the joys of Jared Leto and 30 Seconds to Mars. I have loved everything I have heard, favourite so far being Hurricane, but had to share this....they have covered one of my all time favourite songs and did it justice :-) Plus the topic seemed to fit given our wander today!!

 

 

 



 

All as part of your Random Thursday's broadcast from Sleepy Joe, linking up with Larissa at Papa is a Preacher (head on over she is cool and loves hot chocolate as much as I do!)

 

 

 

Mad Men and Cameras

200 Tuesdays comes to you courtesy of a talented and inspiring friend of mine this week. You may have noticed I have finally uploaded a profile picture. After much searching I realised I hated every picture I have that has my face on it and I also couldn't find any other picture I thought was right.

A.eye touched on the reason in this post, I just don't like being the centre of attention. I am very introverted and much prefer to be on the other side of the camera or computer screen.

Ever one to face the things I don't like and always wanting to do things well, I smiled very sweetly and managed to get Lee, the friend I mentioned above and before on this blog, to take some decent shots of me for use on my blog and other things.

We had a really great laugh, wandering round in the local park in the lovely spring sunshine, stopping every now and then to take a few photos. So, today I thought I would share the poem I wrote whilst trying to ignore the camera!!

Mad Men and Cameras

Look here, look there

Growl just like a bear

Eyes open, eyes closed

You know you want to strike a pose

Flash on, flash off

Look down your nose like a toff

Sit here, stand there

Imagine that you just don't care

Big lens, wide lens

'This ok?' Well that depends

Now smile, look up

That's great, it's a wrap!

What is it like for you being the centre of attention? Do you thrive there or are you more like me, introvereted and reserved? How do you cope when you are thrust into the lime light?