London Safari: Lions and hippo and bears(kins). Oh my !!

Now I know I say that you can do the most fun things in London, but I bet you never knew you could do a safari did you ? Well, prepare to be amazed as I show you how - please be aware, however, I have played fast and loose with the definition of safari !

Earlier in the week Hubbie took a day off so we could have a special trip to London before the school holidays start and it all goes crazy. What we forgot, of course, was that it's already tourist season so it was still busy !

Watching and waiting 

Bears(kins): 

As it was such a lovely day we decided to get to London early and watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. It is something I went to as a child with my parents and whenever family visited from India they would want to go so I've seen it a few times before, but I wanted my boy to experience the brass bands, the horses and to witness what so many visitors come to London for. It was far too hot for him though, so we took a break from standing behind people holding up their cameras and iPads and found a space in the throng to people watch instead.

Real soldiers 

Lions: 

Once the ceremony was finished we walked to Trafalgar Square and our boy wanted to get up close with the lions around Nelson's Column. Hubbie lifted him to an eye watering height and I kept my feet firmly on the ground. Then they decided to pose next to one of the lions which is the classic photo opp that all tourists have to do. In fact I told the boy that there is a photo of me with my Dad doing almost the same pose from way back in the seventies. He was disappointingly non-plussed by this nostalgic revelation.

It's a long way up !!

My brave boys take on a lion

Then at the weekend our boy was a busy chap. He had a birthday party on Saturday morning and they had a bouncy castle !! Then we went to the launch of Totstars Academy which is the latest development for our favourite pre-school activity in Croydon. It was sweltering inside and he insisted on having his face painted so we waited for him to be painted as superman (surely that is just borrowing Daddy's glasses and taking them off ?) They new venue has a fabulous indoor football surface which isn't strictly outdoors, but looks like grass so I'm cheating just a little bit :)

Essential face painting 

Big kicks 

Hippo:

It was blazing hot this weekend so we decided to wash out the hippo paddling pool / sandpit that lives at the bottom of the garden. The boy enjoyed helping Daddy fill it up with the hosepipe and then had a good old splash around and blew some bubbles until it was time for bed.

Filling the paddling pool with a hosepipe

Splash !! 

I'm not sure next week will be quite so hot, so I'm glad we made the most of it :)

And... relax :) 

This post is part of two lovely linkies this week:

#countrykids with the fab Fiona of Coombe Mill:

  

Point and Shoot with the lovely Em of Snowing indoors: