Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner

I've lived in London all of my life - with the exception of the 4 years I lived in the Midlands whilst at University. In that time we've experienced the tyranny of the National Front marching past our home in South London, the murders of people for being gay or black or asian and for many decades the mindless violence of bombings in the name of the IRA. I was in Camden on a Saturday when they called in a bomb threat to the police and the crowd I was in was directed the wrong way into the path of the potential explosion. Thankfully it was not detonated.

A young woman I met while at Warwick University - who was from Leicester - told me that her parents had warned her against visiting London in case of bombs and I recall talking to a friend from Nothern Ireland who recalled seeing news stories about how violent and unsafe London when I had seen the same about his home town. I don't remember ever feeling unsafe though.

In recent years we have experienced mass violence with attacks on cities and public transport. I was travelling to Ireland on Sept 12th 2001 and it took over 2 hours to check in at Stansted Airport. Security had been stepped up overnight and the world of air travel changed forever. On the day of the London attacks in 2005 Hubbie was travelling to work and he was so delayed that he called me and we spoke as he stood at Vauxhall bus station unclear why nothing was running. I watched the news and relayed the story that is was due to electrical outages until it became clear that this was a serious act of terrorism and not a widespread electrical fault.

When the Westminster attacks took place my friend was locked down at work and unable to leave. We communicated by text messages - thankfully phones were still working. We joked about me sending her a delivery pizza in case she was kept overnight. It kept at bay my fear that she had been forgotten in the building and when she told me she was going home I was so relieved and went to bed knowing she was safe.

I'm a parent now and I do think about what this means to my children. I used to listen to the radio in the car, but the other day my older son said, "Mummy we don't want to hear about killing." It's become such a regular feature on the radio that I had forgotten to change over before the news bulletin started. Of course I don't want to censor the truth, but my children are very young and I will decide how to talk to them about violence, terrorism and the harm that evil people do.

At one point I did talk to Hubbie about moving away and keeping our boys away from harm, but I am not entirely sure that is possible. This is the world we live in right now. I talked to my boys the other day about how it's my job to keep them safe. That instead of going to work in an office I see that as my job and I take it very seriously. We have had a tough half term with a lot of bickering and fighting and at times I've really struggled to keep myself together and haven't always been as kind as I would like.

We took the boys to London on Monday for a special half term day out. We took the train to London Bridge station and walked along the South Bank after lunch. In our early courting days we used to go out regularly to the Market Porter pub and used to take part in a pub quiz at the Southwark Arms with friends on a weekly basis. We even won a few times. Watching the news stories and grainy phone footage about the attacks on Saturday evening me and Hubbie talked about how unsettling it is when somewhere you know so well is the scene of such devastation.

Everyone told me that parenting would be tiring and there would be tantrums and laughter and it would be a bit disgusting at times. No one told me how terrifying it would be. That fear you have that something could happen to your babies that is entirely out of your control. That cold feeling that makes you want to wrap them up in cotton wool and never let them leave your side ever again. What I have to remember is that I have lived with this all my life. I just wish my boys didn't have to.

Honk if you wanna go faster !

This year has already been one of fundraising firsts. I spent February sugar free to raise money for Cancer Research UK - surprisingly no one was harmed in my sugar-free state. Well actually my macbook was on the receiving end of an errant cup of tea, but so far is appears to have survived any long term harm. I figured that as it's the shortest month it would be the best one to do something as radical as give up sugar and I managed it. Ok, there were a couple of notable exceptions - I did have a dessert on Valentine's Day and on the last day of February I had a pancake with sugar and lemon on it. Otherwise I did pretty well and I think it's given me an appreciation of how much sugar I was eating and how little I really need it. 

As if I wasn't a sucker enough for punishment I'm taking part in Dechox this month. Yep, I'm staying off the chocolate for a whole month longer to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation. At least at the end of this it's Easter so I can indulge, but from past experience the anticipation of chocolate far exceeds the need for it once the deprivation ends.

I put on my Comic Relief face on the train 

You will probably have seen by now that I spent yesterday in the company of fellow Team Honkers and we walked ten miles around London wearing Red Nose themed outfits and preparing meals at each stop. This annual fundraiser is for Comic Relief and this year we called it The Honk Line - I've been calling it Honk The Line Johnny Cash style all this time. 

A much needed cuppa and a borrowed tutu 

First up we met up in Highgate and had breakfast in Waterlow Park - just as we were about to leave we bumped into Jamie Oliver with this wife Jools and their kids. He kindly agreed to a photo with a gaggle of overexcited people in red nose day gear. (If you don't believe me check out my twitter feed).

The firepod 

The idea of preparing food at each stop was taken up with gusto by the lovely team at Firepod and they carried this amazing bit of kit around with us for the whole day. When we stopped for lunch they made us fresh and delicious pizzas to eat. 

Red Nose pizza 

Our final meal stop was afternoon tea at Lincoln's Inn Fields. We were all pretty tired by this point and needed the sit down. There were lots of people and dogs in the park enjoying the sunshine and a police helicopter overhead for a bit of local colour. Getting back up to do the final leg was not appealing in the slightest. Not least as my feet were really aching by this point and even today I'm feeling pain in my ankles. In total I walked ten miles and came home for a hot bath. I had hoped for breakfast in bed this morning, but for once the boys didn't wake up at 6am ready to rumble. 

It's not a tea party without a mad hatter 

Ok, so it was tiring and all that, but the point of it all was to raise money so here's as link to my fundraising page: https://my.rednoseday.com/sponsor/Swazi As a team we've already raised almost £3,000 and with more events to come next weekend with Come Honk With Me we hope to exceed our past efforts. Your generosity really will help to make a world of difference to people living unimaginably tough lives. Thank you.

Red Nose Day is actually on Friday 24th March and it's going to be fantastic. I'm thinking of going to this - a crafternoon sounds wonderful doesn't it ?

Of course as this is me it doesn't end here - this walk was mere training for the 26.2 mile Moonwalk in May - I'll keep you posted... 

This half term is awesome.

This evening as me, the boys and Neo all slumped on the sofa under a big fluffy blanket I looked at the cat sprawled across us all and the boys staring at the TV. It's halfway through half term and we're all tired, well exhausted actually, but also really happy. Blue Bear has been going to a playscheme every day that he loves where he plays sports and today he did streetdance and had fun on the bouncy castle. He's never been a fan of bouncy castles, but this week something has just clicked for him and he's loving it. It's a relief really as it means I can book one for his next birthday knowing he's going to go on it.

Brown Bear has been going to tennis lessons with his friends. He did this last holiday and really had fun so I thought we'd book for him to go again. Today, however, we did something extra special. I contacted the BBC about the listening project a while back.  I suggested a conversation between me and Brown Bear about how his brother came to join our family and how he felt about it all. We've been talking about it for a while and today was the day we went to record it. I wanted to make it a special day just for us so first I surprised him with a visit to the new Lego store in London.

We took the bus from Victoria to Picadilly Circus and walked through Chinatown. I didn't tell him there even was a lego store so it was a complete surprise when we arrived there. Apparently people have queued for hours to get in, but we timed it pretty well and didn't have too long to wait to get in. The numbers are managed quite well so it's not too busy when you go in and there is plenty for the children to play with as well as some stunning lego models to admire too.

There are some iconic London models and Brown Bear tried to make a phone call and to post a letter - I was impressed he even knows what a phonebox is for !

This Pick and Build wall is amazing and while I can't see how you could reach the top storage units it is a great idea. There are some model ideas to get you started and there's also a build your own minifigure bar that was very popular.

There are tables with a lot of lego and some models started already. This Big Ben model caught Brown Bear's eye.

As you queue to get in you see the model of an underground carriage - complete with the queen waving from inside. It was a nice compromise as I had told him we'd be going to the Transport Musuem to put him off what I really wanted to do.

The best part of it was that I told him he could buy a set with his Christmas money and he chose one that he's already built. Hubbie told me that when he was putting Brown Bear to bed tonight he said it had been the best day of his life. Well I'd call that mission accomplished then.

A week in politics: the musical

This month it's the 5 year anniversary of my radio show. In celebration of this I have a few music related tales to tell. This one, however, has come about only in the last 24 hours as it occured to me that the news events of the last ten days really deserve a playlist. I might even make a podcast out of it.

So first we were all asked to make a huge decision:

And the result was a big shock. The side that had the most votes were all like:

And others - mostly Scotland and London - were all like:

Then the EU puffed up it's chest and was all:

And the UK was all:

Then it wiped its face, picked up its shoes off the floor and flounced off:

So next the lead characters in the whole drama started to realise what they had done:

And the loudest one of all just couldn't hack it any more:

So the other guy said he'd do it and his wife was all:

And a woman who doesn't agree with either of them said she'd take care of things:

Then a guy who isn't that popular wanted to get in on the act too:

So the guy who had stepped up first felt a bit overlooked:

Meanwhile the other side were having their own issues:

And the main man is all like:

Even though everyone else is all:

So, it's all a bit:

And in the background is the thing that started all of this:

You would be forgiven for thinking:

Ok, I've decided I'm so going to make this into a radio show / podcast. I'll post it here when it's done. For now, hope you enjoy the tunes and try not to take it all too seriously.

It's only politics.

Half term adventures by road and river

Half term is always a bundle of laughs in London with road closures and diversions as standard - I know it's easier to do this work when the kids are off school, but it's still very annoying ! I'm not sure what possessed us when we decided to go into central London for a day out with the boys. It turned out to be the day before the state opening of parliament and also the day of a protest by London taxi drivers. To say it was eventful would not be an overstatement.

As we arrived at Victoria and went to collect our tickets for the Big Bus Tour the boys were very excited about riding an open top bus. Big boy has been on one before, but baby boy hasn't so he loved hanging over the side - which gave my arm muscles a workout holding onto his legs to keep him from falling - I didn't want a Michael Jackson style incident ! There are different tours and you can take a circular tour and you can also hop on and hop off at points of interest. It was a lovely sunny day, but we had already decided we were going to take a boat trip so we got out at the South Bank / London Eye stop. Originally we were going to take the boys to the London Eye and The Aquarium, but I'm glad we didn't as both were heaving with half term kids and tourists.

Instead we boarded a big boat under the London Eye - a city cruise is included in the ticket for Big Bus Tours and as we had a three day ticket we were able to travel all the way to Greenwich. City Cruises aren't guided trips, but you can buy a recorded guide in a range of languages if you want to. We were accompanied by Dean who gave us an amusing commentary on the sights en route.

Greenwich has very special memories for me as I lived there in my early childhood and when I was younger all the museums and sights were free so we used to visit the Observatory and the Naval College during school holidays. I remember rolling down the hills in Greenwich Park with my friend Nichola and riding on the boats in the small boating lake. I hope the boys have lovely recollections of childhood when they grow up. There's a photo of me and my brother standing at the base of the rudder of the Cutty Sark. After a horrific fire a few years ago the tea clipper has been restored to pristine condition and you can visit again. There's even a cafe inside these days.

As we made our way home we decided to walk from Westminster Pier as the taxi protest was well underway and the vehicles on the roads were immoveable. We had clearly made the right choice with our river travel. As we made our way to Victoria Station to take the train home we spotted this bus sculpture. You may recall an earlier adventure featuring these bus sculptures so it was lovely to see another one. 

We're hoping to take a grown up night tour to make the most of the three day ticket. I highly recommend Big Bus Tours as a great way to see London by road and river. The guides are knowledgable and helpful and it's a great way to learn about the city even if you have lived here for years - like me - or if you are visiting from elsewhere. If you would like to book tickets you can find out more and book online here

Disclosure: The lovely folks at the Big Bus Tour London gave us a three day ticket for two adults (the children were free)

This post is being shared with the fab Country Kids link hosted by the lovely Fiona of Coombe Mill. 

  

When my boys tire of London... well that's unlikely to happen.

We love days out in London and are so lucky that we live a short train ride from the centre. When we fancy going it's not too much of a hassle to get there, but it's still a big treat. Deciding on what we'd do with an entire weekend in London was a process of elimination as there is so much we would want to do.

First up is always the Transport Museum in Covent Garden. My boys love it here and it doesn't matter how often we go it's well worth being 'friends of' as we certainly make use of the free entry a lot. Bigger boy loves doing the trail around the museum and punching the card with all the different modes of transport through the ages. It's the driving that he is most keen on though. We've been coming here since he was very young and driving a bus or a tube train has always been his favourite activity - not least as he's now tall enough to actually reach the controls.

There are so many lovely places to eat in Covent Garden that we would be spoilt for choice for lunch, but we particularly love Joe Allen which is hidden away underground and is very child friendly. I'm told you often spot actors in there too.

In the afternoon we'd go for a walk along the South Bank and if we had time we'd have to go on the London Eye. This is my favourite thing to do in London and it's pretty spectacular how far you can see on a clear day from the top of the Eye. We've been on it a few times, but it's always worth a visit. There is a ticket option that includes a boat trip and that is really great fun. Travelling by boat on the Thames is so underrated, but we love it. If you get a guided tour it's fascinating what you can learn and you can even take a trip that goes through the Thames Barrier. That was a big deal when I was growing up and we went on school trips to see it and learn how it had been built. I guess it's less impressive these days.

So, in the evening we'd have dinner at Behinhana. It's so entertaining watching the chefs prepare the food at your table and great fun for kids and adults alike. We had a wonderful time when we went and would heartily recommend it for special occasions too.

As we'd be staying in Kensington we'd have to have brunch at a venue which is opposite the Royal Garden Hotel. Giraffe have a wonderful quirky menu and are completely geared towards families with children. They have balloons for all visitors and giraffe shaped stirrers in the kiddy cocktails. The pancake stack is amazing and they even have fresh fruit and salads if you prefer to eat a healthy option.

Due to the location we'd spend the morning at the museums on Exhibiton Road. It is difficult to decide between the Science Museum or the Natural History Museum so we usually do both. We could happily spend a whole day in just one of them, but usually choose one floor of the Science Museum to keep it manageable. I personally love the V&A and would love to take my boys to see the Mughal art and fabrics as well as the Indian textiles and designs when they are older. I suspect they will still prefer the dinosaurs and science.

If we had the chance to stop and eat I'd take the boys for a picnic outdoors as the Royal parks in London are so beautiful and spacious. If the weather was nice we could walk around and watch people rollerblading, practising tai chi or dog walking. I'd check if it was ok to feed the birds and take some feed for the boys to give them too.

There is so much more we could do such as take a Big Bus Tour, or visit Kensington Roof Gardens or go on the Duck Bus. I have to stop thinking about it as the more I do the more ideas I have. Clearly a weekend would be just the beginning of our adventures :)

This post is an entry to win a five star weekend in London with @tots100 and @royalgdnhotel #rghfamilies. 

Once upon a time in London town...

It's been a while since we've been able to participate in Country Kids so it was with great delight that last week during half term me and the boy went for a day out in blazing sunshine and had some outdoor adventures.

We were invited to an event where the children took part in storytelling activities and dressed up as characters. My boy loved his cape and tried on many hats during the morning.

On our way back to King's Cross Station we discovered these beautiful fountains - it's so nice to find a treat like this hidden behind somewhere you've been so many times.

Even better as we had a little bit of time to spare when we did get to St Pancras station I asked if my boy wanted to go on this swing that was right in the station forecourt. It was like a big birdcage and with the sun streaming through the bars it was just lovely.

Of course being my boy, he decided that the bars made a perfect fireman's pole to slide down. I'll say this much for my boy, he's single-minded in his career pursuits.

Finally on our way back home we had a sneaky look behind this sign - it was no more exciting than a broken down escalator, but my boy still wanted to check it out.

It was so much fun to enjoy the sun and spend the day out and about with my boy. We're all back at school and work this week so I'm glad we made the most of the chance last week. 

This post is shared with the Country Kids linky hosted by the lovely Fiona of Coombe Mill

 

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:

 

London Calling: Honkopoly is a comin' !!

In case you hadn't heard Team Honk is back and this time it's bigger and there are more of us !! 

From Sunday 12 January – Sunday 23 March, over 250 bloggers from across the country will come together as Team Honk to take part in a baton relay from Land’s End to John O’Groats.  Between us we will cover over 3,000 miles and hope to raise £20,000 for Sport Relief to help change lives at home and abroad.

The baton arrives in London from the St. Albans team on Tuesday 4th February, and the following day over 25 bloggers will be taking a Monopoly themed route round London landmarks with a camera following us. We start at the Comic Relief HQ in Vauxhall and take in various points on the Monopoly board as we walk, scooter, cycle and push buggies for 15 miles. In the evening a few of us will be taking the baton to its next handover in Fleet, Hampshire, where Mummy Barrow has promised us pizza - I've been dieting so I'm really looking forward to this the most of all :)

With the bossiness that only Mums can muster a route has been decided upon, meeting points, flyers and posters arranged and outfits agreed. Packed lunches are being planned and travel is being sorted. It's like a massive school trip with all the girls who used to sit at the back of the bus twirling their hair and giggling only we'll be wandering round London looking like a monopoly themed hen party - yes it's Honkopoly !!

Top hats have been purchased, Sport Relief onesies ordered (and taken up as they come up big apparently) and various bits and pieces that make up monopoly are being assembled in preparation for our jaunt around London a week today. I'm going to be the one in the striped onesie lugging a bag marked SWAG as I'm "Go to Jail" - a humorous take on the job I did before I had my son working with the prison service. Clearly I don't like to keep things simple as I'm also going to be riding an adult scooter kindly donated by Micro-scooters from point to point. This might prove tricky in all that get up so that has to be worth some sponsorship surely ?

We went to spread the word about what we're doing, so this Saturday morning my radio show is all about Honkopoly and I'll be interviewing two thirds of the London organising committee: Sarah (Grenglish) and Sophie (Franglaise Mummy) and one third of the the Head Honkers: Tanya (Mummy Barrow). You can listen live online at www.croydonradio.com on Saturday morning from 10am.

There will be social media covering our antics all day on Wed 5th Feb so keep an eye on Twitter and Facebook as well as on the local news (just in case !) or you might spot us around London somewhere. If you do come up and say hello and please do consider sponsoring our efforts.

I'm delighted to announce that we've already beaten our London sponsorship target of £500, but we're aiming so much higher than that. Any amount donated will make a difference to the lives of those in need and here are some ways in which the money could be used:

•  £1 could provide a hot meal for a child in the UK living in extreme poverty

•  £5 could pay for a mosquito net to protect a mother and her baby in Africa from contracting malaria while they sleep

•  £10 could enable an older person in the UK who just lost someone they love to attend a group activity

•  £25 could run a sports session for disabled children in the UK, giving them the chance to play with other young people

•  £100 could feed 200 children living on the streets in India for one day

•  £300 could provide a water point in the slums of Tanzania, giving hundreds of families access to safe, clean water

•  £500 could provide six months of support for a young person in the UK with mental health issues.

If you would like to sponsor our efforts you can do it online here: Honkopoly

Or if you prefer you can donate by text: Text HONK to 70005 and donate £5 to Sport Relief

The first ever Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Games take place from Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd March 2014. The public can join the fun and games by running, swimming or cycling their way to raising cash at over a thousand venues around the country, including the landmark events at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

As one of the biggest fundraising events, Sport Relief brings the entire nation together to get active raise cash and change lives. The money raised by the public is spent by Comic Relief to help transform the lives of some of the poorest and most disadvantaged people both at home in the UK and across the world.

Small is beautiful (even when it's called Big Ben)

On the days when our boy is home with me I try to do things that are fun. It's all part of building my profile as 'Fun Mummy' so that I'm not left behind by 'Fun daddy.'

The other day I took the boy to the London Transport Museum (his 'happy place') and had said he could have a toy of Big Ben if he was good, because he's a big fan of clocks at the moment. He was good, but I forgot all about the toy and on the way home he reminded me. I felt so guilty.

So when I was in Leicester Square on Sunday for Dim Sum with friends I popped into a souvenir shop - the kind that only tourists go into - and overheard the indian lads who work there speaking Punjabi. I sweet talked them into a bit of a discount for these little souvenirs.

They're trinkets, but my boy loves them.

Go Team Mummy !!

This post is part of Mummy Never Sleeps linky All the Small Things 

Yoga Bunny vs Super Nanny

At around lunchtime today I officially fell back in love with yoga. Of course being taught by Howard Napper who is hunky, good looking and super fit does help. The fact he remembered me from the class I used to attend in Notting Hill was a bonus. In case I sound completely facile, I actually do have a practical reason for remembering why I came to yoga in the first place almost 20 years ago.

At least I'm not drooling :o)

My yoga journey has included the obligatory phase of being obsessed with posture and having a great body - which was what we all did in the noughties. I used to attend an Ashtanga class that was so popular that we'd all arrive early and wait outside for the teacher and fight for a space for our over priced sticky mats in the hideous mirrored room of the gym. My first teacher had been a dancer, my second a super fit ashtanga yogi, then there was Eddie the marine. I don't know if he was actually a marine, but he was the polar opposite of what male yoga teachers usually are ie. long limbed, slim and with that vaguely transatlantic accent they affect to sound more cosmopolitan. Eddie was husky, cockney and also caused queues round the corridors of the community gym that he taught at. He was the teacher who told us it's ok not to bind as some of us have short arms and I have used that excuse ever since.

When I was training to teach I started to attend classes with Howard at the Life Centre in Notting Hill. It was during these classes that my style of teaching began to take shape. It was also when I changed my approach from 'doing' yoga to 'being' yoga. I know that sounds hippy and odd, so I'll keep it simple. Instead of trying to get into Lotus position I began to listen to my body and to enjoy the practice of yoga again. After years of being taught and getting injured here was a teacher who advocated listening to your own body and instead of pushing on through pain and injury backing off and doing less. It was revolutionary !!

So, today I rediscovered this approach and after a challenging week with my son I spent a day finding my foundations, going back to basics and remembering why I do yoga at all. I drove home in the sunshine with a smile and a warm feeling in my heart and head. As I pulled up to the drive my son saw me and screeched "Mummy !" in delight.

Half an hour later there was an upturned bowl of pasta on the floor and a smattering of the accompanying tomato sauce and a few vegetables on the left left leg of my favourite yoga pants. Now I don't really have favourite clothes any more. Since I became a Mum it's whatever is clean or hasn't been spit up on, or had food thrown at it. In his current phase of randomly throwing food and shouting  "NO !" it's becoming the norm to feed him in his vest to save on washing products. After this week I may have to do the same.

My boy is going through that phase of challenging behaviour that all toddlers do. I realise that he is testing the boundaries and that this will only be for a while, but this week I had a very difficult time coping with it. I'm working on being more patient, but I hear myself sometimes sounding like I'm whining at him and frankly I don't blame him for not listening. There's only so much 'don't do that, Mummy doesn't like it' that we can both put up with.

Last weekend I made the mistake of watching Supernanny. Before I had a child I thought it was an interesting show with some good ideas. Now I watch an episode with a Mum whose six year old son hits her and is out of control and I'm terrified that it is a premonition of what my boy will turn into. He doesn't take after his father as Hubbie was, by all accounts, a fabulous little boy and no trouble at all (although Mother-in-law may not be an objective witness). I sometimes think he gets it from me, but I wasn't a challenging child as I was too scared of my Mother to ever tell her I didn't like certain foods so I just ate them. As an adult I am a seething mass of anger about all sorts of things, but I'm pretty sure that isn't genetic.

So this week we've been learning to say sorry (both of us) and to be nice to each other. It's a work in progress and one that is tiring us both out. Even Neo was called in to help the boy learn to be gentle and he did very well not running off as the toddler approached him with a brush to smooth his fur with. As with all things, it's small steps.

Today reminded me that I have to take time to do things just for me and to be 'not Mummy' for a while. It's in that time that small miracles can happen. Like standing outside in the sunshine and not thinking 'ooh I should hang out the washing.' Like making a cup of tea and drinking it while it's still hot.

In all the years I've practised yoga, in all the classes where I've tried I've never come close to achieving the Lotus. I think it was Howard who told me that a lotus can grow in the dirtiest, grubbiest water. It is the beautiful flower that we see on the surface in spite of the grottiness underneath and around it. Today while I was doing less and enjoying some 'me time' I looked down at my feet and saw this.

It's almost a lotus, but not quite. I'm happy with that.

Like I say it's all about small steps.

Then the miracles can happen.

When will I, will I be famous ?

You are probably aware that Andy Warhol is attributed with saying that in the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes. Well it's the future now (compared with then) and we have the insidiousness of reality TV fame which enables the mentally ill to convince themselves that they are "living the dream." That dream appears to be to marry in haste (and often), have a lot of children, get divorced, develop an eating disorder and sell photos of each of these events to trashy magazines. I think I prefer my dreams to be a polar bear or an astronaut thanks.

I am not immune to the lure of fame, only in my experience it has been separate events where I have had a fleeting brush with fame. Well, strictly speaking with the famous as the closest I've ever been (or want to be) is where I've spotted a famous sort. So here, as usual in no particular order, is my 15 minutes of fame (spotting):

- Did I even mention the time Bobby Gillespie grinned at me on the escalator at Highbury and Islington station ? Well he did - he was on the down escalator and I was on the one going up. I stared at him in disbelief and he grinned at me all friendly like - what a lovely man.

- Pop Will Eat Itself walked past me as they were preparing for a gig at my university Students' Union. I knew it was them because of the hair, I don't recall the gig and I have no idea what they do now.

- Me and my friend Neil were in a pub in North London and we saw the woman from Echobelly who isn't Sonia (he recognised her I just stared and tried to work out how I knew her).

- Linda Robson from Birds of a Feather asked me if this was the platform for the London train at Reading station. I told her it was and that there was a train due in about ten minutes. She thanked me.

- I saw Jonathan Ross twice in one week - once at the LWT studios and the other time he and his family were sitting in the row behind me and my sisters at the Leicester Square Odeon watching the Lion King. I told people he was stalking me, but we all know that's just fanciful nonsense don't we ?

- I saw Xander from Buffy in Covent Garden only to find out a few days later that he is one of triplets so it might have been one of his brothers.

- I often see the woman who played Susan the receptionist of the motel where Alan Partridge lived in "I'm Alan Partridge."I think Barbara Durkin lives in Croydon - Ahaa !!

- I've also seen the actress who was the mother of Jan Francis in Just Good Friends (Sylvia Kay). I stopped let her cross the road in front of my car in Caterham on my way to a Zumba class one Saturday morning. I'm nice like that you know.

- I walked past Nadia from Big Brother on Upper Street - she was pouting and appeared to be waiting for a cab with shades on - it was not a sunny day.

- I saw Sean Pertwee with his son at the N1 centre on Upper Street - it shows great restraint on my part that I didn't just go over and lick him.

- Upper Street clearly is the place for spotting folk as I walked past film critic Kim Newman and Dave Gorman on the same day.

- I had a letter in the Guardian on Saturday once when I reported that I'd seen Jon Ronson on the King's Road with this son Joel. The letter was in his writing style - if you google it there may even be some record of it in the ether.

- I once saw Trinny and Susannah walking arm in arm on the King's Road which led me to wonder if they really do hang out together or if they were filming a programme.

- When we stopped at services on the M4 once me and my Mum saw the singer Paul Young - I had to explain to her who he was.

- I stopped for a cup of tea at the motorway services and spied at another table David Emmanuel - yes him who designed Diana's dress with his wife.

- I nearly bumped into Marc Almond on Tottenham Court Road (the YMCA end) - he looked very shiny.

So there it is - the roll call of fame that I've been in proximity to. The eagle-eyed will notice that it's not scientific, but as some of these encounters were so fleeting the sum total is probably around 15 minutes.

I am expecting a call from Hello any day now as I'm practically a celebrity in my own right now surely ?

Day two in the house and Neo hasn't left the sofa...

Ignoring a royal jubilee is easier than you'd think. I mean the swimming pool was practically deserted this morning which meant I had a lane all to myself and my son really enjoyed paddling around without lots of other children in the pool.

Now I'm no republican (I have an ironic royal wedding thimble and somewhere in my Mum's house we have a Charles and Diana mug), but I'm so not interested in bunting and union jack cupcakes it's just not funny.I do recall the silver jubilee in 1977 when I had a day off school and stood on the pavement outside my parents' shop as the Queen's car drove past and I was convinced she waved at me.

My parents knew a lovely Sri Lankan family who were staunch royalists and the pictures of royalty in their home were only outnumbered by photos of the Pope. This was all pre-Diana so there was a general sense of respect and deference to the royals rather than the fakery that 'they're just like us' that we are cajoled into now. I mean if Kate can wear the same dress as Tulisa (albeit Alexander McQueen) what more proof do we need that they're just normal people ?

I've been far more excited about the Apprentice finale tonight than the flotilla on the Thames. From the snippet of news that I just watched it looked pretty pointless, but my Mum enjoyed watching it and was very excited when she spotted a Sikh standing next to Her Madge. As a longstanding civil servant my Mum was invited to the Queen's garden party a few years ago and she was so proud and delighted. My Dad went with her and apparently mistook the Duke of Edinburgh for a shambling drunk as he ambled past (well you can see why he might can't you ?).

Their generation of immigrants from Commonwealth countries have an admiration of the royal family that seems to have ebbed away in subsequent generations. The tea towel count in homes of parents of friends who come from the Caribbean has always struck me as unnecessarily high. It's when they're framed that I think it's gone too far.

As I say I'm not committed enough to be an actual republican. My friend Nic abhors the royal family, but I treat them like I do the people who bullied me at school - I just ignore them. Of course if I use a stamp or money I come into contact with HRH, but otherwise she doesn't really impact on my life much.

It's nice having Hubbie home for 4 days though, so for that thanks HRH :o)

Never, never, never… Oh well ok, as it's you

John Cusack often tells his Twitter followers that if poor grammar and spelling bothers them they should unfollow him as the content is more important than how it's delivered (my words not his). It's not a philosophy I adhere to usually, but I make an exception for him as I think his tweets have the capacity to entertain and inform, but to be honest I break my own zero tolerance rule because I like him. It's the same rule that applies to the films he has been in - yes even Hot Tub Time Machine which when I saw an online trailer for I genuinely thought was an online spoof as it looked so bad. I can't say the same for Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil which despite being directed by Clint Eastwood and starring JC (a dream combination in my book) didn't hold my attention and bored me to actual sleep. Otherwise I heart John for wearing a Clash t-shirt in any movie where he has wardrobe approval as it shows he has great taste in listening to English bands - if he wore a Smiths t-shirt I might properly explode.

The same exception applies to my friend Jan who sends me text messages in teenage text speak which grates on me if done by anyone other than her. I suspect it's because I find it endearing that someone who has a senior citizen's bus pass writes "gr8 to c u on Sat, thx 4 cream t." I mean come on that's far too cute to be annoyed about.

On a different tack my husband follows any and all sports (except Rugby, but in extremis he has been known to watch that too) despite the fact that years ago I swore blind that I would never marry a man who was obsessed with sport. Clearly he won me over with his witty repartee, his massive intellect and that meal he makes with prawns and pineapple. Actually I refer you to the previous blog post that lists the lovely things he does which make me heart Hubbie (yes, yes I know I hate when people do that too, I promise not to do it any more). 

An area in which we are perfectly matched is our shared interest in politics which is why my friendship with my closest friend is the most puzzling example of my exception to the rule theory. Our politics are polar opposites, yet we get along and don't actually argue. We disagree, but often find common ground that is not party political. In fact it's thanks to SJ that I shadowed a Green London Assembly member (the lovely Jenny Jones) when I took part in a programme to encourage BME women to become involved in politics. I discussed the scheme with SJ and told her I wasn't sure which party to ask to be matched with and she said that she considered me to be most closely aligned with the Greens. She showed great insight that revealed in all the years we've known each other she has identified something that I haven't acknowledged myself. Now that's a good friend ! 

The most recent revelation has been just today. I have for years been very sniffy about people who home school their kids - and as a yoga teacher and part-time Yummy Mummy I know a few - as I've always seen it as self-indulgent and hippie to take Jacinta out of school because she's far too bright for the rubbish teachers at her school to cope with. This opinion has altered since I've realised that if my son was only offered a place at a very poor school I'd have to seriously consider home schooling him as I daren't risk some yobbish Croydon yoofs hurting a hair on my darling boy's head. Today, however, I found out that my NCT teacher Wendy is taking her daughter out of a local school to home school her. I can't blame her, from what she's told me it's the best decision to improve her daughter's chances of actually getting an education. My own fear has always been that even though I'm a qualified teacher I'd struggle to do a good enough job teaching my own child(ren) the curriculum and I'd feel guilty for letting them down.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I have a strict zero tolerance policy on most things with the following exceptions:

1. Poor spelling and grammar - unless you're John Cusack (or Alex O'Loughlin if he's on twitter)

2. Text speak - unless you're old enough to know better and do it to be cool

3. Sports obsessives - unless I married you in which case you put up with far more than I do (and bless you for that)

4. Tories - unless you're SJ, that is the only exception

5. Home Schooling - unless you're a normal person in every other way like my friends Wend and Siobhan. If you're a homeopathic, 'spiritual,' yurt dweller just move along now and we'll say no more about it.

Thanks for listening :o) 

The streets of London… are paved with living statues.

I turned my back for a few months and something happened to London. I mean I knew that the streets were being ripped up and crossings shifted and stuff, but let's just take Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square.

When did the Trocadero become Ripley's Believe it or not ?
Why did the Swiss Centre turn into M&Ms world ?
What is happening behind the hoardings surrounding Leicester Square ?
Who is the multicoloured chap hanging around outside the enormous "London" shop on Piccadilly Circus and why is he waving an umbrella ?
Finally…
Where on earth did all the bloody moving statues come from and why can I not walk along the pavement without seeing a dozen of them ? It's like walking through Edinburgh during the festival.

Also it seems all the theatres have been renamed so when I went to see The Ladykillers I had to find the Gielgud theatre. Once I found it I realised I'd been there before with my sister who was chatted up by some freshies before we went in. She was very polite, but dismissive in response which I remember being impressed by at the time.

Of course in a few months time the city will be heaving with visitors who are here for the Olympics and they won't have any idea what I'm moaning on about. It reminds me of the time I went to Edinburgh outside of the festival and didn't recognise the Grassmarket as it wasn't heaving with street acts and tourists.

When people criticise London for being busy, dirty, crowded, unfriendly, etc. I get really cross. It's mostly the ungrateful gits from out of town who've moved to London for the work who complain it's not more like 'back home' where they can leave the doors unlocked and the local shopkeeper knows what colour your underwear is. To which my stock response is,  "Oh is that the same place you left because there was no work for you then ?" If you pick on my beloved home town expect short shrift from me.

I can take things changing and I appreciate that being dynamic is what makes cities so vibrant and exciting. When I was a single woman dating in London was fabulous as there are so many places to meet and so much to see. I have a dating memory (variously good, bad or ugly) of most sights in London and some of them are so indelibly imprinted on my brain that any change to the landscape is like rewriting history.

Now I'm working on new memories to share with my son. I can't wait to show him the Transport Museum, take him to play softball in one of the many parks or to walk along the South Bank taking in the sights and sounds. I just hope he loves it as much as me Hubbie do.