Most of the time, if I’m planning on taking the kids into the centre of London, I try to find somewhere that is super child-friendly and where we won’t be the only ones running, jumping and yelling at the top of our voices. But occasionally – most especially during the school holidays – my one … Continue reading London with kids: the V&A Museum
London
An Eltham Palace jaunt
1930s interiors, beautifully planted gardens and a pet lemur: surely an irresistible combination for a Saturday afternoon. On a recent drizzling weekend, we bundled the kids into the car and set off for a return visit to Eltham Palace and Gardens. (Disclaimer: the pet lemur is no longer there in any living form, sadly, though … Continue reading An Eltham Palace jaunt
Peak bloom at Thames Barrier Park
Thames Barrier Park is one of those slightly random places in London that I tend to read about and never visit. Built in 2001, next to, you guessed it, the Thames Barrier, it's a really cutting edge bit of garden design and I've seen photos of it in magazines, online, and, frequently, in lectures at … Continue reading Peak bloom at Thames Barrier Park
Five on Friday
To the Thames, on Wednesday, for the sproglet’s fourth birthday. His favourite thing ever in London is the “big wheel” (aka the London Eye) – he is seriously excited whenever we spot it from the window of a train, or see it in a photo. So, as a birthday treat, we took him on a … Continue reading Five on Friday
East Dulwich in bloom
Last Friday, I took a walk through my local streets, camera in hand, to photograph some nice examples of hard landscaping for my recent garden design assignment. Does that sound interesting? It wasn't hugely. I soon found myself photographing roses instead. Over almost every front wall, it seemed, profusions of roses were blooming. Every colour, … Continue reading East Dulwich in bloom
Ai Weiwei at the Royal Academy: possibly one of the best things I’ve ever seen in a gallery
One of these days, I’ll become one of those organised and useful bloggers. The kind who share Christmas tutorials in November, so you’ve plenty of time to make the craft before the big day. The kind who don’t have photographs sitting on their hard drives for months on end before writing the accompanying blog post. … Continue reading Ai Weiwei at the Royal Academy: possibly one of the best things I’ve ever seen in a gallery
Awesome finds at Renegade Craft Fair
The trouble with attending craft fairs, I find, is you go with every intention to buy hundreds of presents for other people but as soon as you get there you want all the things for yourself. Just me? Ah. I don’t go to nearly as many as I used to, due to a combo of … Continue reading Awesome finds at Renegade Craft Fair
Poems for boys
Something I particularly love about having boys is their unswerving fascination with natural history, aka bugs, snails, slugs, caterpillars, moths, butterflies, flies, bees, wasps and whatever other hapless creature might crawl, slither or fly in their direction. Hours are spent out in the garden, closely examining what can be found by dislodging large stones or … Continue reading Poems for boys
Notes from a summer: Regent’s Park sunshine
A few Fridays ago, I had the most blissfully relaxing day I have had for some time. Possibly for three years, in fact. The thing about living with small kids, I find, is that no matter how many wonderful, cute, endearing individual moments there are, day-to-day life can feel a lot like a repetitive slog. … Continue reading Notes from a summer: Regent’s Park sunshine
Notes from a summer: London Wetland Centre
Ahoy there! Hello! How are you? It’s been ages, I know. I fell off grid a bit, this August. Technology (such as this dear old laptop on which I write all my blog posts) becoming substantially less appealing than lying outside in the sun on a picnic blanket. Anyway, such times have come to an … Continue reading Notes from a summer: London Wetland Centre
Wolves in London 