Nice day with friends

Had a lovely day today.   I met up with my friend Alex, who is due to give birth in 2 weeks to Ruby and also Carole, who had her 12 year old stepdaughter, Lindsay over from the USA.  I had Rosie with me and it was great because the girls got on very well. 

First stop was Tiffanys in Central London.  Lindsay had missed Carole's wedding last Christmas to David, so they wanted her to have a present as a celebration.  She ended up with a lovely Tiffany bracelet.  I had never been in Tiffanys before ... I wonder if I'll ever go again but the bracelet was only £125 which I didn't think was that bad as it was really nice.

We then got a cab to Covent Garden.  The weather was a bit iffy and so we decided to eat first and decided on Maxwells.  If ever you go to Covent Garden I can recommend it.  Its fairly near the tube station as you are walking down to Covent Garden.  I'd say its quite American and the food is great.  Rosie had a french onion soup, which she thoroughly enjoyed.  Alex and I had the burgers which you can have with various toppings, I had caramelised onions and bbq sauce .. mmmm.  On Mondays they do 50% of all main meals, now how can I go there again on a Monday?

After that we decided to go and watch the street performers.  You can really see some wonderful talent.  One performance that we watched was a girl who proceeded to pluck men out of the audience and was quite suggestive with them (but quite funny and not over the top).  She climbed all over them and they all took part with a good heart.  We all really enjoyed it.  On previous visits we have seen some really funny performers too and I don't think we have ever been without spending an hour or two watching them.

There is a wonderful book shop within Covent Garden.  It not only has cheap books but also arts and crafts equipment.  Rosie was thrilled to find some skates that you can attach to the back of your trainers.  I ended up buying a pair for Matthew too and we had great fun last night when we got home watching the kids trying to master them.  I don't think its that easy to get the hang of them and I made them both wear their cycle helmets.  We are off on hols on Monday and I'd hate them to have a broken arm or leg!

Covent Garden is a wonderful place to go if you are visiting London - yes, it can be expensive but if you are careful tocheck prices before you order because some of the outlets are simply ott on price - you can have a day there at a reasonable price.  It has a market which sells all arty crafty things in the new part and a flea market and lots of hot food outlets in the older part.

Well thats me for now.  Over and out!

 

Getting ready for hols

Oh well, only a couple of days and the kids and I are off to Pontins. 

Matthew and Rosie are 12 and 11 and looking forward to going there again and so am I.  We are also going with their older brother, Martin, and their sister, Lisa and her boyfriend, Daniel.  A cousin of mine from Poland is coming over to join us too, so its quite a crowd.  Paul is staying behind to look after Billy our yorkie.  Its great to be getting away from work for a week and I am looking forward to spending some quality time with the kids.  They are growing up so quickly.  I work full time up London and every day seems to pass so quickly and the weekends go in a flash!  Just lately I've been doing a 4 day week during the school holidays and it has made a difference but I can't afford to do it for too long.

Matthew and Rosie have lived with me since the death of my sister, Barbara, 4 years ago.  I have lost two sisters to breast cancer and my third has luckily survived it.

I'll write more about my background and "my bowl of cherries" in the future.  In the meantime, hello to anyone who reads my blog.

Terry