Grandsons!

Back in Norwich after a busy two weeks in London...to an even busier week in Norwich with grandsons staying.  Not enough time in the day to write a blog!  Playing, reading, chasing, cooking and clearing up are the major occupations.  The dishwasher is on several times a day.  Abe starts school next week and his conversations are sprinkled with mature phrases that are going to tickle his teachers!

Abisms
Trying to find out what the plans are for the day "So, what's it going to be then?"
On various occasions "Oh, my word!"
On being shown how to tie his shoelaces "Don't give me the detail, just do it"

Saul's talking is coming on by leaps and bounds.  Lots of words and very emphatic body language! 

There have been various excursions.

All down the slide

Helping Grandma pick vegetables

Bringing home the enormous courgettes

All aboard the zip wire

Train ride

Saul

A bit of rough and tumble

Pushing Grandpa up the road!

More pushing

Abe discovers ears in the attic

Running from the frisky goats

Tree climing at Warham Camp

The old oak tree still stands

Abe shows off the pie he decorated

Two weeks in London: Day 15

On Friday morning we set off for Farrringdon Station and took the train to Bedford.  Armed with a map we walked through the shopping area in order to reach the Higgins Museum.  This area of Bedford has not much to recommend it.  Rather scruffy shops and hard pressed looking people.  We saw an intriguing sign in a shop window advertising 'remix chicken'.  We haven't worked out what that might be but we won't be buying any. 

Note the item "Remix Chicken"

The Higgins family owned the large brewery and house next door which have now been turned into a museum and art gallery.  A wonderful space filled with interesting exhibitions (all free) and a very pleasant courtyard and cafe.  We started with coffee then looked at an exhibition charting the influence of the impressionists and post-impressionists on British artists, saw a special exhibition of the work of graphic artist Edward Bawden and the history of Bedford - and much more.  We had lunch in the cafe and sat next to a table full of colleagues throwing a leaving party!  Cheerful and noisy.

The wonderful roof at St. Pancras Station

We took the train back and I hopped on a bus from St. Pancras to Stoke Newington and got to work again on the curtains while Tania made supper - roast chicken and three kinds of salad from the Ottolenghi Jerusalem book.  All delicious!   At last the curtains went up!  We were all pleased and relieved! 

Yum!

Tania looking pleased!

Can't believe we did it!

Two weeks in London: Day 14

The Shard in the distance

 We were planning to go to Bedford by train to visit the Higgins Art Museum and Gallery, having discovered that we could get there in an hour from Farringdon Station which is a short walk from the flat.  However, as the curtain hanging had not progressed as well as hoped we decided to stay in London so that we could go over to Stoke Newington in the afternoon.

We rooted around in our small store of walk books and found a leaflet on walks in Wapping and Limehouse an area alongside the Thames that used to be filled with warehouses, wharfs and docks and was the centre of the commercial shipping trade dating back to the early history of London.   Much loved by Dickens! The area was bombed of course during the second world war, but many lovely old Georgian houses remain as well as elegant Hawksmoor churches and great dockside buildings, now turned into expensive flats.

Stacked gravestones

A Hawskmoor church

Pirate ships, apparently

Alongside the 'canal'

The Cable Street Riots - commemorative mural

Mural close up

The inhabitants of Cable Street rise up against Facism

Wharf building

Warehouses

The Prospect of Whitby

Peter at the Prospect of Whitby

We stopped for lunch at the Prospect of Whitby an old Thames side pub and then caught a bus back to the flat where we collected the moussaka I had made earlier and went off to Simon and Tania's for more work on the curtain track and the curtains.  Slow progress!  Especially as we all got progressively more tired!

Men at work

Two weeks in London: Day 13

Today did not go as planned.  My cousin had warned me by phone from France the previous evening that my visit to my Aunt and Uncle might not go as planned.  My Uncle (in his 90s) had a fall the previous night and injuried his foot.  He had been taken into hospital to have his toe repaired.  The morning was spent texting my second cousin (their granddaughter) and talking to my Aunt about when they would be collecting him etc.  In the end we had to cancel our lunch out and we decided not to give my Aunt, also 90+, the worry of us turning up as well.    I was very disappointed not to see them and hope we can fit in a visit between now and Paris.

Having whiled away the morning on calls and texts we decided to go to Tate Britain and saw an exhibition of British Folk Art, a good proportion of which seemed to have come from Norfolk and in particular the Norfolk and Norwich Castle Museum.   The main hall of the gallery was filled with amazing structures.  We also had time to wander through the main galleries enjoying the British art.

Two weeks in London: Day 12

Up early and off to Waitrose for shopping with a short list which turned into 4 heavy bags full of groceries.  How does that happen?  Must be some sort of law...

Jump lead time

Tania came over later and tackled the second and last curtain.  I had made the linings the night before.  Peter worked at home and we had lunch together and then he loaded up Eliot's car with DIY stuff and set off for the builders' merchant's to buy wood for the curtain rail batten.   Or we thought he had set off!  He was back sharpish.  The car wouldn't start.  Flat battery.  Ah, that's why Eliot so thoughtfully left jump leads on the back seat!   Much to-ing and froing with the Volvo and Tania and Simon's Saab in the car park until we had them sufficiently nose to nose for the leads to stretch.  Eventually Peter got away and we resumed sewing and talking!

Tania's plate

Tania at work

About 5.30 Tania and I loaded the curtains, linings and the sewing machine into the Saab and headed off for Stoke Newington in the rush hour.  Arrived to find Simon and Peter struggling to get the fixings to stay in the plasterboard ceiling...and failing!   Longer fittings required and as nothing was to be done about it that evening, we all went off to a nearby Turkish grill restaurant and had huge platefuls of meat and delicious salads. 

Two weeks in London: Day 11

Bank of England on the left, The Royal Exchange ahead. 

Shopping!  Shopping!   We took the number 25 bus from St. Paul's in the direction of Ilford right

The Monument to the fire of London

through the city and into the East End and got off at Stratford (East London, not On Avon!) and joined the crowd walking to Westfield, Stratford an enormous shopping mall on 4 floors.  Absolutely packed!  We started at M&S looking for trousers for Peter.  Eventually found what he was looking for in a nice dark grey, but in the wrong size.  We asked where we could order and were airily waved off into a corner where there were touch screens.  A laborious process ensued, made lengthy and tedious by the fact that the 'touch' on the screems was so slow and seemed to need so much pressure that it took forever.  There was also a silly business about creating a new password for their new web site, blah, blah!  In the end we succeeded in placing an order.   Then off wading through the crowds like salmon heading upstream in the direction of John Lewis.

The food hall!!!

We were waylaid by the food court having realised that the M&S screens had exhausted our energies!  There was food from every corner of the earth...all 'genuine' and all 'fresh'.  Peter played save and had a sourdough, wood oven pizza which he pronounced excellent and I had a Lebanese mezze plate, also very good.  Refueled we went in search of a new ironing board cover and kettle (success) and then decided to get the lining for Simon and Tania's curtains.  They wanted thermal, blackout lining which is sort of rubbery and very effective - we have it behind the curtains in the flat.  However, it is also very heavy!  Apart from the strain of carrying it home, Peter is also worrying about whether the plasterboard ceiling in their flat will take the strain!   But that's going to be tomorrow's story!!

Peter cooking tonight!  Spag bol! 

Two weeks in London: Day 10

More excusions by public transport.  This time from Waterloo to New Malden on our way for lunch with Peter's Aunty Bel and Uncle Fred and one of their daughter's Sarah and husband Richard.   We had booked a taxi from New Malden to the Golf Club but it didn't turn up and just as we were faffing around with phones, the heavens opened!  Eventually, after much shouting into the mobile, a taxi turned up.  He had no knowledge of any online booking, but was very apologetic.  So much for all this internet stuff!  We should have telephoned!

Bel, Fred and Sarah

Bel and Fred share a toast

Anyway, we arrived at the Golf Club just ahead of our hosts, so all was well.  It turned out to be Bel and Fred's 67th wedding anniversary.  We had a great lunch, swapped family news and pumped the older generation for information about family history and had an interesting chat with Richard (from Glasgow) about Scottish independence.  

Us with Bel and Fred

When they left after lunch the sun had come out again and it was fresh but warm so we walked back to the train station rather than hang about for a taxi. 

Two weeks in London: Day 9

Off by bus and train (we are making good use of public transport!) to East Molesey to catch up with sister-in-law, nieces and great nephews and partners and to see Angela's new house, in the process of renovation and development.   We had an excellent lunch, catching up time and then went to nearby Bushy Park where my late brother used to run and went and viewed the area that Angela has had planted in his memory.   A very happy day with just a tinge of melancholy, soon dispelled by the children asking to be tickled and chased!

Angela sorting out lunch

Hollie, Mike and Charlotte

Gabrield and Byron

Hollie reflected

Victor

Peter, Tania and Simon

Now, who's this? Stan in the background

The 'girls'. The tall gene comes from Angela!

Bushy Park

The family