My eldest had been selected to take a screenwriting class for teens over the half term holidays. The group gathered at a couple of local theatres in town to workshop writing. It was a very cool opportunity and completely free, how awesome! On the first day, the kids learnt about script writing and on the final day the scenes were performed. Each student was given a “real” director and two actors to perform their scenes. They worked with the directors to discuss their vision and with the actors to bring their characters to life. She loved it! What a cool experience for these kids to have.

My son and I went for a stroll in the very first neighbourhood that we lived in, Victoria, nearly 12 years ago! I needed “maps” to help me navigate our way there as it’s a bit of a maze of streets, no grid whatsoever. Once we found the apartment building, it took me a few moments to remember where our flat was exactly. My guy couldn’t believe I didn’t remember. I mean, it was only two months that we lived there and it was in 2011. What can I say?! Haha! From there, we strolled and reminisced about our life at that time. Three kids under 4, playing in the park under the shadow of Parliament House, long runs along the Thames…I remember it as a glorious time. The Covid Memorial Wall is a new addition to the hood and seems to go on forever.

Jack the dog and I took the overground train to our old neighbourhood in Kensington to stroll the Regent’s Canal. This was my old running path when we lived in London previously. I loved seeing it and retracing my steps. So many good memories with friends and the great outdoors.

Can I just publicly exclaim, how much I love to see my kids making their own food. This makes me very happy.

Happy Valentine’s Day! For me personally, I think It’s a silly, commercialised holiday. It’s all about spending, encouraging people to buy cards, flowers, chocolates, and overpriced meals at restaurants. However, I do love to spoil my peeps at home with a handmade note and some sweeties because their resulting smiles are priceless.

My Aunt and Uncle came to visit us from New York last week. We hadn’t seen them in 8 years, between us living on the underside of the earth for so long, and then covid. It had been far too long in between visits and we were quite happy to host some family in our new home. We were definitely spoiled to receive a dozen fresh bagels from Long Island, we must be loved indeed.

I took my kids and NY Clan to the Churchill War Rooms. I hadn’t been there in years and it was interesting to go back to experience it with others. The bombs came so close to the War Rooms, it seems like pure luck that they were not hit. Literally several landed just adjacent to it. From what I read, it probably would not have been able to withstand a direct hit. Wow!

My aunt and uncle love the pubs, so we managed to visit quite a few in our neighbourhood. It’s really fun adulting and exploring. Things that I do not regularly do with my other responsibilities, ie kids.

We spent a day with a drive out to the Cotswolds and visited two villages: Broadway and Bampton. Broadway was recommended by a friend who told me it was rumoured that Charles would take Camilla to The Lygon Arms whilst they were having an affair. We booked the Lygon for lunch that afternoon and were treated to the most delicious feast. Whether or not there was an affair, I do not know. The food however, was excellent!

Bampton is the little town where village scenes were filmed for Downton Abbey. We loved recognising the church, the old grammar school (Hospital from the show) and Mrs Crawley’s house. There was a little gift shop and some memorabilia displayed at the library next to the house and school. One of the ladies working at the shop told us she actually lives in and owns Mrs Crawley’s house. Fun!

Finally, we made it to Sky Garden and the Walkie Talkie Building (aka The Fenchurch Building) for a meal and a million dollar view. We booked breakfast at the Darwin Brasserie on the 36th floor…little did I know that my aunt was afraid of heights. Oops! Poor thing sat with her back to the view and avoided any turn to the left or the right. The restaurant sat us right at the window too with a jaw dropping view of the Thames. We loved it, 3 of us did. Breakfast was great, but service not so much. After our meal we wandered the Sky Garden’s 360 degree view locating all points of interest. I highly recommend booking a dining reservation as it’s easier and quicker to get in to the building with free access to the Garden.

We also visited the RAF (Royal Air Force) Museum in Edgware to check out their amazing collection of WW1 and WW2 aircraft, plus more modern military planes. The museum is huge, if you haven’t been, and well worth 3-4 hours of your time to experience. It’s free to visit, but a donation is recommended. Loved it!

Phew, what a long week full of a lot of fun exploration! I love that when people come to visit, I end up seeing more and learning more than I would do normally. More of this please.