A new friend of mine invited us to a comedy show at the Coach House in Soho. Her ex is a stand up comedian and he had a set that night. Four us went together and four of us were the entirety of the audience that evening. The room had many more people in it but all were the comedians eating to go on stage. So they played to us, as our own private show. It was awesome, and at times a little stressful, to be put on the spot.

We attended the Death Cab for Cutie concert at the Roundhouse. It was a great show, better than expected. I really enjoyed how each of the band members seemed to play several different instruments and it was palpable that they really were feeling the music. Incredible musicianship. Saying that though, the lead singer’s voice is so quiet set against the music. Often I felt like he would belt something out to match the sound and then there was nothing. His voice is so delicate and it felt mismatched with sound. We did enjoy our night out together at a concert. Music is life!

I finally made it over to the newly opened Battersea Power Station. It is really trying to be a destination but will take some time before that comes to fruition. There are restaurants, shopping, event spaces, housing, and outdoor gathering places along the Thames and in the newly created park spaces. It felt kind of empty still which is why I think it will be awhile before it really comes into its own. We also splurged and rode Lift 109 up one of the smoke stacks to enjoy (a fogged in) 360 degree view of London.

I took my daughter to the member’s preview day of the new Crown to Couture at Kensington Palace.

FROM CHARLES II TO LIZZO AND LADY GAGA

At the largest exhibition ever staged at Kensington Palace, you’ll be taken on an immersive journey through the palace. Over 200 objects will be on display including Lady Gaga’s luminous green MTV Awards dress and the world-famous Silver Tissue Gown worn at the court of Charles II.

There’s an exclusive chance to see Lizzo’s spectacular Thom Browne dress from the 2022 Met Gala, complete with gold cape jacket. Also on display is the Monique Lhuillier gown worn by Phoebe Waller-Bridge at the Emmys in 2019, and Billy Porter’s spectacular ‘Sun God’ outfit by The Blonds for the Met Gala 2019.

Prepare to be dazzled as the palace State Apartments transform into London’s hottest catwalk under the expert direction of Alexander McQueen’s production designer, Joseph Bennett, promising a truly unforgettable experience.

We went camping at The Mill in Forest Green, Surrey for the weekend. Camping in a lodge on bunk beds is more accurate. Not only was the sleeping easy, but the wardens spoiled us with a constant stream of cakes, nibbles and meals. The weekend was called a “working weekend” as we were all there voluntarily to do heaps of manual labor from what seemed a very long To Do list. Being outside and working hard are my two favourite things. Sign my up anyway and holy crap, I don’t have to do any cooking or clean up, it was a massive win! My kids built bird houses and hung them in the trees, they learnt to swing an ax and chop wood, they learnt to use a saw to chop down smaller trees, we used garden shears to cut away the brambles near paths, shovelled and laid wood chips to muddy paths, painted railings, assembled football goal posts and repaired the platforms to the high ropes course. The Mill is used by schools as an outdoor experience campground. Kids attend to play and learn about the outdoors and they also use it as a base for their Duke of Edinburgh expeditions. We returned home covered in mud: the car, all of our clothes and boots, and one very dirty fox terrier. It was awesome and rejuvenating. I also learned that The Mill is available for rent and not just for the sole use of the schools. A family could rent it for a reunion, a wedding, or Xmas for example. I love this idea too so keep it in mind if you are ever looking for awesome group lodging in the UK. Sam and Alice are the most awesome hosts you could ever ask for.