It's that time of the week again - time to round up all the big and little things that have made me grin like a loon since last Friday, and share them with the world :)
If you would like to do the same, then feel free to hop over to
Virginia's blog and join in!
Saturday, we had planned a day trip to Brighton, but the weather forecast was pretty pants so we scratched that idea in favour of a return trip to Oxford to do all the things we ran out of time to do last weekend.
Highlights were the History of Science museum where I got up close and personal with Einstein's blackboard, the Graham Sutherland exhibition at the Oxford gallery of Modern Art, and buying a metric ton of postcards in Blackwells book shop and the Bodelian library
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| Devastation, East End Street, 1941 by Graham Sutherland |
We had a bit of a rest on Sunday but the next day it was back into action because my youngest had a teacher training day and I booked the day off work so we could have a Mummy-Connor day.
We decided to pay my Dad a visit in London, as we haven't been down to see him for a while (Boxing Day was the last time I think? BAD daughter!). Connor was really excited mainly because he loves his grandad, of course! But also because grandad lives almost next door to a Hungry Horse pub :) so that's where we went for lunch.
After our food had gone down Connor and I headed up into the city proper on the tube - the plan being to head straight for the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. But then on a whim we hopped out at Bethnal Green on the way, and went to the toy museum (nowadays called the V&A Museum of Childhood)
Wow, this place has changed so much since I last visited (which may have been when I was a child myself....). I remember it being a bit dingy, and with one room just full of creepy Victorian dolls. Shudder! But now it's all open plan and light and airy, and there are tons of interactive and dress up areas. It was so much fun! At one point I was convinced that we were going to get kicked out as we both got a total fit of the giggles (more like shrieks of laughter!), and I was getting some properly disapproving looks from some of the other parents. Oh well, if you can't have fun in a huge building full of toys, then the world is in a sorry state :)
Evil pirate bandits!!! pow pow pow pow!!
We did make it to the National Gallery next (where I can assure you we were much better behaved ;)
There was a giant countdown clock in front of it, for some sporting event of some sort ;)
I always assumed that I'd been to the Nat Gallery before as a kiddie, but it didn't look familiar, so this must have been my first time. Wow what an experience! I saw original masterpieces, up close, not even behind glass, by - deep breath - Constable, Rembrandt, Rubens, Turner, Picasso, Pissarro, Monet, Manet, Degas, Van Gogh, Bosch, Holbein, Seurat, Renoir, Gaugin, Cezanne, Rousseau, Canaletto, Titian, and LOADS more! So much eye candy!
Some of our favourites from the day:
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| Holbein - with the cool perspective skull that looks perfect from the right hand side of the painting, but all squished when you look head on |
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| Van Gogh |
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| Rembrandt |
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| the Ugly Duchess by Matsys - apparently this painting from 1456 was the inspiration for the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland |
I could have stayed in there all night but they rather selfishly wanted to close up for the day, so I bought some postcards (yes, MORE postcards!) and then we walked up the road to Chinatown.
The sun was just going down when we got there, it looks even prettier in the blue hour. And we found a shop selling proper, actual MOUNTAIN DEW!! woohoo! not that nasty energy drink version they sell over here.
All in all a brilliant day
And the rest of the week to date has been pretty good too - pancakes on Tuesday - yum yum!
A gorgeous necklace in the post on Wednesday from my bessie mate Alison - a "just because" pressie - thank you so much bwwoo!
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| Freebies! |
And yesterday, a day out of the office in the glorious sunshine, down to Surrey to do some training at Unliver, where they have FREE Ben & Jerry's in reception (oh god if I worked there I would be 40 stone :) ), and they gave us each a goodie bag of all sorts of product samples from haircare products to Hellmans mayonnaise :) An unexpected treat.
And last night I booked the cottage for our summer holiday - Cornwall, batten down the hatches, we're coming!
Once again - not a bad week at all! (apart from toothache and a cold sore, but hey, you can't have everything :) )
Sounds like a GREAT week.........and you got to be the dormouse!!!!
ReplyDeleteSuper week. I used to work in Brighton but have never been to Oxford ! I remember The Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood & when I took my two to the national gallery ( several years ago ) Joe got told off by a guard for playing his version of The Thomas Crown Affair ( what a giggle I had at that )
ReplyDeleteCornwall sounds fab but sorry for the toothache & cold sore.
I love China town, haven't been there for so long. I lived in Farnham for 3 years so used to be a regular visitor (you would think Coventry was miles away - but price wise it is a massive difference (for a journey that takes 15 mins longer......) Love the quality time hope my little fella will enjoy visiting lots of different places as he gets older. Mostly he would just want to run around otherwise a trip to the national gallery would be on the cards (always seem to end up at the Tate Modern, Science or National History museum when in London.......). Hope you get your trip to Brighton soon, l like the sealife centre there!
ReplyDeleteWow that's an awesome post - loving the pirate clip - genius! And yes if you can't mess about and have fun in a toy museum there is something very wrong with the world! Loving the paintings - would love to see the perspective skull picture - that's brilliant! Also loving the inspiration for the Queen in Alice. We were only talking last night that we'd like to venture to London as it's somewhere we've never been!
ReplyDeleteGiggled at the comment on the countdown clock - we'd have been exactly the same - said 11 year old wouldn't he's quite excited by it all but I just feel its a lot of money to be spending when so few will get the opportunity to see it.
Loving the just because gift so sweet. Ben and Jerry's ice cream on tap - ooooh so not good, I couldn't have coped with this and loving the freebie bag that I can cope with.
Hope you have a beautiful and blessed weekend.
What a fantastic week you have had! Your saturday trip back to oxford sounds good, especially the science museum, but your london trip sounds fab! Love the photo of you and the video of your son in the toy museum..how funny!I have not been to the Nat gallery since i was at college, how brilliant to soak up all that art.
ReplyDeleteYou have really made me smile reading about your wonderful week, so full and positive!
Hope you have a great week this week too! x
I experienced last week that visiting exhibitions can be soooo inspiring! I knew, ofcourse, but it had been a long time... how fun that you seem to have the same 'perfect day' with your son as I did with mine! (I, too, blogged about it)
ReplyDeleteSorry about the toothache and cold sore but it seems a reasonable price to pay for so many wonderful things during the week. Quite an agenda you achieved. I wish we had the public transit over here to allow easy cruising through the big city. San Francisco is not that far from us but it is a downright pain to get around the city, so I rarely go unless someone else wants to drive.
ReplyDeleteHope next week is even better with no price to pay.
Oh, wow!!!! What an amazing week! So many fun things...we've just added most of the places you visited to our "places we're going to go to this year" list....how sad is it that I've lived only 14 miles from Oxford for nearly 30 years ...and didn't know there was a Science Museum?..and.....I totally forgot pancake day...slapped wrist for me.
ReplyDeleteHope your weekend is as good as your week.
Hugs xx
Your trip to London sounds FAB! What fun you and Connor had, smiling faces all round. Well done you for having such a laugh in the toy museum, of course that's what should be happening. It's not a mausoleum!
ReplyDeleteI hope your cold sore and toothache go :o(
x
Is there a lot of construction related to the games coming?
ReplyDelete@Zelazny - yes, tons - they are building a big complex called "Olympic Park" over in the East of London, which will house stadiums for various sports and all the athlete accommodation. Lots of new hotels going up too to cope with all the people who come to watch.
ReplyDelete