8:04pm, baby asleep, Wig at Cinema, me hunched over laptop with a scalding hot M+S Chilli Con Carne ready meal. I am living the dream. Or possibly 'a' dream. Just not a very glamorous one.
Anyway, my vision of being able to write regularly whilst bringing up baby has sadly not become a reality. I really don't know how J.K. Rowling managed it. Not that I'm comparing myself to her, I know nothing about Witches but on the flip side I'd like to think I'm a bit less up tight. Baby is now 3 months old and no longer considered a 'newborn' but is instead an 'infant'. I was horrified when Wig told me this and am continuing to refer to the baby as newborn. And I shall do so for the rest of his life. He will always be my little baby and that is that. But he really is the most dreadful time vampire, I don't know where the last few weeks have gone. The bigger he gets, the more entertaining he requires which although is extremely painful in one way, (I'm finding it harder each day to lug him up and down the front steps outside and my back is totally knackered) in other ways its brilliant as it has meant lots of nice trips out and about.
We are still keeping everything crossed in the hope that we can move out of Hackney asap, so we are trying to make the most of what may be our last couple of months in London. A couple of weeks ago we met up with some friends in Kew Gardens. I hadn't ever been before despite it being really easy to get to from Hackney. Its a direct train from Hackney Central and now the lift's have been installed at Hackney Central Station its an absolute dream getting over the track to the correct platform. No more waiting at the bottom of the stairs in the vain hope someone might offer to help lift the buggy. You know they wont.
We've also had a couple of trips to the Clapton Hart, a new pub that has opened up by the Lee Bridge round about. As I have said many times, Clapton will need a bit more than a pancake shop and a weekend market to make it a nice place to hang out but this pub is definitely a step in the right direction. The location is a bit 'no mans landy' but well worth a trip. I've only been on the weekend and for food (obviously not for massive binge drinking benders) but have been very impressed each time. The staff are very friendly which is almost unheard of in the pubs round here, the food was delicious and reasonably priced (£12 for a roast) and there is lots of room (great for big gatherings and buggies). If you wanted to make sure you got a table though I would advise calling ahead and booking. It gets very busy on a Sunday lunchtime and sometimes the roast dinners sell out! Mortificado! The outside space is still a work in progress but I'm sure will be great when its finished if the interior is anything to go by.
We have also ventured along the Cambridge Heath Road to a cafe called This Bright Field. Its only been opened under this name for 8 weeks (it was previously called something else), but has had a revamp, and oh my goodness what a super job they've done! It looks awesome inside, the staff were super nice and the food was something special. To be fair I only had a mocha, a bacon sarnie and some marmalade on toast (that's right I had 2 breakfasts, so what) but the sarnie and the toast were something to behold. Bacon that actually tasted of something (ie bacon), a delicious tomato relish, lovely bread and beautifully presented in paper. I would highly recommend this place and I'm definitely going to go again as soon as I can get the Wig to drive me. I think they do lovely seasonal dinners here too so maybe we'll be able to come and sample one of those one day but most likely we wont be able to because evenings out together are currently off the menu.
So there you have it. A bit of a random collection of topics on this blog but I guess now you know where to go if you want to see a massive tree / eat a roast dinner / enjoy a bacon sandwich wrapped in paper / buy a necklace made from a wax seal.
Anyway, my vision of being able to write regularly whilst bringing up baby has sadly not become a reality. I really don't know how J.K. Rowling managed it. Not that I'm comparing myself to her, I know nothing about Witches but on the flip side I'd like to think I'm a bit less up tight. Baby is now 3 months old and no longer considered a 'newborn' but is instead an 'infant'. I was horrified when Wig told me this and am continuing to refer to the baby as newborn. And I shall do so for the rest of his life. He will always be my little baby and that is that. But he really is the most dreadful time vampire, I don't know where the last few weeks have gone. The bigger he gets, the more entertaining he requires which although is extremely painful in one way, (I'm finding it harder each day to lug him up and down the front steps outside and my back is totally knackered) in other ways its brilliant as it has meant lots of nice trips out and about.
We are still keeping everything crossed in the hope that we can move out of Hackney asap, so we are trying to make the most of what may be our last couple of months in London. A couple of weeks ago we met up with some friends in Kew Gardens. I hadn't ever been before despite it being really easy to get to from Hackney. Its a direct train from Hackney Central and now the lift's have been installed at Hackney Central Station its an absolute dream getting over the track to the correct platform. No more waiting at the bottom of the stairs in the vain hope someone might offer to help lift the buggy. You know they wont.
Kew is very posh. As I have said previously, London is only for the rich or the young. If I could afford to buy a house in Kew I would stay in London but they don't tie bunting round the lamp posts in Hackney. They tie Police Signs asking anyone if anyone knows anything about a murder.
Kew Gardens. Sadly not part of the National Trust as we discovered to our dismay, so will set you back £16 per adult. VERY expensive in my humble / skint opinion but a lovely place to go if the weather is nice.
Walkway through the trees. I made it up in the lift to to the top then came straight back down again.
I hate heights and apparently the floor of the walkway was moving. Forget it.
Massive palm tree.
But all the paints peeling off...
It's meant to look like that Grandaddyo.
Loads of old stuff, just up my alley.
Finally, last but not least, I bought myself a 'push present'. I was not aware what a 'push present' was or that I needed one until I heard about them on "The Housewives of Orange County". It's an American thing like baby showers and grits and is basically a gift that a lady receives from the father of her child to say thank you and well done for pushing out their baby. Its a pretty tacky idea, I'm aware of this, but a great excuse for me to buy something I didn't need and shouldn't have really spent money on. I know the father is meant to buy it but I'm all for equality so I didn't mind buying it for myself.
Anyway, I bought this. Its a necklace with the dear little baby's initial on from a Canadian Jewelry Company called Pyrrha. They make their jewelry using old wax seals, such a good idea I cant believe no one else has done it. I'd seen their necklaces in Liberty and always wanted one, then I found them online being sold by a shop called Union for a much cheaper price! So I ordered my necklace on Saturday and it arrived on Tuesday, beautifully wrapped with a hand written note from Union thanking me for my purchase. Lovely touch.
Anyway, I bought this. Its a necklace with the dear little baby's initial on from a Canadian Jewelry Company called Pyrrha. They make their jewelry using old wax seals, such a good idea I cant believe no one else has done it. I'd seen their necklaces in Liberty and always wanted one, then I found them online being sold by a shop called Union for a much cheaper price! So I ordered my necklace on Saturday and it arrived on Tuesday, beautifully wrapped with a hand written note from Union thanking me for my purchase. Lovely touch.
So there you have it. A bit of a random collection of topics on this blog but I guess now you know where to go if you want to see a massive tree / eat a roast dinner / enjoy a bacon sandwich wrapped in paper / buy a necklace made from a wax seal.
No comments:
Post a Comment