Busy Boy

B spent yesterday on a school trip to Underwater Street (at the Pier Head Liverpool) - and had the most fantastic time! The variety of activities was just excellent - he was one busy boy!

Wet wet wet

Not that it was wet at the start of the St Georges Day Parade when I took these photos mind - but by half way round the heavens opened. At first it wasn't too bad - but by the bottom of Farnworth Street it was like a monsoon! As we marched past Auntie Jude's house in the torrential rain I would have loved to take some pictures to remember just HOW wet it was - but there was no way I was using A's camera in those conditions LOL!

Fortunatly we have the most wonderful, organised Akela in Kay - so our scout group was all kitted out in matching green waterproofs - but most of the children were drenched - and I imagine there were lots of unhappy parent to deal with later on...

Ben on his first (and hopefully wettest) St Georges Day Parade - his refrain all afternoon was "my legs are very tired - it's a long way!"

Megan and Charlotte looking very grown up this year.

Flights of Fancy

Time for some catch-up entries, the last few days have been somewhat busy!
Saturday evening there was a family fun night at FMC. Seeing as it was to raise moneyfor the NorthWest Air Ambulance we gave it a flight theme - with fairy cakes to decorate, a flight quiz and the highlight - a paper areoplane competition.
Neither M or B won (though they both did better than Gpa whose areolane manged to go a negative distance TWICE!) - but we had loads of fun

Black Eye

The result of being hit by the school gate when picking M and B up yesterday afternoon. At fisrt it really hurt and there was a huge lump. By this morning it wasn't hurting much but this impressive bruising had developed - it actually looks far worse in real life :( And I think it is going to get worse before it gets better.

The Witch's Bogey

We went to the Brindley this afternoon with Auntie J to see The Witch's Bogey. There was a workshop first to introduce the themes and characters - and then it was the show.
Lots songs, dancing, audience participation - and of course bogeys!

Blue Planet Aquarium

On Saturday the weather was looking decidedly ropey - so instead of the planned trip to Chester Zoo we went to the Blue Planet Aquarium in Ellesmere Port. It's not cheap - but it is a great day out!

B was very excited...

...but he slowed right down to spend ages watching the fish

The underwater tunnel through the largest tank is just amazing...

...as is the big window - watch out for the sharks!

The touch pool where you can stroke the rays is a firm favourite

Finnegan

On the way home from London we stopped at the Ada Cole Rescue Centre which is run by the Redwings Charity. We were there to see Finnegan - the horse that M 'adopted' last year thanks to a Christmas present from Auntie G.
For a while it looked like Finnegan was too busy eating to come and see us - but eventually he wandered over....

... and started to eat again!

M was very very happy to see Finnegan at last - and we have adopted him again.

B wanted to adopt a horse too - so now he has adopted Boo.

Tutankamun at the Dome

This mornng it is freezing cold and sleeting - last week we were still staying with J and K in the sunshine - what is going on with the weather?

Anyhows - last Monday we went to the Dome....

...and met Anubis!

We had tickets for the Tutankamun exhibition which proved to be excellent. We had audio guides which worked well - the headphones and buttons on hte mp3 player certainly kept B out of trouble! M went round with Auntie K and thought it all most wonderful.

I have had a long term interest in Egyptology - and I just loved the artifacts. There were artifacts from earlier pharohs, with lots of background infomation and a wonderful relief of Akenaten. But of course the stand out exibits were from the tomb of Tutankamun.
There were statues and shrines - and the trumpets (I will never forget hearing them played years ago on a radio programme). The colours were just stunning. And then there was this tiny coffinette - so very very beautiful.

One day i will get to the Museum of Antiquities in Cairo - one day...

London on a Spring Sunday Afternoon

After a busy morning at the Tower we headed off to the National Gallery. Here are some of M's favourite paintings - I think she has great taste!



By the time Uncle J and Auntie K arrived (I believe there was a bit of a Starbucks related delay...) B had decided that he didn't want to see any more paintings, so J took him for a good run around in Trafalger Square.
In Trafalger Square
Beetween the Lion's paws
How tempting was that fountain - ad how surprising that B didn't fall in!

What a view - Nelsons column and Big Ben off in the distance

We walked down Whitehall in hopes that the Horse Guards would be on duty - and they were!

Accidental Trip to the Tower of London

We weren't meant to be going to the Tower of London - we had planned to see the Terracotta Army. I had read stacks of infomation about the exhibition, Miss Megs had found out all about the warriors, the acrobats and the horses we would see - BUT...

... despite getting the 7am train from Chadwell Heath and arriving at the British Museum before 8am we were still too late. There were 700 tickets for the day and we were about 720 in the queue. So whilst eating breakfast at little Subway near Tottenham Court Road station Miss Megs decided that instead we should go to the Tower.

We last went to the Tower in August 2004 - but Miss Megs remembered lots about it and wanted to go again. She has been doing the Tudors in history and now is a little expert about Henry and the wife beheadings at the Tower

It was nice and quiet at 10am so we got to see lots before the crowds arrived - the crown jewels are just amazing and the armoury in the White Tower has been recently revamped.Miss Megs watching out for her head!

Mr Ben loved the cannons

Tormenting a Beefeater! B decided to tickle him...