At 4 Years, You Give Blisters

So, as evidenced by my hinting at the subject for ages, as well as the title of this post, our fourth anniversary trip was a walking holiday in Cornwall. We divested ourselves of the boys by leaving them in the loving care of their grandparents in Berkshire for four days while we traveled as far west as we could go and still be in England.

The first day, we arrived in Penzance and strolled west to Marazion in order to go and see St. Michael's Mount. Alas, we were too late in the day to walk the causeway (the tide had come in) but we had a nice boat ride there and back and got to enjoy walking up to the top of the island and touring the castle (a National Trust property).

In the end, we covered about 11 miles going around the island, through Penzance, and along the South West Coast Path - our chosen highway for most of the walking holiday. My initial plan had been to walk 7 miles the first day out to St. Michael's Mount and back, followed by 17 miles to Land's End, then 22.8 miles to St. Ives, then back down 12 miles across the peninsula along St. Michael's Way - the old pilgrim trail - to end up back in Penzance.

Surely, we thought, this would be a piece of cake. Sure, we'd be tired, but we'd manage it easily. That, I can confidently say, was my hubris talking.

This is just a sample of the sort of terrain we covered during our nearly-17-mile hike over to Land's End.

Over rocks and under rocks; up hills and down cliff faces; along beaches and through hedges, we hiked, slogged, and limped our way to our destination. You see, neither of us bothered to check the elevation along our chosen route, and so didn't factor in just how tiring it would be to add in all of the ascents and descents.

But, in the end, we made it to Land's End and gratefully soaked in hot baths, lounged on the bed watching crap telly, and called the in-laws to see how our boys were treating them.

The next day, we had breakfast in the gorgeous restaurant: about 200° views of the Atlantic ocean through all the conservatory-style glass walls. We were stiff and sore and blistered, but decided to attempt to press on...if in truncated fashion. So we set off past Sennen Cove and along the Coast Path. Eventually, we turned inland and made our way towards St. Just. The village itself was adorable; the walk, however was vicious. Scorching sun, biting gadflies, overgrown footpaths, and boggy fields. In the end, we decided the better option would have been to stay on the Coast Path for longer, even if it added to the distance we traveled.

But, we made it there in one piece and sat to have lunch and enjoy the scenery before taking the open-top tourist bus to our backpackers' hostel in Zennor.

St. Just Church...much nicer inside than we'd initially thought!

The hostel - The Old Chapel Cafe & Guesthouse - was brilliant. The rooms were spacious, clean, well-appointed, and took full advantage of the gorgeous windows you get in an old church building. The cafe downstairs was cute and there was an adorable gift shop full of snazzy little handmade & small production gifts...many from local artists & companies. Plus, and this is an entirely irrelevant detail - the whole place smelled like my old summer camp, Arlington Echo. Seriously: the smell of the cafe was the smell of the old dining hall from all my years of band camp. Nostalgia is a lovely thing.

St. Senara Church in Zennor...very big on the mermaid theme.

The next morning it was on to St. Ives and the journey back. By this point we'd done 11 miles on Thursday, 16.5 on Friday, and 6.5 on Saturday. 34 miles in three days was still wearing on us, so rather than try to hike the 5 miles to St. Ives over what we'd been told was very difficult terrain, we opted to take the tourist bus instead and have a relaxing last day in Cornwall wandering St. Ives and doing a bit of shopping.

St. Ives was gorgeous and loads of fun. There were cute shops, fun restaurants, awesome art galleries, all sorts of opportunities to bring back nice little gifts for everyone (including ourselves!), and a great prominade facing the bay where we sat and ate lunch from a scrummy little pasty shop.

We arrived back in Penzance just in time to catch a bit of the Golowan festival. We were tired and not quite in the mood for working through a claustrophobic press of people, but there was still a fun vibe, lots of tasty-smelling food & drink, and some relaxing outdoor music as we made our way back to the car.

We'll definitely be going back to Cornwall at some point in the near future: it was just too much fun not to! Even if we did break ourselves trying to hike the Coast Path. Ah well: happy anniversary to us!

Whiling Away The Time

We've not been up to too much of interest lately. Lots of reading, bike riding, and duplo-building. A Fathers' Day outing back to The Vyne, planning a walking holiday in Cornwall (!!!), and coming to the sad realisation that we have long to wait before the next season of GoT. But don't just take my word for it! ...Or, do take my word for it...along with some pictures, because that's what I've got to share with you!

A picturesque Fathers' Day

My other engineering genius.

Operation Resilience. Nope, not a new offensive in the Middle East: a plan to repave the road in front of our flat.
— Bryony Dick (@beginningbryony) May 17, 2014

Basically every other afternoon for the past fortnight
has been these two wheeling around our carpark.

Had George Ezra's Budapest in my head all day after catching it heading into the multi-story car park. http://t.co/i2SAoksABt
— Bryony Dick (@beginningbryony) May 21, 2014

Not that the detail of driving into the car park has any relevance to why I like that song... Sometimes I can't resist unnecessary details.
— Bryony Dick (@beginningbryony) May 21, 2014

"The amount of apple you eat significantly improves my ability to find chocolate for you. It's a scientific fact." #ThingsISayToMyToddler
— Bryony Dick (@beginningbryony) May 23, 2014

5 months old and already a champion on the swings

Question: "What did I just step in?" Answer: "is I did wee wee on floor, was naughty-bad! Is all very wet on floor!" Today can only improve.
— Bryony Dick (@beginningbryony) May 29, 2014

"It has a tail! It has fluffy eyes. I think it's a woman llama. He's cold; needs a blanket." We're still working on those pronouns...
— Bryony Dick (@beginningbryony) June 7, 2014

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a small boy at home desires nothing more than to run around naked. #mumlife
— Bryony Dick (@beginningbryony) June 16, 2014

That flat tyre was nearly the death of me. Praise Zeus for the cycle shop & a Starbucks chocolate coin: all that stood between me & insanity
— Bryony Dick (@beginningbryony) June 19, 2014

Vicarious Tourism: A Little Bit of London

In an effort to be more proactive and start doing things as opposed to just talking about doing them, the Husband and I took the boys out to London on Saturday.

It was a brilliant time. E has been absolutely obsessed with Big Ben for a while now, and so - in tribute to this deep and abiding fascination - our first stop after getting off the Tube was to come out and watch the clock chime the hour.

Our timing couldn't have been better, after snagging some free on-street parking thanks to a tip from our sister-in-law, we got to Westminster just in time to get situated on a nice bit of pavement so that E could revel in pointing and shouting about the Big Clock.

After the Big Clock, it was time to head over to Westminster Abbey for a quick look-around. We were fairly sure E wasn't going to stand for enough church-wandering to justify the £18-a-head price tag, so we just went into St Margaret's Church right next door and took a few pictures.

After letting him drop some change in the donation box - a must-do for him anywhere there's a chance to handle money - it was on to bigger and better things: The National Gallery.

The walk took us through St. James's Park and past Horse Guards. Then through the Admiralty Arch and into Trafalgar Square. This is one of the bits of London I know best. During my Master's programme, not only did a few of my classes take place in the National Portrait Gallery - which is also pretty cool - but a lot of this route is how I would walk home from class on nice days. Campus was just over on the Strand and I lived up past Marble Arch...so central London was my neighbourhood.

The Gallery itself didn't go over terribly well. It was right around E's usual nap time, so he was getting a bit angsty after a brief sprint through the rooms with his dad. I, on the other hand, took the time to get Tristan out of his baby carrier and give him a quick feed. Talk about eating in style: grabbing a quick feed on a leather chaise surrounded by Renaissance paintings. Besides: in a Renaissance painting gallery, what's one more exposed nipple?

High brow breastfeeding in @nationalgallery #mumlife
— Bryony Dick (@beginningbryony) March 1, 2014

With one boy fed, it was time to feed the other, so we headed out of the Gallery on the heels of a tantrum to get some McDonald's. Faces sufficiently stuffed it was off to another well-loved part of London for us: South Kensington.

This is where we met; where the Husband went to school; where we had our first date; where we spent at least part of most weekends together. It's also where we took our engagement photos, which - frighteningly - is now a little over 4 years ago...

We took the boys to the latter of those two locations above - the Science Museum. It was a great time. We let E run around and play, gave Tristan another feed, and had fun enjoying the exhibits and the interactive play area. Seriously: London has some of the best museums I've visited.

After a long day in the city, it was time to head home. So, tired babies in the car, we waved goodbye to the Tube - literally. Ethan had to wave to every passing Tube on our walk back to the car - and headed back on the motorway to home and to bed. It was quite the adventure doing our first trip out with two little boys, but it was definitely worth it. Not sure where we'll go next, but with two family visits coming up in the next month or two, we certainly won't lack for opportunity!

Vicarious Tourism: The Look Out

Today, I thought it would be a good day to properly start getting out of the house. I'd originally had all sorts of grand plans involving a car drive across the M25...those got scuppered in the end.

Which day do we go to @sciencemuseum & which day do we hit up A3 Baby Barn? Decisions, decisions...
— Bryony Dick (@beginningbryony) October 22, 2013

In the end, after an impromptu Pro/Con list (i.e. sitting in bed counting on my fingers at 11:30 last night), I decided that in the contest of the Science Museum versus The Look Out, that the latter came out the winner. Don't get me wrong, I love an excuse opportunity to go to London, but this was closer, cost just as much as the day's parking, and would give us more time in the venue of choice as we wouldn't have such a long drive. When you're taking an afternoon trip after a Skype date with your husband, you have to factor in these sorts of things.

Mama & E in the mini market. #IDidThisAsAKidToo

So, we hopped in the car and skipped over to Bracknell to check The Look Out...um, out. To be honest, I'm really glad we went: the whole thing was brilliant.

What's a DIY job without a bit of demolition?

The 'build a house' play area that they have is fantastic. The 'house' is just big enough for little kids to climb in, and they can go up to the first floor and work on putting plastic shingles on a section of the roof. E liked it more, though, when he was taking all of the carefully placed shingles off and sending them back down the shute to the box below. To be fair, he worked out really quickly which slot was for the conveyor belt that brought shingles up and which one was for sending them back down again. We also had fun building walls with the giant Lego-style blocks and letting him ride around on the push-pedal diggers.

After climbing back out of the Lego bins, a proud boy
stands with his wall.

After that, it was off to the Hands-On Science exhibits. E's first love here may have been the ping pong balls in a funnel. Sort of like the old coin races you could find at the mall...but with ping pong balls. Oh, and jazzed up so as to be labeled a black hole simulator. I may or may not have made several Neil deGrasse Tyson references while he played with that for 20 minutes...

As you can see, we also had a moment trying to reenact that scene from Big where Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia play the big keyboard in F.A.O Schwarz. ...Okay, so maybe that was just me trying to reenact that scene, but I defy any child of the '80s not to think of that movie as soon as they see a giant floor keyboard. #babiesofthe80s

Then, we moved on to the Bernoulli blower, which E loved. He thought it was the best thing that the ball would 'fly' all on its own in the wind. We spent a lot of time chasing it down when he'd yank it from the air. Of course, by the end of playing with it, he mastered the art of getting the inflatable globe back into the air stream so that it could float patiently waiting for the next kid to come and fiddle with it.

Another nostalgia moment for me? In the toddlers' section, they had a mini market. I have vague memories and good pictures of me - at the same age - playing in something similar in the town where my sister was born in Virginia. So, of course, I had to entice E over to have a look and play. Whereas I was always more interested in the toy fruit and veg, E's love was the till with its fake money. It took some convincing to make him put it back.

Vicariously reliving my childhood. Isn't that what kids are for?

We ended the trip with another round in the build-a-house play station and then popped into the gift shop to let him choose a toy. With a little money from his great-grandparents (his grandmother's mum & dad), we searched the shop and let him pick out a wind-up toy dump truck to bring home. He's already decided that it's got Bob the Builder sitting in the front.

So that was a fantastic day out for us. I'm sure we could have stayed for ages longer had we gotten there earlier, but E was fairly satisfied with the 2 hours we spent in the end. Besides, now I know it's worth coming back with multiple rugrats in tow in the future. 2 years seems to be just the right age to really enjoy enough of this place to make the trip worth your while. It's hard for me to gauge how a younger kid would fare...I'm starting to forget just what sort of attention span E used to have before now.

So, The Look Out. Good fun close by and for the equivalent of a day's parking in London. When you're not up for the drive into the city, you can't say fairer than that.

Vicarious Tourism: A Day At The Theatre

Who doesn't love London? Every time I come back to this city, I remember how much I miss it. I miss catching the District Line to Wimbledon to visit the Husband...before he was the Husband. I miss the sardines-in-a-can trip on the Bakerloo Line to school and the subsequent walk back through Trafalgar Square, Pall Mall, and Hyde Park. I miss going on runs through Regent's Park and having all the museums within a stone's throw of my flat. And I miss living just a few blocks north of Oxford Street and all its attendant shopping.

So today, when we got the chance to go back into town for a kid-friendly play, how could I pass it up?

They could barely contain their excitement at the District Line.

My sister-in-law had managed to score four free tickets for a little production at a snazzy cinema in Notting Hill. We drove to a little car park in West London - me, Ethan, Henry, Rachel, and Tim (who swiftly absconded for work) - and then made our way to the Tube. The boys were both thoroughly excited to be with each other, and possibly even more excited at the prospect of a ride on a train. They loved the Tube and were all ready when we got off to see the play.

What was the play? A production by the Ga Ga Theatre Company of Oliver Jeffers's Up & Down.

Mummy & Son as Boy & Penguin
picture by Rachel (of Make A Long Story Short); editing by me

By the poster, so excited to go in!

In seats, waiting for the show to start!
picture by Rachel (of Make A Long Story Short); editing by me

The whole thing involved just two actors - mostly playing the Boy and the Penguin, but also doubling as the Circus Master when the Penguin runs off in search of the chance to fly. Plus, what little dialogue there was basically just revolved around the words 'up' and 'down'. Nice and simple. It made the whole thing fairly easy for the little ones to follow. And, to be honest, in a book with no written dialogue, it was nice that they weren't trying to make up lines that sounded like Oliver Jeffers wrote them. I think the whole thing worked better for its target audience and was a better interpretation of the book like this.

The boys loved the interactive bits of the play, and E really got into pointing out the Penguin at every chance he got. We'd even brought his penguin puppet along for the occasion - just to really get in the zone. I don't think I've had a day where I've heard him shout, 'PEG-in! Peg-in!' more often. Plus, with a cute acoustic guitar-centred score and animated versions of Jeffers's original illustrations projected onto the movie screen, the whole thing kept a lot of the same quirky charm that the book had on its own.

Another set of kudos I have to give? Ga Ga Theatre Company have picked out venues that are all kid-friendly and won't flog obvious sweeties or (as their website puts it) 'tantrum-inducing tat' in the lobby. I managed to snag myself a diet Pepsi and crisps for the show, along with one of E's new favourite treats, Bear Yoyos, all without any conspicuous candy-filled displays to tempt either of us. (The candy was there, but was discreetly on a wall behind the bar.) It made me feel unreasonably virtuous to buy my son what amounts to fruit jerky in cute packaging. That little label that says it's one of your 5-a-day always catches my eye. At least it mitigated our trip to McDonald's after the show.

via, bearnibbles.co.uk

I had pointed out to Rach that there was a McDonald's across the street in case we needed to stuff our faces or placate ravenous toddlers after the show, so a brief stop-off for Happy Meals and chips was a part of our itinerary before hopping on the Tube to go back to the car.

picture by Rachel (of Make A Long Story Short)

The boys got especially excited when one of the ladies on staff gave them balloons to play with. Plus, as Rachel and I both noticed, it's always particularly nice to sit in a well-decorated McDonald's. Makes the whole experience feel so much nicer. As an American, the regularity with which McDonald's restaurants have nice, modern decor over here still impresses me. I never remember eating in a Maccy D's that looked this nice as a kid! (And for those of you travelling, I can tell you this phenomenon holds true in Paris and Vienna as well.)

Munching his yoyo in the cinema lobby & enjoying the London street ambiance.

On the platform at Notting Hill Gate.

Then, it was back out into the rain for another ride on the Tube. The boys loved the whole journey and spent most of the trip standing on their seats and leering out the windows at every passing train and metre of track. E even pretended to be moderately interested when I pointed out that we were riding the train that Mama used to take to see Daddy when we lived in London.

I love that city. It will forever have a special place in my heart. And what SAHM can't appreciate a lovely day out on the town for some quality toddler-friendly entertainment?

Psst! Want to check this awesomeness out for yourself? Time Out has a listing of the remaining performances and all their London locations. Also, Ga Ga Theatre Company didn't give me any perks for writing any of this...I'm just the grateful beneficiary of someone else's good fortune!