SPRING HAS SPRUNG

WHAT A WEEK.

To quote Sid James in "Carry on Cleo"

BLIMOS!

This past week I have been working, working, working, the old feet have hardly touched the ground.

However, and this does seem to often be the way, this week has had some amazing hidden surprises.

Every time there was an extra curricular activity I thought

well this is it the week has peeked,

and every time I was proven wrong.

I'm going to start with the best,

because I'm afraid that is the kind of gal I am.

I nearly always take a peek at the end of books, I always eat the best bits of the dinner first leaving a plate full of congealing and cooling yuckie stuff to be washed down with a glass of water and I always always always have a quick feel of the presents under the tree at Christmas.

Today, this morning, after a much needed lie in

(the children are away staying with their Lion tamer Grandma)

the Hippie and I set off for the V and A.

We went to see the Small Spaces exhibition.

Which is a collection of weird and mad structures commissioned by the museum from a group of international architects on the theme of retreat.

My favourite was this fantastic little room by Japanese architect Terunobu Fujimori.

You accessed it by a step ladder and entered this beautiful calm room.

I could have spent hours in there and really really want one for myself.

I also loved this piece by Studio Mumbai Architects

This one is based on the unseen spaces people live in.

A narrow ally between a wall and the side of a building leads to a warren of rooms created from found materials where many families live.

The piece in the museum is made up of a cast of the original, including the tree, which sadly due to slum clearance no longer exists.

For both of these exhibits you had to take you shoes off which added another unexpected sensory experience.

There were 6 structures in the exhibit, but there isn't enough space here to talk about them all, however I couldn't not mention this Ash tree structure by Helen & Hard architects of Norway

which was just so beautiful in the courtyard.

On Friday I took the boys to Bekonscot model village.

The idea of this place appealed enormously to me, it being quintessentially British, I mean who else would think the idea of looking at miniature buildings, rugby matches and railways is a good day out? But was a little worried about the boys. Would the lack of bells and whistles mean they would get bored quickly?

Thankfully I was proved very very wrong.

The ginger Ninja rated it higher than H.M.S Belfast which is saying something.

It was a truly innocent day out, the humour of the setting has kept me smiling ever since. Entry was very reasonable £8 for adults and £5 for children.

Extras like the quiz were 30p and a ride on the narrow gauge railway was 90p.

The history of the village is brilliant and can be read here.

I do love a tale of a mad eccentric.

I can't recommend it highly enough.

And finally the thing which at the beginning of the week I would have told you couldn't possibly be eclipsed.

Yep thats right "The Railway Children"

Performed live on the old Eurostar platforms at Waterloo, with a real live steam train.

I cannot tell you just how much I love the film, weeping and wailing every time.

I can reduce my self to tears just by doing a dramatic reenactment in the workroom

(a regular occurrence on a rainy afternoon).

In fact on our recent camping trip Ingrid (she's my best friend and I hate her) and I had a secret cry on a rainy afternoon in the tent when I read the

"Daddy, Daddy, oh my Daddy"

passage out loud,

oh the fun we had.

The production has had amazing reviews, so I was expecting something good.

But this was better than any of us were expecting.

The whole production was so clever and atmospheric.

And lets face it me and my two friends (Ingrid and Miss Moonie Moon, she of the beautiful cake fame) have spent a somewhat considerable amount of time in and around the glamourous west end of London town,

so we should know what we are going on about.

So there you have it three amazing trip out, try and do at least one this summer, you will have no regrets. I am very a very lucky girl to have done all three.

All this and I haven't even started about the great mirror dilemma.

More of this later in the week.

Lots of love

Nora xx