“Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.” - Samual Johnson

From the day we arrive on the planet

And blinking, step into the sun

There's more to see than can ever be seen

More to do than can ever be done

There's far too much to take in here

More to find than can ever be found

But the sun rolling high

Through the sapphire sky

Keeps great and small on the endless round

 

It's the Circle of Life

And it moves us all

-"Circle of Life" - lyrics Tim Rice (From the Lion King)

It looks as though Spring has definitely sprung, the skies have been clear and blue for days, it's lovely and warm in the sunshine and suddenly daffodils have sprung up everywhere. Rob and Emma both celebrated their birthdays this week and what better way to celebrate than a weekend in London in the glorious sunshine. After being at home most of the week with Emma's Chicken Pox we were more than ready to shake it off and go and enjoy ourselves. After a quick school pickup we drove over to Southampton Airport, where we left the car in the long stay car park, and jumped on the train and jus over an hour later we were in London. Too easy.

We are very lucky that we have such very good friends back home and we have always felt like our friends are part of a bigger extended family. This fact came home to us this weekend as the grandfather and step grandmother of one of Emma's closest friends offered to have us stay with them for the weekend in their flat in central London. It was really lovely to be welcomed into their home like members of the family and we all had a terrific weekend together. The kids in fact didn't want to come back home to Dorset they were so taken with our new friends, Roger and Julia.

With a plan to meet at the flat at five we decided to have afternoon tea somewhere nice for Rob's birthday. Have you ever noticed that sometimes the plan goes wrong and you're glad it did? Well that's exactly what happened to us. We managed to catch an earlier train to London than we planned and happily jumped on the tube heading, we thought, to Green Park and found ourselves unexpectedly in Bank. So with a few changes we where on our way back and had lost all the lovely time we had made up with the early train. As the train approached Piccadilly Circus we were all sweltering in the heat of the packed train and so the executive decision was made to jump off and walk.

While the kids were transfixed by the big screens in Piccadilly Circus the half price theatre ticket office caught my eye. We had thought to seeing the Lion King this weekend but had forgotten to book tickets as we were so uncertain if we would be coming. The next thing you know we had Lion King tickets for 7.30 that night, Rob's birthday night, clutched in our hand and we are racing to the flat for a quick hello, a lovely meal and a helter skelter dash across town to be at the Lyceum Covent Garden in time.

 We made the show with ten minutes to spare and had a fabulous night. Emma has seen the movie before but Julian is too young as yet for movies and TV so didn't know the story. It really didn't matter as the spectacle of the show was enough to keep them both entranced and wide awake until it finished after ten o'clock. The costumes and sets were out of this world as was the dancing and singing. We are so glad we splurged on the tickets as few musicals come to Perth and it felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity. Of course now Emma points out all the posters for other musicals (particularly Wicked and Matilda) and wanders, loudly and pointedly, what it would be like. But even putting the high cost of tickets aside the Lion King is the only show that they allow a four year old to see.

Despite the need for a sleep in after our eleven thirty bedtime the night before, caused by late night street wandering when our tube station was closed, we were up at the crack of dawn. For Emma's birthday I had long ago booked ticket to Warner Bros Studios Harry Potter Tour and today was the big day. Emma and I were equally excited, at least I think she was as excited as me, and trip to the studio, via train from Euston to Watford Junction and a shuttle from the station to the studio seemed to take ages. But we were finally there and the birthday boy and girl were given badges to wear and Emma was even given the opportunity to open the door to the great hall to start the tour, it was thrilling, possibly a little overwhelming for her.

I had read that you need to allow three to three and a half hours for the, mostly self guided tour. We thought that as we would just walk around and take everything in rather than reading all the displays and watching all the videos as we knew Julian's patience would not extend that far.

Despite this, and the fact I want to come back and read every display and watch every video, we still were there over three and a half hours.

It was absolutely terrific for a Potterite like myself and a junior Potterite like Emma, who had a ball despite having been allowed to read, and watch the movie for, only the first two books to date.

It's amazing to think that these buildings were the home away from home, and the school too for the young members of the cast, for the cast and crew of the movies for ten years.  I must apologise to those who are not fans but there was no way I could show any less photos, and you should see the fantastic ones I left out too.

When we visited Laycock Abbey we experienced the thrill of recognising places used in the movies. Here there was not the same thrill as the two gigantic soundstages are packed to the rafters with props and costumes. It doesn't spoil the experience as such but brings home to you that the movie magic is not "real".

 

It didn't stop us oooing and ahhing over everything from flying Ford Anglia's, Portraits of the Fat Lady, clothing that is so familiar to you that you know you've watched the movies too many times, the Burrow, Hadgrid's cabin, Buckbeak the Hippogriff (one word WOW), Dobby, the Ministry of Magic, and more and more and more until you walk through Diagon Alley and finally see the massive model of Hogwarts which is truly spectacular.

 We all really enjoyed the green screen experience, where we were pretended to fly Mr Weasley's car over the Hogwarts Express and each had a turn of flying a broomstick over London.

We were even given a lesson in wand work, were we were taught the choreography used in a battle scene in Order of the Phoenix and then had to duel each other. This was a lot of fun, and the lady instructor had a laugh when Emma and I were duelling, with the instruction to disarm only, and I yelled "silencio" whilst yelled "expelliarmus". She laughingly told me that as a parent she wishes she could use that one too.

We decided we couldn't stay all day, though it was hard to get Emma to leave, so we headed back to London with the plan of High Tea at the Orangery at Kensington Palace while we were still having birthday treats.

 Whilst it was a lovely experience, the view to the garden blooming with bulbs, terrific service and lovely room the food was nowhere near as good, and the atmosphere was less intimate and relaxing than the Milestone Hotel's afternoon tea that we experienced just across Kensington Park back in January.

The Princess Diana Memorial Playground was just as good as we remembered and we could have stayed much longer but it was time to be getting back to the flat to make plans.

Roger and Julia know all the great places to visit in London with kids as they have experience showing their family a good time when they have come to stay. The suggestion was made that we eat at the Rainforest Café in Piccadilly Circus, and the fact that there friends from home has been there and loved it was all the encouragement the kids needed before heading back out for a great dinner.

The Rainforest Café is a reconstruction of a rainforest in the middle of London, with stuffed animated gorilla's and Elephants, big cats hanging in trees above your head, a huge aquarium of fish, simulated thunderstorms that are so loud it is impossible to talk for a minute until its finished and really good, reasonably priced food. Our safari guide, sorry I mean waiter, even had Emma stand on a chair so everyone could sing happy birthday to her and Rob. It must be the longest running birthday celebration on record.

After another late night Julian and I slept in until ten thirty the next day, which I could regret when you think of the things we have not seen in London, but we were really tired after a long week and such a big weekend. While I took it easy Julia took the kids for a walk to Hyde Park for their favourite activity, feeding the squirrels.

We kept the rest day simple, sending Rob off to meet Roger for a tour of Lords, a real highlight for my sports loving husband, while Julia took the rest of us to Hamleys. Six years before Captain Cook set off on the Endeavour William Hamley opened his first toy store in London and two hundred and fifty four years later our kids thought it was seven floors of heaven. My advice is come to see and buy somewhere else much cheaper. On each floor the staff enthusiastically displayed and spruiked different toys and the kids had a go of the Scalextric cars and remote controlled buggies. While there were areas we skipped, not being fans of mass produced rubbish there was floors and floors of toys we loved, from what appeared to be every Ravensburger Puzzle, to huge displays of Schleich models with a Lego models of the royal family crowning the store. No photos unfortunately as the camera went with Rob, who forgot to take photos at Lords. But trust me no trip to London with children is complete without a trip to Hamleys.

After we had seen enough it was time for lunch and nearby Carnaby Street was a terrific suggestion by Julia. It gave us a chance to see this famous Soho shopping district lined with independent fashion boutiques. Without the kids I can imagine spending quite some time here, even just to sit in a café and people watch. But both little kids and big alike got a kick out of a visit to Choccywoccydoodah. To describe it merely as a chocolate shop would be to do it a disservice. The chefs and chocolatiers from Choccywoccydoodah create amazing cakes that I cannot imagine ever bring myself to stick a knife into. Emma loved high heeled chocolate shoes and Julian wanted a big chocolate soccer ball.
We were given samples of cakes that were divine, the dark chocolate and champagne we adults tried was moist and delicious.

While there was a café upstairs we opted for a late lunch at Pret A Manger, which is our favourite chain of healthy cafes we hope comes to Australia. We ended the day with more feeding the squirrels in Hyde Park. I believe the kids would come back just to spend time in the beautiful parks, I know I would.

As we needed to be at Waterloo station in the early afternoon we had to pick one special place to visit in the morning and what could be better in all this glorious sunshine than to join the hoards of people in front of Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guard.

We took up a vantage point near Australia Gate and while we didn't see the ceremony through the gates we had a great view of the Band of the Irish Guard marching right by us. Later we moved to a new spot on the Mall to watch the guards march back to their barracks.

Walking back to the flat to collect our bags we were lucky enough to see the tail end of the St Patricks Day parade moving along Piccadilly. While we had missed the big names who had led off the parade we did get to see some gorgeous little girls dancing, huge green balloons and a giant inflatable green worm. We had to laugh at the sight of people dressed up in all their Irish Leprechaun attire with cans of Fosters in their hands.

And after collecting our bags and walking together to the nearest tube station our time with Roger and Julia was up. We had the most wonderful weekend which we will never forget and neither will we forget their kindness to a group of strangers, taken as friends into their home and hearts.

And now after a busy couple of days I have finally gotten up to date. Emma has a big ballet concert this weekend which we are all very excited about and then eleven days from now the kids have a three week school holiday. It seems as though they are never at school, but of course we are making every day special and so time is flying by. I'm glad to have you joining us on this journey. I would love any feedback or advice you might have to offer.