Carnival

Carnival.  That was the theme of tonights party for Mara's birthday.  It also meant that tonight was a costume party.

My heart always sinks a little at the thought of a costume party.  Not because I don't enjoy them when I'm there, but because it means that I have to do some prep before the party to get a concept and costume together.  It is no longer a simple exercise of putting make-up on.

Last time there was a costume party, I paired up with my Spanish Amiga, Ilda, to get me into the spirit of it and to get it sorted.  This time there were 3 of us; me, Ilda and Verena.

You'd think that with 3 brains it would mean that we would get to an idea quickly, but it was surprisingly difficult.  More so because it was difficult to get some time together to think it through.

The only thing we all agreed on upfront for the costume was to wear brightly coloured wigs.  It was only the night before the party that the theme of a porcelain doll costume was born.

On the night of the party, the 3 of us met at Verena's for finishing touches to our costumes as well as to have some dinner and pre-party drinks.

I was going to forgo the make-up but after seeing Verena's artistic transformation, it was inevitable that I would be made over too.

Carter Babies in the Cotswolds

I think it is an understatement to say that I am biased towards the Carter Babies.  I adore them so much that they can do no wrong.  Luckily Sam is way too young to realise this.

Princess I don't think has cottoned on yet, or maybe I haven't realised that she has me right where she wants me; wrapped around her little finger.

I think I get distracted by the bright blue eyes and the golden hair and the smiles.  Particularly Sam.  You just have to look at Sam and say 'Hi Sam' and he rewards you with the biggest smile you have ever seen.

Although when I have a camera in front of my face and his, I think he's like 'not again Aunty Nim'.  He is very personable and likes people so perhaps its because he can't see my face that you see the little whimper of a cry.

Today we went to the Cotswold Wildlife Park as my birthday treat.  Sam pretty much missed the entire day as he was snug as a bug asleep in his pram.  Whereas Princess was so excited to see all the animals.

So well behaved.  Looking in the tanks to find the animals.  Politely asking me to lift her up so she could see.  Always holding my hand with a massive grin on her face.

The number of meltdowns of other kids I saw as I walked around the park was amazing.  This is the most we had to contend with.

I'd take this any day.  And this was only because she was tired and it was the end of the day and all she wanted to do was sit on a train.  I think I have a lot to be biased about.

Easter Challenge

To kick off the start of the Easter Season, work had a competition to see who could be the most creative with some egg boxes that we use to sell Egg 'N' Spoon.

A welcome change to the standard dying of Easter Eggs that most people do at this time of year.  And as this product falls in my category at work, I couldn't resist the challenge.

A couple of us got together on a Sunday and out came the jewellery and craft boxes that haven't seen the light of day in awhile.  As well as random materials like the pink feather boa.

All our designs were completely different.

Soriyya made a boat with a draw bridge, with a Trini flag.

Amy made a bouquet of flowers.

Mine was a fat chick.

A body made out of painted cotton wool balls, brightened up with hot pink feathers and a head made out of a wooly pom pom.  The pom pom took forever to make but I think it was worth it in the end. :-)

The Songs of Monks

We walk into the Medieval and Renaissance section of the Victoria and Albert Museum and the next thing I hear is Mer imitating the singing of monks... aaahhhh, aaaaaahhh, aaahhhh.  Such a goof, but one of the things that I like most about her.

There was also an opportunity to dress in the robes of a monk so it was only fitting that Mer took this opportunity.  It was quite big.  Either these monks were huge or they liked there clothes to be 4 times too big for them.

Was fun having you in the UK, even though it was only for a short time.  Miss you and looking forward to seeing you soon.

xx

A Young Girl's Escape into a World of Imagination

'A young girl's escape into a world of imagination' was the concept behind the Cirque du Soleil, Quidam, showing at the Royal Albert Hall.  Mer and I managed to get 2 tickets for the front row by sheer luck.

There was some audience participation, particularly from people sat on the front rows.  But luckily we escaped this by looking anywhere but at the people on the stage.

The performance was great.  There was the man on the German Wheel, Boum Boum; a white muscly bald man with scary eyes and a tall man with no head...

My favourites were the aerial contortionist and the lady balancing on canes and the 2 statues.  I'm always marvelling at the level of core control they have in these acts.

Great show as alway Cirque du Soleil.

Vinopolis

Considering that it was torrential rain only a couple of days ago, I was amazed that the 2nd day of our weekend in London was another bright and sunny one.

Mer was under the impression it was due to her, because she was able to 'fart rainbows'...her words, not mine!!  But as the weekend progressed, I was beginning to wonder if she was right?

A couple of years ago, Mer and Ruth started my education in the world of wines, with a girls holiday travelling across the East Coast of France sampling wines from vineyards.  Today it continued with a trip to Vinopolis.

Admittedly it's not as exotic as drinking wine at a vineyard, but it was still fun and one that had us quite merry at the end.

Unsurprisingly, my favourites were the Riesling's, the full bodied Reds and the dessert wine.  Particularly the chocolate one.  Although it was a little disappointing that the latter had chocolate flavour aded to it.

A Royal Cream Tea

It's February and the sun is shining and the sky is a vibrant blue.  And what's adding to this happy day is that my American Buddy, Mer is in town.

We're staying the weekend in Chelsea in the heart of London.  An excellent location and within easy reach of the majority of tourist attractions.

So I thought the best way to catch up would be over Cream Tea and Pimms in the Royal surroundings of Kensington Palace.

Delicate but very decadent.