That should really be our unschooeld day as we had spent the previous 7 days victims to ghastly norovirus, so have done very little at all.
Finally back to normal at the end of this week, we headed up to London for the day. We went to see the new Peter Rabbit show at the Haymarket Theatre, and had a wander round the National Gallery, before ending our day at Hamleys.
The girls' notebooks got lots of use on the train on the way up, and at the gallery.
There were new friends to meet at Piccadilly Circus...
... and favourite haunts to revisit (anywhere with water for Lara!)
Interested by the street artists in Trafalgar Square, Lara designed her own creation in hope of raising money for people without sanitation or clean water in poorer countries. She was rather disappointed to not be offered any pennies for her trouble.
Where is Peter Rabbit? was very good, all three girls enjoyed it very much, and afterwards the younger two monkeys were delighted to meet Peter himself...
... before heading to Pret a Manger for a vitamin-boost and to discover "the world's biggest blueberry"! #funtimes
On the way to the National Gallery we passed Lara's new friend, a lovely Japanese street artist who was showing her how to use oil pastels and gave her a now much-treasured card of one of her own intricate designs.
Imagine drawing this each day only to see it disappear every evening!
We worked our way through the majority of the National Gallery chronologically, with the girls pointing out favourite paintings and much discussion of detail, paintwork, style and historical detail.
The contrast from early icon-like painting to the Renaissance and then Rembrandt is striking if taken in a broad sweep as we did.
The later Impressionist galleries were busy, as ever, but we did manage to do a 'Mummy's potted art history' of landscape and still life, which the girls took loads from. We snapped photos of some favourite paintings for inspiration and reference. Lots of art projects coming up, I think...
A quick stop in Leicester Square for snacks and to feed the pigeons, as well as a ubiquitous LEGO Store visit. The girls made sure one particular pigeon with a very gammy leg had his fill. He definitely went to sleep with a full tummy that night.
And so to Hamleys, the mecca of childhood! Oh how they lure them in with their displays and demonstrations of must-have this and that and the other!
Lara was totally cock-a-hoop for all the L.O.L. Surprise goodies on offer, and cradled armfuls of assorted must-haves and wish lists additions!
Although she was even more delighted to meet one of her Transformers Rescue Bots heroes, Optimus Prime.
After all that excitement, we were all ready for a quick dinner and the train home. Cue more notebook activity with some Gauguin and Van Gogh-inspired creativity:
Finally back to normal at the end of this week, we headed up to London for the day. We went to see the new Peter Rabbit show at the Haymarket Theatre, and had a wander round the National Gallery, before ending our day at Hamleys.
The girls' notebooks got lots of use on the train on the way up, and at the gallery.
There were new friends to meet at Piccadilly Circus...
... and favourite haunts to revisit (anywhere with water for Lara!)
Interested by the street artists in Trafalgar Square, Lara designed her own creation in hope of raising money for people without sanitation or clean water in poorer countries. She was rather disappointed to not be offered any pennies for her trouble.
Where is Peter Rabbit? was very good, all three girls enjoyed it very much, and afterwards the younger two monkeys were delighted to meet Peter himself...
... before heading to Pret a Manger for a vitamin-boost and to discover "the world's biggest blueberry"! #funtimes
On the way to the National Gallery we passed Lara's new friend, a lovely Japanese street artist who was showing her how to use oil pastels and gave her a now much-treasured card of one of her own intricate designs.
Imagine drawing this each day only to see it disappear every evening!
We worked our way through the majority of the National Gallery chronologically, with the girls pointing out favourite paintings and much discussion of detail, paintwork, style and historical detail.
The contrast from early icon-like painting to the Renaissance and then Rembrandt is striking if taken in a broad sweep as we did.
The later Impressionist galleries were busy, as ever, but we did manage to do a 'Mummy's potted art history' of landscape and still life, which the girls took loads from. We snapped photos of some favourite paintings for inspiration and reference. Lots of art projects coming up, I think...
A quick stop in Leicester Square for snacks and to feed the pigeons, as well as a ubiquitous LEGO Store visit. The girls made sure one particular pigeon with a very gammy leg had his fill. He definitely went to sleep with a full tummy that night.
And so to Hamleys, the mecca of childhood! Oh how they lure them in with their displays and demonstrations of must-have this and that and the other!
Lara was totally cock-a-hoop for all the L.O.L. Surprise goodies on offer, and cradled armfuls of assorted must-haves and wish lists additions!
Although she was even more delighted to meet one of her Transformers Rescue Bots heroes, Optimus Prime.
After all that excitement, we were all ready for a quick dinner and the train home. Cue more notebook activity with some Gauguin and Van Gogh-inspired creativity:
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