Sky Lanterns, Victoria Park, Malvern Link

It's always good to exit with a bang but this was a slightly more incendiary activity than planned. With strict instructions not to light the lanterns in winds exceeding 5 miles per hour, we battled with multiple matches as they were blown out in the 'breeze!'... when finally ablaze things progressed very fast and our sky lantern launched itself up across our roof and then up over the trees in the park and far into the night sky.

We watched stunned and cast our wishes... including the more health and safety orientated ones. All under a full moon too.

Goodbye England, for now...

New buildings, Midlands, UK

Out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of a glint of gold as I headed home on the train out of Worcester Foregate Street. It used to be wasteland beside the cattle market...

We returned to The Hive - Europe's first University/Public Library and were so impressed. Started with the best view in town, from the top of the multi storey car park and then headed over the gleaming footbridge into a fabulous space full of folk, from those paying their council tax to families with their grandparents in tow and upstairs the more studious.

It was incredible and the children's section was full of hidey holes and crawl spaces and brightly coloured boxes and cushions on which to curl up with a book. We had to drag ourselves away eventually. The outdoor spaces were visionary too. This is Worcester - how did it happen?

Back across the Midlands in the Meadows of Nottingham I curb crawled around Julian Marsh's low cost eco home development that links to the riverside park and our favourite wading lido. Distinctly European/Dutch in feel and with defining colour sections of green tiles and grey paint  - stylish and compact and I want one!

Bristol, UK

Back to Uni for me and some great thinking-person art from Olivia Plender at Arnolfini, plus some yummy food and the ultimate British barbershop trim for P. 

Bristol looked good and almost worth moving back for.

Upton-upon-Severn, UK

Down by the riverside all was quiet and along the Ham, wild horse races were held with first place usually going to M's Bluebell, closely followed by J's Penny and weaving between them all was Miffy, as herself. The precipitous approaches to the fishing platforms held huge appeal and finally we settled on one that didn't seem too crazy for a leaping dog and two small children... The Severn was running quietly past, murky and deep and peaceful.


Back on firm shore we found our (Nico's really) favourite pub - the Waterside Bar at the Swan Hotel - and were joined by the worker for cider and hot chips or did he actually say fries? Despite its controversies Upton was looking fabulous - a flood defence of real style was in place and the smart navy blue bridge with gold trim looked cared for and still its solid 1940s self.

Clive's Fruit Farm, Worcestershire

Down on the farm there were red apples and green apples and even greener pears, with some made into the best lollies ever.

There were chicks and chickens laying eggs and and a rickety old tractor and a barn with nice blue trim and great farm produce.

Clive's looked cared for and so so English. For the first time the girls made a comparison that assumed the USA as home - so Carter Mountain you've made the grade!

Parliament Hill Lido, London

Stepping into this pool required a level of commitment. We sparkled all day from the chill (21C/69F), that faded somewhat with lap exertions... The dinted, silver-lining gleamed through the turquoise water as the sun shone in bursts over sections of its vastness. We felt invincible!

The fantastic 1930s setting and immensely long changing room with brightly coloured doors took us back in time.

The children huddled beneath loaned towels and found new friends to hurtle around the paddling pool with, and for M the lure of swooshing down the slide and on to her waiting 'surf' board made up for the temperature shock.

We love Parliament Hill Lido!

Parliament Hill, Hampstead Heath

Up on the top of Parliament Hill is a view of London that stretches from the new Olympic site and Anish Kapoor's Arcelor Orbit, punctuated by the Gherkin and Shard dead centre and then off to the west... It is quite simply stunning.


The breeze was brisk enough for our new kite, wildly ran across the hillside by M and held tight by a beaming J. Later the girls huddled beneath a rug, with their new found guardian, before we decamped to the cosiness of indoors and hot drinks.

Amidst this Prosecco-fuelled picnic were folk who'd known me from babyhood, through University and into working times - it was bliss not to be new in town.

South Bank to Tate Modern, London

We hopped off the bus on Waterloo Bridge and wound our way down to the riverfront and found not only skate boarders but Rainbow Park... coloured layers of curvy fabulousness that you could climb up, leap off or just sit on. Eventually we sauntered off and were lured down onto the shore by a sand sofa, only to realise that the tide was out and we could stroll off towards Tate Modern without being washed away. We found abandoned anchors and collected stones.


In Tate Modern we spotted the crowds of semi-choreographed folk wandering through the Turbine Hall. Having read that if stopped they'd talk to us, I spread out my arms and the girls joined in and a lovely Iranian man knelt down and told us a stroy of falling into his grandmother's pond when little and imagining mermaids and sea creatures beneath it as he sank. He didn't want to come back up but he was pulled out and still wonders if perhaps what he saw was real... We loved him and by virtue of that perhaps we love the artist, Tino Sehgal, too.

The Tanks that we'd come to see were dark and cavernous and full of interesting industrial concrete and girders but the art left us a little lost. In one totally dark space a motion-activated arrow followed us around, disconcertingly.

Housesitting, Kinoulton

In a giant act of kindness we have been lent a cute cottage with a canal view in our home village. Whilst the cat has not been away, but rather looked after by us, as have the six chickens, we have relaxed into this delightful lifestyle and had some fun in the english sun (yes, really!).

Fresh eggs for breakfast anyone? A banned pleasure in Richmond, VA. I sense another cause for us to jump up and down about. Hens in backyards are fab!

Sunsets, UK

There have been some magical moments at dusk this past few weeks. The august sun has cast it's long rays across fields of ripe corn and high grasses and caught the odd Disney princess on her way home for toasted cheese.

Whilst back on the Malvern Hills a game of animal charades at sunset challenged us all to get down in the grass and course the slopes as crabs, copper heads and springboks. Thankfully none of the aforementioned are in residence in this habitat, though M did enquire if the black and boggy river bed in Golden Valley was a wetland. On hearing it was, she did a quick, slightly nervous scan for alligators.

How does your garden grow?

No yard-work, it's all about the gardening... Some gems so far: the cottage garden; the school garden shed; the ultimate border and the sweet-pea back fence. The english country garden is alive and well and after all that endless rain it's unbelievably abundant...

Unlike our yard, with its aspiring lawn/desert and wilting hydrangea. Thank heavens for the hot pink flowering climber from the lovely neighbour on right and front door daisies from lovely neighbour on left.

Downtime, UK

Even in the UK we need downtime and within our idyllic country cottage is a mammoth flat screen TV with 3D options. So out come the shades and we're watching Apache helicopter engineering or dizzying Rapunzel scenes. A sense of sea-sickness hit me but the boys seemed immune. Movies on view (from the top) - apache helicopters; Bolt; Braver and more Braver.

Picnic time, UK

So on green park pitches, in ruined churches and beside a Mill Pond, we've sampled the delights of the true British picnic or should that be 'chipnic' - last night was George's fabulous, super ethical Fish and Chips, with chilled beers and football practice for one party member.

There's the car picnic too, that's hard to beat, with damp dog in a scenic spot washed from view through the windscreen. Cosy inside we chomped through boiled eggs, fresh from the adopted chickens, ham sandwiches and hula hoops with hummus smeared everywhere - hire car now looking well loved!

Then the challenge of picnic ablutions. 'Does this broken castle have a toilet?', J asked hopefully amidst the peaceful ruins of St Mary's, Colston Bassett. Thankfully the rickety cricket pavilion's loos were open and much relieved the kids then ran off to practice hurtling footballs into cricket nets.

Croome, Worcestershire

Almost at the top of the WHAT-WE-MISS-MOST list is The National Trust! The ultimate British institution that just gets better and better. Caring for vast swathes of the UK - our fix for this visit was new to me and found down tiny country lanes, in full view of the Malvern Hills.

The girls attempted a major slope-roll, then pulled themselves back up hand in hand. Holding Miffy's lead also got to be a prized reward and amidst the glorious pond surrounded by follies and impressive trees we achieved some log scrambling, before coming upon the grotto of a nymph - her boobs classically revealed and a little bench inside from which to contemplate it all.

Then on to the restored conservatory - the perfect blank canvas for a party (a 70th??) - and finally the WWII tea rooms for a much deserved lunch of home-grown vegetable soups and fresh salad sandwiches.

Just bliss...

Olympic Spirit, UK

We arrived to find a track-suited Olympic welcoming committee at Heathrow - Games Makers aka volunteers - intent on showing us the way onward into London and so darn smiley with it.

For the adopted home-team we'd cheered for Gabby Douglas and marvelled at Michael Phelp's shoulders, before switching over to Team GB and succumbing to the minute detail of diving and the toned-delight of Tom Daley - in the company of a West and East Bridgford crowd (pictured). Bolt and Mo caught our attention too - we can do their poses, though without the preceding speed.

For the girls we've had a week of prosthetic-limb-fantasy-play after South Africa's Oscar Pistorius totally caught there attention and reminded them of the US Vietnam veteran we'd met with 'robot' legs. Stick-play is now crutch-play in our garden!

The closing ceremony seemed endless, but we love George Michael and Damien Hirst's spin painting beneath the Union Jack was totally great and the Spice Girl's still know how to pop!

All that remains is the gold medal soap on a rope for the shower and the Knitlympics challenge for Granny Fan. We've loved it all and after that warm-up, bring on the Para Olympics!!!


PS: My mum rang her handbell at home alone at the launch of the Games c/o Martin Creed and we thought the dash of the lateral contemporary commissioning, amidst the sport was smart and fun.

Dulles International Airport (IAD), Washington DC

The blog will go into a brief hiatus whilst we return to the motherland.

We noted sadly that the flag was still there but half mast as we departed... the tragedy of Sikh Temple shooting cutting across America, just weeks after the chaos of the midnight premiere of The Dark Night Rises in Colorado.

Our plane took off in a deep red sunset and we headed up to Iceland contentedly. Viewing pleasures included The Hangover for us and Fireman Sam - the hero, for J.

Camp Hilbert, Maidens

Unchanged since 1947, we suspect...

This outpost of the Jewish Community Centre is hidden in a woodland clearing, just outside Richmond, and is utterly simple, charming and incredibly peaceful.

Well, slightly disturbed by the girls' having a wild time in the water with their friend Tess and random others. Plenty of wildlife too, including the ever-present spiders - a leaping wolf on this occasion, giant ants and butterflies.