The Littles go to London

1 November 2019


I took the kids up to London for a long weekend during the half term holiday. It seems that I am the type of parent that never reads those bits of paper that come home in their book bag, as I did not know that Autumn half term this year is two weeks. A very strange notion that kids should have one week less of summer holidays and one week more of autumn holidays instead. I cannot see the logic myself.
Anyway, I thought some adventures in London town would be a good distraction from the awful weather, and going away on holiday somewhere hotter is not really an option at the moment.

Here are few pictures from our trip...


This time of the year is quite spectacular in London though. We went for a run about in the Southbank Centre which has amazing carpeted foyers overlooking the Thames after the train trip.
Next day we went to Bethnal Green...




It was a bit too dark in Museum of Childhood to take photos, but basically my son thought it was a huge shop and that there was the prospect of me buying him a vintage pedal car he pointed out. Explain that to a three year old.

The kids always enjoy the shops on Tottenham Court Road though thankfully, especially the huge Paperchase which has an amazing art department upstairs, but sadly the cafe has closed. He bought a motocross bike from the toy shop which came with a tiny screwdriver to build it, that kept him happy and he took everywhere with him.






This is Hatton Garden, London's jewellery quarter (sadly being redeveloped as offices and posh flats thanks to Crossrail).

We went all the way to the end of the Central Line, to Ealing to visit Pitzhanger Manor. I went there recetly to see the Es Devlin exhibt and I thought they'd like the park and playground there too.










Sir John Soane was a famous architect in the Regency era, and his main house in London is in Lincoln's Inn Fields which is very near to our workshop. It is an amazing museum now, so I was curious about this place which at the time would have been his country house. It has recently been completely renovated with handpainted walls which are mind blowing.





That wallpaper is all handpainted too, I can't really get my head around the amout of work that was involved.

The kids just liked the bricks.










Pehr was really into her 'spot the difference' book.

We were pretty lucky to get a gap in the wet weather to explore the park. The playground was a big hit.







By popular demand, Tate Modern again...




A very hypnotic film about ants.


Pehr - 'I bet I could do a better snail than that'
Leify - 'and me too'.




Thanks for having us London!





7 comments

  1. Your blog is a joy to my life. Been following since before Pehr was born. Your ability to take such candid shots of your children is amazing. I am a big fan of your camera.

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  2. So glad to see your posts which I aways love to read. As a teacher I must say that I am a fan of the longer half term holiday in October. It is such a long term leading up to Christmas and many primary school children, especially the little ones get very tired by the end. Giving them a longer break in the middle tends to lead to less sickness so more time at school in the long run. We only did it once at my school though as it was not popular with many parents. It looks as if you really made the most of it though.

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  3. Anonymous4.11.19

    Artemis, you are such a good mom. You give your children so much positive input. And by the way, you`re a creative and beautiful woman.
    Greetings from Dora, a 62 years old granny from Germany

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  4. I agree with Pehr..I could do a better snail with my eyes shut. Bet she could make a fantastic one. And Leif, your Motocross Bike is huge!

    Thanks for sharing you wonderful Mom.

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  5. Ana Lima6.11.19

    I love reading your blog and you have such a great way with the camera! I have a 5 year old and you always inspire me to do more stuff with him. X

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  6. What two such beautiful children to have such a wonderful mother. Thank you for the tour x

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  7. I have been reading your blog since before Pehr was born, so it's been amazing to see your kids grow. One thing I love is how you give them the gift of experiences that enrich their minds and hearts. It looks like they have a wonderful time!

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