The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris: Despite the subject matter, I found this a very easy read. It's the true story of Lale Sokolov - how he survived the horrors of Auschwitz and found love along the way. Need to Know by Karen Cleveland (on the Kindle): This was February's Book Club choice on … Continue reading For the Love of Books | Currently Reading February 2018
During the recent half-term, we visited the 23rd Orchid Festival in Kew Gardens. We were there for opening time and were able to wander around the fantastic displays freely.The festival this year celebrates Thailand and the 1,100 orchids which can be found there. As well as stunning displays, there's a rice paddy and an orchid … Continue reading Kew Gardens | Orchid Festival
We kicked off the weekend with some unexpected, but entirely welcome, visitors...... we left them in bed on Saturday morning when we left the house early for Autism | Early Birds at the Science Museum.After our friends left, the afternoon saw us catch up with Cachirulo and Los Pequeños for a belated 3rd birthday get … Continue reading This Weekend I …
The Boy Child attends a school where 100% attendance is rewarded. At the end of each term, children who haven't missed a day receive a metal badge to wear on their blazer. If they manage 100% attendance for the whole school year, the badge is yellow in colour. Now in his third year at the … Continue reading Rewarding Attendance | Yes or No?
Sadly, the UK has just one national chain of bookshops left. Thankfully, there are numerous independent bookshops around the country that are managing to hang on and keep their doors open; London has some real gems. Here are three of my favourite: John Sandoe Books can be found just off the King's Road in Chelsea (nearest Tube: … Continue reading London’s Independent Bookshops
The two year anniversaries for both Mum and Grandad Paddy have passed in the last few weeks, so it's not surprising that I've been reading about death this month. Not in a morbid kind of way, but in a realistic and occasionally humorous kind of way. With the End in Mind | Dying, Death and … Continue reading For the Love of Books | Reading about Death
St James's is bounded to the north by Piccadilly, to the west by Green Park, to the south by The Mall and St. James's Park and to the east by Haymarket. Post Second World War, the area became predominantly commercial but, as is happening in large swathes of Central London, it's slowly becoming a home for the very wealthy, with … Continue reading Weekday Walks | St. James’s
On Saturday afternoon, we attended an event at the Royal Albert Hall. An event that was somewhat marred by The Boy Child's attitude to a new experience. (More of what the new experience was, and his reaction to it, at a later date.) On Sunday, to round off half-term, we had a family outing to … Continue reading This Weekend I …
Here's the thing ... I was so engrossed by what I was looking at, I forgot to take many photos. Surely that's the sign of a great museum? The Churchill War Rooms (formerly known as the Cabinet War Rooms) can be found in a subterranean bunker in Westminster, and it's here that Winston Churchill and his wartime … Continue reading Churchill War Rooms
February 2018 marks my Blogoversary - a whole ten years of blogging. I recognise that I wasn't very good in early days, but it still might be fun to look back over the years ...Two years ago: I learned that people are kind. Five years ago: I shared a moment. Eight years ago: The Boy Child … Continue reading On This Day
This West London Life 