Plummy Mummy

Toddler Club - Woodlands Farm Trust

2012-01-25T14:15:00.003Z

Just noticed this on the BBC site. Nice that it's listed there :)
Toddler Club at the Woodlands Farms Trust
http://www.bbc.co.uk/thingstodo/activity/toddler-club/occurrence/56041

Things that go bump

2012-01-24T20:42:00.002Z

Remember those days where you met a lovely other half and got IT on at every opportunity available? Life would be one endless round of rumpy bumpy. You would happily/smugly be 5 minutes late meeting friends just to squeeze in a quick one. Any excuse really. Remember? One of the best excuses has to moving into a new house as every room had to be "christened". I mean EVERY room. Oh what fun. Sigh. That ALL changes when you have a kid in the house. Now, moving house means a few weeks (if you are lucky, months if you are not) of getting the child used to a new room, new wardrobes, new kitchen and snack cupboards, new sounds at night, a new street, possibly new friends. And sleepless nights as said child has to be soothed at night. Especially if said child walks into Mummy and Daddy's new room and sees a sight children just should not see. Have added a trip to the local DIY shop for door locks on my list of To Dos.

[11th Feb '12] Interactive Jazz Concert

2012-01-21T11:24:00.001Z

Hey all Greenwich residents, this hit my email box this week. I would love to go along with little one but it's a bit of a trek for us. Anyway, she would want to turn it into a ROCK concert as she loves ROCK (always shouted so hence the capitals). It's all for charity. Do make sure you check the website before going for any updates.

Saturday 11th Feb at 10:30 at St. Joseph's Church, 103 Pelton Road, Greenwich, SE10 9AN

Organised with the grateful support of Jools Holland all the profits from the first concert will be donated to Demelza's Children Hospice, a charity voted for by our Facebook followers! Henry, Tim and Anna from Boppin' Bunnies will be leading everyone in playing percussion and singing so come ready to participate!
More details on our website: www.boppinbunnies.co.uk.

Joy Neal from Blackheath Cooks & Munchkins Kids Cooking will also be coming on the 11th February to sell yummy treats/cakes at the end of our Interactive Concert for everyone who wants one!

The concerts are aimed at 4 - 9 year olds, and pre-school children & babies are also welcome. It is a family event for families with children of any age!

Cost £5 adults, £3 children on the door. Babies under 8 months free (the same as at our Boppin' Bunnies classes)

Anna and the Boppin' Bunnies team

Boppin' Bunnies

07855916496

info@boppinbunnies.co.uk

www.boppinbunnies.co.uk

Live from Livingston

2012-01-19T20:44:00.003Z

Well the boxes are nearly all unpacked. Just hundreds of CDs/DVDs, mostly Mr Plummy's,to go which need to wait for shelves. Part of me would like to chuck the lot but the other part likes going through the collection and finding something I haven't heard or seen before.
We like this house so much and feel incredibly at home. From the outside it is an ordinary grey box similar to the many others on the street. But unlike our place in Larbert which was pretty on the outside, this one is more "us". So it just goes to show - having a house full of character isn't always the right choice.
We aren't dealing with a persnickety landlady or dodgy electrics here so feel more confident making it a home to suit our needs and tastes. Of course we can't knock down walls or anything so extreme - holes for shelves is the extent of our house designing.
A bonus on our last day in Larbert was being told by my doctor that I don't have gallstones. As for the excruciating pain that I had suffered - the guess is it was caused by a virus that attacked my liver. Well I haven't had an episode for nearly 2 months and with the low fat diet (and a bastard of a cold) I lost weight over Christmas - yay me!
Maybe it's time for a new wardrobe? The town centre here is just a huge shopping centre so I should be all set. Oh but hold on, I'm so skint after Christmas. Where's that winning lottery ticket?

Justice

2012-01-04T19:55:00.000Z

For a certain generation of Londoners, the name Stephen Lawrence is rather powerful. What happened to him is the only reason I knew where Plumstead and Eltham were before I moved to the area - a large reason for my reluctance to do so. I cannot imagine how I would react as a mother if my child had been murdered and then his death had been handled in such a shameful way.
The names Doreen and Neville Lawrence are familiar to anyone who followed the case. However, it is Doreen who was perhaps the better known as she was often the one in public. Last night, we watched the Panorama documentary following Mrs Lawrence in the last year. I was surprised as I expected her to be some political animal [a la Bonfire of the Vanities] but that's not how she came across. In many ways, she is just an ordinary woman. And that's part of the tragedy - the Lawrences were just ordinary British people who's lives were torn apart in the most horrific way and who were propelled into the limelight to get justice in the most extraordinary way.
I hope that the verdicts give Doreen some peace and a few good nights sleep - I imagine she will need that strength to continue the fight for complete justice for her son.

Making a list...

2011-12-23T21:13:00.000Z

1. All presents bought and wrapped

Check. Near 100% fandabby doozy success with online stuff. Only bad purchase was a t-shirt for yours truly that arrived in skinny size. I'm not a skinny but I got a 100% refund so no loss. I also, in supermum mode, did a quick run around the supermarket this morning for last minute bits. I was back home at 10.30 as they were relatively quiet.

2. Food ready

Check. We did an online shop and everything arrived. This year my sister-in-law and I are doing the veg. I can't wait as I love a freshly roasted tattie

4. Stockings done

Check. Oh I've been in supercraft mode today making my own stocking. Its red, it's got pompoms and glitter and it's going to be filled with pre-BIG EVENT goodies!

5. Nativity seen

Check and check. The kids did a supercute one at nursery. And of course, my little one was the only Angel sucking her thumb but my gawd, she was cute in her outfit as were all the other little ones.
We then went to the nativity at my husband's church. As religion is so important to his family, I want to make sure she sees what it is about before she decided herself what to believe. Again, the kids were supercute but my little one was not happy. Poor kid has ended up with a huge cold and has been miserable all week.

6. Nursery finished

Check. Last day of term was on Wed with a Xmas party and Santa - tot would not go anywhere near him as she tends to stay away from strangely dressed men. I was surprised when the Head got rather tearful whilst asking that each of us spends at least 5 mins a day listening and being with our children. Hubby and I spend a lot of time with my child - she's a delight as all children are if they are allowed to be. We do a lot together and I know that we are lucky that we can do so. I hope that no parents are ever too busy to spend a mere 5 mins with their kids. And if the kids are in foster care, I hope the government, social workers, potential adopters and foster carers all get it sorted out so that more than 60 out of 3600 kids are adopted next year in England - frankly, it's a disgrace as those kids have already been let down before and deserve a second chance at a great life.

7. On the 12th day, move.

Well not done yet, but we are planning to move to Livingston. At the moment we are just going through reference checks which IMHO are a complete rip off. We already paid £60 each when we moved to Larbert and now we are paying £90 each as part of the move to Livingston. I never went through reference checks when I was renting in the 90s. I just had to show some paychecks and that was it. It's just another way for estate agents to rip off people and is yet another barrier to people moving to where the work is. Unfortunately, it's a damned if we do, damned if we don't. If we don't move, we will continue to spend far too much on petrol and continue to live in a place which I have not warmed to. If we move, we have to pay to move but in the long run save money and also see hubby more. And the big plus for me is that we will be that much closer to Edinburgh - yippeeeee!!!!

8. Sort out my health

Ongoing. I haven't had any pain attacks since my trip to the hospital. I've been super careful about what I eat though I could do with exercising more. Next Wednesday, I have an ultrasound which should help find out whether I've got some stones. Sounds mad but I cannot wait as at least I'll know where I stand then and can make a positive plan to deal with it.

All in all, it's going to be a fun few weeks. I hope yours will too and that you all have a lovely jubbly Xmas.

Shopping

2011-12-09T10:43:00.001Z

I'm starting to feel a bit sorry for the postie - he's had to come to our house almost every day recently delivering a parcel on top of all the normal letter deliveries. Thing is, it's easy to shop online - to choose bargains, find alternatives, check stock levels and to read reviews. However, the downside is you have to wait for the items and you don't really know what they are like until they arrive. Regarding reviews of products, I've realised that they aren't always reflective of what the actual item is like - I wonder what proportion of buyers actually bother writing a review.
Our kid HATES shopping in real shops with a passion. Any kind of shop. She finds it boring and within a few minutes of stepping out of the car will moan and whine and declare she's tiiiiiired and generally get on my wick. I've let her get away with it so we hardly ever venture out of the house. But now, I'm putting my foot down and making her understand that no matter how boring it is, that's life and she's just going to have to go with the flow. If she's good she gets a treat and one of her faves is going to a cafe so there we are - go out shopping and get into a cafe.
Luckily for her, there are very few shopping areas in Scotland. Certainly you don't have your Brent Crosses, Bullrings, Bluewaters or Trafford Centres up here. Edinburgh lovely as it is, is piss poor for shopping. Surprisingly for us Dundee actually has a decent centre. But if you are serious about shopping you head to Glasgow which is a mecca for shopaholics. We went last weekend with a treat promised of a fair which was just outside the station. Kid was placated by a ride on a carousel (why do little girls love horses so???) and with a promise to go ice-skating later. The area around Queen street wasn't busy. We ended up in Enoch Square shopping centre where Mr Plummy and kid spent so much time in the Disney store that I was able to go around about 4 shops and still got bored waiting for them. Eventually we made it to the Christmas market. Most of it was not of interest but little one was in love with the honey doused French Crepe made by genuine Frenchmen. I think given a chance she would have eaten until she burst.
At this point, we split and I headed to Buchanan street which is FULL of shops. So many that my head became dizzy. I spent so much time pissing about in John Lewis that I didn't get to any other shops. Probably good as my savings are dwindling and we don't have the spare cash for sprees. We do always have just enough money for a cafe!
A great day out slightly marred by journey home on a stupidly short train where we were all crammed in like sardines and where not one person gave up their seat for kid who ended up sitting on a table. I got so angry when an older gentleman got on board and dumb arse younger people continued to sit - so I ordered one of them to get up and give him a seat. Do not mess with a mother who has a tired child is all I can say.

A bit blowy

2011-12-09T10:39:00.001Z

Well we survived the winds. They were not as bad as we thought they would be after watching the red alerts on the news. None of the trees fell over though they were bending in a rather alarming way yesterday afternoon. And luckily no-one had their bins out as they would have caused havoc if blown across the roads. In all, we were a lot luckier than others around the North. I hope power is restored to houses that are without soon as it's very cold up here.

Smith Art Gallery Stirling

2011-11-23T18:49:00.001Z

This weekend we visited the Smith Art Gallery in Stirling. It's a lovely little museum which packed in quite a bit. I was primarily interested in a Spirit of the Celt exhibition which was by 10 textile artists
and also in the Christmas Tingles. Hubby and tot shot through the art exhibit and went through to the history section which was very interesting indeed. There were even some dress up clothes but alas, they were too big for our little gal. She was happy just playing with the TV which was in part of an exhibit. We also took a walk around Aillie's Garden - it looks like a sweet garden but not for winter time. We hastily went inside for a cuppa - which was perhaps the most disappointing part of our visit as the prices were quite high. The highlight for me was hubby buying me a heart necklace from the Tingles collection - mind you I did blatantly point to it and say "Oh how pretty, I want it". If you are shopping in Stirling and fancy a quick break, then go along. It's not far from the Thistles shopping centre. At the very least the view up to Stirling Castle is worth it.
Sorry for the quality of the pictures and the rather strange layout - I need a better camera and to pick up that book on HTML I bought over a year ago.

Paisley patterns.

Kelpie

To teach girls household chores

Turtle teapot

Dress up clothes

Cut up shotgun - memorial to those killed in Dunblane

Stirling Embroiderers Guild Hangman!

Seats in the garden

This precious life

2011-11-23T10:11:00.001Z

There are times where I wish the day would end, where boredom or a hard task makes me want to hurry the minute, hour or day away. There are times when I look forward to an event so much that I forget about living the days inbetween.
A few weeks ago, my aunt died. She had cancer but it was the survivable kind. It was her kidneys that gave out. Sad as she was a sweet lady. Even more so as she was the youngest sister of my uncle who passed away in June. I was feeling a bit emotional about it all which led to a sleepless night, which led to me looking on Facebook. Sometimes Facebook users suck. I found out from Facebook that another aunt's husband had died. But not any details. Normally I get a call from Dad with details.
The uncle who died had only just turned 40. He was a nice guy who married my aunt 14 years ago - one of the first mixed marriages in our family.
Over the coming days it emerged that he died whilst popping out on an errand on his motorbike. A freak fall off the bike and he banged his head on a lamp-post and died instantly. He's left my aunt and 2 very young cousins.
I can never get the "died instantly" - how can something that is so ALIVE, so full of love, emotion, views and well, life get extinguished in an instant? There wasn't even a chance to say goodbye, for a last kiss with his wife and kids.
"Instant" sucks.
Facebook sucks.
I'm not wishing any more minutes away.

Stones

2011-11-10T10:32:00.000Z

I was sad to hear of Heavy D's death. For those that don't know, he was a rather large rapper who was most famous for his 80's hit "Now that we found love" - a very upbeat song. He was the same age as me. They don't know what killed him but there is already some speculation that it was linked to his obesity. It sucks to be obese. I'm feeling the bad effects of it as I have either got a stomach ulcer, or gallstones. Big contributing factors in the latter are a) being a woman and b) being even slightly overweight like what I am. In the last few months, I've had attacks of the most excruciating pain - on one occasion I was stuck in Edinburgh station with tot and hubby, doubled up in pain and trying to puke my guts out. Luckily, after asking for help from the police, we were taken to a quiet first class lounge so that I could ride out the pain. I have nothing but praise for the station staff and the policeman particularly as I was getting stressed about boarding a train then bringing it to a standstill as I writhed about like a possessed woman.
Since then there have been more attacks. My doc is trying to help with antibiotics, antacids, antispasmodics but the attacks continue to come every few days. This Tuesday it was so bad, that we called an ambulance. My poor tot was distressed as I was taken away. But by the time I arrived at the shiny new Forth Valley hospital the attack was over and I felt like a bit of a twit. I hope it is all sorted soon as at the moment it means I restricted to a low fat, high fibre diet which make for very boring cooking. And don't bring a curry near me as I'm liable to tell you to stick it where the sun doesn't shine.

Hello, hello, is anyone there?

2011-11-01T10:39:00.003Z

I have to admit that it's easy to become a bit stats obsessed. I mean no-one wants to be talking to themselves.
However, lately the blogger stats have gone a bit strange. I get spikes in numbers from America from odd referring sites. I'm not going to click to find out who they are and I seriously doubt that they are actually an audience.
In a way though this weirdness has done me a favour. Turns out I don't actually mind talking to myself. I just have to remember not to do it in public unlike a Uni mate of mine who used to argue with herself whilst walking down the high street.

The Horror of Pink

2011-10-31T10:24:00.001Z

I hate Halloween which I've always seen as a vulgar American import, an excuse for shops to sell tat and for kids to roam about begging for food.
It turns out that it's a Scottish thing though there was only treat and no trick according to my Scottish relatives. So it's tradition and who am I to go against tradition?
Tot has gone off to nursery today not dressed as a pumpkin or a witch (both outfits are in her repertoire) but as a bright fluorescent pink fairy with a sparkly wand and a bag full of sparkles. Well, if it's OK for Carol Kane, it's OK for us.
We have done the pumpkin thing which I justified by saying we could eat the flesh (urgh inappropriate word for a vegie)- but it turned out to be horrid, unripe, unappetising and went to the bin. I tried roasting the seeds with scream inducing amounts of chili powder and chili flakes but no good - shame as I'd have liked to hand those out tonight to any roaming beasties that dare knock on our door. Instead, they will get raisins. Muhhhahahahahahhahahahaaaaaaaaaa cough cough cough.

Dynamic Earth

2011-10-21T16:41:00.003+01:00

This week has been half term in Falkirk and hubby took time off work so we could visit different areas. Unfortunately, tummy bugs put a bit of a spanner in the works and so we didn't get out as much as we would like. Last weekend, I was very excited to visit Dundee as a new Hobbycraft store has just opened there - this is a retail success story as lots of new stores are planned. Even though most of what they sell is more expensive than what can be bought online,I find it useful and inspirational to see things before buying.
On Monday we drove over to Livingston - the monsoon rain forced us into the huge shopping centre. Before moving to Scotland, I was warned off Livingston which is described as a new town that's a huge mall but it's where hubby works and the shops offer some chance of my getting a part-time job. It's also that much closer to Edinburgh. Livingston Village is very pretty and has a lovely school so we are crossing our fingers that a suitable place comes up.
Yesterday, we went into Edinburgh to visit Dynamic Earth which is a new science museum all about Earth. There are loads of interactive galleries and young enthusiastic tour guides to lead you through from one area to another. Unfortunately, this meant waiting around sometimes for guides which I wasn't keen on (I'm a tad impatient but don't like being treated like some sort of sheep). It was also a little bit scary in parts for our 4 year old though she's already asked to go back. I thoroughly enjoyed the time lift which used the walls of the lift shaft to display different periods of history. There was a brilliant gallery showing the effects of the ice age, and another showing modern day Arctic and Antarctic with a huge real ice display in the middle. The rainforest gallery was a bit hokey but there is a 3d show about different biodomes around Earth which was very good. Finally, there is a half hour show about astronauts which didn't teach me much new but little one enjoyed it once she lay down on her chair. Definitely worth a visit if you have school age kids. At the mo there is a special on where you pay entry in October, a few pounds more and you get free entry for a year. Even if we go for one more trip, it will be worth it.

Not crazy after all

2011-10-14T09:38:00.002+01:00

For as long as I can remember, certain sounds have been able to send me into a boiling, murderous rage. The earliest one I can remember is the sound of my mum tearing up letters as I worried she was destroying important documents. I would imagine all sorts of horrors befalling her so that she would stop. It would take time to calm down once the trigger sound was gone which didn't improve our relationship much. Now the big trigger for me is the sound of people eating...but it's not all people, just my Dad eating. And then there is the banshee rage caused by anyone eating crisps loudly. The biggest crime in cinema history was when the lovely Phoenix cinema in East Finchley started selling kettle crisps...I mean COME ON how is one supposed to hear the film if there is some knob sitting next you munching on what are possibly the loudest crisps on this planet. Popcorn is just as bad. Thank goodness the NFT doesn't allow food inside their auditoriums (not much use to me now as I'm too far away). Another trigger is people fiddling endlessly with their hair...my husband does it and sometimes it makes me want to wait until the middle of the night where I would stealthily shave all the sodding stuff off and cut off all his fingers to boot.
My family thought I was an unreasonable crazy nut and just made more noise.
Well, now thanks to the power of the Internet, I have a name for my condition - misophonia. It's nice to know I'm not alone though thankfully, I don't have as many triggers as some of the people on there (and no, I'm not daft enough to share all the triggers). As of yet, there is no cure but once again, the Internet helps me feel that I'm not alone in my little oddities. Thing is, as the world become more crowded we are going to be coming across this condition more and more as there will just be no where to escape from the noise.

Piece of cake

2011-10-05T21:17:00.001+01:00

I like my cake and I like to eat it too.
Last week there were MacMillan coffee morning across the land as loads of people held events to raise money for the charity by asking people to eat cake and drink coffee. Alas, I was thwarted by a bit of a tummy bug which meant no cake for me.
I consoled myself by watching the Great British Bake Off, Series 2. I started to watch it as Paul Hollywood is like a chubby version of my husband and he knows about cake. The final last night literally had me on the edge of my seat (the rest was now too wet from the drool falling out of my gob). The finalists were all mums. One married at 17, and a stay at home , one highly educated, well travelled now stay at home and one a company director on maternity leave. Now, woe-betide the mum that doesn't bake. I can whip up a cake and can be shall we say "creative" with toppings but these ladies were something else. I didn't like one contestant (the mad staring eyed Holly company director) and was really rooting for the inventive, bake obsessed, creator of Gargantuan cake Mary Ann (a Terry Pratchett fan no less so a person with good taste). I liked her humour especially in the light of cock ups. Though in the end, I was happy that Jo Wheatley won - the mum since 17, who had raised 3 boys and now wanted to do something for herself. And bloody hell, she did it - she won. Wooo hooo there is life after parenthood - there is hope. And in the meantime, there is cake. I wonder if she would hire herself out as a Cake-Mummy for a day?

Jo Wheatley's blog - Jo's Blue Aga
Mary Ann Boermans blog - Time to Cook

P.S. Before you judge me and start rolling your eyes, let me assure you, I'm not a reality TV show fan. Most of it is mind boggingly crap and I'd rather scratch my eyes out with brillo pads then watch. This statement doesn't apply to ballroom dancing which I watch with the mother in law, or to cake shows.

P.P.S. The final show was educational. I now know what a squirrel's willy looks like without having to resort to unsavoury experimentation.

Falkirk Wheel

2011-10-03T11:36:00.001+01:00

I'm a bit behind in my blog posts. We have been busy looking into areas to live, dealing with stomach bugs and generally just doing normal day to day life. There aren't many attractions in Falkirk, but we managed to visit the Falkirk Wheel which is an amazing rotating boat lift that joins the Forth and Union canals. The area around the Wheel has been developed to include a children's playground, and area where kids can experiment with sand and water, another area for walking on water in giant plastic balls (think Zorbing but on water) and a decent sized cafe which is right next to the lift. It's only about 10 mins drive from where we live which is great for taking the little one though the £2 parking charge will limit how often we do this - I know it's not a huge amount but our little one is definitely into Cafe Culture and likes to have her cake and eat it too. After scoffing our faces, we got her to wheel her bike around the paths circling the Wheel and then down to the Canal looking at the lovely canal boats moored along the way. Her little legs were tired so we didn't manage to get onto the Woodland Walk paths leading to the Antonine Wall - however, all in all, a lovely day out right in our neighbourhood.

The future's bright

2011-09-27T10:03:00.001+01:00

Depression. That's not what I have. Depression is a scary word, a word associated with failure or weakness. I'm just adjusting to the recent changes in our lives. Others have managed it, and so can I. Heck my mother travelled across the world with 3 kids and she managed. Thing is, I'm sure she had depression - I used to hear her crying at night. I don't want my daughter to hear me. So I have learnt to cry silently. And during the day, I rage against the smallest thing as I just feel frustrated by the way I'm feeling.
I've been here before, this bad funk, this huge cloud of negativity and woe-is-me. I know that it will get better. I know I'm not alone - I've been reading more and more stories and posts by people who are losing their jobs, finding it hard to get full time or any work, who have lost all hope of flexibility in their workplace as the recession bites and bosses don't need to provide it. I have to believe that I will work again, that I will contribute to the family pot of dosh. I have to believe that becoming a stay at home mum 5 years ago and giving up my job was a good decision. I have to forgive myself for not trying to do some freelance work and for not keeping up my network of contacts. I know that if my husband had stayed at home, he would be the one feeling this way now. I have to believe the future's bright.

The Singing Kettle

2011-09-18T19:21:00.000+01:00

Spout, handle, lid of metal, what's insiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide the singing kettle?
Yesterday afternoon we went along to Falkirk Town Hall to watch the Singing Kettle Funny Farm Show. The Singing Kettle are a group of Scottish children's entertainers that's been around forever but are virtually unknown in England. Tot was introduced to the delights of the group by her aunt a few years ago and for a while was Singing Kettle potty so when I saw the show advertised at Falkirk Town Hall, I couldn't resist buying tickets.
Before the show began they threw in some gigantic balloons for the audience to throw around. The show was fun enough but the acoustics at the town hall made it hard to understand every song. This didn't deter anyone as the audience was encouraged to do actions and sing along. Unfortunately, our little one who was dressed as a donkey got very upset as she wasn't chosen to go up on stage. In fact, on the two occassions they asked for volunteers, they didn't chose anyone with a costume on...not great for kids who had made an effort.
Many of the songs were familiar farmyard ones but with a twist added by the entertainers. My favourite was the Old Woman who Swallowed a Fly where the entertainer was doing multiple costume changes.
This was our first experience in the town hall which houses the theatre, a cinema, bar and cafe. It was opened in the 1960s. I am not sure it would not be built these days because it's not in keeping with the surroundings. However, the theatre was nice enough and we were sat in tiered seats meaning our view was not obscured by the people in front.
We bought a Singing Kettle cd from their stand so for the next few years, I'm going to have that on whenever tot is in the car with me. All together now SPOUT, HANDLE....err maybe not!

Stirling

2011-09-17T20:27:00.000+01:00

Have you seen that VisitScotland ad? The one that Neil Oliver of Coast fame does the voice-over. The one showing gorgeous Scottish locations. Wellll, that's what I thought it would be like when we moved here - every weekend spent at a beautiful loch, around a state clanshouse or castle, dining in restaurants with the finest Scottish fare, and with a bit of crafty-ness thrown in.
Err the reality was mostly rain, Falkirk and a woeful lack of farmers' markets or decent restaurants. Considering this is a pretty old town, there is not much to discover in terms of the "HISTORY" though I do still have to visit the Falkirk Wheel.
This is a sad excuse - truth be told I've been lazy and wallowing in self-pity at leaving London. Glasgow and Edinburgh are very close. There is a lot to see up in Central Scotland and to discover craft wise. But it needs effort to get there and rain just makes me want to curl up on the sofa and watch TV.
This Thursday the Sun was shining it's wonderful Autumnal glow and I got off my backside, picked up tot and went to Stirling to meet my mother in law. From what I saw, there is a pretty decent shopping centre there and plenty of places to eat (shame we chose a cafe in the Thistles centre which was dire). After lunch, we walked up to Stirling Castle. The approach is magnificent as you walk past the Old Jail and a Cathedral before walking up some steps to enter the Castle grounds. The Castle has just undergone a part refurb which looked odd as part of the structure was a bright yellow colour compared to the rest of the greystone buildings.
I was a bit shocked at the entrance fee of £13 so decided to opt in for the Historic Scotland membership so we could get money off in other historic locations.
There are two sides to the Castle - the history of James V and his wife Mary de Guise who was the mother of Mary Queen of Scots. The other side is the history of the Argylls and Sutherland regiment who were based at the Castle. Unfortunately, we spent too much time at the latter which whilst interesting meant the little one was not willing to spend at the Royal Court parts. Part of the regiment history detailed their role in India...not comfortable reading for me however, the history of the regiment in the Crimea and WW2 included some heartbreaking letters sent by soldiers to loved ones at home. Luckily the refurbished Royal Court had less to read (reminding me a lot of the updated parts of Hampton Court) - making the experience more interactive with museum staff who were in 16th Century dress.
I was in complete tourist mode taking in photos of the statue of Robert the Bruce, the magnificent views and the sumptuously decorated Queens Chambers. Me, and quite a few Americans of course ;) I'll definitely be returning to visit the Castle more (perhaps without the little one!) and to walk around the grounds which whilst not extensive have amazing views.
And a bonus on the way home, we passed Macrees which is a yarn shop I've bought online from. So I managed to slip in a bit of crafty-shopping. All in all, a lovely Autumn day and one of many I hope.

Robert the Bruce

Annoying tourist woman in shot

Refurbed Great Hall

View from Castle

Greenwich Curry Club Awards

2011-09-13T19:55:00.000+01:00

The curry devouring bods over at the Greenwich Curry Club have an award to dish out...and the lucky winner can be selected by you guys - please fill in the very short survey here to nominate your best curry nosh place.

I do not know your name

2011-09-10T20:33:00.000+01:00

A poem written by Kenny Harris begins and ends with the following line:

I do not know your name, but I know you died
I do not know from where you came, but I know you died

He wrote it after visiting some war graves. I couldn't find any poems of remembrance for non-military people who had died in a war but these lines really sum up how I feel.
As we approach the 10 year anniversary of 9/11, I'm sure many of us will reflect on where we were when the first of the planes struck. I was in an office in Central London in my first design job. My colleagues and I watched it all happening on the Internet. At first there was laughter as it looked like a hoax but as we watched people jumping to their deaths and news came from other sources, it became vividly clear that this was real. Did the world change that day? I grew up in a London that was terrorised by the IRA - and on occasion at work on Oxford street, would be warned to keep away from the glass windows in our office building. The IRA gave warnings and I think mostly, hit military targets.
9/11 reminded the West that in war, it wasn't just soldiers who died. Was this the first time since Pearl Harbour that Americans had been attacked on their own home soil? The most shocking thing was these were people who were just having ordinary days the same as I was - going to work, having breakfast, doing their day to day. They weren't aware of any war, nor that they were potential targets. And it still doesn't feel like war, it still feels like murder as it did in London 4 years later.
I didn't know any of them, but I know they died and tomorrow I shall be saying a prayer for them and their loved ones.

Lazy sunday

2011-09-04T19:02:00.003+01:00

It was my child's birthday yesterday. The years are truly going fast. After a manic week of getting presents and food sorted, we had a great get-together with the Scottish family in Dundee (plus my dad - who surprisingly came up for the weekend).
This morning, after dropping Dad off at the station we took the little one to Callendar Park in Falkirk to try out her new bike. Just by luck, there was an ActiveSunday event on so we were able to briefly watch some kids cheerleading and doing karate among other exhibits.
After lunch, we headed back home and had a lazy afternoon. Thanks to our neighbour's buddleia trees, we have many butterflies in our garden. While I was napping in the garden chair, one even landed on my nose! I didn't get a picture of that one but got a rather fuzzy one of a red admiral. It's very hard not to be chilled with these beauties fluttering about.

Ruggerbeez - Shooters Hill Rugby Club

2011-08-28T19:11:00.003+01:00

I do like kids to run around having fun and getting exercise. And now...if you are into Rugby and have a 2-7 year old, you can register your interest in a new Ruggerbeez class starting up soon at the Shooters Hill Rugby club here.

Some common things

2011-08-23T20:05:00.003+01:00

1. There seem to be hairdressers everywhere. I remember people used to comment on the number of hairdressers/barbers in Plumstead. But you know what, it's the same here. Larbert has a teeny, tiny main street and yet it has 3 barbers and at least 6 hair salons (a new one opened over the weekend). I'm getting concerned that I'll be expected to be coiffured to the hilt. Oh and of course, there are at least 3 estate agents! (But no kebab shops here, just your local fish and chips shop x 2).
2. No matter where we end up living, we always seem just outside the catchment area of the local gorgeous nursery. In our case, we are literally on the wrong side of the (BR) tracks which run perpendicular to our road. Luckily though, the nursery speaks highly of all the Larbert nurseries including the one that tot should go to.
3. No matter how carefully you watch your child, as soon as you take your eye off them, they will fall and bang their head. I have icepacks permanently ready in the fridge for such occasions!
4. Rain falls. Sometimes floods result. And sometimes not. Take waterproofs or an umbrella even if it's bright and sunny.
5. Greggs fudge doughnuts are yummy especially when 4. and 3. above occurs.

A love of libraries

2011-08-18T19:20:00.003+01:00

Have you seen that excellent film Matilda? It's based on a Roald Dahl book which I've never read but the film struck a deep chord with me. The scenes where the child escapes to the library with her little wagon - that was me in the early 80s albeit without the wagon, toodling off to Hendon Library. It was my haven - a way to escape my boisterous brothers. I didn't do sport and TV was rather limited so to amuse myself I read, and read, and read. I'm rather blessed with an awful memory so could read the same book many times but in a library there was no need as there was just so much choice. As a kid I vaguely remembering childrens series about two boys who went into the wild looking for animals as their dad collected them for a zoo. I also found out about my religion and loads of craft things to do. As a teenager the reading escalated and among the authors Herbert, Asimov and Pohl taught me about SF, Chaim Potok helped me see into the world of Hassidic Jews, Mills&Boons a distorted view of romance. I devoured Harold Robbins and Jackie Collins much to my parent's disgust. One of my school friends even worked in the music section for a summer. Later on as a jobless graduate, it became a vital source of information for career hunting - job papers and company information was readily available.
When we moved to Dundee, I joined the library to take tot along to baby rhyme times. Not always successful at making friends but it got us out of the house. In Plumstead, I did the same joining Slade Library's craft club (if it's still going, please join as it's great). So to Larbert and their funky new library. We have been to a few toddler rhyme times and that's been my daugther's first contact with local kids. And she absolutely loves having a library ticket and being able to choose her own book from their extensive collection. The librarians are friendly and very good with kids. The adult books aren't as extensive though I can borrow from any library in Falkirk so that's not a bad thing. I've already happily carried away a crochet book and a Tom Holt novel - not high literary but hey that's not why I love libraries.

A netless life

2011-08-14T21:15:00.003+01:00

Well here we are. The move is done - phew maybe now for a while we can concentrate on being a family.
We are getting a feel of the place and area. Larbert is very small but it's central which is brilliant for travelling to Falkirk, Glasgow, Stirling and Edinburgh. Yesterday we went into Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival - it was really busy and apparently a bigger festival than ever. I hope to go in again but will try to book a show for the little one who got bored walking around. I also need to learn to walk on stilts so I can see above crowds around street shows. Edinburgh Book Show also started this weekend and I want to go back for that. Did you know that Iain Banks is a Scot? There is also a chance to meet Ian Rankin - wooohooo.
In terms of the house - it's suck being tenants again after living as owners. The place we have rented was someone's home rather than an investment property so we are somewhat walking in their shoes. The decor while not offensive is dated and a bit well, magnolia.
There are no nets (voiles) in the bedrooms or front and living rooms. I like to walk around in either my dressing gown or T-shirt and don't want the impose this sight on the outside world - it's just not ready for that. When I asked the landlady if we could put up nets, explaining that we like our privacy (have a sodding right to it actually especially as we have a little girl), she looked both confused and unwilling and said she would think about it. This frankly has got my blood boiling. especially as she has nets in the bathroom and loo both of which have obscure windows!!!!!
Funny thing though - as I walk around the neighbourhood, I see about 50% of houses don't have nets. Are people dressed at the crack of dawn or don't they use the front rooms unless curtains are drawn, or do they like to show off their homes? It's a mystery.
I have been net-less in another way too, this time on the technology front. For a week and half I had to use my phone as a modem as we waited for our broadband to be activated. The phone modem was not at all bad but it ate up the MBs superfast. I'm so glad that I'm back on the net and can now watch youtube videos to my hearts content.
The lack of a net connection also meant relying on the TV or radio to learn about the recent surreal events in England - watching it made me somewhat glad that we had moved. I heard that apparently Scots do not riot/mass loot like the English - need to look into that when I can.
The TV and media have a lot to answer for as IMHO they hyped up the madness.
I'm also concerned that all social networks are being lumped into the same pool. Surely there is a difference between encrypted messaging vs vs. the public openness of Facebook and Twitter.
Anyhooo, if you were directly affected by any of the madness, my utmost sympathies to you. I sincerely hope normality returns soon.

P.S. Apologies for the blog layout and design which is pants. Blogger doesn't have the same templates function as Wordpress so it takes longer (or a knowledge of HTML) to improve matters. Another thing on my list of ToDos.

A moving experience

2011-07-29T18:25:00.005+01:00

The packers are here and half our stuff has been boxed up. The rest will be done tomorrow and then away they go to Scotland with our lives safe in bubble wrap, paper and cardboard. We will follow on Sunday.
It's going to be fantastic living under the same roof as Mr Plummy Mummy. We have all missed that a lot.
Last week, tot finished at the excellent Greenslade nursery. Her teacher and the assistants are the loveliest people. I'm going to miss the parents at the gates in the mornings as [mostly] they were such a down-to-earth normal lot. Tot is very excited about going to Scotland but I am sure there will be tears next week when she realises we can't just pop round to see L (boy), A (girl), L (girl), I (girl), O or I (boys) or down to the woods with P (boy), G (boy) and C (boy). All gorgeous kids who we will both miss like mad.
Talking about kids, a unplanned surprise happened this week as I saw the magic Clearblue words "Pregnant 1-2 weeks". Even hubby, who hadn't been keen in the past, was happy. But the joy was ridiculously shortlived as I began to miscarry on Wednesday. We went through this two years ago though that time, the pregnancy was slightly further along and we felt a lot sadder. Don't get me wrong, we are realistic about age and our chances, but it still sucks. The move is keeping us distracted for now but when the dust settles, the tears will flow.
Our time in the borough feels shortlived too as we weren't ready to move but circumstances dictate that we must. We live on a friendly cul de sac - some of our neighbours popped in today thinking we were going as the van is outside.
So many great things are happening in Greenwich and it's been wonderful to see the improvements in Plumstead.

Thank you for popping by to read this blog. I'm keeping the name for now as frankly, I love it. The writing won't be about Plumstead but this blog was never just about that - instead it will be about the next chapter in the Plummy Mummy household and whatever else takes my fancy so it's goodbye but just for now - up, up and AWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Progress

2011-07-15T21:09:00.002+01:00

Was just pleasantly surprised to read:

Transport for London have cancelled the weekend closure planned for 9pm Friday 15 July, until 5am Monday 18 July, as works are progressing ahead of schedule.

Now I can travel to North London without the stress of driving back before the deadline. Mind you, we often take the city route and my little one loves to sing "London Bridge is falling down" as we cross. Much as she likes to shout Fire, Fire!! when we are in public museums. Thank goodness her voice doesn't travel much.

One person's rubbish is...

2011-07-15T15:33:00.002+01:00

I'm a bit behind the times with this but I did my first Freecycle interaction today. It felt really good to be able to give something away that in all honesty, would have just been taken the recycling centre.
I joined the local group a few weeks ago. At first, I was shocked to see what people ask for as my parents always taught me to never expect something I couldn't afford to have - but as the old saying goes "if you don't ask, you don't get" and in these days of credit crunching and recession, people need things they can no longer afford.
Around the same time, I've also put some items on Ebay to sell for the first time...Again, I'm late to that party. I admit one has been hanging around in my wardrobe for around 4 years waiting to go on Ebay. It took me nearly 2 hours to do the listing from taking photos to writing a description.
As this is all new, I have not yet learnt the tricks and tips that would make my items sell more successfully - if you are a veteran, please can you share some of your knowledge.....for free?

the moving finger writes

2011-07-08T13:17:00.005+01:00

The moving finger writes; and having writ,
Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit,
Shall lure it back to cancel half a line
Nor all your tears wash out a word of it
--- Omar Khayyam

One of the things I'm looking forward to once we move is writing to friends and family in London. Although I am a fan of the Internet, use Facebook and twitter I still like to send and receive post. And whilst I don't have the most marvellous penmanship, I like to write by hand. I think it is such as shame that these days, we only get handwritten missives inside birthday, anniversary and Christmas cards - though I love reading the yearly roundup of news. Now with our move, I'm looking forward to searching out postcards and writing of our little adventures - after all though a picture may say 1000 words, an actual personal word or two brings a smile to the face too. And it's a good way to encourage our child to write and read - result all round.

Things to do

2011-07-08T13:03:00.003+01:00

Just noticed some friends have "liked" this site. It's got some useful information about activities for kids:
Greenwich Kids

Other useful sites I've used in the past are:
Netmums' what's on
Family days out with kids
London toilet map (very useful if you are just potty training)
Time Out kids page

Remembering: 9.45am, 7th July 2005

2011-07-07T09:19:00.002+01:00

Nature at LesNes Abbey

2011-07-02T09:47:00.001+01:00

A friend and I took our kids along to the playground next to Lesnes Abbey yesterday and then went for a walk around the ruins. This park always amazes me as it's beautiful, hardly has any visitors and is gorgeous to walk around. I was particularly impressed with the wild meadow area and the planting arrangements. Just wish I had had a proper camera with me.
Does anyone know what the fruit is?

Circle of life and all that

2011-06-24T11:09:00.003+01:00

Many years ago, everything was about school and getting exams, jobs and houses.
A few years later, everything was about marriages and babies. I was the last of my friends to get married and do the baby thing. It was a great reason to get together with friends and family.
Recently, my husband and I are at that age where the circle has turned to death. We have both lost aunts in the last year. On Facebook, every now and again, I hear of this friend or that losing someone close. Yesterday, it was the 5th anniversary of my father-in-law's passing.
Sadly, yesterday, one of my uncles also passed away. He had been ill for some time and lost the fight. I'm glad we haven't moved yet as I want to be there for my family. I wish my hubby was here too as it would be nice to have a hubby-hug.
It's hard to explain to a child why Mummy and Daddy are feeling a bit sad and about death - I haven't told ours as she wouldn't understand and I don't want to upset her. So, all she'll know is that we have to visit our large extended family for a get together. Sad, very sad. That's life though, isn't it and the circle will keep turning.

Daddy dearest

2011-06-19T10:26:00.004+01:00

I love my Dad. I haven't always get on with him or agreed with what he said or did but he's MY Dad and I can't imagine another.
Having said that, I never ever thought much of Father's Day as it's a made up holiday as far as I'm concerned. Until 4 years ago, when a new Daddy was made. And he's the best Dad I've ever met. He's my husband.
I wish I had met his Dad as from what I hear, he and I had a lot in common (not least Tool Time!!). I would thank him for giving me my husband.
Happy Father's day to you all. If you Dad has moved on, then I send you a huge hug whether you were Daddy's little princess or Daddy's little soldier.
And if you never had a Dad, don't stress...it's a made up holiday anyway.

New experiences Snake

2011-06-14T20:47:00.005+01:00

So earlier this year I was talking about new experiences and today I did something I didn't think I would ever do - I touched a snake. The Rainforest Adventurers are doing the rounds of Greenwich schools bringing mini-beasts from the rainforest. Today it was the turn of my little one's nursery.
She wasn't going near any of the animals and half way through the session, she wondered off. But I stayed. We saw a giant snail (slimy ewwww), a cockroach (ewww), a centipede (ewww), a tarantula (in it's cage, so phew), a stick insect (awww cute) and a snake. It looked very similar to the image above with a lovely pattern of oranges. I was a bit freaked out at the flicking tongue but after touching it, I was less afraid. Having said that, I would NO WAY hold it. Some of the kids were incredibly brave and had every creature in their little hands putting me and a few other parents to shame!
The kids are so lucky to have such great experiences and I'm so lucky too. I just hope the animals weren't too scared.

P.S. The man doing the session is a Scot (yayyyy all Scots!!) as is the Rainforest Adventure company. So you may find that there is a strange man, dressed like a student on a year out to the wilds of the Amazon, staying in a hotel near you with some rather strange bed companions.

Event: 18th June Community Fete

2011-06-14T13:10:00.002+01:00

I cannot believe it's that time of year again - seems only yesterday that the last fete was on!

Eaglesfield Park Neighbourhood Watch Scheme Community Fete:
Saturday 18th June
Time: 1.30 to 4.30pm
More than 30 stalls so should be good for a stroll along to if you have nowt else to do on Saturday afternoon.

Woolwich in the rain

2011-06-12T14:07:00.003+01:00

I HAD to get out of the house today. Unfortunately, there is not a lot to do indoors in Plumstead so [very unlike me] I decided to take the sprog and my mother in law for a walk in the persistent rain along the Royal Arsenal site this morning. We parked for free, yes FREE, in the Royal Arsenal carpark. Love parking for free. And would even have been happy to shell out 60p to park on a Saturday.
We walked to the Clipper boarding area to spot boats - damn I wish I had my camera as there was a tiny sailboat trying to sail inbetween the two Woolwich ferries. It was soooo dramatic. We also spotted a Firepower kids party out in the rain being shouted at by a soldier type. The little kids looked like they were having lots of fun.
Of course, after our adventure, a treat coffee was in order. We bypassed the Dial Arch and headed to Starbucks on Powis street (hoping it would be more affordable and have more child friendly treats). I was worried it would be rough but no, it was like every Starbucks everywhere in the world which was a relief. Coffee drank, a little wonder down Powis street in search of arts&crafts stuff for kiddo at the Works and Poundland. I wanted to visit the new Wilkinsons and the cheap pound shop on the corner but both kiddo and MIL looked rather bedraggled so we gave it a miss.
I was sad to see that the stallholders weren't around and replaced by lots of building work. Yet, despite this, I think Woolwich is tolerable in the rain when the normal "clientele" are no-where to be seen.

Event: 12th June Family Fun Day

2011-06-12T09:03:00.002+01:00

Being at a loose end due to the market being closed, I may go along to this fun day (assuming the rain allows, although hopefully the rugby club will let people run indoors if the heavens open up)

Family Fun Day

Samuel Montagu Youth Clubs Playing Field, 122 Broad Walk, Kidbrooke, SE3 8ND

Date: Sun 12th Jun 11
Telephone: 020 8856 1126
Website: www.smyc.co.uk/

With all sorts of free sports, dance and crafts activities, children's games and inflatables, and a tempting mix of craft and produce stalls, this fun day has something for all the family. Many schools and community groups will be attending to showcase their achievements. You can also pick up information on a range of local services.

12 Noon

East Greenwich Farmers Market

2011-06-12T08:57:00.002+01:00

I was really looking forward to getting some local grub today so was going off to the East Greenwich Farmers Market. However [luckily] I was checking the opening times and with great sadness have noted that the EGFM is not on at the moment. The market had moved to Halstow school but unfortunately, could not drum up enough trade to keep it viable for the stallholders.
They are now looking into alternative sites.
How about Plumstead Common or Winns Common? I could easily see a market on either Common. OK, it may not be great for the people of East Greenwich but they could toodle off to Blackheath Farmers market.
I'm sure there are plenty of people round here that would like a pick of fresh cheese and veg and don't want to travel all the way to Blackheath or Eltham.

Lies, lies, lies

2011-06-08T11:32:00.001+01:00

Think I've blogged about this before but hey ho, here I go again. I HATE the internet sometimes, especially when looking for reviews. Trying to find reviews on Estate Agents is difficult. And when you strike gold with a site that has a lot of reviews (the reviewcentre no less) you can't believe them as there is a polar discrepancy on opinions.
So it is really up to word of mouth. Which means we are going to go for an agent that was trying to persuade us to sell when we are better off letting out, because a mate has used them and found them to be OK.
When did "OK" start being a good reason to use a service.
End of rant.

P.S. I seem also to have broken Tesco's online shopping as the site is now as buggy as Sainsbury's. I should become a defect tester.

Wheel(s) of Freedom

2011-05-31T23:16:00.003+01:00

This weekend, I took the car to North London to spend time with old friends and family. It was wonderful seeing them. However, I was nearly undone by the amount of traffic / roadworks on the North Circular and around Finchley/Muswell Hill. Everywhere I turned there was some guy in a dayglow jacket posturing around a hole in the road. It also struck me how claustrophobic the North of London is. The river and Commons/parks in Greenwich, and the closeness to Kent convey a sense of space that is lacking in my old neighbourhood (despite the nearness of Hampstead Heath).
I was happy to be back here after the weekend to be able to stretch out my arms without hitting a norf london resident.
We took the car as I couldn't face taking a stroller on the Underground with luggage for a long weekend - as anyone with sprogs knows, you take as much luggage for 3 days as you would for a week.
Which reminds me, I have never seen a person in a wheelchair on public transport. It's horrendous getting a stroller about, so it must be hellish if you are in a wheelchair. In fact, maybe the management of said public transport should all be forced to be in wheelchairs (or pushing a stroller) for a week just to experience how utterly shite the network is.
If the wheelchair users aren't using public transport, how are they getting out and about?

Hidden treasures of Greenwich Park

2011-05-31T22:43:00.003+01:00

We have been to Greenwich Park a couple of times in May. It's very hard to believe that it will all be restored once the Olympics have gone but lets keep our fingers crossed.
One part that I hope isn't affected is something a friend showed me today - a peaceful enclosed garden at the foot of the Observatory. So bizarre that despite the many times I've been to the park, I've never discovered this area. Then again, strangely there aren't that many maps in the Park - I spotted one in front of the Queen's House. There isn't one to view on the Parks website either (unless you want to pay a rather large sum to have a printed version - which I don't. All I wanted to know was where the loos are located!).
Another item spotted hidden in some flowers was this commemorative plaque to the Titanic.
Makes me wonder what other gems are hidden out there.

School daze

2011-05-25T11:41:00.002+01:00

Before child, I would move to another area with very little thought - moves were driven by work opportunities and I just assumed that where I ended up, I'd fit in or find somewhere I did.
Bit different when you have a sprog to consider - now moves are driven by both where work is found, and where the good schools are. And of course, our wallets since we can only live within our means (livng beyond would be rather reckless methinks).
So I was a bit surprised when I was asked yesterday about schools in Greenwich borough that I could rattle off an impressive list of primary schools but the only secondary one I'm aware of is the Plumstead Manor Girls school. If we stayed in this area, I guess that's where our daughter would go. What the heck do you do if you have a son or prefer your daughter to be in a mixed school or even, gasp, want to encourage her in sciences rather than performing arts (not sure why but the feminist in me really baulks at the only school for girls being one that promotes performing arts, no matter how good it is)
Having said all that, last week's report in the Newshopper about lack of primary places has left me somewhat puzzled - surely with the army moving in the council would have had to do an exercise in predicting how many extra places would be needed in primary level, both now and for the next few years. We parents get it shoved down our throats how important the primary years are, that if we don't spend loads of time reading to our kids, feeding them nutritious food and generally pandering to their every need, they will wither away and be sub-educated future non employed and ergo non-citizens (rant rant rant) and then the reality is that our kids will be taught in sheds because someone wasn't able to plan adequately. That someone is having a laugh but it's at the expense of youngsters who won't have playgrounds to play in.

Olympic torch relay

2011-05-19T21:57:00.003+01:00

What fun. A live flame being run around the country some of whom think this is not a UK event but a London one.
I hope it doesn't go near any firework factories or any buildings along the M1.
I was a little surprised that Greenwich isn't one of the places listed in the relay route.

Wonder what it takes to be a torchbearer (or have someone in mind for the job):

Do you know someone who:

Has inspired you to do something you never thought possible?
Always tries to be the best they can be?
Makes a real difference in their school or local community?
Has shown what it means to be a real friend?
Shows respect for other people and knows the importance of fair play?

Estate agents

2011-05-19T21:42:00.003+01:00

Sigh.
As part of our move we inevitably have to deal with estate agents. We met with a couple of firms today and are scheduled to meet another tomorrow. It's not fun. It's a matter of trust and having the ability to see past the flattering sales patter to gauge how good they will be at handling something you love (our little house).
Have any of you had to deal with the local firms? If so, what did you think. Any recommendations would be gratefully received.

A pox upon your house

2011-05-19T20:58:00.004+01:00

A bunch of the kids in my little one's nursery have come out with chicken pox. Luckily so far, our kid hasn't caught it which is a good thing as Mr Plummy Mummy has never had it - wouldn't do to catch it a few days before starting a new job.
I remember having it as a kid and once the weeping sores stopped we went to the seaside. As soon as the salt water hit my skin, I screamed in agony (mind you, as a treat I was given some frozen watermelon which was delicious. Food really does comfort).
Chicken pox is not fun and is particular bad for kids with skin conditions like eczema. I tell you what else isn't fun - the NHS slide show on childhood conditions. Grim. Don't look if you have just eaten.

Quick someone call a Doctor

2011-05-14T13:52:00.002+01:00

Have you ever seen that show House Doctor where a rather stern American woman "helps" people sell their houses by turning them neutral? Occasionally the house makeover was so good the owners decided to stay put.
I feel like that right now. Mr Plummy Mummy is busy repairing our house so it is fit to rent it. He is steadfastly crossing off items on a list we have had for a few years. So now that we are moving, I'm getting the house I wanted! Not everything we would like will be done. No new kitchen and the carpets will have to stay. But the rest is great.
I've even been out in the garden taking up plants that I want to take with me. Whilst this may seem rather extreme, some of the plants were expensive and some are ones I just love to watch grow. Also, I'm aware of the need to turn the garden into a low maintenance one.
This relocation business is no joke. It's expensive. A catch22 as we are moving as hubby couldn't get work in London and we can no longer afford to live here. But now I'm starting to wonder if we can afford to move. Our mortgage company has sent us a form to apply for consent to let (CTL) - without which we would break our mortgage terms but will again incur costs for us -

We have to have a certain loan to value ratio. If we don't meet it, they could ask us to pay a bulk amount to pay it off
Getting CTL involves fees
The form is confusing. To get CTL, we need to ensure rental income is 125% of the mortgage payment but in another box are asked what we will do if there is a rental shortfall.

There is another cost - emotional. As a SAHM I spend a lot of time in the area we live. This move will involve going somewhere we know nothing about - leaving me feeling both excited and trepidatious. I will have the joy of making new friends, taking up new adventures but it will involve leaving friends and fave haunts down here.
This morning in a moment of irritation (I was watching Great British Menu when the form arrived), I suggested that perhaps hubby should work in Scotland, commute on a daily basis from his hometown (about 2 hours each way) and just visit us every now and again. We would not be the first family to make this "sacrifice" especially in this recession - people stuck in houses with negative equity who can't afford to move so the family has to split, even if it's only temporary.
Of course, if that's what we did, then I would no longer have the fun of looking for a new (BIGGER) house with a large garden (I want to grow veg!) and being able to go walking around lochs and such like. And whilst the Sarf Lahdahn accent has it's charms, I am rather looking forward to the little one developing a cute Scots one.

The number of the beast

2011-05-13T22:49:00.003+01:00

I spotted these ominously signed bins whilst out and about in Plumstead this week. Makes me giggle.

P.S. Apparently there was a bit of a mistranslation and the number of beast was actually 616. Not as funny though

Foraging in Greenwich

2011-05-06T10:10:00.003+01:00

This past year I've been trying to grow herbs in my garden. I also wanted to plant garlic and onion - not to eat but to keep the cats off. However, I never got round to it.
The bayleaf is growing fantastically in a pot. It suffered some major snow damage but with some pruning, it's bounced back brilliantly.
The thyme less so - it's gone very dry looking and we miss being able to run our fingers through the soft leaves and getting that gorgeous smell on our hands.
On the kitchen window sill, I’ve done well with basil though it went rather yellow when we were away and it was water-starved. But for a supermarket buy, it’s not bad.
In addition, my MIL gave me a weird looking indoor herb pot which didn’t produce anything for ages, then all of a sudden young coriander sprouted. Of all herbs, this one would be most useful as I love to add it as a garnish to my food. I’ve also managed to grow chives indoors but may ditch those as they seem to attract little insects.
Another success seems to be nigella seeds which have sprouted well. I’ll have to learn how to harvest the actual seeds though.
Thing is, I’ve not gotten around to eaten any of the stuff – a bit to do with my aversion to dirt (OCD, me????)
I’m growing some Sambucus in my garden and hope in years to come it will produce some great Elderberries (alas, I won’t enjoy them but maybe our tenants will).
And of course, in Plumstead there are PLUM trees. I received a great batch of fruit from my friend last year as well as some lovely apples (made great apple pickle).
However, as my family and I wandered around Oxleas Wood yesterday afternoon, I got to thinking about foraging. I’ve been reading about wild garlic recipes and was annoyed that I wouldn’t know how to recognise it if it hit me in the face.
I like going into the Secret Garden in the woods which often has things edible looking in autumn. Some guidance is needed to ensure I don't pick poisonous food. I wonder if the park rangers point out edibles on their tours.
Luckily, there is foraging advice on the London Forager site. It seems a work in progress as some of the recipes aren’t finished off but hey – it’s a place to start. Or you could try Fergus the Forager who does foraging courses (love the name, wonder which came first name or profession).Mind you, all this foraging stuff is fine but rest assured, as a determined OCD-ish vegie, I'll be staying away from roadkill though or freeganning (looking for food in dumpsters).

P.S. if you don't want the fruit for free, you can always try going to a pick-your-own farm

Event: 5th May Referendum

2011-05-02T17:32:00.002+01:00

I still have not decided how to vote. Theoritically, I appreciate the benefits of AV but unfortunately, the Liberals have shown themselves to be less than faithful to their pre-election promises so that's putting me off.
Having the option to say who you would like if your first choice didn't get in is a powerful incentive however, if we all end up with our second choice then in reality no-one wins.
Anway, must decide soon. Not really asking for any opinions, just speaking aloud. Funny how our minds have not been on this vote what with a Wedding and so on.

Do wonder how they didn't phrase the question in an AV way:

Mark your choices in order of preference:

Keep the FPTP system:
Bring in AV:
Bring back the rule of Monarchy: (of course I jest here but some would mark that wouldn't they???)

EVENT: 8th May Falconwood Mini Railway

2011-05-02T17:24:00.003+01:00

OK OK ,its strictly the Welling and District Model Engineering Society but they set up the mini railway in the Electricity building at the back of Falconwood station.
The railway and clubhouse will be open from 2.30 to 5pm. Last train ride tickets issued at 4.30pm

Dates in May: 8th and 22nd

We shall be toodling along as tot likes trains and I like little things and maybe afterwards I can persuade the family to try out Shampan - an indian restaurant recommended by StuMayhew

Life in the old dog yet

2011-05-02T17:06:00.003+01:00

A year ago, I remember asking Mr Plummy what this recession lark was all about - neither we or anyone we knew had been affected.
Last November, Mr Plummy rang to tell me he had been made redundant. He would be able to work until Feb. Feb came and he went. This wasn't really to do with the recession but more to do with the dangers of working for a global organisation that can easily move work to another country (in this case China)(see note below). This sent me into a bit of a panic as most people who know, know it's very hard to get a job in IT after the age of 40. Quite a few friends who were made redundant from Sony Ericcsson took ages to find work.
There is also the adage that it's easier to find a job when you had a job.
Luckily, hubby had a lot of interviews while still in work but after he left that slowed down.
There was an interview in East Kilbride - let me tell you in no uncertain terms, I will not live there. Horrid town (sorry if you are from there, didn't see much didn't want to).
I crossed all my fingers for work down here. I also faced the rather unpleasant realisation that I am not going to get a UI job anytime soon. 4 years out of the mobile world is a looooong time even if the skills I possess are strong and IMHO transferable - if you don't know the ins/outs of Apple OS, Android and Windows Mobile UI, you might as well be dead.
Interviews that he thought went well ended up in nothing.
I panicked some more a la a headless chicken but he remained calm.
His calm has eventually paid off as he had now got a job. Yippee I hear you cheer (at least I hope you are cheering).
The only thing, dear readers, is that this is a bit out of the commuter zone as it's in Central Scotland. So for the next few months, I'll be running around getting our house ready for rental whilst trying to find somewhere to live up there, and then we will be gone. The plan had always been to move to Scotland, but I just didn't think it would be so soon and I'm really sad to be going just as so much is happening in this Royal Borough. I'm also going to be very sad to leave the lovely virtual people I have met and hope that I will be able to keep up with all their posts from afar.
Anyway, lets put the hankies away. I'm here for some time yet and I will try to be less lazy about posting.

NOTE BELOW:
This morning I read the Chinese government are encouraging their citizens to be more creative. This sends shivers down my spine as in IT, most of the design jobs stayed in Europe whilst the day to day dev went to China. If design goes out there, what work if any will be left here :(

Catch - up

2011-05-02T16:54:00.003+01:00

Blimey it seems like ages since I posted. Also seems we have had most of April off and I must say, I'm quite ready to go back to normality now.

Lots has been happening:
1. The smear did not work and I have to go back. Perhaps if the woman had spent less time having a go about my fattyness and more time on the down-belows, it would have worked. Talking about fat, wish the experts would make their mind up about the apple shape being bad or not (for now, I shall eat cake and be done with it)
2. THE wedding. In my family of Scots, it's not an event to be watched. But like most girlies, I wanted to see the dress, the shoes, the hair. Gosh wasn't that bridesmaid pretty. Anyway, it's done. For the most part lovely if a tad boring which probably means they will be together forever. The most funny part for me was seeing the outfits of the ugly sisters...you all know who I mean.
3. The weather. Gosh hot yes. Lucky for me I spent most of it in Dundee so not so hot. Have been sneezing and generally feeling unwell since our return cos of them pesky spores/pollen. Most of the plants on our patio took a bit of a bashing and some were gone past the saving point. But my goodness, the front of our house now has a rather large contingent of curry plants and there is NO cat poo. By golly I may have cracked it. Only thing is that I can't see any other plants so as soon as the wind dies down, I'll be out with my shears. I've never had a garden and get ridiculous amounts of pleasure from all the growth.
4. What is it with pebble beaches? I've got a bucket load of really beautiful stones but seriously, it's an addiction - I go to a beach and bring some back.
5. I'm really excited to see the progress on the Slade Centre (formerly known as Slade Library). Can't wait for that to open - hope they manage to get some books in there.
6. Just went to Belvedere splash park for the first time - very nice if somewhat freezing and windy. Will have to return but glad that one thing on the list is crossed off.
7. Does the amount of blogging and general levels of visitors have a direct correlation to the amount of sunshine - mine have gone down quite a bit.
8. More news in the next post.

Bitter sweet

2011-04-08T20:37:00.005+01:00

The day started off rather bitterly as I had to go for a smear test. This is a godawful thing for any woman to go through as an instrument resembling eyelash curlers is shoved up your privates and then the shover has a root around to get a good look at your cervix. It's so undignified but it must be done as regular screening ensures that any changes can be detected earlier. I was mildly curious to see that the instrument of torture has now been changed to some plastic contraption (which must be more hygienic I hope than the previous, re-usable thing). Before I was subjected to torture, the nurse noticed that I had been called in for high cholesterol last year and went on about my need to change my diet. I was weighed and despite joining a Zumba class, had lost sod all weight. The advice is to cut out: Cheese, chocolate, biscuits, bread, carbohydrates, crisps and ICE CREAM. She didn't mention cake but I'm sure that's on the banned list. I almost feel that I might as well be dead but having a child soon puts an end to such selfish melodrama.
Afterwards I trundled off home and sadly told Mr Plummy that it best we give our plan to visit the London 2011 Chocolate Festival a miss. One of the reasons I love my husband is that he is able to say "Pah" to nonsense and so after lunch off we all went to the South Bank.
Wasn't it gloriously hot today in beautiful London? Probably not the best weather to be hanging around a choccy festival, no matter how pretty the decorated items were. We tried a bit of salted caramel (nice) and tot had some vanilla choc all the way from Italy. There were only a few stalls and my best one had a chocolate raspberry ladybird for £5. Luckily for our wallets, heat put us off carrying anything around so we looked but didn't buy.
It was a nice surprise to see Greenwich Meantime Brewery with a stall here. I didn't notice if they had any chocolate beers but I'm sure tomorrow when the crowds really get going, they will do great business. The pose the young man held as I quickly took a photo was very funny.
A nice stroll past the Eye and back towards Cannon Street lifted my mood no end. Along the way, I took a few more photos with my little phone. The silt/sand sculptures were particularly impressive but I did worry about the man spending so much time in Thames Water - is that safe?
And of course, like on any sunny day, we had to stop by the ice cream van. Don't worry - I was good and had a cone of Lemon Sorbet. Please don't tell me this is on the banned list too.

Proper pukka education

2011-04-07T18:33:00.006+01:00

The start of this week was pre-occupied with primary school selections. While we wait another year to apply as litte one's birthday is just after the cut off date, a lot of our friends have had their emails/letters telling them where their kids are going to be placed. Some were happy to have got their choices, and some were very unhappy and will be going along the appeals / waiting list route. Anyway, this mood had me tuning into Jamie's Dream School. I am not a fan of reality TV and think most of is shockingly bad. However, out of curiosity I had recorded the whole series to date but just not been in the mood to watch it as the Cheeky Chef annoys the bloody hell out of me.
This show is not about the reality of teaching, the state of our education system or the problems of disenfranchised youth. It's ENTERTAINMENT, car-crash gawping enhanced by the clever use of editing to make us see how awful some kids are and to feel huge amounts of pity for the quiet ones who want to get ahead but don't have a chance as their classes are constantly, continually disrupted. When a teacher is faced with 30 kids I can see why they have to exclude some for the good of the majority.
As far as I can tell, the only person with any expertise in secondary education is the head teacher "Dabbs" and he ends up in tears by episode 4 out of sheer frustration. I have heard many teachers leave the profession due to bad behaviour, but surely this head teacher has had to deal with difficult pupils before and even if it's not so concentrated, it only been a few weeks. Sheesh - what, if anything he is bringing to the process? (Have to say too, a head master who calls himself "Dabbs" is not really going to get much respect - in my day it was "Mr Edwards" (not his real name)). Oh god, I sound like David Starkey now :(
I have toyed with the idea of being a teacher but my goodness; I'm having second thoughts now.
That old adage "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach" was shown to be bollocks - it used to be deregatory towards teachers as they were people who couldn't succeed in a given career and were reduced to teaching instead. But a teacher who is not good at a subject is never going to be a good teacher.
People Jamie found inspirational (but the kids didn't know mostly) struggled as they were not given one iota of secondary school teacher training. Even David Starkey and Mary Beard who are used to teaching undergrads struggled.
One thread that has come up again and again is the short attention span of the children, esp. when they are not in a hands-on creative class. This is often blamed on portable technology – however, being able to text/chat/surf whilst being in a meeting is a valuable skill enabling participants to be present in multiple locations at any one given moment - a fantastic skill that we shouldn't know huh ;)
I'm going to keep watching (and blogging and tweeting) until Jamie's irritating personality drives me to throw my mobile at the TV. It's pandering to my fears as a parent especially the fear that feral wildchildren will be waiting to lure my daughter away from her studies and woes betide me if I let them succeed in turning her to the dark, dumb side.
This show is not going to come up with any solutions that the brightest and best teachers, heads or educators in the UK haven't already thought. It's just going to tell that us what we know - give the resources the show has to each school in the UK, give the decent teachers some respect and support (get rid of the shite ones), change the size of classrooms, help the people who fall outside of the system and then we can all marvel as our kids are engaged with real life A&E, biodomes, the beauty of poetry and power of photography.

English Curry Awards

2011-04-03T18:03:00.006+01:00

I really should not read the Greenwich Curry Club's excellent posts when I am hungry. We've ordered a take out but after reading the GCC's latest post, I am now RAVENOUS.
To take my mind off things I just googled Curry Awards. Those North of the Border have had the Scottish Curry Award for a few years (nomination forms can be downloaded here) and for the last 5 years there are the Welsh Curry award (top 30 restaurants list here). Now, a new English Curry Award has been set up with the final being held later this year in Manchester.
Personally I felt Manccy restaurants were poor compared to the ones in Bradford/Leeds (Aagrah for instance)- but neither city's offering were a patch on the Birmingham Balti restaurants from my student days that provided much needed manna for this little round indian gal.
If you are interested in nominating a restaurant follow this link: English Curry Awards
For the more swanky among you there is the well established British Curry Award which features Shampan 2 in Bromley. This is a sister restaurant to Shampan 3 that StuMayhew recently told me about and one I shall be checking out soon.
Did have a giggle that the Chief Guest at the 2010 British Curry Awards was Rt Hon Eric Pickles...pickles, Indian restaurant geddit???
Finally, if you want to put in your tuppence worth then send your recommendations into the Cobra Good Curry Guide - they are compiling the 2011 edition now.
Argh I'm really hungry now. Must resist temptation to eat a chocolate bar while I wait

Another Hallmark Day

2011-04-03T10:23:00.003+01:00

Thanks to the advertising power of the card, flower, chocolate and gift companies we seem to lurch from one holiday to another. Christmas followed by Valentines, then Mothers day, then Easter, then Fathers day then Halloween, then Christmas. I am sure I've missed a few. I've left out Hindu holidays too like Holi (festival of colour) and Diwali (festival of light).
Cynical me thinks the meaning of these days is somewhat watered down. And also as the domestic servant in this house, having a day off to be with the family is probably the last thing I need ;)
I have told my husband that I don't want a Mother's day card until our daughter is old enough to choose one. This year, I got a handmade card from her made in school, which features an origami tulip - my new passion so all the more special. It makes my heart go Ahhhhhhhhh as does the fact that she keeps wishing me a happy Mothers day. Sweet.

Does make me think though and here are my advert free greetings:
Happy Mother's day to all the mums out there.
Happy Mother's day to all the nans and grans out there.

And special good thoughts go to:
Happy Mother's day to all those women who have lost kids
Happy Mother's day to all those who are desperately trying to be mums. This day may be shite for you but I hope one day it will be a reason for joy.
And finally, Happy Mother's day to all those who have lost their Mums. I know exactly how you feel and wish I could hug the pain away.

Crafty cafe

2011-04-01T21:06:00.003+01:00

A mate and I took our kids along to the playground next to Lesnes Abbey - very exciting to see the addition of more playground parts including a cool looking castle.
After a little walk around the Abbey ruins during which my tot decided to test her echo rather loudly, we made our way to the new Crafty Cafe on McLeod Road in Abbey Road.
This is a bright cafe with plenty of space between tables making it ideal for parents with pushchairs. The menu had a lot of options (inc an all day veggie brekkie!!) and a long children's menu.
We sat by the windows and watched the world go by while we waited for our order. Unfortunately, it was a long wait as the service was slow even though they were not overrun with customers. When the drinks and food arrived, my friend's brownie with ice cream was enjoyable but I was not impressed with the thick, unnatural tasting milkshake for my daughter, her dense cupcake and my cappuccino that tasted like a normal filter coffee. My simple cheese on toast took nearly 20 mins to arrive and when it did, one side was not cooked. There was another delay when paying took a long time as the server struggled to find out how much to charge us.
The cafe runs craft sessions for children on Tue and Thurs from 3.30 to 5pm - which costs £2.50 per child. For this, the child is given a drink and allowed to take home what they create which the waitress assured us would not be the normal crafts.
You know what though - I am going to put today's experience down to teething issues (and as the waitress explained a problem with their grill). There is a woeful lack of cafes in this area (and none in Plumstead) let alone those catering to children and with the aim of being a community cafe - next time I'll just take some yarn and hooks along so I can crochet while I wait and I'll be sure to order a normal coffee and something simple to eat like cake.

106 McLeod Road, Abbey Wood, London, SE2 0BS
Currently open Mon to Sat 9am to 5pm. Closed Sundays except for specially pre-booked children's parties.

Local honey

2011-04-01T10:42:00.002+01:00

I've got that familiar itch in my nose and on the roof of my mouth which signals the annual arrival of hay fever for me. I suffer quite badly and without a steady supply of pills and nasal sprays, will end up a snotty, miserable wreck with red swollen eyes and nose. I have the ability to sneeze louder than a Boeing 747 usually achieving about 6 or 7 outbursts in a row. Sound like I'm proud of this but I'm not - I love the outdoors but on high pollen doors I'm confined to my house like some sad Howard Hughes type recluse.
I've been that locally produced honey can help so I was excited to read about the kids at the Charlton Manor Primary School who have a hive in their gardens. Unfortunately, the school has just told me the bees are now hibernating and they will not be producing honey until July. That's wonderful for the kids but unfortunately, not great for me.
So my question to you all - have any you ever tried locally produced honey and where did you get it?

To Do list of Local sights

2011-03-28T17:04:00.003+01:00

A friend sent me a gorgeous picture of the Crossness Pumping Station which looks amazing. I've passed the sign for it countless times and always thought to go, but usually it's on the way to somewhere and soon forgotten. It's only open a few days a year and the next ones are 1st May and 26th June. I'll be sure to go.

Other local sights on my list of to-dos include:
Welling and District Model Railway Engines behind Falconwood station (Open Days 2011)
Swanley park (yes another with a train!) opening 2nd April
The inside of the Bingo hall in Woolwich just to stare at the Art Deco interiors
Belvedere Splash park (not Victorian / Art D) but still on the list!
The Fan museum in Greenwich

If you have any suggestions of other Victorian and Art Deco goodies around here, please do let me know.

Who's afraid of ....

2011-03-23T17:58:00.002Z

I was very sad to read that Elizabeth Taylor had died. Easily one of the most beautiful women in film in her youth, I preferred her dark beauty to other [blonder] stars. She had a good innings though lasting until the grand Dame age of 79.

Happier memories too today as I wish Happy Birthday To YOU, Happy BIIIIIIIRTHDAY, to Akira Kurosawa who was born this day 101 years ago. Without him, I would not have the wonderful Seven Samurai nor a lot of films to look forward to enjoying when I retire (many of which star the excellent Toshiro Mifune).

EVent: 2nd April Nearly New Sale

2011-03-18T17:39:00.003Z

The lovely ladies who help run the Trinity Toddler Group are holding a nearly new sale to raise funds for the group. It's a great cause so if you have time, pop on buy. They are still looking for donations too, or if you would like a stall, please contact them.
P.S. Hope you can read the poster....had to convert it from an Apple doc :S

Structures in the woods

2011-03-08T21:34:00.008Z

On a walk with friends in Oxleas wood this gloriously sunny afternoon, we came across quite a few man-made structures. Has there been some sort of camping party in the woods. The most solid was the one above which the kids loved.
There was also a sunken square that seemed some sort of water feature. Does anyone know what it is?

Also came across some trees with parts of their barks removed. These could be the basis of some tree based sculptures if we could get a local artist interested (though may have to wait until recession is over as money should go to Park Rangers and not faffy art!)

Finally, the sunshine gave the whole area a lovely misty look. I can't wait to go back when the bluebells are around.

What a nightmare!

2011-03-01T10:16:00.003Z

Our 3 year old is currently suffering from nightmares. She is anxious when going to sleep about having to sleep alone and often wakes up. Last night after putting her back to bed for the 3rd time, she slept for half an hour and then let out the most godawful scream. Frankly it scared me shitless. It wasn't a night terror (as defined by the Great Ormond St/ NHS). It's a nightmare she's had before where she hears a loud bell. Last week, whilst staying with my sister in law, a late night visitor (i.e. someone at 8pm) rang the doorbell and left our tot in tears. I'm starting to feel rather guilty about jumping out at her every now and again, howling and scaring her!
Anyway, she ended up in the bed with me. Mr P.M. was in the living room to catch up on sleep lost to the previous night's nightmares.
The tut-tut-tittle-tattle-tutters out there will be saying I should have put her back into her own bed. Perhaps they are right but I'm not one to let a little 3 year old crying child go back to bed in terror. Plus as an insomniac myself telling her she needs to get back to bed and just fall asleep seems a bit hypocritical.
Are we failed parents? Are we helicopter parents? Who knows. Who cares. She managed to sleep. After reading on the site above that lack of sleep contributes to the problem I feel we are helping her really. I hope it won't be forever for both her, mine and my marriage's sake (which is rather dependent on night times cuddles from the other half). In the meantime, to help her on the way, I'll knit her a pair of sound proof ear mufflers to help her block out the sounds (even if they are only in her head). And for myself, buy make up to hide those ever increasing dark circles under my eyes.

Event: 5th March Swish for Oxfam

2011-02-26T11:50:00.002Z

The Art of Swishing comes to Greenwich,

from the new Greenwich Oxfam Fundraising Group

Bring your unwanted frocks and too tight tuxes to The Pelton Arms on Saturday 5th March and join in the swishing trend. The swishing party, or clothes swap, will celebrate International Women's Day while raising dosh for Oxfam, and is organised by the Greenwich Oxfam Fundraising Group.

Visitors will have the chance to spend an afternoon in a lovely pub, sprucing up their wardrobe while raising money for an important charity. Refreshments will come in the form of a special "Oxfam Afternoon Tea and cake" from the lovely people at the Pelton Arms, with a portion of the price of every one sold donated to the charity.

Popular with fashionistas, the frugal and the eco-conscious, here’s how swishing works:

- Everyone brings at least 1 item of clothing in good condition that they no longer wear (you can bring as many as you like), which gets handed to our lovely helpers on arrival

- The clothes are then sorted ready for everyone to start shopping. In the meantime, grab a drink from the bar or visit the Oxfam info point to find out what your donations will be spent on, not forgetting to order your afternoon tea & cakes!

- Have a rummage, find something you like, try it on, and it’s yours for a small donation to Oxfam

Both ladies and gentlemen are welcome and there's no entry charge.

Venue: Pelton Arms, Pelton Road, Greenwich, London SE10 9PQ http://www.peltonarmspub.com

Date: Saturday 5th March 12.30pm - 4.30pm

Transport: Cutty Sark DLR or Maze Hill rail

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=SE10+9PQ&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=13.26154,28.256836&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=London+SE10+9PQ,+United+Kingdom&z=16

Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=142366659160648

Contacts:

Bhaswati Guha, Chair, tel: 07536 087464, email:bhaswatioxjam@gmail.com

Katy Ellsmore, Group Treasurer, tel: 07759 456749, email: katyellsmore@gmail.com

Notes

1. For more information on swishing visit swishing.org

The Art of Swishing involves getting your friends together to swap gorgeous clothes and party at the same time. Every lady must bring at least one good quality, clean item of clothing, or an accessory, that she'd feel proud to hand on.
"Save money, save the planet, have a party: swishing effortlessly touches all of these buttons. Swishing parties are for all those women who want to combine glamour, environmental protection and frugality."

2. Greenwich Oxfam Fundraising Group, http://greenwich-oxfam.webs.com/

We are a group of Oxfam supporters who have come together to give our spare time for Oxfam’s good causes. We established the Greenwich Oxfam Fundraising Group in the borough with an aim to raise funds for Oxfam’s work on eradicating global poverty and suffering.We enjoy and organise exciting and interesting fundraising events for Oxfam.

We believe in contributing to the community we live in and making an impact globally with the funds we raise. We meet once a month and our meetings are open to all. If you are interested to attend our monthly meetings to find out more about us and our plans feel free to contact us.

This group is fundraising in aid of Oxfam GB. Oxfam is a registered charity in England and Wales No 202918 and Scotland SC039042 and a company limited by guarantee registered in England No 612172. Oxfam GB is a member of Oxfam International.

Event: 16th April Benefit Gig for the Plumstead Make Merry

2011-02-25T09:46:00.002Z

Right let's get something straight before we go on. I'm not a huge fan of the Make Merry. I've been a few times, blogged about it last year and have come to the conclusion it's really not for me. BUT, and this is a huge but (snigger, snigger), there are a lot of locals around here who do like it. AND (boolean logic here), I would like it to continue and (OR) become more my kind of festival ... foodie/crafty/dare-I-say stuck up me would like.
What strikes me as bleeding obvious is that the Plumstead Make Merry is the closest to BIG SOCIETY that I can think of. It's a David Cameron dream event run by volunteers for the purpose of serving the local society. So the fact that it's meagre grant from local council has been cut just seems contradictory (even though I suspect it means perhaps a service like childcare can go on).
As their funding has been cut, the Make Merry men (and women) have to find alternative funds and equipment. To this end, they are holding a benefit bash at the Pavilion (fingers crossed soon to be local hub of cafe society and defo my kind of place) the Rugby Club Pavilion on Plumstead. Woohoooo I'm one for supporting any gig that happens there and if the end result is that there is some dosh in the coffers for the PMM then superdooper. They are still looking for talent for the show so if you are the next Tinie Tempah, or JLS, follow the link to volunteer your services.
To hear a discussion on the cuts and their effect on services, tune in the In the Meantime radio show this Sunday and ask Tory Councillor Nigel Fletcher (who's title is dep leader of opposition blah blah Social Inclusion) why the Make Merry is not Big Society.

One Day Cafe???

2011-02-16T18:47:00.002Z

Does anyone know what's happened to the One Day Cafe group and their site as the link I have no longer seems to be active.

Event: 26th Feb Comedy on the Common

2011-02-16T18:39:00.004Z

Yippee the comedians for the next Comedy on the Common have been announced.

Comedy Night at The Pavilion
Doors open: 7pm. Show time: 8:15pm.
£8 on the door or book online
Late Licensed bar.

Comedians include: Danny Buckler, Christian Steel, Jay Foreman, Matt Blaize

I must admit I've never heard of these guys but if the last show I attended was anything to judge by, the standard will be excellent. A couple are trained ACTOOOORs so that will be interesting. I like seeing the shock on their faces as they come to terms with the fact they are in SE Landahn, in a hut in the middle of no-where. But then again, thanks to the Brits last night and Tinie Tempeh, Plumstead is now on the map (and no, I have no idea who TT is but that's OK, there is room for all sorts of arts around Bo-ho Plummyland).

Event: 8th March Some Like it Hot

2011-02-14T10:11:00.003Z

To celebrate International Women's Day 2011, there will be a screening of Some Like It Hot at Charlton House. The tickets are £15 - this goes to the NSPCC

To buy tickets: Some Like It Hot

Stitch and kitsch/ Knitting night at the Pelton Arms

2011-02-09T12:40:00.004Z

Well I'm feeling all full of the joys of spring in this glorious sunshine we have right now. I made my way down to the Pistachios Cafe in East Greenwich Pleasaunce this morning to indulge in a cappuccino, some millionaire's shortbread and a touch of knitting. The group of knitting ladies were very friendly and I soon settled into a rhythm of knit, purl, sip, scoff, chatter. The cafe is a lovely little place and it's a wonderful way to spend a hour or so. As I arrived a bit late (after dropping tot at nursery), I was ultimately left alone at the table with the end of my coffee and my thoughts. I had to resist the urge to buy any of the wool on offer but had a quick flick through some crochet/knit mags on display.
If you cannot knit, no worries. Lizzie who runs the cafe will provide a starter pack for the princely sum of £1 which includes wool, knitting needles and a pattern of easy to make mittens. The money from the packs goes towards cystic fibrosis so it's a win-win situation. Knitters are usually very generous with teaching and this lot were no exception. All in all it was a pleasant way to spend a few hours.

Stitch and kitsch
Wed from 9am
Pistachios In the Park Cafe
East Greenwich Pleasaunce
Chevening Road (you can park for 2 hours for free from 9.30)

BTW if you cannot make the daytime or prefer to indulge in something a little bit stronger, there is a knit night at the Pelton Arms every Wednesday, usually from 8pm.
3-25 Pelton Road,Greenwich
SE10 9PQ
Tel: 020 8858 0572

Geoff, the landlord, is making a real effort to make this a pub with lots of events including a film night, quiz nights and live bands. There are roaring fires if the weather is cold and best of all, the TVs are normally only brought out for very special occassions so you can have a conversation over some real ale without shouting your head off.

P.S. I am a lazy old trout and wish there were pubs/clubs like this a bit closer to home. I hear the Rugby Pavillion is putting in for a cafe license so I've got my fingers very strongly crossed that goes ahead.

Zumba comes to Plumstead!

2011-02-04T12:15:00.004Z

For anyone who's up for getting fit to some latin beats, come along to the new Zumba with Anastasia class starting at the Gylndon Community Centre 75 Raglan Road, Plumstead, SE18 on Monday 7th Feb.

Time: 7 - 8pm
First class is £5, thereafter £6.50. It's a drop in session so no need to pre-book.

For more information Zumba the Anastasia Way!

UPDATE: The first class was brilliant and there were quite a few people there (including blokes so come on you testerone laden ones). I couldn't do all the moves but that doesn't worry me as I hope to improve. I was very tired by the end but so pumped up as Anastasia is a good teacher. Will be going again :)

Colour blind child

2011-02-04T09:59:00.003Z

One of little one's favourite games de jour is loudly commenting on the differences between her and other people. She is no longer allowed to go into the bathroom when daddy is having a shower as he got embarrassed at her pointing to his different parts and asking about them. She finds if funny that some people have round large tummies (i.e. me) whereas others are flat (i.e. Daddy).
There there are differences about the colours people are. At first I was a bit taken aback as she loudly exclaimed that that person is white, that person is black, that person is shade of pink etc. thinking she was going to treat people differently but for her it's an innocent observation of the world rather than a factor to differentiate. Sometimes she gets confused though - for ages she insisted that she was black and eventually we realised she meant the colour of her hair. I'd love her to come across a rainbow haired punk just to see what she would make of that.
Other differences she is less fond of are when she is called small or baby. She wants to be a big girl and even when her 6 year old cousin towers above her, she insists that she is the same size or even bigger. Gulp, I hope this isn't some form of bulimia!

Closed up shops

2011-01-29T14:38:00.000Z

Was surprised on an outing today to notice that the Turf Accounts next to Tony's is shut. Then further down Griffin Road that the recently opened King's Restaurant has been shut and there is a bailiff's order on the door. Admittedly I never visited either establishment...not a gambler and found the King's restaurant to be a bit too foreboding. But it's a shame to see places closing down all the same.
Mind you, prime sites so they will, hopefully, be snapped up soon by some enterprising bods.

My life in film

2011-01-20T17:13:00.003Z

Sometimes, for fleeting moments, I feel as if I don't belong. I mostly attribute this to being born abroad though we came here when I was very young. It's also partly because of the schitzo existence of many Asians I know who are British in school/work but at home have an Asian family life. Very rarely, it's due to being the only brown face around though thankfully around Plumstead this is not an issue as it's such a rainbow borough.
In these moments, I find it hard to state where home is. But the other day I caught "Last Chance Harvey"* on the box featuring Dustin Hoffman and the excellent Emma Thompson - large parts of the film are shot on the South Bank around the NFT and Royal Festival Hall. As I watched, my heart soared as this is one of my favourite areas of London, second only to the British Museum. The film also struck a chord as it was about finding love late in life rather like Mr Plummy Mummy and I who got together in our late 30s. Our first date was at the NFT and we have subsequently returned there to watch films. I have other fond memories here of walking around the second hand book stall in front of the NFT cafe, of having drinks in the Festival Hall bar and going for countless meals around the area.
I didn't get quite the same feeling when the British Museum featured in the Mummy (it made me laugh with joy rather than feel gooey eyed) but I did enjoy when it showed up in Doctor Who and in the recent TV adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. So though not my life in film, these locations have been wonderful parts of my life and let me feel very much at home and that I do in fact belong in this wonderful city.

* Last Chance Harvey though not a bad film, is nowhere near as good as Stranger than Fiction...if you haven't seen the latter, give yourself a shake and order it from LoveFilm, or should I now say Amazon?

Sexism among the mini masses

2011-01-18T22:29:00.004Z

I'm horrified to discover that my tot is a bit sexist and a little bit girly which I'm not so am having to adjust my way of thinking. She has definite ideas of what boys and girls should do. Here are a couple of examples:

When asked who she plays with at nursery she gives me girl's names. If I ask about any of the boys, she looks at me with exasperation and declares that "They are boys, boys play with boys mummy". This even extends to friends we visit where she will only play with the girls. The only exception is when there are only boys and she will then want to join in but goes all girly if they want to do anything involving mud or monsters (except dinosaurs grrrrr)
She refuses to wear or use anything blue and is determined to only wear or use pink, purple or red. Of late, she has conceded and will wear light blue so perhaps this example is a short lived.

To an extent, nurture is to blame as she has only girl cousins to play with. However, there have been boys in her circle of friends (until the age of 3 that is), and she sees plenty of examples on TV of boys playing with girls (Ben and Holly, Noddy and Tessy Bear, Tinkerbell and Terence, blah blah, yes we watch a lot of TV I'm not ashamed to admit it).
It's all bizarre, and in some cases leads to a mini case of Mean Girls since she isn't the only girl with these views and then they all act like teenagers (which just cracks me up, naughty mum).

On the bright side, we should encourage this as come her teenage years, we will be trying to keep her away from men as I'm not having some oink mess with my princess. Anyway, it's for their protection really as we know that the female of the species is deadlier than the male.

Interactive art

2011-01-14T16:35:00.003Z

If you have a kid that likes mucking about on the computer then you may enjoy these sites that let you create a piece of art, or the other for music. Just fun.

Creators project: Silk

Andre Michelle: Tone Matrix

Let me know if you have come across anymore to save me from once again being on the Cbeebies site. :)

Co-op cafe

2011-01-14T09:48:00.004Z

Don't get excited - I'm not about to announce a new cafe or anything but am only going to rehash what so many of us have said/dreamt of.
I've just been into the Plumstead Common Road Co-op and saw 3 other parents there and a neighbour. Wouldn't it be great if there was a cafe on-site where we could sit down and have a quick natter before going on our merry way. Mind you, I wonder if the Co-op staff would be able to run it as some of them seem slightly thrown by queues - as soon as one forms, the turnover of customers seems to slow down.
Another great place for a cafe would be the new Sure Start centre on Erindale. Not sure if that's included in the plans.
Sigh. Back to mine for a cuppa then.

Mobile death

2011-01-13T19:10:00.005Z

My handset, a Nokia 6120, is sounding it's death rattle. It went a bit crazy last night and started shifting through profiles and then randomly putting 9s all over the screen. Today, things are progressively getting worse and I fear I may need to call for a phone priest soon for last rites.
I can't type w,x,y,z or 9 which is not great in an emergency situation let alone for typing in text in the browser.
Still, I've had it for four years nearly which in today's world of built in obsolence or inferior manufacture is not bad.
And what's the effect of not having a handset to hand - I have to resort to my PC to use Facebook, twitter, look up recipes, jobs, email, craft stuff, gossip and the thousand random things that pop into my head that one day will form a masterpiece to be proud of. Still, I wonder if I could survive without a phone - do I really need to be contactable and connected all day / night long?
I may have mentioned in the past, I used to be interface designer for handsets and one of the essentials of the job was using handsets which were usually loaned to our team for free. For a company handset again supplied free, I would just select a mobile plan (that would be discounted for employees) that fitted my needs and far greater budget. If a handset didn't perform well with my team's use cases, we would discard it and write a report on how to improve it for the manufacturer...sometimes they even listened to our team's ideas.
Choosing a phone and mobile plan, when I'm on a budget and when I can't try out the UI and hardware is a freaking nightmare. I find going into phone shops dispiriting as the models are static and most of the staff annoy me.
The network websites do not make it easy either especially when you also want to find out about PAYG and what the available data bundles are.
My dream handset would either be a HD Android 2.3 with a 8 megapix camera or a Windows 7 one (i.e. not now or ever an Apple, don't even bother trying to convince me). I also want to leave 3 as the network, how to phrase this politely, is a bit poor in Plumstead, North London and most of Scotland and basically anywhere esle I seem to go apart from Central London.
Sigh....my dreams far outweigh my needs and means and I'll probably settle for something less. It's so rubbish being on a budget and not being able to play with technology anymore :(

Events: 8/9th Jan Moon Watch

2011-01-06T12:54:00.005Z

I was gutted to have missed the lunar eclipse last month - an event which won’t happen in our or our children’s or their children’s lifetimes again. If you were the same, then you could console yourself with a session at the National Maritime Museum - Moon Watch. Unfortunately our tot is too young so we will have to wait a few years as the event is for 5+ year’s children. It also seems to be a monthly event so if the weather is awful is Jan, wait until a clearer sky presents itself.

Full details for January can be found here: Moon Watch

Wooohooooo

2011-01-03T18:40:00.004Z

Hello Sweet Plums (and non Plums). I've been gone sometime. I ventured North of the Border with trepidation having watched the days of doom/gloom snow reports. But it was easily the easiest drive we have had and made it in record time...no snow and sod all ice. I feel a bit cheated. It was the same back too.
This succinctly describes Xmas for me as I came down with a seriously painful case of tonsillitis. So all that planning, present buying and general dizziness came to nothing as I spent most of the holidays asleep doped up on drugs (medicinal not recreational). By the amount of moaning/complaining/bewailing that I did, you would think that I had Man Tonsillitis (like Man flu but much worse). Does explain why I was in such a bummer mood in the run up, I was run down.
Luckily for me all my packages arrived so bods got their Xmas gifts. Not so for my Dundee lot who snow to deal and a rather inefficient re-org at their local Royal Mail depot. It's probably why no-one thought to buy me a family calendar this year....going to be hitting the shops for that one soon.
The upside off all this:
1) I absolutely love my hubby even more. He had a tonsillectomy as part of his battle against snoring and for over 2 weeks put up with pain that had me reduced to a snivelling wreck after 3 days. He's so very, very kind for doing it for me.
2) I lost weight. Wooooohoooooooooo. Usual Xmas pounds are no-where to be found. Now I just have to keep them off and the old Doctor will be happy with me too.
3) Being confined to bed was great for my bank balance as I couldn't spend any dosh.
4) I appreciate my beautiful big bed even more after having been sleeping elsewhere for nearly 2 weeks.
5) I watched quite a lot of TV. Not a lot on but I was glad to have watched Doctor Who and also the BBC show on Eric and Ernie. Who knew that Eric was such a pushoever.
6) And lastly, the most surprising for me ....I missed Plumstead Common.

I hope you all had a good one and that your New Year is getting off to a great start.

Blake Edwards

2010-12-16T21:06:00.002Z

I didn't know the man but enjoyed some of the films he directedand/or wrote which were fluffy fun. Here is a list of my faves. RIP Mr Blake.

Breakfast at Tiffany's
Operation Petticoat
Blind Date
Pink Panther series of films
The Great Race
10

The Fates are Conspiring

2010-12-16T18:20:00.002Z

In a typical -"It's all about me" moment, I had a bit of a paranoid meltdown this week. I'm a fan of online shopping as it means minimum amount of human contact and ease of price comparisons. However, thanks to the snow some companies refusing to deliver (H&S cowards) or are saying that deliveries are all backed up until at least this time next year. Even if I could get a delivery the Anonymous arses attack on credit card companies meant me and a lot of other XMas shoppers were unable to pay for purchases. This latter really got me. I'm not a fan of the Lone Gunman type vigilante who decides they are doing something on my behalf. I didn't ask them to do so. Maybe what Wikileaks are doing is good, maybe we will all be better off knowing the truth. But my imminent truth is that I need to shop and to do that I need to pay (unless they succeed in causing widespread anarchy and the lootists have their way).

Sooo anyway it means I've had to get off my couch and try to tackle shopping myself. Disaster as I'm not good on a one-2-shopstaff level.
Last weekend - Bexley Mall. I was expecting hell but strangely the shops were quite empty and we were able to browse freely. Shame I spent most of the time in TK Maxx (otherwise known as Aladdin's cave!!) and Mothercare faffing about so that the other shops all shut.
Wed - we make our way to the Peninsula shopping centre. I made it as far as John Wilson street. There was traffic everywhere. It took us an hour to turn around and make it back. Gadzooks to anyone trying to make a hospital appointment.
Today - Blackheath. Got there and it bucketed with rain. Got tot shoes but nowt else. I am afraid, I'm not a village shopper. I spent an inordinate amount of time in the car swearing which is naughty as the tot reminded me.
I hate shopping. I hate buying gifts though I love to give them. I'm getting into a tizzy and there are still 9 days to go. Then another few as Mr P.M. has a birthday between Xmas and New Year.

The current Xmas present booty is pathetically small. The question is do I attempt Bluewater tomorrow, or Oxford St, or stay home and make pressies (awwww sweet if you are 3, not so much when you are clears throat considerably more than 3). And even if I do venture out, will Anonymous foil me again the dastards (it's a word, learn a new thing everyday).

P.S. The Anonymous lot have moved on from being Lone Gunmen to a Vendetta scenario where they are going to plaster the city with posters of Wikileak leaks. I can't wait for them to all turn out with Julian Assange facemasks.

It's easier, you only have one

2010-12-02T17:24:00.004Z

It's not uncommon for me to be told that I have it easy as I have only one child. Most of the time, I don't disagree:

I have an easygoing, intelligent child. Yes, there are days when the little angel tests my patience, but it's also rewarded
Financially, it's cheaper. One child = only one set of things to buy, childcare cost, holiday prices, blah, blah, blah.
I have only one child to entertain on snowy, rainy days.
I can devote all my attention to raising just the one

BUT, there are times, teeny times when I have to grind my teeth. There are so many reasons:

It's bloody insensitive. I may have wanted more and have not yet, or cannot ever.
I may not have an easy child. My one child might be a sodding nightmare compared to your multiple children. I could for e.g. have an autistic child and then one is not easy (If I had more than one autistic child, then yes, one would be, relatively speaking, easier).
You CHOSE to have multiple kids and whoopee your fertility, luck, cosmic configuration, genes, jeans etc made it possible for you to have more so don't complain when it's hard to manage the multiple.
I have to entertain my one child as she has no siblings and on snowy days, it's hard to get to friends.
She has to learn to play on her own. Sometimes seeing her do so is just too sad to bear. Our child doesn't have any siblings to share birthdays with, holidays, Xmas, TV shows and lots of other stuff. Yes, your tots might not share now but I'm assuming at some point in the future the bond will build and they will be best buddies.
You don't have insensitive bods asking when you are going to have another.

Luckily, I know that having one is better than not having any. Or much better than having one and then losing that one. It's all relative see?

BT Infinity

2010-12-02T09:52:00.001Z

Question to all you love Plumsteadians (Plummies, Plummers, Greenies (inclusive one that), Commoners, oooh I digress), have any of you tried BT Infinity and what do you think of it? Is the service reliable (unlike my shite Virgin bb which went doolally yesterday and interrupted my xmas shopping).

Private online shopping

2010-11-29T10:05:00.002Z

Have you seen that advert for the bloke that is doing some online browsing and hides his computer from his wife? He's meant to be shopping but it always made me think of all those blokes I know who have been caught viewing porn online.
However, now it's Christmas shopping time, and you have to hide what you may/may not be buying for the other half. A few ways to do this:

Don't let him/her use your computer (keep their sticky fingers off your keys on pain of death)
Always sign in / out of your accounts of the various sites. The good ones will then hide what you are viewing in the privacy of your sign on name. Quel pain....I just google gifts and cannot be bothered with this one.
Set your browser to clear your history when you shut down. Not bad as long as you remember to shut down.
Use the browser on your phone.
Employ the Private Browsing mode in FireFox (Ctrl+Shift+P). This mode had me in caters to the porn scenario so well. However, for Xmas shopping, I hope it works. I've just started using it and hope it will keep a few of the gifts I get as surprises.

Finally, did you all go mad on Black Friday and place tonnes of online orders. Apparently it's that day in the year when most orders are placed. Personally, I could not be bothered with the masses of "DEALS DEALS DEALS" and will probably pay more for some goods, though I suspect in this recessions more deals will appear in the days up to Christmas.

Event: 4th Dec Fairtrade Christmas Market

2010-11-28T13:06:00.002Z

This is on the same day as the Charlton House event so it looks like we will be very busy that day :)
For all lovers of Fairtrade goods, it's a great place to get your xmas pressies in.

When: 4th December 2010
Time: 11.00 to 16.00 hours
Where: Eltham Centre, Archery Road, Eltham

The list of things you can get include:

handpainted Christmas decorations from Kashmir
jewellery from Chile, Nepal, India and Kenya
crochet shawls
purses and bags from India
men’s and women’s hand-loomed shirts from Nepal
fruit baskets from Uganda
skincare products from Ghana

Event: 4th Dec Charlton House Christmas Cracker

2010-11-28T12:53:00.005Z

UPDATE 2/12/2010 THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED BECAUSE OF THE SNOW. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

We went along to the family day last year and it was really good. Planning to go again this year and this time, we'll leave the car at home. Bus 53 goes from Plumstead Common Road straight to Charlton House!

Get into the festive spirit with a free day of fun at the Charlton Christmas Cracker.

There will be a Farmer's Market on site, plus an array of free attractions.

Day: Saturday 4th Dec
Time: Noon to 4.30pm
Address: Charlton House, Charlton SE7 8RE

What's happening?

You can take a walk around Charlton House and back lawn where you can enjoy:

land train to Santa's Grotto
live reindeer
owl display
Shetland pony and trap
live music (I hope it's the same steel band as last year!!!!)
showers of 'real' falling snow
wandering entertainers
craft and nail art workshops
indoor soft play area
magic show
fairground games

Event: 27th Nov Christmas Crafts and Coffee Morning

2010-11-25T10:46:00.003Z

At: Trinity Tots and Toddlers, Trinity Centre, 265 Burrage Road SE18 7JW
When: 27th November 10am to Noon.
Admission: 50p

Drop in for a chat and browse the stalls selling unusual handmade gifts, Party Lite, Phoenix Cards, Clitzy Bitz, Mini Messy Makers,a raffle and more.
Find the ideal present and support your local playgroup - all while putting your feet up with a coffee and a mince pie.

Event: 28th Nov Woodlands Farm Trust Christmas Market

2010-11-25T10:42:00.000Z

Money can't buy you happiness

2010-11-25T09:48:00.004Z

Have you heard that saying that "Money Can't Buy You Happiness"? Is it true? Especially around this time of year when people go into a buying frenzy for that one day that can make or break relationships and reduce grown, sensible, balanced people to weeping, quivering shadows of their former selves (I am just SO positive aren't I today!).
I've been dipping into a report (Mental Capital and Wellbeing:Making the most of ourselves in the 21st century) presented to policy makers in government a few years ago compiled from opinions / input of 400 experts. I've read half of the Executive Summary so far which is very broad. I think mental capital is our mental/cognitive and emotional abilities and mental wellbeing refers to our ability to achieve and respond.
In the summary it's noted that debt is a stronger risk factor in mental disorder than low income. So for the debt ridden, money would buy happiness. This does not bode well for the nation as the recession continues and more people fall into debt.
Today the Tories have announced they are want to find a way to measure the happiness of the nation, arguing that we should not measure progress solely in terms of economic growth. In part, this sounds good since there has been too much emphasis on how rich or not we are in terms of money following the "Greed is Good" / Thatcherite philosophy. The fact that there will be an attempt to move away from just assessing our growth in terms of wealth/poverty to a more richer understanding of the growth of our culture and our abilities as a nation to address the challenges in the future is to be welcomed.
But this is a Tory government and I'm sceptical. I can't help but laugh at the comic potential of Government determining future policies by how happy they make us. Will they like overindulgent parents ensure that the policies don't lead to one mass tantrum and stomping of foot - making sure in a patronising way that we are happy, smiley people all day long. Will it be shown that the nation is much happier when they are injected with happy pills and that this will inform the NHS policies of the future - come in for your daily does of the happy drug you little nation you. Is it going to unearth who among us is Ebenezer Scrooge and who is Bob Crachit (though in that story, ES gives money to BC and oh gosh we are back to economic measures of happiness)?
Unlike economic wealth, happiness is partly subjective. Yes you can measure seratonin levels but it's also a feeling which is a consequence of our past experiences which determines how we react to events. One person can become incredibly happy at the sight of a beautiful flower whereas another fails to see the beauty and so doesn't react in the same way. What do you think - what measure of happiness is valid to you?

Rememberance: The Sikh Story

2010-11-10T18:24:00.004Z

Last night I caught a BBC documentary Remembrance: The Sikh Story which was about the input of Sikhs in both World War I and II. They were marked by the British as a "Martial Race", as were the Gurkhas, and actively recruited to the conflicts.
The documentary was fascinating in briefly explaining how the Sikh religion did not start off as a warrior one... which was news to me as I had always thought they were the warrior class that got disenchanted with Hinduism. But I learnt that they only become warrior saints in their recent history.
The Royal Pavillion in Brighton was used as an Indian Military Hospital which must have been bizarre.
History is seldom a straight report of the facts - propaganda can determine what story we are told. According to the documentary this was true as after the Wars the contribution of many Commonwealth soldiers was "forgotten" as it was deemed important for the English to think they had won the Wars on their own. I can understand that, and there were millions of soldiers from the UK who bravely stood up to the ultimate evil, but it was good to see that, in this week of Remembrance, the people from other nations who fought are now being remembered.
The documentary is available on iPlayer so if you get a mo, have a look if only to hear about the dashing young WW2 Squadron Leader Mahinder Singh Pujji who must have made quite an impact wherever he went.

Comedy on the Common

2010-11-08T21:38:00.000Z

Me and the old man went along to the Comedy on the Common show for the first time on Saturday. As we walked up to the Pavilion on a rather misty and cold evening, I watched fireworks being let off on and around the Common (obviously some people did not remember, remember the 5th Nov and so had to do it the following day (and again on Sunday sheeesh enough already)).
With some trepidation, we walked up to the club and went in past a bunch of "youfs".
The Pavilion is a Rugby club hut and it looks like one. Nothing fancy, no niceties and very few beers on tap or in bottle but the room is a nice size, and I can see that an intimate atmosphere could easily be attained.
For some reason, despite the copious amount of moaning I hear about the lack of things to do around here, the place was quite empty. The show was delayed as the organisers waited for more people to turn up. As we had already paid, we stayed.
In the end the show began around 8.30pm and the MC came on stage. I did not get his name which was a shame as he was very good and came all the way from Bristol for the gig. He didn't know much about London but it didn't seem to matter as he was able to connect with some of the audience and kept coming back to them at each handover...including the youfs who turned out to be a nice enough bunch. It turns out being a pipe cutter is a prime source of ad-lib comic material but being a stay-at-home mum isn't ... the MC wasn't able to create any humour about the SAHM who was brave enough to speak up.
In all it was a good night. The people in the club were friendly and good natured. I didn't really enjoy the act one Steve Allen as he was mostly going about being single (something I haven't been for some time HURRAH!) but his gimmick was his radio voice which was funny. The second act was Tony Dunn who was a cardigan wearing Scotsman joking about genital mutilation of Postman pat dolls and his dad's thriftiness. The third act, Tony Law, took some time to arrive (it was a long wait and many trips to the loo) but the wait was worth it as he was brilliant and had me laughing so hard I couldn't breathe - I would have loved to have seen the faces of people passing hearing the strange noises he made.
So yes, it's not a glamorous venue but when the quality of the entertainment is good, you forget and just enjoy the evening. I hope to go to more in the future and hope more Plumsteadians will join in the fun too.

Happy Diwali and New Year to All.

2010-11-05T10:52:00.000Z

The Plumstead Common Road Obstacle Course

2010-11-04T16:56:00.000Z

I'd like to personally and profusely thank the woman dragging two very young kids behind her at the Burrage Road Junction with Plumstead Common Road - less than 100 yards from a traffic light crossing. Here's what I'm thankful for:

She let me test my brakes as she decided it was fine to walk right in front of my moving vehicle
That she taught the children with her the safe way to cross the road during peak school run time
That she made my tot cry out and then tell me off for swearing profusely

Having just done the rather trying run from Charlton Peninsula Shopping Center you would think I would be ready for anything but rather like the weary game player, as I neared home my frayed nerves were getting the better of me and I was rather shocked by the behaviour of this so called Mother. Perhaps being in front of a church made her believe she would be protected by a higher power...I'm just glad my brakes work as I'd be bloody pissed off if I hit her and had to live with that for the rest of my life.

Delhicious!

2010-11-03T12:04:00.000Z

Oooooh Plummy Mummy's greedy heart is so very happy today as I have just returned with plenty of savouries and sweets. On an exercise walk last month (once a month is quite enough thank you), I passed Delhicious on Plumstead High street. It the new vegetarian Gujarati food shop that has been there for 3 months and I've never noticed as I don't often go further than Daddos on the High Street.
Traditionally, Gujarati housewives cook masses of savouries and sweets in preparation for Diwali.
Gujarati snack shops are common in India and also in areas of London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leicester with large Guju populations. I remember fondly going along to Wembley High Street to scoff up stuff or my dad coming home with bags of goodies from Kingsbury. It's also a part of celebrations to have these colourful box of sweets.
Today my shop came to just over £21 which isn't bad considering what I bought

a large box of mixed barfis - indian sweets that are often ghee and milk based. The different flavours are achieved using nuts and spices such as cardamon and saffron. Mr P.M. enjoys barfi so I'm going to have to ensure he doesn't sneak any out of the box before Friday.
a box of sev - great for eating with tea or for a break from the sweet.
a box of bhusu - a mixture but with nuts, sev, channa and moong dhals. Tastes great with a bottle of cold beer
a very small box of sticky jalebis which are made of fried flour mix that is then completely soaked in sweet water to make them sticky and sweet. In our family, we often bought these on a Sunday morning to eat hot with tea and ghatia. They are my older brother's favourite and every time I eat one I think of him. Kids love them.
some samosas and a few kachoris. Kachoris are balls of fried flour filled with a very spicy dhal mix. I'm have to admit I'm not a big fan of shop bought samosas as my mother used to make the most divine ones (a recipe I soon hope to perfect myself) so in future may give those a miss but the other stuff will more than happily satisfy me.

The people in the shop are really friendly and were happy to explain what the different sweets contained. It was also a quick chance to use my fast fading Gujarati. I'm pretty sure they will be busy in the next few days and I'm certain I'll be returning to stock up again too. They told me they will also do special dishes at the weekend like chili paneer. If you do go along, take some cash as they don't take cards yet.

Delhicious
98a Plumstead High Street
tel: 0208 855 8832
Opening hours 9 - 11
CASH ONLY

Open Forums

2010-11-01T22:04:00.000Z

This is a plea to the Plumstead Integration Project and the Best of Plumstead site. PLEASE open your forums to guest readers. I think that if people are able to read what is on your forums without having to sign up first, they may be more willing to subsequently join in the discussions.
Apologies if you do so. If you do, please tell me how I can read your sites as a guest.

How safe is Plumstead?

2010-11-01T21:56:00.000Z

A reader has asked me for advice on Plumstead, specifically safety in the area.
I'm not sure I'm qualified to answer. When I first moved to the area 3 years ago, I was frankly horrified at the frequent sightings of Police noticeboards about crime, the lack of transport and the very run down high street. However, these have lessened in the intervening years - either the police don't put them up or the area is becoming safer.
When I go out, which is very infrequently at night, I make sure to take my car or if I don't have that, to return in a taxi as I wouldn't want to walk back to our house in the dark. Part over caution, part laziness.
My elderly neighbour was attacked just by Lenton Path, in broad daylight at 10am. Her purse was nicked and she was pushed to the ground. The gutless git who did it managed to make off with about a tenner. However, this is not something that is unique to Plumstead - attacks on vulnerable people happen all over London.

There area issues with the area:
Transport - while much improved by the DLR, could be improved further. Crossrail anyone
Lack of things to do in the afternoons or evenings - no decent pubs or restaurants. Perhaps this help keep prices down
A council that acts as if Greenwich borough doesn't include Plumstead

I do believe Plumstead is improving. Also we are very lucky with the amount of green space round here and are close enough to historic places such as Blackheath and Greenwich without suffering the traffic issues they have - Plumstead is a wonderful haven if you want to avoid tourists.
However, I would welcome other insights especially from people who have lived here a few years in order to give the reader a balanced view of safety and the area in general.

Book Clubs

2010-11-01T21:43:00.000Z

Has anyone ever gone to a Book Club? What are they like? I enjoy reading but don't do as much since having tot. However, I'd really like to get back into it but am nervous about ending up in a quiet (read: boring) group.