keane

Tom Chaplin, the lead singer and member of Keane, gave an interview in the UK Sunday Times. Read it here. I know you will because you love Keane as much as I do. :p

fanatical friday

I saw this movie when it first came out in 2007. I enjoyed it. I cannot say I totally loved it. Like any movie created around iconic music, I am leery (i.e. Mamma Mia). The music was my main reason for absolutely sticking through and watching it. Plus Julie Taymor, the director, is super cool. (She is currently working with Bono and The Edge on Spider-Man: The Musical.) I am a Beatles fan and not a closeted one. I have a Beatles t-shirt. After having worn it many thousands of times, I have come to realize that others my age don't always share my passtion. The range of comments I get make me laugh.

Another thirty-something: "Is that a Beatles shirt?"

Moi: "Yes, it is."

Another thirty-something: "You and my mom would get along. She likes The Beatles a lot."

Moi: "Tell your mom she is totally cooler than you."
I didn't actually say this. I should have. It was at the tip of my tongue though.

I finally broke down and got the soundtrack.

Bono not only makes an appearance in the movie but he sings two songs on the soundtrack: I Am the Walrus and Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds. Nothing can compare to the originals but I highly recommend the soundtrack. If you are a Beatles fan, that is. If your mother is then it would make for a great Mother's Day present. In her card just be sure to mention she is way cooler than you are. That alone would make her day.  :p

young victoria

I just watched this today and must recommend it to everyone. It was absolutely brilliant. Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend were a perfect Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The costuming was divine and all of it was shot so beautifully. It showcased the beauty of England and made me miss it tremendously. Rent it today!

kensington

The dreaded last days! My trip, as you have seen, had been amazing and to realize I was in the final days of my much-needed personal vacay, was definitely hard to swallow. I was anxious to get home and be with the husband and kids again but yet, at the same time, I was enjoying my time in London immensely.

 My sister's husband agreed to let us have a day out sans kids. Saturday we aimed for the British Library. Everyone asked us about all the millions of books stored there and the rows upon rows of shelves. Well, actually, the only reason we ventured there was for the Sir John Ritblat Gallery. Are you ready for the list of treasures it holds? Are you sure? Okay. Here we go:

• Magna Carta
• Lewis Carroll's original manuscript of Alice's Adventures Under Ground
• The Duke's Plan, an early map of New York
• Original score of Handel's Messiah and hand-written lyrics by The Beatles
• Leonardo Da Vinci's notebook
• The Gutenberg Bible, one of the first printed books
•  a seven volume Islamic manuscript, hand-written in gold
• first plays of Shakespeare
• hand-written scores from Mozart and also his marriage license
• Jane Austen's writing desk, glasses and hand-written manuscripts
• scores from Schubert
• hand-written manuscripts from the Bronte sisters

...and much, much more. I was most excited about seeing The Beatles hand-written lyrics and the story behind it. They were:

• Michelle
• Yesterday
• Hard Days Night
• Ticket to Ride
• Help
• I Want To Hold Your Hand

Just to be standing in a room with so many historical and amazing features left me awe-struck. It was hard to really soak it all in. I wish I could've taken pictures but they were, of course, prohibited. If you do find yourself in London and aren't sure where to start, go to the British Library. You might also want to take a look around rather than stay in the Gallery the whole time like we did.

We then needed to start back towards the flat to relieve my sister's hubby. But on the way we stopped at Sainsbury's and stocked up on all my favorite English sweets and biscuits. Here I am showing the love for one of my favorites:

I didn't realize but Beatrix Potter's house was just around the corner from my sister's flat. Now a school sits on the spot where her house used to be. It was bombed during WWII (curses!!) and so a school was built there. There is a placque though telling of her time there:

Sunday we headed to Kensington Garden. It was raining so we took our time before venturing out. We also got to take a black cabbie ride to the park which was awesome:

Black Cabbie Ride from Nells Bells on Vimeo.
I was most excited to see the Peter Pan statue, a gift from J.M. Barrie:


At the base of the statue there were many of the characters and images from the book:

The whole of Kensington Garden is quite large and absolutely beautiful. There is also a Princess Diana Memorial walkway throughout the park.


We walked over to the Royal Albert Monument that Queen Victoria had built for him (I really want to see that movie, BTW) and it was larger than I had expected.


That bench reminded me of the movie Finding Neverland and I tried to imagine Johnny Depp sitting on that very bench. :) < sigh >
We then walked over to this giant pond in the garden and on towards Kensington Palace. We didn't go inside to the museum but opted to walk around the grounds.

Kensington Garden pond from Nells Bells on Vimeo.






By this time we were all pooped and ready for a rest. Well, my sis and I were pooped but the kids were up to doing something other than walking. Princess Diana had this giant playground built for her boys and it now is a public park area. It is super cool and the design was based on the story Peter Pan. There was a pirate ship, a Lost Boys hideout, tepee's and a rocky shore with a crocodile.


I must mention that at this park we spotted an Aussie soap star. My sister used to live in Australia and recognized him right away. He was pushing his kids on the swings. My sis tried to be discreet and snap a shot of him. The other funny thing is he was singing, quite loudly, a Lady Gaga song. I had no idea who he was but he was quite handsome. I can understand why he would be a star in his native Australia.

Up next: HOME

muse

We had so much fun at the Muse concert. They were phenomenal. There are bands that are not so good live or really good live and Muse was an awesome band to see live. His voice is exceptional and I couldn't believe how great he sounded when on stage. Here is a clip from the concert, playing one of my favorite songs. The husband was filming (because he is taller) and we kept getting bummped around. Thus the filming is all over the place. But at least the sound wasn't effected!

Muse: Hysteria from Nells Bells on Vimeo.

new faves

My kids love Crocs and I don't mind having them be the shoe of choice. They are super easy to put on (by themselves), they can get dirty, wet, whatever and they are durable. Perfect shoes for the warmer weather. You can imagine how bummed I was to find Mi-mi's Crocs from last year are too small. But today we found a cute replacement pair:

She was even the one who picked them out! We share in this new favorite find.
I also found new running pants that have quickly become a favorite. I really like the fit and they don't move when I'm running. With other pants I have found it a nuisance when I'm constantly having to pull them up and focus on running. The "body-hugging" design is no lie.

These Nike Core Tech Women's Running Capris are THE BOMB!! There is even mesh at the back of the knees to help with ventilation. AND a mini pocket in the back to hold a key, an iPod, a gallon of milk... :p

harrods

After having a late night of great company and conversation, we decided to sleep in a bit on Friday and have a fun, easy day of shopping! Plus it was raining when we woke (surprise, surprise) so there was no rush to venture out.

Harrods was our store of choice. Rather, it is not merely a store but a giant department store. Harrods has many, many floors of all you can think of: women's clothing, men's, children's, purses/bags, candy shop, perfumery, toys, groceries, souvenir shop (which they call the "arcade"). The size absolutely blew me away. It was very busy too. I muttered outloud, "I cannot imagine what it is like at Christmas time" to which my sister assured me it is an absolute mad house. I don't think I would ever dare set foot within a block radius.


On the main floor was this large alley of all sorts of goods: meats, fruits and veggies, cheese, etc. that were for purchase. But I was having a hard time keeping my eyes off the ceiling:



As you can see, it was so beautifully ornate. We spent quite a while wandering through the first floor and I doubt I saw the whole of it. We were trying to find the ice cream counter, as my sister had promised her kids they could get ice cream. We got lost while searching but finally found it. It was like entering Willy Wonka's factory.


All sorts of candies and everything so brightly colored. It was awesome.
This sense of wonderment lasted only a few short moments as then the reality of our predicament came to light. Our ice cream predicament. To be able to order some, you must secure yourself a seat at the counter. There were only about 20 seats for every 1,000 people per hour who also wanted their chance at having some ice cream. AND it wasn't just ice cream...it was Gelato. Perfect, smooth, expensive Gelato. So not only were our mouths already salivating at the thought of having some but the chance of us even getting some was slim. Our wait began and we waited and waited and waited...
A couple finally took pity on the kids because they slowly licked their Gelato bowls clean, slowly put on their scarves, slowly put on their long wool coats, picked up their bags, slowly, and left.


See how happy the kids are? Yes, there were only 2 seats for four of us. The kids won out and we got to stand and watch them eat their 7 pound (as in mula not weight) ice cream delights (too expensive for my pocketbook). :p
Did I happen to mention that minuscule silver bowl of Gelato was the least expensive thing on the 5 page menu??

We had to make a stop at the Godiva chocolate counter for some Cherry Cordials (my favorite). And as you can see by my bags, we had made several stops elsewhere for souvenirs.



Here are my nephew and I dancing near the entrance just inside of Harrods:

After our adventure in Harrods my sister took her kids back to their flat for some much needed rest and I ventured off to the Tate Britain. I had come all this way and could not miss my chance at seeing The Lady of Shallot by John Waterhouse.

It was only a few short stops away on the tube. I had fun taking pictures on the way. This was taken just as I came out from the tube:

Remember my love of the blue doors?

The walk to the Tate was enjoyable. I had my iPod and "Where the Streets Have No Name" came up on my shuffle. How cool is it to be walking the streets of London while listening to U2? Super cool. I felt super and cooler than everyone else. With, at the time, an unknown disappointment awaiting me, I'm glad my walk there was grand.
Lady working the information desk at the Tate Britain: "Welcome to the Tate Britain. Would you like a map guide?"
Moi: "Yes. Thank you."
I then flip through the guide, pretending to be interested and seeming less anxious and weird for only wanting to see THE PAINTING!!
Moi: "Can you actually point me in the direction of the John Waterhouse painting, The Lady of Shallot?"
Lady: "I'm sorry." (Dreadful words) "It is actually on loan at the moment in Canada for the Olympics."
Moi:  My throat is suddenly parched and my voice inaudible. "..............aah...........squeak.......??????? Oh. Um. Thanks anyway."

Canada? Really?? For the Olympics?!!? Damn the Olympics!! I would, at this point, have damned Canada too but since the husband is from said country, I couldn't bring myself to do it.

The extra skip in my step was long gone as I sadly made my way back to the flat. At least it wasn't raining and the sun had come out. It made for perfect views out of the flat:




The British Library and all the treasures it holds is up next!

baby animals

We wouldn't miss Baby Animal Days for anything. Plus each year some new attraction is added and/or changes are made to double the pleasure of the experience. I love it. The kids love it. The husband loves it. And it is a day the kids get to spend with grandpa G.

Two things: 1) Mi-mi insisted on wearing her PJ's. She is my stubborn child and I decided to go with it. I mean, who wouldn't want to wear their PJ's all day and besides, she is two. 2) She was a bit grumpy as well. Lethal combination but she faired well. She did not want to look at the camera, let alone smile. We couldn't help but laugh at her unwarranted attitude.


Baby bears were one of the new attractions this year.



At this point, Mi-mi's patience with the husband asking her to smile began wearing thin:

Here they are somewhat excited about holding a bunny:


But that quickly diminished:

Even to the point of disinterest which shows on Mo's face:

And then the bunny was okay again:

Baby chicks and baby ducks:



A rare smile:





When heading for the train ride, we obtained free bottles of water. Mi-mi was very protective of hers and would not let anyone hold it or even touch it:

On the train:




This giant slide was fun for the first time down:

But then Mi-mi lost her cool and needed some assistance getting down:

A fun day followed by pancakes, strawberries and whip cream for lunch (I let the kids choose). Then long naps (I chose this one and imposed it on everyone).