Birthday Treat

Went to Luton on Saturday as a belated birthday, for my son.  He had a party at his house with his mates on his birthday.  So he came to see us on Saturday.  We went round the shops and did a little shopping like you do.  We had decided that we would go back to Dunstable for our evening meal and eat out, but going into the Mall, we noticed a new restaurant a Toby Carvery so we thought why not.  Every thing was lovely, and we eat our fill. The staff where pleasant and attentive, "and then I go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like," I  would like a hot chocolate please. I rarely ask for coffee on my first visit, as you know by my moans I am a little fussy with my coffee, however as lots of pubs serve food these days, a lot of the machines are pretty rubbish, but not all of them, which is what gets me   I know two pubs that have machines and no steamers, that serve decent cups of coffee, at a reasonable heat.  So I assume being a restaurant, they would have a steamer, wrong!"  My son looks on laughing my husband with trepidation, "Just have another Lemonade and we will go to Costa's", which again all the same machinery, but can be hit and miss, all though I must admit the only miss in the area is the one at the library end of the mall next to Toby's. 

I took a sip well it was smooth, creamy,  tasteless, and lukewarm not remotely hot, I thought at first it was froth, but no what an idiot I am when will I ever learn.  I sent it back and got the standard reply that is the temperature the milk comes out of the machine.  So no drink, until I got home, I can't belief that these manufactures,  or restauranteurs ignore there customers, so I must summise that I am the only one that complains. I will admit that Toby's is the coldest and weakest I have ever tasted, for a hot drink. Drinks are so expensive out, meals are getting cheaper so there must make their money somewhere I get it!.  It is not a problem with me I will pay for a good hot cup of coffee, I resent paying for lukewarm dish water, but I can't belief that these machines are set properly, the chocolate at Toby's was not remotely hot or chocolaty for that matter.  The other answer is that it was made and the waitress  left it sitting to long, but  I don't think so.  They did take it off my bill, which is rare, so at least I didn't pay for it, but I didn't get a hot drink either.  Rant Over.

Woman In Black

My son started playing on his phone, and said lets go to see the Muppet's! two groans.  The hotel film with all  the older actors in was not on until 8.30pm.  My son's favourite stage play is 'Woman in Black',  The film version being due to start in 20 minutes over the road.  While it is not exactly mine or Kevin's favourite subject matter and despite that Kevin always sleeps through films, with one exception The Kings Speech, we thought why not, so we went.  I loved it I thought Daniel Radcliffe was excellent, I am  one of those few people that is totally unbiased, apart from the TV film 'My son Jack', I have not really sat down and seen one of  his films all the way through, not even a Harry Potter.  Oh I do intend to watch them, but will buy them and watch them quite quickly, I hate waiting years for the next chapter.  I realy enjoyed the film if you can say enjoy to a horror film, but it freaked me out in all the right places, and had me holding my breathe in other's all in all a good film.  Even Kevin despite having the wrong glasses with him, did not nod off during it. My son, though he liked it, still prefers the stage play.  Now he wants to drag us to London  for the play, we'll see.  All in all an enjoyable day,  a magical moment to treasure. 

Skype

The wonders of skype, I managed to get skype up and running, a scary sight in the morning, looking at yourself, but never mind.  I dare say I will get used to it.  My youngest son is home today visiting and he said he would set it up for me, then phone my eldest son, and get him connected as well over the phone. No 1

son is as impatient as his mum so he got set up yesterday, but neither of the boy's could find each other. So I thought I'm going to have a go, I found both of them straight away.  No 1 son I knew would be in this morning, so we have been having a little chat.  He got me loud and  visually clear, he unfortunately having
a tower system and speakers, found it a little more difficult, and all I got was  a hiss, but we got there in the end.  The wonders of modern technology.  I can
speak to my kids without getting out of bed, and sitting in a drafty hall way, or using up all my credit on my mobile, all good stuff. 

Lego

Lego has always been one of those toys that as a family we have always loved.  It is one of those toys that the whole family can get on the floor and play with.  As a child all I had was red and white bricks, then later blue and yellow.  Simple windows and doors and wheels.  When my children where growing up you could get an airport and police stations and for the girls beach houses and cafes. However you still had the instructions which would show you how to make 3-4 different  things with the same bricks, and you could make what you like.

You go into the Lego shops and you see recent films glorified for eternity in little plastic bricks.  I have posted  a Harry Potter he is what he is, you could use the bricks to make other things but Harry Potter looks like Harry Potter complete with scar,  same with Captain Jack. Star wars, pirates of the Caribbean, all immortalized in the little brick.  We love our Lego and really enjoy, yes making up the ships and trains, but please not to many specialized bricks, continue making a good variety of bricks, that help the creative juices in a child flow.  Making the item is just the first step, the child then plays with it firing their imagination creating all sorts of wonderful people having wonderful adventures.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28083135@
N06/6448751047/ 

Lego is not just about Harry, Captain Jack, Luke Sky Walker, and others, yes they play their part, but they all come from the imagination of others.  I went to Kensington, to the doll's house fair, in December and going through St Pancras International Station, I saw a Christmas tree at first, I thought oh a bit boring to symmetrical not how a Christmas tree should be at all, until I got close enough to see. what a wonderful sight stood in the middle of the concourse it was a beautiful Giant Christmas Tree made of lego, it was made of 600,000 lego bricks and stood between 10 and 12 metres high, depending on which paper you read.

I know that a lot of the children, not just the children that saw it went home and got out their Lego boxes and created all sorts of wonderful Christmas scenes and hopefully it was on the list of more than one child.  They couldn't buy a pack to make one but I bet more than one child tried, and that is what Lego is all about.   One of my son's helps in a beaver pack, and those ten minutes at the end of a meeting, while the children sit on their mats to await their parents, are the longest of the whole night.  Last year he went up in the loft and took away 2 boxes of Lego, now silence reigns for those ten minutes and all you can hear is the clatter of bricks and the murmuring of children.  The sad part is when he told me that some of his boys had never played with Lego before.  So go on get a box out of it's hiding place and no matter how old or how busy you are get playing, a bit of escapism is just what we all need, even if it is just for half an hour, I love it.

Maureen's Magic Moments

This is for those magical moments that happen at any time any place some big some small.  From the 24th of December through to the 29th of December I had all my family around the only time for a few years we have all been together and it was wonderful.  After Christmas we went up Dunstable  Downs kite flying and then we went to watch a pantomine "Jack and the Beanstalk" and went for a Chinese meal afterwards.  This being a massive moment.