Local Strolls and Playgrounds

One thing Emilia and I have been doing a lot since I stopped working is wandering around our beautiful neighboroughood and visiting all the playgrounds in the area. It is official, Emilia loves slides! The weather has been quite nice, mostly sunny, although still a little bit chilly. Here are some recent pictures.

Peppa Pig World

About a year ago, while walking out of the London Bridge tube station, my eyes caught a leaflet of a new theme park that had just opened in honour of the one and only Peppa Pig. I knew one day we would venture there...and that day was last Friday! On Friday morning we took the train from London Waterloo to Southampton Central and from there it was a ten minute taxi ride to Peppa Pig World. My parents, Rob, Emilia and I were all super excited to spend a fun day out. And boy did we have fun! 

The train ride was smooth and Emilia was captivated by all the people around her. She was very good and when she wasn't busy overhearing the conversations from her neighbours, she played with her activity book. 

 

The taxi ride from Southampton Central station to the park, on the other hand, wasn't very smooth and Emilia was quite distressed. But we got there, in the end. And once inside the park, we were all in haven! We all loved it. The park is perfect for kids and toddlers and most of the rides are suitable for little ones. Emilia's favourite was by far the dinosaur's ride! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course, we met Peppa! And George. This time, Emilia was a little bit less scared by Peppa and wanted to get closer and closer (but not too close!). 

 

 

Peppa Pig World is actually part of a bigger, and older, theme park. So, once we were done with all the rides in Peppa World, we ventured to the rest of the park. I really liked walking through the botanical gardens and we all enjoyed a ride on the Victorian carousel. 

 

We left just five minutes before the park closed and this time the taxi ride back to the train station went very well. Emilia was happy, in fact, she was ecstatic. She kept saying *Peppa World* and gave all of us lots of gratitude kisses! It was such a lovely family day out and a perfect way to celebrate my first day as an older lady :)

Friends Reunited

While in the US, Emilia got reunited with her *old* friend Juliette. Juliette and her parents, Steph and Andrew, used to live in London and Steph and I got pregnant almost at the same time. It was amazing to have a pregnant friend to share all the ups and downs of pregnancy. Juliette was born just a couple of months before Emilia and the two of them used to be best buddies. It was very hard to say goodbye to them when they moved back to Baltimore, last September. Since we planned our trip, we had been looking forward to seeing them and we were lucky enough to see them twice; we had an adults only dinner first, which was ideal to catch up properly, and then a play-date with the girls. We went to a farm with a lovely playground close to their new home and Emilia and Juliette were simply adorable together. I love these girls and it was beautiful to see them together again.

 

 

 

Ishash (?!)

Ishash is the name that Emilia has given to her little friend (boyfriend?!?) Elias. I love that she assigns names to the people she likes. Emilia loves spending time with Elias and today we had a double date: in the morning we took a long stroll to the Southbank and while Katharina and I enjoyed some chats, the view,  and the gorgeous weather, the kids adoringly looked at each other and communicated in their own, super sweet, way. On the way back home we then stopped to play a bit on the grass at Potters Fields to let them loose.

 

 

 

 

And after a long, energetic nap, we were out again. This time we went to the playground and had so much fun! The two kids clearly like each other, they talked, smiled, and even kissed each other, twice! Shhhh, don't tell Rob :) 

 

 

First visit to the park of 2014!

The weather in London is glorious today so we had to go out. After debating a little bit where to go, we opted for the little park in Bermondsey street and its playground. When the weather is this good I appreciate even more not to have to work on Friday! It's only February and we made our first visit to the park, yay! 

Bermondsey street is one of my favourite streets in the whole of London and we are very fortunate to live just round the corner. It's full of sweet, little shops and independent cafes' and it has preserved a sort of village-y feeling. No big chains, no Starbucks, no Pret, in sight here! I love it. So, I bought a coffee from a local cafe' and sat with Emilia on a bench. The tennis courts were full of kids having their tennis lessons; they were all approximately two/three years old and of course I could not avoid to think how cute Emilia would look playing tennis. Next year, definitely! Something to add to her list of things to do. At the playground we met Eden, an adorable little girl with blond hair and a huge red bow on it! When the sun is shining everyone is in a good mood, little and big ones. Emilia was a delight. She loved the stroll and the playground and of course didn't want to leave. I had to promise lots of yummy food for lunch at home to get her on the stroller! Today was just a taste of Spring and I simply cannot wait for it!