Say cheese....Smile

This picture certainly made me smile

"Get Ready To Wiggle"

We have had a lot going on in the past two weeks culminating in a trip to the see the Wiggles in Concert on Friday.
Ivy loved the ballet dancers and Dorothy the Dinosaur wearing her pink tutu
Oliver loved the show too, and stood on Daddy's lap and danced along with all the songs.

It was a very hot day, and after the show Ivy and Oliver enjoyed an ice lolly from the "ice cream car."
Then we got to meet Murray at the stage door. He was very nice, and politely said Mummy looked familiar when she mentioned their teaching course at IEC Waverley about 200 years ago.

School Sports Day

Ivy was an outstanding competitor in her school sports day last Thursday. She ran in the potato (egg) and spoon race, a race where you had to balance a toy frog on your head, a race involving jumping through hoops, and a sack race which she WON!

Silly Mummy forgot to take a camera, so it was lucky one of the other Mummies sent a few cute pictures of sports day.

Mummy ran in the parents relay and was on the winning team too. (Conveniently no pictures of that!) When all the events were finished, Oliver had lots of fun running up and down the lanes, played with the potato and spoon, then tried to balance the frog on his head.

Grandma is in Town

We are thrilled that after many many many invitations, Grandma has come to stay with us in London. Ivy and Oliver had to wait a whole week while Daddy went to Australia to pick her up, but both children so happy to have her here with us (and also happy that Daddy is back too).

A childhood dream

Yesterday, Ivy helped me vicariously fulfill a childhood fantasy and had her first ballet lesson. When I was about three, I desperately wanted to go to ballet, but as a single mother, my Mum wasn't in the position to be able to send me. Instead we attended a season of ballet films at the local cinema, and for my birthday I was given a copy of The Splendour Book of Ballet which I treasured.

In March Ivy had a trial class, and we have been looking forward to the beginning of the new term for weeks. One thing that tells me I am not just pushing my own agenda is that Ivy loves to dance and often asks me to play "Ballet Music" (classical music) on the ipod. I was definately sure that this is her interest when she showed me this drawing.


The extra leg? Perhaps its a way of depicting the movement of the dancer in a similar way to the Futurists or as in Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase.

I think the most exciting part of the whole event for me was taking Ivy to be fitted for her ballet uniform. We went to the tiny little shop in the Dance Attic Studios. The shop has an olde world charm with its fitted shelves neatly stocked full of beautiful ballet kit and accessories. There's a lot to take in. Ivy was attended by Nancy a dancing veteran whose care and attention to detail made me feel like a princess on Ivy's behalf.

St Georges Day

Today is the National Day of England.
St George's Day seems to creep up on me every year and although there are campaigns to raise the profile of St Georges day and make it a bank holiday there don't seem to be many very widespread or well known St George's day traditions. Its quite a contrast to St Patrick's day which is not just celebrated in Ireland, but all over the world.

Oliver and I had the opportunity to observe St Georges Day today when we passed by the farmers market in Lyric Square.Behind the stalls was a brass band playing music to celebrate the day. Very patriotic.

First Day of School

Yesterday was Ivy's first day of nursery school. It is a major milestone and was a huge deal for me. I was filled with a weighty sense of the significance of the occasion. I took my camera with me to try to capture the moment, but when we arrived I was too busy feeling like the new girl to remember to take the picture.
Ivy was a cool customer and while I hesitated and waited to be shown around, she put on her apron and got straight down to the business of playing. I wasn't concerned that she would be upset or miserable, because we have been talking about it for a few weeks and she has been completely sold on the idea. When I went to say goodbye, all Ivy said was "Now I want to paint."

When I went to pick her up the children were playing outside, and I watched her playing and having fun for a few minutes before she noticed me standing there. She was pleased to see me and gave me a big hug, and had enjoyed herself so much that she didn't want to leave. I'm happy that the afternoon went so well and I am impressed with Ivy's confident approach to this new chapter.

I remembered to take a photograph of her when we arrived home, but by then Ivy was tired and didn't really want to co-operate.

We did manage to take this one outside the front door of the nursery school today.