and was just adding the finishing touches when my
iPad froze and then poof! All my work was gone.
Well, onwards and upwards.........
One can never get bored in London. If you lived
here for a lifetime, you'd run out of life and never see
everything this great city has to offer.
A few weeks ago I decided to go to this place....
The Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green, part of
the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington......
There was an exhibition I really wanted to see...... it was on a
topic I'd read about many years ago......
"On Their Own - Britain's Child Migrants"
For decades Britain forcibly shipped children in care to
Commonwealth countries... this is their story.....
The children were often told they were going on holiday but
the majority never saw their families again.....
Here's a letter from one of these children to her mother
in England, a bit hard to read but worth the effort....
Here are some of their personal stories as they recount them......
And, before we say how terrible, how could they do this?.........
let's remember what's happening to children worldwide
today - child labour, child trafficking, prostitution and pornography....
the list goes on. It seems that the most vulnerable in our society,
the young and the elderly are the most at risk for abuse.....and worse.
So.... let's continue with what childhood should be like for ALL kids.....
A lovely museum dedicated to children......
Adults are allowed in too!
Lots of interactive play space....
Toys from the past......
Alice in Wonderland and the Red and White Queens...
And samplers stitched by tiny hands - I wonder if they
enjoyed doing this?
And, toys that I remember......
Ok , admit it.......you remember them too!!
Sindy, the Brit equivalent to Barbie! Here she is in her mod phase!
I remember these prams.... the Silver Cross brand was the
deluxe model!
This was school uniform all through primary school:
and who could forget these little uglies? Today they just troll on
the Internet!
Toys that my kids grew up with:
They had the exact same crib toy and tea set...
They're in a museum now! I'm not / they're not that old are we??
And a favourite TV show that my son loved when he was over
for visits... Thunderbirds..... " Thunderbirds are go"
My daughter's favourite show - Teletubbies.......
With names like Tinky- Winky, Dipsy, Laa Laa and Po one could be
forgiven they have a screw loose...... oh wait, it's on top of their head!
I bet my daughter would love one of these now!
Bears of every description....
and of course, Smurfs and Smurfettes, now around for a second time...
The lovely mosaic tiled floor in the museum- handmade by the female
inmates of Wandsworth Prison when it was a women's jail.....
You can imagine all the hours it took .......
A great place to visit on a rainy afternoon!
On the way home.....look what I saw...... an urban fox....
Ha, I know what you're thinking.....
And you'd be wrong.......
Seen at the train station mooching along and not at all shy.
Urban foxes are becoming an increasing problem, not just
in London but in most urban areas, not helped by some
people leaving food out for them. They look pretty scraggy
unlike their lush-furred North American counterparts...
And, because we're on a furry topic, I saw this as I was
passing the local Marks and Sparks.......
It reminded me of a skunk! I haven't seen anyone wearing
one yet........
Today, I've been busy on patrol...... PAW Patrol... one of
this generations must- have toys........
A group of six rescue dogs, led by a tech- savvy boy called
Ryder! I had to google that as I didn't have a clue! The heroic
pups, who believe "no job is too big, no pup is too small".
The good news is that it's a Canadian animated TV series....
Last week I was able to track these down to a toy store on Oxford St.
I had to get two of them, but which two? Marshall, Chase, Skye, Rubble,
Rocky, Zuma or Everest?
Today, knowing what I was after, I headed back up to Oxford St.- on
a Saturday!! Was I crazy?
I got off the bus at Oxford Circus......
headed down Oxford Street......
and back to this store . Every child's fantasy....
Look who I met...... Mr. Fun......
The Mr.Men and the Little Miss books were a series of books
written by Roger Hargreaves - my kids loved them- and so
did I....... can't you tell?
Oh no......... no Chase OR Skye at the store......
The helpful shop assistants gave some suggestions....
I headed back to Oxford Circus......... jumped on a bus.....
Got off at Picadilly Circus......walked down to Leicester Square.....
Briefly got lost in Chinatown.......
Found the store!!!!!!!
Took a DEEP breath and walked in.....
Yeeeeeess - this has to be it.......
And look what I found - the mother lode!
and a lovely shop assistant that helped me find EXACTLY
what I wanted......
Thank you, thank you!
Now the pups are safely tucked away on the couch.....
ready to emigrate to Canada......
and I can relax and start packing for my next trip- I'm leaving
tomorrow..... and no-one guessed where I was going, so I'll
give you a BIG clue......
here's a close-up.......
Riga in Latvia and Tallinn in Estonia - I've never been to
either and all I know is that it's cold there right now.....
But being an optimist, you never know, I might meet
someone special......
Talk soon
Zoe
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