tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56567077737226772142024-03-14T09:08:33.346+00:00DaughtersAndLoversA Working Mother's Lifestyle Blog
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-28548318647914541712014-05-23T14:19:00.000+01:002014-05-23T14:19:41.241+01:00Making It Easy: Travel with a ToddlerI bit the travel bug when I took a gap year aged 19, and I've never been able to shake it off.<br />
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Plus taking my daughter to amazing places around the world has always been one of things I really want to do as a mother.<br />
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So that means getting to grips with how to make international and long haul travel work with a toddler.<br />
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Believe me, once you have flown long haul on your own with a baby, nothing seems impossible!<br />
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1. Expect it to be challenging<br />
Allow yourself more time, for everything. Have low expectations and know there will be stressful moments, but at some point you will arrive and it will be holiday time.<br />
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2. Take advantage of family friendly arrangements.<br />
They are often not well-advertised, but usually airlines have fast-tracking for families. And airport staff are often of parenting age too, and know first hand how tough it can be. Make sure you ask:<br />
-Is there a family lane through security?<br />
-Is there a children's play area in the departures lounge?<br />
-Is there fast tracking onto the flight?<br />
-Can they bring the buggy to the doors of the plane on arrival?<br />
-Where are the baby change loos?<br />
-Can the air hostesses supply extra pillows, blanket, snacks etc?<br />
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3. Get an iPad and fill it with Peppa Pig.<br />
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4. Buy chocolate, crisps, biscuits. <br />
Now is not the time to insist on organic seasonal produce (though a little zip-lock bag with some cut apple, pear and grapes is always handy). Have proper treats for the moments when nothing else works.<br />
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5. Prepare your hand luggage<br />
If your child is still too little for a Trunki, then it's all in your hand luggage. You will need a couple of toys and books, maybe a new story wrapped up as a surprise present. Have two more nappies than you need, and collect mini sizes of sudocream etc. Note that the liquid limit is 100ml, and some products (eg Piricon) come only in larger bottles. Every time I've travelled, security have let me have two bags of liquids. Have them pre-loaded, so you know what needs to come out of your hand-luggage when you go through the scanner and can focus on dismantling the buggy and getting your little one through the scanner. When travelling by myself with Kiddo as a baby, I would just ask airport staff to hold her so I could collapse the buggy (which must be Maclaren - leave the fancy ones at home).<br />
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As for the type of luggage, <a href="http://uk.longchamp.com/:///:///pliage/:///:///pliage/nylon" target="_blank">a roomy, unstructured bag </a>has always been my preference. However, a friend takes a wheely-suitcase then uses it as a footstool to allow her little one to sleep flat in her own seat.<br />
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6. Know the drill<br />
How does the flight fit with your routine? Sometimes it makes sense to feed Kiddo at the airport while waiting to board, rather than during the flight. It's worth considering the timing of the flight - we flew back from Hong Kong on a midnight flight, meaning she was asleep before we even got on the plane.<br />
Always change nappy/go to the loo before boarding and then just before landing. If travelling as a lone parent, take a baby sling to put baby in while you go to the loo. For timetabled tips, I can't do better than <a href="http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/387689/jewish/Tips-for-Easier-Plane-Traveling-with-Kids.htm" target="_blank">this awesome Jewish Mom</a> or <a href="http://www.deliciousbaby.com/travel/family-travel-tips/making-travel-days-with-kids-work/air-travel-with-babies-toddlers-kids/" target="_blank">this Delicious Mom</a> (their descriptions, not mine)!<br />
Giving baby milk or toddler a drink from a sippycup (or red Evian bottle which Kiddo thinks is the height of grown-upness!) on take off/landing can help reduce painful earpopping.<br />
Have your pick-up arranged at the other end, or check the in-flight magazine to see where the taxi rank is.<br />
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7. Let others help<br />
Most people love children and most people have experience of them and understand that it's hard. Don't let the tutters persuade you otherwise. Take up offers of help and let other passengers chatter to and coo over your child. It always makes me feel more relaxed, them more understanding and Kiddo tired out for sleep!<br />
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8. Have some tricks up your sleeve<br />
Know a few games to play when little one is tired of the toys or songs with actions - soft singing is unlikely to be overheard in other rows. I'm always amazed by how much entertainment Kiddo can have from the flight safety card, and the novelty on offer in the plane itself, like adjusting the armrest or looking out at the wing.<br />
There are plenty of other online mums offering their secrets - I love <a href="http://joannagoddard.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/10-ways-to-entertain-toddler-on-plane.html" target="_blank">these tips from Cup of Jo</a>.<br />
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9. Look after yourself.<br />
Travel is tough even when you're not a mum: you still need a glossy magazine and maybe a little duty free treat. And going to the Sisley tester counter and loading up on insanely expensive serums and creams is even more fun when I put a dab on Kiddo too!<br />
Wear lots of layers, a pashmina or scarf and flat shoes. I take a spare blouse for myself as well as a change of clothes for Kiddo, so that I feel fresh on arrival. If it all hits the fan, half the plane will be staring daggers at you. You can control your image, even if you can't control your child.<br />
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10. Enjoy it.<br />
Enjoy their excitement, enjoy the extra cuddles, enjoy watching back to back movies while they sleep - and - enjoy the holiday!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-47000321553266123372014-05-18T17:01:00.001+01:002014-05-18T17:01:07.392+01:00Inspiration Monday: 19.05.2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>A good artist copies; a great artist steals</i><br />
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Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-19313315807184471592014-05-12T11:33:00.001+01:002014-05-12T11:33:24.626+01:00Inspiration Monday: 12.05.2014<em>A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work.</em> <br />
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John Lubbock, The Use of Life 1894<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-62221295627928190962014-05-06T15:42:00.001+01:002014-05-06T17:51:16.685+01:00Working Life: Swings and Roundabouts with the Finance DirectorIt was great fun to start the long weekend hanging the park with one of my oldest friends, Alex. Our dads met at university so long ago that women were not allowed in... but somehow they managed to find our respective mothers and the rest is (now ancient) history.<br />
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Now Alex is Finance Director of Informa, a FTSE 100 information company. She is a mum of two and a dab-hand at scoping the best spots in the playground!<br />
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We grabbed coffees while Kiddo channelled Jackie O...<br />
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...not easy to juggle sunglasses, rabbit and still climb on the wobbly seat!<br />
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Alex was always the best at Abba dance routines when we were little, and as we grew up, this energy matured into a passion for triathlons and the Iron Man challenge. I was especially interested to hear how she kept her love of fitness alive alongside being mummy to a five year old son and two year old daughter.<br />
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We took our coffees and headed to the climbing frame, which kept the little ones distracted while we talked business. It quickly became clear that Alex has the daily routine sorted and uses sport as a way of getting the most out of her time. I especially admire how she draws her kids into her love of outdoor activities.<br />
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<b>Working full time for a City-based company, and living in the suburbs, how do you organise your day?</b><br />
"I drop my daughter off at nursery first, then take my son to school. I make this trip a power-walk, pushing my little girl in the buggy, and he scoots along beside me. Then, I either run to the train or I cycle into work - whichever way I go, it takes an hour although cycling means I'm not affected by delays on the district line!<br />
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I do miss having time to run and having that head space. Running used to give me time to reflect. But it's tricky to find time, there is always shed loads of washing to do!"<br />
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<b>What does your company do to support working mums?</b><br />
"Informa is empathetic to mums, and understands that fathers need to be involved too. It has introduced flexible working so work hours can be varied. I work one day a week at home.<br />
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Anyone can elect to be a homeworker, even if they don't have kids, and this can be done full time. It's quite radical. I have some colleagues I've never met! One of my colleagues has health problems that make him housebound. He has been with the company for 14 years, and now works from home. He's very hardworking. I've never met him but have regular contact with him.<br />
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I'm office-based but I take advantage of the flexibility offered, for example I can take time out during the day to go to a school play then make up the time later on. This flexibility means that mums, who may have had to go part time or have dropped out completely, are enabled to carry on working."<br />
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<b>Any downsides to being a working mum?</b><br />
"I don't feel the company could do any more than they do. I guess the worst thing is the other mums on the school run always look so glam!"<br />
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I wouldn't worry, Alex, I think you're holding your own ;-)<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-12716905782623543822014-04-25T04:25:00.000+01:002014-04-25T04:25:31.493+01:00Adventures in Architecture<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
How many of us Londoners chastise ourselves for not making the most of what our city offers?</div>
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Knowing that the RA's Sensing Space exhibition was in its last days, and having heard how good it was, it was first thing on my list when I was able to catch an afternoon off.<br />
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The RA is such an architectural feast itself. I love walking into the courtyard from the bustle of Piccadilly.</div>
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It's a little known fact that either side of the door are old London phone boxes, made out of wood!</div>
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The detailing on the pillars is so intricate it could almost make you forget the main attraction.</div>
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Almost!</div>
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The exhibition began with a room shrouded in white curtains, onto which were projected some quotes from the featured architects.</div>
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Wise words, softly billowing.</div>
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Next was a room within a room. You could climb inside this birch wood structure, and walk around the platform at the top.</div>
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True to the quote, the stairs were so stripped to their function that they had a purity and rhythm.</div>
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Being up there allowed me - quite literally - to see the gallery from a totally different perspective. I could not count the number of times I have walked through this gallery, but I'd never appreciated the detail before.<br />
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The following room was pure fun. Plastic straws had been hooked onto the structure, so that it was a truly interactive piece. Even the littlest could make an architectural contribution!</div>
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Messy up close, but the overall effect was quite ethereal.</div>
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I loved these witty echoes of the doorways</div>
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The most surreal room was signalled by an entrance of canvas slats.</div>
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Inside was a wood structure which seemed to start as a maze..</div>
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...and then opened into a room, carpeted with pebbles. This was moody, noisy architecture!</div>
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I think the archtitect would have been delighted to have Shining-esque twins crunching their way around!</div>
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As I left the exhibition, there was a sober and topical reminder that people affect architecture in ways never intended.</div>
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An added treat of the RA membership is the Friends' Room.<br />
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The members space has recently been upgraded and expanded.<br />
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Quirky details feature everywhere.<br />
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Even a visit to the loo was a visual treat.</div>
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Located right in the basement, this was the sweeping entrance.</div>
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Inside, the low lighting and dark neutrals were used to dramatic effect.<br />
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I also discovered in the basement a jewel box of a bar. The bar itself was a plush red.<br />
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The rest of the room was a fleshy pink, and hung with work by contemporary Academicians.<br />
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Putting theory into practice. Top marks, RA!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-55769644850213747232014-04-21T15:59:00.000+01:002014-04-21T15:59:14.176+01:00Inspiration Monday 21.04.2014<br />
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Tis' the good reader that makes the good book.</h3>
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Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-66075615711408058462014-04-13T21:30:00.000+01:002014-04-18T13:48:36.990+01:00Weekend Photography CourseBecoming a parent involves learning so much and acquiring so many new skills that it can be challenging to find the time to learn something for yourself.<br />
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I'd always wanted to develop my photography and have a better technical understanding... but doing this blog and, of course, having a beautiful daughter gave me two brilliant excuses to finally get round to it.<br />
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The Nigel Wilson Weekend Photography course is rated as one of the best in London, and it was easy to see why.<br />
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By lunchtime on the first day, Nigel had managed to demystify half of the controls on my DSLR and I was starting to understand properly how to use aperture and shutter speed.<br />
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It was great fun to be let loose onto the streets of Soho to put our new skills into action!<br />
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Just a few twiddles of newly-discovered buttons and one perspective transformed into another</div>
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New ways of making a photograph quickly led to new ways of seeing, and seeing anew<br />
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What I really loved was trying to make a great shot out of the ordinary and the ugly.<br />
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Traffic signs lit by the morning sun<br />
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Fag butts crumpled into gaps in a wall suddenly became a fascinating landscape...<br />
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And I got rather excited by the mottled surface of a metal shop front...<br />
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Something sensuous in those curves, no?<br />
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The fender on this beautiful old car needed little skill to shine<br />
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And even the streets seemed paved with gold<br />
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As well as studying the technical basics, Nigel taught us a few tricks. We learnt how to do panning, a great effect to capture speed and feel like a proper photographer!<br />
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Of course, I had to get a couple of food shots in. The lovely people at Randall & Aubin let me in to take photos of the crayfish in the window.<br />
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Cheeky chappies, these! You lookin' at me?!<br />
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Up close and in the right light, even a bowl of apples can look sublime.<br />
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I thoroughly recommend the course, and you can find details of it <a href="http://www.photographycourses.org.uk/" target="_blank">right here</a>. I will be putting my new skills into practice at home and online. They will come in very handy in my upcoming trip to Hong Kong - watch this space!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-89797704468479567952014-04-13T20:41:00.005+01:002014-04-14T11:01:22.677+01:00Inspiration Monday 14.04.2014<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #990000;">Love is the answer, but while you are waiting for the answer, sex raises some pretty good questions.</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Woody Allen</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-2164869984431334852014-04-13T20:29:00.000+01:002014-04-13T20:29:51.039+01:00Trip on the London EyeWhen I realised that neither I nor my mum had been on the London Eye in the 14 years since it opened, it seemed the perfect outing for her birthday.<br />
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Two mums - and Kiddo of course!<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">It's not actually a black and white photo - it was just one of those grey London mornings. When we joined the queue, it was drizzling a little and we had fingers crossed that it would not turn to heavier rain.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Cheapskate that I am, I booked the standard ticket. I could have paid a bit more for the fast track ticket, but in fact the queue was not that bad at all. </span></div>
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Luckily, the queue was covered over, so no frizzy hair to combat. Anyway, queuing is perfectly relaxing when you're sitting down and reading your favourite book ;-)<br />
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A little peek of blue through the clouds as we got to the front...<br />
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The two ladies of my life went ahead while I folded the buggy. Getting Kiddo in to the capsule was tricky, as the capsules are constantly (though slowly) moving and she was a bit perplexed by that. But Grannie's firm hand and sense of adventure ensured we all got on board.</div>
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I was surprised by how beautiful the capsules are. Dazzlingly clean, the view out was crisp and clear.</div>
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On the way up, my vertigo set in and I sat on the bench in the middle while my 2 year old daughter happily pressed her face up to the glass!</div>
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Somehow, as we rose to the top, it became easier. The other capsules disappeared from view and it felt as if we were just floating over the city.</div>
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The sun even made a brief appearance for us!</div>
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It was exciting to have a new perspective on buildings I know so well from the ground. And exciting, too, to see how the skyline is changing. I wonder how different these views will be in five or ten years' time?</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-28220134997420527202014-04-07T12:56:00.000+01:002014-04-07T12:56:00.773+01:00Inspiration Monday 7.04.2014<br />
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.</i></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d;">Barbara De Angelis</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-62259089133190507712014-04-02T18:08:00.000+01:002014-04-02T20:00:16.315+01:00Art for a Kitchen WallReports that <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-26848889" target="_blank">an Italian factory worker had a stolen Gauguin on his kitchen wall </a>made me wonder what I would chose.<br />
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An iconic pop art portrait like Warhol's Campbell Soup? One of these would be great for an industrial style kitchen or a loft apartment.<br />
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Perfect for a wall 3 metres x 25 metres would be a Rosenquist painting. Loving his work, but will probably have to settle for a fridge magnet.<br />
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How about still life, maybe? Perhaps too macabre.<br />
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For <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/shebulucy/kitchen-ideas/" target="_blank">the dream kitchen I have been planning on Pinterest</a>, I think something more dainty and restrained is required. Vermeer's Milkmaid is my choice, as I love it's domestic subject and earthy colours.<br />
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She is lost in the food she is making. To my eyes, she is homely and motherly, pouring milk into a bowl, so I was tickled to read <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/milk/hd_milk.htm" target="_blank">The Met's analysis that this is a sexual metaphor</a>! The pitcher is a reference to the female anatomy, apparently. Something to think about next time I'm getting my cereal.<br />
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The only question is how I will get it out of the Rijksmuseum - answers on a postcard please!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-44716200393291493562014-03-31T08:53:00.003+01:002014-03-31T08:53:49.196+01:00Inspiration Monday 31.03.2014<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-left;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. </i></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #330000; font-family: georgia, 'bookman old style', 'palatino linotype', 'book antiqua', palatino, 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, 'avante garde', 'century gothic', 'comic sans ms', times, 'times new roman', serif; text-align: -webkit-left;">Sophia Loren</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-21227893459042247562014-03-30T15:44:00.000+01:002014-03-30T15:44:56.786+01:00Sunday brunch in IslingtonI hadn't been back to Islington since I moved away four years ago. It was a pretty lively area then but now it is seriously buzzing.<br />
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It seems that the Islingtonites go out in force for coffee and brunch to soothe the excesses of the night before.<br />
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Camden Passage is lined with laidback all-day eateries, full of bruncher. It's a sign of how much Islington has changed to say that people were out in force in hipster outfits, and absolutely noone reading the Guardian.</div>
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I went with my friend, our Man From Gothenburg, to Kipfler, an Austrian brunch spot.<br />
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It lives up to its Austrian credentials with typical products on sale. I gave those a miss, having had my lifetime's quota of sauerkraut during a GCSE exchange programme in Konstanz.<br />
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It was coffee for our Man From Gothenburg, and an Orangensaft Gespritz for me. That's orange juice and sparkling water for those of you who <i>sprechen kein Deutsch</i>.<br />
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He had a very healthy nordic salmon with rye bread.<br />
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I had a rather less healthy French toast, done Austrian style with apple compote and bacon.<br />
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The bacon was so good it deserves a close-up of its own</div>
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Then a little mother's day treat, on the house! </div>
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Gooey in the middle, just like this Mummy's heart! Though, the real treat this Mother's Day was the lie-in :-)</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-64209123842720019982014-03-28T16:04:00.001+00:002014-03-28T16:04:29.940+00:00Fat Friday HamburgerAfter a few hard weeks at work, I'm having a day at home.<br />
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A bit of work to do, but still time to go on the Easter Egg hunt, give Kiddo a healthy lunch, put her down for a wholesome nap - and then sort myself a big fat Friday burger!<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I know the<a href="http://burgerac.com/" target="_blank"> burger revolution is sweeping London</a>, but there is something special about homemade patties.<br />
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I gave up putting onion in burgers years ago - never found a way to stop the onion burning or making the patty come apart. So the Ballymaloe recipe, full of onion and spices, was too much for me. I was rather charmed by the version in <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Delias-Complete-Cookery-Course-Classic/dp/0563362499" target="_blank">Delia's Classic Editon</a>, quaintly called "American Hamburger" and containing nothing more than meat and seasoning.<br />
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Today I decided to add some pesto to the patty, mix things up a bit. By rights then, this is Italian-American Hamburger.<br />
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Just pat it up, and watch it sizzle!<br />
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15 minutes or so should do it.<br />
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For an extra indulgence, a bit of mozzarella is veeerrry nice to fry up and go on top.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m1WcZwuI-iQ/UzWbgY7ADBI/AAAAAAAAAnI/-quIMweV9_g/s1600/DSC_0428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m1WcZwuI-iQ/UzWbgY7ADBI/AAAAAAAAAnI/-quIMweV9_g/s1600/DSC_0428.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a>The pan juices are milky from the cheese, and lovely to drip over the burger bun.<br />
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Spinach to make it healthy. Yeah, right.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-10811989702813041602014-03-22T12:36:00.001+00:002014-03-24T08:47:14.588+00:00Inspiration Monday 24.02.2014<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart</i></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Rainer Maria Rilke</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-45861816250748374672014-03-21T16:01:00.003+00:002014-03-21T16:01:38.173+00:00Hey Brother!<span style="font-family: inherit;">My little brother is not so little anymore! Having finished university, moved back down from Manchester, and landed himself an engineering job in London, he has set up home with his lovely ladyfriend.</span><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rs1bI8p79os/Uyq-XZccslI/AAAAAAAAAlE/Mh-ELfKorvk/s1600/DSC_0346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rs1bI8p79os/Uyq-XZccslI/AAAAAAAAAlE/Mh-ELfKorvk/s1600/DSC_0346.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">They invited the cousins over for a long, and slightly boozy, Saturday lunch.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZKoCRugc08w/Uyq9kdaHsFI/AAAAAAAAAkU/2dm1Vu7iTdE/s1600/DSC_0338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZKoCRugc08w/Uyq9kdaHsFI/AAAAAAAAAkU/2dm1Vu7iTdE/s1600/DSC_0338.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It is a tradition in my family that no-one is ever quite on time.</span><br />
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My brother had clearly thought this through and had an excellent anti-lateness strategy: pulled pork, slow cooked for 8 hours, served just warm.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jh8lpJNHAIg/Uyq9i3tOM_I/AAAAAAAAAkM/3O2DUVVxUgQ/s1600/DSC_0340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jh8lpJNHAIg/Uyq9i3tOM_I/AAAAAAAAAkM/3O2DUVVxUgQ/s1600/DSC_0340.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></span></a><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PtflFznHHOw/Uyq9uME-xhI/AAAAAAAAAkc/yLgNNd8V8kM/s1600/DSC_0339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PtflFznHHOw/Uyq9uME-xhI/AAAAAAAAAkc/yLgNNd8V8kM/s1600/DSC_0339.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Gently simmering chilli to go with or over, and potato salad to heap on the side</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ODwzj45UA4Q/Uyq94YfqlHI/AAAAAAAAAkk/BHWzlji5-_0/s1600/DSC_0341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ODwzj45UA4Q/Uyq94YfqlHI/AAAAAAAAAkk/BHWzlji5-_0/s1600/DSC_0341.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MeJIc0A6sos/Uyq-G_ue00I/AAAAAAAAAk0/WyPGJwoYYuc/s1600/DSC_0343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MeJIc0A6sos/Uyq-G_ue00I/AAAAAAAAAk0/WyPGJwoYYuc/s1600/DSC_0343.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What didn't get scoffed first time round quickly disappeared into second helpings! </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g-tHlR0rmf4/Uyq-aLHNLWI/AAAAAAAAAlM/mkKmlPtlW9c/s1600/DSC_0345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g-tHlR0rmf4/Uyq-aLHNLWI/AAAAAAAAAlM/mkKmlPtlW9c/s1600/DSC_0345.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Happy faces and full tummies! Well, I think from that grin that it all passed muster for our newest addition to the family.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VVoXr6DzTVE/Uyq-R3Z4BcI/AAAAAAAAAk8/NjNEKocXQ04/s1600/DSC_0344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VVoXr6DzTVE/Uyq-R3Z4BcI/AAAAAAAAAk8/NjNEKocXQ04/s1600/DSC_0344.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My other brother is still a student, so we were all pleased he was having a proper meal. It's good to know the student habit of drinking wine out of mugs is alive and well!</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kNJ4gFcyIj8/Uyq-kYQZ4QI/AAAAAAAAAlU/u6X9O_iifdk/s1600/DSC_0349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kNJ4gFcyIj8/Uyq-kYQZ4QI/AAAAAAAAAlU/u6X9O_iifdk/s1600/DSC_0349.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I can't wait for him to start the MA in Film at Glasgow Uni. Such a cool city to visit... Besides, this family has its fill of lawyers, doctors, accountants - we need some edgy media types.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's great to have family meet-ups and realise that it is us cousins who are the grown-ups now! I think the older generation deserve a bit of time-off after all those years of Sunday lunches.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One more photo of our hosts-with-the-mosts!! Awwwww ;-)</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-42580668070296991142014-03-20T09:48:00.002+00:002014-03-20T09:48:48.770+00:00First Breath of Spring!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Everyone has their own wisdom for knowing when it is time to welcome the arrival of spring - the first sound of birdsong, turning down the heating, rhubarb coming into season...</div>
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When my camellia first flowers, I know that winter is over.</div>
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And with the first green shoots start to peep through the wintered ground, there stirs memories of renewal and optimism.</div>
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But I know for sure that the seasons have moved on and spring is here that first weekend of the year I feel motivated to get out into the garden and tend it for new planting.<br />
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Then when I find myself going to the garden centre - just for ideas - I know hibernation is well behind me and the sure march to summer has begun.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FiHTyq0ZlJA/UyqogCsCQEI/AAAAAAAAAgY/wV2DiT_Btlw/s1600/DSC_0309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FiHTyq0ZlJA/UyqogCsCQEI/AAAAAAAAAgY/wV2DiT_Btlw/s1600/DSC_0309.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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Clifton Gardens is definitely <a href="http://clifton.co.uk/" target="_blank">my favourite garden centre</a>, and maybe even one of my favourite London spots. It always feels like a secret oasis, tucked in the middle of beautiful Little Venice houses.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7U2-e8BucnU/Uyqo2o4YHyI/AAAAAAAAAgw/pPaRNP9BCqs/s1600/DSC_0310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7U2-e8BucnU/Uyqo2o4YHyI/AAAAAAAAAgw/pPaRNP9BCqs/s1600/DSC_0310.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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Although it tends to be a little more expensive than Homebase and online garden centres, the plants are very good quality and rarely introduce weeds into the garden.</div>
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Plus it's all so damn beautiful! I could meander here for hours, dreaming of the day when my camellia has grown up against the pergola like this!</div>
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I love the seasonal displays, and the simplicity of the first colours of the year.<br />
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It's easy to get carried away with fresh ideas and inspirations - especially when you have an enthusiastic helper!<br />
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We drove home with a car full of purchases - I put the largest shrub in the passenger seat, but Kiddo could still reach out and pick the leaves from her carseat!<br />
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Euphorbia is one of my top plants - a reliable performer and great for filling out a bed. For some subtle colour, I got Hellebores too.<br />
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All that energy and we deserved a treat. Hot cross buns slathered in butter!<br />
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I got to work planting while Kiddo played with one of her little boyfriends - romance is blooming in the garden, too!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-43510825038352198822014-03-02T20:33:00.000+00:002014-03-02T20:33:43.377+00:00Inspiration Monday 03.03.2014<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">“<i>We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives.</i>”</span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Toni Morrison</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-76095051175704273472014-02-19T08:34:00.000+00:002014-02-19T08:34:40.888+00:00Working Life: Not just any supermarket...I'm going to introduce you to a good friend of mine.<br />
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Back in our schooldays, Christabel was always top of the class and scooped up by Cambridge University to read History. She was always the person helped me make sense of my economics homework. All those graphs!<br />
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So it is no surprise that she now works for leading supermarket and national treasure, Marks and Spencers, as their Senior Promotional Analyst. Responsible for pricing strategies and promotions, basically <a href="http://www.marksandspencer.com/Delicious-Offers-Offers-In-Store-Food-In-Store-Food-Wine/b/198933031" target="_blank">we have Christabel to thank for the Dine In For £10 deal</a>.<br />
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As if that wasn't enough, she agreed to be my first interviewee and answer questions about working life from her personal perspective as a single mum of an energetic 7 year old boy.<br />
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<b>How does being a mother enhance your work life?</b> Being a mother really helps in managing teams and the people within teams who have different abilities and experience. I have to think carefully about how to develop them as individuals and also direct the team as a whole. There is quite a lot of overlap between being a manager and being a mother. Both roles are to develop people.<br />
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<b>What's the best thing that M&S have done to support you as a working mum?</b> There can be an hours culture and M&S has been very tolerant of the fact that I can't work those hours but will still get the work done. I take my laptop home and work after my son has gone to bed. I've never once felt pressure not to do that. I turn down meetings before 8.30 and after 5.30, and I've never felt that I could not do that. After all, a lot of women work there. The business would collapse without women.<br />
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<b>What more do you feel could be done to support mothers in the workplace?</b> I feel that as a mother, large organisations are the best place to be. First, large employers have the reputational risk if they are found to be unsupportive. Second, it is easier to absorb family friendly solutions like maternity leave, part-time work, flexible working. My view is that the Government should support small companies in being family friendly. I have sympathy for small businesses as this can be a real burden and in reality discourages them from recruiting women in their 30s.<br />
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<b>What childcare do you have in place?</b> My son's school offers a breakfast club and after-school club. I'm lucky to have a short commute, which means I can fit my working day into the time he is at school.<br />
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<b>What's your best tip to working mothers?</b> Don't let the guilt get to you because it isn't real. The research shows now that there is absolutely no damage to children from their mothers working. Historically, it is an aberration for women not to work. It was only a few decades in history that women have not worked, the 1950s really. Because before then, women worked in the home or in the fields. This idea that there was an idyllic time when women didn't work is just rubbish!<br />
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<b>And what's your insider tip to the best product and promotion at M&S? </b><br />
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My personal favourite is the Goan Chicken Curry in the Modern Asian Range, and the best value promotion is usually the seabass fillets - it's really exceptional quality fish for the price.</div>
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Thank you Christabel, it's inspiring to hear someone talking so enthusiastically about a lifestyle that is often only negatively portrayed. And <a href="http://www.heals.co.uk/glassware/la-rochere-bee-wine-carafe/invt/719707" target="_blank">that carafe of wine</a> certainly drew out some deeply held views! What do you think about the impact on small businesses? How does your commuting time affect the cost of childcare?<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-63496774689911886122014-02-17T18:15:00.000+00:002014-02-17T18:15:51.072+00:00Inspiration Monday: 17.02.2014<br />
"<i>There can't be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.</i>"<br />
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Henry Kissinger<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-45468320248573200152014-02-16T14:04:00.000+00:002014-02-16T14:04:01.574+00:00Silent Sunday 16.02.2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-23314921312903780832014-02-14T09:03:00.003+00:002014-02-14T09:04:35.118+00:00Happy Valentine's DayThis is the beautiful Valentine's I woke up to.<br />
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Hmmmm who could it be from?<br />
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I wasn't left in suspense for long, as Kiddo decided it was too pretty to let Mummy keep!<br />
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Not often I do the chasing...<br />
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Ha! Got you!<br />
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And I love you too.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-65735442209550893132014-02-09T21:45:00.000+00:002014-02-10T10:30:41.521+00:00Inspiration Monday: 10.02.2014<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><i>Often it isn't the mountains ahead that wear you out, it's the little pebble in your shoe.</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Muhammed Ali</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-69727445859552591532014-02-05T08:48:00.000+00:002014-02-05T08:48:00.657+00:00Chinese New Year!It's not often I find myself in Soho at 10am. I hadn't joined in the Chinese New Year festivities since I was a child, and it seemed a terrific way to spend the morning with Kiddo.<br />
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In Chinese culture, red is the colour of celebration and brings good luck.<br />
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It certainly was lucky weather: those shades aren't just hiding a hangover!</div>
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Red lanterns hung like garlands across the streets.<br />
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The effect was especially striking in Trafalgar Square, where the vivid red joined with the blue of the cockerel on the fourth plinth: two symbolic colours piercing the stony background.<br />
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The streets around Chinatown were closed to traffic - without the noise and obstruction of cars and buses, little details of the streets and buildings reveal themselves.<br />
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I love the Chinese supermarkets, stacked to the rafters with specialty goods. Doesn't it make you feel transported to a foreign land? And a whole window of green tea!<br />
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Shaftesbury Avenue was thronged. We got a spot at the front, with the parade inches away from us. It was fantastic to be so close to the action, though difficult to hold Kiddo up, take it in and take photos! How I answer the call of duty...<br />
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The dragon shone and danced in the middle of the procession<br />
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Followed by two very cheeky dragons<br />
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And of course, some horses! Year of the Horse apparently brings spontaneous energy, and will be a good year for travel and adventure.<br />
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A bus-full of revellers<br />
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And painted ladies<br />
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My Chinese year is Tiger; something I share with Marilyn Monroe. It was fitting then, that as we walked to lunch, her photo was smiling at us from a private gallery.<br />
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Lunch, of course, was dim sum. We went to the highly recommended Princess Garden and it lived up to expectations: we left as fat and happy as a Laughing Buddha.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620843515532494486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656707773722677214.post-75323643998693457352014-02-03T09:11:00.000+00:002014-02-03T09:11:24.884+00:00Inspiration Monday 03.02.2014: Philip Seymour Hoffman<span class="bigquote-link" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; display: block; font-family: georgia; font-size: 20px; margin: 10px 10px 5px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></span><span class="bigquote-link" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; display: block; font-family: georgia; font-size: 20px; margin: 10px 10px 5px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><i>The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool.</i></span><span class="bigquote-link" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; display: block; font-family: georgia; font-size: 20px; margin: 10px 10px 5px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></span><span class="bigquote-link" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; display: block; font-family: georgia; font-size: 20px; margin: 10px 10px 5px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></span><br />
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<span class="bigquote-link" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; display: block; font-family: georgia; font-size: 20px; margin: 10px 10px 5px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></span><span class="bigquote-link" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; display: block; font-family: georgia; font-size: 20px; margin: 10px 10px 5px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">Philip Seymour Hoffman, 1967-2014</span><br />
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