Driving on a Sunday to London's Natural History Museum and Science Museum

Yes, the post title is right, we actually drove from Birmingham to London last Sunday, all the way to Kensington, and drove around passing Big Ben, Westminster, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square to boot!

Its much easier  than it sounds - it took us 2 hours to reach, there is free parking (yes actual free parking) a few minutes walk away from the Museums, free on a Sunday, in the pay and display bays. The internet forums I looked at say its free in resident's bays too, but we were too scared. A reasonable amount of free spaces even when we reached at 11:30am. Queensgate Road is the name of the place.
The Natural History Museum was jammed with hordes of adults waiting to see a mechanical TRex - no sorry that sounds so horrid and nasty. The dinosaur exhibition is impressive with a sort of giant TRex roaring mildly while shaking his head a centimetre - sorry again, I sound awful. As you can gather, I've seen it way too many times to be awed like my three year old. Its a lovely lovely Museum with lots to see, all carefully curated and presented. You can get free explorers packs at the entrance for the children, like a sort of treasure hunt, which the children can return for a stamped passport, also get loan of a safari hat and binoculars.
The children loved floor 3 of the Science Museum, with all the experiments - the best I have ever seen (not that I've seen loads)! Highly recommended.
Back out at around 4:30, for a half an hour drive of the sights, too much stop and start traffic but fortunately H was doing it all. And actually did it. Told the children how lucky they were not to have to walk miles etc.
On the way back, found a road with many Lebanese restaurants and bought some shawarma and baklava.
Back home at 8.
Yes, bit rushed, but very much do-able. These below are a few of the pics taken from the car! (Will upload in a bit)

Long time no posts......

Seems like ages since I posted, working from home and for yourself has its pros and cons.......as of now, its half term and most of my work is being done in fits and starts, other than getting the children to paint a huge cutout!
I posted about Narendra Modi standing for elections etc, so now he's the PM. All I will say is that he is better than the alternative - still cant believe these two were the only option in such a huge country. Just read that a third of his cabinet ministers have a criminal record (www.sify.com). Suppose its not so different from before.......been seeing glimpses of the two main women leaders - Jayalalitha, Mamata Banerjee and, surprise - Hema Malini. yes, there are others, but in my few second glimpses, this has stood out.
And that's the end of my very limited knowledge diatribe on Indian politics!

Sat morning cooking - baked Kale crisps....?

 Sat morning, taking our lovely friend out to lunch for her birthday, house tidied/grass cut on Friday, so what do I do on a morning off - cook for Sunday of course!!!
Probably looking forward to going to India and replenishing all my masalas etc did it - I have been trying to assimilate all the various jars.....
Best bit of the cooking was the kale crisps - sounds very strange but they are gorgeous, taste like the Chinese seaweed in the buffets. They have about a tbsp of oil for the whole huge packet and some salt, and then baked for 8 mins in a single layer - lovely lovely lovely.......not as lovely as my aloo lachchas but better than 150gms of Kettle barbecue with 750 cals.

Lots of bhindi leftover so made some coconut curry with curry leaves, methi seeds and courgettes, with the bhindi - no grinding coconut but used the powder.
And some Parampara chicken Biryani - tastes heavenly, for Rs40, mix the chicken with the mix, water and yogurt. Lovely and no work.
As is obvious, Im trying to use all my Indian supplies.
All new food cooked on Sunday though, so much for Sat cooking.....whole new story.

Speechless......

Yesterday, driving to somewhere at around 11:30am, put the radio on and went to Radio4, which H listens to. Heard something about parenting and children playing instruments so stayed on there, its usually something I'm completely uninterested in when I do tune in.
It turned out to be a short piece by Rosie Millard on Pushy Parenting......among her talk on how she feels a parent must push children, and how good it would eventually be for the children etc was probably the most jaw dropping thing in parenting I've ever heard, notwithstanding the horror, scary unmentionables.
Our children have learnt some sort of instrument, because they want to, yes I have started it off and have repeatedly said if they want to quit, its absolutely fine. Personally, I dont think children under 8 need the rigours of daily practice etc, but each to his own. Having said all this, this is what I was zapped about, yesterday morning:
Rosie said she offers use of her house to a London Orchestra string quartet to practice regularly, in the hope that the music or ? rubs off on her children and they take to liking/wanting to play classical music...... She calls it eccentric, I am speechless........

Sunday evening cooking

Sudden urge to make potato chops on Sunday evening, odd or what.....maybe to do with the glut of cooked mince in the fridge staring at me, and the love for the things the whole family have.
Id forgotten how time consuming it is - boil, peel, mash, form, egg, breadcrumbs, fry on low etc, but turned out lovely.

 

Next was the pannacotta, loved the mix H brought back from Milan, looked it up and supposed to be dead easy. So got the big container of double cream from Costco and all set, only to discover there was no gelatine.....cue looking for no gelatine pannacotta recipes on a Sunday evening. This is with egg white, baked and is gorgeous, other than the fact that mine turned out more like a creme brulee.

This picture is the fun that turned out to be the caramel topping becoming like sun sugar. The kids had a blast with it and tried weaving their own strands with the bits on their spoons, before it all turned cold and hard and set.......I have promised to do it again as a fun activity, so they are waiting for a date.....Need to experiment more with caramel - spun sugar, toffee sauce, praline etc.......

We are going to India :) delighted.....