All About Iris

Happy 4th Birthday

2012-09-29T20:05:00.000+01:00

We had a fun day at the Mulberry Centre in Myatt's Field with Luke from Quirk's Animal Roadshow.

Olympic fun with Daddy Lou Lou

2012-08-02T15:25:00.002+01:00

Lou took Iris to see the dressage in Greenwich Park. Of course it rained most of the day which make the bike ride quite wet on the way home!

Carter's Steam Fair at Belair Park, 1st July

2012-07-01T16:42:00.000+01:00

On another rainy Summer day, we scootered from East Dulwich to Belair Park for the Carter's Steam Fair. The fair was crammed into a reasonably small space, but there were delighted faces all around and most of the parents didn't look too put out from having their wallets rinsed. Each ride is £2 or £2.50 for adults and children. Nothing is a pound except for rubbish things like the wall with the funny mirrors that no-one was interested in!

Of course the horse carousel was Iris' favourite, she tried out about 3 different horses before settling for Seth.

Iris and her chum Anais on the swing:

The Lightning Skid was well worth the £2.50 though - truly vomit inducing but lots of fun!

Afterwards we checked out the "Foodie Faces", The Four Seasons by Philip Haas at the Dulwich Picture Gallery

Iris practising her cello, May 1st

2012-05-01T14:02:00.002+01:00

Have we made any progress? Iris has been learning the cello for two terms now!

Bombi in France with her big sister

2012-03-13T12:02:00.000+00:00

Here's Bombi having lots of fun in the South of France with her big sister Lily Mae.

Snoozy time

2012-03-06T12:04:00.000+00:00

Having a snooze after a cruise in the Landy with Dad.

First Cello Group Session, January 2012

2012-01-21T12:05:00.000+00:00

Here's Iris at her first cello group session in Wandsworth in January 2012. A very fun day - we're looking forward to more of these.

We're also very excited to being going to the Cello Summer School at Culford this August!

Iris is a Little Cellist

2011-10-16T21:40:00.000+01:00

Iris has recently started Suzuki cello lessons. We are taking part in Dr. Suzuki's 100 days of practice challenge. It's not easy - you can read all about it here!

Land Rover weekend in Dorset!

2011-06-27T13:56:00.000+01:00

Fantastic Miss Fox!

2011-05-24T13:21:00.004+01:00

Here is Bombi at the Nunhead Cemetery Open Day. She loved dressing up like a fox. I hope she'll like Opera Holland Park's production of Fantastic Mr. Fox that I am taking her to in August!

Kung Fu in the Morning

2011-05-20T10:22:00.003+01:00

Here's Bombi doing some morning Kung Fu in her lovely Holly's jumpsuit from Sparkle & Spin:

A fun day with Cailean

2010-12-20T20:55:00.004+00:00

Bombi had a little Christmas shin-dig with her no. 1 fella, Mr C. We ate yummy parsnip soup, super-delicious carrot & garlic chutney, and had loads of fun hitting each other with toys.

Snoozing in the Landy:

Bombi's bedtime song

2010-12-20T20:47:00.001+00:00

Lou serenading Bombi to sleep with the dulcet tones of the kazoo. He's playing the Pippi Longstocking theme tune, just in case you were wondering what that catchy song is!

The Enchanted House, Islington

2010-12-16T21:01:00.004+00:00

The Enchanted House is an amazing Christmas treat for children aged 0 - 12. I want to take Bombi back there already, next Christmas is too long to wait! We had a lovely afternoon making gingerbread men, Pippi Longstocking lollipop stick dolls, meeting Santa who gave us a gorgeous gift of dollies to make, yummy food, lots of mulled wine and a play by the elves and a foxy Mrs Claus. There were also lots of amazing drums and bongos, a karaoke station, a sandpit and loads of dressing up clothes.

No blog for months!

2010-09-20T10:32:00.012+01:00

I haven't blogged for months and months! It's so hard to keep up the blog when trying to run around after a manic toddler who's hellbent on throwing the entire contents of my handbag into the pond or the toilet, pulling every book out of the bookshelf and ripping toilet paper into little tiny shreds! Oh well, it's all fun - the only exercise I get these days is running around after her! So here's to recap on the events of the last six months - let's start with July. Proper blogs and photos will be coming soon(ish)!

July: Cupcake Decorating with MakeHQ In preparation for Bombi's birthday party, I went to a MakeHQ workshop on cupcake decorating. So much fun! Nikki also very kindly bought me some AMAZING nozzles from lakeland for making cupcakes - so now I have no excuse!
Myatt's Fields Water Park
We just love the waterpark here. The fountains are fantastic, Bombi really loves getting soaked under these. It's also a great place to hang out and chat to some very lovely parents.
Lambeth Country Fair:
This is always a fun day out, we go every year. Loads of animals in the petting zoo, falconry displays, yummy Jamaican food (gotta love the saltfish patties), African dancing and drumming - and custard pies!
Spitalfields' City Farm
Bombi and little sister Nelly love hanging out and spending time on the farm. They look so cute together!
Grazia - Shoes!
Bombi was in a photoshoot for Grazia magazine to publicise the upcoming dance show at Sadler's Wells entitled "Shoe".
Gumboots Summer Fair
Bombi has started a new nursery at the lovely Gumboots. Her big sister Lily-Mae went here many years ago. The nursery has a lovely outside space for the kids to run around, lots of chickens, plenty of vegetables growing in the garden for their lunch and heaps of things to play outside with. The staff are all the same as when Lily-mae went here which is quite incredible, given the high turnover of staff at Bombi's old nursery in Dulwich.
Splish-splash in the garden
We're making the most of the lovely hot weather and making our own waterpark in the back garden. First day of School
One of my pupils from St. Anthony's left their school jumper here. Bombi wanted to try it on and became very attached to it. Hopefully this is the school that she will be going to in a couple of years, so this is a glimpse into her future! Sadly we had to give the jumper back, but here is a photo of her looking very proud in her school uniform!

Cailean & Bombi
Bombi and Cailaen have a special relationship, they are like two peas in a pod, always laughing and giggling together, snogging each other and following each other around. We've not seen Cailean for a couple of weeks as he's been in Sicily, so we are looking forward to seeing him soon!

Here's our biggest blog so far - our trip to Sri Lanka in July and August 2010.

Harvest at Jimmy's

2010-09-11T13:11:00.002+01:00

We went to Jimmy's Farm for their annual Harvest at Jimmy's festival. It was a very average experience as far as festivals go. I thought the entrance was a bit steep for a load of bands we'd never heard of, plus there were tonnes of food stalls, but all charging the usual festie prices for tasty-ish food. I think our favourite thing was The White Stuff Bus which kept the kids amused for hours. The animals were of course lots of fun, and the butterfly house too but you can pay just a few quid to get into Jimmy's Farm to see these on any normal day. We were keen to go as it's just round the corner from my brother who lives in Suffolk, so whilst it was nice to catch up with Chris, Megan and Geoff, I'm not at all sure we'll be back next year!

And check this out - the only way to find out what the line-up for the two days was to buy a program that cost £10. Shame on you, Jimmy - what a rip off, on top of the additional £5 parking charge they stung us for at short notice. PLUS The Zutons cancelled which was the only band worth seeing.

Megan and Chris:
A stinkhorn:

A pink tractor, what every girl wants:
In The White Stuff bus:

OK, so maybe we won't be back next year!!

A trip to Yorkshire to see Granny Smith

2010-08-27T11:53:00.001+01:00

We went to Bishop Monkton in North Yorkshire to visit Granny Smith. We had fun feeding the ducks, strolling around the town, shopping in Ripon and eating fish and chips at The Jolly Fryer which is the best fish and chips shop in the world! They are very child-friendly and the service is brilliant, as well as serving ridiculously tasty haddock and chips for £6.95 with some bread and butter and a pot o' tea. Propah!

We stayed at the lovely Crescent Lodge - they were so welcoming, the rooms were comfortable and the breakfast was delicious. We will definitely be back!

Kisses for Granny:Kisses for Daddy Lou:
Duck-watching:

Ti-Jean's Birthday Party

2010-08-20T11:44:00.000+01:00

Ti-Jean is three! We joined him for his birthday celebrations at his home in Forest Hill. The weather stayed mostly sunny, so we had lots of fun in the garden bashing the pinata, playing on his trampoline, eating delicious delicious food, playing Pass the Parcel, singing Happy Birthday in a variety of styles - operatic & Jamaican-style!

Birthday boy, Ti-Jean and his pinata:
Birthday cupcakes:
Pass the parcel:
Ti-Jean's gorgeous mamma, Adwoa:

Bombi's first trip to The Motherland

2010-07-28T10:56:00.000+01:00

Last time we were in Sri Lanka, I was 6 months pregnant. We returned two years later with Bombi to introduce her to her Sri Lankan family, all the wonderful creatures, delicious food, exotic fruits and the beautiful sandy beaches of this tropical paradise.

Creatures & Critters
Hungry crows everywhere:A dead cockroach is the best kind of cockroach! Lizard with a tasty beetle snack: Huna (gecko) in a glass: Branded cow: Mongoose (mongeese?) at the Taj Hotel in Bentota:Elephants at the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, or 'eleboys' as Bombi calls them: Eleboy: More eleboys: Lizard: Beach crab:New friends
We met a lovely family whilst walking through a small village just off the railway tracks in Bentota. The father called us over when he saw us with Bombi and introduced us to his 7-day old grandson. He was extremely proud to be a grandfather and show off his grandson. As is typical of Sri Lankan hospitality, they invited us over for a dinner of fish and string hoppers. Rather oddly, they all sat around watching us eat and didn't join in themselves which was a bit weird. The dad was happy that we'd brought round some arrack for him to drink. Arrack is a strong liquor made from coconut. It's pretty potent stuff. I thought it would last him a few days, but by the next day he'd told us he'd demolished it all in one sitting and could we bring him some more? Ha!Bentota Beach Times
Lou and Bombi in the pool at the Taj Exotica Hotel: In Bentota town: Poolside at the Taj: Strolling on Bentota Beach: You're never far away from a Land Rover!
Village Days in Kandy
Kandy is in the Hill Country which means it's much cooler and there are less mosquitoes - although plenty of leeches to make up for that. Bombi was unperturbed by having a leech stuck to her, in fact we didn't even notice it till some hours later when we took off her shoes!
Suminar's boys: Kumari and her son: Bombi's new chum at the delicious food hut in Kandy: Kumari carving up some jackfruit for us: Kumari and family:
More beachy times in Negombo with Aunty Manel, cousin Tracey & Rohan
On Negombo beach - many a day spent here!
Telling us to 'shush' at the amazin eco-rest Ranweli:
On the beach with Daddy:

A Kandyan wedding at Ranweli in Negombo:
On the beach in Negombo with Aunty Manel:
No trip to Sri Lanka is complete without a tuk-tuk ride:
Bombi looking proud of having completely missed the potty:
City living in Colombo
Colombo is the capital of Sri Lanka - it's a large, bustling city. My parents have an apartment here near the Parliament which is quite remote from the centre, although it is the official Capital of the country. There's not an awful lot going on here except for paddy fields, water buffalo and lots of birds flying around. Don't ask me the names of them because I am hopeless, but I am sure Lou mentioned something about golden orioles and kingfishers.

It's Rambutan season in Sri Lanka around May - July. Bombi loved scoffing these tasty treats. They taste very similar to lychees, but less perfumed. They cost about 2pence each, we used to buy a bag on the side of the road everyday for Bombi to chomp through. Rice on head - a typical Sri Lankan street sight:
Our lovely family in Colombo - Melissa, Shenelle, Aunty Shiromi and Aunty Leo, our personal chef! Here's Bombi entertaining everyone with her antics:

With Aunty Ilani outside the 2000 Plaza in Kotte:
A playground in Sri Jayawardenapura:
Now that Bombi's great-Nanna has emigrated to Sri Lanka, we'll be going back again in 2012.

A photoshoot with Lorenzo Ali in Dulwich Park

2010-07-24T13:26:00.000+01:00

Lorenzo Ali is a well-known local photographer in Dulwich. He has produced some superb portraits of my friends and their children, as well as being extremely in demand for weddings all over London and the South-East. Loz found a bit of time in his hectic schedule to do a group photoshoot in Dulwich Park with Bombi and 9 of her chums.

The first attempt was scuppered by a rainy day, so the second session was with Adwoa and Bo:

The third session was with Harrison, Bombi, Camilla, Daisy, Cailean, Caden and Mattia.

Daisy:

Harrison:

Camilla:
Cailean:

Caden:
Bombi:

Loz photographed each mum individually with their child for about 20 - 30 minutes which was more than enough time for him to capture these gorgeous photos. We also have some lovely group shots of the children.

Loz is happy to arrange a photoshoot with a group of at least 10 mums. Prices are £40 - £50 per mum and he will provide you with a hi-res CD of all the shots within about 2 - 3 weeks, so you are free to print off as many photos as you like. I've not met another photographer yet who offers images on CD - all the others try and make you buy the prints, so this really is a fantastic deal!

Contact Loz and mention the 'Netmums' offer if you would like to organise a group photo session for you and your friends.

Lorenzo - Phone +44 (0)7802 627 656
Email via web form: http://lorenzophotography.co.uk/contact.php
Website: http://lorenzophotography.co.uk

Forest Hill Day, June 6th

2010-06-06T18:10:00.005+01:00

Today we went to the Forest Hill Day at the Horniman Gardens with little sis Nelly, Aunty Neeshal and Uncle John, Hilary and Mark. Here's Bombi playing around in the garden before we headed off:

Bubble time!

Bombi's little sis:

Nelly munching grass:
Bombi is 'The Fly'!

Feeding hula hoops to Hilary:

Hula hoop kisses

Splish splash in the garden

2010-06-06T11:51:00.005+01:00

Here's some lovely pics that Daddy took of Bombi and Mummy having splish splash fun in the garden!

A lovely day at the Cuming Museum

2010-05-27T19:32:00.006+01:00

We went to a fantastic music session with Paul at the Cuming Museum, followed by a tasty lunch at Lamoon:

A few toys and more baby clothes for sale, 12 - 24 months

2010-05-26T14:33:00.007+01:00

Here's a real mish-mash of stuff for sale.

Gorgeous smocked playsuit from Biff, made by SkySprout. Green with metallic silver thread. 9 - 12 months but quite big. Cost £40 new. £10.

Red flower dress, brand new with tags, 12 - 18 months. £5.
Unused fabric bib with vinyl lining. £1.50
Poncho by Dudu. £5

Corduroy dress - not a very good photo! 12 - 18 months. £2.50

Ladybird turquoise bubble dress or long jumper. Brand new with tags. £5
Eric Carle toy from JojoMamanBebe. £4.50

Fisher Price xylophone. £5
Baby walker, fully working with batteries. The phone is missing, it's somewhere in the house, but unless I find it, it's sold without the phone. £7

Brand new leggings, 18-23 months, red/navy/blue. £3

Womens' shoes for sale, EUR size 41 and 42 (UK size 8 and 9)

2010-05-26T12:27:00.009+01:00

Various womens' boots, size 8 / 9. You are welcome to try on before buying. I am on Barry Road just by Goodrich Road.

El Natura Lista eco-leather boots from Jolie a Pied, cost £180 new, would accept £40. UK Size 41. Hardly worn. See here for full details of boot.

Pull grain leather, a highly luxuriant and resistant leather which is extremely soft and flexible. The recycled carbon compound soles optimise the relationship between shock absorption and breathability making these boots both stylish and comfortable.

New Rock Knee High Leather boots with metal heel. Size 42. Leather upper and inner, rubber outer sole. Excellent condition. Heel 3" approx. £35

DKNY distressed leather boots from Russell & Bromley. Fabric lining. £10.

Suede effect boots, size 42/9. Heel 3" approx. £5

Very soft leather ankle boots. 3.5" heel approx. One slight nick to the left heel as pictured below. Size 8. £10