6/366 - Everyone's a Critic

Pickle went to his first gallery today when we went to view the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize at the National Portrait Gallery.  I believe it's one of the most under-rated galleries in London, and is really well curated.

Pickle enjoyed the catalogue at the very least!

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My favourite picture wasn't one that won a prize, but instead was of a lady over a hundred years old with no age related illnesses (part of a larger study).  Her face was elegant and full of character, and something we should all aspire too, and a juxtaposition from Pickle's fresh-faced innocence.

Cheers, KangaRue :)

5/366 Pickle's Handprint

My birthday present from Pickle (with a little assistance from BoyWonder) was this gorgeous necklace by Little Silver Touches - it is his actual hand-print and I love it!

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Cheers, KangaRue :)

Win Ice Skating Tickets!

I love ice-skating.  I’m not very good at it, but enjoy it immensely.  Coming from Australia, we don’t have outdoor ice-skating rinks (well, none that I know of), and certainly none during the festive season, which is the height of our summer.  One thing I’ve loved doing each of the 12 winters I’ve endured in the UK is go to an outdoor rink and stumble around.  I have been lucky enough to do this in Edinburgh, Kew Gardens, at the base of the Tower of London, Canary Wharf, and even in Berlin.  I missed out last year, as I was pregnant with Pickle; and this year with a newborn and recovering from SPD (more on that later), I will eagerly await the opportunity to return at the end of this year instead (though not the return of winter!).

The fabulous Westfield Stratford City has kindly offered a family ticket (for 2 adults and 2 children) for this weekend, so some of you out there can enjoy their outdoor real-ice rink set against the backdrop of the Olympic Stadium and East London skyline.  You’ll have to be quick though, as the rink is only open until this Sunday, so the competition closes at 5am on Friday 6th January.  Skating sessions are open:

• Saturday 7^th January:  9:15am-11pm
• Sunday 8^th January:  11:30am- 6:45pm

There are three ways to enter - please see the Rafflecopter form below.  The blog comment is mandatory, and you can get extra entries by following me on Twitter and by tweeting the message detailed below.  

Happy skating!

4/366 - My First Birthday

Today is my first birthday.  Well, my first birthday as a Mummy.  I was spoiled by BoyWonder and Pickle, so I thought I'd share with you the picture of my best boys taken at the start of my birthday lunch at Thackeray's.

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While Pickle may have BoyWonder's looks and personality (so far), his eyes and one other attribute he obviously gets from me!

Our meal deserves a blog post of it's own, as it was possibly one of the best meals we've ever had.  It sure beats our meal at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester.

Cheers, KangaRue :)

3/366 - Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch

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Today is my birthday eve.  I really wanted steak for dinner, so we popped to the supermarket - if I'd planned it better we would have gone to the fab local-ish butcher.  BoyWonder did a perfect job of cooking it medium-rare, just how I like it, along with double-cooked chips and a stack of garlic veggies.  We'd been saving this bottle of wine for a special occasion.  The "Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch" isn't just a cute name, it is a serious Victorian Shiraz.  Blackberry, pepper and cinnamon added to the depth of flavour.  I wish all wine tasted this good.  And yes, the name is cute!

Cheers, KangaRue :)