Birthday Surprises, Germany, The V&A, Jamie Oliver and Bon Jovi

That was my week last week, no wonder I feel like crap this week! I’m not used to all this running around.


So last Saturday (the 12th) I turned 30 and OH surprised me with train tickets to London. And when I say train tickets that is about as far as he had thought (no typical man jokes please). So after a quick look on the internet and a run around to pack a bag for BG we were off. We decided to go to the Natural History Museum as BG had been to the Science Museum a few weeks before. BG loved the Dinosaurs, she now has a soft one that she growls at, that the sound she thinks it makes!!


To be honest after the Dinosaurs BG got a bit bored, at 18 months she’s probably a bit to young to appropriate it so we took her over the Science Museum as we know she loves the Garden there (children’s play area in the basement) and of course the trains and cars. Time seems to pass so quickly in London and it wasn’t long before we were on the train home.

Do you want to know how I spent the night of my birthday? It was really exciting; we watched the football, ate Chinese and drank champagne. OK not that exciting but nice all the same.


On the Sunday we had a small BBQ for friends and family and my youngest sister surprised me with a visit from her, her OH and my niece. It was by far my favourite present! It was the first time she had been to my house so it was lovely, and all three sisters where together, all that was missing was our brother. It was a lovely day, a great way to spend my birthday. My 
younger sister even baked cupcakes for me!!

Tuesday I flew to Germany for a PR trip, I will give you all the details on that soon on New Mummy’s Tips.


On Thursday we were back down to London, me and OH spent the day with my sister V at the V&A. I wanted to see the Grace Kelly exhibition but they had sold out of tickets for the day, (note to self pre-book exhibitions at the V&A). However that didn’t stop us having a good time walking around and spending money!! I bought this book....

And this great bit of material that I’m turning into a scarf.

We had a hotel booked for the night as we were off to Bon Jovi at the o2 that night, you can see my full review of the gig on my new (yes another!!) blog For Those About To Rock. We meet my dad and my sisters OH at the hotel, then went for dinner at Jamie Oliver’s Italian at Canary wharf.


I would like to say it was the best meal of my life but I would be lying, it was all just a little bit disappointing. The food was fine, I had Meatballs which where lovely and a to die for brownie for dessert but the whole experience was a bit lacking. When we arrived it wasn’t very busy, we were sat at the back by the window (I assume to make the place look busy from the outside), we were right by the disabled toilet, staff point and office. You can’t book if there is less than 8 people so we didn’t have a table reserved. The music was horrendous, really bad 70’s and 80’s music, I do not want to listen to the YMCA when I’m eating my dinner, it was also quite loud. I had such high hopes for our meal and it just didn’t live up to it.


Bon Jovi was awesome and we had a really good night. It was nice to get back to BG who I hadn’t seen since Tuesday; I really, really missed her!


This week by comparison as been quite and for that I am truly grateful. Though I am off to London tomorrow, but I’m going to be thoroughly pampered!!


NM X

That Damn Jamie Oliver DVD!

Me, my dad and No1 Sister have a competition every Christmas to see who can buy the crapest present and trust me we take it very seriously! Some years so seriously that we've spent more time and money on them then the proper presents.


All three of us are so similar that there have been times that we have all bought each other the same presents for each other, including the Jordan Joke book and the Peter Andre and Katie Price CD (and yes we bought them a full price and no she can’t sing!).


I can’t remember how this tradition actually started but I know it’s been going for about 10 years now and mine and No 1 sister’s partner have also got in on it!


No matter how much we all try my Dad always comes up with the best crap gift, over the years these have been simple gifts such as a paperweight engraved with the mission on the company he works for, they were given to all the workers so he recycled it and it is now mine! And very elaborate jokes played on us.


The one I remember the most was years ago when DVD players had just come out, my Dad bought me the film 7 on DVD, now I really dislike that film and I didn’t have a DVD player!! That’s not the joke, he is an evil genius my dad. That year I had to work Christmas day in the Pub I worked in and serve Christmas dinner (to a lot of ungrateful miserable gits!) so we decided to open half of our presents in the morning and the rest when I got in from work.


One of my gifts was a quite large rectangle, and I thought to myself wow dad has bought me a DVD player, I mean while else would he buy me a DVD I couldn’t watch. So I get home from a very long lunch shift, we open our presents and I get to the big box and open it and its a .........................................................hairdryer!!!!!


Yes my Dad had bought a DVD I couldn’t watch and knew that I would think that the hairdryer was a DVD player, evil genius!


Now there is one present that just won’t go away! Though that’s probably because we keep passing it on to each other and that is the Jamie Oliver Christmas DVD. Now if I remember rightly my dad bought it for me, then I passed it back the year after, then my sister got it the year after that and you get the picture.

 It never been watched, it’s still got the plastic cover on it (sorry Jamie) It just goes back and forwards each year, I can’t remember who has it at the moment and I fear its coming my way this year!


We made a deal last year no more crap presents as we didn’t have the money or the space but I know that won’t stop my Dad or that Jamie Oliver DVD being passed on! I just hope it’s not my year or I may force them all the watch at last!


NM X


This was written for the Sleep Is For The Weak writing workshop, I choose prompt no 2