50 things that lifted my spirits in 2020

Well, what a year that was. Who could have predicted what 2020 was to have in store for us. It’s been tough and unsettling but thankfully there have been things to help get us though, to help switch our minds off and bring smiles to our faces.

The art galleries and cinemas may have been closed and holidays cancelled but I have seen some of the best TV shows and read some wonderful books this year. Here are 50 things that helped get me though 2020:

TV

1. Race Across the World - Series 2 - What a show and a nail-biting final episode

2. The Great British Bake Off - Just what was needed in 2020

3. Love Life - Anna Kendrick stars in this fun comedy/drama

4. I May Destroy You - Named best TV show for 2020 by The Guardian - utterly gripping

5. Normal People - Immediately watched it twice and then read the book

6. I'm a Celebrity…Get me Out of Here! - Jordan North, what a ray of sunshine

7. Mrs Fletcher - Actress Kathryn Hahn at her best

8. The Morning Show - Excellent Apple+ original series

9. The Undoing - Edge of your seat stuff

10. I Hate Suzie - Billie Piper is exceptional in this comedy/drama

11. Tiger King - Gripping, binge-worthy series

12. This Country - Sad to say farewell to this show which I loved from the start

Films

13. Leftover Women - Fascinating documentary about women looking for marriage in China

14. Portrait of a Lady on Fire - Beautiful love story

15. Audrey - The private life and career of Audrey Hepburn

16. Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind - Personal portrait of the West Side Story star made by her daughter

For Kids

17. Make and Wonder - Art subscription box focusing on a different artist each month

18. Osmo - Interactive learning game that keeps our 4-year-old amused for hours

19. Snoopy - Apple TV+ - Who can’t resist Snoopy and Charlie Brown?

20. USB disco light - Tiny, pocket-money-priced USB disco light by Tinc

21. Telltails - clip on animal tails - the gift that keeps giving and is a dressing-up box essential

22. Draw with Rob and Let’s Draw Together with Wendy Mac - Not sure where we would be without Rob and Wendy’s incredible tutorials, a highlight of 2020 and the first lockdown

Getting creative

23. Vision Board Reimagined by Bold Tuesday - Such a clever idea and a must for 2021 (see picture above)

24. Austin Kleon's weekly email - I always look forward to the suggestions in Austin’s weekly email

25. Kuretake pens - THE pens to use for drawing

26. Collage - I started 18 months ago and haven’t looked back. Collage keeps me sane and brings me joy - simple as that

27. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert - A must-read book on creativity

Books

28. Queenie by Candice Party-Williams - One of my favourites of 2020

29. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens - Yes, it is as good as they say

30. Lady in Waiting by Anne Glenconner - Fascinating insight into an extraordinary life

31. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid - Whizzed through this long listed Booker novel

32. Feel better in 5 by Rangan Chatterjee - An essential manual for life. Dr Chatterjee is full of wisdom and great advice

33. Demi Moore - Inside Out - Thoroughly enjoyed going behind the scenes and hearing more about Moore’s life. A great autobiography

34. Quite - Claudia Winkleman - Opens with a glorious chapter in favour of daytime naps; I’m in

35. Untamed - Glennon Doyle - A highly rated book and deserves all the praise

Audiobooks

36. My Wild and Sleepless Nights by Clover Stroud - Great motherhood memoir read by the author

37. Gotta Get Theroux This by Louis Theroux - This book and Louis’ hilarious impressions got me through the first lockdown and kept me sane!

38. Clothes… and other things that matter by Alexandra Shulman - Musings on life and clothes by the former UK Vogue editor

39. The Chiffon Trenches by Andre Leon Talley - Behind the scenes of the fashion industry by this front row expert

40. Life in pieces by Dawn O’Porter - Life during lockdown interspersed with memories growing up in Guernsey. Brilliant

Podcasts

41. Feel better, live more by Rangan Chatterjee - In-depth interviews with experts in the field of health and wellbeing. I loved hearing more from Dr Pippa Grange on tackling fear and Dr Tara Swart

42. Table Manners by Jessie Ware and mum Lennie - Relaxed, cheerful dinnertime chats, my favourites this year have been with Emily Maitlis and Cat Deeley

43. How to Fail by Elizabeth Day - My top episode for 2020 was with Daisy Edgar Jones

44. Fearne Cotton - Happy Place - Kelly Jones from the Stereophonics and Daisy May Cooper’s episodes top my list

45. Walking the dog - Journalist Emily Dean interviews celebrities as they walk their dogs, uplifting.

Miscellaneous

46. Oil diffuser with Aesop oil - A bedroom staple, walking in and smelling each evening is instantly relaxing

47. Yellow Bobbin Bicycle - Bought during lockdown, first time on a bicycle for 25 years! Bonus is the kid’s size fits a petite adult (me)

48. Headspace, Calm and Moshi apps - I am still learning the fine art of meditation. These are helping enormously

49. Furry Birkenstock slippers - The only footwear I wear these days!

50. Zoom/Facetime/Google Duo - For keeping connected to family, for pirate-themed birthday parties, live pilates classes, even a collage party live from New York. Until we hug our loved ones, this will be the next best thing.

Wishing you a very happy 2021 x

Shrek's Adventure - A London day trip for kids

It’s hard to believe it was 18 years ago when the original Shrek movie premiered here in the UK.

I remember the buzz around the film when it launched and how brilliantly it tapped into the cheeky sense of humour of both adults and children.

Almost two decades may have passed but fans of the green ogre himself, donkey, Princess Fiona and more can relive the magic as part of Shrek’s Adventure on London’s Southbank.

We were kindly given the opportunity to check Shrek’s Adventure out for ourselves so took our two young children (aged 3 and 5) along for the ride.

The attraction is melting pot of 3D illusion and acting role play. There’s a magical bus tour, the chance to decide the fate of Pinocchio on a spinning wheel of torture and to find your way out of a mind-bending maze of mirrors.

We were in a group of around 30 other adults and children which never made the tour seem too busy.

By far our favourite part of Shrek’s Adventure was the bus ride at the beginning. I won’t give too much away but this completely captivated our two little girls. After disembarking the bus we moved from room to room, meeting the weird and wonderful characters familiar and inspired by the Shrek films. I felt some of the jokes were a little lost on our small children but interactive tricks and games kept them intrigued.

It’s definitely worth keeping an eye out for Merlin 2-for-1 passes (on cereal boxes) as this makes it a much cheaper day out.

If you’re a big fan of Shrek and the other DreamWorks movies, you’ll have a great time meeting and having fun with some of your favourite characters.

Thinking of visiting? Here are some tips/extra info

Can I take my young child? Our youngest is 3 and she didn’t find the experience scary or overwhelming in any way.

What if I have a buggy or wheelchair with me? There is a buggy park at the entrance to the attraction. When we visited a wheelchair user was in our tour group.

What if I/my child needs the toilet during the tour? I did notice a couple of people ducking out to the toilet during the room to room tour and they were able to rejoin when they were ready.

Are photos allowed? You won’t be able to take pictures or use your camera phone during the experience but you will have photos taken as you go along and these will be available to buy at the end.

When is a good time to go? We had pre-booked tickets for 10am on a Sunday when Shrek’s Adventure opened - this worked well for us. There was very little queuing. Once your tour begins there is a maximum number of people allowed per group so it’s never super busy.

Will I meet Shrek? There’s certainly an opportunity to meet and have photos during the tour.

How long does Shrek’s Adventure last? We were there for a little over an hour, allowing time for a little browse in the gift shop at the end.

We were invited to Shrek’s Adventure in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and views are my own personal opinion.

This place, my home

Ok, so you're probably looking at this image above and thinking what the...?!

I've been out with my camera shooting my surroundings for the past 4 weeks after signing up to an online documentary photography class through Click in Moms (a US based photography website).

The class called The Full Frame: Life on Scene has hands down reminded me why I love photography so much.

Photographer Lauren Mitchell who ran the class has really taught me to open my eyes to what's around me. She's encouraged me to take notice, to get out there with my camera and shoot for myself - to not get so caught up with Instagram.

What I love about Lauren's own images and what drew me to take the class is that they are honest and real. One of my favourite pictures is of her young daughter eating McDonalds with a picture of Neil Armstrong above. Lauren is based in Florida near to the Kennedy Space Center and the Center plays a big part in her body of work.

The class had a few rules. You must shoot at F8 and above for the four weeks of the class, you must use a wide lens and you must share your camera settings with the class. Lauren also suggested not sharing our work for the class on Instagram until after we finished.

Each week we were urged to go out shooting and submit our homework by the Sunday night. Our assignments ranged from shooting the mundane and everyday, to thinking like a tourist and looking at our hometown through fresh eyes.

High Path Estate, South Wimbledon - proposed for demolition - Canon 5d Mark III, 35mm, F8, 1/1250

Public tour of the All England Tennis Club, Wimbledon - Canon 5 d Mark III, 35mm, F13, 1/1250

South Wimbledon Industrial Estate - Fuji X100, 23mm, F11, 1/250

Caravan on an Industrial estate, South Wimbledon - Fuji X100, 23mm, F11, 1/1250

Pylon at Colliers Wood, Canon 5d Mark III, 35mm, F10, 1/1600

We were encouraged to think of long term projects and delve deeper into the work of photographers like Luigi Ghirri, William Eggleston, Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb. The most important take home from the class was to fill the frame, adding layers - everything in the shot must matter.

This is honestly one of the best online courses I have taken. It’s probably the most money I have spent on an online class ($200) but to have one-on-one critique was invaluable for going forward.

Most of all I learnt to switch off from Instagram a little bit and just get out shooting for the fun of it. It was a great reminder why I fell in love with photography in the first place.

I see the pictures in this blog post as a springboard to a bigger project about where I live. It's a world away from the surroundings I grew up with and our home is an area that continues to fascinate me.

Royal Wedding Street Party - Fuji X100, 23mm, F8, 1/210

Royal Wedding Street Party, Fuji X100, 23mm, F8, 1/1900

Royal Wedding Street Party, Fuji X100, 23mm, F8, 1/200

Just For Tots at Butlin's - the highs and lows

To be frank Butlin's had never been on my radar for a mini-break.

In my mind I had ideas of an old fashioned, jaded resort and quite honestly, there were other places in the UK I’d rather visit.

Then my husband found himself at Butlin's Bognor Regis, staying at one of their hotels when his workplace took over the resort for a conference. He FaceTimed, giving me a tour of his hotel room and sent pictures of the set-up. It looked better than I expected and there was a Spa - this was getting tempting.

A few months later Butlin's was mentioned again. There was a Just for Tots break coming up. Aimed at Under 5s, it featured Mr Bloom as the headline event. My husband was keen so we decided to give it a try - on condition I could book a massage at the spa. 

So on a Friday afternoon we caught the train to Butlin's Bognor Regis and by 4pm we were settled into our hotel room. We spent 3 nights at the resort with our two girls aged 4 and 2. Here are our highs and lows:

HIGHS

The campus style set-up - everything is in easy reach. The hotels and self catering are a short walk from the restaurants, bars and entertainment. The resort is a 10-15 minute walk from Bognor Regis train station.

Room set-up - the hotel rooms have a separate den area for children to sleep. At the Ocean Hotel this featured two single beds with a TV (other hotels have bunk beds). A separate double bed lies in the main part of the room for adults. Having the two separate areas works brilliantly (no more hiding out in the bathroom while the kids try to get to sleep).

 

Mr Bloom - Mr Bloom was the headline event for this break. He took us on a musical adventure with classic songs remastered to have a vegetable theme. He’s a great entertainer and does not disappoint live on stage. Having seen Justin Fletcher on stage in Wimbledon, I’m sure his Butlin’s set would be brilliant - our girls loved it.

Pottery Painting- a studio had just opened when we arrived (you can book slots on the day). You pay £5 per item and there’s all sorts to choose from to paint - Unicorns, Castles, Robots, mugs etc. The paint is quick drying so you can take it with you when you leave after your session. The kids really enjoyed this activity. Just bring a bag to carry your painted craft back to the hotel (the studio were not able to provide any.)

Little Tikes Town - a mini freestyle racetrack filled with Little Tikes cars, taxis, scooters and bicycles. Little Tikes castles and playhouses are dotted around the sides too. Great fun for the Under 5s.

Ocean Spa - I went for my promised massage at the spa located in the Ocean Hotel. I was really impressed with the massage itself which ran to time and was incredibly relaxing. The treatment room was modern, comfortable and clean and the staff friendly. You can use the steam room, sauna, snow cave, jacuzzi and plunge pool for a separate charge.

LOWS

Air Con - it was snowing in Bognor Regis and that meant the heating was on full blast in the hotel. Our room was like a sauna when we arrived. We quickly went to turn on the air con but we were told that there’s no air con at this time of year. Actually this isn’t quite the case. We complained at 4am when all four of us were wide awake and the reception staff switched it on. Apparently it works on a floor by floor basis so I imagine tricky to keep everyone happy. It is an option though if you ask for it.

Busy mealtimes - the breakfast buffet was quite chaotic. Not so bad if you eat at 7.30 but around 9.00 it was very hectic. They completely ran out of yoghurts one morning (even in their store room) and some of the pastries (stored in a refrigerated section) were absolutely rock hard. 

Splash Waterworld pool. A few people had said it was quite cold and my husband (who took our eldest daughter swimming) agreed. It also gets really busy but around 11am seemed like a slightly better time to go. The changing room was still rammed though.

Showtimes- our tickets for the headline shows on both days were for 2pm. I thought this was an odd time to hold the main headline event for Under 5s as many nap around this time. I would definitely say morning or late afternoon would make more sense. Some of the shows run at 7pm too so this might be an option if you can get your ticket changed.

WiFi - if this is important to you or you expect/need to be online throughout your stay, you may need to pay extra. The ‘basic’ free package includes 300mb free data per day. This lasted me about 10 minutes per day (briefly checking emails, Instagram and Twitter) before I was locked out and told I had used up my daily allowance. WiFi is provided by another provider and problems can’t be handled by Butlin’s staff directly, I was told.

TOP TIPS

 

Book the restaurants in advance for dinner. If you have a meal package which includes dinner, you can book some of the other restaurants onsite some of which are table service if you don’t fancy the buffet. You can book on the day with the Butler at the hotel.

 

There’s a well stocked supermarket with all the essentials on site. In Bognor Regis itself there’s a Morrison’s just off the high street if you need more specific bits. There's also a few pharmacies and about 10 charity shops in the town centre.

 

If there’s a sunny and dry day, make the most of the outside fairground activities (Carousel/Helter Skelter) If it’s raining or snowing some of them close and won’t run.

I’d say our first trip to Butlin’s was a mixed bag. The girls loved parts of it but we all found it a bit busy and overwhelming at times. As with any holiday, it’s what you make of it and our highlights were definitely Mr Bloom, Pottery painting and some of the inside rides. There’s plenty going on at Just for Tots - just be prepared for it to be busy.

Andreas Gursky Exhibition (with my 4-year-old)

"The Gursky Exhibition is brilliant, you MUST see it!" a good photographer friend reported back to me after visiting with her baby soon after it opened. 

Her advice was to book tickets in advance and aim to go at the opening time - 11am. This was great advice and I would say the same - plan in advance - it gets busy.

I was a little unsure about taking my 4-year-old but figured it would be great mother-daughter bonding time - afterwards there was the promise of a new sticker book and pizza.

So we headed off together to see the work of Andreas Gursky at the newly renovated Hayward Gallery at the Southbank Centre.

Amazon
2016 

This exhibition explores the work of the photographer over the past four decades and is the first major retrospective of his work in the UK.

There are over 60 of the artist’s photographs, from the 1980s through to his most recent work. The images are packed full of detail, an Amazon warehouse, 99 cent store and huge, impressive landscapes. There's also the fascinating Paris, Montparnasse (1993), showing all 750 flats in the city’s largest apartment block, created using multiple shots taken from two different vantage points. It's one of Gursky's early examples of digital manipulation which he started experimenting with in 1992.

Review
2015 

SH- 1 Iron Man (2013) one of Gursky's more recent works

Pyongyang VI
2017 (2007) 

Tokyo
2017 

Though I originally planned to sneak out and see this exhibition on my own (leaving my young girls at home)  I loved having my 4-year-old for company. 

Although losing patience towards the end, she was really well behaved while we looked round and I loved watching her taking it all in. It was wonderful sitting and chatting on her bed later that evening, deciding which was her favourite photograph (the one with the cows, in case you're interested).

If you get the chance to see this exhibition, it's well worth it. The images (many of which are large in scale) are beautifully exhibited over several floors of the Hayward. I enjoyed it so much and plan to go back.

Andreas Gursky runs until 22 April 2018

Learning to Scrapbook

I remember when I was about 11 years-old - it was September, a brand new term at school. Sharpened pencils, a new shiny pencil case and maybe even a pristine set of new colouring pencils, too good to be removed from their box.

A friend had returned from a Summer holiday adventure and was neatly arranging her keepsakes from her trip in a scrapbook.

Photographs, tickets, notes, all mixed with pretty pastel coloured card and intricate designs printed on delicate paper. 

I was mesmerised and watched wide-eyed as she glued, coloured and weaved together her findings in a book bound together with ribbon.

The truth is for a long time, and particularly at school, art was never my thing. Painting and drawing I loved but I was simply not good enough (or encouraged) to take art as a subject at GCSE.

It's only now, in my thirties, that I'm exploring new crafts and having fun trying new skills. There's no pressure to pass exams, just to learn and have fun.

I came across Project Craft at Paperchase by chance when looking for a new diary on their website.

I discovered the flagship store in London's Tottenham Court Road offers a range of craft classes, just a few hours long and enough to dip your toe in to see if you warm to it.

I chose the Scrapbooking class for a very reasonable £20 (including all supplies). There's also Card Making, Creative Journaling, Origami Flowers, Paper Cactus making and more.

Cameron, a friendly and enthusiastic art student (who also works part-time at Paperchase) was my teacher for the afternoon and  encouraged me to choose a theme for my scrapbook - I chose travel.

I had brought along pictures, tickets and cuttings from a previous (poor) scrapbooking attempt and he helped me weave all the materials together into a double-page spread using coloured card, designer paper, washi tape and coloured string (for the bunting). He also showed me how to create pockets to store tickets and small mementos.

This was a brilliant introduction to Scrapbooking. My main reason for booking the class was so that for future travels I can involve our two girls and we can continue to create the scrapbook together.

In the two hours I also learnt:

• How to be more confident using a cutting mat and knife

• That it's much better to use double sided tape than Pritt Stick (curls at the edges)

• How to be creative with washi tape (I always just used it like sellotape before - hello washi tape bunting!)

So thank you Paperchase (and Cameron) for a great introduction to Scrapbooking - I hope to be back soon. in the meantime here's a Pinterest board I've put together with Scrapbooking ideas.

You can read more about Project Craft classes (available in London, Manchester & Glasgow)  here

Santa's Grotto at The Rainforest Cafe - London

Last Christmas, and the Christmas before in fact, we tried out a few Christmas Grotto experiences.

I won't lie, they didn't all go according to plan.

Tears, tantrums (we have the expensive photo to prove it) and also car sickness meant an adorable Christmas treat quickly turned into a stressful morning.

But here we are with two little girls, a year older and our eldest starting to recognise that Father Christmas is a 'thing' and he may be worth paying attention to.

This year we were kindly offered the opportunity to try the Santa's Grotto at The Rainforest Cafe. 

For those who may not know, The Rainforest Cafe is a themed restaurant just off Leicester Square in London.

Stepping away from the hustle and bustle of central London and down the stairs you're greeted with a colourful, jungle-themed restaurant, lifesized animatronic elephants, large fish tanks, gorillas, parrots and every fifteen minutes or so, the sound of a rainforest storm.

Throw into the mix Santa/Father Christmas and his cosy grotto and you're onto a winner.

What's really nice about this grotto is that it's more personal than others we have been to.

After booking online, the cafe sends you a questionnaire asking you to fill out specific details - what your child wants for Christmas, who they will be spending it with etc.  

When we entered the grotto, Father Christmas casually dropped these nuggets of information into the conversation which made for a really special experience.

He took the time to chat to the girls and it didn't feel like we were being rushed.

So what's included in the price? A meeting and chat with Santa in his grotto, a bag of treats (a book and large toy - worth about £30), a two course-meal and a drink in the restaurant afterwards. Extras not included are the photo packages and any meals or drinks for adults.

Now a heads up: this won't be the cheapest grotto in town - you pay central London prices to dine at the cafe and for the experience, but our girls LOVED it. 

Stepping into the restaurant afterwards and soaking up the atmosphere was a fantastic way to end a lovely treat. The gift shop is an experience in itself with a talking tree, lifesized crocodile (who occasionally wakes up) and baskets and baskets of toys and games.

The grotto is open until Christmas Eve. Tickets are £40 per child (adults don't need tickets) and are available from here or by calling the Cafe direct on 020 7434 3111.