Cardiff

The Museum in Cardiff is just right; not too big or intimidating, quiet and not crazy-busy despite it being holiday time still and there was a great little winter fun fair just outside, the big wheel was our best ride. I had to try some serious distraction techniques for Esmé though whilst in the museum, she just wanted to be in the actual displays.... I was all, Hey Boo, that 200 million year old dinosaur thigh bone is looking a bit wobbly when you swing on it like that.... Dino thigh bones are STRONG, we found that out.









Plus we also found out that right now Felix isn't interested in paintings but he loves looking at sketch books, there was a display in one of the galleries by the Charlie and Lola artist (I have forgotten her name, oh dear). I can never quite decide if I like her books or drawings (maybe that's why I keep forgetting her name). They are just... well, I dunno..... all line-y and un life like? I mean I opened a book for Esmé and the tomatoes and other things showing various colours just looked like... nothing. I could see she couldn't related these blobby spiky things to anything familiar. Not very representative for a young child of actual objects. The boys like her stuff a bit. We have one book....no actually we have none, but we did get one out once from the library about recycling, and after seeing the similar TV show Isaac was all into setting up special recycling bins for all of our bits (before they helpfully get crammed together into the big multi, anything-goes recycling bin essentially rendering his work pointless but he doesn't seem to mind - or notice perhaps ). Seeing her artwork and drawings didn't much bowl me over, but I liked the tiny scenes set up in miniature of bits from her books (I assume).

Not having a TV means we just don't *know* some stuff, like what The Night Garden is (even though we use i-player, we wonuld'nt know to look it up, yk?), even Thomas the Tank Engine made only the briefest visits here because the boys didn't know who he was (they do like trains though). I can't say I think it's deprivation of any sort. What I would *love* to see is a Shirley Hughes display...yum. Or a Jan Pienkowski one, or Gio Fujikawa, or Robert Lumley who illustrates the old Ladybird books.... anyway. It was a Good day out, very good and relaxed and chilled (no one became grumpy or cross or had a paddy on the floor - adults included).







We ate out too and I had a lovely lovely salad. It's the first time I have eaten out in months. My diet just made it impossible. I only had to ask for the salad not to come with mozzarella, or bread sticks and instead have extra sun dried tomatoes. It was very nice, I could have eaten two. And so nice not to make food for myself! Wow. I mean how often does the average woman get a lovely meal made for her? Not often if it's anything like the woman I know. My dh does make a tasty salad now with avocado and his killer mustard dressing, but we're talking one or twice a month at the most. A treat.





At home again Isaac painted a unicorn on my face for good luck and magic times for the year ahead, sweet boy, and a happy birthday :)





(My dh took this last pic and it was about the 12th of *exactly the same* because he's rubbish with a camera and kept saying oh ok, just one more this ones' a leeetle bit blury..... so that explains the boys strained look... I think..... ;) )