A Little More London-ing

Right. Where did I leave off?

We hit the Eye around 4.30 (having booked online a few weeks before, well worth paying more to jump the queue believe me!) and it was actually amazing. The skeptic in me wasn't sure if it would be worth it but I knew Poppet would really want to do it. I have some 'issues' with being up high in the sky so I'm glad I forced myself to have a go.

What a view. Poppet received a kid's pack which included binoculars and a great pictorial map explaining what could be seen from every angle. I managed to remain standing until we were about halfway up, at which point my legs turned to jelly and I had to take a seat. Husband and Poppet had a good laugh at me and thoroughly enjoyed themselves by repeatedly leaning back against the window. It's a strange vertigo I get at such times, as if the umbilical cord is still attached. I felt the same when my kid was standing on the fountain wall at Buckingham Palace. Hey ho, nothing a strong drink after the fact won't fix.

Speaking of which, we met up with some old friends for dinner at Gillray's Steakhouse. They have an incredible array of cocktails and we knocked a few back along with some awesome yorkshire puds. It's an expensive restaurant but justifiably so. Loved it! The following morning was spent with a friend on the Southbank, lunching and stopping at playgrounds. Very relaxing.

Here are some pics from the Eye and a couple of shots of Poppet posing next to various decorated Olympic mascots around town. We had to line up with all the other nutters who wanted a shot of themselves next to these ugly things. But Poppet insisted and it's certainly proof that we were in London for the Olympic season. We didn't see any sporting events (but watched as much as possible on tv) as our trip was too last minute and brief to do more, but there certainly was a buzz in the air. 

ok, ok, I got distracted by these awesome trainers...

but our feet looked pretty good too...

What a fabulous couple of days we had, even the security guards at the airport were chipper. London was very buoyant and proud to be hosting the event. Everyone was made to feel very welcome. 

The next few days were equally buoyant spent with family in the sunshine (and a little Manchester rain, naturally) drinking Pimms and Sangria. There are certainly shots of that, but they're just for us. 

On a family note, my Mum arrives tomorrow for a ten day visit (followed by Husband's folks for a fortnight). Will do my best to post but who knows how things will go. Family first!