LifeLoveLondon: May 2007

birthday boys

The boys' birthdays are just 10 days apart. Solomon was a bit perturbed that his brother's birthday comes first in the month even though Felix is younger.

Felix was 2 years old on 150507:

All-singing, all-swaying Noddy doll was happily received!

Crane with magnetic ability to haul blocks was also a big hit.

On 250507, Solomon turned 4:

We made dozens of yummy frosted cupcakes for his party, but on his actual birthday Sol chose another cake from the supermarket. It actually tasted alright!

Sol sometimes plays with a tub of proper Lego at Grandma's house, but this is the first set he's been given for his very own. He and Daddy have since spent a whole afternoon putting it all together while Mommy distracted Felix with other play fare!

A day later, however, it was back to ye olde Mega-Blocks, seemingly constant occupier of the living room floor...

Soli had to wait a whole 9 days after his actual birthday to host his 4th birthday party, but a fun (though entirely unphotographed) time was had by all at the secret widlife centre at the top of Greenwich Park. For the story on this mysterious venue and my search for it, see http://www.thegreenwichphantom.co.uk/2007/05/secret-garden-wildlife-centre.html

birthday blue(bell)s

What adventure shall we go on today?

Ah, it's a trip to Lesnes Abbey's bluebell woods! I wanted to spend my b-day doing something pleasant for me but also fun for the boys. This is where we ended up!

We had a picnic on a very tall bench, where the boys sat and asked myriad questions and chatted away for ages.

According to Wildlife and the Law in Great Britain (by one Margaret Palmer, 2002) "the native wild bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)... is protected against uprooting and sale." It is, however, "legal to sell cultivated bluebells" -- though personally I've never encountered these.

Swathes of woodland are fenced off in places like this to help visitors avoid temptation during bluebell season. Fortunately for the clumsy who happen to find themselves surrounded by unenclosed tubers, "Damage to a protected plant is not an offence if it can be shown that it was 'an incidental result of a lawful activity and could not reasonably have been avoided'."

Flower-wise, Felix was more interested in the innumerable min-daisies decorating the lawn surrounding the abbey ruin. Fortunately, they are very pick-able!

Lesnes Abbey (Augustinian order) dates from the 12th century. Most of it was demolished soon after the monastic dissolution which occurred in the 16th c. It is now a public park. More info here: http://www.bexley.gov.uk/service/parks/lesnesabbey.html#ruin