Tea Time in Wonderland

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Have a white and magical Xmas! This blog is on holiday until Jan 05. See you soon!

Hibernate under a cosy duvet? Or fight the weather?

If you belong to the brave category:

- Not to be missed: the Lord’s Mayor show on Saturday. Not Boris, the other one, managing the City. 800 years of tradition! There will be a procession from the City to Westminster (where the Mayor will pledge allegiance to the crown): 6000 people, 202 horses, 24 marching bands… The RAF will fly past, visits will be offered through the capital and the day will finish with fireworks over the Thames at 17.00… For the occasion, shops @ Gabriel’s wharf are offering a few discounts.

- Sunday, Selfridge’s will be playing the Jumble Garage sale card, a giant one, profits going to a charity. Come and find a bargain! Entry is at £5, freee for under 12s. Cash only at the stalls.

- Marmite – Love it ? Hate it? In any case, have a look @ their pop-up shop near Piccadilly. You can even have a crumpet there. I stopped by earlier today, most of their online shop and a few limited edition. Hate the stuff but hell, love the design!

- You’ll find happiness at the Country Living Xmas show – so many stalls with original and unique ideas. I go almost every year and have never tired of it.

- Fancy an afternoon tea? Want it very British but also fashionable? Try the Howard’s – elegance, of course, but how to resist the shortbreads shaped and decorates as the milestones of London? Have a look at the pics!

Sunday, for once, I will not be rushing around the town. I prefer a quiet family afternoon, on the Puppet Barge, to enjoy a festive puppet show in Little Venice…

Now, what about you?

Spooky nights on the way!

- Why not start on Friday for once? The V&A will open late and has chosen for theme “The Dead of the night”. Witch hunting, spooky tales, terrifying make-up. oh, amnd Death  plans a theatral entry at 19.00. If  you still have time, the Natural History Museum will remain open till 22.00 – those shadows of dinosaurs with huge teeths surely will add up to the mood… Free!

- Thriller fan? The Michael Jackson exhibition had just opened at the O2 Bubble. Shockingly expensive -  £15 week time, £17.50 at week-ends. And I’m a fan!

- Follow my friend’s Celine advice and join a zombie walk. Free!

- Why not an exhibition of horror movies posters? Free!

- Get the kids to fill the Tate Britain with spiders and bats… In the evening, teenagers and adults can switch to music and abstract sculptures @ the Tate Modern. Free!

- Sunday -  change of atmosphere – the V&A hosts a Maharadja family day. Free with disguises, songs, dances, workshops…

- or why not try the Mexican day of the dead @ the British Museum? Very colourful – parade, face-painting, musical workshop, flokloric dances, tales… And talks for adults too!

- I have just booked my seat on the Necrobus. Meet you @ Trafalgar Scare!

What kind of frightening week-end have you planned?

J’ai recemment eu la chance, grace au tuyau de Celine, de gagner un goodie bag offert par Southbank, dont ce porte-carte Oyster.

Je pousse un soupir de soulagement. Marre du jaune canard Ikea!

J’aime aussi la version plan du metro proposee par le London Transport museum (£4.85)…

…les versions colorees de Stray Deco (£2.99)…

Parce qu’apres tout, I love Oystercard! (£2.50)

Et vous? Quelle version avez-vous? Plastique ou cuir? Classique, designer ou rigolote?

My friend Celine gave me a great tip lately, enabling me to win a cool Southbank  goodie bag. Including a cool oystercard holder:

What a relief! I was SO fed up with the Ikea bathduck yellow!

I also love the tubemap version from the  London Transport museum (£4.85)…

Or the colourful  Stray Deco (£2.99) versions…

Since of course… I love Oystercard! (£2.50)

Nous sautons dans le monde moderne. Rejoignez-nous sur Facebook et Twitter!

We’re jumping into the modern world.  Join us on Facebook and Twitter!

Une ballade dans Londres se revele toujours pleine de surprises.

Et peut-etre croiserez vous ces etonnantes boites bleues…

En 1883, point de radios, de telephone portable (un temps que ma fille qui iphonera joyeusement ne comprendra pas). Sont alors mises en place ces bornes d’appel, qui contenaient un telephone utilisables par le public et les policiers afin de contacter la station la plus proche.

Chaque station pouvait envoyer un signal qui faisait s’allumer la lampe rouge au sommet, une instruction au policier passant par la de contacter leurs quartiers au plus vite.

Les deux versions ci-dessous sont les plus basiques. Si vus etes fan de Dr Who, vous connaissez la version “maisonette” qui sert a voyager dans le temps: plus adaptees, je dirais aux Bobbies, puisqu’ils pouvaient y trouver un tabouret, une table, de quoi brosser leur habit, une malette de premiers secours, un extincteur (car construites en bois a l’origine) et un radiateur. On pouvait aussi bien y enfermer un suspect…

L’arrive d’autres medias comme le talkie-walkie les fera tomber en desuetude. Certaines ont disparue, d’autres se cachent dans le paysage urbain, d’autres encore on tete transformees (l’une d’elles en mini-cafe a Edinburgh) Mais elles gardent un certain charme…

La premiere est sur Cannon Street, la seconde pres de la station de metro Aldgate.
The first is on Cannon Street, the second close to Aldgate Tube station.

A stroll in London is always a promise of surprises.

And who knows, you might find on eof these blue boxes…?

In 1883, no radios, no mobile phones (a time my daughter – who will undoubtely facebook happily on her iphone – will not be able to grasp). Hence these call boxes whic contained a phone both public and bobbies could use to contact the nearest police station.

Each station could use a special signal to lighe to red flashlight on top and let the passing bobbies they had to contact headquarters.

Different versions exist. If you’re a Doctor Who fan, oyu will know of the large one, a small house, that happens to be a time machine. in real life, they contained a stool, a table, a few things to brush their clothes, a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher (the first ones were made of wood), a first aid kit and a radiator. You could as well lock a suspect there…

Once new medias stepped in – like talkie-walkies – they were little by little given up. Some of them remain, others, were destroyed, others have been transformed (such as one as a mini-cafe in Edinburgh). All retain a nostalgic charm…

Southbank est toujours en ebullition. Quelle que soit la periode de l’annee, vous y trouverez toujours quelque chose d’extraordinaire, une exposition, une sculture, une flashmob, un festival, un marche…

En ce moment, une partie de la promenade sort du commun avec une exposition photo, en plein passage – des animaux en plein nature, certaines des especes protegees par l’artiste polonais Arthur Tabor.

Commun? Oui et non. Ces 54 immenses panneaux ne sont pas, comme les paysages vus du ciel d’Arthus Bertrand, accroches en exterieur aux grilles d’un parc. Aussi imposants, oui. Mais positionnes juste sous les arbres, le vert tendre des feuilles leur donnent une vitalite, une impression de realite, d’envol presque pour les oiseaux.

Une petite photo de l’artiste qui a passe des heures a guetter, en canoe, les pieds dans l’eau…. bref, passionne:

Un excellente halte pour toute la famille, des portraits droles, touchants, surprenants.

N’hesitez pas a vous arreter au Pizza Gourmet a Gabriel’s Wharf a deux minutes de la. Les pizzas y sont delicieuses. Si vous avez l’esprit aventureux, essayez donc la surprenante gorgonzola-betterave, tres douce, cremeuse, la betterave gare une texture un peu neutre, pas trop sucree qui se marie tres bien avec la sauce tomate. Une petite merveille. Ou plus loin,prenez une biere Double Chocolate Stout en terrasse du pub Young’s, a quelques pas de la Tate. Jolie vue sur Saint Paul, belle carte de bieres…

Wildlife photography
Le long de la Tamise, avant Gabriel’s wharf
Along the Thames, before Gabriel’s Wharf
21 April -07 June 2009
Gratuit! / Free!

http://www.arturtabor.pl/

Southbank is always bubbling. There’s always something going on – an exhibition, a sclupture, a flashmob, a festival, a slowfood market….

I stumbled upon a photo exhibition – right into the walkway – showing wildlife portraits by Polish artist Arthus Tabor.

Not impressed? Thinking of the Arthus Bertrand lanscapes from the sky in paris, attached to fences of the Luxembourg? Yes, it is as beautiful. But those 54 huge pannels are right under the trees, the green leaves giving them a beautiful lightning, a natural effect, a movement – why, the birds actually seem to be flying away!

Wondering what the artist looks like? Well… See the picture above!

He spend hours waiting, observing, feet into the water, sometimes in kayaks. The guy is passionate.

An excellent pause for the whole family, funny, moving, surprising portraits.

And why not stop at the Gourmet Pizza nearby, at Gabriel’s Wharf? Quite good pizzas and if you’re feeling adventurous, try the suprising beetroot-gorgonzola one. Creamy, the beetroot is not pickled, not too sweet and goes wonderfully weel with the tomato base. Quite a jewel, that one.
Or you could walk a little further and have a double chocolate stout on the terrasse of the Young pub, a fes steps before the Tate. Nice view on St Paul, and a good selection of beers!

Une expo hors du commun au Horniman Museum pour petits explorateurs: quelques animaux choisis et presentes facon robotique aux enfants. Ainsi les oreilles de la giraffe sont des micros, la bouche de la mouche un aspirateur… Tres visuel, tres bien pense: quelle meilleure facon d’expliquer aux enfants que d’utiliser des objets du quotidien? On decouvre aussi les systemes de jointure, d’articulation sous forme d’ingenierie qui parle beaucoup plus aux petits qu’un squelette.

Tout est interactif: on peut manoeuvrer les yeux, la langue du cameleon geant tout en decouvrant qu’il peut regarder dans des sens differents de chaque oeil. On apprend qu’il se camoufle en gerant la temperature de sa peau… On tente des courses de pieuvre en se basant, comme elles sur la pression pour avancer… on reconstruit un ornythorinque en puzzle…

Beaucoup de decouvertes pour les petits…. et leurs parents!
The Robot zoo at the Horniman Museum
Jusqu’au / until November 08, 2009
100London rd
London
SE23 3PQ
http://www.horniman.ac.uk/exhibitions/current_exhibition.php?exhib_id=92
£5 aldulte/adult, £2.5 enfant/child, gratuit pour les moins de 3 ans/free for under 3s

An unusual exhibition at the Horniman Museum for explorers-to-be: a few animals are presented in a robotic way to the children. The giraffe’s ears are mikes, the fly’s mouth a vacuum cleaner… Very visual and so well thought: so much easier to understand when you can make a link with everyday objects! You can also see the inside of the animals and how their joints and articulation work – everything is shown in an engineering way, and the kids seem to understand this much better then by looking at a skeleton.

Everything is interactive: you can play with the chameleon eyes and tongue, discover he can look in two different directions at the same time, learn how he manages the temperature of his skin to camouflage himself… There are also octopus races based on pressure, which they do use in real life to move forward… You will build an platypus out of a puzzle…

A lot to discover there and not only for little ones!