James and the pebbled beach

By James I like the beach. There are pebbles instead of sand. I've got some Ben 10 toys. I met a cat called Tigger. I've been a bit sick but am better now. Mum said I ate too much chocolate! I'm eating a chocolate biscuit.

Tom's potato zapper and new friend

By Tom I'm having fun in the countryside. (Telscombe near Lewes East Sussex.) There is another squirrel here and some cats. I have made a friend called Lars who lives across the road. He goes to school for six hours on most days. Mum bought me a potato zapper! It's like a gun with potato bullets. Lars knows all about them but I had never seen one before. We are going to the beach today. P.S. I'm glad Mrs Martin is much nicer than Miss Trunchball from Matilda!

Of Dickens, drivers and dishwashers

Here we are in the heart of Dickensian London equipped with a dishwasher. We are only a few doors from where the inimitable 'Boz' penned The Pickwick Papers, Nicholas Nickleby and Oliver Twist. In the bicentenary of Charles Dickens' birth there are many reminders throughout the city of the continuing relevance of his work. We've been to his Bloomsbury home, a special Dickens exhibition at the Museum of London and the museum of the former Foundling Hospital, the work of which he was a supporter. Tom was very interested to know that Dickens was an insomniac (like him, unsleepable!)and thought of ideas for his stories lying awake at night. James especially liked a children's toy theatre on display, and the next day we went to the real thing to see a fantastic production of Roald Dahl's Matilda by the RSC. Drivers have featured prominently this first week, starting with the taxi driver who drove so erratically to the airport that James was sick before our travels had even started. There are also of course the tube drivers, double decker bus drivers and the ubiquitous black cab drivers. One type of driver less conspicuous in our area of London is the car driver. Perhaps it's the congestion charge or lack of parking, but it seems to be more a different way of living in a city; of occupying limited space. Although people have much less access to private space, particularly outside, we are really enjoying the many parks and gardens. Our favorite is Coram's Fields which includes a playground and small animal enclosure on the grounds of the former Foundling Hospital. Adults are only allowed entry in the company of a child so it's new to me as well as the boys. Outings to Hampstead Heath and Greenwich have also been enjoyable, especially in the seemingly endless early spring sunshine. There is a small school a block away from us where Tom noted the children wear red jumpers like he used to at All Hallows. We haven't actually used the dishwasher as we are so close to cheap but charming pubs and cafes. Besides, working out how to use the washer dryer was enough of a challenge! Three goats escaped from their enclosure at the playground this morning. There is a grey squirrel living in the rooftops. The boys have named him Little Grey Man .< a href="http://www.foundlingmuseum.com"> Photos to follow when technological issues are resolved.

Au Revoir

These are the two small boys with the suitcase (and a bit of carry on luggage) posing for a somewhat uninteresting but necessary entry to see if this actually works! We ARE getting excited (Tom has been exploring the Atlas wondering whether we can possibly accommodate a detour to Ancient Rome) and have a long list of things to organise before Friday. Weather forecast for our arrival is, as to be expected, wintry - but I figure the more we are wearing, the less there is to carry!