Shopping, dinner and a concert in Cambridge

Lola at Pizza Express in Jesus Lane

Me at Pizza Express in Jesus Lane

Forbidden Planet shop window

Me in King's Parade

Lola outside Senate House

Last Sunday Lola and I went to Cambridge to see Bat for Lashes at The Corn Exchange. The concert was truly amazing and we tried to take some photos but, sadly, they didn't come out as we were too far away from the stage and weren't allowed to use the flash (although, of course, some people did).

Before the concert we spent an afternoon in Cambridge, shopping, sightseeing and eating. We started at Nomads, a wonderfully eclectic shop on King's Parade. It is like an Aladdin's cave (or should that be a tardis? as it's tiny upstairs and cavernous downstairs. It sells rugs, carpets, cushions etc and a huge variety of ethnic jewellery, including lots of beautiful stones which Lola loves. I had to drag her away or she'd have spent hours there. I can see why.

We treated ourselves to a late lunch at Pizza Express, where, thanks to 'My Voucher Codes' we were able to enjoy garlic bread, pizzas and drinks (water for Lola, Peroni for me) for £10 each. It was a real carb blowout, but it kept us going all night. We went to the Pizza Express in Jesus Lane which is my absolute favourite with its distressed mirrored walls and Art Deco glamour. Even on a Sunday afternoon, it was heaving as families and friends relaxed together, often in large groups. Maybe they had vouchers, too.

We walked over to The Grafton Centre and made the obligatory visit to Forbidden Planet in search of Victoria Francis posters, but they didn't have any. Lola managed to console herself by looking at shoes and handbags in Debenhams - it certainly works for me!

We got to The Corn Exhange in plenty of time to find a rapidly growing queue. However, we didn't have to wait in it for long until we were let in. Lola had a nice surprise as she met up with an old school friend, Lucy, and they had a long chat before the concert began.

Bat for Lashes were simply brilliant and Natasha Khan's voice was crystal clear and soaringly beautiful. Her performance was full of energy and we were amazed at how many instruments she played. Lola and I were both spellbound and sorry when the concert ended, even after an encore. We're so glad we went. We wouldn't have missed it for anything.

Sweet Sixteen - Part 2

Birthday girl at Caffee Uno

On 27 July 2009, Lola turned 16.

We had a mother-daughter day in Cambridge, lunching, shopping and having fun. It was a lovely day and Lola had a lovely time which is exactly what birthdays are for.

Me at Caffee Uno

Make a wish

We got back in time for birthday cake and champagne - perfect!

Sweet Sixteen

Some days are just perfect from start to finish and Lola's 16th birthday lunch in Cambridge yesterday was one of those 'perfect' days.

We met up at Wagamamas with 'Auntie' Nicci, Lola's godmother, and her gorgeous daughter, Phoebe. We get together every year on the Saturday nearest Lola's birthday and it's always a lovely occasion.

This year was no exception, made even more special by the fact that we met Phoebe's boyfriend, Sam, for the first time. We'd heard so much about him, we felt as though we already knew him and he didn't disappoint. We all got on brilliantly right from the start and everything just clicked. It was as if we'd known him for ages.

Lunch at Wagamas

We also took Lola's best friend, George, with us and that was lovely for Lola and for us. George is just like one of the family. She's more like Lola's sister than a friend and she spends so much time with us that her parents even sent us a thank you note!

We love having her with us and, most importantly, Lola and George have great fun together - which is what birthdays are all about. They both adore shopping and before we arrived at Wagamamas, we all made a trip to Zara and bought some bargains in the sale.

When we'd finished lunch, Lola opened her brithday presents. She got some fabulous things. She especially loved the big blue 70s style shades Auntie Nicci bought her and decided to model them on the spot!

Lola likes her new shades

In the afternoon we all went for a stroll round Cambridge, trying to avoid the huge number of tourists. We did some more shopping (you can never do too much), looked round Corpus Christi college, visited the CCA gallery, strolled along the promenade by King's College and went to the Michaelhouse Cafe (one of my favourite places) for tea and cake.

Before we knew it, the afternoon had passed by and it was time to head home. We all agreed we'd had a truly wonderful time and that it really had been a perfect day.

Lola's 16th birthday has got off to the best possible start. And on Monday (Lola's actual birthday) we get to celebrate all over again!

Lola and George

Let it Snow

Parker's Piece, Cambridge
Parker's Piece, Cambridge

St Mary's Church, Cambridge

It's amazing how a simple thing like snow can bring so much pleasure.

Yes, of course it was a pain trying to get to work, especially on the train (although ironically the train was on time for most of the week).

And yes, it was cold.

But it was also stunningly beautiful.

The first day it snowed, I got off the train in Cambridge and walked to work in a blizzard. I had my umbrella up but it didn't stop the snowflakes landing in a cold tingle on my nose and eyelashes.

By the time I arrived at work, I had a thick covering of snow on my coat which melted as I walked into my warm office.

I could feel my cheeks glowing and I felt as exhilirated as a child.

There is something magical about snow.

Cambridge is beautiful at the best of times, but in the snow it looked even lovelier.

In spite of the snow, people had smiles on their faces and children were playing and laughing in the street.

I've always loved the snow.

So do Calum and Lola. They built a snowman in the garden and threw snowballs at each other.

Most importantly, they had fun - a welcome break from the stress of endless school work and exams.

So as far as I'm concerned, let it snow, and snow and snow ...

That Glowing Feeling

Stalls at the German Christmas Market

When I lived for an year in Austria as a student, one of my favourite things was Gluhwein, which literally means 'glow wine' - what we call mulled wine

I personally prefer the German name which I think is much more descriptive. After drinking it, my face always glows (i.e. I get bright red cheeks) and my insides feel as though they are glowing too. It's the best possible way of keeping out the cold which, in Austria, is very important.

I have never lived in a country where Iwas surrounded by mountains and it snowed for several months of the year and I loved it, in spite of the cold. It was incredibly beautiful, if also freezing.

So when the German Christmas market set up next to the ice rink on Parker's Piece and I discovered that authentic Gluhwein was on offer, I decided to check it out and see if it lived up to my expectations.

It most certainly did.

It was hot, spicy and delicious, and my experience was made even more authentic by the fact that there was a German in a very silly hat on the table next to me - I heard him speaking. When I left that cafe and started taking photos of the market stalls, he offered to 'make a photo' of me, as in German you 'make' a photo rather than 'take' one. I declined politely - in German, of course, then realised I'd used the wrong personal pronoun and fretted about it all afternoon. That's the linguist in me.

The German market was very colourful with traditional Christmas goodies on sale, including gorgeous Lebkuchen (special gingerbread cakes) which are Lola's favourite. There was also an enticing smell of cinammon.

However, it was very expensive.

That didn't stop me buying some Lebkuchen and some caramalised almonds which I munched my way through very quickly when I got back to the office. Oh, and a sand beanie bat as a stocking filler for Lola which she has named Wolfgang - because he's German, of course!

It was a great way to spend a lunch hour and I enjoyed watching people wobbling around the ice rink, trying to stay upright - very amusing.

I went back to the office with a warm feeling in my tummy which lasted all afternoon.

Good old Gluhwein.

Another Day Out In Cambridge

Me at the Ronald Searle exhibition

Studio space at Anglia Ruskin

Vibrant flowers

Ronald Searle Rocks
Calum and I went to Cambridge yesterday and I took him to see the Ronald Searle exhibition at Anglia Ruskin. Ronald Searle is an amazing illustrator and his pictures are as quirky as they are clever. Seeing some of his most famous drawings close up felt like a real privilege.

It wasn't all laughs, though. There were some poignant war illustrations as well - the simple lines somehow capturing the anguish of the subjects. Harrowing but beautiful. But most of all it was a joy to see the characters I grew up with 'in the flesh' so to speak. I especially loved the 'fat cats' and St Trinian's girls. The pictures felt like old, well-loved friends.

A rare treat indeed.

ARU Open Day
It just happened to be an Open Day at Anglia Ruskin as well so there was a real buzz about the place. Calum and I went up to the gallery to have a look at some of the studio space used by art students. With the light streaming in, it looked fantastic. I was especially taken with the work of one student who painted huge flowers in vivid colours.

Cafe de Paris
Once we'd had a look round, it was back to the library for me and into town for Calum. However, we did manage a trip to the Cafe de Paris beforehand where I treated Calum to a caramel slice and a hot chocolate, as well as an enormous tuna baguette.

I go there on a Saturday morning for hot strong coffee and a piece of wicked chocolate biscuit cake on my way to the library.

Well, there has to be some reward for all that studying ...

An Awayday in a Punt

Quayside at last!

Japanese tourists find us very amusing!

Some friendly swans.

A beautiful bridge on the 'backs'.

Hiring a punt.

I really like my boss.

He's brilliant fun.

So, when we had to decide on a venue for our team awayday, he decided it should be on a punt.

That's one of the joys of working in Cambridge, there's always a punt to hand!

Last year we did the same thing, but we didn't have a chauffeur as Paul punted.

It was a 'man' thing.

He had to show us all how good he was at punting and we had to admire his talent, which we duly did.

And he was good - until he'd had several glasses of Pimms and then his punting skills became decidedly less impressive. However, he did manage to stay in the punt and not end up in the water - and that took some doing.

So this year we had a chauffeur, or should that be a chauffeuse?

She was young, blond and pretty and it was her first day. Paul, being a caring, sharing sort of person took it upon himself to 'help' her.

She was too polite to say 'no' (especially as it was obvious he'd been drinking Pimms - again) and she actually looked quite relieved when he took over.

He did quite well until he had to 'park' the boat at Quayside and that's when everything went squiggly, much to the amusement of all the tourists and other various onlookers.

We were all quite happy as we were drinking Pimms and doing a bit of team bonding, as well as trying (and failing) to have serious discussions about work.

By the time we 'parked' at Quayside, we gave it up as a bad job and concentrated on the serious issue of quaffing cocktails.

Except that I'd already had enough alcohol for the day, being sorely out of practice, and had to settle for an elderflower water.

My head thanked me for it the next day when the hangovers kicked in and everyone came into the office looking a lesser shade of green.

Gently gliding down the river on a punt taking in the views of the beautiful city of Cambridge is definitely not my idea of work.

But I'm glad it's my boss's!

Behind the Scenes at the Museum

Calum on work experience at The Fitzwilliam Museum

The Henry Moore sculpture outside the museum

Work Experience at 'The Fitz'
Calum has just completed two weeks' work experience.

He spent his first week in the Education Department at The Fitzwillian Museum in Cambridge http://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/ which he described as 'one of the best experiences of my life'.

That says a lot about the museum and the people who work there.

Calum's Highlights

• going round the museum on his own when it was shut - that was his favourite bit!
• working with groups of primary school children from deprived backgrounds
• putting together displays for the noticeboards
• preparing teacher and visitor packs
• going 'behind the scenes' as a member of staff
• attending a preview of the new exhibition - Treasures of Today, Silver from Goldsmiths' Hall, London, 1980-2006
• lunch in The Fitzwilliam Cafe
• meeting a member of staff who is as mad about art and basketball as he is!

An Early Start

I'd thought Calum might find it difficult getting up at 6.15am to catch the 7.10am train to Cambridge but he was always up on time and didn't complain once.

I enjoyed the luxury of having company for breakfast and a travelling companion on the train. It was also nice to be able to meet up with Calum in Cambridge, take him out for lunch (which I did twice) and hear about his day when he came to collect me from my office in the evening. Every time I saw him he was full of enthusiasm about what he'd done during the day and couldn't wait to get back the following morning.

A Lasting Impression

There's no doubt that his time at The Fitwilliam Museum has made a lasting impression on Calum, so much so that's he's going back as a volunteer in the summer.

He had a brilliant time, but he also worked incredibly hard and had a really positive attitude. I think that made all the difference.

The education staff also thought highly of him and said they 'would be delighted to have him back at any point'.

Well done Calum.

It was thanks to my good friend Rachel who works at The Fitz that Calum was able to do his work experience there. She also treated us both to lunch at The Snug, one of my favourite haunts.

Thank you very much Rachel - we really appreciate it.

A Day in Cambridge with Calum

King's College

Graduates in Cambridge

Almond Croissants, Cherry Cake and Toffee Fudge
On Saturday Calum and I spent a hugely enjoyable day in Cambridge, shopping, sightseeing and eating!

We started with a visit to our favourite cafe, Gros Franck in Hills Road. It's only a few minutes' walk from the station so it's the perfect stopping place en route to the city centre.

We had the best almond croissants I've eaten outside France, washed down with strong black coffee for me and hot chocolate with whipped cream for Calum - divine!

As always, the place was packed, with an eclectic mix of families, couples, singletons and foreign students, all enjoying the fabulous French food and relaxed, continental atmosphere.

Lunch saw us at Truckle, Ullman and Freunde, an unusual German-owned student cafe where we indulged in cherry cake for Calum and chocolate and nut cake for me - to hell with the calories!

Finally we made a trip the Fudge Kitchen (www.fudgekitchen.co.uk) where we sampled the creamiest, smoothest toffee fudge I've ever tasted. We bought a slice as a present for Joe as fudge is one of his all-time favourite things (he has a Scottish sweet tooth). He later declared it the best he'd ever eaten.

With so much indulging, it's just as well that during the day we literally walked miles, burning off quite a few calories in the process.

Cambridge is a city which lends itself to being viewed on foot, with its beautiful architecture and quaint side streets, each one yielding a different treasure. There is always something interesting to see.

King's College
Even though I've seen it many times, King's College always fills me with awe. It's a stunningly beautiful building and, of course, King's College Chapel is legendary.

In the morning it looked solemnly majestic set against an overcast sky but as the sun came out it literally lit up and seemed to shine. It's amazing that it's right in the middle of the city, so you stumble across it on your way into town.

Graduation Day
As Cambridge is dominated by its world-famous unversity, it's not unusual to see graduates in their gowns parading through the streets. Saturday must have been a graduation day because we saw hoards of students smartly attired in their graduation gear, each with an entourage of proud relatives and friends.

Finding the Fitz
Calum will be doing his work experience next week at The Fitzwillian Museum, or 'Fitz' as it's known by the locals. An important part of our trip, therefore, was to find out exactly where he needs to report on Monday morning.

We'd never been round the back of the museum before but found it without any trouble, after turning down a little lane. With his love of art, Calum is hugely excited about the prospect of working there and I can understand why. It's a fabulous opportunity and I'm sure he'll make the most of it. Not sure he'll like getting up at crack of dawn to commute to Cambridge, though!

Forbidden Planet
For Calum, a trip to Cambridge wouldn't be complete without a trip to the Forbidden Planet shop (http://www.forbiddenplanet.com), so we spent an hour in there while Calum sussed out the latest comics and graphic novels for his ever-growing collection. Luckily he found most of the ones he wanted so he was very pleased.

We visited lots of other shops, too numerous to mention, and by the end of the day both of us had sore feet from so much walking. However, we agreed it had all been great fun.

Best Bargain

My bargain of the day? A grey zip-up top for Calum from French Connection reduced from £60 to £15!

We both enjoyed the train journey home which allowed us time to relax, Calum plugged into his PSP and me into my i-Pod. I read a book, he read a basketball magazine.

We were very grateful when Joe picked us up from the station as neither of us had any energy left to walk home!