Chung Hay Fat Choy

What a terrific weekend! We went to see my folks on Saturday with one thing in mind (apart from bacon rolls that is); Joseph wanted Grandad to watch his favourite film Cars with him. The great thing was that my Dad has surround sound and it sounded amazing (it is a film about motor racing after all).

I served up what is fast becoming a bit of a signature dish; pea and ham risotto, which went down rather well.

By the time we left, the children were wiped out and both promptly fell asleep in the back of the car.

Getting them from the car to their beds reminded me of being little myself, as so many situations do.

A favourite trip of my parents (and my brother and me), was a day outing to Hastings. The drive there always ended with a “who can see the sea first” competition with the winner getting 10p (which was, wait for it, loadsa money!) Get there late morning, a picnic lunch brought with us, playing on the pebbley beach amongst the fishing boats, walking along to the bumpy slide, helter skelter, trampolines and crazy golf. My brother and I eventually snubbed these “childish” rides for the amusement arcade as we got older which wasn’t as magical but even so.

A walk back along the seafront as the sun started sinking down towards the sea to get my Mum her jellied eels, cockles and whelks (ugh!) and then we would sit in the car eating our take away fish and chips before conking out asleep in the car.

The next thing I remember was being carefully lifted out by my Dad, being upset at being woken, and being carried up to bed.

Wonderful.

Sunday found us driving round and round (and round) central London, trying to find a place to park so we could traipse into Chinatown to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Joseph has been learning about it at school and was delighted when we saw the sea of Chinese lanterns swaying above the heads of revellers in Soho.

That’s when he wasn’t frowning inquisitively at the “adult” shop windows on our walk in.

The excitement was all too much for Annabel and she fell fast asleep with bustling crowds, drums banging and dragons leaping and dancing all about.

The dense crowds forced us out of Soho and along to a Wagamama restaurant which I had visited a few weeks before.

And what a nice surprise it was. Very child friendly, great child seats, quite noisy anyway and with a special children’s menu which both children enjoyed, not to mention the watermelon and strawberry lollies they had for dessert.

A lengthy walk back to the car, over to the South Bank to meet friends for a coffee and home, late again, for baths, brushing and bedtime.

We were all shattered.

You see? I don’t use the word “terrific” lightly and that weekend was exactly that.

Merci ma famille