If you are going to spend 4 days in London with two small boys, then taking over Rachel and Kieron's life is probably the best way to do it. They kindly loaned us their 5 bedroom Clapham Common home, complete with toys, scooters and pushchair, and their BMW chelsea-tractor complete with sat-nav, while they escaped to the much warmer and drier climate of Italy.
The sat-nav is probably still recovering from Jason's blatant ignoring of all instructions to get us from south of the river to Highgate - but what can you expect when she insisted on going via Camden Town on a Saturday, which we know to be feral-market day? By the end of the stay we were sold on her talents and also on the idea of avoiding the tube at all costs when it is cold and wet with tots in tow. The car made it easy to do quick drive-bys of our old London life; Primrose Hill, Waterlow Park and our old Highgate flat. We tried to imagine living there with children now, but the sight of mums pushing toddlers around in plastic covered buggies while also holding the super-marketing and an umbrella definitely looked grim.
The highlight was probably our only attempt at tourist-behaviour, a trip on the London Eye. Both boys were absolutely thrilled with every minute of our journey around the skies of London in a glass pod on the giant ferris wheel - not at all scared. It was a great way to give them some sense of the city.
Also on our hit-list was the Princess Diana memorial playground (absolutely brilliant until the sudden downpour), Battersea Park Zoo (an hidden gem for little kids, especially the brilliant meerkat enclosures with a tunnel where you could crawl in amongst them) and the Science Museum (I'll just say I would have preferred to be across the road at the V&A - but the boys loved all things to do with space and motoring).
We did of course catch a few double decker buses, and succumbed to the idea of showing Dylan the biggest toy shop in the world, Hamley's on Regent St - which surprisingly didn't cost us a fortune, but unsurprisingly is the only reason he can give us for returning to London while we are still here. 5 floors of toys were covered by Jason and Dylan in just 45 minutes - while Sam and I cruised the much hipper Carnaby St.
When we met at the bus stop later, Dylan proudly presented Sam with the small toy he had selected for him - a tractor. "Yay, Dee-da!" squealed Sam, delightedly. I was just as delighted with my quick spree at Muji and Ollie & Nic around the corner.
We returned by train, in a carriage full of camped out scouts who turend out to be useful babysitters during the 2 hour journey. It could have been a lot worse - they could have been mud-drenched Glastonbury evacuees. Sam is still obsessed with the train journey and tells everyone he meets that he, Dada, Mama and Dee-da went on a choo-choo. He loved it.
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