Posts Tagged "Peterborough"

Driving in the UK

Posted by cafebebemama on Dec 7, 2009 in American Mum Me, Motherhood | 20 comments

UK Motorway Sign

I’ve been living in the UK for 4 years now.  I’ve been driving in the UK for 4 years now.  I’ve never driven on the motorways save the wee ones around Peterborough in the 4 years I have been driving in the UK.  I’m frightened you see.

Mind you, in the US, I became a qualified driver at the age of 16…on the first attempt and everything!  I drove successfully in the US for 18 years with only 1 or 2 speeding tickets (everyone has at least 1!).  I didn’t drive initially when I moved to the UK in June of 2005 because we couldn’t find a company to insure me until I had a UK driving license.  Non-UK residents are permitted to drive on their foreign license for up to a year before being legally obligated to take the UK driving test.  We did eventually find an insurance company to cover me before getting that illusive UK driving license and my hubby got me a gorgeous 1991 Mini for me to putter about in.  It was a lovely car…

My Glorious Mini

I killed it!  In a sleep deprived, brain addled state after a brilliant holiday to Malaga in 2007, I left work and on a tight bend off a roundabout I clipped an oncoming car, careened into the dirt and throughly killed my Mini.  Gone…in a flash.  Sob!  That spring, forced to ride the bus to work, I began preparing to become a licensed driver in the UK.  We had a friend who was a driving instructor and after 7 lessons, I felt I was ready to attempt one of the hardest driving tests in the world.  And on that first attempt in May 2007, I passed!  With flying colours.  Woo hoo.  Part of my driving test was driving on the motorway around Peterborough.  That’s about as far as I have come since then.  The A1 runs around Peterborough and I’ve been on it a few times but mainly only to skirt around Peterborough to Stamford and vice versa.  My hubby is a brilliant driver and when we go places together or as a family, he almost always drives.  And you’ll never catch me driving into London!  God no!  That’s what public transport is for!

One of my Mummy Blogger friends, Claire of Being A Mummy, invited Little Miss and I to a Mummy Blogger Tea last week.  I decided that the time had come.  It was time to tackle the motorway.  Let me explain my fear to you:

I’m used to driving in the US on highways that are very straight, very wide and very well marked.  You get mileage signs telling you how many miles to the next destination, highways are North, South, East and West and very obviouly signposted.  It’s a bit hard to get lost as there’s on and off…THERE ARE NO ROUNDABOUTS!!!  Now that’s not entirely true as some roundabouts have made their way into the American Motor System which is actually brilliant…American’s just don’t understand them!  The challenge I have with the UK Motorways is the markings…why are all the markings ON THE ROAD…how are you supposed to see that properly??  I know it’s more about knowing where you want to go and watching for the sign on the approach to a roundabout to know which lane to be in but still…I keep wondering every time, “WHY ARE WE IN THAT LANE??”  Hubby isn’t brilliant at explaining that…he just drives and I watch.

A UK Roundabout

So, Little Miss and I braved the A1 on our adventure and guess what?  WE SURVIVED!  In fact, even though I got a bit muddled after exiting the A1 for St. Albans, I managed to use my brain, read signs and negotiate St. Albans to get to my final destination.  I was so proud of myself.  Now, I don’t think I’ll ever be ready to tackle London but I managed to get from one point to another all on my own and live to tell the tale.  Maybe we’ll try another adventure some other day?  If you’re a “foreigner” in the UK, what do you feel about the motorways, roundabouts and driving?  If you’re a British Citizen, do you ever struggle with driving in the UK?  Share your HORROR STORIES…I’m hoping we won’t have any to add!

Mummy in Need

Posted by cafebebemama on Nov 24, 2009 in Motherhood | 30 comments

Little Miss trying to find something to do!

I am a Mummy in Need of inspiration for things to do with my gorgeous Little Miss!  I’ve hit a rut in the last few months and it makes me a bit sad.  You see, last year, around September time, Little Miss was just a wee 3 months old.  She was starting to sit up on her own and was very alert and active and I wanted to be a good Mummy.  I found out about our local Sure Start Children’s Centre in Market Deeping from the Health Visitor.  I picked up a brochure and found an exciting list of classes and programmes and opportunities to crawl out of the hole we were living in.  I enrolled in a Baby Massage Class and a music class called JellyBeans.  I went to our first class, JellyBeans, with a bit of nervousness but found it to be the best thing we had done up to that point.  I met some amazing (and some scary) Mums and got out of the house on a regular basis.

We became regulars at the Children’s Centre.  Attending classes, events, walking groups…Little Miss and I were there for them all!  We found 5 or 6 other Mummies who had all had Baby Girls within 2 weeks of Little Miss’ birthday.  We became a lovely group- having coffee mornings, play dates, walking outings, evenings “off”…the lot.  And then summer came.  Our girls had their birthdays and became Toddlers!  Two of the mummies returned to work and for the most part, we’ve drifted apart.  Our lives have gone in slightly different directions mainly because none of us are attending programmes at the Children’s Centre any longer.  And that’s part of what makes me sad.  Our local Sure Start Children’s Centre doesn’t have any programmes for “our age” girls any more.  They have infant and baby/mummy programmes and things for nursery age and school age children but there’s a gap in the programming for 1-3 year olds.  Right smack dab where we are!  I’m also sad because our Mummy group has drifted apart as well.  It’s bound to happen as your children get older but it still makes me a bit wistful for the days gone by!

We still have our best mates to pal about with and I’m ever so grateful for them but I’m getting stuck in a rut!  We stay indoors a lot of the time because the weather has been rubbish lately and I’m a bit of a fair-weather person.  I don’t mind a bit of drizzle as Little Miss is always snug as a bug in a rug but when it comes to the driving rain and gale force winds of late, inside is where I want to be.  There doesn’t seem to be a plethora of child friendly places to take your child when the weather is British and I fear that I have become a bit too comfortable staying in the house.  Little Miss has her toys and Cbeebies while Mummy has the computer and the kitchen.  I don’t know what to do in my area (Cambridgeshire/Lincolnshire borders- Peterborough is the nearest “big” city) and I am out of ideas for what to do with Little Miss when we’re at home.

So, what I’m asking for is ideas…suggestions…kicks in the butt…projects…all geared around a nearly 18month old Little Miss and a stuck-in-a-rut-needing-a-kick-in-the-butt Mummy.  How do you fill the hours of your day?  When you stay at home, how do you do “it all”?  Housework, entertaining Little Miss/Mister, remembering who you are?  I’m open for suggestion people…within reason mind you.  So here are some things to bear in mind:

• 18 month old Little Miss, rather precocious, loves animals, dancing and talking
• Late 30-something Mummy, rather out of ideas, loves music & blogging & Little Miss (and hubby too!)
• Living in Cambridgeshire/Lincolnshire- near P’boro
• Can drive but moderately terrified of tackling London or other major cities by automobile
• Money IS an object…classes that cost money are probably not a possibililty but fares or fees to do one-off adventures would be ok on a once-a-week basis

I am ready for your ideas and will publish them in a follow up post and let you know how we get on!  Put on your thinking caps…Cafe Bebe is open for business.  Ready…steady…go…  (Thank you!)

London Underground Adventures

Posted by cafebebemama on Oct 31, 2009 in Little Miss Adventures, Travelling Adventures | 8 comments

London Underground Logo

Bump, bump, bump.  Ugh.  Heave…pant, pant, pant.  “It’s alright my love, nearly there!”  “Yes, sweetheart, chugga chugga!”

These were just some of the phrases from the adventure Little Miss and I had on Thursday.  I decided to be an empowered and brave Mummy.  We ventured from Peterborough to London ALL BY OURSELVES!!!  When we finally walked back in the door at 5:30pm Thursday night, I was exhausted mentally and physically and was rather clammy and sweaty but felt slightly exhilerated because I had done it!  I conquered the London Underground and lived to tell the tale.  Little Miss was none the wiser…”chugga chugga!”.  “Yes, sweetheart, chugga chugga!”

We were heading down to London for two reasons.  One, we were invited to attend an event courtesy of EA Games and British Mummy Bloggers where they were presenting their Play for Xmas event.  I love being “journalist-y” (good word, eh?).  Two, I decided to add to Little Miss’ life by attending the Museum of Childhood.  We never do anything “cultural” like that…there isn’t a heck of a lot of culture around Peterborough unless you consider a semi-stinky, soft-play centre bustling with sweaty children culture.

I decided to try all means of transportation, bar automobile, in order to get proper “research” for future adventures.  We took the bus from our wee village into Peterborough, braved lifts and walkways and stairs to get to the Peterborough Train Station.  I had pre-booked our tickets so getting them was a doddle and as we had a few minutes time before our train, I even treated us to a Cinnamon Swirl pastry and some juice.  I polished off both of them as my delightful daughter wasn’t interested (Good Girl…Mummy needs sustinance!).  The train was not leaving from the main platform but a platform 2 across from the main platform BUT, instead of tackling the stairs, I was directed to a RAMP by one of the most-helpful rail employees!  A RAMP!!!  Wowie…what conveniences for those of us with pushchairs.  Thank you, Peterborough Train Station!

The ride down to London was rather uneventful and Little Miss decided to fall asleep on me about 20 minutes from Kings Cross, our final destination.  After everyone had exited the train at Kings Cross, I hoiked Little Miss on my shoulder, wrestled the pushchair off the luggage rack, opened it and managed to install her in it without waking her!  We took our time as there was no rush.  Due to station works, somehow we ended up exiting towards St. Pancras International which was fine as there is access to the Underground through there as well.  I highly recommend St. Pancras…beautiful station with lots of shops!  As we entered the Underground I began to sweat.  It’s hot, stuffy and a bit miserable and I find myself constantly worrying about Little Miss, my bag and who’s going to perhaps knock us off the platform into an oncoming train.  Minor issues.

I know you’re not supposed to keep your pushchairs open on the escalators but I did.  I know, arrest me!  You try heaving a sleeping and comfortable toddler out of her safe and secure pushchair to carry her in one arm and her mostly collapsed pushchair in the other along with your changing bag.  Not easy!  But I did have my trusty Baby and All Bag which allows you to sit your child on the bag which is resting messenger-style across your body and still have your hands free to hold things like moderately heavy pushchairs.  It is a god-send, that’s for sure.  Little Miss sat on my hip on the Baby and All Bag quite nicely while Mummy continued to sweat and count Tube stops until we exited at Bethnal Green for the Museum of Childhood.

The Museum of Childhood was lovely but not exactly what I was expecting even though I had checked out the website.  I thought it would be a bit more interactive and “touch and feel” versus being a MUSEUM.  It was some of that but mostly, not quite age appropriate for Little Miss.  Don’t get me wrong, she did have a great time, especially having lunch, but we’ll have to go back when she’s a little bit older to get more out of it.

We braved the Tube system again to get back to where we really needed to be- Oxford Street.  Specifically somewhere inbetween Oxford Circus tube stop and Tottenham Court Road tube stop.  Have a look at the handy Tube map to find where we were trying to get to.  From Bethnal Green, on the Circle Line, to Tottenham Court Road on the Central Line as well.  We managed it…in pushchair…not folded up…bump, bump, bump, excuse me, excuse me, excuse me, yes sweetie…chugga chugga, nearly there now…only 3 stops to go!  I’ve never seen so many bloomin’ stairs and escalators in my LIFE!!!  I determined that it was easier to “illegally” negotiate escalators with Little Miss IN the pushchair and heave her up ridiculously long flights of stairs IN the pushchair than to have her on my hip, hoiking the pushchair in my other hand.  I don’t know if that was the right decision or not…my right bicep is currently rather sore and I have a strange tingling in my right trapezius muscle which is giving me one hell of a headache and making me feel generally rather unwell.  You tell me??

The EA Games event happened to be in a building with no lifts and the event itself was IN THE BASEMENT!!!  Who knew there were basements in London??  Bump, bump, bump…sigh…wipe clammy brow!  But the event itself was brilliant and Little Miss was even photographed by the official photographer of the event…will she be famous??  That remains to be seen!  We had ice cream and smoothies and a lovely time and even got to meet Queen BMB, Susanna.  Please read her blog,  A Modern Mother.  She’s a riot…and American too!  Shhhh….don’t tell the rest of the British Mummy Bloggers!  I’ll post more about the EA Games event later.  You’ll just have to be patient.

We managed to Tube it back to Kings Cross (more stairs????) and finally install ourselves in two seats on the train back to Peterborough.  Sigh…I was well and truly KNACKERED.  Little Miss was happy and clueless that her Mummy had struggled and sweat and worried and sweat some more.  The 80 minute train ride home was uneventful and after enjoying the RAMP again at Peterborough Train Station, SLEEPING Little Miss- secure in her pushchair, and I trundled out of the train station to brave the bus back to our village.  As we were approaching the car park to negotiate the walkway, a man jogged past us and said “Excuse me Miss”…It was my husband!  He surprised us by meeting us at the train station!!!  He left work early to be there to collect us!  What a lovely surprise!  And so very welcome.  Sigh.  Another adventure to London under our belts.  Methinks we will try a back carrier next time.  This pushchair malarcky is a bit too difficult!  The London Underground was not built for Mummies!

How do you tackle London?  Where is the best place to go to entertain under threes??  Do share your tips.  After this last trip I think I’ll do it more often, believe it or not!  Wanna join us?

Newspaper Kudos

Posted by cafebebemama on Sep 7, 2009 in Uncategorized | 10 comments

As some of you know, I’m traveling to Cliveden House this Thursday for the Remote Workers awards as I am up for a Netmums Work from Home award.  Who knows if I’ll get it but it should be really fun being at Cliveden House and attending a semi-posh awards afternoon.  I’m going to get to meet the wonderful Amanda of Ella Announcements as well which I am also looking forward to.

But here’s the great bit!  I’m in the local paper today!  The Evening Telegraph for the Peterborough area!  Here’s the link:

http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/business/Homework-pays-off-for-mum.5621847.jp

I’m going down to the shop in Northborough to pick up a copy or six.  Let me know if you’d like one.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a Cafe Bebe plug in there but that’s alright!  Maybe if I win the bloomin’ award, they’ll interview me and I can get one in then.  Stay tuned later this week for a report and photos from the event itself.  Thanks for sharing in my little fifteen minutes over here.