So what did 2013 do for me? January to June.

One thing I decided to do in 2013 was start a Blog – everyone and their dog was doing it so why not me?

I posted a few visits to London, about 3 of my family read them, and I gave up. Then I got the automatic renewal notice today – so here is my Grand Round Up of 2013.

The year started with heavy snow – view from the kitchen window

Think of it as the dreaded family newsletter, with added photo’s, but you have to click to read on instead of it appearing with your Christmas card.

JANUARY Started with snow – lots and lots of it. A beautiful White Christmas that also meant our work was snowed off. So the family went on a day trip to London (for a change). I went to the Transport museum, and Katie got roped into a busker’s show.

Katie stealing the show at Covent Garden

FEBRUARY was a day out to myself, a trip around the whole of London by Overground. See my earlier Blog for more details, including a great greasy spoon cafe in Peckham – http://carlofamilyblog.com/2013/02/

Also in February I was going to visit my eldest 2 kids in Devon – at the last minute my mother decided to come along  to visit her Grandchildren. I couldn’t refuse could I? But it was great to see Alice and Dan and visit the beautiful Devon countryside. I wonder why I moved away – until I remember my job was about to disappear, it’s hundreds of miles from anywhere and a million tourists visit every summer.

My Mum and my Daughter Alice, deepest Dartmoor.

Proud Dad and his daughter

Our new family member – Betty

And finally, February saw more snow – here we have 2 cats deciding they can keep their legs crossed a bit longer.

MARCH was also cold – and also had more snow. Work sufferred from lost days. Another family day out to – you guessed – London. This time with a stop for Katie – see http://carlofamilyblog.com/2013/03/  At least Katie got to discover more gory history.

Carlo family at The Clink

March also saw another trip to Exeter, this time with Katie who had a chance to visit her big sister and Brother.

Katie and Al climbing

My kids study the menu – Katie had a stonking cold and was half asleep

APRIL was pretty quite. The sun came out and we went for a nice boat trip along the Great River Ouse

Hire boat from Danish Camp

We were particularly impressed with the plastic bag tree. After the snow came floods, and all the crap was caught up in the overhanging branches.

MAY was very busy and started, would you believe it – another London day out – see http://carlofamilyblog.com/2013/05/

This time the Grandparents and Aunty Abi (may youngest half-sister) came along for a tour back stage at the Barbican. A “Brutalist” concrete combination tower block and arts center. An amazing thing to see top to bottom.

View from the stage – Katie can hear the applause in her head!

Mid May was the Steam Fayre outside Rushden – it generally shines, but the field was flooded last year. Old engines and fairground rides.

And then late May was the Biggie! My mothers surprise birthday family gathering. The Clan united – and she really didn’t have a clue! Everyone up to Yorkshire. A large house rented for the weekend, cousins, my 2 from Devon up on the train on their own for the first time, beer and booze overload.

Big meal – big table!

For May in Yorkshire – the sun shone!

There are hundreds of pictures, we had long walks and met the mountain rescue dogs etc…. a good time had by all.

And finally May was finished off with a trip to Thorpe Park theme park with Dan & Alice. A grey rainy day – but no queues! We ran around and got on The Swarm ride 3 times on the trot.

Thorpe Park in the rain

Oh – and I got another day to wonder around London on my own. I never got around to a blog about it due to the lack of interest in my previous efforts – but here’s some pic’s anyway!

A real street in London!

JUNE  – was another quite month. The sun was shining, Katie had a birthday party ( a week early) and Clare and I went to see Robbie Williams at Wembley. Oh – and as a fathers day treat another day out – nearly to London. The RAF museum instead.

RAF museum

Clare happy as a lamb.

Robbie Williams at Wembley

But, better than Robbie was seeing 2 Australians perform Tubular Bells, all the instruments, at Milton Keynes. It was epic. Tubular Bells For 2.

All my stage shots were blurred – so this is all I have.

And that’s just the first half of my year! Strange – feels like we didn’t do much, but look at all these photo’s (and there’s LOTS more where they came from) and it was busy busy.

Part 2 to follow shortly.

London again – with special Guest Appearences.

So, another day out. Searching websites for interesting places to go.But this time with a new twist – Starring Special Guests – My Mum! And Nic and baby-est sister Abigail.

Actually, Abi was off to meet some friends and when I revealed my next location, Nic said he’d be interested in coming too. And Claire and Katie didn’t have anything better to do.

Slow train today, Mum’s discount ticket meant we had to get the stopping train and see every small station. But sparkling conversation made the time fly. but it also meant we didn’t have to get of at St Pancras as this train goes straight through London and out the other side.

Our first stop then – Farringdon. A local stop that is destined for bigger things. Crossrail will make it a major hub. 

The concourse from the Overground/Mainline track is huge, obviously waiting for that major influx in a few years. But the old underground entrance on the other side of the road is looking a tad sad. The original signage still there but with a thoughtless addition stuck on top .

A brisk walk past Smithfields market (closed on Sunday), some discussion as to the correct route, and we are passing some hidden gems. This area is full of Architects. Maybe it’s the brutalist Barbican that attracts them. Maybe it’s the 24 hour bars serving the market traders.

Look Up! A motto mentioned quite frequently. The detail here is beautiful. Unlike the mess in the office on the ground floor. Literally everything Architecture needs is in this street – model makers, ground surveyors, jobs I’d never heard of. Nic and Abi were lapping it up. Nic was once a Quantity Surveyor on International class projects, and Abi is nearing the end of her Architects training.

So – next stop, The Barbican. A classic example of Concrete as Art. A living space to replace the bombed out area, and a humungous Arts Center. After the area was flattened in WW2, the City of London (and not London City – 2 very different things – see http://www.smithsonianmag.com/video/The-Secret-City-of-London-Part-1-History.html ) new residential flats were proposed together with a smallish Arts Center.

Our tour turned out to be just the 6 of us – our own private guide. Victor (with a mild North European accent) was our guide. He must have spent months remembering all the facts, dates and numbers. How many seats in each section,  when what was built, distances from top to bottom. I’m not going to bore you with all the details. Plus, I was too opened-mouthed most of the time to write anything down.

As a taster of things to come, our first fact was the lorry lift. Most theaters have a back door, or a ramp. Not here. As the main stage is underground, there is a lift to take 40 tonne lorries with their stores, props etc down.

One of the other very noticeable things is the use of primary colours and ovals. We have really entered the land of the 70’s. Just like any Blakes 7 or Doctor who set from 1978! Doors, air vents, lighting recesses, openings in the concrete walls – all have oval features. And in the main public areas – concrete. Not just one finish though – rough, semi and smooth. Victor tells us the rough finish as achieved by hand. With hammers and chisels. Must have been years of work – some of the interior walls are 4 stories tall.

We descend in a lift to a drab corridor. The feeling of claustrophobia, of being underground with no windows is starting to hit home. We are shown into a dressing room, designed for the chorus maybe. 6 mirrors, a shower, a bench. Those 30 years are showing, the stains on the thin cushioning, the age of the phone on the wall. oh – and those ovals..

A short hop past the Gents and we are in amongst the rigging, just above the fly controllers space. Fly is the big sheets with the backdrop scenery painted on. This place was built to the specifications of the Royal Shakespeare Company – and they would put on 2 or 3 different shows a week. So they have 63 different “flies” that can be dropped, allowing for different shows to be all ready to go. We are already getting a sense of the size of this place. Big meter drop to the stage floor and we are at level -1.

Where next? Down stairs. We got to see the rest area/canteen for performers and crew. The storage area for props and scenery. We sat in the auditorium as punters (a cool sideways entry, like the Star Wars ride at Disney) And the scale is just huge. A basket ball hoop stuck to a gantry. Over 100 musicians can be fitted in – the front of the stage is on a hydraulic lift.

But best of all – Katie got to see how her future audience will look like. This is a bit blurry, but in her head, a thousand people are cheering and clapping.

Can’t go any further down (the 3 miles of tunnels built as a nuclear bomb refuge and the flood room aren’t on the tour anymore), so the only way is up. A surprisingly clean, fast and quiet lift gets us to the top floor. And the conservatory.

Back in the 70’s, the main residential flats had already been built, and here the Architects were putting a sodding great big building complete with huge tower in their line of sight. What to do? Wrap it in glass and make a giant green house. Which is beautiful, with ponds, carp, jungle plants, and – today only – a wedding

And our tour is finished. 75 minutes of facts, jaw dropping size, and so much more to find out. Mum didn’t ask too many stupid questions, Katie didn’t get bouncy and twitchy (except on that stage) so I count this as a success. £8 each well spent.

After a lunch just of Covent Garden, and no Katie-related showing off (see previous posts), we went our seperate ways. I had promised Katie for a while that we would go to Coram’s field –  a play ground near Russell Square and St Pancras. http://www.coramsfields.org/ is the link. An urban green space. And very busy it was too. Katie soon had all the kids on the zip wire organised – helping the littler ones on and off, pulling the seat back. Claire and I had a sneaky ice cream from the van – but don’t tell Katie 😉

Nearly 2 hours and she was shattered – so a brief walk back to the station, and another London Adventure done.