Thankfully we have dear friends who live on the outskirts of the big city and we were lucky enough to park and leave the car on their drive after a really EASY drive around the M25 to get to them....Yes - it really is possible!!
Anyway, we alighted in Waterloo after a short train journey and then proceeded to walk around the London Eye, Big Ben and Buckingham Palace - the children had been cooped up in the car all the way down the M4 and deserved a good run around.
The prompt for tea from all three of our little cherubs whilst hitting Leicester Square around 1630 was rather stressful, given that we had just negotiated the tube with a buggy and x2 overnight bags so we ended up traipsing into Bella Italia which seemed to offer a reasonably decent children's' menu.
It was then that I noticed that all the tables had been set romantically for two as we (being parents of young children) had not considered the impact of Valentines night......we were however given a table, tucked away where noise levels could hopefully be maintained to a reasonable level.
Our children did us proud. They were polite, well-mannered and even kept their bottoms on seats throughout the entire meal, except their compulsion to have to go and "check out" the toilets downstairs.
Naturally they could not go on their own so I was elected to escort both #1 #2 to the depths of the building to probably one of the smallest toilet cubicles on earth......both decided that I had to wait whilst they saw fit to fragrance the air. I felt like a furtive thief waiting outside their toilet doors, praying that nobody would come in and think I was responsible for the smell....
Upon returning to the table, I whiffed the unmistakeable "poop de Nappy" of #3 which the nearest and dearest was kind enough to contend with whilst I attempted to complete my meal.
You would think this was the end but before the bill arrived, #3 darted under the table and again I suspected "movement"......yes, this time it was my turn to try and change the nappy of a 23 month child, who is happy to tell you she has done a poo, whilst you try and bend your body into a cubicle with no baby changing facility.
10 mins later, we emerge into the wash-room where one of our "table neighbours" breaks London tradition and actually talks to us....."I must say that your daughter here and your children upstairs have really made my husband and myself smile during our meal and we were surprised to hear her (#3) name as its the same as mine and we don't know any others!"
#3 looked at the lady and gave that baleful look that can induce paranoia into the most confident of individuals but I was so pleased to hear friendly feedback from a complete stranger on my young family and their behaviour in public. It really was a Valentine's moment for the parents but not with the smell of roses...
Image below from http://crappypictures.com/images/old/6a01538f62421f970b01538f666de5970b-800wi.jpg.......says it all!
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