London, if looking in the right spots, is completely awesome for children. Little Angel Theatre in Islington is especially fabulous. The first few rows are reserved specifically for children and I received quite a few pieces of advice for Elle to see the stage well, with some apology that it was mostly adults that evening (adults being big enough to block views). They sold orange juice for children and wine for adults. Alice in Wonderland was playing in the puppet theatre, and I have to say that the puppeteers were really fantastic. The children were mesmorised and the adults were amused. I could not believe Elle was held so transfixed for two 45-minute scenes with a 20 minute interval. Her adorable "may I go touch the flowers" allowed her to join all the other little girls petting the oversized plastic daisies with teacups attached. While I was very sad to not be allowed to take photos, it truly was one of those situations that should be fully enjoyed in the moment.
The village of Hartfield is truly a classic English village from the gorgeous countryside (after all, it is only 5 minutes from the 100 Acre Wood!) to the utterly edible beef and Guinness pie (torturous photos of lovely meals to come next week). The photo below is the Pooh Corner store that is required of all Pooh fans.
Elle won the day with her Gigantic Tigger of Extreme Size.
The country view just outside of the Pooh Corner store in the village.
Our foray to Harrod's toy floor was a success with Elle being very particular as to what she wanted, including the Duncan train engine and a stuffed penguin. Meanwhile, an adventure to Notting Hill and the marionette playhouse is planned for Saturday....
