Despatches from a mother who started late (and is running to catch up)

November 2009

Champagne by candle light

Every birthday should have an element of surprise about it; this year mine involved a power failure and drinking champagne by candle light. The lights went out as we were having pre-dinner drinks, leaving us reliant on good old-fashioned candle light. Thank goodness for the current middle-class obsession with candles - finally useful as well as pretty.

In a macabre way, it later felt right to be wandering the Georgian streets of Edinburgh without electric street lights. A chance to re-live the authentic 1820s experience. At least, that was until we tried to cross the Queensferry Road, one of the city's main arteries, without the help of traffic lights or pedestrian crossings. Cars were swerving around in the darkness, none of the drivers sure what was happening. Some people had their torches out, which they shone in our faces, Gestapo-style. All I had in my bag was money and lipstick. I became horribly aware how easy it would be to get mugged in the darkness.

Contractors are still ploughing up central Edinburgh to make way for a controversial tram system; the city has been in chaos for months as the scheme drags on, it's possible the power failure is connected to that work. Still, perhaps Monday evening means I finally have cause to be grateful to the tram project; it was magic sipping champagne in the semi-darkness. Macabre. But magic.

Posted 11 November 2009 10:30 | Number of comments: 3 | Comments

Activities Fun Husband

How the mouse ran up the clock

If the government ever introduces Sats tests for the under-twos - surely only a matter of time - this could be the toy to have at your disposal. Hickory Dickory Clock (sent to us for review by makers Bright Minds, who specialise in toys that are educational and fun) works just like they say in the nursery rhyme. Mice run up and down, powered by infant hands. Youngest daughter Button (15 months) and I have spent hours - yes, literally hours, a tomato sauce even burnt dry one time - sat on the hall floor with this toy. Button enjoys posting the half dozen mice - all different colours - down the chimney. The mice are small, the perfect size for toddlers to grip. Some rattle, other crinkle. Then she opens a door with velcro fastening to retrieve the mice from inside the clock - and stuffs them down the chimney all over again. The transparent clock face means Button can see the mice as they scuttle down. The clock hands move, clicking as they go. So obvious potential there for an older child learning to tell the time. One reason I like this toy is because it should have a longer life span than many I've bought. It comes with a handle, on which there are black and white abacus-style counters that Button examines. On the back is a mirror, now smeary from licking. The nursery rhyme associations give the toy an old-fashioned quality, I sing the verses to Button as we play; it's sturdy and well-made (though in China, like most toys these days). At £29.99, Hickory Dickory Clock is not exactly cheap, but we have already had a lot of pleasure from it and I'm expecting more. Unlike a lot of the stuff littering our flat, (yes, I mean you, Sparkle World Magazine) the toy looks sensible even when not in use. The carriage clock design means it can sit on a table, without looking like something I haven't yet got round to tidying away. If you are looking for a gift for a pre-schooler who's at the loading/unloading stage, this might not be at all a bad idea.