On a mission to rock you

If someone says Queen, what is the first thing you think about? Pound notes? A little gray haired lady? Or do you think rock, catchy tunes and bohemian wrap rhapsody?

One of the more famous bands to have come out of the British Isles; giving the world songs like Radio Ga Ga, Killer Queen, Under Pressure, Who Wants to Live Forever and not to forget We Will Rock You; the mighty Queen enjoyed success through the 70s and 80s. Unfortunately the group dynamic changed when singer Freddie Mercury died of illness in 1991. Fast-forward 20 years and the music of Queen has been performed every night at the Dominion Theatre in London for almost a decade, in the form of We Will Rock You.

What’s the story?

(SPOILER ALERT)

It is the year is 2300-something, and all musical instruments, live music and songs have been banned on Planet Mall. Under the control of GlobalSoft, the Killer Queen rules the planet with an iron fist, and the plastic, glitter wearing Ga Ga Girls and Guys obey her every command. Yes it is the World of Ga Ga – fashioned long time before Lady Ga Ga had sung about her Bad Romance (yes Radio Ga Ga inspired her stage name).

Two outsiders, Galileo and Scaramouche, encounter the Bohemian rebels, who worship the ancient musical texts from a time they call Rhapsody. Brit (as in Spears) and Meat (as in Loaf), take them to the Heartbreak Hotel where plans to break down GlobalSoft are hatched. The rebel force is broken by the Killer Queen’s minions, with only Galileo and Scaramouche escaping. Now they have to continue the search for the mythical Place of Champions – which is said to hide the last ever musical instruments encased in rock – alone.

I won’t spoil the ending for you, but I will tell you this: Britney Spears dies to save us all.

But this is not the only Mission Galileo and Scaramouche are on…

Mission Foods have teamed up with the hit West End musical to offer fans 2-4-1 tickets to the show, plus a chance to win a walk on part. How do I enter I hear some of you budding thespians out there ask? Well, first you have to get your hands on one of the tortilla wrap packs with a promo code on, which can then be entered into a prize draw on the We Will Wrap You website – including the chance to take part in the show.

And the wraps? They are quite tasty. In a resealable bag, they stay fresh longer and have unknown uses. Have you thought of making a rocky-road with a tortilla wrap or put whipped cream on top for a sweeter treat before? No, neither had I.

Have you met George?

September. The long, hot days of summer will soon be a thing of the past. Once more, the leaves will change their colour, before falling to the ground – silently embracing their fate – leaving behind naked branches that were once covered in vivid green.

Not long ago I mentally started planning my autumn/winter wardrobe. It’s soon time for knitted hats, chunky scarfs and anything else that can keep me warm on the cold evenings. And if looking at Dolce & Gabbana, Nordic patters are very much in vogue this winter.

Usually, I will update my winter wardrobe by placing an order with Mamma Nordica, using her excellent knitting talent to the fullest, which has provided me with many quality, home-made Nordic garments over the years.

Mamma Nordica’s Setesdalskofte.

However, this season, as it’s already September, and my dear Mamma only has two hands (not to mention a job and a life), I thought I’d look elsewhere as well in order to satisfy my Nordic knitwear craving. And as much as I want to, my financial situation unfortunately doesn’t allow me to go to my friends Domenico and Stefano for a fashion fix. But then I was introduced to George.

Last week, whilst out for lunch, Little M, his mami and I stopped by The Hospital Club as the lovely ladies from George at ASDA had invited us to have a sneak-peek at what’s in store (and online!) in a couple of months. Knowing very little about George, not living near an ASDA myself (or having bought any items of clothing at a supermarket before) and having been told that the American George is considered pretty “dowdy”, I was a bit uncertain of what to expect from English George.

However, I was pleasantly surprised by what English George had to offer: on trend Nordic patterns, lace and faux fur jackets of good quality and at reasonable prices!

So whilst Little M was busy checking out the kiddie section and “sampling” the decor, his mami and I got out our Blackberry and iPhone respectively to schedule in a shopping trip.

Then again, having spent yesterday evening in the A&E with Big M after her nasty fall during a charity run, we might just have a cup of java and log on to George.com from the comfort of our home.

Nordica tries… the toddler and yummy mummy experience

I’m having a long weekend in between jobs, and was looking for things to do in sunny London. Word got out, and the other day Little M messaged me with his mummy’s (and my friend & now ex-colleague) Blackberry to see if I was up for hanging out with him and his mami and experience a day in the life of a toddler. How could I say no?! Keen to meet verybusymama (and Little M of course!) for a coffee and gossip session, I accepted the invite.

Bonding over a dummy

So this morning I got up bright and early, and headed off to leafy West London as other people on the tube were going to work or getting ready to hit the shops for some retail therapy.

First stop of the day, NCT’s Cheeky Monkeys Tea Party in Ravenscourt Park. Now this might be the time to mention that my life is very much one without children, so any interaction with anyone younger than me is a rare thing. So arriving at the Tea Party I didn’t really know what to expect. I was met by a gathering of umpteen yummy mummies and more toddlers & buggies than I could count, all entertained by Amanda of Amanda’s Action Club.

The Cheeky Monkey Tea Party

After some singing & dancing (for the first part I decided to take the visitor approach and hang out in the background drinking my first cup of coffee of the day, letting verybusymama & Little M enjoy the dancing and singing. Then, in round two of the entertainment, I was dragged into the action, sitting on the rainbow coloured parachute on the grass, clapping to the kids’ songs courtesy of Amanda’s iPod. My efforts to take part in the activities were recognized by a high five from Little M, so I guess I passed the first test.

Little M and his mami, @verybusymama

By this verybusymama and I were getting quite hungry and Little M was demanding his mid-day nap (which is something I think us grown-ups should have too!), so off we went, walking up Chiswick High Street whilst Little M enjoyed a little shut eye. Spotting the opportunity, his mami and I quickly popped into Cath Kidston (mandatory yummy mummy accessory I’ve been told), before we circled in on a suitable place to lunch. The pizza was tasty, albeit a bit more messy that what I’m used to. Kids do get dirty fast! To show that I had passed the second test, eating out with a toddler, Little M clinked glasses with me in the restaurant, toasting to my success.

Yummy mummies’ favourite

Back in the flat, Little M decided to have another attempt to nap (with a hint of crying added), whilst verybusymama and I enjoyed our second cup of java, chatting and having the World Cup on in the background. To my amazement time had flown by, and it was time for me to say my goodbyes and make my way home. However, not before having an attempt at test 3. Witnessing nappy changing. Luckily I didn’t have to change the nappy, but being in the room taught me enough about some of the lesser (to me at least) joys of motherhood. Fresh & ready to go again, Little M and his mami walked with me to the train station before waving bye bye.

Safely at home in my shared flat, with Marlon the Cat fighting for my attention, my day out with a toddler has taught me:

1. Toddlers demand your full attention at all times, unless you enjoy having coffee stains on you carpet

2. Toddlers make a mess in restaurants so choose child friendly ones to avoid angry stares from waiters

3. It is EXHAUSTING taking care of them the whole day! And I only helped out..

4. Tiredness = crying

5. Their little smiles and laughter makes everything alright

6. A toddler’s world is mostly very trouble free, with a lot of eating, sleeping and pooping

And lastly, I realized that I am not ready to be a yummy mummy… but it’s fun to hang out with little ones from time to time.

Nordica goes to… the Nordic Bakery

This morning, in desperate need for a coffee and a light brekkie, I decided to try out the Nordic Bakery on Golden Square.

Set on the South side of the square, the Nordic Bakery offers a clutter-free and, true to its Northern roots, minimalist food experience. Inside awaits a small selection of tempting open egg, ham & cheese or salmon sandwiches on dark rye or polar bread and a coffee menu to satisfy a coffee thirsty Norwegian (or any other person for that matter!).

I opted for a ham & cheese polar bread and a latte to take away. Whilst waiting for my order I had a look at the few selected food items for sale for any expats who are longing for the national romanticism and light summer nights. The queue increased as the office workers came in for their daily fix and the staff became busier. It was then the woman who had served me pointed to a tray on one of the dark wooden tables “that’s your order”. I politely pointed out that I had asked for it to take away. She looked at me, picked up the tray in a huff, poured the coffee into a take away cup (probably recyclable) and the polar bread in a bag, and handed it to me “next time mention it” – the “it” referring to the “take away” which I had in fact mentioned when placing the order.

So whilst the coffee was good, the polar bread tasty, the whole experience was tarnished by bad service. Nordic Bakery, as an expat, I like your concept and think the food is delicious, but make sure you appoint staff that won’t be rude to your customers.

I will instead go to the Scandinavian Kitchen for my regular fix of all things Scandi/Nordic. Besides a larger selection of food items on sale the staff were so lovely and helpful – not to mention smiley! You can find them on Great Titchfield Street or on Twitter @Scanditwitchen.

Nordica goes to… the Cotswolds.

In the five years I’ve lived in the city, I can’t say I’ve ventured outside of the Greater London area much. To be honest, counting the couple of trips I’ve had to go on through work, I have really not been exploring the Great British Isles as much as I should have. And I’m a passionate traveller! To be fair, in the past two years I have visited Lisbon, Rome, Northern Norway, Paris & Tokyo.

So, to change that (and to celebrate 2 years of togetherness) this May Bank Holiday weekend, The Boy and I decided to go to the Cotswolds. After much thought, we ended up deciding on Tewkesbury – only to find that it is not actually in the Cotswolds… But it did have a Food & Drink festival, with James Martin doing a cooking demonstration.

So Saturday morning, off we set to the lovely hillsides of typically English heart of England. Driving through the green, rural countryside almost made me a bit nostalgic – thinking back to my childhood, growing up in the North of Norway.

The stay was very pleasant – rain included – and The Boy and I contributed to the local economy by eating and drinking our way through the weekend. We did buy a lot of treats to bring back to friends and family too!

Unfortunately as most good things, the weekend ended far to soon and before we knew it we were back in London. But after a weekend of no tweets, emails or access to the online world (no signal on my iPhone all weekend – thanks O2) it was good to be back.