Middle Aged Men in Lycra

I love the BBC comedy The Office for all sorts of reasons, including the fact that it was set in Slough and offers nostalgic glimpses of the town I grew up in during the opening titles. My favourite character is Gareth Keenan (played by Mackenzie Crook) and my absolute favourite moment is from the deleted scenes of the series 2 DVD and basically involves Gareth posing in lycra cycle shorts.

I have had many occasions recently to be reminded of this hilariously funny spectacle.

My husband is organising and participating in a 6 day, 200 mile charity bicycle ride from The Queen's School in Chester to Buckingham Palace. 

The planning and arranging part has been something of a mission but on top of that, there has been the task of making sure he had a bike that would withstand the rigours of such a journey and likewise, a body that had the best chance to do the same.

I am getting used to the sight of an upturned bicycle in my conservatory, spare parts arriving by post and today there appears to be a small selection of inner tubes dumped on a chair.

I am also getting used to my husband waking early in the morning for a training session before work. I probably wouldn't even notice that he had gone were it not for the fact that he has to open our garage door to get his bike. The electric opening mechanism is extremely noisy and clunky. Unluckily for our  poor Charis, her bedroom is directly above the garage. It is like a small earthquake in her room. The bed actually shakes.

What I will NEVER get used to is the sight of my middle aged husband in lycra cycle shorts!! He has gone the whole hog and kitted himself out in a fluorescent cycling jacket, lycra trousers when there is the need for warmth, and a lycra vest. He thinks he looks fit and sporty. My eyes see a completely different picture! It never gets old. The belly straining against the sleek fabric tells a story of beer consumption rather than sporting prowess.

My 6'5" husband has a very long body. This often means that there is a small discrepancy between where his tops end and his trousers begin. Add to this the bending posture of a cyclist and a small discrepancy is in danger of becoming a butt crack revealing catastrophe. Bearing in mind that the cyclists accompanying my husband on this trip are refined young ladies from an all girls public school and you can see that this is a problem! His innovative solution was to purchase  a 'Slimmer Belt'. This is a thick band of neoprene that is wrapped around the middle and secured with velcro. He says that the back support it offers will be useful. He didn't mention the 'instant slimming effect' or the 'flattens and tones abs' promise on the box!

Inner tubes and the Slimmer Belt

I do tease my poor husband but I am incredibly proud of him for even considering undertaking such a mammoth task as cycling all the way to London. I will continue to support his endeavour and be ready with the Deep Heat on his return to ease his aching muscles and the offer of a gentle massage to relieve his aching saddle sore unmentionables.

I don't know if he will be hanging up his lycra once this is over or if it will continue to be made use of. Maybe the Slimmer Belt will do its job and he will cut a fine athletic figure. Whatever happens, I do know that the image I have of him in my head now will never lose the power to make me smile!

Ravensburger 3D Puzzle

We love jigsaws at our house.

I was delighted to be sent one of Ravensburger's new 3D puzzles, featuring iconic landmarks, to see if it presented a new dimension of challenge.

The following video follows the progress from box opening to completion (edited of course!) of our Big Ben 3D puzzle.

The puzzle was certainly well made. The pieces slotted together securely to create a sturdy construction so there was never any danger of collapse and the inevitable frustration that would have caused. The numbered pieces did make the puzzle a lot easier than you might expect from a first glance.

The finished tower now stands on our sideboard.  In my opinion, it isn't quite attractive or substantial enough to display there long term but because of how well it all slotted together, deconstruction would be much more of a mission than with a traditional jigsaw.

We have had one idea about fashioning a Slytheen space craft and crashing into it Dr Who style.

Most likely scenario is that I'll get fed up of knocking it over when I dust and put it back in the box myself to enjoy building again another day!

Bob's Big Build

Instead of heading home after a lovely (surprisingly sunny) holiday in Wales, we reorganised our luggage and set off towards London. Why? To attend Bob's Big Build at the O2.

Bob's Big Build at the O2, London

As VIP guests, myself, my husband and our two little builders Addy (3) and Dylan (1) were treated to breakfast on board the Thames Clipper and given exciting Bob the Builder goody bags. The boat ride put us all in the mood for an adventure and as we arrived at the event, it was obvious that there was plenty to keep us all occupied.

The children were provided with little yellow hard hats and a "Bob's Big Build' Booklet which gave details of each of the 10 fun Zones available for their entertainment. Special stickers for the booklet were collected for each zone completed.

Despite having spent the previous week on sandy Welsh beaches (or maybe because of it), Addy made a bee line for The Big Dino Dig Sand Pit (Zone 6). 

Zone 6 - The Big Dino Sand Pit

 Dylan loved the  Bob the Builder balloons and wouldn't let go of his even to Help Bob Build a Wall (Zone 7). He was a bit of a menace, bopping random passers-by in his range with his inflated foil weapon but no one seemed to mind when they saw the cheeky grin that accompanied the  assault!

Zone 7 - Help Bob Build a Wall

Being a fan of face painting, my favourite zone was the one that included the skilled and patient ladies offering a range of Bob the Builder themed images to wriggly customers. Addy opted for this simple but effective Bob face. It has definitely given me some ideas for techniques I can try at home next time I get out my Snazaroo Kit.

Zone 3 - Face Painters, Balloon Twisters & Balloons

Dad was a little star struck when it was his turn to Meet and Greet (Zone 2) Bob and Wendy!  Unfortunately, Addy found the lumbering giants in the likeness of the friendly, familiar, animated characters not to her taste - she fled, not exactly in terror but what could have escalated into something of an episode had I insisted she get any closer than her bravery dictated.

Zone 2 - Meet and Greet

The Interactive Toy Play Area (Zone 8) would have kept my little ones happy all day if there hadn't been so many other activities to try.

Zone 8 - Interactive Toy Play Area

At the end of our allotted time in the Zones, we were ushered into an Extra Zone for a screening of the movie Bob's Big Dino Dig (available on DVD from 19th September).

We had an amazing day out at Bob's Big Build, taking away lots of goodies but even better taking away  a whole lot of happy memories.

Bob the Builder and Friends

The London Globee

One of the companies I discovered at the Christmas in July event was Globee.

The product that they are hoping will take a slice of the lucrative Christmas market is their innovative City Globe which bears the same name as the company.

The Globees are available in different sizes and featuring a whole range of different cities.

I was given a London Globee to review. It is the 15cm diameter Globee which retails at £20.

It is beautifully illustrated with 40 key landmarks and an accompanying booklet that provides additional information about the landmarks.

I love the slightly muted colour scheme, the cartoon feel of the building illustrations and the amazing amount of detail. What I am struggling to understand is the whole concept of having a city map in globe format. It works for the world map because the world is a sphere - but cities aren't. I don't really get it.

If I could get past that confusion, I would absolutely love these.

There is no denying that the globe format is intriguing and it invites you to spin and explore.

There is definitely an educational element but I also think it would make a lovely souvenir. I can imagine having a Globee collection of all the cities that are important to me - places I have lived or visited or dream of visiting.

Globee do aim their product at both the child and adult market and I could see that they would make an unusual gift for those 'difficult to buy for people', which is always a bonus.

My favourite part of the London Globee is the depiction of the little Guards outside Buckingham Palace because it reminds me of my dad who as a young man could have been found wearing a bearskin himself.

The more I write about how much I like this product, the less concerned I am about my initial objection to the whole globe thing. This is what the rest of the family think of the London Globee.

I have made a  decision - the Globee is going to take pride of place on my desk next to my computer where I will see it (and spin it) every day and who cares if cities aren't spheres!

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