Childhood living is easy to do

Can anybody name this bear?

Ok there's a picture behind that sort of gives it away...this is the original genuine Christopher Robin's bear and he is going on 100 years old. Wowsers. And we also have.....

Bouncy trouncy flouncy

pouncy funfunfunfunfun

The manic depressive one

A Roo-less Kanga (Roo got lost in an apple orchard)

And everyone's favourite fictional sidekick!

So, these guys live in the Stephen Schwarzman building of the New York Public Library on 42nd St. Was lovely to see them. Question is, what are they doing here? Shouldn't they be living in a big country house somewhere in rural southern England? I know they had this argument already, between the UK and America. In the online info there was a timeline of the history of these original toys and it said at the end something like 'England agreed that Pooh and his friends were very happy in New York and decided to leave them there'. Well this made me kind of angry in an irrational way - sorry but, how do they know Pooh and his friends are happy in New York? New York is awesome as I can fully and willingly testify, but Winnie-the-Pooh should not live here. He should most definitely be at home. He is a true great British institution. It would be like transplanting Cornwall or Jeremy Paxman to the States. America has plenty of great history, tradition and children's fiction. There must be an original be-hatted cat around somewhere that can live in the library instead of A.A Milne's muses.

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So, road crossings here have a red hand light that means 'Don't Walk', and for 'Walk' there is a man symbol that looks just like the ones we have at home only its not green, it is white. Now when me and Iris cross the road we say 'white man says go'. It is of course a great thing to get a high level of road sign awareness drilled into her - she is very good at spotting when we do and don't go, even from a couple of streets down. It has its drawbacks however - the other day we were approaching the road and getting ready to cross. She pointed and shouted 'Look! White man, a white man!'

There were two people ahead of us, both in full view of the pointing - an Indian man and a black man. And I'm pretty sure they heard us. Hmmm. This is why we have green men in Blighty, it helps us avoid this kind of confusion.

Yesterday we did library and Treehouse for Karma Kids Yoga - I LOVE the yoga still, I wish I could have done it when I was little with a teacher like Jodie, she is just lovely I wish I could take her with me everywhere t0 be like a pocket ray of sunshine. Tick, tock, little yoga clock is a particular favourite. In fact I wish I could do the exact class that Iris does now, aged 19. it is much more appealing than going to a proper adults one where you have to know what you're doing and take it all really seriously. Am much more likely to get fitness benefits and feel inner peace and stuff if I am pretending to be various zoo animals than if I am concentrating hard on keeping still and concentrating hard.

Also yesterday did another jazz class with Andrea - oh my that woman is awesome, she put me in all these places I am just not aware of, it was shaking legs agogo (that should be my Indian name). I will do as many classes with her as possible before I go and then I will come back and do some more.

Cor, s'lucky I can't drink out here, imagine running into that after a few swift ones. He looks like he's been on it and all.

Then today we went to the Art Farm where we did some serious creative expressing. We made pretzels and sunflowers and then had a music session featuring Yellow Submarine. I get the distinct feeling that the music bit is just as much for the adults as it is for the kids.

The Art Farm is currently my favourite thing in the city becauuuuse of these guys...

And especially THESE guys!

Oh my, could they be any cuter if they put on little mouse costumes and danced.

If my mum is reading this and she should be - it made me want loads of rabbits all over again! So much!

Oh my gads it was hard to tear myself away. Iris was ready to leave after the lizard, it was her going 'come ON Tessa!'

I'm thinking that seeing your own childhood, or a fair approximation thereof (cos there are a few things that all kids just have in common) a second time through from an older perspective is like, a good way of getting through your final stages of growing up...I had this great thought earlier and I wish I could remember properly cos it was v. profound. I KNOW! Today while Iris was having a little nap, I was drinking chocolate Nesquik and watching Sabrina the Teenage Witch - two things I did a lot in my younger days. And it was like coming here and doing what I'm doing has got me handling a 3-year old in a big city, dealing with the subway with a pushchair, dealing with all these playgroups and yet at the opposite end of the spectrum it has got me drinking Nesquik and watching Sabrina. Like, childhood<>inverted. Like, you have to understand both to complete one. Iono. Summink like tha.

Bedtime. Going to see A Little Night Music tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bah! And Red on Sunday and Come Fly Away on Thursday! YEAHYEAHYEAH

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