Tag Archives: mayor of london

MumsThread On Traveling In London With a Baby & Pram

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traveling in london while pregnant, traveling in london with pram, traveling in London with baby, with child, London, tube, step free access, babyonboardbadgetravelinginpregnantwhenpregnantI already wrote about traveling in London while pregnant so I thought I would follow up with what it is like to traveling in London when you have a child. If traveling in London while pregnant is awful, when you have a child it is hell. Most tube stations don’t have a lift or step-free access. When Boris Johnson was Mayor of London he promised half of London stations would have step-free access by 2018. I hope the current Mayor Sadiq Khan carries on this promise. It is important for disabled people and those with children. Traveling on buses is stressful and takes a long time. There is also limited space for prams. The bus can only take two prams and I have had to wait ages for a bus which is free. The place for prams is also the wheelchair space. Wheelchair users have priority and rightly so, but I had got abuse in the past for having the pram in there when it is empty. In fact I even saw a Facebook post once written by someone who has no children complaining that there was a pram in the wheelchair space on a bus she was on. Did they get in the way of the wheelchair user?, I asked. No, there was no wheelchair user. This woman just thought this mother should not be on public transport with her baby, taking up space with a pram. Other woman joined in and the split was obvious. The woman who did not have children were talking about how terrible this woman was for just wanting to get somewhere with her baby. I gave my opinion, as calmly as I could, but quite a few of them were abusive. Other woman, mothers and not, eventually joined in to support me, but the entire thing left me feeling  sad. My own mother is in a wheelchair and she was angry at those woman. It is easy to say a mother with a pram should not be using a wheelchair space, but that is the only place on the bus they can go! Folding a pram up is not easy (we have the iCandy Strawberry 2, it is a good pram but can be too big for London living and the back wheels take up too much room). You have to hold the child and this is not  safe. The pram also usually has something under it. It is incredibly isolating being a mother and they have appointments just like everyone else.  I very rarely see a wheelchair user on a bus so it doesn’t make sense that mothers just stay at home. What is the alternatives? Walking? Not always possible. Taxis? Too expensive. It makes me angry that people can be so callous.

Then there is the dirty looks you get and the sighs for your baby not being a robot. If your baby has the nerve to cry on public transport people tend to take it personally. Like your baby is crying just to annoy them. Well, get over yourself. When babies cry it means they are talking. They have as much right as you. And if you are finding it hard for that short burst, imagine how the parents feel. Babies talk to their parent a lot. Sometimes all night.

I live in Southfields and the only place I can get to on the tube to central London is Green Park.  I have only been into Central London without my husband once. It was hell. Usually I would go to Earl’s Court and change. This time I had to go to Earlsfield (where the lift was not working!) rely on the kindness of strangers to go up and down stairs and on and off trains. I even had to push a pram up an escalator. You are not meant to do this but if TFL have a problem with it they can build more bloody lifts. By the time I got to my destination my nerves were frazzled. The entire experience was horrendous. We have never bought a car because you don’t need one when you live in London. It would be silly as we would probably only use it once a year, but I hope that London gets the transport system it deserves soon. An inclusive one for all Londoners.

For more information on traveling in London for pregnant women and buggy users go here. 

 

Boris Johnson To Write Romance Novel?

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Currently the Mayor of London, famous for his blonde bouffant, Eton-education and the self-titled bike scheme, who has encouraged thousands of Londoners to cycle across the capital, has set his eyes on even greater success. Not content with having won two mayoral elections, Mr Johnson has set his sights on the world of literature – and more specifically the genre of romance.

Boris Johnson romance book cover.

Apparently haven spoken at the Melbourne Writers Festival, Mr Johnson said that when he leaves politics he wants to write a “genuinely brilliant rip-roaring airport book. It would be fair to say there is virtually no genre that I have not tried. Romantic fiction, that could be next.”

 

With that in mind, romance giant Mills & Boon have mock up what they imagined Boris Johnson’s debut novel might look like. Gazing into the distance, Boris is seen atop one of his bikes, with the victorious London Eye standing proudly in the background. We think it is hilarious.

Launch Party For Russian Week in London 2013

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The Russian Week in London, Festival Maslenitsa

Richard Barnes and Natalia Vodianova

 

Frost went along to the amazing restaurant Mari Vanna to celebrate the opening of the Maslenitsa Festival, Russia’s cultural welcome to spring and celebration of pancakes. We greatly enjoyed the canapes and the drinks, including vodka infused strawberry juice. We enjoyed the presentation and talks about the up-coming Russian festival and were told to ‘drink in moderation’ by Boris Johnson. All in all, we had a great time and will be popping down to the Russian Festival. See you there.

 

The Russian Week in London, Festival Maslenitsa

FREE entry, 13:30–18:30, Saturday 16 March 2013
Trafalgar Square, London, UK

Zdravstvuj! (Hello!) What better way to welcome spring and banish winter than Maslenitsa, the Russian Sun
Festival. This Shrovetide feast before Lent is celebrated the world over with traditional Russian arts and
culture events and, of course, delicious Russian cuisine – including the iconic and delectable blini (pancake).

Organised by Ensemble Productions, London’s Maslenitsa festival has the backing of the Mayor of London
and Natalia Vodianova’s Naked Heart Foundation as official charity partner, and is the largest Russian
celebration of culture, art, music and food outside of Russia. The free event returns for its fifth year on
Saturday 16 March in Trafalgar Square from 13:30-18:30. Coinciding with Maslenitsa celebrations across
Russia, a live satellite link will allow audiences to share in the authentic festival atmosphere and exchange
cultural dialogue as well as highlight important links between the UK and Russia, with a particular emphasis
on the Olympic years of London 2012 and Sochi 2014.

Boris Johnson

Comments the Mayor of London Boris Johnson:

“I am delighted to give my backing to London’s Maslenitsa celebrations, a sure sign that spring is on its way. London has a large Russian population and this popular event is an opportunity to become immersed in the rich traditions and heritage of that great country. It also offers a taster ahead of Sochi 2014, which is now just a year away and I am sure will be a huge success. Int he meantime, whether you try a delicious blini, pirogi or chebureki, to our friends in Moscow and Russians everywhere have a fantastic Maslenitsa! Maslenitsa gulyaet – vesnu vstrechaet, zimu provoshaet!*”

The popular festival features a variety of activities for all ages including musical performances by Russia’s
leading musical talent, a children’s marquee with songs, competitions and games, and a bustling bazaar
organised by the Russian National Arts and Crafts organisation, with original Russian art, handicrafts and
souvenirs for sale.

Maslenitsa is also known as Pancake Week and there will be plenty of authentic Russian dishes to sample. In
addition to blini there will be other traditional staples such as beef stroganoff and borscht (beetroot soup)
as well as delicacies such as pelmeni (Russian-style pasta).

Maslenitsa 2013 will include, among others, a special visit by Eurovision Contest 2012 stars the Buranovskie
Babushki (Singing Grannies); performances by celebrated folk diva Nadezhda Babkina with her
contemporary take on traditional Russian sounds; young folk group Rodnaya Storonka who cover multiple
genres; the legendary State Academic Ensemble Berezka; the award-winning and innovative Bis-Quit
Quartet; charismatic and much-loved soul Russian artist Petr Nalich accompanied by his band; national
treasure Oleg Gazmanov and one of the most famous Russian rock bands of all time, Smyslovye Galuzinazii.

The festival comes at the culmination of the Russian Maslenitsa Week which includes satellite events across
the city of London. These include the exhibition Treasures of the Royal Courts: Tudors, Stuarts and the
Russian Tsars at the V&A, a culinary evening at Russian restaurant Mari Vanna, a Russia Literary Evening at
Waterstones and a performance by the vivacious Theatre Praktika. This year’s Maslenitsa festival will also see
the first winner of the Maslenitsa Prize for Song and Dance take to stage to entertain the crowds at
Trafalgar Square.

“Due to high interest from the public, the Maslenitsa Festival remains an extremely important cultural event
not just in the UK, but in Europe,” comments Olga Balakleets of Ensemble Productions. “Each year the
festival grows, allowing more and more people to learn about the modern face of Russian culture as well as
its rich cultural heritage.”

Maslenitsa also serves as a platform that fosters business and cultural links between the UK and Russia.
Commented Vitaly Nesis, CEO of Polymetal International, one of Maslenitsa’s event sponsors:

“We are delighted to be supporting the Maslenitsa Festival in London and providing the opportunity for more
people in the United Kingdom to see and experience a range of exciting Russian culture and social events.
As a company that has most of its operations in Russia and many of its shareholders in UK, we are keen to
see the relationship between the two nations prosper backed by thriving business and cultural cooperation.”
Added Dmitry Mints, Chairman of the Management Board of fellow sponsors, O1 Properties, “The
Maslenitsa festival offers audiences in the UK the unique chance to take part in this ancient Russian tradition,
and O1 properties is happy to support this cheerful event.”

A special VIP Gala Dinner will take place on 15 March at the Royal Courts of Justice. Tickets are available for
purchase from Ensemble Productions.

Russian Week in London, Festival Maslenitsa: Line Up

Tuesday 12 March
Culinary Evening
Mari Vanna
Situated in the heart of Knightsbridge, foodies have the chance to sample some of Russia’s spectacular
culinary delicacies, with a special menu curated by celebrity chef Alexander Rappoport.

Wednesday 13 March
Russian Literary Evening
Waterstones, Piccadilly
Book and culture lovers unite in Piccadilly’s iconic bookshop to immerse themselves in the English versions
of Russian best sellers, including a special theatrical performance.

Thursday 14 March
Craft Fair
Russian Culture Centre (Rossotrudnichestvo)
The Kensington High Street-based culture centre will host two sessions – a master class and children’s class
– to introduce DIY lovers to authentic Russian crafts.

Friday 15 March
Talk and tour of Treasures of the Royal Courts
V&A
Art and history fans can explore over 150 objects from Henry VIII to the early Romanovs, including royal
portraits, jewellery and luxury goods, as well as processional armour and heraldry, chronicling the close
relationship between the English monarchy and the Russian Tsars.

Saturday 16 March
Maslenitsa Festival
Trafalgar Square
A day of pancakes, music, art and live performances, this free fun-filled family day brings together people
from all walks of life in a celebration of the coming of spring and the wonderful cultural offerings of Russia.

Sunday 17 March
Edward Boyakov’s Theatre Praktika
Duke of York Theatre
Praktika’s mission is to reflect modern reality in all its complexity and address questions that are of burning
importance to contemporary society – hold onto your hats for the company’s iconic new theatre style and
vibrant energy.

Further information on venue details and event timings will be announced in due course. Updates, along
with a list of performances to take place on the main stage are available on the Maslenitsa Festival website
http://maslenitsa.co.uk/

For more information or to book tickets, call +44 (0) 20 8832 7424

The Russian Week in London, Festival Maslenitsa

Trafalgar Square, London
13:30–18:30
Free
Dates: 11 March 2013 – 17 March 2013

Naked Heart Foundation

Mayor of London, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Embassy of
the Russian Federation in London, Federal Agency Rossotrudnichestvo, Russky Mir Foundation,
Polymetal International, ICT Group, O1 Properties, Lycamobile

About the Naked Heart Foundation

It was the Beslan school siege in 2004 that motivated international model Natalia Vodianova to set up the Naked Heart Foundation. Desperate to do something to help, she had a simple idea – if the young survivors could be distracted by play for at least five minutes each day, it would help them to heal. Providing them with safe outdoor play facilities would redefine their city landscape and act as a form of therapy. The Naked Heart Foundation was set up in the same year, and in 2006 it completed its first play park, five minutes from where Vodianova grew up in Nizhny Novgorod. In 2009, 40 play parks and 30 Russian cities later, Vodianova had fulfilled her dream of giving the children of Beslan their very own Naked Heart play park. To date the charity has built 90 play parks and playgrounds and is now creating a network of family support centres to care for families raising children with disabilities. It also provides funding for dozens of Russian NGOs working in the field and holds an annual international Forum for child development specialists. In 2013 it will open its 100th site. For more information visit www.nakedheart.org or www.facebook.com/NHFcharity

 

BURANOVSKIE BABUSHKI (SINGING GRANNIES)

Buranovskie Babushki visit The Russian Week in London,

Festival Maslenitsa, 14 & 15 March

Translated as ‘The Grannies from Buranovo’ – or better known to us as the ‘Singing Grannies’ – Buranovskie
Babushki is an ethno-pop band comprising eight elderly, yet sprightly, women. After finishing second in the
2012 Eurovision Song Contest for Russia, the Grannies became an Internet sensation with more than 30,000
hits in less than a week. They will be visiting London in support of the Festival Maslenitsa and will be
attending the British Russian Gala on 15 March at the Royal Courts of Justice as part of the Maslenitsa Week.

The Grannies sing in their native Udmurt, and often surprise audiences by singing covers of Tsoi,
Grebenshchikov and The Beatles. The grannies are currently using their Eurovision money to help rebuild a
local church from their home town Buranovo.

Festival Maslenitsa: FREE entry, 13:30–18:30, Saturday 16 March 2013
Trafalgar Square, London, UK

 

Festival supported by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson
Official charity partner, Naked Heart Foundation, founded by model Natalia Vodianova
Free entry, family-oriented day of fun and special children’s marquee
Live satellite link between Moscow’s Red Square and London’s Trafalgar Square during festival
Bazaar featuring Russian culinary delicacies and traditional arts and crafts
Tickets to VIP gala reception available through organisers Ensemble Productions
Week of events preceding Maslenitsa Festival includes a literary salon at Waterstones and Russian
delicacies at Mari Vanna restaurant in Knightsbridge

Boris Johnson’s Workout Secrets. (Yes, Really)

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THE WINNERS WORKOUT


Boris Johnson’s personal trainer, Jon Denoris reveals the secrets behind Boris’s workout routine

After a month working with his new personal trainer, Jon Denoris, the new Mayor of London Boris Johnson can do 100 push up’s p/session, has lost 8kg and three inches of his waistband, as well as making significant life changes.

As part of Jon’s new ‘Pop Up Gym’ initiative to improve fitness and office diets in preparation for 2012 London Olympics, he has released a bespoke workout plan; similar to Boris Johnson’s to help readers get fit at work.

7AM – Power Smoothie

Blend two scoops of strawberry whey protein, two tablespoons of bio yoghurt, a handful of granola and a cup of skimmed milk. Add ice to finish. Drink one third immediately.

7.30AM – Clock-face drill

A simple ten-minute exercise routine. Begin in the starting position for a press-up, spin your body round like clock hands with your bellybutton as the axis. Randomly choose clock-face positions to spin to.

7.40AM – Power Smoothie

Finish the Power Smoothie made earlier.

8AM – Commute

In honour of our new mayor, take a Boris bike to work or walk at a brisk pace.

11AM – Desk based exercise

Break up your morning with a quick ten-minute stretch.

With your left hand, grip the underside of your chair. Slide to the right hand side of your chair and then pull down with your left arm. Whilst doing this, turn your head to the right and place your right hand on your head. Apply gentle pressure before swapping.

11.10AM – Snack

Elevenses are the highlight of most office workers’ mornings. Ensure that your meal contains a combination of protein and carbohydrates, such as peanut butter on wholegrain toast, orange segments and cottage cheese or nuts and an apple.

1PM – Lunchtime workout

If the office doesn’t subscribe to the Pop Up Gym classes, Denoris recommends a circuit based routine designed to be done in the office or in a nearby park. Do 20 reps for each exercise and then repeat as many times as possible in half anhour.

· Body weight squats. With your hands across your chest and your backside stickingout, lower your thighs so that they are parallel to the floor. Hold and then rise slowly.

· T-stand push-ups. When at the top of your push-up, rotate the body and stretch one arm out to the side and then up to the sky. Follow by switching sides.

· Lateral lunges. Begin by standing with both legs together and then lunge sideways, bending your knees. Follow by touching your feet with both hands, keeping the trailing leg straight. Return to a standing position before alternating legs.

· Single-arm rowing. Once squatting, lean forwards, sticking your bum out until it is 45degrees to the floor. Whilst using one arm to stabilise yourself, pick up your bag and lift it up and down ten times. Then alternate.

· Bicycle kicks. Lying on your back, cradle your head with your hands. Bring your shoulder blades off the ground whilst bending your knees. Alternate, touching each elbow to the opposite knee.

1.45PM –Lunch

Aim for a vegetable and protein-rich lunch. For example, two grilled mackerel fillets on a bed of spinach, with olive oil and lemon to taste.

4PM – Desk stretch

Place your left leg on a chair or staircase. Bend your knee, extend your right arm until vertical and pulse forwards until you feel a gentle stretch through the hip. Alternate sides.

4.10PM – Snack

Similar to the morning snack, mix up protein with carbohydrates. Denoris suggests pitta bread and tuna or a hard-boiled egg and a whole wheat bagel.

6.30PM – Commute home

Again on a bike or walking.

7.30PM – Dinner

Denoris recommends chicken stir-fried in peanut oil with garlic chilli soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce and basil leaves. Serve with brown rice.

00.00AM – Bedtime

Constantly restricting sleep is an easy way to gain weight. Keep your sleep and waking times consistent. Aim for between six to eight hours a night.

Londoners Life 16 – by Phil Ryan

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I’m sorry but I have to say it. The Olympics are coming to London. And just as an example of how great it’s going to be, I thought I’d tell you my experiences with the ticketing system. Briefly, here’s an overview of how it works. Initially you had to apply for a password and set up an account. Then you found you could only buy London Olympic tickets with a Visa card. Then you found you could only actually ‘bid’ for tickets. Not buy them. Huh? This meant that you had to effectively gamble just like buying a lottery ticket – and try and buy (gamble) thousands of pounds of Olympic tickets to get any chance of getting any.

BUT then you didn’t know exactly what tickets to what events you would be sent (if any), you didn’t exactly when or where you’d be going (if you went at all) and then finally the prices jumped from £20 to £400 in the blink of an eye. So effectively, you could ‘bid’ for £3000 worth of tickets only to find, instead of seats at the Opening ceremony or the 100m final, you’d actually ‘won’ two £95 tickets to the pigeon scaring finals in Kidbrooke!

With me so far?

But then as you entered this baffling surreal world of not knowing what, how much you were paying or where you were going – the website continuously blocked you doing anything at all! Half the time, nothing was available apart from the 100m Female Drag Queen Arguments bronze medal qualifiers from Putney. It seemed all the main events in the Olympic stadium were suddenly mysteriously all unavailable. Apart from if you chose to buy tickets in Germany, for example, where you could buy any tickets you wanted!!!

Naturally I didn’t get offered any tickets. I’m not German.

BUT then came the second gambling round for the ‘unlucky’ ones. So with a sense of foreboding, I entered the site to find even less choice of events at £300 ticket, all nowhere near the Olympic Park. Examples: Olympic FOOTBALL? Olympic TENNIS? What’s that all about? So I gave up. What’s the point? It’s simply a fat cat corporate junket we Londoners are sadly paying for.

To recap – I’m a Londoner so some of my taxes (yes, Londoners are the only people paying Olympic tax) go towards the games and my chances of going are clearly zero. Only London could create such a ticketing system. I’ve decided to not be in London those two weeks. There is no point. Ho hum.

Wimbledon is here. And so unsurprisingly is the rain. But this year they’ve got that roof from Thunderbirds so they’ll be able to presumably play on. However, I noticed they hadn’t used it much – preferring instead to have TV coverage full of Sue Barker talking endlessly to various elderly tennis stars of yesteryear. Weird.

And I love the Londoners’ attitude to Wimbledon. I heard radio coverage of the public’s thoughts. Was it excitement at the thought of days of stunning world-class tennis? No. Mainly the thought of more traffic congestion and less places to park. Apparently, the traffic wardens outnumber the strawberries this year.

We Londoners are hardy folk though. In the face of adversity we just carry on. And yesterday, I saw the brilliant sight of a crowd of tube passengers exiting Baker Street into the pouring rain all lifting their Metro newspapers above their heads at the same time. It looked like a modern dance company. You could have set it to music. Of course it didn’t work, but it was great to see them all copy each other in the who can make the ‘most papiere mache first’ game! Best of all, however, right next to the exit, there was a little smiling Indian bloke flogging umbrellas from a bicycle. He was yelling: “Umbrellas, umbrellas, best in town’. What a star! He’ll probably end up being Mayor. He’s got my vote.

Talking of our glorious Mayor for London, I see the campaigns are now seriously starting. Ken is back and so are the other usual pointless candidates. Most of them so bland that when they stand in front of a beige wall they simply disappear. I saw a Liberal Democrat being interviewed and even the interviewer lost interest. She kept glancing past him – clearly hoping a tourist or a drunk would interrupt.

For those of you unclear about things – the London Mayor and his office are yet another level of bureaucracy we pay through the nose for. They spend much of their time meeting about things that don’t ever happen. And when they do make things happen, we just get a bigger bill. A classic case are the fantastic BLUE cycle highways. Millions of pounds of blue lanes painted onto the road. Very safe for cyclists. Clearly cars can’t cross the blue paint – oops yes they can. Doh! But we do provide employment for Boris and his hangers-on currently, up until he tries to take over the Conservative Party. But right now he’s doing his best to mess about with London. And when he’s not screwing things up we have our local councils.

My favourite current example of London madness at official level is a fantastic new idea for local high streets. London councils are creating pop-up shops to give the illusion that our high streets aren’t dying – although of course they are. These pop up shops are usually local artists flogging their work, which I admit is nice, but on the other hand, after a long day, few Londoners go home thinking’ if only I can get a graphic representation of the Queen as a chimpanzee playing the banjo locally’.

The other madder idea is to put plastic coverings on the empty shop fronts. In other words, either stick ugly advertising for Mcdonald’s or some other corporate monster that destroys high streets (no sense of irony these councillors) or in some cases, pretend shops. Yes really. Pretend shops! They look like a flower shop or a grocery shop, but they’re not real! It’s great to watch bemused locals trying to walk in. Bang. They bounce off the locked door and then realise it’s just a big graphic poster with a 3D effect. Seriously, they are out there! You couldn’t make it up really. But it is the London way. We are innovators.

But seriously. Do we care about being ripped off over the Olympics? Is the Mayor going to make the slightest bit of difference to anything? And will it stop us enjoying the summer? No. It’s just a London thing.