Beanie Mouse: 2011

Saturday, 31 December 2011

Review of The Year, 2011

Wow!! What a busy year I've had!!! It started off in January with some Long Walks Along The Seafront, one of which we had a play on Brighton Pier, and won some toys in the arcade games!!!

The story is here http://beaniemouse.blogspot.com/2011/01/another-walk-on-seafront.html

Then in February, I had a really exciting trip to Amsterdam by Air o'plane!!! I met Hammie and Sullivan on that trip!!!! It was so much fun!!!

The story is here http://beaniemouse.blogspot.com/2011/02/beanies-trip-to-holland-day-one.html

http://beaniemouse.blogspot.com/2011/02/beanies-trip-to-holland-day-two.html

http://beaniemouse.blogspot.com/2011/02/beanies-trip-to-holland-day-three.html

http://beaniemouse.blogspot.com/2011/02/beanies-trip-to-holland-day-four.html

In March, we had a surprise visit with Andrea's friend Mim from America!!! They've been mail-arting together for we think about a dozen years, and this was the first time they met!!!

That story is here http://beaniemouse.blogspot.com/2011/03/when-beanie-met-mim.html

Also in March, we had a day out to Winchester!!! We went to see King Arthur's Round Table and took pictures specially for Hammie!!

Here's that story... http://beaniemouse.blogspot.com/2011/03/beanie-went-to-winchester.html

In April we had another day out.... this time to Spitalfields Market in London!! We'd never been there before.

Look here - http://beaniemouse.blogspot.com/2011/04/beanie-went-to-market.html

Then at the beginning of May, we went to see our friends Lynne and Chazzy Doggie on the Isle of Wight! That was the same time as Will and Kate got married - that was on the telly!!!

http://beaniemouse.blogspot.com/2011/05/beanie-on-isle-of-wight-day-one.html

http://beaniemouse.blogspot.com/2011/05/beanie-on-isle-of-wight-day-two.html

http://beaniemouse.blogspot.com/2011/05/beanie-on-isle-of-wight-day-three.html

At the end of May, we had a long trip to London, and I met a Real Steampunk Captain!!!!!!! That was SOOO exciting!!!!

http://beaniemouse.blogspot.com/2011/05/beanie-and-manga-show-day-one.html

http://beaniemouse.blogspot.com/2011/06/beanie-at-manga-show-day-two.html

http://beaniemouse.blogspot.com/2011/06/beanie-at-manga-show-day-three-and.html

In July, we went to London again to use out National Art Pass Card to get into a watercolour expedition for half price!! That was fun!

http://beaniemouse.blogspot.com/2011/07/beanie-went-to-london-again.html

In August, we decided to take a proper look at Portsmouth Historic Docks..... we'd been past them on the way to the Isle of Wight but had never been in to see the boats. We found Pirates too!!

http://beaniemouse.blogspot.com/2011/08/beanie-went-to-portsmouth.html

We also found some bread mix in one of the shops, and learnt how to make bread this year!!! I've never done that before!

Also in August, we went to another art expedition at Somerset House! We used our Art Pass card again and got in free!!!

http://beaniemouse.blogspot.com/2011/08/beanies-day-out-in-london.html

In September I also sold a painting off my Etsy shop!!!! That was SOOOO exciting! We've sold two paintings and several sheets of hand printed wrapping paper too!!!!

October was my birthday!!! I had a whole weekend in London and met my mates Bob T Bear and Dilly!!! We had a big Feast in a Posh Restaurant and shouted at some protesters too! That was heaps of fun!

http://beaniemouse.blogspot.com/2011/10/beanies-birthday-weekend-in-london-day.html

http://beaniemouse.blogspot.com/2011/10/beanies-birthday-weekend-in-london-day_25.html

http://beaniemouse.blogspot.com/2011/10/beanies-birthday-weekend-in-london-day_26.html

http://beaniemouse.blogspot.com/2011/10/beanies-birthday-weekend-day-four.html

And then just a few days ago, I had another day out in London!!!

http://beaniemouse.blogspot.com/2011/12/we-went-to-london.html

And on top of all that travelling, we met loads of friends of ours. Andrea STILL has a job (which is quite amazing seeing how loads of other people are getting laid off at the moment) and we have a lovely little flat to live in, and yummy food to eat and Andrea can afford to take me on lovely trips to places.....

I'm such a lucky mouse, you know......

Thursday, 29 December 2011

We went to London!!!

Yesterday morning, me and Andrea got up REALLY early when it was still dark!!!

We got a bus into town..... the Christmas lights look so much prettier when it's dark!!

Oh wow!!! Look at them!!!

Then, we got on a big coach!! We're going somewhere!!!!

About an hour later, we got to somewhere called 'Burbs! Andrea said it was just outside London!

Then, a little later on, we arrived in London! We even got here 15 minutes earlier than expected!!!

We walked up the road to the train station, and had to get a bus.

We got the number 38. This bus stops right outside the Royal Academy opposite Fortnum and Mason's shop, which is very handy if we ever want to go see an exhibition there!!

But yesterday we didn't - we got off at Piccadilly Circus!! I've never been here before!!!

Then we walked down to Leicester Square and along towards Covent Garden. We went in here but couldn't find what we wanted.....

So then we got a 24 bus.....

That took us to Tottenham Court Road Station! We walked down the road a bit - and then saw Tas Restaurant!! We've eaten there, it's yummy!!

And then we went to the British Museum!!! Andrea said there was a Manga exhibition there!!!

It turned out to be a really small exhibition and not really what we expected, so we were a little bit disappointed. But, in the gift shop, we found the Manga book that the exhibition was about, so Andrea decided to get it!!! It's all about this Professor here, and his adventures in London!!!

Then we went down the road to Andrea's favourite art shop!!!

They had a funny tree in the window!!!

Then we went back to Tas for lunch!!! We had taboulleh (yummy!!) and hot bread with a cheesey dip (more yummy!!!)

and then we had lamb shish with couscous (more yummy again!) and a big glass of pommegranite juice which was FAB!!

Then we got the 73 bus......

I really like riding London buses!!!

We got off a Hyde Park Corner because Andrea spotted something. We walked under the "Underpass" and saw lots of pretty tile pictures!!

In Hyde Park they had a Winter Wonderland amusement thingy..... but it cost lots of money to go in so we didn't.

Then we got a 16 bus which took us behind Buckingham Palace.

And back to Victoria Station!!!

Then we walked back to the Coach Station......

And got the coach home!!

JAFFA CAKES!!!! Andrea remembered the Jaffa Cakes!!!

I love these!!!

Here we are in Sussex now...... you can tell because it's all green!!!

Here we are back home!!!

We then got a bus back to where we live....

And saw more Christmassy lights!!

Here's the Manga book we bought!!! It's Professor Munakata's British Museum adventure!!

And it's written and drawn by Hoshino Yukinobu. Apparently he's one of the best Manga writer/artists around. This book has a bunch of other stuff in it as well as the Manga story, including an interview with Hoshino Yukinobu.

We started reading this last night, and it's a really good story!!!

(Ed's note: this book costs £14.99 and if anyone's interested in getting a copy, I'd suggest looking at the museum website at http://www.britishmuseum.org/ - I think that has a "shop" section)

We got some postcards too!!

at the art shop, we got these things - there's a hole in the metal end which you can put your pencil stubs into (when they're down to the last couple of inches!) and then you push the circular band up which tightens it. So, you can finish using up all your pencils!! Andrea says it might work with soft pastels too.