A Magical Weekend in London

Blogging is not just my (4th) love and job, but it’s also a great way to experience events, products and experiences I can share with my family. Last weekend, we were the new C4 Picasso’s guests at the Harry Potter Tour in Watford, allowing me  the opportunity to test drive the new Picasso before having a day absorbing all things HP!

On the look out to buy a new car once we move house, I have a clear idea of the kind of motor I’d like: lots of space, something reliable and of course, it needs to be a little bit pretty!

Enter the C4 Picasso stage left! As soon as I clapped eyes on it, I was sold…firstly by the fact the red model matched my lipstick alone (shallow, moi!) and then, how spacious it looked! The French make everything look classically beautiful anyway from make up to men (my husband is part French, naturally) and the C4 Picasso is no exception!

Not only is it a chic 5 seater (when you thought those three words couldn’t co exist) but every consideration you can imagine for busy families has been made including electric sunshades in the car, two mirrors so you can watch your kids if you need to in the car, a built in sat nav, tonnes of storage within for all the things we promise we won’t cart around but do (wet wipe anyone?) and wait for it…

…This car actually reverses for you, using cameras and (erm) car technology…talk about magic! I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable allowing the car to park automatically every time I drove it, but this would be perfect for those not so confident in reverse gear. I actually pride myself on my reserve parking thanks to BSM’s trusty formula on getting it just right everytime! Years later, I still use it!

As you can see, I really enjoyed taking the Picasso for a spin (in the blue version this time), it was a dream to drive and my trusty husband photographer was on hand to take the snaps! Brilliant!

…So the seven seater is out in January and we’ll definitely be considering it for this family.

After a fabulous lunch for all, we were ushered to the front of the queue for the Harry Potter tour. As a filmmaker, I have long admired the colossal contribution Harry Potter has made to the British film industry but I must be honest and declare that although I adored the first book and film, the phenomenon mostly passed me by as my back to back film school Gangster flick obsession took over during my Uni years and I never really caught up!

However walking on set after breathtaking set and witnessing the sheer brilliance from cast and crew in making these epic films, I was left truly moved and promised myself to return to the books and films once more.

Ideally, I hope to fully discover Harry Potter with my eldest son Oliver when he’s old enough. At three and a half, he rushed us through the tour in all his excitement, watching in awe at moving owls and spectacular CGI demonstatrations, asking many, many questions (most I couldn’t answer- if only I’d read all the books!) and making us laugh with his constant referral to Harry Potter as “Harry Potty”!

I feel a ninth film targeted at toddlers coming on! No need to thank me JK!

I would actually like to return to the tour solo so I can have more time to absorb everything-I think we only spent 40 minutes from start to finish when most spend hours. Nonetheless, a marvellous, utterly stimulating and entertaining day was had by all.

…Sunday was spent with great friends mostly eating and laughing in Hampstead before heading to Kenwood House nearby for an English Heritage fair where Oliver rolled around in hay and watched a horse chew grass (bit like being in Leeds then!). We also queued for a whole 30 minutes for ice cream. Well, this is London folks!

Spending time with people we love having fun in London meant the whole weekend from start to finish was truly magical!

I returned back to Leeds a little sad to leave  (a piece of my heart will always belong to the Big Smoke) and I’m looking forward to returning again soon!

I know I have the best of both worlds living near the countryside in Leeds and visiting London for work and play but sometimes saying goodbye to my old ‘friend’ is tough.

My husband reminded me on the motorway that no longer living in London means now when we visit we get to do all the things we always said we would but never had time to, when we lived there!

Now for a date with the 7 Harry Potter films I haven’t seen out of 8! See you in a million hours!

So, have you tried the new C4 Picasso or visited the Harry Potter tour? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Photographs ©Peter Broadbent.