I actually started writing this blog months ago.

In February half term I took Charlie to London. It was an anxious time for me, but Charlie desperately wanted to go. He had only been as a baby. I actually bf him on Hyde Park in the rain as I could not find anywhere else to feed him. He was 4 months old and we has a family holiday down in London/Windsor. I’m not sure how it snowballed into a day trip, but nevertheless it became a project that he, and his tutor worked on. They built a presentation of all the places he wanted to visit and things that he wanted to do. Food, that he wanted to eat.

My daughter tagged along with us, as she was off on half term too. The train ride down there was very uneventful. Which pleased me! We booked our train well in advance, so had seats. The train was busy, possibly because it was half term so I did wonder if Charlie would manage it. But for the most part, his head was in his phone on a game. As we drew closer to London, he became aware of his surroundings and how big it really was compared to our little Midland city.

In London, we headed straight to the Park, St James’ Park. Charlie didn’t like the tube, it really took him by surprise. I hadn’t bought any over headphones or ear defenders, we asked in a shop and it was £40!! So, my daughter kindly gave her beats headphones to Charlie. I am so pleased she came along! We went to the cafe, and met a friend of mine, in the cafe, I am so blessed to have good friends in many cities around the UK. Because of this Charlie and I were able to go to the Twist Museum, recommended by a friend, and my friend took my daughter to Waterstones (because she is a book worm) and then to a portrait gallery, which she loved. We went for food, which we ALL enjoyed, it was very Amercianised and this is something that Charlie craves, he craves to have American lifestyles.

After food, Charlie had had enough. He wanted to go home. although, enjoyed his time in London 5hrs was more than enough. His general tolerance on day visits anywhere is 3hrs and then he is really at his limit. My daughter has been to Daunt books, and it did mean we missed the train. Charlie, was upset and got into a bit of a state, I had advanced tickets, but because of my daughter’s ticket, we were stuck. I had to pay out another £40 for an additional ticket. So it was a good job I never bought those headphones.

All in all, Charlie actually had a great day, he was in awe of London. He saw some lovely sights, the Palace, Big Ben, the Big Wheel. All stuff he wanted to in his presentation, so we went there with an agenda and we managed to complete it. There is no better feeling for a PDA child than that. Charlie told me that he felt at times that London was “quiet”. We had previously gone to Nottingham on a Tuesday afternoon (as I don’t work Tuesdays) and Charlie hated it. We walked off the bus, I had taken the bus that day rather than have the hassle of parking. And down one street, and Charlie panicked. He hated it, it was too busy, too crowded and he started to become very dysregulated. So as you can imagine, the thought of taking him to London, absolutely terrified me. But he was fine! He said, although it was the capital, the buildings were huge, they were so big they were spaced out. It made the area around him feel bigger. It meant that he hadn’t felt closed in. And this I think was definitely was a defining moment in his confidence. He would like to travel there again at some point. And this is fine by me! I want Charlie to experience the whole world.

And onto our next adventure.

Georgina x