Day 30 - Saturday 11th June

Today Nicky and John wanted us to babysit Amelia while they went out for lunch with friends. They didn't need us to get there until 12:30 and so we managed to sleep in. We went for breakfast at Costas Cafe at Golders Green just after 9am.

Suzy then caught the bus to Nicky and John's while I went to the laundromat to do our washing. I got to their place at about 12:15. It turned out that John was still in bed because he was recovering from an exhausting week at work.

Nicky put Amelia down for a sleep at 1:30pm and they left for their lunch engagement. Amelia slept for over two hours. At about 4pm, we took Amelia in her stroller for a walk in Hampstead Heath.

Although there were some dark clouds around, it was sunny most of the time. My iPhone said it was only 18C. Most people were only wearing T-shirts and some people were sunbaking. Various groups were having picnics while other people were walking their dogs.

Amelia seemed to be enjoying the walk. We were heading for the children's playground and when we got there, Amelia's face lit up - clearly a favourite location. She enjoyed playing on all the activities in the playground such the swings, sandpit, slippery dip and wobbly bridge.

On the way back, we walked along the main street of Hampstead past the shops and the railway station. It was good exercise for me pushing the stroller up the hill.

When we got back to Jack Straws Castle at about 6pm, Nicky and John had just got home. Although Nicky and John were not feeling hungry after a big lunch, we decided to go out to dinner early so it wouldn't be too late for Amelia.

So we set off at about 7pm to go to Spaniards Inn which is a pub next to Hampstead Heath. This pub is more than 400 years old and is one of the oldest pubs in the UK. Regular customers in the past have included Shelley, Byron and Keats.

Although it's only one or two stops away, we caught the bus there. The pub has lots of character and good food and wine. Initially we sat at a table in the beer garden but after we'd had main course, it started to rain and so we moved inside.

We walked back to Jack Straws Castle because the rain had stopped. Later Suzy and I caught the bus back to Golders Green.