I may have led you to believe in a previous post that the ‘Where Has the Tween Been’ series was in danger of being phased out.  Panic not!

I am happy to report that this was purely conjecture and the series is alive and well.  In our quest to find suitable family activities for all members of the Not Just The 3 of Us household, I am reporting in with another success story.

This trip bore all the hallmarks of going terribly wrong again, but we flexed the ‘pull it back round in the face of adversity’ muscle very VERY hard.  I can tell you that this muscle has had lots of training over the last few months.  Don’t worry if you think yours is missing, it isn’t – everyone has one but you may not have needed to use it just yet.  You will know when the time has come.

For us, this is about adapting to changing tastes and interests while still being able to visit the old faves.  We have always loved a trip and experience as a family and it’s about the triumph of finding out what works and what doesn’t.

Greenwich was always a place for childhood trips for my family.  As children in the seventies living in East London, the attraction then was in walking though the foot tunnel and rolling down the hills in black barrels.  There was not a shop in sight back then as far as I am aware.

Fast forward some 40 years and Greenwich is home to many beautiful spaces and is the home of some fabulous shops and eateries.  This can often provide the perfect mixture of possibility for a group such as ours.  We have spent many happy days at Greenwich in the last 10 years.  There is something for all age groups.

As we know, key to a successful day out as a family can often be down to something as simple as ensuring that there are no empty stomachs in the party.  Brunch is always a good compromise when there are differences of taste (and opinion).  Two birds, one stone and all that.

Bill’s

We are delighted to see the arrival of a Bill’s in Greenwich.

We are big fans of Bill’s having visited many of the branches in other parts of London.  Fabulous for brunch.  Always a winner for teens and adults alike.  A good stomach liner and the arrival of the summer cocktail menu on one of the hottest days of the year is always going to be an ice-breaker.

Bloody Mary

Joy

Yes, there was Joy!

One of our absolute faves.  This is one for the whole family.  The store in Greenwich also has a men’s department as well as lots of browsing material to suit all.  We all love a bit of Joy in our lives in this family.  This shop ticks all of our boxes

I’m saying nothing about this picture.  You can draw your own conclusions.

The changing room area in this Joy is particularly swoon-worthy and worth a look – even if you aren’t trying on.

I’m not sure what these premises were used for prior to becoming Joy but the interior is stunning

Postmark

We all love the discovery of a new shop and this one was no exception.  A few surprises were in store at this new branch of Postmark in Greenwich.

We all love a card don’t we!  A browse through some of the offerings in Postmark caused every member of the Not Just Just the 3 of Us family to laugh at loud.  Purchases were made and good humour prevailed.

A fabulous selection of ribbons and wrapping and stationery were also on sale and it was one of the ‘nice to be in’ type shops that made for a good browsing session for all.

The best bit was that the shop had its own franking station and post box.  Rather novel we thought – what a fabulous idea.

An area to write your cards once you had purchased them and have them franked with Postmark’s franking machine with an exclusive Greenwich Meantime postmark.

And then the post box.  For those of us that buy cards and forget to write them or write them and forget to post, this idea is genius.  The fact that we had something to post made this even more convenient!  No more cards being walked around for days in the handbag if there is a Postmark near by!

Beadoir

As the name suggests, Beadoir is the home of all things bead related.  Located in one of the lovely walkways that lead into Greenwich Market, this shop has a good 30 minute ponder and purchase appeal for tween and teen girls.

This shop is testament to the fact that a girl can never have too many beads.

And if you think you have seen them all, think again.  This is ponder heaven in all of the colours and all of the sizes.

Greenwich Market

Delights from The Shed Laser Co.

Greenwich Market has much to offer for all ages.  The place where stallholders gather with their delightful crafts and offerings allows a good mooching session for the whole family.  It also offers the opportunity for a solitary mooch depending on the mood at any given moment.

Sustenance is available at every turn and on a very hot summer day, once can always turn to the Ginger Shot for a bit of a livener.  This really sorts the men from the boys!

For everyone else, there is fruit juice on ice.

Oliver Bonas

Another newbie on the Greenwich scene since we were last here.  And another winner in the mooch for all department.

Oliver Bonas and Joy are my idea of heaven.  It is the place where I make mental notes (and pictures) of all that I have seen for potential inclusion in the home and whichever ‘project’ is currently underway.   Colour scheme changes will spring to mind and much stirring of creative juices will take place (Ginger Shot optional).

The tween will do much the same but for her ‘eleventy millionth’ bedroom makeover.  This is not for at least another decade but it pays to get started early.    This age group love a motivational saying and a bit of wall art don’t they!

And for the man of the house – there are plenty of gadget type opportunities.

Jamie’s Italian

To seal in the goodness of a good day, one can partake of a little beverage and a bite to eat in the lovely Jamies.  The benefit of this is tenfold.  Much needed sustenance is available for all.  A summer cocktail can be enjoyed by parents who may be flagging at this point.  Everyone is happy with the menu.  Those with tweens and teens will know that this is a winning combination that will ensure the prevalence of peace and harmony throughout the dining experience.

There are several table choices so it is possible to move 900 times to ensure optimum comfort should the tween start moaning  comfort be an issue.

Hardys

Another winner and with the loss of our local sweet shop, it is always a welcome sign.  Particularly welcome is the location.  One has to pass this shop on the way back to the station.  It’s fine to go in again even if you have done so already.  The benefit of a second visit serves to ensure that the younger members of the family aren’t still hungry.  Any attempt at the suggestion of hunger at bedtime is futile once you have dangled a Hardy’s carrot (or CD) in this case.

This is the last chance saloon in a ‘peace and love’ kind of way for anyone (not mentioning names here) that may have ideas about suggesting that have been diddled out of a meal somewhere over the course of the day.  Because they do try it as you well know.  Many a poor child has gone to bed feeling slighted at not having had their usual daily three meal quota.

This is our way of saying there will not be any toast when we arrive home.  A way of making it clear that we are fast becoming wise to this new way of parenting.

As with many day outs, the addition of a partner, tween and teen is optional and one can most certainly enjoy Greenwich if traveling solo.  This goes for all parties providing they are old enough to do so.

For everyone else you can always sign up for a the Not Just the 3 of Us dust up field trip.

Nicky