It's an exciting Summer full of culture and it's started.

The excellent Greenwich & Docklands International Festival starts today and runs until 30th June. There's far too much to list here, but Prometheus Awakes looks like a very exciting free theatrical event. Check your diaries quick because it's happening tomorrow night by the Queen's House in Greenwich Park. It doesn't start until 10pm so too late for young children which is a shame as it looks pretty stunning.

This weekend, continue to bombard yourself with culture and entertainment and more Greenwichness as it's the Greenwich Fair. Every nook and cranny of the town centre will be taken over by street theatre and quirky performances. Should be great whether it rains or shines. Not sure which shows I'd pick out, but The Pig looks intriguing and worrying at the same time.

As if that's not enough, the Laban Dance Centre in Deptfordshire is hosting The Big Dance Picnic on 23rd June from 12pm. It's more about dance, circus arts and performance than picnic, but there should be enough movement for everyone's appetite. There will alos be a multi-sensory tent which sounds like a must-do.

Pond life

I do wonder how our new neighbours manage to shout all the time. Surely they must get hoarse? Actually, they do have two volume levels - loud and louder. With six children, I guess shouting is the only option. In my book, foul language is not an option, but not for them; it's as common as the word 'the'.

It does make me sad as the children are only offered one route into the World, which I view as an unhappy one. Or am I wrong? If being shouted at and sworn at is the norm in your young life, does happiness still exist but at a different level? I guess their parameters of happiness are different from mine.

-

A sunny day at the weekend, so La Familia Pangloss headed for the coast. In order to avoid traffic jam hell, we avoided Brighton and opted for Ramsgate. It's an easy drive from The Shire and I just love seeing the sign Thanet Earth. We had a lovely afternoon and even pootled around the harbour in a fishing boat. We really felt like we were on holiday. Having said this, there were plenty of tattooed people of the Super T ilk. They just did their own thing and enjoyed the sun as much as everyone else, which is fine, but I couldn't help thinking that their sheer numbers even made Woolwich look middle class. Hmm, could've been a few coach parties of the White Lightning Appreciation Society.

Ramsgate does have some lovely architecture, and you can see the developers working away to smarten up the flats and make the town the next Brighton. Neighbouring town, Margate has opened it's Turner Gallery and that should go some way to push this forgotten part of Kent into regeneration. Should be interesting to see how these towns develop in the next five years.

Ice sculpting

Today, tomorrow and Saturday, there is an ice sculpting festival at Canary Wharf. I love the sound of this. If I manage to go along, I won't expect to see anything to compete with the Harbin Ice Festival, but I'm sure it'll be spectacular nonetheless.

Legoland

Went to Legoland recently and this vending machine caught my eye. I'd imagine the brick-meisters know what a day trip with children is like.