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Competitions
Give Us A Break!
Week 1: Copenhagen
Congratulations to our first winner, Olive Greaney from Mayo, who sent us this entry:
Give us a break?
Crawl out of bed. Boil kettle, warm milk. Return with milk. Lift out of cot. Put on bib.
Give him bottle. Change nappy dodging active legs. Blow raspberries on belly. Play. 8.45: three-minute shower. Wash hair. Brush teeth. Cream face. Get him dressed as he wriggles in arms. Get me dressed. Carry to kitchen. Say good morning to cows in field, stray cat on wall, tiger wind chime, and sundry stuffed animals. Coax into high chair. Boil milk. Make cereal, toast and coffee.
Give breakfast. He scoffs his toast. I scoff mine. Make sandwiches for me.
Get his food for the day. Run around. Feed stray cat. Close windows. Turn off heating. Lock back door. Check his bag. Put in bib and extra vest just in case.
Put on make-up. Get my bag ready. Check money and mobile phone. Put on jackets. Put us in car. Drive to babyminder. Remove from car. Settle him with minder. Back to car. Drive to work. Work. Eat sandwiches. During lunch buy groceries or do other errands
Back to work. Work. Finish at five. Drive to minder. Find out about his day as he wriggles in arms. Put him in car seat as he wriggles in arms. Get home. Catch up with partner. Coax into high chair. Give dinner avoiding waving hands. Negotiate rotating head with open mouth for exact insertion of food. Clean face, hands and high chair. Put in playpen. Help find favourite toys before whimpers begin. Help partner get dinner. Return him to high chair to form family unit. Have half dinner. He has other half. Do washing up. Change nappy. Go to living room for quality time. Sit on floor to receive random hugs and inexpert kisses (mmmm.) along with unintentional head butts (aaaggh!). Join blocks. Read books. Make animal noises. Race cars. Roll in blanket. Wait for eyes to be rubbed and first whimpers of tiredness. Fetch soother and pyjamas. Put on pyjamas as he wriggles in arms. Put into sleeping bag. Play peek-a-boo through bars of cot. Rub noses. Give more hugs and kisses. Return to living room. Pick up scattered toys. Flop on Sofa. Watch TV with partner. Mumble conversation. Wash bottles for morning. Tidy kitchen. Go to bathroom. Brush teeth. Clean face. Include some essential maintenance in beauty routine if there is time. Go to bed. Read book or switch off light. Crawl out of bed. Boil kettle. Warm milk. Return with milk. Lift out of cot. Put on bib.
I could do with a break. A friend of mine says she will babysit anytime but I'm saving her for a special event like a weekend in Denmark if I win this prize... Give us a break?
Our 1st week PRIZE includes:
2 tickets direct from Dublin to Copenhagen
2 night's accommodation at the Radisson Scandinavian Hotel including breakfast and 1 dinner
Plus your Copenhagen Card to get you discounts, transport and entry to museums around Copenhagen
Copenhagen - A magical, compact cutting edge City
Copenhagen this clean, trendy, non crowded safe city is only a two hour fight from Dublin with Scandinavian Airlines who fly the route twice daily
Design
Arne Jacobsen has had a big influence on Danish furniture design and the many trendy hotels in the city, all to be found in abundance in Copenhagen the self designated 'Design Capital' Did you know that the Sydney opera House was designed by a Dane.
If you have a particular interest in interior design, you should pay a visit to the new 5-storey Danish Design Centre which hosts regularly changing exhibitions on a diverse range of design-related themes. The impressive glass-fronted building is one of the Dane Henning Larsen's masterpieces
Tivoli
The magical world of Tivoli, (the old amusement park) which first opened in 1843 opens this year for the first time over Halloween. It will be converted in to the magical, haunting and spooky world of Halloween with witches, illuminated pumpkins , smiling scarecrows and the magic that is Tivoli, located in the centre of Copenhagen. Tivoli reopens on the 15 November for the famous Christmas markets. Cool crisp evenings and candlelight catches the atmosphere of how Christmas used to be. 70 different stall keepers sell their Christmas wares right up to Christmas Eve.
Little Mermaid
Probably one of the most famous icons of Copenhagen be under whelmed by the size of this world famous statue!
Stroget
(Don't even try to pronounce it unless you are a Dane!) The longest pedestrian shopping street in the world. All the top brands can be found here amongst the street buskers. If you keep your eye open you just 'might' catch a glimpse of the world famous Danish supermodel turned professional photographer Helena Christiansen
Hans Christian Andersen
Wrote many of the world famous fairy stories like the Little Mermaid, The Princess and the Pea and The Ugly duckling. The city is dotted with statues celebrating the characters from his many stories
Opera
One of the most modern and beautifully designed Opera houses in the world is to be found in Copenhagen. 24 carat gold leaf covers the ceiling and the walls and balconies are clad in shining maple wood
City bike
Bikes are the most popular mode of transport in Copenhagen, the city is practically flat! See the city on bicycle - and they are free.
Nyhavn
The harbour area of the city is packed with bars selling the beer the 'Danes hate to see you leave' By day Café culture is the order of the day and by night there are many top class high, quality restaurants the length of the harbour.
Monarchy
Copenhagen is home to the oldest monarch in the world, see the changing of the guards and visit the grounds of Amalienborg Palace, the royal couple's winter residence, is a major architectural work and probably the most outstanding piece of Rococo architecture in Denmark
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