Air pollution is very high in dot dot dot

This blog is about family travel around the world without leaving the UK. Impossible? No. Here's how air pollution in London makes me think of all the places I'd rather not live. Except that I live in one of them. This post is by Nicola Baird (see www.nicolabaird.com for more info about books and blogs).   Pic is of numbered pegs - try the air pollution challenge. Which county (or country) do you think is the most polluted, peg them up... Or pop an answer in the comment box.

Air pollution today - 16 March 2012 - is very high in, dot dot dot.

Actually I'm thinking London. But it's also bad in Kuala Lumpur, New Delhi, Los Angeles, Beijing and a spread of Chinese cities (not long ago a report found that 16 out of 20 of the world's worst polluted places were in China).

"It's the fog," says my husband looking out at a gloomy London.

"NO it's not!!" I reply, almost screaming (sorry). It's pollution trapped by the fog. The fog is not the cause.

Wake up people - ask your local councillors what they can do about it. Ask your MPs. Then remember that this is the exact perfect example of where we have to think global and act local.

This link gives you up to date facts around the UK. Purple is very bad. Red is pretty terrible. Today London is wearing purple. Lots of good info about how to campaign for clean air here.

This clip is of my youngest daughter talking about how air pollution triggers asthma. More precisely, how she feels when she gets asthma.

Over to you
Which countries/counties do you think are the most polluted?

Big musicals

Pete, Nicola, Lola, 9, and Nell, 6, spent three happy months during summer of 2007 traveling around Britain. Now we’re home, but the travel bug is still there. Join us for the occasional sightseeing plus tips on how to shrink your carbon footprint. This post is from Nicola (pic is of irrepressible theatre goers Alexander from Zimbabwe, Nell in posh coat and Lola in face paint)

Visitors to London can’t resist the West End musicals, but I’ve tended to avoid the big show experience because they are so expensive. But after going to see Mary Poppins (a wonderful show, coming to its end on January 12 and then touring the UK from June 2008) in Old Compton Street I’m a complete convert. Admittedly this trip was a gift from my friend Nicky who generously wanted to take her goddaughter, Nell, out to do something memorable. Nell adored being on a theatre trip her big sister wasn’t invited to and sat spellbound beside Nicky’s son Alexander throughout. Nicky also bought us the CD and since then we have been belting out all the hits such as A spoonful of medicine, Brimstone and Treacle, Being Mrs Banks and the absolute favourite Supercalafragalisticexpialidocious (slightly adapted to the sportswriter’s dream headline of Super Cali fragalistic Celtic are atrocious).

I know she’s not real, but I still envy Mary Poppins for her ability to control kids and employers, dazzle Bert and generally be magical and poised. She also reminds me of my friend Mandovia from Kuala Lumpur, Malysia who insisted on calling me Mary Potkins because I used to walk around the streets of Honiara shaded from the hot sun by am umbrella. That’s the power of musicals – you see them, sing them and then live them…