London weather vs Trinidad Carnival - 0:1

This weather is not helping my homesickness at all.  Add to that, my Facebook timeline is full of friends and family back home, raving and posting about the parties in the lead up to the biggest event in the Trinidad & Tobago calendar... Carnival.

Let's be clear here - I am totally, 100% biased, but Trinidad & Tobago Carnival is an incredible, mind-blowing experience.  For the whole country, as soon as Christmas is out of the way, the real business of getting ready to party for 2 days straight gears up.  You can't get a membership at a gym for love nor money, as everyone is working out in preparation for some skin-baring, and more to the point, building up the stamina required to dance from midnight to 4am, and then be back out from 8am - 6pm... then maybe throw in a party or two each night, before (if you're part of a costume band) dancing across a huge stage for your band to be judged.  

And it's happening right now.  Right this very second, while snow is turning to wet slush outside my front door, people are dancing in the streets, listening to incredible steel-pan orchestras and hot bounce-your-booty soca tunes.  Sigh.  Jealous? Me??

Kids join in too, and I thought that while I'm torturing myself, poring over pics on the internet, I would share some photos of the Junior Parade of the Bands, because Carvnival is for EVERYONE.  I've been showing these pictures to Missy G, and talking to her a lot about Carnival.  I want her to be proud of having heritage from the place Carnival was born in.  In fact, in typical working-mummy style, as I can't be there myself, I even sent a powerpoint on the history, costumes and music of the event to nursery - hoping that within the constant flow of glitter and sticking that comes through this house, at least next week's may be mildly related to this!

(images from the National Carnival Commission of Trinidad & Tobago)

While looking forward to glamming up for a glitzy night out tonight is all well and good, I am really back home in Trinidad and Tobago in spirit, imagining the revelry of Carnival Monday and Tuesday.  

Have a jump up for me...