Summer in Blighty

When it's 24 degrees at 10 am you don't normally get that excited, except of course when you're living in Blighty and it's one of those rare moments you just have to delight in.

I was almost beginning to think that summer was something like the Dodo .... it became extinct a number of years ago. Thank god I was proven wrong.

We've managed to enjoy a lovely picnic this weekend and now I'm sitting here reveling in a balmy 29 degrees.  So it's with complete and utter joy that I write this post from a very summery Blighty.

Ham House where we had our picnic

For those of you sitting at home in Oz wondering how the residents of Blighty spend their summer, I thought I'd give you a little comparison. 

1. Parks replace the Aussie white sandy beaches.
There are some magnificent parks amongst the city landscape. So you can imagine that on a day of sunshine, rather than sit amongst cement, anywhere green is heaving with people having picnics or just chilling and working on their tans. 

2. Long grass. 
On the topic of parks, one thing I have really noticed is that you'll typically have long grass past your knees and people sit amongst it having their picnics. It still comes as a surprise when I see it because in Oz it would have been cut down a long time ago, either because it's to much of a fire hazard or because it could be hiding brown snakes.

3. For men, the shirts come off. 
No matter what size or shape the blokes like to show their winter tans. All they need is the navy singlet, thongs and stubby in the hand and they'll be partway there :)

4. Pimms is the summer drink (for the girls of course). 
This is something like a punch served with fresh mint, cucumber and orange. While I do miss my Alicante, I have to say you can't beat a nice glass of Pimms.

5. You can drink anywhere. 
While in Oz we're restricted by liquor licenses, here you can safely purchase your cans of beer from the Off License and walk down to the park, river or wherever you fancy and consume your tinny. I can't say I've ever felt the need to do this but don't be surprised when you see this everywhere in Blighty.

6. Air conditioning is a rarity. 
Except of course in shops. While Blighty is well set up for the cold most houses and the train system don't have air conditioning,  not that they really need it as it doesn't really last long enough!

7. Some shops stop serving hot food at 25 degrees. 
We popped down to a local cafe this morning for a coffee and they told us they wouldn't be cooking any hot food today as it was too hot for the staff mmmmmm

8. It's harder to get sunburnt. 
If I left the house in Oz with no sunscreen I'd likely burn within 5 minutes (yes I've timed it). But here I can safely sit in it for a lot longer and not be frightened to end up looking like a lobster. 

9. There is nowhere to have a BBQ.
For some reason Blighty is averse to letting people have BBQ's. Our flats won't let anyone have one, and all the local parks say 'BBQ's banned'. So where the hell do you go? In a land of high heat and bushfire Australia would have been the place I'd expect to have bans.  Yet in Blighty, a country with high rainfall and lush green fields they're not allowed. Whinge over....I miss my barbies.

Evening by the river in Kingston

So right now the cafes and restaurants along the river in Kingston are heaving with the remnants of celebrations both from a sunny day and also because Andy Murray, a Brit, has won the tennis for the first time is 77 years. 

Wherever you are enjoying the blue skies and sunshine, I hope you've had a glorious day.

Bye for now.

One night in London

Sitting here on a Sunday afternoon, it's time to relax. 

I've had my daily coffee fix courtesy of my favourite local cafe in Kingston and I've finished decorating the Donna Hay lemon cupcakes I made last night. 

I've vibered Mum and Dad and caught up on the local gossip and skyped one of my brothers. The wonders of modern technology to stay in touch with family on the other side of the world!

My husband is in the bedroom finally putting up the Laura Ashley blinds we bought a couple of months ago. He had tried to tell me the electric drill had gone missing and so he wasn't able to do it, however after raising my eyebrows and giving him the 'I so don't believe you' look he conceded defeat and suddenly found it. Funny about that. 

Looking out the window our plants are blooming and all that is missing is some beautiful blue skies and sunshine. Oh well perhaps another day. 

So I'm pondering the week ahead and psyching myself up for what will be a very busy day tomorrow. I'm excited though because it will be a short week for us as my husband and I are taking Thursday and Friday off. It's been a trying few weeks with a close relative in hospital so time to take some R&R.

On Wednesday night we have my cousin from Australia over with his French girlfriend. While my husband is excited he gets to practice his French, I'm researching places to go in central London, a good Blighty old school pub perhaps and then somewhere nice along the Thames for dinner.

So where do you go if you only have one night in London?

A boat ride along the Thames?
Ride on the London eye?
Theatre perhaps?
Jack the Ripper walk....

Mmmmm so many options

Where and what would you do if you only had one night in London? I would love to hear your tips and suggestions.

Trying to avoid sniffing armpits and other peak hour adventures

You can't have truly experienced a life in London unless you've travelled peak hour on the train.

A very empty Kingston Station at 7.55am!

The 7.55am from Kingston to Clapham Junction is the relatively painless part. We're one of the first stops, so it's easy to get a seat. By the time it gets past Wimbledon the carriages are full, and when I get to my stop, Clapham Junction I find myself almost doing acrobatics as I navigate my way between passengers, dogs, kids, bikes and bags to get out the door. 

It's then a mad dash from platform 11 to platform 1 but thankfully I wear my comfortable flatties. The connection isn't an easy one, not just the distance you have to close in a short period of time, but avoiding people meandering while reading their phones and trying not to miss the only connection every 15 minutes to Shepherds Bush.

Guessing where the doors will stop is the name of the game on platform 1 as that gets you first through the door and onto a seat. Of course if you don't, then you shuffle on with all the other sheep on the train, find a spot to hang on and try and immerse yourself in either a book, music or the latest news on twitter. Anything to avoid the overwhelming sense of claustrophobia.

So while the trip into work can be a little challenging, it's the trip home on a warm summers day that I really dread. No it's not the fact that sometimes the platform is so crowed at Shepherds Bush that I just stand back and wait for the next train; it's just not worth the stress.  The fact is, it's just not very pleasant when hundreds of people are squeezed together in a small train carriage and all you can smell are body odours as armpits glare down at you (yes I'm short so can't escape them). I always carry a scarf with me to bury my nose in and thankfully it has the remnants of my perfume to tide me over before I can escape into the fresh air.

It is no wonder that by the time I arrive back to the place I started that morning, it's almost a sigh of utter relief that the travel for today is over and I can disappear back home, throw my bag down, kick off the shoes, rip the work clothes off and change into some comfy trackies and then plonk myself down on the couch for a few brief but welcomed breathes in utter peace.

Serenity now....

ps.. if anyone reads my posts feel free to share your train experiences!

Volunteering in Kingston

As I sit here today resting after a rather busy and stressful week I wanted to share with you my latest volunteering experience. I had been pondering posting this one for a while, but now that I am actually working and in between that going to the hospital to visit one of our family members, time is precious and rather limited. 

My most recent volunteering experience was at a local Kingston charity called Age Concern. Below are some stories I have written from my experience there. These stories have been adapted to protect the privacy of the individuals but will give you an indication of the level of support this charity provides the local community.

Margaret is a rather sprightly 80 year old who is getting her hair done. Once a week clients of Age Concern can visit the hairdresser (and a podiatrist) for a discount rate. When she hears my Aussie accent she asks where I'm from. 'Adelaide, I've been to Adelaide many many years ago, beautiful place Adelaide'. She then starts to tell me how the Orient Express a ship she worked on transported migrants to Australia.'

Edith has lost her keys. She's been stuck at home for 3 days unable to make the doctors appointment or get food. At 86 years old you'd think the local council who own the flat she lives in would help but apparently they can't and so she's called for help. 

Jane calls concerned about her brother. He's recently had an operation and is due to be discharged from hospital in a couple days. There is no family nearby. 'How will he do his shopping, cleaning and how can we make sure he's ok?' she asks. Age Concern have an advice line and also can help with regards to domestic chores such as shopping and cleaning.

Bob calls telling me the driver is late. 'Have they forgotten me?' he asks. Bob is not alone as a lot of calls that come through are to make sure they haven't been forgotten. With little else to keep them occupied the oldies look forward to a day out at the day centre to enjoy some company, participate in various activities and have lunch.  

Jack... well Jack stands out as soon as you walk into the day centre. He's the resident Irish larrikin who loves a good banter. I can image that Jack was a bit of a lad back in the day and even now hunched over with age and leaning on a walking stick his mind is as sprightly as ever keeping the clients and workers there on their toes.

With the aging population charities such as this one will continue to need more and more support from us. The work they provide is invaluable. 

If you want to do something good, please don't ignore those around you. Help a local charity like Age Concern either via donation or your own time. If you see someone in the street or on the train that needs some help offer it, please just don't ignore.  

For more information about Age Concern Kingston you can visit their website at www.ageconcernkingston.org. 

Pub Review - The Foresters

Living in Kingston I am lucky to be at the door of many restaurants and cafes. While most are the typical chain based ones, there are a few hidden gems.

Located just over the bridge and in the heart of Hampton Wick is our favourite pub – The Foresters.

A small and quaint pub (which probably describes most British pubs) it's a place where you know you can get good food, wine and service. 

For entree we tried both the pea, broad bean and asparagus risotto with mascarpone and the pickled beetroot with goats cheese, toasted pine nuts and chardonnay dressing. Yum!

The main journey included seared scallops with roasted ceps (had to google ceps), sweetcorn puree and confit chicken. And rib eye steak with portobello mushrooms, cherry-vine tomatoes, caramelised onion, rocket salad and the signature... king edward thick cut chips (which I sneaked a taste on my plate). They do have the best chips!

Now for wine. I typically have an affiliation with Aussie wines only but because the only Aussie wines in Blighty are cheap and nasty, we decided to go with the recommendation by the waitress, which was a lovely light sangiovese red from Italy.

You would think we'd probably had enough food by now but seeing as we were enjoying the atmosphere, company and wine.... dessert had to be included. A lovely creme brulee and apple crumble with custard.

If you want to read more about The Foresters or perhaps book a meal, their website is http://www.the-foresters.com. They do have entertainment each Saturday so you have to book in early for those!

A bike ride to Richmond

What's the best thing to do on a gloriously sunny 25 degree day? A bike ride of course. 

This time I decided to go along the Kingston to Richmond route which takes you through Canbury Gardens, Teddington Lock, Ham Fields and into Petersham Meadows. Of course when you're out and about in Blighty you can't escape the history. 

As I cycled this route I stopped and took a number of photos. I caught sight of the white house across the river (third photo above). Amazingly I found it online.  

It's called Marble Hill House, and it's a Palladian villa set in about 66 acres of parklands. If you have no idea what 'Palladian' is like I didn't, try google. By the way, it's a type of architecture.

Apparently Marble Hill was built for a woman described as 'the remarkable Henrietta Howard', mistress of King George II when he was Prince of Wales, and friend and confidante of some of the cleverest men in England. Mmmm if you're a friend and confidante of numerous men could that be interpreted as something further?

  

The two photos to the right above, are the last stop just before Richmond, the Petersham Meadows. It took me about half an hour one way but that was stopping quite regularly to take photo's and enjoy the scenery.

Ham House

On the way back I did a detour past Ham House which is described as one of Europes greatest examples of 17th Century houses. I didn't go in this time but when I have more time I will. Ham House is said to be the vision of Elizabeth Murray, Countess of Dysart who was deeply embroiled in the politics of the English Civil war and subsequent restoration of the monarchy.

See it's amazing what you can find when you go out exploring! Bit different from a bike ride in Oz which I'd still love, but for a whole load of different reasons.

Date Night

This week we decided to go to a new little Bavarian bar and restaurant called Steins.

It's a quaint spot, not overly large but you escape to another world when you walk inside. It's adorned with floor to ceiling wood paneling, wooden tables, animal furs (not real for those of you that love animals) and old style black and white photographs showing off some lederhosens. It also has a great outdoor area overlooking the Thames which we've enjoyed before when the sun was shining.

Unfortunately there was no sun this evening, replaced by plenty of rain, so we sat inside.

Being Bavarian there is lots of sausage to eat... and pork. Not my most favourite of foods considering I was watching a program one day and it said that pork is a flesh most like human. In any case there are other options and I went for the chicken. 

The main course was average. We've been there before and the tasting platters are the way to go. However we'd never tried any deserts until now. Look what we had;

Yes a big platter of pancake and it just melted in your mouth. Crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy in the middle and served with an apple mousse.  I would hate to think how many calories I consumed, but hell it tasted good. 

We did have a few issues with service which was kindly acknowledged by the team there who offered us some complementary schnapps to finish up with.

We'll definately go back again.

Hot and Spicy

I knew that would get your attention!

A while ago there was a news program on television in Oz about a pub in Adelaide serving up a burger called 'The mega-death burger'. Apparently the burger is laced with an American spice that is 500 times hotter than a jalapeno chilli. For $25 you can try this but you have to wear latex gloves to eat it! 

More recently, in Kingston we had a chilli eating competition. There were no latex gloves required, however participants had to sign a death waiver. mmmm would you willingly sign away your life to pure pain?

Personally I don't fancy anything hotter than a standard Thai or Indian curry however there were about 8 participants in the competition, half of whom were female crunching away on chilli like they were juicy apples.

Did you know that the heat of a chilli is measured in scovilles? So taking a typical jalapeno, that would be between 2,500 and 5,000 scovilles. Cayenne Pepper takes it up to between 30,000 - 50,000 scovilles and then there's the Naga which is what most of the participants were eating towards the end of the competition. If you fancy a taste of this one it sits at around 1,382,118 scovilles. You can understand why eyes were bloodshot, noses were watering and random gagging could be heard. And they did this to win a ring of fire sauce?!

The winner turned out to be a draw between a male and female who had consumed about 6 of these Naga chilli's and that was after the first course of approximately 8 others. Personally I'll stick to my Indian curry.

The participants

 One of the winners 

Watching Wiggans win Gold at the Time Trials

After five hours of standing on my feet in one spot I am finally allowed to rest up on the comfy couch with a cuppa, a home made raspberry muffin and of course the good old laptop. I can now sit back and reflect on the days events.

For the Olympics it started with a bit of controversy surrounding the badminton players. Who would have thought Badminton would have made front page news?! The Chinese and Korean pairs both tried throwing the match which was so obvious when you watched the replay, even I could have hit a shuttlecock better than they were. It is a shuttlecock isn't it? Anyway the Aussies are now back in so that is a good thing.

Skip waiting for the riders

In Kingston, it was time for the Time Trials, so I set out for an early morning walk to suss out who was around.  At 8.30 in the morning people were already holding spots at key turns on the track. 

So at around 11.00am with a backpack of supplies, I found myself lined up along the route, right next to some Aussies sporting their green and gold tops. The funny thing was when we got chatting they actually live in the same apartment block as me. What a small world it is?!

Thinking we would be the only Aussies in the crowd it was nice to see a few other Aussie flags in the distance as well as the boxing kangaroo.

By the time Wiggans came past the crowd were well excited and absolutely roared and screamed. People were crammed in every spare space they could find, some even hanging out of windows in the nearby shops.

Looking for the best view

Unfortunately the Aussies didn't do very well at all but that seems to be the theme for the Australian contingent this year. It was nice to see the Poms get a gold (or two) so far today. Fingers crossed the Aussies can get a medal in tonights swimming!

The women riders arrive

Aussie Riders - Go Aussie!

The Gold Medallist - Wiggans!

Supporting your country come Rain, Hail or Shine

Amongst pouring rain, thunderstorms and lightening we went out to support the Women's Road Race. Front row seats this time as the crowds were definitely well down from the Men’s race on Saturday.

I saw the Aussies (eventually), got soaking wet in the process, but wanted them to hear at least one ‘Aussie Aussie Aussie’ in the Brit dominated crowd. Yes you might as well let go and get a bit feral when supporting your country, no one knows me here!

Aussie Aussie Aussie

Actually H and I must look a sight when we walk out the front door. I’m in the green and gold sporting my custom painted toenails and holding the boxing kangaroo flag. I even got a ‘I should be so lucky’ comment yesterday!  Meanwhile, Hamish is in the Brit red, white and blue topped with a bowlers hat sporting a Brit flag. I would put a photo here but I might get in trouble J

I must leave you now, I'm watching the Brits in the men's synchronised diving - go Tom Daly!

Men's Road Race reaches Kingston

With anticipation building the crowds continued to arrive and in some places were 10 or more deep. We managed to get a position right on a corner as they passed the famous Telephone Box sculpture in Kingston.

British flags were everywhere and amongst them were some odd ones out, South Africa, Pakistan and of course Aussie !

Police motorcycles revved past us waving and sometimes stopping to rev up the crowds. 

I got told off for waving my Aussie Flag but I didn't care no one was stopping me screaming Aussie Aussie Aussie as they raced past us.

O'Grady

Well done Aussies for coming 5th and well done Kazakhstan on 1st !

Excitement builds in London

This is not going to be a long post but I really just wanted to share with you how excited Britain is with the Olympic Opening Ceremony kicking off tonight. 

Its buzzing.

This morning as the torch passed Kingston atop of the Queen's rowbarge 'Gloriana' on the Thames, a mass bell ringing around London took place (8.12am to be exact). Even Big Ben rang for 3 minutes for the first time since King George VI's funeral.

From first sight of the boats on the horizon to seeing the rowbarge with the torch.

If you look closely at the 4th photo you can see an Aussie boat called the 'Barramundi'

Departing Kingston under the Kingston Bridge

Gossip is raging on who will be the person who lights the cauldron to signal the opening of the Olympics. Some of the names include The Queen and David Beckham.

There is also gossip about the mascots so I learnt yesterday. Apparently Wenlocks one eye represents the 'all seeing eye'....! Odd.

So what am I doing on this special occasion?

H and I are off to Hyde Park to watch an opening ceremony concert featuring Snow Patrol, Stereophonics, Duran Duran and someone called Paolo Nutini (?).

I have my green and gold (really yellow) outfit sorted and even painted the toenails!

Summer arrives in Blighty

Sunshine tickles my face at a very early 6am this morning. It’s going to be a warm day as I can feel it in the air.

A cloudless vivid blue fills the sky and in the distance I see a slight smoggy haze, remnants of the urban environment.  

Semi-naked people sunbake along the banks of the Thames.  Motor boats pass with women in bikini’s sitting atop of the bows, showing off their fake tans. Bike riders pedal past and families pushing prams wander along, kids skipping, laughing and jostling one another. Mothers yell at them to stay close.

Ducks and swans swim along the banks hoping for a feed.

People walk past complaining of the heat. I overhear one conversation, a woman is moaning that it’s too hot to walk the dog and that she had to get up at 6am to take him for a walk. Oh dear!

An awesome foursome rows past, past being the operative word as on closer investigation they look in their 70’s; fit old buggers.

A boat, the Tilbury Hope rests waiting perhaps hoping for customers so it can cruise along the Thames, I dare say the skipper won’t mind if no one turns up as he is stretched out relaxing in the sunshine, a cigarette smouldering in one hand. I know he’s awake as every now and then the hand moves and he inhales the cigarette, a deep inhalation as if it’s the last one of the day.

I’ve found a hidden gem of a cafe; its plain and simple not fancy like the high street ones. It’s essentially a small shed, hidden from the main road by trees and can only be found if you dare to walk further than the local high street shops. It caters for the essentials coffee and ice cream and today I opt for the coffee, perhaps an ice cream later.

Sitting here I’m reminded of a hot summer’s day in Oz only there is no gum tree to sit under and escape the searing heat, its willows and ash trees. Plus it’s not really searing hot as it’s not quite 40 just a mere 31. No need to escape to the cinema or shopping mall for some air conditioning but a day to escape and sit near the banks of the Thames and soak in the atmosphere.

The Olympic Torch arrives in Kingston

On a warm summers morning the Torch arrived in Kingston.  We were lucky to get a prime position along the route as we didn't have far to venture - just downstairs and out the front door. 

Standing among the crowds we saw the sponsors arrive first with Coca Cola making the loudest impression with music blasting.

Next we saw the mascot who's name apparently is Wenlock after a town called Much Wenlock in Shropshire (see photo on top left below).

The torch finally arrived at 9.18am being carried by someone we didn't know and apparently no one else did either after questioning a few people including volunteers near me. 

And you might like to know that the torch arrival probably lasted less than 10 seconds before everyone was on their way back to work or whatever they were planning on doing today. Me well I went to the gym!

Where I live

As I sit here on our balcony enjoying cloudless blue skies (still a novelty here) and the trickling water of the solar powered budda which has recently joined our eclectic mix of plants, I was pondering what to write when I remembered that tomorrow morning I have a date with the Olympic flame in Kingston. Well not a real date but I plan to go check it out if the crowds will allow me to. 

So on the eve of the Olympic flame arriving in Kingston and the upcoming Olympic Opening Ceremony on Friday, I thought I would write and tell you a bit more about this little spot called Kingston Upon Thames.

Kingston in the UK is nothing like the stinky seaweed town of Kingston in Oz (apologies if you like stinky seaweed). It sits in South West London on the edge of the Thames and borders some of the more famous areas such as Richmond, Wimbledon and Hampton Court Palace.

Hampton Court Palace gardens

It’s centre point is an ancient market square which still houses markets every day. I can get my fruit and veg down there during the week and on the weekend they tend to have a few extra stalls ranging from clothing, jewellery and other bric-a-brac.

Market Square

Near to the market square is the mall filled with a wide variety of shops. I’ll just add, particularly for the girls reading this, that yes it has a Zara, TopShop, Accessorize to name a few! If you get sick of shopping there are a number of bars and restaurants nearby and along the Thames. Of course if you want peace and quiet then just a hop skip and a jump over the bridge are the parks.

What I didn’t know until I did some research is that Kingston is an ancient market town where Saxon Kings were crowned. It was first mentioned in around 838 when it was called Cyninges tun. It had a few variations on the name until it became Kingston Upon Thames. I still find it bizarre when reading dates here because so many of them exist well before Australia was even a spot on the map.

The apartment where I’m living edges on the River Thames and so it’s walking distance to all the nice things that Kingston has to offer. 20 minutes from Waterloo on the train we can be in central london quite quickly. Below are some pics for you. Enjoy!

View from the roof of our apartment block

Kingston Bridge

 

Other roof view!

The red apartment block is where we are!

Front of apartments - Kingston Bridge in distance

Bushwalking in Blighty

Across the Thames from where we’re living in Kingston are numerous adjoining parks that lead onto Hampton Court Palace. 

One of my favourite places to visit in the UK, Hampton Court Palace was the home of the famous Henry VIII. When we have visitors I tend to take them on one of the local boat rides along the Thames from Kingston to Hampton Court Palace, but yesterday in the hope I could gain some inspiration for my writing course homework, I decided to go for a walk.

Home Park being the destination of choice is a mere 700 acres compared to its neighbour Bushy Park which is 1099 acres. I share with you the size because the expanse of these parks is surprising considering how close they are to what I term the city.

Walking across Kingston Bridge I can disappear out of urban life and into tranquillity within 5 minutes.

The Ice House

Past the entrance into Home Park I am greeted by a large brick structure to the left, it's actually an old Ice House from the 17^th Century. 

Looking at where its located Henry must have had a long long walk from the palace to get ice for his Gin and Tonics!

The Big Trees : Sherwood Forest?

Wandering along I pass massive tree’s, they remind me of Sherwood Forest not that I’ve actually ever been there but it just has that feel about it.

I suppose the one real difference that gets me every time I go for bush walks in Blighty is the long grass. In Oz we typically mow it where we can, or back burn it where we can’t to protect ourselves from bushfires and venomous little creatures such as the tiger snake. I utterly refuse to walk near long grass particularly in warm weather back home but here I find myself almost running through it in utter delight, yes it is a bit of a novelty.

Deer in the long grass

As I keep walking I come across deer roaming freely. They can do that here and feel utterly safe because it is illegal to hunt them thanks to the Queen. At home we’d be adorned with our rifles hoping to get some nice venison for dinner, well my brother would anyway.

The random hole...odd?!

The lake (or one of them)

Continuing on I get distracted when I find a few holes randomly scattered not far from a lake. What ever could be living here? I can’t see anything worth investigating further so continue on enjoying the view of the swans on the lake.

Passing a Golf Course I was just wondering where next to go when I see them..... hundreds and hundreds of rabbits. It is quite rare to see so many in one place so I quietly creep along trying to get as close as possible to take some pictures. It doesn't work of course because one step and they run and hide in their burrows.  I did try and take a picture but you probably cannot see the rabbits, you'll just have to believe me when I say there were lots.

The Rabbits

Actually it brings back memories of my childhood on the farm, standing on top of the ute and shooting bunnies with my Dad and brothers. Back then they were vermin to the farmers so we’d have competitions on how many we could shoot. No apologies to those animal Liberationist's as that was how we did things back then. 

But back to the topic at hand, bushwalking in Blighty is probably less challenging than in Oz as there are no mountains to climb and no venomous creatures to avoid. It's easy to just get lost in your surroundings and enjoy.