Just another manic Monday...

Definitely wishing it were Sunday!
Alas, it is off to work I go but got a nice little surprise when I ran into the hubby on the train. He left a good 15 minutes before me but is bus died and he had to walk. Bumping into each other on public transport is becoming a habit of ours. A sure sign we officially live here and are settled is when we run into other people we know while out and about on the city. Always nice to look up and see a smiling face on a crowded train full of grumpy Guses! Even if it only for one stop.
Changing the subject (as you already know how I feel about London trains!)... We joined Zipcar! Had our first jaunt about town this weekend in a VW something or another. The concept is simple , cars are parked in designated dots all over the city. You can reserve one online for as long or as short as you want paying a small fee by the hour including 40 miles and gas per rental. Our first rental taught us a fee lessons. 1. Never underestimate how long it takes to go 15 miles in London. 2. Returning the car late is a costly miscalculation. and 3. Always leave the house with adequately charged mobile phones.
Sunday's journey took us to IKEA for home purchases and then to a Christmas tree farm in Kent. We were able to walk through the fields and puck our tree! The man cut it down as we watched... the experience had a Griswold feel to it which added to the excitement. We gave the tree several good shakes to ensure any little critters had vacated prior to setting it up inside. Nothing ruins the holidays like a squirrel in the Christmas tree! A few finishing touches and the house will be ready for the 25th if December!
In that note, I am one stop away from getting this Monday officially underway. Thanks for keeping me company on my morning journey! X

Renewed effort

So we all accept that I am rubbish at updating this blog. The main barrier is life... seriously real life is always getting in the way of the things I love. Writing, traveling, napping... I realised while in Hong Kong that I could get used to the easy, lady that lunches lifestyle. Alas, that lifestyle can only be mine at fleeting moments. Moments that I will take and cherish whenever I can get them, thanks to my fabulous husband and occasional Sugar Daddy!  But at the same time I am going to make a point to carve time out of real life for writing.
Currently, I am standing on the 6:45 am train into work, single finger pecking on my phone and not holding on... writing is a dangerous habit! Me being on the train with strangers before 7 am is even more dangerous. I think politeness and basic manners have lost there place in this word. Watching big burly men push ladies to the side as they head to open seats is common place. I get that we all have long days ahead and varying degrees of reasons for wanting to sit but to push another human to the side is just plain gross. Gross might not be the right word but I am in need of my morning coffee so gross it will be. After 7 am I am more likely to scoff, passively comment under my breath, shake my head and issue a dirty look at the culprit. Before 7 am, my mouth is making sounds before I have a chance to stop it."What is wrong with you?" "Seriously?" "Get up and let that poor lady you trampled sit down." "Yes, I am talking to you." All words accompanied with said scoffing, looks and head shaking... but nothing passive here. Just to put the icing on the cake, I thank him for ultimately getting up and tell him when he gets off (at the very next stop!) to have a good day. Chuckles erupt on the normally silent train and the ladies all share a knowing smile... a drop of water in the ocean but at least that one lady got a seat this morning.
Tomorrow commute will be an after 7 am'er.
On a side note, I have seen a man without pants (the American or British variety) two days running... and not the same man either. Here's hoping this won't be a hat trick!

The times... they are a changin'

We have emerged from the most miserable time of year... the months when the sun is not up when you leave for work but has already set by the time you walk out of the office at 5:00pm. It is hard to drag yourself through the days and after 9 weeks of this you start to think that the sun has forever given up on London. The only light at the end of the tunnel is the train and it is coming straight for you. You long for the days of walking through the park at 8:30 pm with your sunglasses on and then question if those memories are real or just your vitamin D deprived brain playing cruel tricks on you...

And then you catch a glimpse of a tinsy flower bud popping its head out of the sun deprived earth. There is nothing like it... okay well maybe there are better moments in the world but to a Florida Girl living in London, trying to survive the dark, this is a pretty amazing feeling ;-)

I saw the first buds several weeks ago and then made a point to walk through a park at least once a day. But like a watched pot never boils... a watched buttercup never blooms. I stared to worry that the cold winter, lack of sun, excessive rain, snow... you get the point... had done the poor little wild flowers in this year. I put them to the back of my brain and got on with the day to day.

And then today happened. First, I noticed a neighbors window box was full of daffodils. Bright yellow, standing tall, waving at me in the breeze. I started to get a little excited and stood staring at them until I realised said neighbor was looking at me through the window. I wanted to skip away but figured she was still watching and I was carrying my laptop and gym bag which making skipping a bit cumbersome. So I casually made a bee line to St John's Wood Church Gardens and what I found was a glorious site...

Buttercups, Crocus, Snowdrops, and Daffodils... oh my!

Now... we are not out of the woods yet. There is still a lot of rainy, cold days and limited sunshine to get through but I think I have decided the light I see at the end of the tunnel isn't the train after all!

Look out Ginger and Fred... The Kipphuts are taking over this show!

Last night we headed to Wapping for a little vino and some dancing. To the relief of all involved in the evening there were no cameras. To answer your first question, Wapping is in east London. And to our surprise still in zone 2... However, I have not confirmed this on an official map so not sure I believe it! And now the second question, how on earth did I get CK out dancing??? This was easier than one might suspect. A friend, Tim, invited us and CK accepted without realizing what he was getting himself in to... That ought to teach him to read his email a bit more carefully!

Our friends, Tim and Laura, started the night off with a delicious roast and the first of a few bottles of wine. We had a great view of the dance venue from their dining room. The Wapping Project is an old hydro electric plant that has been converted into a restaurant, events hall, and exhibition space. Very little has been changed but it is a beautiful space with exposed bricks, huge windows and vaulting ceilings. A perfect place to take a spin around the dance floor!

There were 2 professional instructors. A sweet youngish girl who was patient, kind and did her best to stiffle her giggles as we trotted all over each others feet. And a rather gruff guy
who looked like perhaps his family was being held hostage until he taught us a few dance moves. His technique was simple... If they don't get it just move on and teach an even more complicated move... Including one that involves the guy sliding the girl along the floor, between his legs and then popping her back up to her feet. If you are having trouble picturing this just imagaine me flat on my back with Chris standing over me laughing uncontrollably.

All things considered and excluding the grande finale move, we rocked it! Chris even danced his way down the street to breakfast this morning just to prove he could still do it. And that is how a star is born!

A Snowy Day in Londontown...

The Kipphuts should be buckling their seat belts and settling in for the hop across the pond... However, London weather had another plan. About 2 hours of snow left us with mass chaos at the airports, train stations and roads. Runways are closed and the Kipphuts' flight has been cancelled... the good news is that they are rebooked to arrive on Tuesday. Finger crossed :-)

We dealt with our disappointment with a frolic in the snow... which ended in a snowball fight!

I guess it is not all bad!!

Happy Birthday Party Day to ME!!!

After getting a taste of karaoke at the Marshski wedding in August I am officially hooked. So when CK and I saw a sign for karaoke at our local pub it started the wheels turning... I asked CK to plan a birthday party for me before all our friends disperse across the world for the holidays. Thus Jen's 28th (yep I am officially going in reverse now) Birthday Party Day Celebration was born!

The gang at the Grand Union in Islington post dinner (which included a very loud birthday serenade and table dancing). The gang had a very lovely addition of Michelle from Atlanta who happened to be in town for work.

Getting the party started in our private karaoke room at Lucky Voice with a little Amy Winehouse. Good thing for you this blog doesn't have sound!

 Charles and Bethany sporting the lovely hates provided in our prop box!

 Steven and Chris wearing their own wigs... just kidding, those were in the prop box as well.

These are the only pics we have at the minute but I will try to beg others off the rest of the singers... err I mean friends ;-)

And now I have seen it all...

A man, sitting on a toilet, reading a paper on Westminster Bridge next to Parliament...

Fancy Dress Fun in the S-J-Dub

After a year of threatening to do a pub crawl from our place in St John's Wood to the Marshki's in Kilburn... we finally got it together in October. And since it was October, the only way to do it was in costume. And if you're going to put on a costume, it should be an 80's themed get up... And if it is 80's themed and Chris is involved... well... then it is obviously going to be...

He Man and his once long lost sister She Ra... the sister bit was strange... CK in a blonde wig was stranger!

The Marshki's did it up with Beetlejuice and Lydia.

The whole gang at our favorite local, The Ordinance.

Alex and Oli drove down from Stoke for the festivities. Oli made a brilliant Axel Rose!

 Tim rocking the Canadian tuxedo with Laura proving metallic animal print leggings are hot!

 Anthony won a prize for best costume at the last pub we visited... and believe it or not CK won for best dancer! If only I had taken video of his Gray Skull shuffle!

I am afraid this is where the pictures end... following this last photo there was a bus journey with zombies and a cowgirl, a walk through Camden that included several random stranger photos, the aforementioned dancing contest, a long wait at a bus stop in the cold, an attempt to secure a taxi and finally a walk through Primrose Hill to get home! It is a good thing the camera was safely tucked away and forgotten about! No need to worry; everyone made it home safe and sound! 

House of Lords

Chris and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary this year. We decided that our gift to one another would be attending a charity event at the House of Lords. The evening included entry into Westminster Palace via the Sovereign's Gate, cocktails and canapes on the Thames River, and a tour of the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

 Chris and I on the Thames River terrace.

View of Westminster just after sunset.

Happy Belated Birthday Steven!!!

A few weeks ago, my good friend Steven McIntyre celebrated his 28th Birthday... AGAIN! We spent a rainy Saturday afternoon at the Tate Modern followed by a rather nice and dry walk along South Bank to Soho for a delicious dinner at Cafe Emm. The best part of the day was enjoy a drink and some nibbles in the bar at the Tate overlooking St Paul's Cathedral! A simply fantastic day with lovely friends!

The view from our spot at the bar! Not too shabby!!

A rather dark picture of the boys...

Steve and Ray outside the Tate.

Chris and I a bit further along Southbank.

From the Golden Jubilee Bridge.

A 3 hour tour....

Nick and Kirk (aka Nirk) arrived in London just in time to enjoy an extended visit. Thanks to an Icelandic volcano, of all things, their one week holiday turned into a 2 week get away! 

We went on a walking tour just a few hours after their plane touched down...Tower Bridge, Borough Market, Southwark, South Bank, Westminster Bridge, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. We finished off the evening with a walk along Regent's Canal to Camden and dinner at Camden Brasserie. Not too shabby for day 1!

On day 3, we hired a car and drove to Canterbury. Had big plans to continue on to Dover but decided to enjoy Canterbury and leave Dover to the next visit. Canterbury Cathedral was very impressive. I will post more on it later.

We head due north to the coast and for a quick and very cold glimpse of the English Channel before heading back to London Town. Our drive home took us past the 2012 Olympic site.

One day 8 (thanks Eyjafjallajokull) we took a blanket down to Regents Park and enjoyed spring time in London. This is by far the best time of year in London... although my allergies might disagree. Nirk got a chance to experience a bit of day to day life in London. 

And what is more day to day than a Sunday Roast and a pint at the Volunteer?

Chris and I are so glad that the boys finally made it over to visit. Hopefully, they will make a habit of it now that they realize how easy it is to get to London! Take note other non-visitors!!! Come to London!

When the Farmers Came to Londontown

A few weeks ago Michelle and Matt came for an extended weekend trip to London. They arrived on Friday and Michelle headed home on Tuesday. Matt stayed in town until the following Saturday but had to work... boo work! However, in the few days we had together we walked to Camden via Primrose Hill, spent way too much time at Cyberdog (a futuristic space clothing store... the store's description, not mine!), had a delicious dinner at Cinnamon Club followed by a walk past Westminster Abbey, Parliament, County Hall, and the Eye, spent a night in the country, waved to the queen, stared at some royal guards, ate in a cave, went shopping on Marylebone High Street and enjoyed tea at the Wolseley! Not too shabby for 4 days!

Matt and Michelle in Camden.

Cold Farmers in front of Big Ben.

Michelle and Matt in front of the old mill in Lower Slaughter.

Yes, it was as cold as it looks.

Michelle and Chris at the Puesdown Inn.

Nothing better than a comfy sofa, a warm fire and great company to put smiles on our faces!

 Michelle and Matt at Gordon's Wine Bar.

I will try to post some more pictures from the weekend soon.

Until then...

~Hugs and Kisses~

Christmas Time in the Big City!!!

It is no secret that I loathe Christmas music. I think it was the year I worked at Gap Kids for the holidays to make some extra money that put me over the edge. The same 30 songs in the exact same order played over and over again for almost 2 months straight is enough to send anyone to the nut house. However, pair that up with people coming into the store, singing along and commenting about how great the music is... well, that made me the pseudo scrooge that I am today! I say pseudo because I love all other things Christmas. I just wish we could leave the music out of the holiday!!!

Since we are heading home for the holidays this year Chris tried to convince me that we should skip the tree. Ha! Like he ever had a chance of winning that argument! I have been daydreaming about all my ornaments and fun holiday stuff since the 1st note of crappy Christmas music hit my ears! I almost refused to go on our weekend get-away to Isle of Wight because I wanted to get the tree on Friday. So today after work I got the bus to the Flower Station and picked out a tree London style. Basically that means that I picked a tree that I never saw unwrapped because when I asked the guy to unwrap a few he laughed! It was a rather grumpy laugh so I decided not to push my luck, paid for the tree and hailed a black cab! Yes, I brought my tree home in a black cab!!! I must say it was a bit easier than carrying it the 6 blocks home like we did last Christmas.

Luckily, when I got the tree home and opened it I was pleasantly surprised to find a decent tree. All that is left is to toss the lights and decorations on it and wait for the presents to show up!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

4 Americans, 2 Brits, an Irishman and a Bengali... No, it isn't a joke! We had some friends over for a traditional Thanksgiving meal on Thursday. The food was delicious (if I do say so myself) and the company was even better. I learned another valuable lesson... convection ovens cook much faster than regular ovens... However, since I was basting the bird every 30 minutes I was able to pick up on the fast cooking and in the end it was cooked to perfection. I love this Tom Colicchio recipe and don't think I will ever like another turkey as much. Even Chris said he thought this was my best turkey yet! Add the sweet potatoes with praline topping, green bean casserole, roasted garlic and sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, and top it all off with bourbon spiked pumpkin pie... We had a feast fit for the Queen!

After all the work we put into the feast we decided to get away for the weekend. Chris found a last minute deal on the Isle of Wight, booked the train tickets and away we went... after all the dishes were done! More to come on the Isle of Wight but not now... we have massages in 10 minutes ;-)

Until then...

XOXO

BOLO

On my walk home from work a few days ago I came across an interesting scenario. About 2 blocks from the flat, I found a pair of men's trousers on the sidewalk. It looked like someone had just walked right out of them. I ponder for a moment how a man could loose his trousers and just keep walking which is when I came upon a jumper (aka sweater)! Now I was baffled... trousers and a jumper within 10 yards of one another... could this be a coincidence? Now I felt like I was on the hunt... so when I came across a pair of men's underpants, I nearly jumped with delight!!! A few yards later, there was a men's button down dress shirt... and then it hit me.

There is a naked man roaming about my neighborhood!

West London be on the look out for (BOLO): a naked man!

The quiet before the storm...

Looks like things are about to get crazy.

With storms brewing in the Atlantic and coastal towns preparing for another hurricane season in the good ol' U S of A, we are preparing for a season of our own. Next Sunday we take off for Hungry, then to the Czech Republic, returning to London on the 30th and then preparing for a visit from an Atlanta friend. Sandhya arrives on the 4th or 5th September and we will likely hit up the English countryside for a weekend with Sandhya returning to ATL on the 9th. Her trip is followed by a bit of a breather... which will be devoted to training. After all, we are off to Oktoberfest in 2 short weeks and must be in top beer drinking condition. Back in London on 28th September with a possible visit from Mike within a few days. And to wrap up the fun filled season, the Kipphuts arrive on the 20th of October for a week that includes NFL in London!!!

I am worn out just writing it all down... But I wouldn't change a thing!!! Looks like we have some availability at the beginning of October if anyone wants to squeeze in a quick trip and help us move to the new place!

Heaven on a bun...

Otherwise known as Lucky Seven.

Several months ago Chris and I read/heard about a place in Notting Hill that was supposed to have great burgers. A few months later we figured out the name of the place, Lucky Seven, and a few months after that I found it while working. It took me about a week to convince Chris it was 'close' and we could walk there for dinner. We went for the 1st time the day after Michael Jackson died... random I know... and enjoyed bacon cheese burgers with french fries, milk shakes and the MJ catalog rockin' in the background. It was Y U M M Y!!! We ate so much that it was painful to walk home and we both had to undo the top button on our jeans... but we vowed to return and do it again.

Yesterday, we met our friend Tim at the Great British Beer Festival for some good ol' fashion beer drinking... err tasting ;-) After what felt like 30 minutes but turned out to be about 4 hours at the festival, nothing sounded better than a big fat American style bacon cheese burger with beer battered onion rings and a cookies-n- cream extra thick milk shake.

Life is good.

Tennis Anyone?

Once again, my post has been a long time coming... Better late than never should be my catch line ;-)

There were several buses from the Underground Station to the Wimbledon Arena but only one with this much character. I love the old double decker buses. There is one in London (No 6, I think) that is Airstream Silver but I never have my camera when I see it!

Our first glimpse of the order of play... we were hoping to see Andy Roddick and Venus Williams but they were playing on Court No 1 and we had tickets for Centre Court. Which is in the background of the this pictures. We did get to see the British hopeful, Andy Murray.

There are about 25 courts on the complex! The place is much larger than I was expecting.

We found our way to Court 18 to catch the women's number 6 in the world play... forgot her name already... and asked the guy behind us to snap a quick picture. He asked if we wanted center court in the background and we said yes. Apparently I should have specified that we also wanted both our faces in the picture as well.

The ball children!!! They are by far the best part of watching tennis at Wimbledon. They are trained like little army soldiers... I want one to run around my little flat doing chores and catering to my beck and call.

I could do this...

We saw this guy all over the place. Yes, he is wearing a curly white wig over a cap with headphones!!

Nothing like a relaxing day under the flowers, drinking Pimms and eating strawberries & cream... oh and watching tennis.

Center Court... in the shade!

Our first match at Center Court, Leyton Hewitt vs Juan Martin del Porto, Hewitt upset del Porto but eventually lost to Roddick in the Quarter Finals.

The line judges are awesome. Some of them get so into it that you would think they were playing, too. We most have seen them get hit about a dozen times. The wait until the absolute last minute to get out of the way of incoming balls so they can see if they are in or out... considering the serves were between 90 and 130+ mph I imagine they all woke up the following day with tennis ball sized welts!

Chris at the bottom of Henmen Hill... most of these people by tickets simple to get in the gates and onto the first come courts!!! They watch the big matches on a gigantic screen.

A men's double that we watched in passing on the way back to Center Court for the final match of the day...

The great British hopeful, Andy Murray... too bad he is Scottish... and he lost in the final!

We left at 6 pm and there were still people queuing to get inside. I think Wimbledon is just the English word for queue!

What 2 things can bring London to a stand still?

1. Snow (apparently any amount does the trick)

2. TFL (Transport for London) strike

Tomorrow we will experience what it is like when all Underground train lines stop running and everyone takes to the streets to get to work! I should be fine as I only have a 3 mile walk to work. However, Chris is pretty much S.O.L as he travels for about 30 minutes on the tube to work each day. Looks like he will be busing it along with about 10 million other Londoner's! I am predicting he will want to hit the pub by the time he makes it home tomorrow... but that is just a guess ;-)

So much to say...

I have been absolutely terrible at updating the blog over the last month or two. I have a million excuses as to why I have been neglecting my blogging duties. However, in the end they are really just excuses! I have never denied that I am a wee bit lazy ;-) The problem we now face is where to start with the update?!? How about we take a walk around the Marble Arch area?

A few weeks ago I picked up a book of walking tours around London. I found a company that offers guided tours around London for about 8 to 10 GBP a person. However, the book was only 8 quid and includes 12 different tours! A bargain... at least I thought it was when I bought it. As it turns out the tours are pretty bad and lack in the entertainment arena. Now, I know what you are all thinking... "Didn't you read the tours before you bought the book?" Yes. Of course I read one of the 12 and it just so happens to be the best by a mile!

Rewind a few weeks back to a lazy bank holiday weekend; Chris and I were sitting on the sofa enjoying a cuppa and wondering if the rain would stay away long enough for us to tour the city. Ultimately, we decide to stay close to home just in case. Our walk started at the Marble Arch and ended at the Windsor Castle... the pub, that is. I took some time to snap a few pictures of the best parts....

A garden square along the walking tour... but not actually a part of the tour... pretty none the less! Unfortunately, like many of the best garden squares, this one is for key holders only...

Okay... Now is when things started to get... fun(ny)!

After posting the shorts, I felt it was only fair that I share this as well... Seriously, this gives a whole new meaning to the idea of butt cleavage. That crack goes all the way up to her shoulder blades! And now I am officially going to hell...

After walking for about 3 miles and seeing nothing of any great interest, we found ourselves at a cross road. Go right and go home. Or go left and to the Windsor Castle for a pint...

It is tough to see but the sign reads: "The Queen was amused to hear we're doing Thai food at The Windsor Castle." There was even a picture inside of the Queen behind the bar, pulling a pint!


The official meeting place of mustachioed men of London... no seriously... it really is! Do yourself a favor and check out the pictures of the members in the link above... they are truly entertaining! Kinda made me wish I could grow a good ole fashion handle myself!!!
Do you think this guy is part of the club?

I will definitely be returning to The Windsor Castle on the first Friday of the month to see the entire gang of Handlebar Clubbers! I think this is the true reason why the Queen has been to this pub... nothing at all to do with the name ;-)

Stay tuned because there is more to come!
Until next time... XOXO