Autumnal Adventures

It's been a while since we posted anything so we thought that we would check in and say hello and give everyone an update on what we have been up to.

Autumn still stands as E's favourite season so far. The leaves and trees just got prettier and prettier the deeper we got into Autumn. There are now blankets of leaves all over the ground. Some piles are even knee deep! The squirrels are out in force stocking up on food sources for the winter (or at least that's what we think). Now it's November - where did this year go?

We still make full use of our weekends in London. So, what have we been up to lately:

- Failed miserably at riding bikes around Regents Park but walked it instead. Every time we visit a new park we inevitably say "this is my favorite" but Regents Park is definitely a special place. Rose Gardens, rowing lakes, Queens Gardens, tennis courts that feel like their straight out of the movie Wimbledon and swans - such a lovely way to spend a crisp Autumn day.

- Eating out...so many good restaurants...so little time.

- Catching up with friends. We all spent the summer travelling or entertaining. Now it's just us and London and Autumn and Winter are the perfect time to go to a cosy pub or a bar for a hearty meal or a nice wine.

- Jules and Alex (friends from Oz) came to stay with us on their route back home after 18 months in Cheltenham. We saw some hilarious comedy for a tenner at the Amused Moose, went to Camden Markets (where S picked up a vintage Dior tweed blazer which he didn't realize was Dior) and had a lovely afternoon tea in Primrose Hill.

- Saw a silent film at the Barbican with a live jazz band which was a tribute to the life of Louis Armstrong. It was so fantastic. We love a bit of trumpet!

- Took a glimpse at some original Hollywood glamour shoots of famous actors and actresses from the 1920's to the 1960's at the National Portrait Gallery.

- Eating lots of soup. We think we might turn orange from all the pumpkin soup.

Until next time, we hope everyone back in Oz is enjoying the sunshine whilst we get cozy and enjoy the Christmas festivities. Open air ice skating and mulled wine here we come. Photos below.
xoxo
E&S

 Regents Park - Queens Gardens

 How many noses smell these roses?

 Primose Hill - pretty trees



Into the darkness....

I've always been fairly frightened of the dark. However, I learnt pretty quickly that if you want to live in London during the colder months then that is something you are just going to have to get used too.

Ever since the clocks went back an hour at the end of October, it now gets dark at 4.30pm. Yep you read correctly...four thirty p.m... and we haven't even officially entered winter yet. Don't be fooled either that during the limited amount of daytime we get that it is all sunshine. Some days it is just grey or "white cloud" (as BBC weather authoritatively tells me).

It's not the cold that makes the British depressed little bunnies in Winter...it's the blooming dark.

This November we have had fairly mild temperatures. It surprisingly is not that cold - roughly around 10 degrees (I know I'm acclimatizing aren't I!).

I'm getting used to the dark. My next step is to get used to the grey-ness, the mist that is so low it isn't raining but the air feels wet, the days without sunshine. Layering and un-layering. Everyone looking scary with their hoodies on...how are we going to tell who the rioters are?

It's not all that bad. S and I are really loving:
- hot soup.
- cosy pubs with real fire places.
- open air ice skating rinks.
- yummy, hearty food like pies and sticky date pudding and porridge.
- boots, scarves, hats and gloves.
- skiing at Christmas.
- winter Christmas markets.
- mulled hot wine.
- Christmas decorations in the London shops that make it feel like Christmas. In fact there is a definite Christmas vibe here.
- booking in theater shows and going to museums to keep us indoors.
- the nutcracker ballet and pantomime.
- feeling cosy.

I promise that that is my rant. No more mention of weather. Except for the fact that S and I are thinking of getting an alarm that lets off simulated sun light to prevent SAD (seasonal adjustment disorder)...is that going too far or do you think the North Face jackets are enough???

Xoxo
E

Posh it up in Chelsea

S's previous opinion was that Chelsea was a snobby and pretentious part of London. That still rings true about the local residents but a few weeks back we scratched the surface and found some pretty amazing things. Our opinions have changed and for the better. We now love that part of London known as SW3.
Kings Road is a great place to shop (albeit quite a popular part of town). We were lucky enough to stumble across some markets in Duke of York Square filled with fresh food and yummy sweets. The weather was glorious and the sky was a crisp blue so we sat and basked in the sun with our Moroccan lunch. We also had a little look around the famous Saatchi Gallery. What we found was a very interesting assortment of sculptures - see below.

We used one of our walking cards and followed it strictly. We found the most beautiful garden -Ranleigh Gardens- with some pretty, colorful autumnal trees. We felt like the only ones in the gardens and wondered why more people weren't enjoying it. Everyone raves about Hyde Park but this was something else - like a secret little forest. We walked through the amazing grounds of the Chelsea Private Soldiers Hospital which is still a home for retired soldiers. It's filled with handsome manicured gardens and impressive architecture that reminded us of the Invalides building in Paris. We then walked down Chelsea Embankment on the banks of the Thames and weaved our way through the gorgeous streets of Chelsea. We saw the street that once housed the likes of Mick Jagger and famous English writers. "Redbrick", the term denoting expensive property, springs to mind.

Our visit proved to us that there is more to Chelsea than pretension and Louis Vuitton clad trust fund babies. It's full of history and culture - our favourite things!!

 Some rather interesting art at the Saatchi Gallery - I liked the pretty colours until we got up close!

 For the love of Jimmy Choo