Growing Edible Things...

Around the end of March I bragged about my small success in producing some coriander shoots from seeds and I've also had some mint and parsley perk up from their prior 'lacklustre' status. But it all went one (gi-normous) step further this weekend with the arrival of my Rocket Garden seedlings - one of last year's birthday presents - on Friday.

Over sixty seedlings, from lettuce, peas and spinach to tomatoes, courgettes, beans and strawberries, arrived in a rather large, hay-filled box so I have spent the last two days planting them all out in various containers and commandeering a portion of the communal, sunlit terrace to give them all the best possible start...and as with any proud new parent, I have taken a few snaps of some of my 'children':

Strawberries...

Tomatoes (Gardener's Delight variety)

Assorted Lettuce...

Dwarf French Beans... (I have runner beans too!)

Rainbow chard, spinach & peas...

And the coriander that was only tiny shoots a month ago!

I am hugely excited about this new project and have romantic visions of our BBQ salad accompaniment being tended to and provided by your truly. I feel quite proud...
ps..I will make every effort not to blog ad nauseum about this...but if you could cut me a little slack now and then, that would be great!

The Eye in the Sky...

In honour of my friend K departing for Down Under this week (well today actually!), yesterday we embarked on an action-packed day in London town to celebrate her penultimate 24 hours in Ol' Blighty...and to get the very best overview, we started off with a trip on the London Eye (http://www.londoneye.com/). This large 'wheel' began its life on the south bank of the Thames on New Year's Eve 1999 to celebrate the new millenium...and during the 30min trip, provides the most spectacular views of London. I've included some of my pics below for you to have a squiz yourself...

Next we took a River Cruise which started at London Eye and chugged down river just past Tower Bridge and back again - another fascinating way to see and learn about the history of London although the colonial in me did flinch a little on the inside to learn that St Katherine's Docks was where the convicts were assembled for transportation to Australia. No pics of this to share yet as my camera battery chose this moment to advise that it was awfully tired and needed to rest - timing is everything!

After this we wandered through two of London's loveliest parks - St James' Park & Green Park. One of the things I love about Londoners is their absolute celebration of gorgeous sunny weather - lots of people get out into the parks/along the riverbanks to lunch, sleep, play and even have business meetings - yes, I walked past some semi-serious coffee & compendium types sitting in the 'deck-chairs-for-hire' in Green Park. There is a real sense of 'making the most of it' that I don't think we have in Australia but maybe that's a case of 'too much' sunny weather and familiarity breeding a bit of contempt.

Anyhow, K is off tonight so it will just be me in my cosy (aka small) flat again so stay tuned to see what other adventures come my way...

View of back of Charing Cross Station

View of London

View of St Paul's Cathedral dome

View over St James' Park to Buckingham Palace

View of Houses of Parliament at Westminster & Big Ben

My Leonine Locks...

I faced something today that a large proportion of the fairer sex dread...having my haircut by a new hairdresser. I am am reliably informed that this fear is greatest in Leos who see their locks as an integral extension of their very glamour and fabulous-ness. So it was with great trepidation that this Leo breathed deeply and issued her 'briefing': I expect to leap out of bed each morning and do very little to it without the use of "product" to have it look amazing and effortless...

After a bit of flirting (well he did mention pole dancer in the list of occupations he thought I might partake in) we got down to it...and 35 minutes later I left the salon feeling (and looking) fabulous...so fabulous in fact that my friend and I had to take my new 'do' for a leisurely lunch at a fab French restaurant by the river and let it - the 'do' - glisten in the spring sunshine (oh yes, we are also having lots of this gorgeous weather - yippee!)

The true test will come over the coming week - you know, the leaping out of bed thing I mentioned earlier - but for today, this Leo lady is purring contentedly...

BBQ, BBQ, Wherefore Art Thou...

Some lovely spring weather has 'sprung' over the weekend inspiring all sorts of unseasonal behaviour...smiling, sunglasses and shirtless men (the latter seems to be a phenomenon related to sunny, cloudless skies and unrelated to the actual temperature!). For me, it was a weekend of fervent gardening (aka re-potting survivors and adding some newcomers to the fray that is my assortment of plant pots), a few gentle G&Ts (aka gin & tonics) in the late afternoon and, of course, a BBQ dinner.

Our BBQ fare is really an ensemble arrangement: with me being a non-red meat eater, some sort of marinated chicken usually features, ably supported by veggie sausages or burgers. The division of labour is equitable too: I make the salad and then settle down with a glass of wine or other delightfully alcoholic beverage whilst J proves that men can actually multi-task by drinking beer as he manages 'the BBQ'. It's evenings like this, watching him prod the snags (aka sausages) with drink in hand, that I really do consider myself fortunate to have an Englishman in my life who loves a BBQ even more than this little Aussie sheila...so there is never a need to nag him about the need to uphold this great Australian tradition in Ol' Blighty...

The Incident of the Kite in the Tree...

We were back in East Anglia for a couple of days to bury J's Mum and so there were a couple more 'Kites on Rushmere Heath' episodes. J just wanted one more go before we left yesterday so off he trundled, kites in hand. An hour or so later, just as we were wondering if he was on his way back for dinner, a dejected J returned to tell us the string on his favourite kite broke...and the kite itself was caught in a tree!

Well after dinner, J, his dad & I set off for the Heath on our mission - you can see how prepared we were...

So we sent J up the ladder with a really long pole and.....

TAH-DAH!

Now that's a happier face!!

I think an old English law (Sod's) came into play but my theory is it had to happen eventually!

...And New Beginnings...

We went to a lovely wedding yesterday...a simple service, an 'action-packed' reception with lots of family and friends and even a traditional throwing of the bride's bouquet (a rarity in these days of modern relationships and expensive 'unthrow-able' flower arrangements) which, just for the record, I did not come close to catching...

The bride and I have known each other for about 5 years, having met through mutual friends of friends when I arrived in London which is about the same time that she met her husband-to-be. They survived the tsumani in Thailand a couple of Christmasses ago and finally popped the question to each other during a holiday in Greece so it would seem that significant moments are marked by new places and adventures for these two. Their honeymoon will take them back to the site of the tsunami as well as through other parts of Thailand and in light of their love of cooking, I am expecting to enjoy a Thai Feast upon their return!

Mr and Mrs E, as they became yesterday, were beaming with the joy of being surrounded by their friends and family on their special day, and I for one was touched to be a part of it...

Goodbyes...

We've been away for a few days for J's Mum's funeral and it was with sadness that we said our goodbyes on Monday 6th April (another beautiful Spring day). As the people whose lives she touched gathered to celebrate her life and wish her peace in whatever journey lies next for her, the family bond seemed to grow palpably stronger as husband, sons, and grandchildren drew comfort from each other and the extended family around them.

After the service and the formalities of the day were behind us, we walked across to Rushmere Heath and flew some kites - there was something about the soft hazy sunlight and the quiet dipping and whirling of the kites that was incredibly therapeutic and three generations of 'S' seemed to find a gentler space after the emotional intensity of the day.

There was a decided 'nip' in the air when we were done but we returned with faces flushed with fresh air and after fish and chips for dinner (my fourth takeaway dinner in a row!) and some family stories, I fell into bed tired but complete, having at last said my goodbyes...

What's it all about, Alfie...

Since becoming unemployed there has been all sorts of chilling out and gadding about going on but at the times in between, when everyone is at work and there is just me sitting at my front window in the sunshine, I have made a little friend. So let me introduce you to Alfie Bear...

Alfie arrived during my last days at Alpha in January and spends his days enjoying the sunshine and watching the squirrels, birds & numerous neighbour cats from my front window. He's quite a good little bear - always up for cuddles, always smiling and very well-behaved although that mischievous smile makes me think that when I am not looking, he climbs down from his chair by the window and runs around shouting 'I'm a real bear!' with Pinocchio-like abandon. He is a huge fan of X-Factor and CSI (just like his Mum) but there is some debate about whether his CSI fave is Dad's preference - Miami - or Mum's - NY though he likes them all really. He also likes nothing better than a huge honey sandwich and I suspect that left to his own devices, his little Alfie paws dip straight into the honey jar!