St Paddy's Day

In London there are big St. Patrick Day celebrations in Trafalgar Square, in 2008 I went with some coworkers and their friends, it was a great crowd that was out and good fun.

Pints of Cava

Irish dance lessons.

Extra Curricular Activities

So when I'm not spending my free time working over time I have lots of options in London for fun and entertainment.

I have taken dance class (mostly ballet) at Pineapple Dance studios who have a drop in set up which is great for me as I never know when I am going to leave work one day to the next. There have been stints in the Gym, we have quite a nice one at work and when my work load allows it makes a good break for lunch.

I spend time when it is nice going on walks exploring different parts of London getting to know it better. As well in the summer there are lots of picnics in the fantastic parks around London.  Anything to get out when the sun is shinning.

Most of the museums and galleries are free in London, so I stop by and explore bits of them at a time, it's nice not to have the pressure of seeing the whole thing at once as some of them like the British Museum are huge.

There are lots of friends birthdays and nights out, going for dinner, dancing, or just a few pints in a pub are all a big part of life in London. There is always a great restaurant and yummy food just around the corner!

I have taken in lots of musicals, plays, and even an opera. If you keep your eyes open you can get tickets for very reasonable. I've been to many concerts, some at small bars, up to the big venues for some big names.  My first ballet was an event to remember, the dancers are amazing and Swan Lake is such a beautiful ballet. Of course there are sporting events (being that I work for Sky Sports) to go to, darts, football, rugby and the London Marathon to name a few. I'm hoping to go to some horse races this coming summer.

I also do reviews for a web site called Qype, they have events which might include going to sample a menu and or drinks at a restaurant/bar, going on tour, move screenings, afternoon tea, or just about anything.  Since it is a great way to get out and try new things, meet new people and see new places I take advantage and put my name down for events whenever I can.  All they expect in return is that I write a review, easy!  Through Qype I have eaten my first jellied ox tongue, scallops with truffles, Springbok, salmon row and much more. I've learned about vodka, explored St. Paul's Cathedral, and met lots of interesting people along the way too.

Lots of time is spent shopping but over the years I started to do what I can on-line and avoid going out in the crowds if possible and save my energy for other things.

Of course I still enjoy the more relaxing activities that I have always enjoyed, reading, knitting, organizing my photos, and watching the occasional chick flick at home. Currently I have rediscovered the joy of baking, but miss the lovely bright kitchen my Dad and Grandfather built in Canada that I learned to bake in.

And of course there are all the things a single girl does, dating and going out to meet new men, but more on that in another post!

Tis the Season - 2008

So my second holiday season arrived quickly with all the excitement of Tweasel arriving, moving and the normal busyness of London life. This year as the year before there were many parties, all during the week, ouch. 

Then there is NYE which I normally avoid going out if possible and the year before I took on call duty for work and managed to stay in quite happily. This year was convinced by Nat that for NYE it would be a good idea to book tickets on a boat, better view of the fireworks etc.  Being that I was living in London I thought I should give going out ago. Below are pictures as proof, I did venture out. It did not convince me that in London going out is any better idea than in Halifax, just a bit warmer. House/cottage parties are definitely the way forward.

My Departments xmas party.

Having a laugh at the Football department's xmas party.

The Football Department party was on a boat, that is Big Ben and Parliament going by in the background.

New Years Eve party, on the boat.  It was chilly out that night.

I did take my coat off for a bit after warming up with some dancing.

Move to Camden

Tweasel settled into her new home nicely, enjoying the view of the garden out the window and making friends with my 2 flatmates winning them over to her cuteness in no time. It seemed she remembered who I was and we were back to our old routines.

But there was trouble, it turned out my flatemate/landlady meant I will see how allergic I am go to your cat (not I will deal with my allergies).  So after 2 weeks she informed me she was reacting to Tweasel too much and I would have to move.  I spent the night awake stressed at the thought of another round of flat hunting with a cat. When the morning finally arrived I decided there was no point worrying about it, it would work out, and all would be fine.

On the way to work I posted on my facebook "Flat hunting again".  By the time I got to work a friend of mine Nat asked if I would like to join her and another friend of ours Tez in looking for a flat.  Living with people I knew sounded like a nice idea so I said yes. By the end of the day Tez said she knew of the perfect flat and we should meet up the next day and she would tell us about it.  So in just over 24 hours I had a flat and would be living with people I knew and liked. Tez's idea was that Nat stay in the 4 bedroom town-house she was in (a place I had stayed over at myself on occasion, smack in the middle of Camden Town and all the markets) and we would find a 4th person.  The landlord said a cat would be fine and so all was sorted, 2 weeks later I was moving to Camden!

The one where Tweasel (my kitty) arrives from Canada!

After being in England for 18 months it was time to make a decision about Tweasel, find a place for us to live, or give up on having her join me in England.  Giving her up was too sad so I went on a new search for a suitable flat that would allow a cat. I found a lovely flat that was bright and spacious and had a cat living in it, the catch it was about £100 over my budget. I would have Tweasel but I would struggle and have no life. I turned it down, gave it a weeks break and started again.  This time I found a flat that fit my budget was in a good location and I would be sharing with only 1 other person.

I gave my current flatmate/landlady my notice. The next day my flatmate/landlady said she would rather have me and Tweasel and deal with her allergies than lose me.  Very sweet of her to say, and I was ecstatic not to have to go through moving, and stay in Notting Hill. So other than having telling the other flat I wasn't moving in after all it was ideal.

Tweasel recovering from jet-lag. 

Slovenia - Group travel

My trip to Ireland was a turning point for me. I had been travelling for many years on my own, meeting people along the way and joining them exploring or going off to do my own thing. I have made friends who I still keep in touch with this way and enjoyed the freedom of doing what I want when I want.  In Ireland I found myself tired of travelling on my own, wishing I had someone there to share the adventure with and reminisce about what we saw when home and I decided that for the most part my solo travelling was over.

So the next time I got itchy feet I started looking around at group travel options.  I wanted to avoid the expense of the single supplement, was a bit weary of backpacker tours and ending up with a group of 20 year olds, as well I was worried that other group tours could mean travelling with all couples.  Then I came across a company called Adventurea, group travel for those in my age range travelling on their own, and they would pair you up with someone on the trip as a room-mate. Also their trips seemed to be activity based so I would get to see new places, try new things, and have a little time for relaxing. Perfect.

The trip I chose was Slovenia, I liked the look of the activities, it was a place I had never really considered, but it looked beautiful and I like getting away from hordes of tourists. Also it was 5 nights so if the group thing didn't work out I wasn't committed for a whole week.

The Scenery is beautiful in this part of Slovakia. We were based in the village of Bovec.

Easy start to a day of mountain biking.

One of the the stops along the way.

Such clear water. 

A night out at the Scripi Bar, we had the place to ourselves except the 4 other girls, but they seemed to like our music requests.  Just remember if you ask for some 90's tunes in Slovakia you will get 80's music. Seems they are a decade behind.

A day of hiking the mountains... with a little bit of a hang over.

It was beautiful, but it was a bit treacherous in parts, one of our group lost his footing near the end and went tumbling down the mountain.  It was very traumatic, emergency helicopter etc, he spent the rest of the week in hospital with a fracture in his back, but he was lucky it wasn't worse.

Sing a long during our lunch break.

An excursion up the chairlift to see the views.

  On the other side of the mountain is Italy.

At the top, it was a bit chilly and there was a dusting of snow.

The last activity, white water rafting. A challenge for me as I don't like cold water.

Man overboard.

Made it.  It was a good first experience, the rapids weren't too rough and the weather was nice and warm.

All and all I would highly recommend Adventure as a way to travel, the group was diverse and activities well planned out. It's a shame they went under earlier this year.

Back to Canada for another visit.

As soon as my sister left I was off to Canada for a visit home.  Going home this time around meant catching up with everyone, eating as much as I could at my favourite restaurants, shopping for things I can't get in London. As well I try purging more of my stuff that is in storage around town at friends and Dad's as well as bringing back stuff I miss having with me in London, things I can fit in my bags anyway.

My Dad and I.

Girls night out. Really they are more fun than the look ;)

Dad's Cottage.

A little paddle down the lake.

Beaver hut on the lake.  I have never seen the beaver though.

 

A little quality time with my Tweasel. She is very content at Shannon and Joel's with lots of space and windows to see out of. 

One of the beautiful old homes that can still be found, this one has been kept up very well as an Inn. I love the old Maritime style of houses.

Visit from my sister

I always look forward to visits from friends and family, a chance to show them around London and hopefully see show them things a tourist might not see.  So when my sister and Peter had a stop over planned for their next Europe trip I was very excited. The weather even cooperated and it was hot and sunny.

Lisa and Peter in front of St. Paul's Cathedral.

We took a trip down Thames. Tower Bridge (not London Bridge)

This boring bridge is London Bridge....

In the executive lounge at the hotel, a bit of an upgrade from their first hotel in London where the lamp shade had a hole in it and the halls smelled like damp dog and smoke.

Relaxing in Regent's park.

Canary Wharf.

Millennium Bridge

Looking forward to their next visit, especially now that I have room for visitors in my flat.

Kissing the Blarney Stone

After being in London for just over a year and not getting much chance to travel it was time to take advantage of one of the cheap Ryanair offerings, and off to Ireland I went for a weekend away.  Started out with a night out in Dublin as you do, there are not photos of that, what happens in Dublin stays in Dublin! I then drove south towards Cork, and finally up the west coast to Shannon where along the way I stopped of at the Blarney Castle.

One of the many castles to be found in Ireland. The inside of this one is fantastic. It is set in a little historic village.

One of the more rustic village houses.

An abandoned church I saw on my drive from Dublin to the south. Beautiful

The small seaside town of Youghal on the south coast where I stopped off for the 2nd night.

The view from the Inn I stayed at in Youghal, ahhh the sounds of the ocean.

Blarney Castle!  It needs a bit of fixing up (no interior walls, floors,windows etc.), but that is part of it's charm.

  Looking across to the Blarney Stone.

Kissing the Blarney stone.... what I didn't realize until too late was not only did you have to kiss it upside down but it was across a gap 2 feet wide that is about 7 stories high. Luckily there is a man who is there to hold you steady (he isn't worried about the hight he was blind).

One Year Anniversary

When 28 MARCH 2008 arrived marking a year in London I thought back to when I first got here realized how far I had come. I had the job I wanted, a flat in my favourite part of London, (Notting Hill) complete with one of the communal gardens made famous in the movie Notting Hill.  I had survived 2 hospital visits, 3 moves (and a crazy flatmate), and the morning commute in London. I met some great people some of whom became friends. Learned how to find my way around London (and home on the night bus). Got to know new parts of town and became very accustomed to the fantastic shopping and great clothes.  Learned to walk anywhere in high heels. And finally I didn't miss the Canadian winter one bit and love spring time in England.

I didn't get to travel as much as I would have liked but there is plenty of time for that, and just knowing Europe is a short flight away makes me happy.

Old Friends

When I was 13 a very good friend of mine Erin moved away to Ottawa.  Erin and I had known each other since we were 5, and lived 2 minutes away from each other.  It was a sad time.  We wrote letters for a while but then lost touch (as you did before Facebook and email came along).

Fast forward 10 years later, my sister who was going to University in Ottawa was stopped by a girl on campus who thought she was me.  My sister realized she recognized the girl and Erin realized it was not me, but my sister.  Emails were exchanged and my sister forwarded the information on to me. I had a visit to Ottawa to see my sister planned so Erin and I plans to meet for Lunch.

As the day approached I felt a little hesitation, what if it was awkward and we had nothing to say to each other? It turned out none of that was a problem, Erin was still the girl I knew and loved, lunch went far to fast and I left very pleased to have my old friend in my life again.

So what does this have to do with London, well fast forward 10 more years... time for another reunion! After both of us having moved around and living in various parts of the world we were going to cross paths again, Erin was coming to London on some work related business.

We managed to meet up 3 times in the week she was in London and about 7/8 months later again when her brother relocated to London and she came for a visit.  Great to catch up and not wait 10 years between visits. Alas now she is living in Asia, I can only hope it isn't 10 years until I see her again.

Me, Jennie (another London friend of Erin's) and Erin.

UK Winter

Winter in England is a breeze compared to the snow, ice, freezing rain and freezing cold weather I grew up with. I come from a part of Canada that has  milder winters than most other parts of Canada.  When people used to ask me about it in England I would say our winters were pretty messy but mild.  Now that I know what they think is cold over here my new answer is "you would die!".  Having said that I'm not sure I could handle a winter back home myself any more.

I have learned when in England if they talk about a blizzard they are referring to the fact it is just snowing (sometimes not that hard), I've stopped expecting anyone (even the train stations) will clear the snow away from the side walks in front of their shops or houses (or train platforms), and most likely the city of London will grind to a halt under 5cm of snow, amusing the first time it happens, not so much the 3rd and 4th times. The upside, the snow makes London look very pretty.

January 2009 Annie in the park across from the flat. 

Camden High Street 

Warming up in the Hawley Arms with Nat and Annie