Dear friends, the last two weeks have been filled with so much that I likely won’t remember it all! As always, here come the highlights!

My very dear friend and high school chum Jill and her daughter Stevie spent some time at Garden Flat B—what a superb time was had by all! I had the opportunity to visit sites I hadn’t seen in over 10 years—the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, for example, or spending some quality time in St. Paul’s Cathedral. I was in the crypt while Jill and Stevie took to the 500+ steps to go to the dome and whisper across to each other; it’s an amazing bit of acoustics that really makes you shake your head in wonderment.

It was a relaxed, wonderful several days, with some fabulous highlights: seeing Avenue Q, spending a warm, beautiful day in Brighton, revisiting Camden Market, taking in the mummies at the British Museum, and of course just walking the neighborhoods like Sloan Square, Covent Garden, and all of the Thames Path we could possibly walk! The weather was mild, sunny, and perfect for each of our ventures. Stevie is a shopper at heart and London is a wonderful place for both vintage and new.

We had breakfast at the flat each morning, and depending on where we were we would find a cheap and cheerful lunch spot—my favorite was perhaps at Camden Market at a place we wandered into off the beaten path called Fogg’s; we had a table just inside from the garden, and it was a beautiful day to take in the view and have a good meal (for me a halloumi salad—halloumi is a cheese similar to mozzarella that holds up well to being cooked, particularly grilled). Dinners found us in the same situation—one night it was Thai takeaway at my flat, another at a lovely venue off the Thames called Strada. Strada is a chain here, and I must say I was impressed with the food. I chose the salmon wrapped in pancetta and it was delicious. The atmosphere, of course, makes a bit of difference, and it was a slightly cool night under a clear sky that was perfect.

Another nice visit was to the Tower Bridge and the nearby Design museum; the Tower of London can be quite impressive itself as you exit the tube, and then you walk across the bridge and it’s just an amazing bit of architecture itself that you’re captivated by your presence there.

We no doubt walked our arses off—the nice thing about that is there’s no guilt when you stop for a pudding (aka dessert) and you eat the whole piece of tiramisu they serve you! LOL!

I so enjoyed the visit and I am happy to say that it warmed my heart when Jill told me afterwards that Stevie, at 16, said it was the best vacation she’d had. I know I will remember our time together fondly—that and Stevie took well over 200 photos for me to remember the time by! She’s got quite the eye, and some of the photos are picture postcards!

This past weekend found me greeting dear Chet again on a return trip for him to see Andros and to celebrate a birthday—Chet’s, albeit slightly belated. He and Andros were nice enough to come to the flat and I had a delicious bottle of Veuve Clicquot (Yellow label) chilling in the fridge; I hadn’t had it in so long, and my was it delicious! In one sip I recalled all those previous love affairs Kevin and I had with bubbly--the slightly toasty nose, small, vibrant bubbles and a delicate, smooth finish . . . I can still taste it a week later (and was happy to have a single glass left for my dinner the next day)!

Sunday found us together again at brunch meeting Sue and Austin—wonderful people who I truly hope to see again! Sue is interested in catching the West End version of Jersey Boys, and she can count me in; she’s also planning a trip to Greece next year and I’m interested in hearing more of the details. Austin works for the immigration division by day, though an artist at heart, and has an exhibition of his work (among others) as a print maker that I will certainly take in. We met at Mor-ish, a small cafe near the Earls Court tube, which Andros’ newest neighborhood. He and I had been there for breakfast once, and he and Chet had been frequenting the place since Chet had arrived. I decided on moussaka rather than eggs, and I will say it was quite good and filling; the bits of lamb were tasty and there can never be too much cheese! Mor-ish has no set menu—a few cooked dishes in the front of the house to choose from, and breakfast all day with your choice of eggs any style, including omelets. Chet was kind enough to pick up the tab for all of us, thanking us for taking care of Andros—the pleasure, to be sure, is all ours.

I actually walked to Mor-ish the 2.5 miles from my flat—I figured if I was going to splurge on brunch I should get in the requisite exercise. It also gave me a chance to see some more of London I hadn’t seen before, and the weather was perfect for it. I walked mostly in sunshine through Ladbroke Grove and then Holland Park, recalling what a lovely (albeit expensive) area the Park is, and reminding myself that I have to revisit soon. From there it was down Kensington High Street to Earls Court into the bustle of Zone 1!

Pause . . . it just struck me that I haven’t told you that the weekend before Chet’s arrival I had an opportunity to see Heike’s friend Dominic Alldis play piano and sing at Pizza on the Park with his band (double bass, guitar, drums). The venue is nice—intimate but not jazzy like the 606 Club—and we all enjoyed our pizza! I was joined by Leah, Rod and Laura, and I got some good tips on getting a truly good steak in London (Rod’s barbecue, and failing that, Gaucho). Dominic stopped by to say hello (Heike, he’s coming to the US in November and expects to see you) and we chatted briefly so he could preserve his voice; I was just glad to make the connection with him, finally. Dominic’s first set was Gershwin—not your typical uptempo jazz—and the second set showcased more of his piano playing, and was decidedly more lively and jazzy, if you will. I was glad to have made the date, and we had a well-positioned table close to the stage that always makes for a nice evening where you can really feel you’re a part of the scene. Pizza in the Park is owned by the chain Pizza Express, which for years has been one of my favorite cheap and cheerful venues—it’s not your standard Neopolitan pie from the streets of Noo Yawk; instead there’s lots of choices for toppings, healthy veg or the meat-lovers’ delight, on a thin-crust base.

Speaking of music, I also had an opportunity to check out the Barbican Centre acoustics and see an American jazz artist and his trio, Brad Mehldau. Brad plays piano with a drummer and double bass player—and wow, were they good. The venue is wonderful for music, and my friend Judy and I had great seats just left of stage and about four rows away. I did find myself amused at times; Brad does that “listing” thing when he plays, which I’ve seen so many pianists do, and yet it still strikes me as funny! Judy and I began the evening with a return trip to Blossom, a Japanese restaurant near the Barbican Centre that serves good sashimi; it ain’t Matt’s in Haddonfield, but it’s fresh and made for a nice way to start the evening. Judy worked with me in the US and has been in the UK for 6+ years; she’s been a wonderful source (like whether I need my NI number to visit an NHS GP, and the answer is no) and I enjoy spending time with her and catching up.

It wouldn’t be a blog entry without every other paragraph discussing food—LOL! I discovered a wonderful place with friend Kate in the Clerkenwell section of London, just a few minutes from the office, called The Larder. We had sights on another restaurant, only their 50% off pricing was not for our planned night—Wednesday—so we choose a second option that turned out to be fabulous! The venue itself is spacious, with wood tables nicely spread out for quiet conversation, and exposed pipe above, soft lighting, and large windows in front where we were seated, which was lovely. The place was quite empty (it was midweek) though it did fill in a bit when we left (we arrived at 6ish, left likely 8ish).

I started with a chorizo and squid salad and followed with a grilled seabass over bok choy, and Kate and I split a bowl of steamed spinach; I must say, it was all wonderful. We were both in the mood for a pudding so I chose the poached pear that was accompanied with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream (which I generally wouldn’t eat, being lactose intolerant, but I made the sacrifice (ha) and it was delicious). Kate raved about her choices as well, and the bill was so reasonable that I must remember to take others there. It’s nice when a second choice falls into place and you can have a wonderful restaurant in your back pocket for when you’re in the neighborhood. I will be back in Clerkenwell next week when Alan and I visit The Zetter—stay tuned!

But wait, of course there’s more: the evening before I dined with a new group of friends—Ladies Wot Dine—mostly women from the office or those who were previously employees. It’s a monthly “event” that I was extended an invitation to after, I suppose, making the grade with Amanda (Toots) and Birgit (Alice) at our work outing in Jersey. The whole ladies’ club is intended to be clandestine, with aliases (I haven’t received mine yet) for the attendees, minutes posted to an online café, and the idea being simply good food and conversation. My first outing with the LWD was to a place called Bincho in the OXO Tower (a tall building on the Thames whose top floor is supposed to have a wonderful view) which serves Japanese yakitori (essentially meat, fish or veg grilled on skewers). I will say we chose an adventurous assortment of skewers—sardines, prawns, aubergine (eggplant), duck, quail, beef, chicken, quail egg—and while it was all good, some of the skewers could have used a heavier hand with spices or sauces to bring out the flavor. We also downed a few bowls of fried rice to accompany the skewers.

Two quick stories about Bincho: first, the Bincho Sleeper. We had behind us a table of perhaps 20 Asians in business suits (almost all dark) and at the head of the table was a man who, promptly after placing his red napkin on his lap, fell asleep. His head hung while the rest of his party talked loudly and ignored him; there was discussion among us as to whether he was jet lagged, secretly listening, or perhaps comatose. The LWD decided that he was there to pay the bill and so no one cared; either that or perhaps it’s more polite in the Japanese culture to simply let him be! I did snag a photo with my mobile of him which promptly got circulated to the LWD the next day.

Story #2: I’d decided on a “traditional finisher” for my pudding, a rice and green tea with spicy cod concoction. All the LWD in attendance were interested in seeing this—only when all the true desserts (doughnuts (think Dunkin’ munchkins), green tea ice cream) were served, my finisher was nowhere to be had. After everyone else finished my finisher still hadn’t shown, so when we flagged a waitperson I told her to cancel the order . . . only to have someone show up on my left shoulder with it. It was good, but there was not enough spicy cod roe for my liking. I was glad that they served it with a side of wasabi, though it was that made-from-powder, light-green wasabi rather than the good stuff in the tube that has the real kick! All in all I enjoyed the evening—we had a wonderful view of the Thames for those of us who were facing the window—and the food and conversation were both entertaining (imagine trying to divide a king prawn on a skewer, or a whole sardine)! I am happy to add some new friends to my life here, and look forward to our next outing (where presumably my nickname will be unveiled).

I am heading to Amsterdam this weekend and am so excited!! I have a friend, David, who has lived there for years and I’ve not had a chance to visit . . . finally I get to see the canals, the wonderful museums, and of course the Red Light district that Amsterdam is more or less famous for. Originally Chet’s birthday was to be celebrated there, but since that didn’t pan out I decided to still make plans to go. I will look forward to sharing stories and some photos when I next post!

Quick note: I have my absentee ballot in hand and will look forward to faxing that over to the Gloucester County Clerk! It’s hard to believe it’s nearly November; the weather here has a decided chill and the radiators have been warmed on several occasions; I still don the sweater first, though, I will admit; still counting my pence carefully, of course.

Last bit: I’ve been finalizing plans with Stephanie for my Mirepoix to come to London to be with me—her tentative flight date is 14 November. I will so look forward to having her company (and her body heat—LOL). I am not nervous at all about her making the climate-controlled cargo journey; I know it will be a bit stressful, though hopefully she’ll get tired enough to sleep (which is what cats do 16 hours a day) and be happy to see me when the pet mover brings her to my doorstep!

Looking forward to spending my next post telling you all about A’dam; until then, do take care.