Following a comparatively quiet week, we again found ourselves set upon by activities. These began early in the week, with Pork Night being moved to a temporary timeslot on Tuesday night. Trying out the garish orange HK Cafe (yes, that's hK not hJ's...), we found the first serious contender to the BBQ City crown. The bbq pork was incredibly close, the dumplings were succulent, the only thing letting them down was the roast pork, it was only very good, not quite the excellence of that venerable Gouger St force.
Pork Night was moved due to a work function on Wednesday night, with the end of the financial year Woods Bagot held a dinner on a boat on the Thames. Leaving promptly just after 8, we made our way down the Thames past Putney and the many rowing clubs that surround the start of The Boat Race, the race between Oxford and Cambridge which runs 6.8km from Putney to Mortlake. Eventually we turned around headed back to the heart of London, past the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament and making our final turn at Tower Bridge.
Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament from a boat.
The Tower of London from the Thames.
Moving on to the weekend, Saturday morning saw us travel to Notting Hill for breakfast with Brendan, Allison, Henry and Poppy at Carluccio's. It was great to catch up with them, and breakfast was great. It gave us the solid start to the day we needed before heading to The Charles Lamb for Bastille Day celebrations. Having visited The Charles Lamb for my birthday just days after my arrival here, it was nice to return to the pleasant pub, whose atmosphere was now supplemented with two petanque pitches on the street, french fare on the menu and an artist, painting the whole scene from across the street. Later the mood was further enhanced with the arrival of an accordian player! With wam sunny weather (a rare thing here, even in summer!) it was amazingly pleasant to sit and watch the petanque competition, with a beer (we didn't dare to try the Ricard on offer!) in one hand and some tasty french snack in the other.
Petanque, an accordian player and drinking in the street. Must be Bastille Day at the Charles Lamb!
The artist paints the Bastille Day celebrations at the Charles Lamb.
Sunday saw a visit which excited Sally somewhat, a trip to the London Aquarium. Housed in the basement of the London County Hall next to the London Eye, it is right in the middle of tourist central, the walk across Westminster Bridge being an obstacle course of baby pushers, photographers and sightseers. Arriving at the County Hall we found it even busier than usual, with the Star Wars 30th Anniversary Celebration also being held in the hall. You can even sign up for the Jedi Academy (Burkey, you better book your ticket, I'm sure the academy won't be here forever!)! With little to compare it to, the London Aquarium ticked a lot of boxes, but even I could see it was a tired facility, in serious need of modernisation. Despite this, it was enjoyable to see some amazing fish up close, and get to fondle a sting ray!
A Happy Pufferfish!
Me touching a Sting Ray. They're slimey and spikey at the same time!
Having missed our regular markets trip we made our way to The Brunswick, a development that until recently was a rain-stained concrete council estate. Architecturally designed, it recently received refurbishment, new shops were built in the central mall and now there's a waiting list move in! Our reason for the visit, beyond the professional interest, was Waitrose, a supermarket with organic and locally grown produce. It is the closest replacement to market produce we've found.
The Brunswick.
Having filled the fridge, we prepared for our monthly outing, the ubiquitous afternoon tea. This time we decided on The Orangery at Kensington Palace. Lining up briefly in the continually changing weather, we were finally shown to our table. Looking out into the impeccable gardens as we enjoyed our tea, scones with jam and cream, cucumber sandwiches and Orangery Cake, it was a glorious way to spend an afternoon, and by the time we had finished, we had warm sun yet again to temper our walk home.
Sally and Simon in The Orangery.
Afternoon Tea at The Orangery.
On our walk home through Kensington Gardens and then Hyde Park, we found a Zaha Hadid temporary shelter, built for one of the Serpentine Gallery's fundraisers. It's three identical "parasols" rotated around a central point, unfortunately the finish and detailed design of the shelter left a lot to be desired... but still, where else will you see a famous architect designed temporary shelter by mistake?!
Zaha Hadid's Temporary Shelter in Hybe Park.
And just to silence the many many requests I have received for photos of Sally and myself, another one of us at Kensington Gardens.
Last, but not least, here's the link to my updated map!
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=108781270355512035411.000001130555522820954&ll=51.503934,-0.135956&spn=0.080246,0.22831&t=h&z=13&om=1
1 comment:
I wont be happy until I see an artistic photo of you guys buying milk at a self service Tesco's! Oh, and one of you guys pretending to hold up the not so leaning Tower of Pisa. Now that's experiencing the local culture..... Sounds like you are having too much fun. Jealous! TP
Post a Comment