Rambling in Wolverhampton

It's Bank Holiday Monday.  The last day of the long Easter Weekend.  It seems to have gone so quickly.  But we still have one more thing on our agenda - a 6 mile walk in Wolverhampton with the Ramblers.

This morning we were like clockwork.  We got up one by one; I washed the dishes; Alicja changed her sleeping quarters back to its original occupation as a living room; Estherita made us a packed lunch for our walk.  It was great teamwork and we were out the door on time.

The weather today was perfect for a walk.  It was cold, but dry.  The only downside was the snow that had not yet melted on the pathways; I being Miss Clumsy managed to slip twice and I ended up on my back in the snow on the latter.  I would have started making snow angels, but the others in our Rambling Group were quite a bit ahead and Miss Alicja would have only been too happy to be snappy happy with her camera if I'd indulged.

Estherita had to also 'moonwalk' on the snow to get through it.  But I guess that means that we were having to work extra hard and this will contribute to us having 'buns of steel'.

The end of the walk led back to the farmhouse that we started out at.  The farm had a mini area where you could visit animals such as cows, sheep and cockerels.

We even got to see some piglets that can't have been that old as they were kept in a barn under red lights to keep warm with their mama. Very cute.

A perfect end to what has been a very happy and chilled weekend.  Thanks Ladies.

P.S. I completely forgot it was April Fool's Day today.  A missed opportunity to play some pranks.  Next year.

Socarrat

'Socarrat' - is the description given to Paella that has been cooked to perfection.  By definition standards it is 'the delectable crust that forms at the bottom of the Paella Pan when the liquid is rendered and the rice has reached its peak of succulence.'  For the Spanish a Paella without Socarrat is not a Paella.

For my Spanish friends, particularly those who come from Valencia where this dish is most famous, a Paella must also meet other criteria; it is made with chicken, rabbit, green beans and white beans.  Anything else is a variation on tradition and is not the real thing.

Paella is one of my favourite dishes.  My love for it began when I went to visit Valencia a few years ago.  I ended up having it everyday for the entire weekend, each day I tried a different variation of it.

I have been asking Estherita for some time now to show me how to make an authentic Paella, and today was the day.  We did it step by step and hopefully I'll be able to remake it through memory.  But the result was 'socarrat' and so unbelievably tasty.

Muchas Gracias Estherita for the lesson in Paella.

xx

A Day of Much Needed R&R

This year so far feels like all work and no play.  The stress seems to be getting the better of me and is following me into my free time when I should be having fun.  Which is why this Easter Weekend I'm determined to have some R&R.

It's Good Friday and that means a road trip with the girls; Estherita and Alicja.  Our destination of choice: Cambridge.

The best part of this road trip is the spontaneity.  We discussed it on Wednesday for an hour and voila we are on the road Friday, with no real plan in mind other than to have a wander around this town.

On arrival in Cambridge, our trip began with a little tour of its car parks. We couldn't decide where to park and with Tom Tom issues, we ended up visiting a number of car parks before we settled on the cheaper and more convenient option.

The BBC also had the same idea of visiting Cambridge.  The town was armed with photographers and video crew.  With Easter being a religious holiday, one of the main photographs taken was of a guy dressed up as Jesus on the cross, which must have been for an editorial piece.  It was quite graphic.  I am not sure of the picture, but make of it as you will.

Spontaneity being the theme of this trip, we called Estherita's friend, Michal, for recommendations of where to eat.  He joined us and took us to a local Pizzeria, where the chef was  Cambridge's own version of Gordon Ramsey.  Had the kitchen been filmed we would be just hearing a series of beeps.

Fed and watered, our walkabout began with a visit to the Colleges that make up this prestigious University of Cambridge.  It is home to some of the greatest scientists in the world, such as Isaac Newton.  He studied here and his College is marked with a statue of him holding an apple ... and a table leg?  A prank by previous students that replaced whatever he was holding with a table leg, but it's good to know that the academics in this town have a sense of humour.

All the walking and fresh air got us a bit thirsty, so we took a pit stop at a local watering hole; Anchor, which was where Pink Floyd first started out.  A nice little place with fire places and high beams.  I can understand why Pink Floyd was inspired by such a place.

A town with lots of history, academic and otherwise.  Definitely a place to be inspired if you are searching for some.

P.S. Thanks ladies for being my photographic muses! xx

Snow

A fresh white sheet of snow, snow tracks caused by my wellies, hot cocoa to put warmth back in the body following a walk outside.  A perfect winters day...

...only it is the end of March!  The chill of the winter months should be disappearing, the thaw should be seeing the start of flowers beginning to bud and soon we should be seeing blossoms for Daffodils appearing in time for Easter.

Snow is the last thing that anyone should be expecting at this time of year.  Talk about Global Warming.  Flowers peeking through the cracks in the snow is just unheard of around this time of year.  Especially in the UK, we're used to rain, not icicles.

I'm not a big fan of the snow.  It is pretty when it first falls and has been untouched.  But as soon as people start walking and driving over it, it soon becomes an ice rink.

Let's hope the snow is of short duration and that we don't see it again till the winter months at the end of the year.

Annual Birthday Celebrations

It's the last weekend of February, and that means party time to celebrate another year of age.  For the past couple of years my birthday has been at the weekend and usually the month's pay check is sitting nicely in the bank ready for the festivities.  This year it was the weekend before payday so the purse strings were a little tight.

However that didn't stop the festivities on Saturday of takeaway and then drinks at the local watering hole, The Jam House, for alcoholic beverages and live music.  Luckily for me it was the same band that played last year for my Birthday and so an hour queueing in the snow was well worth the wait.

The actual day, was an amazing pamper day at the beauty salon; facials and a mani-pedi.  It was nice to finally have a relaxing day considering all the travel that has been necessary for work.  I didn't realise how draining all the travel was until I was lying on a bed with relaxing music and someone massaging different concoctions of scrubs, masks and lotions into my face.  Some R&R was definitely over due.

The evening was spent dining with friends at the Malmaison Brasserie and they provided us with a private room and a nice big oval table with our own waiter, Paul.  A nice surprise considering it wasn't a request when I made the booking.

A great day and weekend.  I could not have asked for more.  

P.S. The Rose is a picture of the flowers I got from my parents for my birthday.  I forgot to take a picture when they were fresh but I think there is still some beauty in how it is has dried with age.

Walk About - It's London Baby!

It's London Baby!  Whenever I go to London I think about the Friend's Episode where they all went to this city for Ross' wedding. Joey was annoying Chandler with his excitement and his pop-up map to help him navigate his way through the streets of London.  Since then his catchphrase "It's London Baby!" has always stuck - the Friends geek that I am.

Today I was a tourist in this city, with the intention to give my camera a work out.  There is no real story today about my walk-about, just a place to share some pictures.

One of the things I love about London is the architecture.  The whole place is steeped in history; Big Ben, Parliament, Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral.  They are all quite majestic and yet they still manage to mix new in with the old. 

The London skyline is forever changing with new additions such as The Gherkin, The Blender, The London Eye and there most recent addition, The Shard.  I love the fact that the architecture is very different and has imagination, particular with the choice of names.

Embedded amongst all this architecture and a stone's throw away from the River Thames is the Borough Market.  The stalls are jam packed with cheeses, meats, hog roasts, chutneys, breads, pastries.  My mouth is watering just at the thought of it.

One of the things that London offers for free is an opportunity to people watch.  In a city this large anything goes and therefore you cannot help but be yourself.  And this makes the people watching even more entertaining.  In Trafalgar Square there was a Father and Daughter having a day out together. They were so cute.  Exactly how the relationship between Father and Daughter should be.

At all the tourist attractions there are street performers circled by on-lookers looking for any spare change that you can offer.

And anything goes; a guy playing tricks, busking, juggling with fire...

...or just simply creating the biggest bubbles you've ever seen.  The best is when the audience interacts.  It's amazing how much joy running and jumping after bubbles can cause.  And I'm not only talking about kids.

It's been a very care-free way to spend a day in London.