The Songs of Monks

We walk into the Medieval and Renaissance section of the Victoria and Albert Museum and the next thing I hear is Mer imitating the singing of monks... aaahhhh, aaaaaahhh, aaahhhh.  Such a goof, but one of the things that I like most about her.

There was also an opportunity to dress in the robes of a monk so it was only fitting that Mer took this opportunity.  It was quite big.  Either these monks were huge or they liked there clothes to be 4 times too big for them.

Was fun having you in the UK, even though it was only for a short time.  Miss you and looking forward to seeing you soon.

xx

A Young Girl's Escape into a World of Imagination

'A young girl's escape into a world of imagination' was the concept behind the Cirque du Soleil, Quidam, showing at the Royal Albert Hall.  Mer and I managed to get 2 tickets for the front row by sheer luck.

There was some audience participation, particularly from people sat on the front rows.  But luckily we escaped this by looking anywhere but at the people on the stage.

The performance was great.  There was the man on the German Wheel, Boum Boum; a white muscly bald man with scary eyes and a tall man with no head...

My favourites were the aerial contortionist and the lady balancing on canes and the 2 statues.  I'm always marvelling at the level of core control they have in these acts.

Great show as alway Cirque du Soleil.

Vinopolis

Considering that it was torrential rain only a couple of days ago, I was amazed that the 2nd day of our weekend in London was another bright and sunny one.

Mer was under the impression it was due to her, because she was able to 'fart rainbows'...her words, not mine!!  But as the weekend progressed, I was beginning to wonder if she was right?

A couple of years ago, Mer and Ruth started my education in the world of wines, with a girls holiday travelling across the East Coast of France sampling wines from vineyards.  Today it continued with a trip to Vinopolis.

Admittedly it's not as exotic as drinking wine at a vineyard, but it was still fun and one that had us quite merry at the end.

Unsurprisingly, my favourites were the Riesling's, the full bodied Reds and the dessert wine.  Particularly the chocolate one.  Although it was a little disappointing that the latter had chocolate flavour aded to it.

A Royal Cream Tea

It's February and the sun is shining and the sky is a vibrant blue.  And what's adding to this happy day is that my American Buddy, Mer is in town.

We're staying the weekend in Chelsea in the heart of London.  An excellent location and within easy reach of the majority of tourist attractions.

So I thought the best way to catch up would be over Cream Tea and Pimms in the Royal surroundings of Kensington Palace.

Delicate but very decadent.

Come Dine With Me (Part 3 of 4)

Come Dine With Me Part 3, means that today was Jess' turn to wow us with her culinary prowess.  As per custom for this event, we all got our formal invites in the post a couple of weeks ago.

Today's theme was Sparkles and so we were all donned in our sparkly attire.  To add to the festivities, we had bubbles and party poppers to play with on our table to distract us from our rumbling tummies, as we waited in earnest for the tasty food that Jess was getting ready.

As per last time, I won't offer any thoughts on the menu or the food, as I don't want to ruin the video.  But see for yourselves and decide what score out of 10 you would have given:

Canapes:

An assortment of tasty nibbles like bread sticks, olives and sun blushed tomatoes, washed down with a glass or few of Prosecco.  There was also some parma ham on offer which Amee didn't get to see because Bing and I had finished it before she had arrived.

Starters:

Marinaded salmon or chicken kebabs served with rocket and tomato salad washed down with some Sangria.

Main:

Moroccan spiced slow cooked shoulder of lamb with couscous, flatbreads and roasted vegetables with more Sangria and I think there was red wine.

Dessert:

Lemon and white chocolate cheesecake with raspberry coulis served with teas and coffees.

So lucky to have good friends that can cook.  And oh no, I'm up next.  Better get my cook on.

The First Party of The New Year

It's the first party of the year.

It's also Scrappy's birthday today.

I call her Scrappy, because she is small but mighty.

Very much like the little dog in Scooby Doo cartoons.

She also has a very big heart.

Here's a short clip of her blowing out the candle on her cake.

Happy Birthday.

x

Out With the Old and In With the New

Happy New Year.  2013 was a tough year, but it's over and it's out with the old and in with the new.

A new look for the blog, new memories to be had and new resolutions to be made for the year.
Resolutions which I am sure will only last till February.

Here's to a happier and more prosperous 2014.

x