New Year’s Eve

Sunday 31 December

A leisurely start to the day was followed by a short bus ride to Brixton. This area certainly isn’t the thatched cottage, chocolate box England or even the elegant row of white London terraces, but it’s an interesting place to stay and to get to know a little bit.

Rob took us through a small doorway that said Brixton Village, which looked a bit suss, but led into a really interesting indoor market with cafes, food stalls and bric-a-brac. Of course we had coffee first and then browsed through some great little shops. One had a huge variety of African fabric prints which Anne would love.

On the right is the entrance to Brixton Village

Fabric from Africa and other interesting bits and bobs

We had a light lunch at a Brazilian cafe followed by a hot chocolate and fruit tart at the French patisserie next door.

Tiny Brazilian cafe

Then it was home in the rain to read and relax. This time Rob started a game of charades which woke us up and got us moving before dinner.

The good old number 255 took us to Balham for a delicious meal at a Turkish restaurant. What a multicultural day. Do you get the impression that all we are doing is eating and drinking? That’s not far wrong.

When we got home we watched a DVD - Nicholas Nickleby. Very enjoyable and uplifting for the new year, which will happen in about 15 minutes. There have been crackers going off all around us all evening. Nobody seems to be waiting for midnight and they can start extra early here because of the darkness. Nothing to see out the windows, just noise.

Not waiting any longer. Happy New Year!

The Anchor, Wisley

Saturday 30 December

It seemed like a good idea to head out of London and away from the crowds today. We looked on the internet for day outings and found a pub that looked interesting so off we set on the train to Clapham Junction and then another train to Woking and then another train to West Byfleet.

Had coffee at the Station Pub in West Byfleet, where the barista made artistic layers in my latte. He learned from a girl who used to work at Costa Coffee and he was pretty pleased that we commented on it.

Time for coffee

We then set off on foot to Dodd’s Lane, where we found a puddly walking track to our destination. It took us about 40 minutes through fields and forest and beside a canal ( or it could have been the River Wey).

We passed lots of people walking their dogs or cycling. The Anchor sits beside a lock and opposite there is a marina with lots of narrow boats. They look very narrow!

The pub was pretty packed so we sat outside under an umbrella with heaters attached and had a drink while we waited for a table to be available. Judy and I opted for the house specialty, steak and Tanglefoot (beer) pie - good English pub grub. So was the apple and berry crumble that followed.

We returned to Woking by taxi - very comfortable and quick - by which time it was dark. Then two trains to get home.

My next mission was to take my **!!##** phone back to the shop where I bought it. The lass there was very helpful and I was able to return it and replace it with what will hopefully be a much better phone. My advice to all is to steer clear of Alcatel. The new one is now charging, so fingers crossed that it will be better.

It’s been a lovely day.

The English love their dogs!

Balham

Friday 29 December

It was quite a wet start to the day today so we had a sleep-in and did a bit of washing. The machine is a washer/dryer and the contents come out incredibly wrinkled and a little damp. Fortunately the central heating panel-radiators are great for drying and we’ve all got clean sheets on our beds. Like Lorraine, we don’t love the washer/dryer and would not recommend one.

We eventually left the house and caught the bus to Balham for coffee and Scrabble on the giant Scrabble board at Gazette.

8 Scrabble boards joined together.

Up the road to a very good Sainsbury’s supermarket, where Rob bought a really big salmon. It was his turn to cook dinner. A lady at the bus stop had bought a similar salmon for New Year’s Eve, but hers didn’t jump onto the floor at the checkout.

You’d think he caught it himself!

After a late lunch, Judy and I went down the Streatham High St, Judy looking for a post office and me to try and sort out a problem with the phone I bought. Judy had success with the post office but the phone still doesn’t do what I want.

Rob cooked a superb salmon dinner and we did a surprisingly good job of getting through more than half of it. We listened to Simon and Garfunkel and felt content.

Delicious!

Oxford Street

Thursday 28 December

Specsavers were no use but we found Vision Express in Oxford St and they couldn’t have been more helpful. Rob now has a temporary pair of single vision glasses while they make him a new proper pair, which should take about a week.

New specs. What a relief!

The good old 159 bus took us all the way there with no changes and today we could see out the windows because the sun was shining and it was a lovely clear day. While Rob was having his eyes checked, Judy and I checked out a few of the shops nearby and got a new battery for my watch, which has been stuck on 7.20 for the last two days.

Big Ben all wrapped up.

We had lunch at an Italian restaurant recommended by the salesman at Vision Express. You queued up to order your pasta and then watched a chef make it in front of you. The place was packed but the food was great.

Vapiano

In fact, all of London is packed with people in town for the post Christmas sales. You can hardly move down the street and people don’t keep left in an orderly manner like they used to.

Judy and I had a look round Liberty’s while Rob went to look at computers. Everything was hugely expensive, so I’m sorry folks, there’ll be no Liberty print scarves coming home with us.

Liberty

We caught the bus home in Regent Street and it was lovely to see the beautiful Christmas lights there. Regent Street always has the best Christmas lights!

Crowds and lights in Regent Street.

We probably got home about 6 o’clock, by which time it had already been dark for couple of hours. The early darkness really messes with our body clocks. By about 7.30 we feel as if it’s bedtime and we’re all yawning our heads off. I’ve been going to bed earlier than usual and waking later - good thing we’re on holiday.

Lovely Regent Street.

National Gallery

Wednesday 27 December

This morning I looked out of the bathroom window to see a few white flakes falling from the sky. There were only a few and they turned back into drizzle very soon. So our day started much colder and damper than it’s been.

When we caught the bus to Trafalgar Square it didn’t matter that we missed out on the front seat, as you couldn’t see out anyway. The windows were wet on the outside and fogged up on the inside.

Trafalgar Square

Our destination was the National Gallery. A lot of people had the same idea today, but we managed to see some lovely art just the same. Rob was very put out at the cloakroom charge of £1.50 per item. It was worth it to me to get rid of my enormous coat. I noticed that most people were carrying or wearing their coats. They must have been very hot!

Crowds near the sunflowers

The highlights for me were the Impressionists. The crowds were particularly dense round such favourites as Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” and Monet’s “Waterlilies”. Here are a couple that I liked.

Snow scene at Argenteuil - Monet

Men of the docks - George Bellows

A wheat field, with cypresses - Vincent Van Gogh

After the gallery we found one of Sian’s recommended watering holes, “Gordon’s Wine Bar”. We nearly missed it as there was a sign on the door about Christmas closures and it looked very dark. However the sign actually said that they would reopen today, and if you went down the stairs in the alley you discovered that it was not only open but packed with people.

Gordon’s Wine Bar

Mistletoe

Home again on the bus, dinner, and then I ended the day brilliantly by dropping my iPad on Rob’s glasses and breaking the frames. I’m desperately hoping that Specsavers can sort them tomorrow.

After the rain. The Christmas tree comes from Norway.

Boxing Day

Tuesday 26 December

It’s Boxing Day and I didn’t see the start of the Sydney Hobart yacht race! I assume they went ahead without me.

I did, however, have a great ride up front in the top deck of a red double decker bus. This one took us through Clapham and Brixton, over the river into the posh part of London. What a change as we drove round Sloane Square into Knightsbridge and then to Hyde Park Corner.

Battersea Power Station

Sloane Square

We hopped off at Hyde Park Corner and went looking for the all important cup of coffee, which we found in an extremely elegant hotel across the road. And it was a great cup of coffee.

Same Royal Worcester pattern as my pavlova plate!

Fortified by caffeine we ventured into Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland, which turned out to be the most enormous funfair with just about every scary ride they’ve invented. There was another ice rink, this time with penguins for the children to balance on.

There were Christmas stalls and games where you throw something and try to win a giant stuffed toy. I only saw one person carrying one. Those games are not as easy as they look!

There was also a “Bavarian Village” with big beer halls, bratwurst and gluhwein. Guess what we had for lunch.

We left the “Winter Wonderland “ and strolled around the Serpentine, past the Princess Diana memorial fountain, which had no water in it, then caught the 137 bus back to Streatham Hill.

Knightsbridge

Judy made her famous chicken with 40 cloves of garlic for dinner. Delicious! And there was another slice of the pud.

Christmas Day

Monday 25 December

We started our Christmas about the time people at home were collapsing in front of the telly with the dishes done and the tummies full. Rob made his famous pancakes for breakfast and that’s about as much cooking as has been done all day ... except for one important thing.

The pancake king at work

Judy called me to look out their bedroom window and over the fence at the neighbouring tennis courts. The people playing tennis were wearing teddy bear costumes! Could it be a strange British Christmas tradition?

Anyone for tennis?

It didn’t seem long after that that we set off down the High St in the direction of the Manor Arms Pub, a half hour amble. Looking down the side streets you can see rows of terrace houses that are all the same. There is no public transport in London on Christmas Day so it’s walk or stay home if you haven’t got a car. The High St was much quieter than usual!

Typical London street

High St

At the pub we enjoyed a traditional turkey dinner (Rob had beef). It was very strange not to be sweating over a hot oven or driving miles to see family. The dinner was nice but not as good as last night’s French meal. However we wanted to do the pub thing and were glad we did. One of the highlights was the little box we were each given containing a party popper, a streamer, a blower thing and a very long balloon. You blow up the balloon then let it go whizzing all around the room. That made for a bit of communication and laughter between tables.

Home again and it was time for a cup of tea and charades. Rob was on fire today and did some beauties though we had an awful struggle to get QI and Private Benjamin. This evening we kept it simple with a few nibbles, including quail eggs which we dipped in celery salt, and little Camembert and cranberry tarts.

Quail eggs

Finally it was time for the last chapter in the great pudding saga, a slice of hot pudding with custard and cream. And it was well worth all the effort involved in cooking it and getting it here. My thanks to all involved.

The magic pud!

The last Jedi

Sunday 24 December

We might be far from home but we still need to keep up with the latest Star Wars adventure, so that’s what we did today. A stroll down Streatham High Street took us to coffee and then the Odeon Cinema where we enjoyed “The last Jedi”. But is it really the last Jedi? I think not! Not as good a film as the last one and not a patch on the original three, but still an entertaining afternoon.

This evening we returned to the “Gazette” for a sensational Christmas Eve dinner. French bubbles, mussels, roast duck with orange sauce, and then a chocolate soufflé. My idea of heaven! The tables are blackboards and they put chalk there for customers to write or draw. We wrote Merry Christmas in as many languages as we could ... not many.

Not too sure about the spelling

The buses worked perfectly to and from Balham. There’s no public transport tomorrow so we’ll be walking to the pub where we’re having Christmas dinner. It’s 10pm here and 9am on Christmas morning in Australia, so ... Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Our garden