Fireworks Over Big Ben... Success or Failure?

Behold! The London Eye (with blue lights) and if you squint & look really hard, you can see Big Ben below the string of white lights, center of picture. This is as good as it gets, ladies and gentlemen...

New Year's Eve

This was the first year they sold tickets to be down by the river front to better manage crowd control and avoid any scary scenarios, so we figured it would be crowded, but manageable. The gates opened at 7:30pm; we got there at 8:00 and got fairly close to the riverfront, but fairly far from the Eye and Big Ben. We didn't mind as most of the fireworks would be up in the sky anyway. 

But the crowds just kept coming. They all had tickets, and they just kept coming. 

Pushing and shoving to get in front or at least closer.  

But there wasn't an inch in any direction to move... and we'd only been there an hour. 

The only thing I could do was watch the back of the person in front of me as Bill protected me from the jostling hoards. Every 15 minutes or so I'd swivel around to look up at Bill, see how he was doing (he'd grumble), ask what time it was (another grumble), and then swivel around to look at the back of the person in front of me again. 

The porta-potties were back near the entrance, so good luck getting to one and forget ever getting back to your spot. We stayed two full hours, but knew we had to stand there ANOTHER TWO HOURS to enjoy the 15-minute fireworks display. 

Bill finally asked if I would be devastated if we left early, and honestly, I was pretty ready to go myself. Once we decided to go, trying to extricate ourselves from the crowd was yet another challenge. It was horrible. Once away from the teaming hoards, Bill turned to me and said the quote of the evening, "That was one of the dumbest ideas I've ever had!"

Needless to say, we walked back to our bed & breakfast amongst festive New Year's Eve revelers.

Once "home" we watched the New Years Eve fireworks like normal people, on the television.

Here it is, thanks to BBC1. It sure would be cool to see it some day with our own eyes... 

Ringing in 2015, London Style

Last year we rung in 2014 at a local village hall with some of our newly-made friends. At midnight, we watched Big Ben in London strike midnight on the big projection screen (England's version of Times Square), everyone yelled Happy New Year, kissed their loved ones, then held hands and sang auld lang sign as we watched the fireworks over the river Thames on the big screen. Bill turned to me and said, next year, let's see that in person. Surprised, I asked if he was sure he wanted to brave the hoards and watch Big Ben strike midnight live, and he said and emphatic YES. So, I set the "NYE 2015 London" plans in motion. 

Fancy (blurry) dining room 

We took the train down to London on December 30th and spent a lovely half-day in London. We found a rather posh restaurant for our first dinner. More posh than we were expecting, as we were looking for a simple pub. But once you walk in and get seated, what are you going to do? There was a great piano player and the food looked delish, so we stayed. 

Liberty's of London

We spent the last morning of 2014 walking around some of the hoity-toity neighborhoods around london. We browsed through Liberty's and I drooled at their wonderful fabrics and high-end accessories.

Fancy hats!!

We stumbled upon a Phillip Treacy stand-alone shop that was sadly, closed. Phillip Treacy is the haberdasher to the Royal family and movie stars. My Royal Ascot friends would have been very jealous if (had it been open) I had braved going inside, trying on an outrageously expensive hat and taken a selfie. Oh, well, this photo of the window display will have to do.

Bubba Gump's

We found a Bubba Gump's. I teased Bill that it could be a portal to Cannery Row, and we could pop in to visit home, and all of our friends could easily visit us here. Would that's be awesome?!

Victorian arcade

We walked through a gorgeously decorated, high-end jewelry and watch arcade that was bustling with business. Because, you know, the end of the year is always the best time to buy your antique Cartier diamonds and last season's Rolex watches!  

After a morning of walking around, and a quick bite to eat in a pub, we made our way to a small theatre to see a matinee performance of The Woman in Black. The play was made into a movie a few years ago with Daniel Radcliff (Harry Potter). I hadn't seen the movie, but we enjoyed the play very much. 

We knew we'd be standing all night for the fireworks, so we figured a play and a nice, long dinner would be nice before braving the elements. 

Fancy dining room, New Year's Eve

Our dinner was at a rather fancy restaurant right next the the famous Savoy hotel. We booked dinner several weeks early knowing the number of people in town for New Years would make finding a good place with availability by chance very difficult. Simpsons on the Strand turned out to be lovely. They serve roast beef, cut table-side with all the trimmings as well as a bevy of other delicious items. Yum!  

Buckingham Palace

On our walk back to our Bed and Breakfast that night, we spied Buckingham Palace all lit up. It was beautiful and I had to take one last photo before we packed it in for the night.

As for the fireworks over Big Ben?  I'll save that story for the next blog post :-) 

Christmas Cake, Crackers, and Craziness

I know posting this at the end of February is weird, but I am catching up! I hope I will soon be posting events shortly after they've occurred, but until then I am still playing the catch-up game.

The Christmas season is really fun in England. All of the towns really go crazy with the decorations. Every restaurant seems to have special "Winter Warmer" menus, craft fairs and Christmas markets are held almost every weekend in nearby villages and towns. The York Minster had a gorgeous wreath bedecked with holly and mistletoe - which is kind of cool because because they go back to the pagan winter holidays and not all churches will use them in their decorations. 

Advent wreath at York Minster

We attended a Christmas party at a local restaurant that had great decorations and the ubiquitous Christmas crackers with the paper hats.

Christmas Party

Christmas crackers

We decorated our home a wee bit, with a pre-lit, used tree I purchased and some cheap-o ornaments from Amazon. (Because all of our Christmas ornaments are still back in the states.) 

Our Christmas tree

I used my knowledge from last year's cookery course at Betty's to make another Christmas cake. This year I got a bit fancier with the fondant and decorations. 

Christmas cake

Christmas cake

I also made a classic Christmas pudding that we set alight before serving up on Christmas eve.

Flaming Christmas pudding

And last, but not least, every Sunday in December Bill and I got up a bit early and walked down to Betty's tea room for a fancy, sit-down breakfast. What fun we had! 

Betty's for Breakfast

PS Bill's showcasing a cake fork, which he likes to call a sporknife - it cuts, it stabs, it scoops!! 

When Surrounded by Sheep & Wool, One Starts Knitting Again!

I used to knit. I made scarves and blankets... basically anything flat. And then I decided to knit a vest for Bill and it was a miserable failure. I tried again and knitted myself a sweater... another failure. All the pieces looked fine but once I sewed them all together they were tight over here and lumpy over there. I set my knitting needles down and hadn't picked them up in years.

Back of sexy dress

And then I moved to Yorkshire, where the lamb and wool are aplenty. And a fabulous knitting shop within walking distance. I dipped my toe back in by crocheting a few projects. When they went well, I finally picked the knitting needles back up again. So far I've only made a few scarfs, but after attending the annual knitting & stitching show last Autumn (where these photos were taken), I have been inspired to sign up for "beyond the basics" knitting classes. 

Whimsical knitted vest

Perhaps I won't be knitting anything quite so ornate as the dress and shirt above, or the felted dresses below...

Felted dress for Maleficent? 

Another felted dress

But I hope to move on from knitting flat objects to 3 dimensional ones that can actually be worn proudly as clothing!

The Hunter's Prayer on Location

We had some excitement in late November, in that a hollywood movie came to town to film in one of the older corners of our town center. It's a movie called The Hunter's Prayer and it stars Sam Worthington of Avatar fame and is supposedly set in Switzerland. Or at least the scenes filmed in town were supposed to be in Switzerland - apparently it looks kinda swiss in the Monpellier quarter. 

Sign explaining street changes

One of the restaurants that Bill and I have enjoyed several meals was used for a key chase scene. The co-owner / hostess told us she was there all night during the filming and it was really, really boring. The poor extras just had to keep pretending to eat as the main characters chased the bad guys (or maybe they were being chased by the bad guys?) through the restaurant. And apparently they had to re-do the scene hundreds of times as it was rather technical, with explosions and the like.  

Filming and food wrapped for the day

Personally, I think it all sounds rather fascinating. But I assume by 4am it probably wouldn't be fascinating to anyone anymore, would it? 

Timberlake's Restaurant, AKA Le Dernier Bistro

The film crew re-labeled all of the street signs, shop signs, and even brought in a sausage cart to make everything look authentic. 

I want a brockwurst!

Oops - silly me! I was walking all around the filming location taking camera-photos willy-nilly. No one shoo'd me out or seemed to mind, but then I saw the sign below. And what did I do? Take a picture of it with my phone. D'oh! 

Oops... I used my phone to take this photo!

Bach Centre - More Flower Remedy Learnin'!

About a year after I took the Bach Flower Remedy's level two course, I finally found myself back in Britewell-cum-Sotwell for the third and final course! I was able to book with the same family and stayed in their wee Shepard's Hut, a purpose-built caravan (trailer) that's the right size for one or a very cozy size for two. 

View from the shepherd's hut

The bed and breakfast hosts also have a garden room attached to their conservatory, but it just doesn't seem like it would be as special as this sweet little caravan. On the second day, however, I woke because the hut was shaking quite a bit. It turned out that the tail of a hurricane was passing over southern England. It was quite an interesting morning walk to the Bach Centre, that's for sure!

My wee shepherd's hut

Morning view from shepherd's Hut

The Bach Centre is the same as it had been on my last two visits. The sun shone a bit during the week I was there, so I was able to capture a few autumnal flower photos. 

The Bach Centre

Holly, grown in Bach Centre's garden

This third and last course centers around solidifying your knowledge of the flower remedies and getting you ready to start a practice of your own. At the end of the week all of the potential practitioners had to take a 2-1/2 hour, 12-page written exam. Needless to say I spent a bit of time chilling out in the flower gardens going over all that I had learned and studied, prepping myself for the exam. 

Flowers in Bach Centre's garden

I talked more about the Bach Flower Remedies in a previous post here: Bach Centre Level One

And here: Bach Centre Level Two

Ducks! 

I found out about 10 days after the course that I passed!! I then had to answer an even more extensive essay exam that took me the better half of December to complete. Thankfully, I passed that portion of the assessments as well. I am now onto the 3rd and final assessment to become a practitioner. The third assessment is comprised of yet another essay and three client case studies, each client having at least two Bach Flower Remedy sessions. Whew! That's a lot of work to get the seal of approval from the Bach Centre!!

Ohmmmmm....

Contact me if you are interested in learning more about the Bach Flower Remedies or are interested in being one of my case studies. Thank you! 

Black, White, and Pearls Gala / Fundraiser

Our friend Regine has talked us into doing a lot of things a wee bit outside of our comfort zone. And for that, we thank her as we've had a ton of fun. One of the more recent things we attended was a black-tie gala / fundraiser for brain cancer research. 

Party time, excellent! 

It was a "Black, White, and Pearls" gala, so I got some pearls for my birthday so I would be sufficiently adorned for the party. I re-used my Royal Ascot dress, and we were good to go! 

Brook and Cindy

The festivities took place at the Royal Hall, a Victorian-era theatre venue that was simply beautiful inside. The three course meal and wine were also top notch. After a few glasses of wine, some of our party got a little silly...

Brian and Regine

There was even a dry ice dessert! We bought all sorts of "chances to win" tickets and won a voucher for a free sunday meal and a gift certificate to a local green grocers. Sadly, no one at our table won one of the high-end pearl prizes. 

Dry ice dessert 

It was a hoot, but most importantly, this one night alone raised enough money to fund one year's salary for a MD research intern studying brain cancer. We left light of pocket but full of heart. 

Fancy centerpiece and ceiling 

Remember, Remember, the 5th of November!

Guy Fawkes Day. The Gunpowder Plot. Bonfire Night. Did you learn anything about this back in school? I vaguely remembered that Guy Fawkes was a bad guy (according to the royalty) a long time ago, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out why the UK celebrates him on November 5th. Now that I know, it's still a bit wonky, in my humble opinion.  

Bonfire

Instead of Cliff's Notes, I give you Jennifer's Notes: 

Henry VIII separated from the catholic church, his daughter Mary became queen upon his death and reverted the country back to catholocism. That lasted 5 years until her death, when her sister, Elizabeth I (daughter of Henry VIII & Anne Bolyn) came to power and created the Church of England. Many years of Queen Elizabeth I, and a beheaded cousin (Mary, Queen of Scots) later, QEI's cousin's only son, James I (son of Mary, Queen of Scots) became king.

Friends with sparklers

All of the Catholics were hopeful that James I would revert the country back to Catholicism, which was his mother's religion, but he did not. Because he remained true to the Church of England, many were very upset, including a small group of men in York who decided they were going to blow up the Houses of Parliament in protest on November 5th. One of the men in this group was named Guy Fawkes. The plot was foiled and Guy Fawkes (among others) was caught. 

Sparklers sparkling 

Guy Fawkes was found guilty. He was hung, drawn, and quartered as punishment. Now we celebrate the foiled gunpowder plot by lighting a huge effigy of Guy Fawkes on fire (the bonfire), eating caramel apples, playing with sparklers, and watching fireworks. 

Fireworks

Which is exactly what we did. Weird.

Pastry Pro (Wannabe) at Betty's Cookery School

I think I'm addicted to Betty's Cookery School!! This autumn I attended two more classes, both helping the home baker learn how to make pastry. 

Happy gal at Betty's Cookery School

In the first class, we made three different types of pastry and filled them with amazing-ness. The first was a sweet crust pastry filled with cherry jam and custard, named for the basque region in France in which it was made famous. 

My cherry gateau Basque

Instructor's cherry gateau Basque

Next up was a walnut short crust pastry filled with leeks, blue cheese, and a cream / egg base. 

My leek and stilton tart

Instructor's leek and stilton tart

And last, but not least (for my first pastry class), a hot water crust with pork pie filling and an apple cider glaze. I am not a fan of pork pies, so Bill happily consumed all four that I brought home. 

My apple cider and pork pies 

Instructor's apple cider and pork pies

In the second pastry course, I learned how to make a simple puff pastry (Ha! Simple is not a word I would describe this pastry, but I digress...) for a steak and ale pie. It was delicious, but all that work for two servings - I'll have to quadruple the recipe so that my time and effort are enjoyed for a few meals! 

Instructor's steak and ale pie

Next up was a savory short crust pastry for a yummy smoked salmon and dill tart. 

My smoked salmon and dill tart

And last, but not least, another sweet short crust pastry - this one so crumbly, we all had a heck of a time with it - for a yummy cardamom chocolate tart. 

My cardamom and chocolate tarts

Instructor's cardamom and chocolate tart (smoked salmon tart in background)

With all of my new skills, I was brave enough to enter a baking completion with a modified version of the cherry gateau Basque... And I won first place!! I now have a shiny new fondue pot I have no idea what to do with. Maybe there's a fondue class at Betty's...