Fringe madness

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Spent a busy busy weekend outside London at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, an annual treat for me and I was joined by two American friends having their first Fringe experience. They were amazed by it and want to make it their annual treat too! We were lucky with the weather which was mostly dry and even sunny at times so we got to see the city at its best.

We managed 8 shows, a mix of comedy x3, theatre x2 and dance and I squeezed a visit to the Book Festival before they arrived with a friend who lives in Edinburgh. They have about 4 or 5 different festivals all on at the same time so everywhere you turn there is a venue with something interesting showing. The famous Royal Mile running from the castle to Holyrood Palace is full of players persuading you to see their show with flyers and mini performances. It really is a case of so much to see, so little time…….

Back in London we had a visit to Greenwich for the day to see the sights there. The day kicked off with a boat trip from Embankment in the centre out to Greenwich on the super fast Thames Clipper. We wandered around Greenwich,past the Market square through the Royal College and its wonderful baroque Painted Hall to the National Maritime Museum. Lots to see here including Nelson’s jacket – the one he was wearing when he took the fatal shot. And yes, there is the bullet hole. On a more modern note, you can drive the simulator and park your ocean liner in Sydney Harbour but take your turn with all the kids!

After lunch at the famous Trafalgar Tavern we walked up to the Observatory to stand on the Meridian at 0.00.00 longitude and take in the spectacular views over London. The film show at the Planetarium was wonderful if a little sleep inducing so we briskly walked back to the river and took the little known pedestrian tunnel under the Thames. Important not to think about the water above you……. A glass of Pimms at Plateau in Canary Wharf topped off a highly recommended day out. Greenwich is not far but feels out of town and we don’t go there often enough.

Excitement builds as it’s the Notting Hill carnival this weekend and a huge party will be going on all around me. Can’t wait!

Bye for now.
Sue

Trips and tours

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I’m a bit late posting this week’s blog due to a short trip to Cornwall which was great. We stayed in a lovely boutique hotel in Fowey (pronounced Foy just to confuse) where they were starting their regatta week so bunting everywhere. Coves, harbours, 2 cream teas and a visit to the Eden Centre all added up to a great little break tho’ the sun was clearly not venturing out of London for us.

Last week was focused on a business day with 2 Chinese visitors on an It’s Your London tour on Friday. They went for the fully accompanied version and we had a fun day (have a look at http://itsyourlondon.co.uk/ to see more about the tours). They wanted a full big sights tour so, with the help of our taxi driver, we managed to fit in: Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey (inside too), Downing Street, Changing of the Guard at Horse Guards Parade, Buckingham Palace (inside tour and lunch), Tower of London (inside too) and a drive around the City past St Paul’s and we nipped into the Olde Cheshire Cheese for a quick half before finishing with Trafalgar Square. Action packed but not too rushed either. They were lovely people and hopefully my explanation of Henry 8th didn’t confuse them too much – all those wives! The sun shone thankfully and the crowds weren’t too bad for mid August so I’m looking forward to the next visit.

One other outing worth a mention this week. We went to the Electric Cinema on Portobello Road which is always a delight with its huge seats, foot rests, bar in the cinema and more space around the seat then your own home. It’s what all movie going should be. Before the film, a return visit to El Pirata de Tapas on Westbourne Grove to have another tasty meal before strolling round to the cinema. That’s the beauty of Notting Hill – loads of good stuff all close by.

Bye for now. Am off to Edinburgh for the Fringe to catch some comedy and theatre. It’s all go…..

Sue

Lazy days in the park…

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The return of sunshine lead to a batch of outdoor activities – from walking round Hyde Park to sitting having coffee with friends in my garden – and being amazed by the strength of the sun!

Culturally this week’s highlight was a ticket for Streetcar Named Desire starring Rachel Weisz at the Donmar Warehouse. Strong performances in a small venue made for powerful theatre. A warm evening helped give some idea of a steamy New Orleans night and cocktails after at the Covent Garden Hotel with 2 funny barmen made for an excellent evening’s entertainment.

Saturday saw several hours whiled away in Hyde Park starting with a visit to the Jeff Koons exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery which is based on inflatable beach toys, odd but amusing. The reflecting outdoor pavilion at the Gallery, this year’s winning commission for the annual temporary structure, was strangely calming. The park itself was full of people sitting, picnicing, boating, playing games and enjoying the Serpentine Bar and Kitchen, now run by the Benugo group which has upped the quality so we joined them there for a snack and a Pimms.

More entertainment came in the form of a live band at Charlotte Street Blues bar. They were good but I’d definitely call them rock not blues, still live music is a treat in a small venue so no harm done, except for any die hard blues fans who’d have felt rather cheated!

One bar to sign off with…… Albertine’s in Shepherd’s Bush has been there for many years (19 to my knowledge) and is just what a wine bar should be: no nonsense, reliable good and a lots of choice of wine, good food without being fussy or taking over and it doesn’t change apart from the odd lick of paint. Long may it last!

Bye for now.
Sue

A rather different week in London…

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A rather different week from the usual as I was a volunteer for WaterAid at the London Triathlon this weekend. WaterAid is a great charity whose vision is of a world where everyone has access to safe water and sanitation. Take a look at http://www.wateraid.org/. Lots of cheering on our runners/swimmers/cyclists but also rooting for anyone who was running for charity or looked really exhausted and there were a few of those….. We were all wearing WaterAid t-shirts to spread the word so it was important to have a big group of volunteers to be as visible as possible. London has lots of big events where you can volunteer for a day or 2 to show support so there’s no excuse not to get involved. The event was held at the Excel Centre in the east of London and this will be one of the Olympic venues in 2012, tho’ not for the triathlon which will be in Hyde Park.

On the unusual theme, I spent 2 evenings on a jewellery making course and came home with a pair of earrings and 2 rings made of silver wire and beads. London’s colleges offer an unbelievable range of courses for adults to try our hands at new skills. I wasn’t that good so won’t be back for more but being able to have 2 evenings of tasters was just great and my masterpieces are definitely wearable if not brilliant!

It was Ealing Jazz Festival and on Saturday evening we popped in, gave them our £1 and saw 2 great bands. Yes, that was £1 – the best value in town. The Township Comets featuring Pinise Saul had great African sounds particularly from the singer. This was followed by Liz Fletcher and her band, again a great singer with strong instrumental back up. This event’s been going for 25 years and never fails to provide excellent music in large circus style tents with a programme spread over 5 days. You can sit outside the tents during the day and picnic or just lay around and listen to the varied jazz styles. It’s an important part of the summer for west Londoners and I used to be one.

Before I close, one restaurant to mention. Annie’s down by the river in Chiswick is a beautifully decorated converted Victorian house with tables on 2 floors and outside on the street. Sumptuous is a word that crops in their reviews for their decor and is very apt and the brasserie style food was lovely including the seasonal special of lobster which I couldn’t resist and the cocktails slipped down easily as well.

Bye til next week.

Sue

Lycra in Paris and a giant cupcake in London!

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I took a few days out of London to visit Paris , my second favourite city and one which makes a fabulous side trip from London. We’ve been many times for long weekends or just for a long lunch which is really easy now that the journey time can take as little as 2 hours and 15 minutes. The lycra was in abundance thanks (if that’s the right word!) to the Tour de France racing through Paris for the finale on the Champs-Elysees on Sunday. We had a front perch on the road near Notre Dame to see the cyclists flash past in a 10 second blur of bright colour and wheels. A Brit won the day in Paris but overall scoring meant a Spaniard took the crown in 2009 as there are 2o other hard days’ work to take into account. Great meals, lots of pastis and good doses of culture added to the fun.

Life in London’s been busy and topped by a giant cupcake which was sighted in Covent Garden as a special guest at their regular Thursday real food market. How big you ask, well it was 2 metres by 1.25 metres and was big enough to offer over 2000 people a decent sized slice, brought to them by Culinary Olympic winner Michelle Wibowo. I saw it, it was huge and took forever to cut up.

More cerebral delights were tucked away in the massive Westfield shopping centre in small Getty Images collection of glorious celebrity photographs by Terry O’Neill. From Paul Newman and Lee Marvin’s publicity shots to the casual snap of the Rolling Stones in a BBC canteen, they were arresting photos.

One local monthly event for us Notting Hill-ers is Book Slam which moved venue for July so had to be checked out. Book Slam is a live event and mixes poetry, book reading and music. We dropped into the Tabernacle, the new venue and also home of Notting Hill carnival, to see a performance poet (Luke Wright) and the novelist David Nicholls. We gave the new venue the thumbs up and even bought the book as it was signed and the reading had got us hooked.

I can’t end without a mention of a restaurant or bar and for this blog it’s the Champagne Bar at St Pancras International which makes a fitting start to any Eurostar train trip to Paris. It’s the longest champagne bar in Europe and for those who have to ask the question – there is no clear answer to who holds the world award! From the bar you can enjoy St Pancras which has been renovated to become a wonderful and beautiful station.

londonliving blog will be coming to you on a weekly basis from now on as there is just too much to fit in each fortnight and I’ll be able to do every entry a bit more justice. Hope you’re enjoying it so far.

Bye for now.
Sue

7th July

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The heady days of Wimbledon are behind us and there was to be no win for our own Andy Murray but we are already looking ahead to next year….

The heatwave is also behind us but not before we enjoyed drinks in my garden until midnight in short sleeves – what a treat. Now we have sunshine with passing showers but easily good enough for an outdoor BBQ on Friday.

On Saturday evening we went to see something amazing. Sadler’s Wells was the venue for Matthew Bourne’s Dorian Gray, a retelling of Oscar Wilde’s gothic fable through dance. The fluidity of movement, the seductive choreography, the stunning elegance, the driving music, all came together in a fabulous experience. The dancers must be from another planet compared with us earth bound mortals. They lead us through the glorious rise and then the fall into decay of an advertising made ‘It Boy’.

On a sombre note, last week saw the unveiling in Hyde Park of the memorial to the 52 people who were killed by terrorist bombs in London on 7th July 2005. There are 52 tall stainless steel pillars, one for each person, grouped into four sections which represent the four locations of the bombs. It’s a public space and you can walk among the pillars and reflect on the loss, as the many visitors were doing when I was there. Very fitting.

For Sports fans, cricket has taken over and the 2nd match in the 5 match series called ‘The Ashes’ of England v Australia will start in London on Thursday. This is at Lord’s cricket ground the home of cricket, by Regents Park. I won’t even try to explain cricket to those not brought up with it but as a major sporting event it’s great fun as the rivalry is intense. Not looking that good for England after the first match ….

A couple of restaurants to mention before I sign off. Launceston Place in Kensington for lunch was lovely, we had the set menu but they added in a couple of extra taster dishes, a pre-starter and pre-dessert which always cheers the diner up. The staff were charming and its conventional look is dignified without being stuffy. In contrast was Crazy Homies in Notting Hill, a very lively Mexican restaurant with loud music and wacky decorations. Good food, good service and a fun atmosphere has put this onto the list of local favourites.

Sue

Heatwave in London!

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The last 2 weeks of June saw a couple of unusual events – a British player doing well at Wimbledon and temperatures hitting the 30s (90s)! To make the most of both I headed off to Wimbledon on Monday to see Andy Murray play on the centre court with the roof closed for the first time and play went on to a very untraditional 10.39 pm. Nails were bitten, eyes were hidden behind hands, Mexicans were waved and in end Andy prevailed and we breathed again. This being England, the fans are planning to queue for 2 days to catch his next encounter!

And still the heat goes on….

It’s Henry V111 year as it’s 500 years since he came to the throne and there are all kinds of events and exhibitions to visit to learn about this monarch who changed the course of our history. We visited Hampton Court and as well as getting lost in the famous maze (but finally found the centre to claim our sticker!) we joined Henry and his courtiers for pre-wedding drinks and a lively chat about his life and thoughts about wives! Henry was married, well one of his 6 weddings, at Hampton Court and there are re-enactments of the preparations and the wedding for visitors to join in and even Tudor dress to wear as you go round. It’s great fun and part of a very entertaining day out in this grand palace.

I was very happy to see Michael Palin in a one off charity show at the O2 arena entitled ’20 years of jokes and 20 years of comedy’, a treat for travellers and Monty Python fans alike. What a lovely man. The O2 is an amazing building designed as a huge tent and features in Casino Royale for those who know their James Bond films.

One of my visitors staying in Notting Hill wanted to try an English pub so we went to The Cow, known for its sea food. The menu offered ‘whelks and winkles’ so we decided to boldly go. I retreated to the Pimms as this went down much easier but, for the brave, this dish is really something to remember! Pimms is the classic English summer drink, refreshing but a little bit stronger than it seems.

One more unusual London experience worth telling you all about are the 30 pianos out on the streets all across London, for anyone to sit at and play, as part of Luke Jerram’s Play Me I’m Yours artwork. I found one in Notting Hill being played rather well by students whose days mission was to give a short rendition on each of the 30 pianos for Cancer Research, a huge effort on such a hot day.

Yes, it’s still hot…

Sue

June fun…

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Hello readers,

My blog will now be posted fortnightly so hopefully you won’t have the mammoth sized May one to plough through again! What are these blogs going to be about? Mostly what I’ve been doing in London and if there’s something great that’s been happening which I somehow missed, I’ll add that in too. Hope you enjoy it – let me know!

First 2 weeks of June

You have to love the contrasts in London life. One day watching the ballet Ondine on a big screen in Trafalgar Square being beamed live from the Royal Opera House – all restrained elegance and passion. Another day at the Shepherds Bush Empire watching Katy Perry’s show – all energy and bounce, nothing restrained at all.

More energy on show with the quick thinking gang at the Sunday show at the Comedy Store where their amazing improvisation leaves you feeling very slow. Good to see Paul Merton still does this show despite all his TV and Radio appearances. A great end to a weekend.

Had fun at ‘First Thursday’ which is the once a month late opening of a whole lot of small and very groovy art galleries in the East End. We started at the newly refurbished Whitechapel Gallery which is highly recommended, except for the one painting that makes your eyes go really funny. In Vyner Street there about 10 galleries and we joined the flow of people going in and out of all the venues and stopping at the pub on the corner. It’s all a brilliant chance for new art lovers (and the curious among us) to see a great range of stuff all at once.

As we were out in the east of London, we went on to the Boundary restaurant which has a lovely roof top bar – complete with heaters, blankets and an outdoor grill. It was hard to walk past all the Indian restaurants in Brick Lane but rooftop bars are so tempting!

This brings me onto restaurants and those who read May’s blog will know I’m a big fan of eating out. There are so many place to go in London that it’s hard to find the time to return old favourites but Aphrodite in Notting Hill is one I keep going back to. It’s a wonderful neighbourhood Greek with the friendliest staff and owner possible.

New ones that have been tested out were: La Fromagerie in Marylebone and the Notting Hill Tandoori in – well you can guess! La Fromagerie has a handful of tables in the middle of a drooling food shop where the cheeses are so strong and well thought of that they shut them away in a special room! Notting Hill Tandoori gave us great Indian food served by a charming waiter and if you are a fan of breads, I recommend their parathas.

Andy Murray won at Queens tennis – first Brit for 71 years and I missed it, only saw it on TV! It’s Wimbledon soon and the excitement and expectation are mounting. There’s world cricket in town as well, tho’ sadly England didn’t do too well. Royal Ascot this week – all hats and royals. It must be summer with all this sport.

We ‘ve had some lovely sunshine and a little bit of rain so the flowers and trees are in bloom and leaf and London is full of life and colour. Wish you were here? Well, come and visit!

Oops – sorry, this seems to have been as long as May’s blog. There’s just so much happening…….
Sue

What a month May has been…

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May draws to a close with an amazing burst of sunshine and blue sky. It’s light til nearly 10pm so we’re squeezing the last moments out of each evening.

We love May in London – it’s when the sun comes out and we have not 1 but 2 public holidays so we get to spend more time having a good time.

I’ve been trying out some great restaurants – Dehesa, Terroirs and L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon – all recommended and showcasing the current welcome trend of grazing/small plates. More traditional new restaurant was Chor Bizarre and also The Real Greek out at the new huge shopping centre called Westfield, so many shops so little time!

The Globe Theatre has seen a couple of visits from me – once to an amazing modern play called The Frontline which was a blast of energy on stage. And once to their lovely bar and restaurant called Swan at the Globe where we wiled away a very long lunch looking over the Thames to St Paul’s dome on another sunny day.

It’s been a good month for theatre with some big hitters on stage like Gillian Anderson, Judy Dench and we are waiting for Jude Law to bring us his Hamlet. I went to see When the Rain Stops with less well known players but still a good night out at the Almeida theatre, combined with a drink at the restaurant of the same name opposite.

May also saw a visit to the Jazz Cafe to see the wonderful Mali guitarist Vieux Farka Toure who put on a great show for us on my birthday – thanks Vieux!

And there’s more…. Bookslam this month hosted David Simon of the Wire fame, reading from one of his books. Bookslam is a fun and funky event of poetry, music and book readings held in a night club. A very different feel was the Conspiracy Theories talk from David Aaronovitch in the fabulous surroundings of the Miller’s Academy club.

Well that was May in London, well just the highlights but it certainly was fun.

Sue

I’m back!!

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London Living is back – sorry about the delay, lots of reasons…… But it’s great to be writing about London again and giving some insights into what’s on and what’s fun in town.