Another Christmas Season

Hopes and dreams of a romantic winter vacation spent beside a warm swimming pool, under the shade of a beach umbrella have faded to black. We just could not get on the same page concerning location, dates to be away, length of vacation and so on. The ability to make clear decisions quickly appears to be yet another victim of old-timer-disease. Result of our indecision is that I am heading to Florida Feb. 12th, and dear hubby is staying home to mind the cats and his business.

My Christmas decorating is just about done. Tree is up, garland is draped over the mantle, Hallmark village and miniature evergreen coverning the sofa table, and Nativity Scene holding the place of honour atop the family room mantle.

Instead of hanging stockings over the fireplace I hung 4 of my homemade quilted ornaments.

They are years old now, but took so long for me to make that I don't have the heart to get rid of them now.









This morning as I was sitting at my computer the Christmas tree began to shake. The red and gold balls swaying gently too and fro. EARTHQUAKE!! or at the least a tremor was the first thought in my mind. Then common sense kicked in and I realized that there was no tinkling of crystal accompanying the swaying decorations. After a moment they settled down leaving me scratching my head, a mystery indeed. A few minutes later they began bouncing again and this time I noticed 2 white paws perched beside the tree, little black knees flexed, then a wee bounce as Staccato reached up and swatted at the glittering ball closest to the tree bottom. She isn't known for being a very "cat-like" kitty, so catching her in the act of playing with something is a rare treat. I'm glad she's getting into the spirit of Christmas, maybe she's hoping for a stocking this year.

I've had some success with 2 recipes I tried this week, Porc en Croute and Carrot Souffle.

The Porc en Croute recipe I used is Emeril Lagasse's, found on the internet, and the Carrot Souffle is from SimplyRecipes.com. My sister had sent me another carrot souffle recipe which is much sweeter so I didn't use that one. It is from the Piccadilly Buffet in Florida, and tastes more like a dessert than a vegetable dish...simply yummy!

The next new thing to try will be to make my own sushi. Asked my Japanese friend if she could give me a lesson and she broke into gales of laughter, and said she doesn't have a clue how, her mother always made it. So, I'll just have to beg my friend Sharon to show me. Evidently she has all the right equipment, which is the key to success in all things according to my husband.

The more things change.....yada yada yada

In September 2010 we headed to the UK for our annual re-introduction to life in the fast lane. The grey skies of Vancouver were gearing up for the fall deluge, a good time to leave town.

The flight was great, Air Canada meals suit us just fine, and we both managed to log some zzz's so were in fairly good shape when we landed at Heathrow. No difficulty locating our train (the Heathrow Connect) and were thrilled to see it was 1/2 the cost of the Heathrow Express and took us to Paddington Stn. with only a few stops along the way. Definitely worth it if you have more time than money.

On arriving at Paddington Stn. the high, higher, and highest expectations for a gorgeous fall vacation were quickly and wetly dashed. The city of London was covered in wet grey clouds which threatened to unleash torrents any moment. With much confidence we fired up our Garmin GPS, coded in the hotel address and headed off down the street, patting ourselves on the back for being such tech-savvy senior citizens.

We were booked in at the Blakemore Hyde Park hotel, a "short 10 minute walk" from Paddington Station. What a gem of a location! 15 minutes later, feet began to complain - are you SURE it is a 10 minute walk? - my DH continued to lead on, I dutifully followed.

20 minutes later we began to wonder if we'd taken a wrong turn? or entered the address incorrectly? Dear hubby rechecked the coordinates and we did seem to be on the right trail, but we were both noticing some familiar cross street names as ones we'd crossed 10 minutes before, and again 15 minutes before that? A further 15 minutes along, feet were now screaming and right hip had joined the chorus " Give me a BREAK, this is NOT a 10 minute walk!".

Confusion now amplified by drops of rain found us sprinting for the overhang of a nearby townhome. 20 yards from shelter the heavens unleashed and within steps we were soaked through to our unmentionables. In addition our suitcases were soaked, water had seeped through the zippers and our packed clothing was soaked. Without a doubt one of the heaviest rainfalls I've ever been in. Welcome to the UK!

Once again the GPS was checked, and re-checked and finally !! D. noticed the Settings button which revealed options for mode of travel: Car, Public Transport, or Walking, and it was set for CAR. The Bayswater section of London is a maze of one-way streets, T-stops, dead-end courts...you get the picture. We were being led up and down, around and around, working our way to our hotel in our fictitious vehicle, when on foot we could have simply walked straight through on the sidewalks that connected the one-way streets.

2 Lessons Learned: a little technology is a dangerous thing, and garbage in / garbage out.


Our hotel was in the older section of Bayswater/Hyde Park area, served breakfast in a basement breakfast room every morning, and was a short walk from 2 tube stations and Hyde Park. Great location for soaking up the feel of Victorian London, while being within walking distance of mass rapid transit, the best of both worlds.

A sharp right turn at the hotel entrance and a 2 block walk south will get you to a lovely little pub and a great mediterranean restaurant that was booked solid all but 1 evening during our 5-night stay. This was a small family run restaurant that appeared to be operated by 3 generations, 2 brothers led the kitchen staff, their children cleared tables, poured water and refilled bread baskets, dad, mom and a sister took orders, and Grandpa greeted you at the door with open arms and decided if they could squeeze you in even if you did not have a reservation.

We dined on braised lamb shanks, rice pilaf and a complimentary drink poured by the grandpa whose main job seemed to be making every customer feel like family.



The following day dawned with some improvement and after a busy day of sight seeing we ventured out to dinner at Ristorante Italiano on Queensway. We dined in style on Calamari, Calzones with red onion and Italian Sausage, a bottle of Giaconde Merlot (a lovely dry Red Wine), and of course 1 dessert to share.

London is a fascinating city to spend time in, loads to see and do and many attractions within walking distance. We spent a day in Hyde Park, checking out Kensington Gardens and watching the waterfowl compete for food in the lake.




We took in an evening concert at Royal Albert Hall, directly across Hyde Park from us as the crow flies.



And of course, what would a holiday in London be without a day at the Tower and a visit to St. Pauls.