Timmies!!!

First iced cap of 2011, in ridgetown with gramps.

Grampy orders and receives the iced caps, pretending he’s never had one before.

Oh yes… Ridgetown.

It was so good!

Dills and caesars

BBQ at mel’s Friday. And yes that is a caesar. And magie!

Hello kitties

A brother bear and a jaguar in my former apartment.

In the Shires

Last weekend I went to a wedding with S in Nottinghamshire. Nottingham… sound familiar? Maybe of Robin Hood fame? That’s right, I might have seen a wee bit of Sherwood Forest. I certainly saw a few forragers searching out Elderflowers for bevvies, a lot of pheasants, and some partridges. Partridges! And two castles. CASTLES.

Belvoir Castle is just a few minutes from the cottage where we stayed with S’s friend. Wiki told me that “The castle itself was used as a location for The Da Vinci Code – it represented Castel Gandolfo, the Pope’s summer residence. In the 2001 Jim Henson production of Jack and the Beanstalk: The real story, the castle is where the giant bones have been discovered. The kitchen scenes of Hill House were filmed here for the 1999 version of The Haunting which is the remake of the 1963 version.”

Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire

The other Castle was the manor where they filmed ‘The Haunting’. ( It was used in all the exterior shots and the Great hall for The Haunting.) Check it out, it’s called Harlaxton Manor.

Harlaxton Manor, Lincolnshire

I didn’t take these photos. I did take the following photos, though. Most of them, at least.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Highlights from Milan

Favourite things about Milan:
1. spending the weekend with Rachel
2. randomly meeting then eating lunch with the Americans
3. gelato

Finally, on our last day, we had some GOOD food. You get what you pay for in Milan.

Lunch with the Americans. The food was okay… by no means Sardinian standards

Explore the streets of Milan’s city centre

Not good pizza at the restaurant next to our hotel on our first night. So disappointed.

Metro stop at the Duomo

Mint gelato – heaven.

Rachel leaps over Napoleon’s archway.

In the park behind the castle

The Castello Sforzesco

Bloody Mary, Apple Martini, and Aperativo

Gelato. yes.

LMFAO. But seriously, way funny. Getting a laugh in with the American dudes

This is a nice door in the Naviglio district

market on the way to the canal

Piazza Saint Ambroggio

In the park near our hotel there was a man climbing these rocks

bike

In the Golden Triangle – the fashion district

The Milanese women don’t disappoint; fashionistas on bicycles and scooters abound in Milan

Break for some sparkling water

Street cars

Milan’s Barclay’s Bikes are yellow. And not Barclay’s Bikes.

In the Piazza del Duomo

Our Hotel, The Mennina

We arrive at the Central Train Station in Milan

Bringing back a bit of Sardinia

My parents gave me some Euros to spend while I visited Italy as my birthday present. Most of it was spent on (glorious) food, but I decided to buy these handmade ceramics for the kitchen in the flat in London. We’re using it for sugar.

Handmade by an artisan local to the Sardegna region of Italy

Highlights from Sardinia

Here are the top three things I liked about Sardinia:

1. amazing food everywhere
2. the beach was just across the road from our Hotel (attraverssimo)
3. the people I spent my time with

And now for a short history of the trip in photographs…

Room for four, please!

What an entertaining crowd. Except Mike – he is not impressed… at all.

Walking into the Old Town for dinner

First taste of Spaghetti Bolognese.

What a lovely lagoon

View of Alghero’s old village and the harbour

So upset – let us in to the museum! Everything was closed on Saturday afternoon.

Sipping chocolate, in Alghero

Alghero Old Village

My glorious lunch – italian supermarks are gold.

most delicious spaghetti bolognese – Meg and I shared

A lovely blue door in the Old Town

Alghero by night

Excited to see JJ at the balcony of the next room

Missing Meg, who had to take the photo because Rhys couldn’t capture us mid-air

A little corner of Eden in southwark

On my way home from work yesterday I got off at Canada water and took my usual shortcut through Southwark park. The trees are now in full foliage and the sun was shining and there was the most glorious blossom scent lingering in the air. When I looked around for the origin of the scent, I notices a gates garden that I had not seen before.

A rose garden stands guard outside the gates, with a variety of multiple hued roses on display.

You may have a received a blissed out call from me while I sat on a bench on the garden, but everyone being at work back home I wasn’t able to gush about my new zen place to anyone except the duck swimming in the nearby pond. Next time.

Just like Wendy, John, and Michael

Last week I met a group of people at the southbank, and having just left trafalgar square, crossed over the Golden Jubilee bridge. The bridge spans the Thames between charing cross station and Waterloo station and affords amazing views of some of londons top tourist attractions.

Here is parliament with big ben glimmering on the horizon. I can almost see Peter pan perched on the minute hand.