That is Big Ben in the background. Pretty nice, huh?
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree
Last night we went to Trafalgar Square. We saw the Christmas Tree sent by the people of Norway. I wrote about it here. But since I didn't take a picture last year, I thought I would do it this year. Here it is:
That is Big Ben in the background. Pretty nice, huh?
That is Big Ben in the background. Pretty nice, huh?
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Sorry, We've been making rather Merry!!
That is what Bob Cratchit said to Mr. Scrooge after coming in late the day after Christmas. We, also, have been making rather merry since we got back from Vienna. I will blog about our trip later.
We came back from Vienna on Sunday, just barely. Our plan was to arrive in Heathrow about the same time as our nephew, Raoul was arriving from the States. That was our plan, anyway. Of course, it didn't actually happen like that. When we arrived at the airport in Vienna, we waited for our flight to be called when about 1/2 hour before it was scheduled to depart it disappeared from the departures screen. Never a good sign. We were told that it was canceled because of bad weather in Heathrow. We went to the service center and we very surprised to be rescheduled fairly easily considering it was 2 days before Christmas on another flight that afternoon. The problem was that the flight arrived some 4 hours after Raoul was to be there. We left a message on his cell phone but were concerned he wasn't getting the messages. He wasn't. As it turned out there was very, very, bad fog at Heathrow. I have never seen anything like it, we were landing and descending for what seemed like forever and then all of the sudden we were on the runway. You couldn't see it at all. It was an impressive bit of flying, considering the pilot couldn't see the runway. We met up with Raoul, who did the absolutely, right thing and stayed where he was. He had been watching all these flights get canceled or diverted. Imagine flying from South America, expecting to land in London and end up in Paris? They also diverted flights to Manchester, even worse. Over 200 flights (arriving and departed) were canceled over the weekend. So I think a four hour delay isn't bad considering we might not have gotten in at all. As you can imagine the airport was incredibly croweded with all the canceled flights, and people trying to figure out what to do. Eventually the aiport just gave up. They stopped letting people into the terminal and tried to kick everyone else out. They made announcements over the loud speaker telling people that no flights were going to be rebooked at the airport and people would just need to leave the terminal, and rebook by phone. Basically, sorry we canceled your flight, we aren't going to reschedule today, get out, Merry Christmas! I am still feeling very lucky we got in at all.
So Raoul came to London because he is on his way to Africa for a game drive. I had been saying safari but he very sweetly pointed out to me that a safari meant you would be shooting animals and he won't be doing any of that (thank goodness!). But what an experience for him!! I am very envious and I know he will have super time, I can't wait to see his photos.
We had a rather low key Christmas. The WTF family came down with colds in
Vienna so we have been a bit low energy. We managed to go on Christmas Eve to the Winter Wonderland they had set up in Hyde Park. There were rides and foods and a German Christmas market. It was fun. Raoul tried some goulasch soup which he liked quite a bit. After Vienna, the weather seemed rather mild but Raoul assured me it was cold and we outfitted him with gloves and additional sweaters. It is hard packing for London and Kenya in the same trip!!
Father Christmas was there, which I think he was cutting it rather close being there with his big night ahead. We wandered around a bit, bought some candy and made our way home on a double decker bus.
On Christmas it rained all day. Also no public transport runs so it gave us a good
excuse to sit around, drink mimosas and do nothing. Like we need an excuse to sit around, drink mimosas and do nothing but still it is nice to have an excuse anyway. The kids worked on a puzzle all day long. Chizz and I helped out just enough to be able to take credit for some of it. Here is the finished product! It is a scene of London, if you can't tell.
It was a nice Christmas. We opened presents the next day and I am still recovering from that and I might have a word or two to blog about Father Christmas and his choices. I hope everyone else enjoyed their holidays as well. God Bless Us Every One! (Okay, everyone knows that one!!)
We came back from Vienna on Sunday, just barely. Our plan was to arrive in Heathrow about the same time as our nephew, Raoul was arriving from the States. That was our plan, anyway. Of course, it didn't actually happen like that. When we arrived at the airport in Vienna, we waited for our flight to be called when about 1/2 hour before it was scheduled to depart it disappeared from the departures screen. Never a good sign. We were told that it was canceled because of bad weather in Heathrow. We went to the service center and we very surprised to be rescheduled fairly easily considering it was 2 days before Christmas on another flight that afternoon. The problem was that the flight arrived some 4 hours after Raoul was to be there. We left a message on his cell phone but were concerned he wasn't getting the messages. He wasn't. As it turned out there was very, very, bad fog at Heathrow. I have never seen anything like it, we were landing and descending for what seemed like forever and then all of the sudden we were on the runway. You couldn't see it at all. It was an impressive bit of flying, considering the pilot couldn't see the runway. We met up with Raoul, who did the absolutely, right thing and stayed where he was. He had been watching all these flights get canceled or diverted. Imagine flying from South America, expecting to land in London and end up in Paris? They also diverted flights to Manchester, even worse. Over 200 flights (arriving and departed) were canceled over the weekend. So I think a four hour delay isn't bad considering we might not have gotten in at all. As you can imagine the airport was incredibly croweded with all the canceled flights, and people trying to figure out what to do. Eventually the aiport just gave up. They stopped letting people into the terminal and tried to kick everyone else out. They made announcements over the loud speaker telling people that no flights were going to be rebooked at the airport and people would just need to leave the terminal, and rebook by phone. Basically, sorry we canceled your flight, we aren't going to reschedule today, get out, Merry Christmas! I am still feeling very lucky we got in at all.
So Raoul came to London because he is on his way to Africa for a game drive. I had been saying safari but he very sweetly pointed out to me that a safari meant you would be shooting animals and he won't be doing any of that (thank goodness!). But what an experience for him!! I am very envious and I know he will have super time, I can't wait to see his photos.
We had a rather low key Christmas. The WTF family came down with colds in
Vienna so we have been a bit low energy. We managed to go on Christmas Eve to the Winter Wonderland they had set up in Hyde Park. There were rides and foods and a German Christmas market. It was fun. Raoul tried some goulasch soup which he liked quite a bit. After Vienna, the weather seemed rather mild but Raoul assured me it was cold and we outfitted him with gloves and additional sweaters. It is hard packing for London and Kenya in the same trip!!
Father Christmas was there, which I think he was cutting it rather close being there with his big night ahead. We wandered around a bit, bought some candy and made our way home on a double decker bus.
On Christmas it rained all day. Also no public transport runs so it gave us a good
excuse to sit around, drink mimosas and do nothing. Like we need an excuse to sit around, drink mimosas and do nothing but still it is nice to have an excuse anyway. The kids worked on a puzzle all day long. Chizz and I helped out just enough to be able to take credit for some of it. Here is the finished product! It is a scene of London, if you can't tell.It was a nice Christmas. We opened presents the next day and I am still recovering from that and I might have a word or two to blog about Father Christmas and his choices. I hope everyone else enjoyed their holidays as well. God Bless Us Every One! (Okay, everyone knows that one!!)
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Hell
I went to Hell today, so now when people tell me to go there (you would be surprised, or not, how many times that comes up in a week) I can say I have already been there. In London, Hell takes the form of the Saville Row branch of Abercrombie and Fitch 5 days before Christmas. Kiki had her eye on a little sweater there and I went to see if I could find one today. What made it hellish? Well, it wasn't exactly the models from the catalog there today signing autographs wearing ski vests and no shirts. Nor was it the achingly beautiful salespeople who pounce on you if your eye rests on a t-shirt for more than 5 seconds, "Can I help you find a size or a different color". I also don't think it was the incredibly loud music that made the jeans vibrate off the shelves or the stench of the perfume being sprayed consistently. No what made it hell was that there was not one sweater in that place. Not a one. It is December. What did they have instead? Flip flops, shorts, camisole tops, bikinis. It was 35 degrees in London today. I do not need a groundhog to tell me we have more than 6 weeks of winter left in London. In fact I think without exaggeration we can double that. We have at least 12 weeks of winter yet, and all I can buy is a bikini at this store? I don't think so. Sorry Kiki.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Reason #10,587
There are many reasons why I love Chizz. There are the obvious ones, he is handsome, smart, makes me laugh, a good father, takes the dead things out of our backyard in California (not just the plants, the animals too!). The not so obvious ones - he can sleep anywhere, he is just about always in a good mood, when I broke the back window in our about 2 month old Explorer - the first thing he asked was "are you okay" not "are you crazy" (the answer to both questions - yes.)
Today another reason - a huge one. I was taking the garbage out from our flat this morning and locked myself out. The problem, I was having a group of women over - in about 1/2 hours time. I called him from a neighbor's phone, not one I had known before and I am not so sure I made a good impression this time, so I am thinking she will probably be avoiding me in the future. His response? "I will be right there." No hesitation, no "I have a really important meeting in 5 minutes", no heavy sigh, no problem. He just came. In about record time. His office is all the way on the other side of town, 2 tube transfers. He just came with the keys and just opened the door, and then left. That simple, like I asked him to take out the trash (which I think I will from now on because obviously I can't be trusted).
And that is reason 10,587 and there are 10,000 more. All of which I will be happy to tell you when we meet next!! What a great guy and I am a lucky girl.
Today another reason - a huge one. I was taking the garbage out from our flat this morning and locked myself out. The problem, I was having a group of women over - in about 1/2 hours time. I called him from a neighbor's phone, not one I had known before and I am not so sure I made a good impression this time, so I am thinking she will probably be avoiding me in the future. His response? "I will be right there." No hesitation, no "I have a really important meeting in 5 minutes", no heavy sigh, no problem. He just came. In about record time. His office is all the way on the other side of town, 2 tube transfers. He just came with the keys and just opened the door, and then left. That simple, like I asked him to take out the trash (which I think I will from now on because obviously I can't be trusted).
And that is reason 10,587 and there are 10,000 more. All of which I will be happy to tell you when we meet next!! What a great guy and I am a lucky girl.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Round Up the Usual Suspects
The computer issues continued for the better part of last week, but I think we finally have it under control. (That might be the most dangerous problem, thinking I have it under control.)
Chizz and I went to a football (soccer for you Americans) match yesterday between the Queens Park Rangers and the Wolves. Doesn't Queen Park Rangers sound like a made-up musical group, -- every time I hear the name I think Bay City Rollers. S-a-t-u-r-d-a-y night. Anyway, we went with one of Chizz's work colleagues and her partner/boyfriend, whatever you call him. He is very much like Chizz, never met a pub he didn't like and likes to try to find an interesting pub everywhere we go. So we met for a quick drink before going to the match. I found out that they do not serve alcohol at most soccer matches, which surprised me. After being at the game though, I can see where alcohol would add a whole new element which might not be on the positive side.
At matches here, they do side seating. So if you are a Queen's Park Rangers Fan, you have a certain section to sit in and if you are a Wolves fan you sit in another. There is no mixing of the fans. You won't find a rogue Wolves fan sitting in the midst of a QPR section. So you buy a ticket for either the home section or the away section. I asked what would happen if, for example, the side you wanted to sit in was sold out and you bought a ticket in the other section? "Why, why would you do that?" Bruce's work friend asked in a kind of panicked voice as if I had just suggested we drop kick a bunch of puppies. I just want to know. What would happen if you were an away team supporter and you got a ticket in the home section? After assuring me that this would never, ever happen and she was only indulging me in a hypothetical fashion because it would never, ever happen, she explained to me probably nothing, as long as you didn't cheer AT ALL for the other team, you didn't wear the opposing teams colors and you didn't let on in any way that you were an interloper. But at the same time, our hosts couldn't fathom why you would do that? Why would you sit in the opposing team's section? It wouldn't matter if you couldn't get a seat in your section, you just don't buy a ticket in the other section. If caught, you most likely would be ejected.
So we got to our seats right after kick off. Already the fans in our section (the away side) were jawing it up with the home team fans sitting closest to us. Insults were thrown back and forth. "Pretty soon you will be cheering for Chelsea" I really didn't understand why that was so bad but our friends thought it was a terrible burn. Each team also has team songs that they sing and that everyone seems to know but there is no formal song sheet or anything. So it went back and forth, it until I noticed the security staff of the stadium talking with the home fans. After a while the fans were escorted off! Why I wondered? We were told probably taken off for inciting the away fans. Really? Wow, that seems kind of harsh. It seemed that the back and forth was all in good fun. But I think they worry this kind of thing will get out of hand. The game ended in a nil-nil tie. There was all kind of police presence outside of the stadium as well. Dozens of police officers lined the streets outside, even the mounted horse patrol were in riot gear. It seemed excessive but it did the trick, people seemed to disperse without any difficulty or problems.
After the match, we went to a Moroccan restaurant in London called Momos. It was great. I have had bits and pieces of Moroccan food before but this was the first time I have had a whole meal and I can heartily endorse it. Apparently Madonna has eaten here before but most likely in the private VIP room downstairs. Chizz "accidentally" went in there when he was looking for the facilities. So after he reported on it, we all "accidentally" went in there as well on our way to the little boys or girls rooms. I don't know that it had quite the atmosphere of the more public dining room but there were lots of pillows and silk hangings - so it might have been a bit fancier. The people couldn't have been nicer.
The place was so good, I am looking into a Moroccan vacation for us before we leave. I always like to pick my vacation spots based on good restaurant meals. Who knows? This may be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Chizz and I went to a football (soccer for you Americans) match yesterday between the Queens Park Rangers and the Wolves. Doesn't Queen Park Rangers sound like a made-up musical group, -- every time I hear the name I think Bay City Rollers. S-a-t-u-r-d-a-y night. Anyway, we went with one of Chizz's work colleagues and her partner/boyfriend, whatever you call him. He is very much like Chizz, never met a pub he didn't like and likes to try to find an interesting pub everywhere we go. So we met for a quick drink before going to the match. I found out that they do not serve alcohol at most soccer matches, which surprised me. After being at the game though, I can see where alcohol would add a whole new element which might not be on the positive side.
At matches here, they do side seating. So if you are a Queen's Park Rangers Fan, you have a certain section to sit in and if you are a Wolves fan you sit in another. There is no mixing of the fans. You won't find a rogue Wolves fan sitting in the midst of a QPR section. So you buy a ticket for either the home section or the away section. I asked what would happen if, for example, the side you wanted to sit in was sold out and you bought a ticket in the other section? "Why, why would you do that?" Bruce's work friend asked in a kind of panicked voice as if I had just suggested we drop kick a bunch of puppies. I just want to know. What would happen if you were an away team supporter and you got a ticket in the home section? After assuring me that this would never, ever happen and she was only indulging me in a hypothetical fashion because it would never, ever happen, she explained to me probably nothing, as long as you didn't cheer AT ALL for the other team, you didn't wear the opposing teams colors and you didn't let on in any way that you were an interloper. But at the same time, our hosts couldn't fathom why you would do that? Why would you sit in the opposing team's section? It wouldn't matter if you couldn't get a seat in your section, you just don't buy a ticket in the other section. If caught, you most likely would be ejected.
So we got to our seats right after kick off. Already the fans in our section (the away side) were jawing it up with the home team fans sitting closest to us. Insults were thrown back and forth. "Pretty soon you will be cheering for Chelsea" I really didn't understand why that was so bad but our friends thought it was a terrible burn. Each team also has team songs that they sing and that everyone seems to know but there is no formal song sheet or anything. So it went back and forth, it until I noticed the security staff of the stadium talking with the home fans. After a while the fans were escorted off! Why I wondered? We were told probably taken off for inciting the away fans. Really? Wow, that seems kind of harsh. It seemed that the back and forth was all in good fun. But I think they worry this kind of thing will get out of hand. The game ended in a nil-nil tie. There was all kind of police presence outside of the stadium as well. Dozens of police officers lined the streets outside, even the mounted horse patrol were in riot gear. It seemed excessive but it did the trick, people seemed to disperse without any difficulty or problems.
After the match, we went to a Moroccan restaurant in London called Momos. It was great. I have had bits and pieces of Moroccan food before but this was the first time I have had a whole meal and I can heartily endorse it. Apparently Madonna has eaten here before but most likely in the private VIP room downstairs. Chizz "accidentally" went in there when he was looking for the facilities. So after he reported on it, we all "accidentally" went in there as well on our way to the little boys or girls rooms. I don't know that it had quite the atmosphere of the more public dining room but there were lots of pillows and silk hangings - so it might have been a bit fancier. The people couldn't have been nicer.
The place was so good, I am looking into a Moroccan vacation for us before we leave. I always like to pick my vacation spots based on good restaurant meals. Who knows? This may be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Be Back in a Few Minutes or Twelve Days
Sorry for the lengthy absence WTF fans. We had a technical glitch here at the old blog. Actually my wireless adapter thingy broke and although I tried to fix it myself for a few days ("fixing" consisted of me shaking it violently and whining "please work, please work"). Surprisingly, that didn't work. So I had to figure out exactly what I needed and where to go to get it where it didn't cost a zillion pounds or more than 40 pounds. So I am back, with some pent up blogging to do. Stay tuned. Remember - I am not promising quality ... only quantity. Hugs.
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