London calling

While Carrie was here visiting, we took advantage of some sister time and spent a full day in London. It was all-too-short but really nice to get into the city for a bit of time. I have not spent any amount of time in London since Crosby has been arrived and I miss going into the city to shop and sight see. Scott was traveling again for work so Crosby had a day at home with our nanny and Carrie & I took to London. Although it was rainy (a constant theme here this April and spring), we had a great day eating and shopping.

On the train into the city....sisters not to be missed in bright orange!

At the train Marylebone train station there was a movie being filmed. There was a sign posted that anyone walking around the area could be in the future movie. I am still unsure what movie it was but I will keep my eyes peeled for our big screen debut.

For lunch, we headed to the Notting Hill neighborhood to a pizza place called Otto. Since Carrie is celiac, she had read in advance that Otto has a gluten free cornmeal crust pizza. Celiac or gluten consuming, this restaurant is not to be missed! We had a bbq pulled pork pizza with cheese, coleslaw and onions - a bit different but it was utterly delicious and tasty. 

It even felt like we were close to home with the beverage selection available from Goose Island Brewery in Chicago!

After lunch we wandered around Portobello Road in Notting Hill and made a stop at the Hummingbird Bakery. They even had a gluten free cupcake selection which was great.

London was decked out for the Jubilee and the Olympics. Oxford Street was flying the Union Jack all over - and the taxis were festive too.

To continue on the theme of eating, after a bit of shopping around the city, we headed for a full proper afternoon tea at Claridge's Hotel. When we arrived there was a crowd of papparazzi and also a crowd of teenage chidren standing out front. While we did not spot any celeberties, I think my online research was correct to hint that Johnie Depp was staying there that day.

The hotel offered a full afternoon tea for celiacs too so it was perfect so we could both enjoy nearly the same things. 

Tea sandwiches, scones, desserts and of course lots of tea! 

It was definitely one of the best splurges for a wonderful day out for these sisters who don't get together as often as we would like!

Amy Visits England

My dear friend Amy who lives in Chicago came to visit us the other week for a break from her daily life. We had a great time exploring our area of England, drinking lots of tea, and also spent a few days in London to catch a play and eat (quite a bit) of food!

Amy at Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick. Although called a "hospital" the buildings were used as retirement homes for soldiers who were injured whilst fighting for Queen Elizabeth I or had simply become aged. The master behind the plan was Lord Leycester, the Earl of Leicester, Lord Dudley.

We went for afternoon tea and sandwiches at a lovely little tea room in Warwick.

The sights in Warwick, so picturesque.

On Friday, we traveled into London for a bit and our first stop was lunch! The location - La Fromagerie.

Of course we indulged in the meat platter and cheese platters of the day. I am not sure if the baby was really allowed to have all of that cheese but luckily it seems that the baby may just enjoy it just as much as I do!

Amy at LaFromagerie.

Saturday morning's first stop was some shopping on Portobello Road.

Strolling the colorful (and busy) streets of Notting Hill.....

Window shopping, antique shopping, and more.....

Scoping out all of the famous sellers along the way at the Portobello Market.

After all of our Portobello Road shopping, it was time for some food shopping at The Borough Market. Amy loved it just as much as I do!

We had some raclette from the food stall with the very long queue....

And a giant Brat with sauerkraut and all!

While at the Borough Market, we also visited the famous Neal's Yard Dairy Cheese shop there. The cheese selection was beautiful and the cheese sellers were super helpful and very friendly.

Back up north in the middle of England, we continued Amy's visit with a day trip to the towns in the Cotswolds.

When we arrived in Burton-on-the-Water, there was a lady riding her horse through the water in the town.

Scott came along for the Cotswolds adventure too!

Amy & me in Burton-on-the-Water.

Pretty houses in the Cotswolds....

And a stop for afternoon tea and scones at a new location of Huffkins in Stow-on-the-Wold.

On Amy's last full day in England, we decided to venture down to Windsor Castle. Unfortunately we did not get to see the Queen while we were there, but we did enjoy touring the massive castle and seeing the nice town of Windsor.

Approaching Windsor Castle's grounds.

Inside the castle walls.

Amy at Windsor Castle.

And in keeping with the theme of Amy's visit, we stopped for the full afternoon tea service in Windsor. The cakes and (crust-free!) sandwiches were delicious.

What a royal and elegant way to spend the afternoon! Come back soon Amy!

A Picture Perfect London Weekend

While Scott's friends were in the country, we all went into London for a long weekend before they departed. The time in London was one of the most picture perfect weekends we have experienced yet! The weather, the sights, and the company all added up to a great time.

En route to London, Andy, Chad and Scott decided to take a detour and visit Stonehenge. In true tourist form, they rented the audio guides and all! Meanwhile, Chris & I took the train into the city and enjoyed a few extra hours in London.

On the list of things to see - Buckingham Palace and the changing of the guards.

For dinner, we dined at the MOST FABULOUS restaurant in the Kensington neighborhood, Ffiona's. Chris' parents lived in London as expats for a few years and frequented this restaurant where they got to know the owner, Ffiona. She was there the evening we dined at her lovely establishment and could not have been more welcoming and amusing. She remembered Chris' parents right away and sat down with us throughout the meal to chat and check on us. We will most definitely be returning to this restaurant on a future visit to London - it was excellent!

The next day was another one filled with sightseeing and more dining. While the boys headed off to cruise the Thames, I decided to spend my morning at Portobello Market in Notting Hill. I love antique shopping there and I think Scott appreciated not having to accompany me this time!

Chad, Andy and Chris cruising the Thames.

London Bridge as seen from the Thames.

A stop for lunch at Borough Market. Chris enjoying a local sausage.

Paella was also sampled while at the Borough Market.

That evening, we had dinner a one of Gordon Ramsey's restaurants. Compared to Ffiona's, it was just OK. After dinner, we headed to a local pub and had met our friends BJ & Beth for the evening so I had another female friend for the night! It was a great end to a great weekend in London.

Charlecote Park

While Scott's parents were with us at our house (post Germany) having some additional down time before they went on to Scotland, I went with them for an afternoon at a nearby National Trust property - Charlecote Park. Luckily the rain held out for us for while we toured the property and grounds.

Charlecote Park is a grand 16th century country house in a deer park on the banks of the River Avon. It has been home to the Lucy Family since the 15th century and the grounds feature a beautiful formal garden, woodland walk, and great parkland which has a herd of deer that have been in the park since Tudor times. Charlecote Park was built in 1558 by Sir Thomas Lucy and Queen Elizabeth I stayed in the room that is now the drawing room

The entrance to the property is this gate and this fence runs all the way around the property. The fence is uneven in nature on purpose, as it apparently confuses the deer so they cannot escape over it.

The main house at Charlecote Park. (Unfortunately it was closed on the day we visited so we did not get to tour the inside).

Craig & Cris in front of the "gate house" on the property.

The beautiful formal garden with the river Avon just below it.

The ugliest sheep we have yet to see! These Portugese sheep are roaming all over the property (but not near the house where most of the tourists go). Not only are there sheep wandering around on property, but there are quite a few deer. Charlecote Park covers 185 acres, so there is a lot of room for the animals to wander. Historical stories recount that William Shakespeare poached deer in the park as a young man - but apparently it wasn't a deer park at that time.

Across the street, near the parking lot for the property, is a lovely nursery and garden centre that the National Trust runs. It featured many beautiful flowers, vegetables and plants of all kinds. We enjoyed wandering around the nursery area looking at all of the flowers in bloom, to see what various kinds were on offer. The prices at this nursery were super reasonable as well - a great find for a planting or gardening addict!

Shawna's Visit

My friend Shawna came to visit last week! It was fabulous....except for the part where we both got the flu. Yes, she traveled thousands of miles to see us from Chicago, and then she & I both got sick. Not that I could (really) control it, I still felt AWFUL (literally and figuratively) about it. Luckily the bug was short-lived so we still had plenty of time to shop, explore the English countryside, and to do some crafting! 

Our guest room awaiting Shawna's arrival....

Upon arrival her England, Shawna and I spent the afternoon in Stratford Upon Avon and we toured William Shakespeare's house. The next day we headed to a few of the idyllic towns in the Cotswolds to experience some of the English countryside charm....

This little shop called the Cotswold Cheese Company is really neat but sadly was closed on the day we were in the town. 

Some of the 

A scene in Burton-on-the-Water.

We had fun shopping around for Bits & Bobs at various shops during the week Shawna was here....

Shawna on a bridge in Burton-on-the Water, which is often called the Venice of the Cotswolds.

Moss is everywhere in England. Sometimes it is very pretty. It adds nice color to otherwise gray stones or walls!

Then, during the middle of the week, illness set in.....so our outings consisted of going upstairs to the second floor of our house to work on a project of re-arranging and organising my craft room. I promise I did not ask Shawna to organize my belongings while she was a guest in my house, but rather she proposed the idea. She really did seem to enjoy the project, which is great for both of us since I probably would not have done it on my own....and goodness knows Scott would not have been interested in such an endeavor! 

This photo does not show the entire "project" from start to finish, but basically we re-arranged the room completely and moved my sewing table to the small end of the room and made space to house the many tubs of my fabric along the long side of the room. Additionally we re-organized the sewing table so I now have more space to use part of the table for cutting my patterns, while still having space for both my embroidery machine and my sewing machine. 

After we re-organized the craft room, it was time to do some crafting! We put a darling little "J" applique on this t-shirt for Shawna's daughter so she could have a coordinating spring outfit in purple. We probably could have spent the entire week of Shawna's visit crafting but we did force ourselves to get out and see many of the sights around England as well...

When the weekend arrived, we were both finally feeling much better and so we went with Scott into London for the weekend before Shawna had to leave. We started with a trip to Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guard, or Guard Mounting as it can be called. The Guard which mounts at Buckingham Palace is called The Queen’s Guard and is divided into two Detachments: the Buckingham Palace Detachment (which is responsible for guarding Buckingham Palace), and the St. James’s Palace Detachment, (which guards St. James’s Palace). These guard duties are normally provided by a battalion of the Household Division and occasionally by other infantry battalions or other units.

The handover is accompanied by a Guards band. The music played ranges from traditional military marches to songs from films and musicals and even familiar pop songs. The Guards band marches down The Mall leading to Buckingham Palace.

And we march too....

Getting closer to the Palace entrance....

Watching the ceremony in front of Buckingham Palace.

The guards who have just left their post walk back through by St. James's Palace.

When Guardsmen are on duty, the soldiers are drawn from one of the five regiments of Foot Guards in the British Army: the Scots Guards, the Irish Guards, the Welsh Guards, the Grenadier Guards and the Coldstream Guards. These soldiers were changing guarding duties of St. James's Palace.

After watching all of the guards marching, it was time for a lunch at Harrod's! 

The beautiful cheese plate for lunch at Harrods.... YUM.

Harrods' Food Courts are AMAZING. Shawna inspects the pastry selection in one of their bakery sections. 

Outside of Harrod's after a nice lunch and a bit of shopping there. (Scott, the photographer, somehow managed to cut out the most important bit about this photo - the Harrod's green awning!) 

After dinner in London, we walked from our hotel along the bridge across to the London Eye. Even though this photo is dark, here you can see we had a perfect glimpse of Big Ben and Parliment in the background.

Scott was there too! :)

It was a great treat to have a good friend here for the week and I hope she comes back soon!