London Wander

Our first walk around London for 2013 - Marylebone to Covent Garden.

Distance walked: 3.3miles
Lattes drunk: 2 (but one was huge)
Red Velvet cupcakes: 1

I love Marylebone High Street, it's very upmarket, so lots of little designer shops and it's great for people watching. One of the shops had a French bulldog in the window which was very cute.

There's also some lovely organic farm shops, one of which we had brunch in - perfectly cooked poached eggs.

Part way down Marylebone High Street there is the site of an old graveyard which has been turned into a park - I think it's really lovely and I really like how they still keep a lot of the old headstones around the edges of the small park, and on a plaque (see picture below) they commemorate some of the notable people that were buried there.



To follow are pictures taken along our walk.



Door Knocker that I loved



Spot the cow on the balcony???



I love the mad things you see when you're not really looking for them - why a cow on a balcony??  We don't know as there was nothing there to suggest what it was doing.  The other thing I love is when you see signs with incorrect spelling that's not done deliberately - now I know that I'm not the most accurate person in the world, but the sign below is particularly bad.

 The worst thing about this is that they stole the letter 'C' from the word Jacket as there was another sign which I couldn't quite get a picture of with 'Jaket Potatoes' on it.

On the way to Covent Garden we always stop in Neal's Yard to soak up the atmosphere - it's a tiny little piece of London, but really lovely in a very Bo Ho (bohemian) sort of way.  Very colourful - in fact when we took mum there she took a picture of a lady with purple hair.



Hairdressers in Neal's Yard - I love this sign



Covent Garden is always lovely to wander around especially at this time of the year because the Christmas decorations are still up - very lovely.

 Now I'm sure I've featured the next place before, but we thought it would be rude to be so close and not go into BB's, the tea room that we love.  As it was the end of the walk we definitely deserved a cake ( I'm sure I'd used enough calories to justify it).

Ken's is the healthyish fruit tart - mine gorgeous red velvet

That's it for today - stay safe, keep smiling, and we hope 2013 is a really special year for you and yours.

Pamela & Ken.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Animals make the world a better place!

Today's blog is dedicated to Bob, my oldest brother Shane's dog, who has just gone to doggy heaven - he was a lovely dog.

I truly believe that having  an animal in your life helps to ease anxiety, soothe the soul, and really lift your spirit. Our furbies, Bertie, Cookie, and Muffin, help us to have lots of days of fun and I thought it would be nice to introduce you to them properly.

The brats (cats) came first - entering our lives in 2004 after someone needed to get rid of some kittens. They were 8 weeks old and so cute!! They're sisters, but couldn't be more different - one skinny, talkative, and very friendly, the other one curvy, talkative when hungry, and likes to be loved on her own terms. We named them after food (not that I'm obsessed), Cookie and Muffin.


Cookie walking all over Ken



Muffin in her new bed - she loves it


Bertie was Ken's explosives search dog and was getting very stressed in kennels so Ken brought him home to live with us. As you can imagine the cats were not best pleased and stayed behind the sofa for 24 hours. That only lasted a little while before they asserted their dominance and made Bertie realise that they are the bosses.



Bertie - it's a hard life!


For someone who wasn't really a dog person, Bertie has definitely won my heart - he's such big softy. He's now retired and enjoys his days at home with the brats.



Scary looking woman with Bertie


(Muffin has just joined me and is padding up and down on my leg - I think she's trying to remind me to tell you how lovely she is).

Muffin and Bertie sometimes touch noses, and Cookie occasionally bats him on the nose to assert her dominance - minus claws.

I know some of you reading this will not be animal people and that doesn't make you a bad person, just a little strange.


Cookie - she knows she's beautiful!



Muffin - life is such an effort


Before I finish I have to include a picture of an old gentleman who I knew when I lived in Sydney - his name is Geoffrey and he now lives on a narrow boat travelling around the UK. Geoffrey is over 20 and has lost his ears to cancer, but is still very handsome.


Geoffrey

 That's it for today so stay safe, keep smiling, and hug an animal - it will make you feel better.

Pamela, Ken, Cookie, Muffin, and Bertie
xxxxx


Bob and Shane