June 15th. Stonehedge, Salisbury, Bodiam castle, Herstmonceux castle, & Hastings

The week flew by quickly with Dan being away during most of it to attend a meeting in US. On Tuesday morning Georgia and I rode bikes to Teddington lock. We will miss being able to get out of the house and grab our bikes and go without having to drive somewhere first. I've had an evening meeting in London. Got to see Daniel Defoe's grave on the way. In a strange way, it connects some things as Robinson Crusoe was one of my favorite books when I was growing up and Georgia enjoyed it too when her grandpa Michael read it to her over Skype. The author had a fascinating life history.

On Wednesday kids and I went to Yo Sushi for dinner. They are so grown up, confidently picking up the dishes of the conveyor, discussing the choices. It was very enjoyable.

On Thursday kids had some more "grown up" fun with Isabella spending most of the day at the Isabella plantation in Richmond park and Georgia having a playdate with one of her classmates, Oscar. Back to my favorite topic, she'd shared that she had trifle, the British parfait desert, for tea. We looked it up and decided that we will need to make it at home. Amazing that this had come up so late during our stay here. We did see those things sold in the supermarket in the yogurt isle and kind of ignored them until now.

On Friday we welcomed Dan back together with Dima & Nicky. Dima is the most faithful visitor, having come 3 times during our stay here. So wonderful! We walked them through completely finished marketplace and the boardwalk. Had dinner @ Las Iguanas. All very nice.

This was our last weekend of exploration. On Saturday we headed out to the Stonehenge for the final time. Even though we saw it with Dan's parents, Romiks, Kostik, Dima (2), Coray, by ourselves a few times, it really does look different each time. This time the surrounding fields were alight with fiery poppies. The next stop was Salisbury. We started with the Cathedral. By chance we noticed that it features one of four original copies of Magna Carta. Discoveries are continuing! Nicky was really excited because she had recently studied about it in school.

Had disappointing lunch at the Mill Restaurant - nothing on the menu would harken for repeat visit. Really, having such a lovely location should not be an excuse. Plus Georgia chocked on her food. For real.I thought she was being nauseous but Dan came up on time and did Heimlich maneuver and rescued her.  Then we finished our visit with viewing Doomstay painting @ St. Thomas church. Just like with the Stonehenge, new aspects of it are revealed each time.

Then we rushed to Ricardo & Irina. I've miscalculated our traveling time and had left them starving for hours in the midst of exceptional, completely exorbitant Brazilian meal they prepared for us. We had a wonderful time with them. The weather was perfect - sun lit up fenced up backyard with its large lawn, tree house and climbing wall. Adults also sat outside at a grand table. The hosts completely transformed the Victorian house we saw about a year ago by knocking down the living room wall separating the narrow kitchen from the never-visited living room and expanded the house into the back yard creating huge, modern open space ideal for entertaining.

On Sunday we drove to Bodiam Castle. Entertaining exhibits provided the most in-depth coverage we ever saw on the subject of bathrooms in castles. It was a very nice castle. Staff members were dressed in period costumes and really added to the atmosphere. Highly recommended for kids and adults. It was Nicky's first castle. Then we crossed the road to visit antique car show. It was very enjoyable too - it is not that often that you see this much variety and history of car manufacture together. Dima and Nicky particularly enjoyed it.

The next stop was Herstmonceux Castle. It had an interesting history. It is pretty unusual to see a castle of this size made from the red brick. We did not go in but took a long walk through the range of different gardens: rose, herb, magical, folly and more behind the castle. At one point Dima stepped away to read one of the signs on the trail. After he came back I went to read what it said too. He had a strange expression when I passed him like he did not want me to see what it says. The sign was about the snakes one can find in the area. As I was reading, Dima called out: "Look to your left very carefully." I shuddered and looked, but there was nothing. Very funny!! In general there is only one venomous snake in England. It has clear diamond markings and generally prefers to stay out of the way. There is also another "popular" snake that is not venomous. It has yellow "collar." When someone approaches it, plays dead by secreting red liquid near its month and releasing foul odor. Foul odor aside, I'd like to see that.

We heard a peacock and walked over to see if tail feathers were available for picking. Not really as the male had itself perched high on the tree. Dan & Dima tried to initiate a conversation by making a sound through a grass between the palms. Georgia, Nicky and I learned to make this sound as well. So cool. After going about it for a while Dan managed to elicit a very loud reaction from the peacock after all. Probably asking to be left alone :) Incidentally the sound is very similar to the mating call of the black and white ruffled lemur :).

Passed a garden with a tiny fake house in the front. It just had a small narrow room between the front door and back opening to the garden. The house was called "Folly." Like a doll house for the grownups.

We got back on the road and finished our day of travels in Hastings. Really lovely town. Walked through the fishermen's area. Cute black smoking huts but the area kind of looks like that business is all but abandoned. We climbed the hill for the final views of the town and harbor. Walked down to enjoy lattes and cake at Hanushka café.

Busy week ahead!!

June 15th. Southern Pecan Pie Recipe

I've long been thinking of starting a separate blog related to our favorite family dishes. In the end decided to keep them all here. I am really really hoping to get the family to contribute some of the favorites that everyone loves. Please reach out to be added as a writer to the blog or just email me the recipe.

So here is the first one: Southern Pecan Pie Recipe

We've been craving the real pecan pie. But some of the ingredients such as molasses and corn syrup and pie crust were hard to come by. After much pointless searching we got brown sugar and dark treackle syrup which a simple Wikipedia search would instantly reveal as molasses. So here is the recipe. It was adopted for local ingredients from this absolutely wonderful recipe courtesy Cynthia Ann Briscoe of Alabama. It is very easy to make with kids.

Cook Time:  5 Minutes 
Prep Time:  10 Minutes 
Bake: 55 Minutes

Ingredients:
1) 2 12oz packages of soft pie crust dough: some US supermarkets sell already frozen deep dish dough in aluminum pans - those are the best
2) 1 cup  molasses
3) 0.5 cup dark brown sugar
4) 2 tbl spoons of bourbon/whisky
5) 0.25 cup of water
6) 4   large eggs
7) 0.25 cup  melted butter
8) 2 tsp vanilla extract 
9) 0.5 tsp salt 
10) 1.5-2 cups pecans: it is better to get a 2 6oz packs of chopped & halves; chopped for the inside, halves for the outside design respectively
11) 1 cup  (6oz) semisweet or dark chocolate morsels 

Instructions:
1) Fit piecrust into the deep-dish pie dish
2) Combine molasses, brown sugar, bourbon & water. Bring to boil over a medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly for 3 minutes. It may increase in volume so keep on eye on it so it does not escape from the pot.
3) Combine eggs, melted butter, vanilla, & salt and whisk together
4) Slowly add hot molasses mix to the egg mix taking care not to cook the eggs in the process - add very slowly constantly whisking
5) Add 1 cup of chopped pecans & 0.5 of chocolate morsels
6) Pour mixture into prepared piecrust.
7) Lay out halved pecans and remaining chocolate morsels in a decorative pattern
8) Bake in a pre-warmed oven at 325° for 55 minutes or until set. Cool outside.

We ate it far too quickly to produce a more presentable picture. At least maybe this one is an indication that it is highly eatable. Maybe next time.

June 13th. I demand free champagne for my 4 year old!

Dima & Nicky are here! While working on the plans to visit London they looked up this link regarding the London Eye pricing. Apparently Champagne tasting trip is 35.04 pounds if you are adult (16+) or child (4-16). But those under 4 get in for free. That is to diversify from the whisky or chocolate tasting  experiences that have a flat price regardless of the age. OK. It is not self serving since Isabella over 4 but I think it is slightly unfair and demand justice for other parents!!

June 10th. BTInternet Service cancellation. Parts 2, 3, and 4. OMG!!

OK. So I called to BTInternet last week to cancel our service even though we are still alive. The last time we've agreed that although we are leaving on the 28th, BT only cancels service on the weekdays so the official last day will be the 30th. And following that they will send a cancellation letter with the final bill to the non-existent mailbox for no one to receive. That was their deal.

All good... but something was still nagging me. So I called back late last week and went through the usual "Are you dead yet?" routine with the automated answering system. Then I spoke with the rep regarding whether to return the equipment. 'Cause you can never be too sure when they will suddenly remember and start charging you for it ad infinitum. The rep cheerfully informed me that there is nothing to do about the equipment. "Like it is OK to throw it out?' I've asked. "Sure, anytime."

Then, a few days later, I got a letter stating that on account of the cancellation, box to deposit the equipment was dispatched. I am to put the equipment in the box and send it out or arrange a pick up to avoid the equipment charges.

So I called back again. After the death part there was the usual, "Not to worry" sequence. But they sensed a bit of discomfort and redirected me to another team. There, a girl informed me that for my convenience the box will be sent out on the 30th. I've countered that we will be out of the house on the 28th. She countered that they do not provide boxes with shipping labels until the account is closed. I've countered that we will be out of the house on the 28th. She said she is trying to be helpful so she will schedule for someone to come pick up the equipment on the 13th. I've countered that we will be out of the house on the 28th. We'd compromised on the 27th. Based on the fact that no one had shown up for the prior 3 house calls to fix the cable box, we'll be putting the equipment in the dumpster come June 28th. Or we will have to fight for it on the 13th.

Maybe they were onto something with the automated telephone system message?  

June 8th. Farnham & Alice Holt forest

Some of our best sightseeing experiences were in the South so in the morning we headed out to Farnham to see the ruins of the Waverley abbey. The weather was perfect. It was amazing how quickly the summer had some and everything around had started to bloom.

The ruins alongside a small river with yellow water lilies were very scenic. It was also great that there was no one around for some time so we took our time enjoying the scenery. After the abbey, we drove up a few miles to Farnham to see the castle keep.

It was built around the same time as the abbey and hardly anything had remained besides the walls but in its heyday some 800 years ago the castle has a well tower that was built in the center of the keep. It had the walls 3 meter thick that ran into the base of the castle below - some distance below the ground level and the castle was built on a hill. Pretty impressive feat that probably made it one of the most capable castles in the area for withstanding a siege.

We caught lunch in, as Georgia calls is, "very posh" Farnham. It is clearly a very upscale area - both from the look of local real estate office listings that do not feature anything bellow a few million pounds and Waitrose supermarket, hidden away in a nook with similar fine establishments.

We had stopped at the Maison Blanc - highly recommended for lunch and desert. Isabella downed her red lentil soup with surprising alacrity. I had eggs, cheese, and smoked salmon that arrived in a very hot clay bowl - the eggs were still raw when they brought it out. Would be cool to try it at home.

After lunch we drove a bit more down South to Alice Holt forest. It was an interesting experience. The "forest" was highly developed with crowds of people walking and cycling around myriad of roads and trails. We ventured into the "wild part" only to emerge, to Isabella's relief back on the trail in about 100 meters. They did have some of the nicest most interesting playgrounds I've ever seen.

We drove back home after a while... After dinner we sat downstairs on the boardwalk and watched the sunset and swans floating around. Kids did some drawing. It was a perfect way to end the weekend. We do miss our friends and are looking forward to seeing them again soon.     

Blogger is going through some strange formatting days. Hopefully it will be fixed in a couple of days.

June 7th. London Tea

This weekend was a celebration of eating. Although it does not feel that celebratory anymore. It is a good thing the weekend is over since some discipline is way way overdue.

This Saturday Dan went around his business and kids and I checked out the Transport Museum @ the Covent Garden. It is a very nice museum and is put together well. We started by taking the elevator to the second floor. The dial on the elevator started at 2014 and then went down to 1800.

Georgia was mesmerized by that. We got out and saw a palanquin and then some horse-drawn omnibuses. We continued our tour and gradually made it back to the ground floor where a multitude of the familiar red buses was waiting.  

 

For lunch we met up with Victoria S. and went to our favorite Dishoom. We got the last remaining table in the basement. At this time we focused on covering the gluten-free portion of the menu. It did not disappoint. And had set us all forward by more than a few pounds.

Placement is spot on

After lunch we explored a few tea shops starting with East India company a few steps away. Then we caught a quick snack at the Borough market (we owed it to our guest to provide the thorough coverage of the local culinary attractions.

Dragged our semi-conscious bodies to Busaba Eathai for dinner. Seriously. That's why there has not been any (confirmed) contact with the aliens. They are afraid we will eat all their food and them too. This a totally probably threat.

On the familiar subject of bread and circuses, we had been hooked on "Lie To Me" show. And so in the last few hours of the evening, we had been doing the mini-marathons consisting of four shows. Thank god the last season is coming up soon.

June 3rd. Want to Cancel Your BTInternet contract? Better Be dead..

This is not a full posting just a quick moment of sharing while I am LMAO. Called to BTInternet today to cancel our service. The automated system started listing the different options. None of them were it. I've called out "Cancel." The system reconfirmed, "Would you like to cancel your service?" I said, "Yes." The next prompt was, "Did the account holder pass away?" I said, "No" and my mind cheerfully fed the next line from the phone system: "In that case, thank you for calling. Good bye." I wonder if they get a lot of calls like that. Feel free to try it for your personal enjoyment. But remember: most customer service calls are not toll free here. Maybe there are discounts in an event of a death.

From a landline: 0800 345 7310
From a mobile: 0330 123 4150*
From abroad: +44 179 359 6931**

Here is another one of life's mysteries. Courtesy the bathroom doors of Busaba Eathai restaurant downstairs. When you only have a few seconds to make a decision, make sure it is the right one.

   

June 1st. The Summer Begins!!

In the morning we took a leisurely stroll to the Bushy park with some fruit and berries in the backpack. Kids enjoyed spending a few hours in the playground with a boy from Georgia's class and his sister.

In the afternoon we went to the Rose Theater to see Gruffalo. We went to 11 plays in the last year. It certainly is a great plus having a theater right downstairs. We all really enjoyed it. Beautiful acting and singing. We really will have to make some effort to make sure we do at least half of that when we are back.

In the evening we spent a few hours in pursuit of worthy dinner venue. Walked around town and went to Teddington but other than Charmed Thai and a few pubs there are not many other option there. So we took the bus back and settled on Las Iguanas. Actually, surprisingly, it was very good. They have a great selection of Mexican and South American dishes and drinks, including my favorite Pisco Sour. Something happened to Isabella in the last few weeks.

She had started to eat everything! Previously she lived almost entirely on fruits, vegetables, yogurt and cheese. Getting her to try anything new was next to impossible. But now it is a joy to my eyes to see her pick up and try all sorts of things. I've commented that she must have been replaced by some other Isabella. She countered that she is the real Isabella and the other one was not real.

May 31.The Northeast: Colchester, Lavenham, Ipswich, & Aldeburgh

It was an intense weekend. On Saturday we decided to cover the area northeast of London. We've started in Colchester.Colchester is the first recorded town in England and the capital of the Roman England. The town features a beautiful giant keep - the largest Norman keep in the area. Also there is a firstsite - an interesting modern museum.

One of the claims to fame is very well preserved old Roman mosaic. Compared to some of the other ones we've seen in the British Museum, Spain and elsewhere it is not that amazing. The kids had a blast though with the typewriter. It is such a cool tactile machine :) Can't believe that I've still used those right before I went to college!! We enjoyed a stroll through town... it seems to resemble Cambridge. So it definitely has a bit of distinctive Northeastern look to it.

On the way to the parking lot we've stopped at the Artisan Kitchen & Larder shop. We wanted to ask what the word Larder meant. Young guy at the counter could not explain but older looking woman in a business sheaf dress sitting at her computer nearby got up to explain that it means pantry. She must have been the owner. We looked around and decided to stack up for the picnic. Got freshly baked still warm seed loaf, Stilton, cold pressed apple juice and a few more tidbits. We did not actually get to stop anywhere for the picnic... as soon as the smell of the bread filled the car, we started the picnic right there.

The next stop was Lavenham, extolled by the guide for its amazing pink pastel timberhouses, art galleries, and antique stores. It was nice but probably not worth the trip. Isabella fell asleep and Dan took a nap too with her as Georgia and I did a quick run about. The galleries were not that interesting. I've always wondered why it is that such remote locations become the mini centers of art. What's it is about these destinations that inspires creativity? Most of the stuff is well executed, expensive but decorative and sedate. We visited the right ochre timber house in the town square. It's at least 500 years old and used to be a residence but on account of local potters having a market there the entry was free. I was glad of that because its only claim to fame seems to be its age.

Georgia and I were more struck by the giant (garden variety??) poppies growing outside. It is a poppy season - and bright orange and red spots are lining the fields on our way. But these were enormous.

Dan and Isabella woke up and we moved on to Ipswich. As Stardust predicted, it was not all that thrilling. We drove through more provincial streets and kept going to our final destination: Aldeburgh on the coast. It is very cute. The town has a long promenade along the pebble beach. Some ancient looking lookouts with closed in towers line the beach. There are also black fish monger's huts on the way.

The full circle

Georgia and I tried smoked shrimp. Interesting. The promenade was filled with people. It was lively and pleasant. We strolled a few streets over to the main street and witnessed complete and utter lack of any life. It looks like the entire population has gotten themselves to the boardwalk. Which probably makes sense given the lovely views. We walked up and down, had some ice-cream and started on our long long drive back.

7 hours on the road is probably not the best way to spend time. But by now we have covered all the top destinations in our guide and may have become a bit jaded. The area we visited is nice but after a cursory glance today certainly not as scenic as Cotwolds, Peak region, or the South.   

May 30th. Discovering Kingston

The numbers are aligned again. We had a wonderful week with kids off from school discovering more of the city and diving into its expanded culinary scene.

View of the cellar through the window

This little city has some more interesting secrets that we continue to discover. During one of his walks, Dan found the remains of the 800 year old bridge and cellar visible from the riverside basement window of John Lewis department store about a block away from our building. These were first dug up by the builders in 1900 while making renovations at the local pub. The next rediscovery was during subsequent construction in 1995 when the store was being built. Since it was built in 1182, for the next 500 years it remained the only bridge over Thames upstream of the London Bridge.

On Thursday we went to Kingston museum with kids. There we saw more pictures of the bridge. And some more cool exhibits. Like a human leg bone with some clear signs of work to remove the meat (early cannibals here??), interesting ancient coins from the time of Romans; and old pictures of the town market square that remarkably was still quite recognizable. I also know now why Turks Launches LTD boats that ferry passengers between Richmond and Hampton court are called this way. Pretty amazing story. The time spans are incredible.

I don't know if I already wrote about the old woman who comes to our Starbucks once a week. She is one of Kingston's characters. When she comes in the staff immediately sets out to make tea for her and bring it out to her. She does pay for it. Then she sits down at the table that already has someone sitting on the other side even if there are other tables available. She seems unfazed by that. The staff tries unsuccessfully to get her to move but she would not and states her intent very loudly. Some people feel uncomfortable and start to move. Then she asks what time it is... usually it is around 9am. When she is finished with her tea she leaves quietly. Often times she sits at the table right across from my laptop. When I raise my eyes, she is gone.

I've tried to strike a conversation with her and she told me to leave her alone. She speaks with a slur... Maybe she had a stroke. Maybe her family abandoned her. Though she seems well kept and has the money to pay for tea. Maybe she wants to be around people but does not want to speak. In any case, she is a mystery and a sad reminder of the lonely people who are surrounded by other people and yet seem completely alone.

The construction work in our modern market square is rapidly feverishly coming to the end. I think the builders realized that "To be completed in the spring of 2014" sign they had displayed all over means probably before June 1st. Mind you the work started right after Christmas in August.

They are now working Sundays and later hours and there is only the tip of the square left to replace the cobblestones on. The market square with its elegant white/gray cobblestones beautiful already. There are new wooden stalls for the old vendors and a bunch of new temporary kiosks featuring artisan cheeses, meats, & international food.

Town center 100 years ago

During the week we checked out the artisan portion & the Korean stall.. Unfortunately for our ongoing peace of mind the vendors totally hit the mark. On Friday we focused and worked very hard and covered Slavic, Indian, and Bacon Pretzel stalls for dinner. Fortunately they will not create the same mental turmoil when we pass them by every day.

The boardwalk eateries are finally all open as well. They are bursting on the weekends but have little traffic during the week. Will have to focus on these in our upcoming final weeks here.