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even Katie Price has nothing on this guy!!

Posted in around the UK, Fun Stuff, Health, Historical, interesting things that happen in London, things to do in London, tagged bonfire night, events in the UK, gunpowder plot of 1605, guy fawkes, Traditional events in London on November 5, 2010| 4 Comments »

Remember remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot…

Yup, it’s that time of the year again….Bonfire night! aka ‘Guy Fawkes’ night. Guy Fawkes; infamous for attempting to assassinate King James I. All round about the UK this event (or non event) is celebrated/commemorated with Fireworks,

fireworks for November 5th

burning effigies,

effigies

and lovely brightly flaming bonfires!!

bonfire night

the sound and smell of autumn and the commemoration of an event that happened (or didn’t) 405 years ago!! talk about keeping yourself in the news!! Even Katie Price has nothing on this guy! excuse the pun! 🙂

Guy Fawkes - still in the news even after 405 years!

Guy Fawkes (13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606),born in 1570 in Stonegate, York, the second of four children born to Edward Fawkes, and his wife, Edith.

aka Guido Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the Spanish in the Low Countries
Guy Fawkes belonged to a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605
Fawkes was born and educated in York. His father died when Fawkes was eight years old
His mother then married a recusant Catholic and Fawkes later converted to Catholicism
Left for the continent; fought in the Eighty Years’ War on the side of Catholic Spain against Protestant Dutch reformators
Travelled to Spain to seek support for a Catholic rebellion in England; unsuccessful. Later met Thomas Wintour, with whom he returned to England
Wintour introduced Fawkes to Robert Catesby, who planned to assassinate King James I and restore a Catholic monarch to the throne
The plotters secured the lease to an undercroft beneath the House of Lords, and Fawkes was placed in charge of the gunpowder they stockpiled there
Prompted by the receipt of an anonymous letter, the authorities searched Westminster Palace during the early hours of 5 November, and found Fawkes guarding the explosives
Incarcerated in the Tower of London,

Tower of London - Traitors Gate

over the next few days, he was questioned and tortured, and eventually broke

implements of toture at the Tower - the rack and manacles

Immediately before his execution on 31 January, Fawkes jumped from the scaffold where he was to be hanged and broke his neck, thus avoiding the agony of the drawing and quartering that followed
Fawkes became synonymous with the Gunpowder Plot, which has been commemorated in England since 5 November 1605
His effigy is burned on a bonfire, often accompanied by a firework display.

And with the fun and fireworks comes the dangers associated with fire. Of course this year the Fire Brigade have chosen this weekend to air their grievances with a strike that starts on Friday 5th thru to Sunday 7th November.

Here is some advice to keep you safe:

use a taper to light fireworks and stand well back

once fireworks are lit, dont go back!

if you are building a bonfire, keep it clear of buildings, fences, barns, garden sheds, foliage and flammable liquids

never ever use flammable liquids to light the fire!! they are explosive and can cause massive injuries, even death

be sure to keep your bonfire under control and never leave it alone and untended

keep children at a safe distance and dont leave them unattended.

keep a bucket of water handy to douse any escaping flames or sparklers and use said water to douse the embers once the bonfire has burned down.

Bonfire night is a wonderful excuse to don those winter coats, scarves and hats and head off to the professional events that are held country wide! have a great time and be fire-wise!!! Here is a site with Bonfire Safety Advice…take a look, it’s worth the time spent.

wish you all a great time and enjoy the firework displays if you get to go!!

thanks to: edinburgh-inspiringcapital.com; chessaleeinlondon.wordpress.com and telegraph.co.uk for the pic off google images

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face to face with a dream

Posted in Fun Stuff, interesting things that happen in London, It's my life, tagged halloween, Lee Mead, St Pancras International, Wicked on November 3, 2010| 8 Comments »

I was hoping to meet with @TheSockMob today (31.10.10) and join them for their Temple tour; sadly it was not to be 😦 Time was not on my side and the situation did not allow. However all was not lost and despite the change of plans there were a great number of things to do in London today in celebration of Halloween. Since Kings Cross St Pancras was the closest to home and as they were hosting an event I decided to stop off there. Am I so glad I did.

a 'Wicked' Halloween at St Pancras International - London

the stage show ‘Wicked’, together with The National Woodland Trust were hosting an event with face-painting for the kiddies, and a singing competition amongst other fun things to do. Along the way I met two delightful young ladies who were all dressed up and into the swing of things!!

wicked 🙂 - all dressed up for the 'Wicked' Halloween event at St Pancras on 31.10.10

St Pancras is a fabulous venue in itself and of course home to the Eurostar. The concourse is huge, very airy and bright with the fabulous roof that recently featured in ‘Climbing Great Buildings’ presented by Jonathan Foyle.

light, bright and airy

St Pancras is a meeting place and a leaving place and thousands of travellers pass through the halls daily. There is a fabulous giantsize sculpture of ‘lovers meeting’

The Meeting Place - a sculpture by Paul Day

and to my delight I came across a statue of Sir John Betjeman.

Sir John Betjeman

Co-incidently he lived in a house not far from where I live and went to school in the area. I stopped off to watch the singers and then to my delight Lee Mead gave us a final rendition. The cast of Wicked were on hand and had performed earlier. After the show the cast and Lee Mead were giving autographs and even though I am not at all a person who stands in queues to get autographs….today I made an exception.

Lee Mead - autographs galore

The queue was …….long!!! So I decided to meander about and take photos whilst the queue moved through with the intention of joining it as it got shorter. In due course I headed to the end of the queue only to be told by a delightful young lady that the queue was now closed! Really???? Mmmm!! I looked pleadingly at her and finally she relented and allowed me to squeeze in! heehee

And so 15 minutes later ( *raised eyebrows* ) I finally got to the table and there only inches away was…’Joseph’ aka Lee Mead ! whoa!!! how exciting.

it's 'wicked' to be green - my autographed bag

The story behind my delight is that many many years ago when ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ first performed on stage in London I was desperate to see it, but South Africa is over 6,000kms away from London and it was an impossible dream.

Then I came to live in London and suddenly anything was possible. A few years on and there were plans to re-stage the play and auditions began to find the new ‘Joseph’. The winner was Lee Mead. One day I mentioned to my daughter how much I would love to see him on stage…..and voila that Christmas in my stocking was a ticket!!! dreams do come true.

So even though I did not get to tour Temple, I did get to see Lee Mead which was a totally unexpected surprise and I also got to visit St Pancras for my 3 days in London blog. I have already been a passenger on the Eurostar; in 2005 when my daughter and I went to Paris and again in 2008 when I went to Paris again for a seminar with Keith Cunningham. Awesome!

Eurostar at St Pancras

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say hello to Charlie

Posted in Fun Stuff, idiot category, It's my life, tagged Oral B Professional Toothbrush powered by Braun on October 31, 2010| 2 Comments »

Charlie is my new toothbrush!

this is Charlie

Not just any old toothbrush mind, but an electric toothbrush; the “all new Oral-B Professional Care 1000 (?), powered by braun toothbrush that cups each tooth for a 3D clean kind of toothbrush!!” No1 recommended by UK dentists! Apparently.

Oral-B Professional Care 1000 (?) No1 recommended by UK Dentists 🙂

I recall way back (why do things always seem like such a long time ago)….when electric toothbrushes first arrived in South Africa….I was like what!! an electric toothbrush, no way……what’s wrong with a good old regular non-electric toothbrush – mmm, I had not yet tried an electric brush!

When I came to the UK in 2001, in my bag was the regular toothbrush, a companion of old (ok, not that old), was easy to pack and didn’t need recharging! Then one day I saw an advert on the TV for the electric kind and the reason for having one seemed convincing, so I thought: ‘Ah well may just give it a try. ‘ OMG what a price! and OMGosh, what an experience! It felt like my mouth had come alive; I have been hooked ever since. This is the 3rd such electric toothbrush since I have been here and that is why I have named it Charlie. It’s also blue so can’t have a girls name! 🙂

Beatrice; my old toothbrush has finally been charged too often and has reached the end of her days, so tonight after I have cleansed my teeth and before I go to bed, I will say farewell to Beatrice

bye bye Beatrice

and send her off to that great toothbrush heaven in the sky (aka the trash – not too much sentiment please, it is after all just a toothbrush!).

Charlie will start his journey with me tomorrow morning, fully-charged and raring to go! or is that b/rushing to go!

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Halloween……….

Posted in Fun Stuff, Historical, Interesting articles, tagged halloween on October 31, 2010| 2 Comments »

Jack-o'-Lantern on Halloween

Halloween (or Hallowe’en) is an annual holiday observed on October 31, primarily in the United States, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holiday All Saints’ Day, but is today largely a secular celebration.

Common Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, wearing costumes and attending costume parties, carving jack-o’-lanterns, ghost tours, bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, committing pranks, telling ghost stories or other frightening tales, and watching horror films.

The festival of Samhain celebrates the end of the “lighter half” of the year and beginning of the “darker half”, and is sometimes regarded as the “Celtic New Year”.

The ancient Celts believed that the border between this world and the Otherworld became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family’s ancestors were honoured and invited home while harmful spirits were warded off. It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks. Their purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus avoid harm. In Scotland the spirits were impersonated by young men dressed in white with masked, veiled or blackened faces. Samhain was also a time to take stock of food supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. All other fires were doused and each home lit their hearth from the bonfire. The bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into its flames. Sometimes two bonfires would be built side-by-side, and people and their livestock would walk between them as a cleansing ritual.

Another common practice was divination, which often involved the use of food and drink.

The name ‘Halloween’ and many of its present-day traditions derive from the Old English era
The word Halloween is first attested in the 16th century and represents a Scottish variant of the fuller All-Hallows-Even (“evening”), that is, the night before All Hallows Day. Up through the early 20th century, the spelling “Hallowe’en” was frequently used, eliding the “v” and shortening the word. Although the phrase All Hallows is found in Old English (ealra hālgena mæssedæg, mass-day of all saints), All-Hallows-Even is itself not attested until 1556.

thanks to wikipedia for the photo and info…..for much more click here

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freshly ‘squeezed’

Posted in Fun Stuff, Health, It's my life, things to do in London, Travel, tagged Camden Market, freshly squeezed orange juice, places to visit in London on October 28, 2010| 2 Comments »

freshly squeezed 🙂

I visited Camden Market yesterday for a bit of a walkabout and just coz the weather was so great I had to get out and enjoy it.

a gorgeous day

I had a very happy 2 hours meandering along Regent’s Canal, watching the narrowboats go by

narrowboats on Regent's Canal

and then through the market looking at stuff and people! Camden is a fabulous mix of weird and mundane…..both people and products.

weird and wonderful

If you are looking for the alternative in anything….then Camden Market is the place to be.

weird and wonderful

On my way back to the bus stop I walked along the high street

Camden High Street

and on the corner was the Freshly ‘Squeezed’ Orange Juice Man!!

freshly squeezed orange juice stand

A real honey of a man with a sweet smile, almost as sweet as the juice he was selling. I love orange juice, esp freshly squeezed so bought myself a bottle…..mmmmmm, delicious.

buying a bottle of freshly squeezed orange juice

This lovely man agreed that I could take his photo….so if you are in Camden Market at all – be sure to stop and buy a bottle; it’s yummy and healthy 🙂

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Every Mother For Himself……

Posted in Fun Stuff, It's my life, Travel, tagged books, Ed Jones, Every Mother For Himself, travelling the world on October 15, 2010| 2 Comments »

mmm, I kinda never quite got to my blog today….been on twitter and facebook just about all day, besides taking a walk around the park again. It is looking so gorgeous now dressed in autumn’s colours. Anyhow, here I am and it is just on 11:34pm and still time to fit it in and what I really wanted to blog about today is a book. Not just any old book but a book that I discovered at a bus stop a while back ( March to be precise).

waiting for the bus 214 to Liverpool street

I was enroute to the house with a massive suitcase and although I did not have far to go, manouvering a large bag on wheels downhill is not my idea of fun so I decided to take the bus…..only one stop mind!!! Anyhow, I was standing there waiting for the bus and happened to glance back at the seat and noticed a book lying there. My initial response was regret that someone had possibly lost a book.

Every Mother For Himself - Ed Jones

Then being the good citizen that I am I thought perhaps there was some indication of the owner’s identity and I could return it to them. So I walked on over and picked it up…..mmmm, very interesting. I flipped the cover to the first page and found a sticker that said “Howdy! Hola! Bonjour! Guten Tag! I’m a very special book. You see, I’m travelling around the world making new friends. I hope I’ve met another friend in you. Please go to www……. and enter my BCID number and you’ll discover where I’ve been and who has read me, and can let them know I’m safe here in your hands”

This book has travelled the world and is listed on a website specifically created to track this and similar books on their journey round the world! How marvellous; I was entranced. So naturally I took the book home….couldn’t leave it there on it’s own now could I? Needless to say I tried to read the book…..that was 7 months ago and I have not been able to get past page 25 of 345! It is the most incredibly boring book I have ever laid eyes on! Sorry book 😦 but your story is boring. So after much debate I have decided to send you on your way, but first I will read the last page just to see how it all ends. Good luck for the rest of your journey.

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discovering London

Posted in Fun Stuff, Historical, interesting things that happen in London, It's my life, things to do in London, tagged All Souls Church, Barclays Bicycle hire, Beau Brummel, Burlington Arcade, Burlington House, Charing Cross station, Fortnum and Mason, Regent Street, sheep in Savile Row, St James's Church, The Haunch of Venison, Waterloo Place on October 13, 2010| 2 Comments »

As you will have noticed from yesterday’s post I went #walkabout through London again on Monday afternoon! 🙂 boring of me to say this again, but……London is my all time favourite place to be and I enjoy discovering new things each time I go walkabout! 🙂

The reason for this particular excursion was of course to see the sheep in Savile Row… that was fun, albeit not as exciting as the elephants back in 2006 and many of the other fab events that London hosts on a regular basis. So going by the indicator on the map on the Timeout website I headed towards Oxford Circus, which if the hustle and bustle is anything to go by…..is a real circus! Some time back the Mayor very sensibly approved a scheme to make the area more easily traversed (The redesigned Oxford Circus, which opened November 2nd 2009, after a two-year, £5m makeover, contains two big innovations. As well as crossing the intersection laterally, pedestrians now have a 30-second window when all traffic stops and they can go at a diagonal along a giant X marked into the junction with metal studs. Known to road engineers, slightly alarmingly, as a “pedestrian scramble”, it is modelled on the famously frantic junction adjoining Shibuya station in central Tokyo.)

Oxford Circus London

Following the general direction on the website map I passed John Lewis where I noticed a fab wall sculpture ‘Winged Figure’

Winged Figure - John Lewis on Oxford Street

After a fair amount of walking and realising that evidently Savile Row was not where they said it was I headed back towards Oxford Circus and decided to start at the top end of Regent Street and make my way down till I found what I was looking for 🙂

I absolutely love these new direction finder maps dotted around London

In so doing, I finally got to visit a church that had been on my list of ‘places to visit’ for ages – All Souls Church, Langham Place. All Souls Church is unique as the last surviving church built by John Nash, who also developed nearby Regent’s Park and Regent Street, and was completed in December 1823 at a final cost of £18,323-10s-5d, and opened in November 1824.

All Souls Church, Langham Place, London

Eventually I found my objective and thoroughly enjoyed the brief encounter.

sheep in Savile Row 🙂

Finding at myself at the end of Savile Street it was an easy decision as to where my next stop would be; just to the right I had spied what appeared to be a fascinating building that I had not seen before! Cool!

The Haunch of Venison....I know!!! what a name and what a fab building

After exploring the perimeter and being curious I ventured inside….OhMyWord!!! It is lovely! In contrast to the exterior which is old and quite grubby with the buildup of debris over the years, the interior is just fabulous!

a sweeping staircase leading up from the foyer

I will write more about this fabulous gallery in another post on my 3 Days In London.info blog. Suffice to say it is going to be added to my list of great places to visit. After a most satisfying visit looking at artwork that leaves your mouth agape, I then made my way back to Regent Street and decided to continue on to Piccadilly Circus. Enroute I passed Burlington Arcade; Burlington Arcade was Britain’s very first shopping Arcade, opened in 1819 to great acclaim and now recognised as an historic and architectural masterpiece

Burlington Arcade - Piccadilly, London

I strolled through the arcade enjoying the goods on display. Burlington Arcade is locked up at night and boasts it’s own Police Force, independent of the London Metropolitan Force. Exiting into Piccadilly I noticed that across the road was Fortnum and Mason, due a visit! But before that I was totally intrigued by a buidling on my left that certainly deserved further exploration!

Burlington House, Piccadilly, London

Burlington House was originally a private Palladian mansion expanded in the mid 19th century after being purchased by the British government. The main building is at the northern end of the courtyard and houses the Royal Academy. Again this bears further exploration! From there I then crossed over for a visit to Fortnum and Mason

Fortnum and Mason, Piccadilly, London

Whoa!! Beautiful, beautiful. The window dressings are gorgeous and the shelves inside groan with delicious goods, from the four corners of the planet as well goodies for the more macarbe occassions we celebrate.

halloween comes to Fortnum and Mason

From there I visted the Piccadilly Arcade: The Piccadilly Arcade has always offered traditional quality, luxury and style. The same is true today as it was in 1910, with a unique blend of specialist shops.

Piccadilly Arcade, between Piccadilly and Jermyn Street

As I wandered through the arcade I was whisked back into my childhood by a window display –

Toy Soldiers!!!!

My Grandfather had a fabulous collection of toy soldiers and such like when I was a kid and I remember being entranced by the little characters, and this was a trip down memory lane for me!!! I stepped into the store to take my fill of the display. The proprietor of ‘The Armory of St James’, was happy for me to take photos. 🙂 I had noticed at the end of the arcade, resplendent in the sunlight, the statue of a ‘dandy’….I am simply unable to bypass a statue without stopping to find out who and when! I then made the acquaintance of ‘Beau Brummel’ 1778-1840 and the quote: “to be truly elegant, one should not be noticed”.

Beau Brummel 1778 - 1840. to be found in Jermyn Street, St James's, London

Turning left I walked passed Princes Arcade (for which I have been unable to find much historical info)

Princes Arcade - east of Piccadilly Arcade

Princes Arcade is adjacent to St James’s Church on Piccadilly so that was my next stop! St James’s Church is one of Wren’s Churches; The foundation stone was laid on 3 April 1676 by the Earl of St. Albans and the Bishop of London and in Robert Hooke’s Diary for this date is an entry — ‘St. Albans Cornerstone layd’— which presumably refers to the event.

St James's Church - Piccadilly; a Wren church

the church is really lovely inside and imbues a sense of peace and calm. I found a beautiful marble font

beautiful marble carved font

The church boasts a magnificent organ that towers over the interior

the organ in St James's church

By now I was famished and parched……like being in the ruddy desert!!! So without further ado I set off to find somewhere to have a cuppa! I spied with my little eye…..

Costa Coffee!!! cuppachino and an almond croissant...yummy 🙂

Fully satiated and raring to go, I set off to walk the end bit of Regent Street and explore Waterloo Place where I made the acquaintance of Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale

she stands in front of a magnificent memorial to the Crimean War

memorial to the Crimean War

as well as many other fascinating memorials and statues….well worth a visit for a look into history.

memorial to Field Marshall Lord Clyde

There is a very pretty little park nearby and some gorgeous buildings with interesting facades. For cycling enthusiasts there is one of the Barclays Cycle hire stands

Barclays cycle hire

From there I skipped down the stairs past the column that supports a statue of Frederick Duke of York, 2nd son of George III that presides high on his loft with a fab view of St James’s Park and surrounding area.

Frederick, Duke of York. 2nd son of George III

There is a doorway at the base and I am curious to know if the top of the column is accessible….the view must be phenomenal. Must find out some time! A short walk took me to St James’s park which is looking so gorgeous…the weather was fabulous and it almost feels like spring rather than autumn where the citizens of our fair city and tourists alike were making the most of the sunshine

St Jame's Park just off The Mall

There is a really lovely memorial on the corner of St James’s park

memorial on the corner of St James's Park

as you walk towards Admiralty Arch. A short walk then took me past the Police Memorial,

Police Memorial adjacent to the Citadel near Horse-Guards parade

past Capt. James Cook’s statue, through Admiralty Arch and past Trafalgar Square which is really just gorgeous in the sunshine

Trafalgar Square

by now my time was running short so it was time to head home. Enroute to Charing Cross station I walked past Craven Street (where I discovered Benjamin Franklin’s house a few weeks earlier), so nipped down the steps for a quick photo. And another of the Barclays bicycle stands are right there! There are also some really lovely modern buildings in the area and I was particularly entranced by this one

beautiful day reflected in a beautiful building

then a short walk later and I was at Charing Cross station

Charing Cross Station

and so to home……………

directional signboards inside the station

what a marvellous day. I am particularly impressed with the directional signboards that now dot the city, they prove to be very helpful when you are just not quite sure where a particular road is, and also give you an approximate distance in time.

direction finder map giving you an idea of where you are in relation to where you want to go

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London has to be top of the list for ‘crazy out-of-this-world things to see in the City’, city!

Posted in Fun Stuff, Interesting articles, interesting things that happen in London, It's my life, tagged bespoke tailoring, crazy things that happen in London, Prince Charles, Savile Row, sheep in Savile Row on October 12, 2010| 6 Comments »

What do an elite quarter of Mayfair, ancient buildings, bespoke tailors, a world-famous street, grass, sheep-dogs, shepherds, wool and sheep have in common? Why!…… London of course!!! 🙂

sheep ahead......not sure if they meant of the two or four legged kind!!

Where is the world would you find a field of sheep, grazing along an ‘upper’ class street in the middle of a bustling major city? London has to be top of the list for ‘crazy out-of-this-world things to see in the City’, city! Yesterday was no exception and what fun it was to see a herd of sheep, not quite dotted about the landscape but rather huddled together in the corner, in the middle of one of the most upmarket streets in Mayfair: Savile Row in London.
I am not entirely sure what I expected to find on arrival. In my mind’s eye I had a vision of rolling green, grassy hills dotted with sheep… in reality I found two seperate fenced-in areas with a huddle of very perplexed looking sheep, none too impressed with the day’s going-on!

sheep in Savile Row!!! whatever next?

Hundreds of people milling about, camera flashes going off, children shouting; a noisy stream of ebb and flow as more and more folk dropped by to witness the spectacle.

Farmerman in spiffy 'bespoke' outfit with sheep-dogs and bemused looking sheep

Savile Row, termed the “golden mile of tailoring”, has a history that stretches back hundreds of years, a row of bespoke tailors that cater to the rich, mega-rich and famous and I am sure a few hard-working folk too! It is also home to some of the most famous British tailors in the country. Synonymous worldwide with the artisty of craftmanship of Great British tailoring, Savile Row has been home to bespoke tailoring for over two centuries.
Bespoke tailoring is the Haute Couture of men’s style and Savile Row has dressed every icon of male elegance from Lord Nelson, Napoleon III, Winston Churchill, Valentino and Astaire to Sinatra, Jagger and Jude Law not to mention crowned heads, statesmen and captains of industry….names the ‘Row’ is too discreet to mention!
Yesterday’s event, part of a 5 year campaign designed to demonstrate wool’s natural, sustainable qualities and supreme versatility, the Campaign for Wool is supported by His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, who understands the need for natural solutions and recognises wool as the first choice for sustainability, durability and quality.

combed Australian sheeps woll in the Wool shed..where else!

At the event, two British herds were on display in support of the campaign, namely: Exmoor Horns (courtesy of Harry and Jane Parker – Wiltshire),

Exmoor Horns

and Bowmonts, (courtesy of Lesley and Roger Prior – Devon).

Bowmonts

Exmoor Horns are typically a hill breed, found on the high ground of Exmoor National Park – hardy and well adapted to many landscapes whether harsh or pastoral and the Bowmont sheep, a cross between Saxon Merino (75%) and Shetland (25%), they are the closest derivative the country has to Australian Merinos.
After ‘milling’ about a bit, I left to explore the further reaches of our fair city and the sheep did what sheep do….they lay down for a rest….

oooooh! me feet are killing me.... all this milling about....'aving a rest we are

very sensible!
Amongst the illustrious names of the Tailors; Anderson & Sheppard; Gieves & Hawkes and Richard Anderson to name but a few, can be found two of the suppliers of high quality wools; Fox Brothers & Co Ltd – producers of luxurious woollen and worsted cloth at it’s mill in Somerset since 1772 & Dormeuil – established 1842 by Jules Dormeuil, purveyors of the world’s finest fabrics – now spanning 5 continents.
Savile Row (pronounced /ˈsævɪl/, both vowels short with accent on the first syllable) is a shopping street in Mayfair, central London, famous for its traditional men’s bespoke tailoring. The term “bespoke” is understood to have originated in Savile Row when cloth for a suit was said to “be spoken for” by individual customers.
Savile Row runs parallel to Regent Street between Conduit Street at the northern end and Vigo Street at the southern. Linking roads include Burlington Place, Clifford Street and Burlington Gardens.

Savile Row London as you have never seen it before.....

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icky sticky cubes

Posted in Fun Stuff, It's my life, tagged jelly cubes on October 7, 2010| 6 Comments »

As an immigrant ( 🙂 ) from South Africa, albeit of British descent, there were lots of new things to learn when I arrived in the UK….one of which was shopping! Now you may think that is would be easy knowing which store was more upmarket, which sold the cheapest ‘made in china using slave-labour’ products; therefore to be avoided, which dishwashing liquid is the best, which soap powder to use and whether or not a product was good or bad. But no….. it is only through trial and error you finally find the ones you like and eliminate the not so good or rubbish products. One of the most intruiging products was jelly! Back in SA our jelly came in powder form… crystallised flavoured sugar really, but nevertheless it contained the by-product of cows hooves and therefore once heated and dissolved, then refridgerated for a few hours it made the wobbly stuff. You also had to use the whole packet at once or else it coagulated into lumpy blobs. Despite that, the powder was also fun to poke your tongue into for a sugary treat but if you dropped the packet it made an awful sticky mess on the floor, if you tried to sneak some out the packet and breathed in too soon…you could also choke to death. 🙂

Here in the UK I discovered that jelly came in icky sticky cubes

a square of jelly

and

jelly cubes

Makes perfect sense really…..if you want just a bit of jelly you cut off a cube or two and save the rest for later. And although the packet boasts ‘natural colours’ there is nothing natural about the colours at all.

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