Saturday Part One - Shopping with Whitney

We took Whitney to Shorditch for a spot of shopping.  

This sign immediately caught her eye and we had to validate its claim.

I had raspberry with white chocolate flakes.  The difference between a normal doughnut and a Dumdum Doughnut is that it is baked, not fried, making it "lighter".  It was tasty but I guess I'm not a doughnut aficionado because I didn't find it to be anything spectacular…although I did eat the whole thing just to be sure.

After very little shopping we wound up at lunch.  We went to the food stalls that Bill discovered last weekend.  Bill and I went Argentinian while Whitney went Middle Eastern.

I loved loved loved this taxidermied fox curled up in the front of a hair salon.  Doesn't Simon need a little sleepy friend??? 

When you are on Brick Lane there are a million people handing out leaflets.  We usually walk right by but one girl was smart enough to say "blah blah blah taxidermy blah blah…" so I turned around to ask for more detail.  Turns out there was a pop up art exhibit/sale that included some great taxidermy.  Like this peacock.

And this fox. 

The space was very cool - - they took a big empty warehouse and set up a lounge area, sold coffee, had tables of artsy stuff and jewelry for sale and had art hanging all around the perimeter.

But the day was just getting started.  Bill left us to shop and went to meet another group of visitors.  Tune in tomorrow for Saturday part two!

Dinner - Memento style

Remember the movie Memento?  I loved that film.  The story is told in reverse because he has no short term memory.  So you know where he and then he has to work backwards to figure out how he got there.  Sort of like these photos.  When I logged in I noticed that Bill posted them backwards.  Here we are at the end of the night.

Giving directions to strangers on the street.  I hope they found their way.

Dinner - Kitchen Table.  Tasting menu with Whitney!

Posting Facebook pictures of ourselves after a bottle of wine.  Dangerous.  I'm in my new reading glasses that I bought at the mall when Whitney and I were shopping in Burlington.

Selfie with an end-of-the-night blur.

Dessert - chocolate covered caramel ice cream.

Mine's the one without the nut.  I'm married to one, I don't need one on my ice cream.

Fast backwards to one of my favorite courses - Cheese and Radish.  I think the radish might be my all time favorite food.  Here it was smothered in melted butter with a pinch of salt.  Delightful!!!

The chef and is staff work in the center of the room while the guests all sit around a u shaped counter.  Our menu is on the board behind the bald guy.  

Whitney entertained us with stories about UK cleavage.  She thinks the women here all expose a lot more than their US counterparts.  So she decided to try to fit in. 

Did I mention how much I loved the radish course???  (This is the order of the pictures so I'm just going with the flow…we're back to radish….but honestly it looks as good as it tasted, doesn't it??)

I think this was our favorite since it made each of out top 3 lists.  The short rib beef with mashed potatoes and spinach in a garlic salt and with some sort of herb that took a year to mature.  Whitney and I can't remember now what took a year but we were very impressed that our little beef plate was a year in the making.

This is our chef trying to explain it to us.  If only we'd listened.

Happy Couple

Another happy couple

Truffle over home made pasta!

Trout with an oyster, carrots, and nasturtiums.

Another favorite...

Asparagus on top of a butter poached onion with house made yoghurt and picked red onion.  

SO GOOD!

Raw scallop with a ginger something sprinkled on the side.

Almost at the start of the night…the chicken skin with bacon jam.

Ordering drinks….this is where it all began.

The only thing that would make the night better would be if Aaron could have joined us.  We're taking good care of Whitney, Aaron but wish you were here. xx

Two Nights at The Vic

I got back to London in time for Quiz Night!  Weak Sauce is back and weaker than ever.  We only got 3 points on every round except one….name the 5 JaneAusten novels published before Persuasion.  Scoop of chocolate, scoop of vanilla - don't waste my time!!*

5 Points for Jen and Jane.

This is Bill and me after a "selfie head bump"

 Take two.

Our  Quiz Master…he referred to my jet lag several times.  Thanks for giving me an excuse, Chris.  I wish it were the real reason why we came in 6th out of 7 teams.  (Low attendance due to a big football match)

 Wednesday night - our first overnight visitor in London!!  Whitney is here!!

The pub was hoppin' Wednesday night.  We had to wait almost an hour to get a seat.  Every time we thought we had a table they would order dessert…then get one more beer…it seemed endless.  But we finally got a table and put in for a couple of meat pies.

I wish I got a better shot of this Weimaraner because he was a beauty.  And you know how we love seeing pups in the pub.

Bill pulls off stripes and plaid.

 When Whitney and I were kids we adopted the code names Magda and Dagmar Winnyspoon.    I've kind of forgotten why.  When I remember these things it makes me wonder what will happen when I become senile.  Will I start thinking I really am Dagmar Winnyspoon? 

This week's sample Pub Quiz Questions (we got a couple of these right):

Andy Murray was given the Freedom of the City in what UK town?

What sport recently broke with tradition to hold an event on Good Friday?

Who were Rocky Balboa's 5 opponents?

What is the capital of Cyprus?

What country was formerly known as Formosa?

Who was the goddess of the hearth?

What continent has no reptiles?

*This is a line from City Slickers.  Did you recognize it?

What I was doing while Bill was hanging out with Mr. Dibley

I tried to see as many friends as I could while I was home so I made the most of my "free" weekend in between Booktopia and Lit Fest.

Friday night dinner with Stacey and Didi!  Unfortunately they got the grainy iPhone selfie shot.

Saturday morning it was legs and eggs with Noelle (as in breakfast and a walk…what did you think I meant?)  

We'd make an attractive lesbian couple, wouldn't we?  

 Noelle gave me these monkey paper clips.  They went into my hair immediately

 This is a picture of laughter although I admit that, looking at it again, it could look like a sneeze...but it's not.

 For the dog lovers - - Fig!

Then it was off to see Lisa! 

 This one is titled:  "Where are the condiments?"
(We really did ask that standing directly in front of 100 varieties of ketchup and mustard.  You'd think after 40+ years of grocery shopping we would be better at it.)

 I snapped a million pictures in the grocery store and told her that this is what her life would be like if she were a celebrity…or married to Bill.  

These are Lisa's cookies for her Tuesday Spoon Baking Company.  As delicious as they look!

The good thing about old friends is that you can pick up right where you left off…was the mall parking lot with Whitney.

It was nice to be back on my Nbpt walking route (didn't realize how blurry this photo was until I blew it up on the blog).

That is - until I took a digger on a late night power walk.  Ouch!  Left knee and hand in need of skin grafts.  When was the last time you had a skinned knee?  I forgot how much an open wound can hurt.

Last but not least - boys!!  They went to a festival event at the library on Saturday.

They are growing up fast, aren't they?

 Then spent some time chilling out on the coach with Dad and a cartoon.  Despite not having any Jen blood in his vein, Malikai watches TV just like I do - - with a wide open mouth.

Another great trip home - it went by too quickly.   I'm back in England now with Bill and Mr. Dibley ready for more London adventures!