It has been a while

First of all big apologies for the delay in updating everyone on what adventures Benny and I have been on since mid November. Since the last update Mum and David had arrived and now they have gone back. The five weeks they were here was jammed packed, hence the lack of posts. 

In five weeks we managed to squeeze in a trip to Ireland, a day trip to Bristol, a long weekend in Venice, many shopping days,  a dinner show to Faulty Towers and the theatre to see 'We Will Rock You'. And many great dinners including a Brick Lane experience where we managed to get way too many free drinks included.  It was amazing having Mum and David here. Sadly it made me very home sick but hopefully it won't be too long until we go back to Australia for a visit. 

We gave mum an insight into our busy lives over here. I think Benny and David were sick and tired of going into jewellery, bag, shoe and clothes shops with Mum and I. Mum went home with the biggest bag and had to borrow a bit (a lot) of space from David. 

Our highlights while they were here was definitely Ireland and Venice. We hired a car in Ireland and drove around the beautiful countryside. We couldn't believe how nice the people were, the customer service was just incomparable with the Brits. We saw many of the sights and made many stop offs to take lots of lovely photos. David is a star behind the camera. I can't wait to see his photos. I hopefully can share some pics in the coming weeks. 

The weekend before they left we also had my cousin Warwick and his wife come to stay, while Mum was finishing her trip in Italy. We did the logistical nightmare of washing and switching sheets while the couch was free for one night only. Benny managed to get us tickets for the Monday night to Fulham vs Newcastle game. Warwick was so excited. We were sitting with the passionate away Newcastle fans. Hayley and I were freezing cold and couldn't understand while no one sat down during the game. I think Ben and I only had two nights at home in the last five weeks. 

This Saturday we are heading off to another country, Bulgaria. We are going away for 7-day ski trip with Cam, Elise and my cousin Chris. We hopefully will have great snow and I'll get lots of knitting and reading done. I have bought loads of books, so I'm well prepared.

Jules has arrived

After months, weeks and days of counting down Mum and David have arrived. Saturday morning I was up bright and early to catch the bus to meet them. I am so happy to have them here for the next 5 weeks.  I was shocked they arrived with so much energy so I had to brainstorm on what we could do. Ben was off on a boy's trip to  Paris to watch Australia vs France.

The weather was miserable so I had to consider indoor activities. We had lunch at one of my favourite food markets in Sloane Square. There are so many nice, tasty treats to choose from. Making a decision is always so hard. It always involves lots of trips of around the market circuit. After our snack we walked into South Kensington. David was in awe of all the fabulous 'Chelsea' cars. We went to the V&A and explored many of the rooms. I always enjoy my trips to the V&A. I'm always finding something new to see.

On Sunday, we woke up to very sunny Autumn weather. I thought a Sunday walk was in order before we went to the Natural History Museum to view the Veolia Environment Wildlife Photography exhibition. The walk was amazing, especially walking through all the leaves and admiring all the deep reds and oranges. We discovered a cemetery that was older than Australia. It was incredible. It was surreal and a little eery. It was overgrown and the sun was just shining through the huge trees. We spent a long time reading the head stones. It was a really incredible experience.

Our trip to see the exhibition was really nice. It was packed with Sunday visitors. The photos were incredible. The animals shot were gorgeous. There are some very talented photographers out there. There was even a section with entries from children. I would recommend going if anyone gets the chance. It is open until January.  It is very much worth the entry fee.

Following the exhibition we met Ben and his family friend Mark at a great restaurant called the Riding House Cafe. The food and wine was fantastic and just like their wait staff. I opted for the pot roasted Guinea Fowl. It was delicious. Benny and Mark ordered the exact same for both main and dessert, lobster lasagne and treacle tart. We all shared some very yummy sides. I went for a lovely gluten free option of rice pudding for dessert. It was so nice to have mum and David here. I really miss family dinners over here. Family dinners at home are always filled with so much laughing and carry ons.

We are really looking forward to the next few weeks. On Friday we are off to Ireland for a few days. We've never been to Ireland, so we're really interested to see it for the first time.

Sailing on the Solent

Two weekends ago Benny and I set sail with Melissa, Sailor Lee, James and Damian on board a lovely 40ft yacht. The conditions were better than our last sailing trip but it was definitely freezing. I purchased thermals beforehand which was a wise decision. It was weird to be on a boat with central heating. We layered up and Mossy kindly borrowed some high-vis waterproof wear for the boys. I spent £11 on hiring a very warm jacket and special sailing gumboots. A very good investment for our night away. The weather on Saturday was gorgeous, clear blue sky and a good level of wind. We made great time and only one person on board felt a bit icky. We sailed to Lymington, a little town that we had only been to a month beforehand on our engagement weekend. We had dinner in a lovely pub and spent Sunday morning wandering around. We were a bit tired as we had a gas alarm on board the boat go off at 4am in the morning. Not much fun for anyone on board. I was scared we were all going to die on board from gas poisoning. Luckily we were safe and sound. Our sail back was nice on Sunday. We left around lunch and sailed home at dusk. It is getting dark so early it is really hard to get used to again. We had so much fun and hopefully we can go on a sailing trip that is not too cold soon.

Photo taken by Melissa Moss after being hoisted up the mast.

On the weekend we just had Benny and I had big plans to clean the house in preparation for Mum and David arriving. Sadly this was not achieved but instead we had a fantastic weekend drinking, eating and walking. Friday night after a hectic day at work I met Ben at a pub. He had started earlier with his work mates. We had plans to make dinner but time got away from us and we ended up eating at a great curry house in Euston. On the way home Benny thought it would be a good idea to go past our local and play a few games on backgammon. For some reason luck was on my side and I flogged Benny two games to none. Benny's scary competitive side appeared. It was so funny to watch. I got an apology on Saturday morning.

On Saturday I spent the morning sewing a a skirt and in the afternoon we went for a nice walk to Wandsworth Park. I spent my time walking on Autumn leaves. I love the noise of them crunching under your feet. There was a nice chill in the air, which is always nice for strolling. 

Saturday night ended up being bigger than expected. We both thought we would try a pub and be home not to late. Well this all changed by about 9. We dropped into a pub which was playing good music and we ended up singing the night away. We missed the last train and ended up on two night buses. It was more successful then our last attempt a few months back. We made it home by 2:30, surprisingly good for a night bus journey. We woke up at 12 noon, Ben thought the clocks must have stopped. We had a quick breaky and off we went to meet friends at the pub for a late Sunday lunch roast and watch Liverpool vs Newcastle. It was delicious meal and sadly no win for Liverpool. All in all a great weekend. 

Autumn is very much here

So a few weeks away from blogging and the weather has changed so much. Ben returned on Tuesday after 10 days in Brisbane. It was so lovely to have him home. My world is back to normality. I took the day off work so we could spend the day together. We went for a lovely walk to Barnes, the suburb just next door to us. I had been their recently with my cousin and discovered a place that makes good coffee. We walked through Putney and Barnes Common. Ben said 5 minutes into the walk how much the colours had changed and how much darker it had become. The sun is still sleeping at 7:30 in the morning now. The clocks will turn forward this weekend so hopefully a tiny bit more light for when we get up in the morning.

The walk was lovely, not too cold but lovely Autumn colours. The leaves were beautiful burnt oranges, reds and browns. I collected leaves on my way to remember this nice time before it becomes cold and grey. We had a nice lunch and catching up after too many days away. Sadly we missed the bus so we walked back to Putney. We ended up walking 6.7 kilometres. A little more than we both expected.

This weekend we are off sailing for the night with Melissa and Lee. We are celebrating Melissa's birthday on the sea.  It will be cold but the boat has heating. We are not sure of the destination but winter woolies have been packed and ski pants will be pulled out as a measure to keep dry.

A busy two weeks

It has definitely been a momentous two weeks over here. The biggest news is the announcement of our engagement. Benny proposed to me on a weekend away in the New Forest, about 1.5 hours out of London. We left after work on Friday, hiring a Fiat 500 at Gatwick. We arrived not too late and went to one of the famous restaurants of the area. The next morning we woke to the magnificent scenery of the forest area. There was wild horses and ponies everywhere, even by the sides of the roads. It was such a picturesque place, perfect for a proposal.

The weather was nice, not to chilly, so we were able to take a few walks on the Saturday. We went to the local markets in Lymington in the morning and had a great tapas lunch. In the afternoon we went for a romantic walk where Benny got down on one knee. It was very romantic and I was very pleased that he asked mum and dad for their blessing. We celebrated with dinner at a lovely Thai restaurant, which was nice as this was our first date meal together four and half years ago.

We got back on Sunday night and I had to get organised to fly to Jutta and Sebastian's wedding in Germany which took place on Friday. I managed to squeeze in two days of work before flying on a far too early flight to Salzburg. I was staying for four days to help prepare for the wedding and spend time with my 'European' family. The weather was amazing, temperatures over 25 degrees, perfect for a wedding. It wasn't until I arrived that I realised the wedding was taking place in Austria in a tiny village Maishofen. On Thursday before I was going to help Jutta and Sebastian decorate the venue I went for a lovely long walk in the countryside with Renate, Hans and her cousin and partner. I fell for Renate's trick of saying it would be a short walk, 2.5 hours later we were home and eating lunch. I had never been to visit at this time of year, it was so beautiful with the leaves changing colours. The night before the wedding we had dinner with the many people that had come to Inzell to help celebrate the wedding.  After dinner, Hans was so kind and picked up Benny just after midnight after a late flight from London. Ben had the pleasure of catching the train with the left overs of the Octoberfest in Munich.

On Friday morning, we woke bright and early. I had my hair done at the local salon, nearly falling over at the very cheap price. Renate, Agnes (Bridemaid) and Jutta jumped in the car to go across the border. We relaxed and I had the pleasure and honour of helping Jutta get dressed. She looked gorgeous and a little nervous. The wedding was in traditional Bavarian style, something that I don't think Ben and I will ever experience again. It was held in a quaint, many hundreds of year old Farmer's house, surrounded by huge mountain ranges. The house had its own church and shooting gallery. The wedding day started with having a few beverages in the sunshine before entering the church. The service was lovely, even if it was hard to understand in German. Benny and I sang to the hymns as best we could. Luckily we sat next to a family friend who lives in London and he kindly translated the important bits. After the ceremony we went outside to toast the bride and groom. We then sat down to coffee and cake before we moved to the shooting gallery. It was compulsory to shoot at this specially made target. Prizes were even given out at the reception. One of the most interesting Bavarian traditions was the kidnapping of the bride. We took Jutta with a few of her close friends to the local pub. Sebastian and his best man had to track us down and pay for the drinks consumed while waiting plus pay a ransom for Jutta. We got back just in time for the reception were we ate lovely food and danced to a great band. Two members of the band I knew from my student exchange. It was great to see them again. It was such a lovely few days spent with Jutta and her family that I hold very dearly to me.

So it has been a very busy two weeks since my last post. I celebrated my birthday and have been working hard on getting a major ad campaign out the door. I spent four days on a photo shoot and had the pleasure celebrating my birthday on a photo shoot. Ben and family spoilt me as usual and I received lots of lovely presents. Benny took me out for a lovely birthday dinner on the Friday night. My cousin Chris arrived on Saturday to experience the Proms first hand. Benny and I were surprised how fast the year has gone since out first Proms experience. This year though the weather was amazing and we were able to wear summer clothes. Kylie Minogue was the leading act and the night finished with a great sing along to all the good British tunes such as Rule, Britannia. We spent the night with lots of friends having a picnic while watching the sunset.

On Sunday morning I dragged Benny and Chris out of their beds to go for a cycle. The temperature was 26 degrees and sadly this isn't going to be around for much more. We caught the bus into Chelsea and hired Boris Bikes. We were heading to brunch at a cafe I wanted to try. After our 30 minute ride through the streets and Hyde Park we were hit with a queue. The boys were hungry so we looked for another suitable venue. It was a blessing in disguise as I think we found a better spot, The Riding House Cafe. It was delicious.

After our breakfast we cycled back to Chelsea and jumped on a bus home. I was going to cook an earlier dinner for Cousin Chris before he had to go back on the bus to Bristol. Thanks to my aunty being an unbelievable cook she had taught my cousin great baking skills. Chris helped me cook sticky toffee pudding. It was so yummy and now I know a few little cooking tricks.

This weekend Benny and I decided to have a quiet weekend as we have a busy few weeks coming up. We went for another cycle yesterday from Vauxhall to Bermondsey which is a good 30 minutes at pace. It wasn't planned but while on the train we realised our tube line was having works done this weekend. Hiring bikes is so easy and lucky London is mostly flat it is not to hard to ride around. Once in Bermondsey we visited a small food market. I wish I hadn't stuffed myself at brunch so I could sample some of the food. There was freshly cooked scallops, lobsters, tapas, Thai curries, Brazilian food and a wine bar. Next time we'll remember to not eat so much beforehand.

Today, I headed to a friend's place and a visit to the William Morris museum. Late last year we visited a small exhibit of his works in Temple. The exhibit was also promoting the reopening of his museum in the house he grew up in Walthamstow. The museum opened just a few months ago and it is free to get in. He is famous for his interior design work and there was a small sample of his things on display. I have fallen in love with so many of his wallpapers and upholstery fabric. His designs are so timeless.

Exploring more of London

A few weeks ago I bought this fantastic book which explores parts of London shops and places to eat. I've been reading parts and picking places I want to explore with Benny. We thought this weekend would be good to go exploring. After a late night of work Friday night and many a game of Backgammon with Benny at The Arab Boy we woke up a bit later than expected. No surprise it only took Benny one game to work out the tricks and he beat me by four games.

Once we woke up and eventually got out the door we headed towards Marylebone, we only had a few hours. We tracked down a great Lebanese lunch place. We had really yummy fresh food and the service could not be faulted. After a late lunch we explored the streets and went to a really old book store called Daunts, a cheese shop and a perfumery. The perfumery makes the perfume on the spot once you have chosen a fragrance. I was pleasantly surprised with the prices. I might just take a visit when I run out next. Marylebone has lots of independent stores which is why we really enjoyed it. The cheese shop was packed with people purchasing fresh goods and having a bite to eat.

We made a quick dash home to get ready for dinner with Mossy and Lee. We went to a restaurant in Borough Markets called Roast. The meals were amazing. Mossy and I went for the pork belly. It was so delicious. We even managed to have a drink in the sunshine before dinner. We can feel the weather changing and the cold mornings arriving very soon. We need to make the most of the sunshine while it lasts.

On Sunday we got up and I made baked eggs for breakfast.  It was very yummy.  After that we left the house and caught the bus to Chelsea and Boris bikes, a nick name after the Mayor of London who instigated the scheme.  We rode around london for an hour or so, up into Hyde Park and around that area, before running off to watch Liverpool at the pub.

This weekend we are looking forward to the Proms. I can't believe how fast this year has gone. It feels like yesterday that we were at our first Proms.

A few days in paradise

A while ago I asked Benny to organise a trip that I didn't know where we were going. I thought it would be pushing it a bit but because Benny knows just how much I love surprises he agreed. So Benny whisked me away to Cinque Terre on Friday. It was paradise, the weather was perfect with temperates of up to 36 degrees. We spent our days swimming, eating gelati and seafood, drinking wine from the region, and exploring the little seaside towns of Cinque Terre by local train. I successfully worked on a tan which will hopefully last a week and Ben managed to change his shade of white. I really hope one day we can return. It was so magical. We were sad to return today. The pictures are better than words in this instance.

The local church close to our hotel

Our favourite swimming spot

Most of the stations had views like this.