JERSEY BOYS

.....The story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It was fantastic, the songs were so familiar that even before intermission people around me were singing and tapping their feet (unusual for a British crowd!) ...you couldn't help it! Songs like "Walk Like A Man", "Big Girls Don't Cry", and "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You". I did wonder if the story had much significance for people born in the UK and even for Americans the Jersey accent was a little hokey, but I'll go back and take Rick next time! I bought my ticket through the AWC about a month ago for £45.00, remember don't convert, great seats, and I took the bus so I saved money!

The walk home from Whole Foods

On a typical Saturday afternoon we stop by Whole Foods to buy (and try) some interesting cheeses, sausages. fruits, nuts, flowers, and wine. Tonight we are taking Brad and Susan to TOTO's, a true Italian restaurant. The usual routine for our dinner guest is they meet at our flat, we serve a cheese tray and a glass of Prosecco and then we walk to the restaurant for a fabulous meal and I don't have to do the dishes! - But that's another story, back to our afternoon walk.


We detour off High Street, down quiet neighborhood streets where the cars we hear out late at night are napping.
Across Imperial Campus where if you don't look up you might miss this beautiful tower which shadows the Royal Albert Hall.
Down Queen's Way which now houses student's, daycares, and Embassies but were at one time the grandiose residences of the wealthy and royally connected.

Almost home, down the cobblestone streets of the mews houses - very hard to walk on! The load is heavy but this low wall behind the Brompton Oratory is a shaded place to rest. Next time only one bottle of wine!

Hampton Court

A Comparison of Castles

In March I visited Warwick Castle with the AWC, which is a medieval fortress built in the 14th century but transformed into a great country house in the 18th century. Madame Tussaud's family has bought the castle and with the help of wax figures recreated scenes to bring the tour to life. (Can you tell which of us are wax?) This week I went on a river boat tour up the River Thames from Richmond to Hampton Court....much the way Henry Vlll and Anne Boleyn would have made the trip! The boat ride took about an hour and a half and we had to pass through the locks because of the tidal change. In comparison, Hampton Court is a grand royal palace with a blend of the Tudor architecture and Wren's classical additions. Here is a tour guide tip: Remember Christopher Wren's style of architecture by thinking "wrenaissance"! The Baroque gardens were beautiful but I especially got a kick out of watching a tennis match...the King's tennis is played more like racket ball. Another IPI (interesting piece of information) the word "love" in tennis means 0 and comes from the French word L'oeuf, meaning egg - get it? We did end up skipping the maze...do you girls remember going through it when you visited last June?

I've got the London Blues!

I have never seen such beautiful blue flowers!  Some of these pictures are of our back garden and some are of the neighborhood.  I shock my neighbors when I pass them on the sidewalk by making eye contact and saying, "Hello"....wonder what they think when I stand in front of their window and take a picture?  The forecast for the weekend is rain and cold wind so I made a point to take some pictures before the blossoms blow away.  

But I know spring is on it's way!

Crazy weather in April

One day I am playing tennis in Hyde Park with Jeni's daughter and the next I am watching the biggest snow flakes I have ever seen float down to lightly cover the back garden. It was not the typical Boston snowstorm - no snow plows - no wild weather reports. The city just seemed to snuggle under the covers for a few extra hours on a Sunday morning until it stopped. We met friends in the docklands for lunch on a floating Chinese barge - Dim Sun anyone?

Just another spring day in Hyde Park!

I couldn't resist, the sun was shining and it was a warm day. I put on my tennis shoes and the Harvard sweatshirt Christy gave me, turned up the tunes on my ipod and grabbed my camera. These are just a few of the sights I saw crossing the park. We are so blessed!