Southall - Bus 607

You won't find this trip in any guide book!
We took the District line to Ealing Broadway - the end of the line - and then hopped on Bus number 607 toward Uxbridge for a 15 minute ride. That is where you will find the captivating Indian neighborhood of Southall.





Many of the shops along the walk carried beautiful scarves and colorful silk fabric along with flamboyant jewelry, shoes and sweet things to eat. Some of the stores displayed "ready made" saris in every color combination imaginable. My favorite shop had the wedding dresses....traditional red with elaborate and intricate embroidery.








We ate lunch at a great restaurant, Roshni, where we shared some favorite dishes...Chicken Korma, Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken, and of course rice and Naan. One of the Naan breads was sweet with raisins and it tasted more like dessert. It was all delicious and the total bill was @ £45 for 8 of us....we need to get out of the city more often!


The last stop was the food market, Gulab. They stock everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to huge bags of rice and heavy copper bowls. Most of us ended up with large bags of almonds and cashews, and on the train ride home I shared the sugar coated fennel. It tasted like "Good & Plenty" - remember those?

Come on in.....

......and see the improvement! The renovation is complete.


One of things we really wanted was more storage space so this built in wet bar with frig drawers and a wine cooler is perfect in the new dining room and will be nice when the weather warms up and we spend more time on the patio. With the addition of a pantry, I haven't actually filled all the drawers in the kitchen..but I will!





It seems all we do is eat, whether it is with family or friends so the addition of two new eating areas has been wonderful for entertaining. Don't you love the dining room drapes? They are a soft silk plaid of gold, cream, and black.






The sun room off the kitchen has transformed from the dining area to a sitting room with a red leather ottoman and swivel chairs to take in the river view or a kitchen conversation.







The curtains arrived and "my handsome handyman with his assistant" managed to hang them without too many extra holes in the wall.
A (Pottery Barn) natural basket filled with a collection of seashells, and two giant clocks to show London time and Boston time filled in some empty space.
Tucker is a big help and has already claimed his couch!



The whole renovation came together and is perfect! It's now our comfortable, cozy, New England bungalow on the river. And now, with all the snow and ice the "nor-easters" have dumped on the south shore, the next project is to replace the front porch and steps ...... it never ends! But that is another blog!

A side trip to Pensacola

The Colonel had to have surgery and as it turned out, Miss Jane had the flu so I flew into Birmingham and my sister, brother-law, and I took a little side trip to the Veteran's Hospital in Pensacola, Florida. This week I've had a little warm balmy breeze, including a few "Bushwackers" and returned to a foot of fresh snow and 20 degree weather in Boston.




If you are ever driving through Pensacola be sure to visit the downtown area...Seville Square, Rosie O'Grady's, Joe Patty's Seafood Market.....and a new place we found!
The name of the shop is "DUH!" but really it should be "OOH-AHH!" because it is full of unique and beautiful furnishings...everything from pottery to chandeliers. It was just what my sister and I needed to distract us between hospital visits. I can't believe my family has been making this trip to Pensacola for years and we have never stopped in to see this place. It will be on the agenda for our beach trip this August along with a lunch of Ya-Ya Cheese Grits with Grilled Shrimp at the Fish House!

Happy Birthday Master Tucker

One of the things I miss the most when I am in London are my "Wheaten Greetens"!



We helped Tucker celebrate his 9th birthday with a little party and a piece of ice cream cake. He hated his new squeeky toy but has chewed up the new cork coasters! As you can see he is wearing his winter coat and does not seem to mind the cold winds whipping across the water .... but I do! It will be a short walk today!






When he plays, he plays hard but when he sleeps he is all "Tuckered out"!

OHHHH! That Silver!

This blog is dedicated to my dear friends back in London who spend a lot of time rummaging through the silver stalls at antique markets in search of that interesting and usually very tarnished piece of precious silver. While my sister was visiting me in Boston I thought it would be the perfect time to have a polishing party and share memories of our mother and our grandmother (Gekie) and how they cursed the "polishing of the silver" too! The bottom of each piece is stamped with a number and a seal that reads Barbours P. CO. International Co. Hand Chased.......Tell me it's worth a fortune! I keep it all high on a shelf where it gathers dust but gleams with great family memories. I even found this really cute silver lamp that makes a great night light for Haley when she tries to sneak in late and not wake anyone!

Opening my world!

This is a notice to all my dearest blogging friends that I am going public! That basically means that any one can look at my blog so you will no longer receive a "personal" invitation that I have posted something new. The best way for you to do this is to BOOKMARK the site and then visit it occasionally. If you want to leave a message you will have to have a goggle sign in .... or just send me an email.
This is a new adventure - hope it works!

Valentine's Day in the Cotswolds

We started our adventure with an easy one hour drive to Oxford. This was Rick's first visit to the historical campus so I played "tour guide" and tried to remember some of the information I had learned on a previous London Walks visit. We stopped for a treat of British sausages at Hall's Tavern.



With the help of Sir Thomas (the same navigator,Tomas-Tomas in Italy) we found the unique village of Minster Lowell. The river was high and the paths a little icey but walking through this village, the church yard, the thatched cottages, and the ruins of the manor house took us back to a time when this village was probably in it's prime. The manor farm still has a working dovecot.



We explored the quaint village of Burford and warmed up with a hot Pimms before finding our way to the B&B in Hailey called the Bird in the Nest. Our Valentine's evening was complete with a special bottle of wine, a delicious steak dinner followed by a gooey chocolate dessert....and then a short walk to our room WITH TWIN BEDS! It was a great day!