London's Vibrant China Town

Chef Ruby Cheney gave us a tour of London's vibrant China Town.  She introduced us to Chinese culture and food…...
interesting ingredients and how to cook with them.

She took us to her favorite bakery.

Some things like these fried dough sticks are savory,

filled with black bean paste,

while some things, like these Hello Kitty cakes, are sweet.

She lead us through the grocery store pointing out 

the best things to buy 

and things to avoid.

Aha, flashbacks of my childhood in Taiwan,

where nothing is wasted! 

Our final treat was a Dim Sum lunch at the Golden Dragon. 

It's always good to try new things! 

Pickles, of course!

This my favorite Pub treat …. a Ploughman's platter!
Usually a thick slice of ham, a wedge of sharp cheddar,
a little salad, crispy bread or a baguette,
and always,
always, a generous helping of chutney.
Some of the fancier pubs might offer hard-boiled eggs or a slice of pork pie.
During our many years in London I have tried all sorts of onion chutney,
from the cheapest grocery store brand to the most expensive fresh market brands.
The best, by far, is the one we get at our local Belgravia Pub!

It's 'chunky'!  I thought maybe they cut up those pickled onions to make 

the chutney so 'chunky'.

So, I finally asked! 

It is not onion chutney at all…

It is, buy it in any grocery store,

Branston

Original Pickle

Pickles, of course!

This will be in my suitcase heading home this time! 

Pub Quizzers

The Queen's Head in Hammersmith is our home for the AWC Pub Quiz -
and this time we celebrated the
Superbowl!
This activity has become a sold-out event for our club but it is just as popular for Pub Quizzers all around London - 457 pubs participate on a weekly basis! We are always amazed at the "Quiz Master".  Each time we have been, he has stumped us with trivia.  This time  he focused on the Superbowl Game…. we thought we had him!

How many blades of "turf" are in this jar?
Which of these dips has mackerel, garlic and mint?
Who wears the Fisherman's ring?  Not his wife?
(If you are Catholic you better know this!)
Write the Roman Numeral for 1999.

We sure missed our regular table mates, they would have been proud!

We brought in the 'ringers', Pat W and her husband.

We had to identify the name of the product in past Super Bowl commercials…..

We had to identify stadiums from pictures from the blimp…..

and we had to match teams with their logos.

I just had to write down the answers

because I have lingering laryngitis.

The hardest section by far was the music section!

Identifying the song and original singer would have been hard enough but when a marching band is playing the music…..

What?  That does not sound like Beyonce! 

uh-o-uh-o-uh-o-uh-o 

This is the winning team - all young and spirited!

We "graded their papers" and they made an A+

They almost had a perfect score on the music section!

I hope there is at least ONE more Pub Quiz in my future!  

Australia Day - January 26

It was another grand celebration!

Our Aussie mates, Tim and Sandra, know how to throw a party! 

Sandra welcomed us all and as is the tradition,

she captivated us with her reading of 

"My Country"

by Dorothea McKellar

The love of field and coppice,

Of green and shaded lanes.

Of ordered woods and gardens

Is running in your veins,

Strong love of grey-blue distance

Brown streams and soft dim skies

I know but cannot share it,

My love is otherwise.

I love a sunburn country,

A land of sweeping plains,

Of ragged mountain ranges,

Of droughts and flooding rains.

I love her far horizons,

I love her jewel-sea,

Her beauty and her terror-

The wide brown land for me!

Larry added a few verses of his own! 

Good on ya Tim and Sandra, it was a ripper! 

Pottery Outlets - One last time!

This was it….
my last trip to Stoke-on-Trent…
and I had a wish list!



30 of us loaded the coach with shopping trolleys
and even suitcases, on time, at 6:45 am
for the usual 3 hour trip.
This time our first stop was the Waterford, Wedgewood,
and Royal Doulton Outlet Store.

Ah Ha!  … A whole set of Wedgewood Bone China to replace my set at home,

which is still my Mom's "gently used" bone china. 

I love the clean white with a fern imprint!  

They make it so easy to ship things back to the States!

The Sophie Conran Collection at Portmeirion

was definitely the "Hot" item of the day!

"decisions, decisions??"  

But there are those who prefer the "traditional"! 

A new stop this trip, the beautiful designs of Moorcroft. 

And it wouldn't be a "Pottery Trip" without a stop 

at Burleigh for a spot o'tea! 

The last stop is my favorite, Emma Bridgewater.

I added a few more Pasta Bowls to my collection

 but I know a dog-walker back home who would love these??

The trip back to London seems to take forever but social hour hits as soon as

the coach cranks….

"A little cheese with your wine, Miss?"

As usual, another excellent AWC outing! 

California Dreamin…...

This was the year Auburn surprised us all with an unforgettable winning season…

"It May Never Happen Again!" 

……  so Rick decided to

take the WHOLE family to Pasadena, California

for the 2013 Championship Bowl game!

Whoo Hoo!!!

Snow storms along the East Coast did not stop our travels…..

"It's Great To Be An Auburn Tiger!"

We went to the Auburn Pep Rally

where the miracle plays between August and December 

were played on the Jumbotron over and over.  Even the "War Eagle" made an appearance!

We did a little sight seeing……

greeting anyone wearing orange and blue with 

the traditional "War Eagle" greeting!

Even ran into friends and family!  

Game Day started with the Auburn Alumni Tailgate…..

Orange and Blue required!

A band, cheerleaders, beverages and food….

Now this is how we do it!!!

The Rose Bowl

A dream come true!

We could not have been prouder of the Auburn Tigers even if they had held off FSU on their last minute drive. They had not shown up to look good, they showed up to WIN, and we cheered them on until the last second.  The atmosphere in the stadium was electric - we were high five'n strangers and only sat down for half time.  As we left the stadium, dreading the long walk and train ride back to the hotel, we were energized by the chanting all around us….

"It's Great, To Be,

An Auburn Tiger"! 

Happy New Year in "Style"!

How did you bring in the New Year?

My sister surprised us at Orange Beach…we were able to add one more to our table at Fisher's Restaurant,
so along with Carol and John Lloyd,
and Rob our chef,
we brought in the New Year 'In Style"!

Instead of my usual "promises to myself/resolutions" 

I am going to post this thought that I borrowed

from Pinterest,

I just love the last line!  

We are certainly looking forward to surprises 

in 2014!

Happy New Year Y'all!