The pigeon cruise

On Wednesday we had a random day off, and decided to do something we haven’t done for a while. And in involved going out. When we first moved here we’d often head out for a walk, looking at the houses, people spotting, or along the Thames Path. Later we’d cycle along the same path, getting much further than we ever did on foot.

A lot has changed along the river, and so a plan was hatched to take a closer look. Rather than head to Greenwich, and head east we started at the Thames Barrier and walked into Greenwich. There were plenty of sights to see, one of the more unexplained was, what I’m calling the pigeon cruise.

As you can see the boat has seen better days.

And didn’t we have a lovely day for a walk along the river? It wasn’t until we got home several ours later that we realised we were a little pinker than when we’d left.

Heading towards the boat, when we got closer we realised it needed much more work than we first thought. But even so there was some charm to the patina.

And the local pigeon population also agreed - I bet it stinks in there.

Do you see the black window with two white dots in the photo below? We were being watched by the sentry pigeon!

Others came and went completely ignoring us, thankfully. We hadn’t even quite made it to the Thames Barrier before this detour, and that pretty much set the tone for the day.

Update: Since writing this post I’ve also been intrigued by the boat’s history, and fortuitously (and rather randomly) have been pointed towards this Ian Visits post - it’s worth a read.

Succulents at RHS Hyde Hall

I’ve long been a fan of succulents, but this year they’ve not really made an impact in my garden. I had plans to include some in a picture frame, but as I’ve not been to the garden centre yet that’s on hold. I hadn’t really noticed the succulents at RHS Hyde Hall before, but as we were scouting for potential rain shelters, I spotted a few pots full of succulents.

And I couldn’t have been happier!

If you know Hyde Hall and are wondering where, they’re by the new building at the top of the hill. At one of the exits to the cafe (which was obviously closed on our visit).

It’s somewhere I’ll be making a point of stopping off at again.

Though I was good, and didn’t check to see if any of the leaves were detached, which go on to form new plants. I have been known to ask at garden centres if I can have these, and no one’s ever said no. It’s when I’m buying plants, I don’t have that much front to ask on the off chance.

I’ll definitely be checking my succulents this weekend - free plants, and succulents, what’s not to like?

The best wine bar in Lyon

That’s quite some claim and one that got us through the door when we visited back in February. We were staying in a hotel close by, and as is often the way when we stay in hotels, we didn’t need any more food. Well not a full evening meal anyway.

But, what to do of an evening? And this evening in particular was a pretty foul one, so wandering around wasn’t really an option. So that’s how we found ourselves spending our evening in La Cave Des Lyons in the old town, in Place Saint-Paul. We’d walked past it earlier in the day, without really noticing it, which sounds a bad thing, but I don’t think it really is. At that point in time, we were tourists seeing the sites, and hungry tourists at that, who were looking for breakfast.

Yes, after a fabulous meal in our hotel the night before, breakfast as soon as we got up wasn’t needed either. You’re right, this is almost unheard of, but Lyon isn’t a place where we went hungry. The food was plentiful and fantastic, and I seriously came home heavier after just a few days away, even though we walked near and a little bit further around its streets.

As you’d expect the wine bar had plenty of choice and through sheer good fortune and a fair bit of pointing we got ourselves a fairly decent glass of vino, actually a few. We’d hoped for a bottle but maybe that’s just an English thing. Settled into our spot just by the door, which gave us a perfect people spotting spot. The best sort of spot, I think. We could see the whole downstairs area of the bar, peek into the tiny kitchen (through the doorway at the end of the bar), monitor the stairs and even people walking past outside. Or as the evening went on, blow past.

It was turning into quite a foul night outside, the winds getting up and the rain starting again. We didn’t need much more to encourage us to stay put and have another glass. We also opted for food, but only a small amount. A cheeseboard to share. And just as well we shared, it was huge. It also came with a variety of accompaniments, some you’d expect, like nuts, dried fruit and such. But also some that I wasn’t expecting, including sliced banana, which also worried me slightly.

I have no photos of the food - again, too busy eating than photographing - one day I might remember, but I can’t promise that. But actually the banana weirdly worked. I’m not sure I’d add it to my cheeseboards through choice, but I’d probably try it again.

FOR THE RECORD WE DIDN’T POLISH ALL THESE OFF

So was it the best wine bar in Lyons? Quite possibly, though we only tried the one. I’d definitely be up for going back (at some point) to try here again, and some others for comparison. All in the name of research…