Blixen and gold trainers

Back on a miserably wet evening in March, when going out to restaurants was still very much the norm, we did just that. Because back then, we were crazy fools. I mean, it was even a Monday.

It was relatively quiet on the DLR up to Spitalfields, and while I’m used to seeing face masks walking around Greenwich, I was surprised to see quite so many in evidence as I walked through the City. It was a grim evening and by the time I arrived at Spitalfields Market I was quite wet. The plan was to meet up with MOH at some point, somewhere and have dinner in Blixen.

He was off collecting a record he’d ordered. Record shops aren’t my thing, and when I’m hanging around they’re not his thing either. I’m sure he spent way too much on whatever record he was collecting, so it worked for both of us. it’d been a while since I was up in town, let alone in this part of town where I spent a week back in 2012 as one of London’s Ambassadors, and so it was good to see how it’d changed.

And well, who can resist taking a snap of a phone box filled with flowers?

Especially on a grim wet evening, this brought a smile to my face. It wasn’t long though until MOH appeared and we headed off to find Blixen and dry off a little. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but it’s interiors were fantastic. Set in an old bank, they’d done wonders with the old banking hall. Initially we were shown to what I can only describe as half a table. Now had we been a courting couple, or even less drenched from the weather it might have worked, but it didn’t though part of me wants to believe they mistook us for that kind of couple, I think they really were having a chuckle at us. Instead we moved and sat in the raised area which gave us plenty of room to sensibly dry our damp clothes, air umbrellas and generally be quite sensible (well, sort of).

Our new spot gave the perfect vantage point for interior spotting as well as everything else going on inside and out. Of course, there’s no pictures of the food, food is for eating not photographing.

And yes, gold trainers. Super comfortable, a little damp and from Marks & Spencer!

In places with such good interior decor it’s always a bit of a treat to head to the loo, and check out potential content for my ‘loo series’ and that was my plan. And while the loos were equally worthy, somehow and unusually most of the pictures are of me in the mirror, so instead I’m treating you to those, with the final one being my favourite, though including just that one would have been odd…

Unusually, there were very few loo photos.

But heading back upstairs, it was easy to forgive as the lush green decor more than made up for it. The food was pretty good too. I think we’ll be back here one day, but probably not on a wet and miserable Monday evening, maybe we’ll even be offered that half table again, who knows?

My garden in March

March was the month where suddenly working from home became the norm, and for the first few days it was also my only outdoors experience. A walk up and down the garden a few times a day became my walk to and from work, which was much shorter than they are in reality. But each of us are adapting, aren’t we? The occasional blue skies helped. It was on one of these ‘excursions’ that I took the picture of our neighbour’s new roof terrace - I bet he’s pleased he has that space right now.

Our plants are starting to spring back into life, and I was pleased to see the plant which I’d coaxed along the wire supports do this. While our neighbour’s work had been taking place this had been rolled back up on itself, so it was especially pleasing to see it much more comfortable.

Colour is starting to appear, though the currant berry (above) has a section which is dead, which is now in our composting bin and the irises below were short lived once MOH and the lawnmower passed over the top.

There’s plenty of cutting back to be done, and seeds to be sown. The relatively new pots were ready to go, and so along with some build-a-balls, a top up of compost and some actual seeds they were ready to go.

So far the spinach, turnips, beetroot and chard (not pictured) are showing, the others I hope won’t be too far behind.

My gardening bug is starting to reawaken, what about yours? Why not add your post to my monthly ‘gardening’ link party, which opens on the 1st of each month and stays open all month - everyone, and all gardening posts, are welcome.

Reflecting on my week #124

I’m not sure how a week has passed since my last blog post, though actually it’s quite plausible as right now I’m in that space where I have no idea which day it is anyway. They are all sort of merging and there is little separating each day, each morning I wake up and mentally have to check which day it is, but I don’t think I’m alone. It’s been another week with few outings, in line with government guidance.

MOH has been out for a cycle most days, but my trips have been restricted to the garden (which I’m not counting as properly outside), the local supermarket (which is walkable), the greengrocers and the butchers. I may even branch out next week and go to the bakers as well. It’s interesting though as I thought he was more introverted than me, but it’s him that’s struggling the most.

I’m fine being home. Even work aside (and he has plenty of that too), I’ve plenty to keep me occupied. There’s the garden - though I save that for when he’s around to empty my trugs, and crafting, whether that’s crochet, lettering, or there’s cooking and of course the washing. He has household tasks too, in fact trying to stop him clean is a challenge, but yet he’s still ‘bored.’

He worked Saturday - and it wasn’t a short one, and so I was happy to amuse myself. We were both tired though by the time he finished close to midnight and so, what makes our ‘weekends’ are slow starts to our days. A lounging breakfast, which is almost brunch and plenty of tea and/or coffee.

Our new barbecue is up and running, with its inaugural burgers being cooked Friday evening. Our timing was off though, and the days not quite as long as suits us, so they were also mostly cooked by torchlight. And very nice they were too, I’m hoping it’ll get plenty more use over the next few months.

We’ve been gardening, and filling our green bins - but not over-filling them, as requested by the council. We’re composting what we can, which at this time of our gardening year, isn’t much. And finally, our camellia is flowering - it’s worth waiting for, and this year it looks as if it has plenty of blooms to come.

The other thing about this lockdown period is the amount of times our dishwasher is going on. Clearly we don’t eat three meals a day at home very often and we’re getting through our crockery! Actually I think I might have a post brewing about the lockdown and our experiences, but not quite what you think - look out for that.

Lunches are my nemesis though, much the same as non-lockdown days. Though I’m calling tinned fish a win. Up until now MOH has turned his nose up whenever this is suggested, but we’ve had tinned fish twice now, and both times his plate was clean.

Yesterday it was the turn of our ‘1967’ (a good year btw) sardines, which we brought back from Lisbon last summer. They were tasty, and gave the perfect opportunity to use my picnic plates for the first time. I do like a nice plate, MOH was less sure about the plates - maybe that’s why the fish got a smoother ride, who knows? But also, MOH didn’t even know we had these plates…

On Good Friday I was due to join an online class to learn rag rugging - and yes, I know I said I didn’t need to learn a new skill, seems rag rugging is the exception! - but the materials for the class hadn’t arrived. Of course, they arrived on Saturday, a day late, and so I’ll join the class this morning instead.

I’m looking forward to it, and have already realised there’s much more to it - and much more that you can do with it - than you’d think. I’ll let you know how I get on, but in the meantime, please do feel every sympathy for Elspeth, who has the tricky task of teaching me, and remotely at that.