The Tower of London

Can you spot the difference between these two mighty fortresses?

Look really closely . . .




That's right - the first picture is in colour and the other is in black and white!

underground train

While I was waiting for the next tube train at Baker St station, I saw this rather unusual train go past. It was carying a cargo of stones - maybe for construction of some kind?

Puppy Love

A very silly puppy dog came to stay at our house for a few days.

The cat wasn't pleased at all.

Having a visiting puppy was a lot of fun. However, she was lots of work too. Plus, she was very difficult to photograph!

Family photos

I got a new camera for Christmas . . .

A very happy day

What a happy day this was! It started with my favourite kind of breakfast at Janet's Montana Cafe. The veggie scramble was perfect, the potatoes were delicious and there was even some homemade peach salsa. I did attempt to share the salsa with my breakfast companions but somehow I ended up accidentally scoffing the lot - oops!

Then after some snoozy time just sitting in the sun, it was time for a hearty walk. This meant a short stroll through a new neighbourhood . . . and a chance for me to have a peek at other people's homes and gardens. I do so enjoy a good old snoop around, even if I have to stay on the outside of the fence.


The hearty walk got a lot heartier as we climbed up what seemed to be a very big mountain. I tried my best, but I'm definitely not as fit as I should be. Maybe this is connected to my total lack of exercise and ongoing love affair with the sofa?

I finally made it to the top. Even though it was almost Christmas, I wore a hat to keep the hot sun off my face and was plenty warm enough in my festive t-shirt.

When we got back home again, it was time for hot tea and more food.
I love food.

In the evening we went for a lovely walk around an extremely festive neighbourhood. Almost every home was decorated. The themes range from traditional Nativity scenes, to SpongeBob Squarepants (a popular cartoon character), but somehow it all comes together as a lovely event which is shared by the local community and visited by lots and lots of 'outsiders'- like us.

Then it was time to head for home, fortified for the journey by my favourite Mexican food. Once the food was ready, there just wasn't time to stop for photos - so here's a picture of the aftermath instead.

Huzzah for Christmas, for sunny days and for Mexican food!

Christmas lights in London

Some of this year's West End lights were a little too commercial for my liking: they were thinly veiled adverts for current box office hit movies. They mainly featured random cartoon creatures from the films - and they weren't even penguins or polar bears!


However, I thought this effort from Covent Garden Market was actually quite tasteful and festive, in a frozen ice palace kind of way.

Paris in December - Ooh La La!

Oh, how I love Paris . . .



The wide avenues,

and the narrow streets.

The exciting underground 'Metro' railway - which always seems strangely familiar.



The stalls of exotic foreign clothing . . .
so very unlike the bowler hats and pin-striped suits we wear in London.



I believe some cultures refer to these ghastly 'meat-in-a-pitta-bread' snacks as 'doner kebabs', while elsewhere they are known as 'giros'.

I'll stick with my finely-cut cucumber sandwiches, thank you very much.



Much as I love shopping for shoes, I did manage to resist the urge to buy anything from this shop window display.

Unfortunately, I was unable to resist all of my urges . . .

Yes, this was a genuine loo - in a night club (oo-er!) - and yes I did use it!

Winter Wonderland

Oh what high hopes I had for this event. It was advertised as a wonderful winter wonderland - a splendid festive experience to enjoy with all your family and friends. So off I scurried to Hyde Park with a festive friend in tow.

This big wheel certainly looked fairly festive, from a distance. But on closer inspection, it wasn't really that big and I felt sure that the view from the London Eye would be much more wonderful.


It's really hard for me to adequately describe what a hideous load of ghastly old rubbish this structure was. I think it was just a haunted house or 'fun house' of some sort left-over from the summer fairground season. Then, to make it more festive, they had Santa hanging from a noose with his little fat legs dangling over the happy Christmas crowd. Oh dear.

But wait - there's more . . .
the magical reindeer ride for the dear little children to enjoy, was in fact some old carousel horses wobbling along on a track. With cardboard antlers and a dodgy bit of tinsel (Christmas sparkly garland) stuck on for added festive joy. So this is Christmas?

Come on London, I know you can do better than this!