Doug & Jodie

February 2007:

Well another London weekend draws to a close. We had great intentions of seeing something touristy this weekend and were hoping to catch the Sth-West Trains to Windsor, I went there with Dad when I was 16 and have vague memories of it being a pretty part of outer London. Unfortunately we slept in until 10:30 today after a late night out with Gareth and Kris – so the plan is to go next Sat!

So, a quick re-cap of the past 2 weeks! Time flies here.

The week before last we woke up on the Wednesday to another snow covered London, this time it fell heavily for half the day and we had to trudge through it to get to work. It was lovely to watch from my 10th floor office as the wind whipped the falling snow, it was almost horizontal, hard to concentrate on work when there is a winter wonderland outside!

Last weekend Doug and I met up with some friends on Friday night for Indian in Borough High Street. Saturday we once again ended up at the Borough Markets (yum!) after having a flat viewing cancelled (we have been told we can break our lease without penalty and are looking for something cheaper). At the markets we bought some baklava, gourmet sausages and delicious Dutch cheese

Doug spent the afternoon at a local pub with Gareth and Kris, watching the rugby.

Sunday we managed a walk around the streets of London Bridge but the gloomy day kept us mostly snuggled up inside our flat.

Wednesday last week was Valentines Day. Knowing Doug wasn’t one to be sucked into the commercial day which my sister describes as ‘discriminating against single people’ (I’m sure she took her words back after receiving a big bunch of flowers from a surprise Valentine!) – I wasn’t expecting anything. After waking up and giving Doug a small gift and secretly tucking some little notes into his coat pockets and wallet, for him to read as he found them, I was surprised to be greeted at work by a big bunch of lillies and roses! So much sweeter when it is completely unexpected! Unfortuntely as per usual public transport (almost) ruined my v-day, as I struggled to climb the double decker stairs on my bus the bus driver did his usual routine of slamming on the breaks just as you let go of your grip …. i fell up the stairs and squished my pretty roses, all the while the crowd on the bus looked on with blank faces – yeah thanks! They were only slightly bruised.

This Friday night Doug and I ended up at our favourite local pub, the Garrison, enjoyed some fantastic champagne (Da Nore) and yummy food. Saturday we went shopping in Sth Molton St, Carnaby St and SoHo followed by a stroll through Covent Garden. That night we walked around to Kris and Gareth’s for cheese and wine and then by default, when the fancy tapas bar was full, we ended up at Nando’s! My first Nando’s experience … the food was ok but the setting under London Bridge on the Thames was amazing. We then moved onto Vinnopolis for probably the best cocktail I have ever had … will have to take my mum there she loves her cocktails. Then onto the Kings Arms or King something, for more drinks….

Today we went back to Greenwich for a lovely walk through the park, so nice to walk on grass and breath fresh air! I love watching all the dogs running around and the kids playing, takes you away from the rat-race of the city. We went back to the cartographer and bought a National Geographic map of the world, we hope to frame it when we go home.

And so begins another week in London. Only 2 weeks until my mum and Richard arrive – Happy Birthday to mum for yesterday!

28th Jan – Jodes and I went to Greenwich Park for a walk and to see the markets. We took our local bus (The 188) down to Greenwich, which is filled with great local stores and the Greenwich Markets. We strolled around the markets looking at the jewelry, clothes, clocks and other assorted wares. We went past a great stand, which had some amazing glassware.

 We walked about some more, visiting the stores, more than the market stands. We saw a great cartographer, which we want to visit before we leave.

 We then walked up to the park. In a strong and cold wind, we walked up the hill to the observatory. We got to the top, along with a few hundred other tourists. We walked around the park (which is huge) and took some photos of the views.

3rd Feb – Jodie and I went to Brick Lane, famous for it’s Bangladeshi restaurants. We sat in a typical restaurant (After being offered multiple “deals” from multiple doormen) for a free round of drinks and no service charge (tip). We had a great night, and completely stuffed ourselves full of food.