Property, Portsmouth and Porsches
I guess you've all been wondering what we've been up to lately. I've continued to be distracted by health issues while Robert has been busy distracting himself from my problems by spending money on boy toys. But let me start from the beginning..
Back in March I decided that we needed to dedicate more energy to seeing and doing things around
London. We had been spending way too much time not taking advantage of our proximity to all this history. So as a result we went to see Apsley House - the home of the Duke of Wellington at Hyde Park Corner. The house is filled with the paintings of the Spanish royalty 'rescued' by
Wellington from Napoleon's brother after a battle. The Spanish said he could keep what he'd rightly taken as the spoils of war.
We've also been to Eltham Palace near Greenwich. Tudor meets art deco in this huge Palace. Originally built around 1066 it has been added on to and extended by various royal persons over the centuries. It was bought and redecorated in the 1930s by someone who refitted the Palace with an art deco theme - wood paneling, curved walls and geometric shapes. It's quite a strange juxtaposition. The great hall is still Tudor in style and even has the scorch marks on the floor from when a bomb hit the hall during WWII. To view the inside of the house you have to put little plastic bags on over your shoes so you don't dirty the white floors!
We have also been on a London Walk. We did a few of the London Walks when we were in London back in 2004 and found them very interesting. One Saturday morning we got up early and went on the foodie walk which was all about food history in and around London. As part of the tour we were taken through the Borough Markets. We had heard many good things about the markets but had never been. It was good to get an introduction from the people who know. Apparently it has only been a public market for a few years. Originally a wholesale market it turned retail when the parishioners of Southwark Cathedral bought the land and turned it into a market for the general public. Since then it has been thriving and is packed each weekend. We went back to the market this weekend and bought a very nice piece of lamb for Easter lunch.
We have spent quite a few weeks looking for a new place to live. We saw so many different properties but none of them were quite right - too expensive, strange layouts, ugly furniture, no parking, too noisy, etc. Finally we have found somewhere. It's not far from where we live now. It has views of the Thames from the balcony, it's quiet, it has two bedrooms and a large living area. It will be much more pleasant when we have people stay and we'll be able to entertain at the full size dining table and comfortable chairs. We even have parking for the Porsche (more on that in a moment). We move in on April 24.
The weekend before Easter we went to Portsmouth - not because we wanted to see Portsmouth but because Robert wanted to see a Porsche that was for sale. He liked it so much that he bought it! Given we went all the way to Portsmouth we had a little walk along the seashore and watched the Isle of White hovercraft come and go while we had some fish and chips and ice cream. It was definitely a long way on the motorbike, but was much more comfortable in the Porsche when we went to collect it during the week. We've had it for a whole week now and it has been very useful. We even managed to fit four people in it on Monday for a trip into the country.
This weekend we had Easter - our first Easter without family. Still, we were lucky to have our friend Simone come down from Edinburgh to stay for the weekend. We picked her up in the Porsche from airport on Thursday evening. Friday Robert had to work so Simone and I indulged in some retail therapy. I bought lots of new clothes for summer as nothing in my wardrobe fits me anymore. Saturday we went to the Borough Markets to get our food for Easter day then went for a wander into Putney to see the crowds at the annual boat race which starts at Putney Bridge (a race between the rowing teams from Cambridge and Oxford). According to the BBC, Cambridge won this year. We didn't stay around to see the race as there were too many people. Instead we did a bit more shopping and I managed to buy another outfit for my summer wardrobe along with 2 pairs of shoes! Sunday we cooked up a storm - cheese platter, roast rolled lamb shoulder with roast vegetables, and rhubarb crumble with ice cream for dessert. We didn't really eat that much chocolate after all that other food. Finally, on Monday, we went for a drive in the country. We picked Sarah up and the 4 of us went east to Essex in an attempt to find Hadleigh castle. We got stuck in traffic but managed to find a reasonable pub to have lunch in. We eventually found the castle after lunch with the help of our sat nav. It turned out to be more ruin than castle but still, it was nice to get out of London for a bit.
So that brings me back to the subject of my health. Tuesday I went to see the surgeon about my gall bladder. He seems to think that it will need to come out but wants to do an endoscopy to make sure there aren't any other reasons for my digestive issues. I don't really want to have an endoscopy but he's promised to give me valium first. I also asked if I could get this all sorted sooner rather than later by going private. He agreed and seems to think that the operation can all be over and done with in a couple of weeks. I was very impressed this afternoon when the Surgeon called me himself to ask if I was available next Tuesday afternoon for the endoscopy with a view to having the gall bladder out the following week! Can you believe it?! I was very impressed indeed. Just goes to show what you can get when you pay.
This weekend Robert is going to Paris for work. I'm going with him so hopefully we'll get to see some sights and eat some good food in between his work commitments. Stay tuned for more updates.
