…Andrea really wanted to try thelong noodles at Xi’an Impression
On our long walking excursion yesterday we passed the Arsenal Stadium and found the restaurant that Andrea had on her list of places to visit while in London. Xi’an Impression is a very popular Vietnamese restaurant that many stadium goers enjoy. It is very small but we arrived at a good time and had no problem getting seated.
Andrea ordered the biang biang noodles and Brendan and I shared the smashed cucumber salad, pork filled dumplings and a Thai lemongrass chicken salad. Everything was delicious.
Today started out slowly. We were waiting for our eldest daughter to arrive in London from Toronto before heading out for the day.
After Andrea arrived we took Sevin outside to practise learning how to ride her bike. She took a few spins of the driveway with her father close behind before we walked to Argos to pick up some pillows that we had ordered earlier in the day.
The walk to Argo’s was substantial and we stopped at a famous noodle house for a bite to eat. More about that tomorrow.
We also stopped at a Waitrose to pick up a few more groceries and decided to take a bus back home. We wanted to get back home in time to catch the UEFA Women’s Champions League at one of the local pubs.
After missing one bus because the driver didn’t stop, waiting for a second bus and then having to walk a ways we finally got home, put away the food and made our way to the pub with the whole family.
The first two pubs were packed and one didn’t allow children. We ended up in the pub closest to our flat and we got there in time to see Arsenal score the first and only point of the game. The pub erupted in cheers when the hometown team won the championship.
Sevin was delighted with the outcome and thoroughly enjoyed her pizza and chips.
…arrived this morning at 6:30 just in time for rush hour
The flight was only 6 1/2 hours but the drive from the airport took us almost two hours. After a two hour nap we took a walk from our flat (next to our son’s flat) to the local green grocer/mini market. We picked up a few essentials and when we got back we met up with Sevin who had just returned from school. She helped us put away our groceries and then we went next door where mama was preparing dinner for us.
Sevin entertained us with stories about her day at school. She is in reception which is like our senior kindergarten. Then she showed us her latest work of art.
On the train from Edinburgh to London 2024On the plane from Toronto to Calgary 2023On the bus in Dublin 2022Olive in the car on the ferry 2019Winnie and Uncle Brendan on the train in Italy 2016
Serenity for me has always been looking over lake up at my cottage or enjoying a cup of coffee with a book on the deck.
When Dad lived with us he used to love going down to the park at the end of the our street and sitting on the bench or his walker and just enjoying the view of his ‘ocean’, which was actually Lake Ontario.
Are we musical? Well we certainly love music and over the years my whole family has taken up learning to play an instrument or two.
I started singing in choirs in elementary school and as an adult I sang regularly in a German choir for 27 years and as a guest chorister in a church choir for special services. I learned to play the recorder as a child and taught my own students the melodic joys of this humble instrument. I dabble with the ukulele and have attempted to play the piano.
Two of my children learned to play the piano and they all took up instruments in school. Their choices were the cello and saxophone. Their father and my husband of almost 50 years is an avid collector and player of guitars and other stringed instruments.
Now our grandchildren are starting to show an interest in music. The cycle continues.
My father at his 90th birthday party being serenaded by two of his choir friends. He sang wth his choirs for more than 60 years.
Mama Cormier 