…October 14, 2025
Today we decided to explore Hampstead. It is an affluent neighbourhood in the north of London. It’s a beautiful leafy green village with wonderful cafes, pubs, bakeries, book stores, antique and floral shops and high end clothing stores.
We had a perfect lunch in The Flask….cauliflower soup with truffle oil, baked Camembert with chutney and pickled fennel on sourdough bread.
…nothing says autumn more than pumpkin displays
On the way home from the cottage my friend and I just had to stop at this farmer’s pumpkin display. He admitted there would be more squash, gourds and pumpkins in the next couple of weeks. Hard to imagine when there are already hundreds on display.
…September 25, 2025
If you have any trios to share I’d love to see them. Just copy my link and paste it into your post. Have fun!
…last week at Montgomery’s Inn
After we finished baking bread for the Farmers’ Market last Wednesday the outdoor wood burning oven was prepared for roasting corn for the Fall Festival. Luckily we had a number of new volunteers and staff who took over the tasks of roasting and selling the corn.
The market was bustling with activity and in the park a band was playing and pop up vendors were selling their wares. I enjoyed talking with these new vendors and I even bought a few things.
…June 30, 2025
I arrived at my cottage for the first time this season. Knowing we were going to be in London for a month I hired two young men (friends of the family) to go to the cottage and open it up, tidy, sweep, wipe down counters and set up the deck furniture and build me a railing for the deck. It was the best money I ever spent.
When I arrived I only had to make up my bed, cover the couches, start the fridge and put away the food. Today I will do a deeper clean of the cupboards and give all the dishes a quick wash.
This morning I made my first thermos of filter coffee and prepared oatmeal with fresh Ontario strawberries, drizzled with wildflower honey, cream and cinnamon. Yum!
…watching Sevin at her school’s Sports Day and a feast with family at a Turkish restaurant
After packing my bags this morning I headed over to Finsbury Park to watch my granddaughter, Sevin, participate in the school’s Sports Day.
All the classes were divided into colours. Sevin was on the red team. As a former teacher I have to say that the activities were very well organized and the parents were well behaved. Everyone supported each other and cheered on all the participants including the children that were consistently last. It warmed my heart to see and hear the praise for all the children.
The games were also fun and the emphasis was on having a good time.
After standing in the sun for two hours I headed back towards our flat and met Kevin in the local pub where we enjoyed a light lunch.
In the afternoon we finished packing, picked up a few essentials for the flight, booked an Uber for 4:30 in the morning and tidied up the flat.
Being our last night in London Brendan wanted us to experience a Turkish meal. We got on the bus on Green Lane and headed north.
The food was delicious and we ordered the perfect amount. Farewell London. See you again in October.
…after passing it several times when riding on the bus
Today we walked from our flat to Upper Street. In the last three weeks on several occasions we took the bus to Angel Station or beyond. Little did we know what we were missing. We took our time and checked out stores that looked interesting.
On our journey we discovered Islington Square. Originally it was North London’s old postal sorting office. Now it houses interesting places to shop and dine, an exclusive health club, and an Odeon Lux amidst residential options.
https://www.islingtonsquare.com/about
A little ways up the street we found a quaint Italian restaurant, Terra Rossa. https://terrarossa-restaurant.co.uk/terra-rossa-islington/
We had a lovely lunch of salad and pizza.
Originally Denmark street was laid out in the 17th century and named after King George of Denmark. In the 19th and 20th centuries it became a hub for sheet music sales, instrument shops and music publishers and in the mid 20fh century it attracted many famous musicians. Some notable names are David Bowie, Elton John, The Rolling Stones and the Sex Pistols.
Today Denmark is still home to many instrument shops and recording studios but the surrounding area has been demolished and redeveloped.
After exploring the street and checking out the guitars at No Tom Guitars we were in pursuit of lunch. We walked down some small streets with very trendy shops and we ended up in Covent Garden.
By the time we decided on Buns and Buns for lunch it was already mid afternoon so we only ordered a couple appetizers so that we wouldn’t spoil our appetites for dinner. A bit pricey but very tasty. https://www.bunsandbuns.com/
Yesterday was a more laid back day but at one point Azadeh, Sevin and I needed to get out for a walk. It turned out to be one of those typical London days ….to rain or not to rain but we chanced it anyway and headed for the park.
We took a shortcut through the park and made our way to Church Street. About half the stores were closed because it was a bank holiday but most of the coffee shops were opened.
The best part of the walk for Sevin was the stop at the gelato shop.
…and buying her favourite flavours….mango and strawberry.
…Andrea really wanted to try the long 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.
Mama Cormier 