…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.
…thanks to Jez for hosting Water, Water Everywhere https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2025/09/15/clyde-reflections-water-water-everywhere-279-2/
I decided to look back in my archives to see if I could share some oldies but goodies. From Niagara Falls to Ireland to Venice and everywhere in between from 2012 to 2016.
…thanks to Dan from No Facilities for hosting Thursday Doors https://nofacilities.com/2025/06/26/cmu-carnegie-mellon-doors/
For those of you who don’t know: the Bermondsey Beer Mile is a loose amalgamation of brewery bars and bottle shops, located along a stretch of railway arch that’s closer to two miles long nowadays. It is located close to London Bridge.
The most interesting parts for us were the painted doorways of the different bars.
…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.
…a beautiful summer day
Today was my nephew’s and his beautiful wife’s last day in London and they wanted to spend it with their extended family exploring some of the destinations where Londoners spend a Saturday afternoon.
While sitting in one of the bistros along the canal both Rose and Patrick were able to see some of the air show that was honouring King Charles’ birthday. Unfortunately I only caught a glimpse of the jets from where I was sitting and wasn’t able to get any shots with my camera.
…Leigh on Sea
My mystery destination was a train trip to the seaside today. It almost didn’t happen because we couldn’t find the train station. We used Google Maps and when we arrived at our destination there was no train station. We tried going in the other direction and we asked at least three strangers where C2C was. No one knew and when they checked Google Maps they kept sending us back in the same direction.
We finally stopped at a pub for an early lunch and I googled train stations. Eureka! We were so close but it wasn’t near C2C. We decided to give it one more go and in a few minutes we found our destination.
We purchased tickets for Leigh on Sea and had a comfortable train trip to the seaside. Once we arrived it was a short downhill walk to the quaint town. We checked out a few stores and I explored the tiny museum.
Leigh Heritage Centre stands in the centre of the old town in the old Smithy. Over the centuries the building has been owned by several people and had a variety of uses. Now home to a photographic display tracing Leigh’s local history, and a treasure trove for all connected to Leigh-on-Sea.(from the website)
I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the cottage attached to the centre.
At the end of the road we came to the beach. As far as beaches go it was pretty small but several families and couples were enjoying the sand and the sun. Kevin and I found a bench and we took in some rays.
Before heading back to the train we stopped for a cold drink.
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/
…then lunch in a pub and a walk through Hyde Park
Kevin decided to surprise me with a secret itinerary into central London today. We walked to the Arsenal Station and took the Piccadilly line to Green Park and then transferred onto the Jubilee line. Three stops later we got off at St. John’s Wood.
As we started walking Kevin hesitated for a moment and checked his phone for directions. A kind man asked if we were looking for Abby Road. Our destination was no longer a surprise but I was very moved by Kevin’s plan. He knows that I was and still am a big Beatles fan.
The actual studio is heavily guarded but there is a gift shop that is open to the public.
We considered going to some of the other iconic Beatles landmarks but they were all very far apart and not easy to walk to so we opted to get some lunch instead.
We headed to Bakers Street and had a nice meal at the Allsop Arms. I had the steak sandwich and lemonade and Kevin had the chicken BLT and a non alcoholic Peroni.
The forecasted rain held off and we made our way south to Hyde Park. We entered from the north east side and continued along the path towards the Serpentine Lake. As we got closer to the lake we were happy to see benches to rest our weary feet.
After a short rest we continued heading south to the south end of Hyde Park.
On the way out of the park I saw the rose garden and suggested to Kevin that he could rest some more while I quickly checked out the flowers.
All in all it was a great outing and when we got home Brendan cooked us dinner and Sevin set up her hairdressing parlour and gave Oma and Big Papa a makeover. If our son shares his photos with me I might share them with you. All I can say is that it was crazy fun and there was a lot of laughing.
…thanks to Dan for hosting Thursday Doors https://nofacilities.com/2025/06/05/shadyside-block/
I think this is the third time that I’ve referenced Camden Passage. I love areas like this.
Mama Cormier 