A Visit to Hampstead Heath

…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.

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A Day of Learning to Ride a Bike, Trekking to Argos and Ending the Day at the Pub to Watch Arsenal Women Win the Championship

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.

I’m a Fan of….Everything Scottish

thanks to Jez for hosting I’m a fan of….https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2024/05/27/lensball-shots-re-imagined-as-ai-artwork-in-my-fan-of-series-6/

After our trip to the UK I’ve decided that I love Scotland and can’t wait to go back. Here are a few of my favourite images from our six days in Edinburgh, Dundee and Perth.

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The fancy pubs in Edinburgh
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Haggis baked in everything
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Victoria and Albert Museum in Dundee
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Teatime
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Fun Sculptures in Dundee
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Getting together with our son at V&A Dundee opening
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Sculptures in Perth
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One of the best restaurants that we experienced in Scotland in Perth
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View of the Tay in Dundee

Doing the Tourist Thing – Part 2

….after Greek Town

The second place that my sister, brother-in-law and I went to see was Harbour Front. As you can probably guess from the name it is on the waterfront, close to the centre of the city. This is where you catch the ferry to go to the Toronto Islands and Porter Airport (also accessible via a tunnel).

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When you look north of the harbour all you can see are high rises. The dome where many of our sporting events take place is almost invisible because of the numerous condo towers that surround it. Between buildings you can still get a glimpse of the CN Tower which is no longer the tallest man-made structure in the world. It held the record for over three decades, from 1975 to 2007.IMG_3763
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