A New Years Resolution on Valentines Day.
I have known this for awhile, but just realized yesterday, that I have almost given up two things that used to be a huge part of my life before baby. These are things that helped to make up who I am as a person, things that I enjoy, things that keep me sane and help me breathe. One, of course, is baking. the other, which I am still trying desparately to bring back into my life, is running. Since we have been away since around the new year and now are back, I am jumping on to this NY resolution thing a bit late, but I am really going to try and make more of an effort to bring both back. for me. Not that I dont absolutely love being a mom. I do. I just need to start doing things for me too. I feel like I have lost a part of myself. I want it back. I want to get my heartrate up. I want to sweat. I want to burn my hands pulling bread from the oven. (well, not really, but..) I have been introduced to this new part of my life, but a piece of me yearns for a little bit of the old part as well.

so, that said, I did a little baking yesterday.

Being Valentines Day and all, I couldn't resist.

While in London, I bought all the ingredients for making crumpets. We had them often, and I had almost forgotten they existed until we arrived in London. A cross between a yeasted bread and a soda raised bread, crumpets are cooked like pancakes after they have risen. then, you either let them cool then toast them, or as we did yesterday, eat them straight off the griddle. I recommend the latter. with a little honey, they transported us back to London, if only for a few minutes.

T really likes lemon, and instead of making his all time favorite lemon tart from the Cafe Juanita days, I opted for a more simpler lemon buttermilk pudding cake. super easy to make, and how cool, the cake separates into 2 layers while baking. a pudding like layer on the bottom, with a light cake layer on top. not too heavy and actually not terribly bad for you either.

there, some baking under my belt. now, I just need to get those running shoes back on.

By request, here is the crumpet recipe: adapted and slightly altered from The Bread Bible by Rose Beranbaum

1 cup plus 1.5 Tabl flour

1/2 c milk

1/4 c water

1 teas dry yeast

1/2 teas sugar

1/2 teas salt

1/4 teas baking soda

put flour, yeast, sugar, salt in mixer and stir to combine. then, add water and milk that has been scalded then cooled to room temp. mix the dough for 5 min on medium. then, let the dough rise until doubled, about an hour. when ready, add the baking soda dissolved in 2 T water. stir it in then let it rise 30 minutes. in the meantime, prep your rings by brushing with butter and preheat your griddle or frying pan over low heat.

set rings in the pan and scoop the batter into them, 2/3 full. cook for 10 minutes on low, then, when the tops have lost their sheen, flip them over. and continue cooking until browned on the bottom.

The Coolest Retro Sale Ever.

I have Amy to thank for telling me about this sale. It was put on by a costume warehouse, and there was a ton of old and crazy stuff there. I had a field day, but I imagine if I was really into dressing retro, it would have been absolute heaven. But, I did manage to find a few things. I found a leather coat that fits a little snug, but I just couldnt walk away from it. (leather can be stretched, right?) You basically pick a bag, 20pounds for Small, 50pounds for Large and fill it with whatever will fit. I ended up with a couple things for Z, a blazer for Q and my leather jacket. It was incredible to walk around and see all this stuff though. old military jackets, crazy hats, school uniform blazers..clothes, hats, jackets from every era, 40s up through the 90's.

It was a little overwhelming, rifling through all the boxes..and, it was difficult to try anything on. people were crammed into corners with their loot, sorting through it, trying things on however they could.

But, it was alot of fun.

A day at the Markets.

Columbia Street Market. looking out from a shop to the flower market outside.

mmmmm, fudge.

Spitalfields Market.

This weekend was great. My wonderful husband basically gave me free reign to go explore by myself, so he could have some QT with our son, and so Momma could have some much needed time to herself. wow, I finally feel like I am in London. I was able to get around without the worry of carrying the stroller up and down stairs to the Tube, leisurely browse shops and markets, walk with coffee in hand through crowded markets without worrying about how I would get the stroller through throngs of people or that I would spill my hot beverage on Z, myself or a stranger. I was able to got into small shops, crowded with people, and also the shops up flights of stairs. I have to say, it was really nice. Not that I dont love every moment that Z, T and I have been exploring together, but today, a fire was lit under my a**. Getting out and really seeing London made me realize while seeking out all the playgrounds in our near vicinity is fine and fun for Z, there is this HUGE city that is begging to be explored. and, damnit, we have 10 days left, so moving forward, we are going to get out and see more. I am less afraid of tube travel and am trying to seek out places with an easy tube journey, one in which I can get off and just walk a little further if need be. the line nearest our house actually covers a good park of London East to West without the need to transfer, or with minimal transfer, so that is nice. and, today, I have decided that I am in awe of the Tube. I know, just days ago, I was feeling quite the opposite. It is incredible, really. London is a huge city and I went from our front door across the length of the whole city and to a great Flower Market in 30 minutes. the underground is really amazing, and I actually really enjoy the whole process of getting places.

Today, I went to the Columbia Flower Market in an area on the Eastern Edge of the city. the street was packed with people and cute cute shops, and of course, flowers. When I reached the edge, I kept walking, thinking that I could just catch the Brick Lane...and, of course, I got lost. (my handy iphone map was not working. curse.) but, resourceful me, I hopped on a bus that took me to another market, and I was really pround of myself, that I actually took the bus in the right direction. of course, I did stand at the bus stop for about 20 minutes trying to figure out the map. I walked through Spitalfields, which was kind of a nice mix of food, cool crafty stuff, nick nacks and knock offs. I could do without the last two, but there were some cool things and of course, I had to cap my day off with a little sweet treat.

Ho-Hum-Hummingbird.


I have seen their well known cupcake book on the shelves back home, so when I stumbled across Hummingbird Bakery on Portobello Rd, I thought for sure I would have to go in. This was the second or third time, actually, that I had passed it. Each subsequent time, I just kept walking. It is a tiny space, with a line out the door, and I have a tot in a stroller. I have to weigh this all out in my head before I venture into tight spaces. So, I walked right by a couple times and finally, the other day, as I walked by, it was nearly empty. I walked by, then turned around, peeked in, and decided that I could go for a cupcake and a cappuccino. They are all the rage right?

Well, aside from the more than polite service, I was not blown away by the cupcake. Maybe it was an off day, or maybe I made the wrong choice, even though I was told by the gal behind the counter that Red Velvet was the crowd pleaser. What I found was a dry cupcake with an overly sweet icing. Ho hum. Of course, dry or not, Z and I polished it off no problem, but it definitely left much to be desired.

All in the name of Adventure.




The other day, Z and I ventured to an outer area of London to visit a friend and her daughter. She kindly offered to pick me up from the train station if it was pouring, as she lives a 10 or so minute walk from there. I figured that we would be covered, literally and figuratively, since I had a newly purchased umbrella and a rain cover for Z’s stroller. And, the rain was intermittent. When I got off the train, the rain started up a little heavier, so I bundled up and started down the road. When I got to where I should have taken a right turn, I instead took a right to cross the street and continued walking on the same street. Later, after I realized that I had walked 20 minutes in the wrong direction, I was confused that the street sign for the street I wanted, faced parallel to the street I was currently on. Usually this means you are on the street the sign reads. Not in this case. The street I needed to be on was perpendicular to the sign. In short, I took a wrong turn. The rain was heavier now. The only thing that saved me from walking even further in the wrong direction was my iphone. The GPS. Not sure why I didn’t view it earlier. Must have been my confidence in that darn street sign. In any case, I was glad I looked at the map when I did, because I was getting wet and Z was not happy with me at all. We finally did make it to our destination, and although an hour late, Z and I were met at the door with hot tea, some hearty chili and the familiar face of an old friend. Definitely made the trek worth while. and, next time, remind me to forgo the rainy walk for a nice car ride instead..

Just a few pictures from my day.

The clouds do part here in London!

some goodies that crossed my path today.

A two posts in one kinda day.

I have a computer that doesnt pick up a wireless signal for some reason, so it has taken me a couple days to get a cable..blah, blah, blah. While I was away, I was writing, and now I will post my last couple blogs..

Shopping at Sainsburys.

We are staying just on the edge of Notting Hill and Ladbroke Grove. Funny, our rental stated the house as being in Notting Hill which is known as an affluent area. We are just outside this area. It is definite much less affluent and much more diverse.

My big adventure on Friday was taking Z to the local grocery store, Sainsburys. I thought Fred Meyer or Target was a madhouse on Sundays, this place trumps both, and it was only Friday morning. Sainsburys is a large grocery store, with a little clothing, electronics and dinnerware in the mix. I steered straight for the food, as this was the bulk of the store and I knew that I would be sucked in for quite some time, and wow. I suppose it wasn’t much bigger than our local Safeway, but I was so absorbed into it all; the brands, the products, the people around me. It was incredibly diverse. All of it. Supposedly, this area is a large Indian/Middle Eastern/Moroccan population, and there was a whole aisle or two of Indian/Middle Eastern foods. Of course, there was also practically a whole aisle of Marmite and yet another aisle of canned Baked Beans (with Franks, without Franks, take your pick..) And the people, I was blown away by how many different cultures of people were around me. I suppose I have been shopping at Whole Foods too long, and where I live in Seattle is not exactly the most diverse area, but this is something that I really like about London. It seems to be such a Westernized city, but so many of its people are from so many other areas of the world. I suppose you get this to a certain extent in other larger cities in the US, but I know in Seattle, I find that I keep to the areas near to my house, areas that are familiar. I am hoping this experience will push me to explore more of Seattle upon our return!


Tooting along on the Tube.

Yesterday, 8 out of the 12 Tube lines were either closed completely, or partly closed. Supposedly, this happens on the weekends, and, come next weekend, we will be finding other ways of getting around, or we will get creative about where we venture to. On Saturday, it was pouring and we walked to the nearest station to where we are staying. It is about 12 minutes. Of course, when we arrived, the gate was locked and we were left standing there, like ‘well, shit what do we do now?’ I have always thought that being in a city with a subway makes getting around so easy and efficient, but this weekend proved to me otherwise. Getting around is like a puzzle. Lets say you need to get from A to B. Easy, you take the W line to the T line and then transfer to the F line. Only, the W line is closed and the T line is partially closed from point C to B, so you need to find the P line to connect with the Q line to connect to the F line.. and man, what a pain in my arse! Not to mention, the tube stations are less than stroller/wheelchair friendly, so poor T had to carry Z up and down and up and down the stairs. (still not sure how to tackle this one on my upcoming adventures solo with Z) On Saturday, we finally gave up and hailed a cab to the area with the Science Museums and Harrods. Yesterday, we again attempted the Tube with our handy iphone Tube Status apps this time. Because our closest station was closed, we walked 25 minutes to the next nearest, hopped on one train, and transferred to another, then walked some more. But, today was a beautiful day. So, even though it took us over an hour to get across town, we ended up seeing a great Sunday market at Brick Lane. If T wasn’t with me, I might have meandered the stalls a little more. Some great food. I had Turkish. T had Chinese. A sunny day. And to make things even better, Z was perfectly content just sitting in his stroller. Shocking, as he is usually squirming after 45 minutes. All the excitement of getting from A to B must have been quite entertaining for him!