HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year Everyone!

NEW YEAR GIFTS FROM EDA

This morning a lovely and smiling postlady brought a big package from Eda.

Inside a colorful and lovely gift wrap, there were lots of surprises: a vintage style cushion cover, a christmas tree ornament, a film for watching in long winter evenings and a caaat bookmark! Wooow!

Dear Eda, thank you for all and happy new year!

PETER PAN CUP 2012

Since two years we are going to watch the Peter Pan Cup swimming race on Christmas Day morning at Serpentine in Hyde Park. It’s nice to walk early morning in empty London streets and then to watch Serpentine Swimming Club’s yearly tradition.

Waking up at five o’clock to be there on time (because on Christmas day there isn’t any public transportation and there are only few black cubs on duty) and getting out in a dark and cold winter  morning, is not looking so sympathic maybe but enjoying the emptiness and the silence of the streets, having fresh winter morning air in Hyde Park, receiving candies as Christmas Day treats from Santa who is waiting us in Serpentine, listening the bagpipe which is announcing the beginning of the race, watching the bravehearts jumping in the ice cold brown waters of Serpentine, is quite a good experience for two foreigners who live in London.

This year, the race was as successful as last year’s. But this year, when the swimmers were out of the water and running to the mulled wine for heating their purple bodies, we were as wet as they were because of the rain which is quite surprising thing in our little kingdom. 

LONDON CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

Christmas Day morning we woke up at five o’clock in the morning for going to watch christmas swimmers in Serpentine in Hyde Park.

Last year, when we were walking there, we were quite surprised to see Oxford Street totally empty for the first time. 

This year was the same.So, we enjoyed the emptiness of the main, busiest and most popular streets of London and took some christmas lights photos. The photo above, is taken at 7.30 o’clock in the morning in Oxford Street.

The Regent Street...

Mayfair...

Bond Street...   

A VERY BRITISH CHRISTMAS FEAST

Last year was our first christmas in London and we were very excited about it. We were familiar with christmas traditions in our country and many other countries but, except the one of the best christmas movies Love is Eveywhere, we didn’t have so much idea about British christmas.

We decided to experience it in a fancy place with a nice christmas dinner.  (Then, we were thinking that the christmas feast and the turkey time was Christmas Eve like in a lot of countries but we were wrong. Brits eat Christmas feast on 25 of December, Christmas Day and not dinner, lunch). All restaurants were taking reservations for christmas dinner (which was totaly different thing, this was for the christmas parties which people make with their friends in restaurants instead of home and during all december but no in Christmas Eve or Day.) So we didn’t make christmas dinner shopping and until last day kept our hope for finding somewhere but we were wrong again. At the end, christmas eve and day were not very “feast”ive days for us. After some light snack at home, we went to one of our favorite pubs (luckyly was open) and enjoyed the live music and warm British beer.

This year, after watching since two years all kind of Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsey, ...etc  “christmas special” food programs, we decided having our “Very British Christmas Feast” at home. Days before we made our grocery shopping and ta taaa!

British turkey stuffed with meat, chestnut and onion  and oven roasted potatos with goose fat: done!

Brussel sprouts and carrot cooked in our style: done!

Christmas pudding with brandy cream and mince pies: done!

Christmas crackers (of course purry ones): done!

Instead of eating on Christmas Day, we had our christmas dinner yesterday evening, on Christmas Night. After the dinner, we realised why Brits eat christmas feast at lunch instead of dinner when we were drinking cups of tea and trying to digest all those goose fat, brandy cream, etc. After the dinner we were planning to go to the pub for the live music, having more booze and dancing. But we were knock-out and drinking tea, lying at the couch and looking to our christmas lights.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We wish you a Merry Christmas

We wish you a Merry Christmas...

(photo © Cancer Research UK)

THE TEA HOUSE

As two people who grown up in Turkey, the tea is a important thing in our daily life. We love the tea and at home, we have always ready a good brewed tea in our teapot. And when the tea jar is less then half full, we immediately visit our tea shop in Covent Garden.

The Tea House at Neal Street no:15, is our favorite tea shop in London. This 30 years old, small, cozy shop has a variety of tea leaves and also any kind of teapots, tea cups and tea accessories.

By the way, after talking about our relationship with the tea, with this magical plant’s leaves, here is a video we like and want to share with you: 

CHRISTMAS POP-UP MARKET AT DALSTON PIER

Small, 5-6 stalls pop-up christmas market at Dalston Pier. It’s worth only if you are in the neighborhood.

CHRISTMAS IS ALMOST THERE

London is ready for christmas. A door from North London...

SANTACON 2012

This year’s Santacon was less joyful compairing the last year’s but the thing which was not missing certainly was the originality. This year there were some new Santas in the town. 

The Beach Santas...  

Santas throwing Brussel sprouts to Elfs...

Pink baloon Santas...

Some holy personages visiting Santas...

Cool Santas...

Stylish Santas...

And some examples of this year’s Miss. Santa creations...  

THE BOOK OF CHRISTMAS

Yesterday we visited The Landscape Photographer of the Year exhibition in National Theatre. There were some really good landscape photos. 

After the exhibition, before going to the London Philarmonic Orchestra concert at the Royal Festival Hall,  we stopped at the National Theatre’s bookshop and found The Christmas Book which is about everything about christmas time like traditions, food, legends etc.  The Christmas Book written by Jane Struthers can be a good alternative to the perfect christmassy gift.   

THE ROYAL BABY

This is the best description of the actual situation. It's unbelievable. All nation is pregnant, all nation has morning sickness. 

Not only in UK, in the rest of the world also is one of the most popular topics. Or maybe we should say the rest of the universe??? 

Source: The International Herald Tribune

HERCULE POIROT’S CHRISTMAS

Some christmas reading, some crime, some Agatha Christie...

TAKE FIVE BY DAVE BRUBECK

In memory of...

SOUND ON SCREEN

Yesterday evening we enjoyed a beautiful performance at Ciné Lumière, the cinema of  L’Institut Français in South Kensington. It was a Sound on Screen organisation, a combination of parts of film on big screen and live classical music concert. 

First part was Beethoven’s ‘Sonata Op. 47 for piano and violin’ performed by Alexander Schmalcz (piano) and Diana Galvydyte (violin) with Bernard Rose’s film ‘Kreutzer Sonata’. 

Second part was Mahler’s ‘Piano Quartet in A minor’ performed by Alexander Schmalcz (piano) and members of Quatuor Voce with Martin Scorsese’s film ‘Shutter Island’. 

And the third part was Schubert’s ‘String Quartet No.14 in D minor’ performed by Quatuor Voce (violin, violin, viola, cello) with Roman Polanski’s film ‘Death and the Maiden’. 

Before the concert we had a glass of wine at the little bistro of L’Institut Français. It was a successful performance. And also thanks to this organisation, we learned that Ciné Lumière is a comfortable cinema which shows nice films. What we can want more?  

CHRISTMASSY

Every year the christmas and new year spirit come to our home 1st of December. But this year we couldn’t wait and we called the lights and the reds and the greens (and the cat) earlier. Since one week we enjoy the lights and the spirit.