Sweet peas from the garden

For the last couple of weeks my sweet pea plants have been blooming gloriously in the garden. I'm really pleased with how well they are doing this year and I have been picking a good sized bunch every few days to help prolong the flowering season and it means the living room is filled with their gorgeous sweet scent. Going into the garden to pick such beautiful fresh flowers is one of my favourite things to do right now.

I grew these from a packet of mixed seeds, but by chance about 90% of the flowers are white! There are a couple of pretty purple stems and just one pink and one red stem!

These are my current blooms from the garden, sweet peas and a rose!

First home grown vegetables of the season

With the wet and cold start to summer back in June, all of my vegetable plants are behind schedule this year. However now with warmer and sunnier days, things are picking up and yesterday I pulled up my first crop of potatoes I'd grown in a plant pot about 40cm wide. Because it was such a small pot I wasn't expecting much, just hoping for enough for dinner. I was pleasantly surprised! After pulling up the stems of the plants I was met with the sight of golden potatoes; I always find this part fun and exciting, it feels like panning for gold!

I ended up with just over two pounds of new potatoes, half of which I used this evening for dinner and the rest I shall use over the weekend. Now I have high hopes for the potatoes still growing in a big grow bag!

Finally some of my courgettes have been pollinated so this evening I picked two to have with dinner and it looks like there will be another one or two ready tomorrow so I will make a vegetable lasagne with those. They taste so much fresher than store bought courgettes (like all home grown produce really) and their skins are much smoother and not tough like the store ones either. And at last I have a cucumber! It was the only one growing, I'm not sure if it was inhibiting any more from growing or if the others simply didn't get pollinated, but now I've picked it hopefully it won't be long before another is ready to pick. I'm still waiting for the beans to grow and tomatoes to ripen.

There really is nothing better than picking your own vegetables and getting them straight on the plate.   The dream is to one day have a big greenhouse and lots of raised beds to grow all sorts of delights!

Tulips in Amsterdam

Every year I have promised myself that I will book a weekend away to Amsterdam to see the tulip fields in bloom and finally, after four or five years, this year I did it! I booked a two night mini break at the very end of April, as the best time to visit the fields is usually mid April to the end of the first week of May. Unfortunately this year, unseasonably warm weather meant that the tulips were flowering a week or two ahead of schedule (typical!) and were likely to be cut down a few days before my trip, but I did a little research online and found some farmers fields which were taking tours and would still have some fields in bloom, so all was not lost after all!

We took a direct Eurostar from St Pancras and arrived in Amsterdam at lunch time. After a little confusion on the trams, I got my bearings and headed out of town to the hotel. We stayed at the XO Park West hotel, which was pleasant, if a little out of the way, but the tram stopped right outside so it wasn't difficult to carry our luggage. The first thing we did on arrival was book our tour to the tulip fields the next day and then had a walk around Amsterdam, wandering through tiny streets and over bridges, admiring the canals and the pretty architecture. We found a sweet little Italian restaurant for dinner by chance, which served good food and must have been known by the locals as a table was never free for more than a few minutes and most of the time there was a queue. After dinner we stopped by the supermarket for some snacks for the hotel room and of course some Tony's chocolate and stroop waffles to take home as gifts! By the time we got back to the hotel we were exhausted from all the walking and travelling and had an early night.

The next morning we took the tram into Amsterdam and found a cafe for breakfast, before picking up some sandwiches from the mini mart and going to join our bus tour. The bus took us to the farmers fields first and we were told interesting facts along the way. About an hour later we arrived at a huge tulip farm, where we could see that some flowers had already been headed but there were a couple of fields still in bloom and we were taken to a sea of pinks and reds. After a brief explanation of flower bulb farming, we were able to take pictures in the fields and then were taken inside to watch a video about the history and cultivation of tulip bulbs. 

The next stop on our tour was Keukonheuf gardens, a huge garden with thousands of flowers which is only open for a few weeks a year, during which time it houses the most impressive displays. We had our picnic in the garden and walked round, taking so many photos along the way. We even went inside a windmill! When we got tired of walking, we sat down and had a cup of tea before making our way back to the bus. I think everyone must have been tired out from walking around the gardenas the bus was very quiet going back!

By the time we returned to Amsterdam we were pretty tired so we picked up a quick dinner and then decided to walk to the tram station we usually changed at, so that we could visit Anne Frank's house en route. We found the house which is now a museum and the front has been enclosed in a glass building, which I believe was to protect it from development. However the side of the house is still visible and was quite moving. The museum tickets were all sold out and even at nearly 9pm there were still queues outside, so I would recommend booking tickets in advance if you want to go inside.

We eventually got back to the hotel by around 9.30 and packed our cases before heading to bed, absolutely exhausted!

The next morning we decided to indulge in breakfast at the hotel, as our return train was not until 3pm and it had not been easy to find somewhere the previous day. The hotel breakfast was so good! It had the usual hot and cold food you'd expect plus a fresh omelette and pancake station and plenty of fruit and pastries, so we filled up and then checked out to make our way home.

We arrived at the station early and sat having a cup of tea whilst waiting for our first train, as there still aren't direct return services. Although the first train was nice it ran slow and we ended up having to run to make our connecting train in Brussels, reaching the check in just minutes before it closed. By the time we returned to St Pancras we were both exhausted but had enjoyed our mini break away. I would like to return to Amsterdam, but when the direct return train services are in place, so I don't have to worry about missing the connection!

Birthday celebrations in Rome

Last week was my mum's 60th birthday and we organised a few surprises to celebrate. 

A couple of days before her birthday she was given an early gift, a travel guide to Rome - she was surprised to say the least! The next day we took her to London for a family dinner at the Ivy restaurant on Kensington High Street followed by cake at the hotel. 

Our flight was quite early from Gatwick so we had to be up at 5am and off to the airport. We arrived in Rome about 12 and by the time we reached our hotel it was just gone 1pm. We were lucky that our rooms were ready early and we had been given complimentary upgrades, so we settled in and unpacked before venturing out to explore. 

Our first stop was the Piazza del Popolo where we stopped to look at the towering Egyptian obelisk of Sety I, brought to Rome in 10BC by order of Augustus. There are lions on each corner which look more Sphinx like, which I found interesting. Im not sure when these were carved though.

We then made our way to the Spanish Steps, took a few photos and climbed to the top where we took in the views. we walked around a little more before heading back to the hotel to change for dinner.

After freshening up we sat and had a drink and snacks in the hotel bar, before venturing out again in search of the trevi fountain. It took us about twenty minutes to find it, almost hidden away between small unassuming streets, a beautiful sight. It was very busy as to be expected, but we were able to take photos and enjoy the surroundings before heading for dinner and walking back to the hotel for an early night, as by now we were exhausted! 

The following morning was my mum's actual birthday and I delivered some '60' birthday balloons and a couple of banners to her room and we went down to breakfast. The hotel had a nice breakfast with lots of choice, hot foods, pastries, cakes, fruit, fresh juice, yoghurts and a huge tea selection.

After breakfast we all took a walk to the Villa Bhorgese. It was a pleasant walk from our hotel and although it was raining, it was nice to walk around the parklands and the big lake.

Our next stop was back in to the city centre for a leisurely walk around. We happened to be near to the Trevi fountain so we decided to revisit it in the day time. I'm glad we did as it was worth seeing twice to take it all in, athough it was of course much busier in the day time. We stopped for a birthday muffin and cup of tea at a cafe and then walked back to the hotel. 

Back at the hotel we all got ready and went for a drink in the bar before going out for dinner. Unfortunately we forgot to pack the small birthday cake we had meant to bring with us, but we'll be enjoying it at the weekend anyway! It was then back to the hotel for a hot chocolate in the bar and off to pack for the flight home the following day. 

NYE 2018

I don't usually do much for NYE, perhaps dinner out somewhere but then it is usually back home for pyjamas and tea in front of the fireworks on the tv. One year we did go to Somerset house and watch the London fireworks from there, which was a great experience but it involved a lot of waiting around in the cold (easily three hours) trying to secure a good spot for the display. 

However this year I noticed just a few days before NYE that the Natural History Museum still had tickets left for their 'champagne on ice" New Years Eve skate session and as it would just be my boyfriend and I celebrating this year, it seemed like it could be fun. 

We turned up about 10.15 to enjoy the champagne included in our ticket and were one of the first customers there, yet they had already run out of champagne and were serving prosecco instead, which I did think was a little poor. Apart from this however we did have a good time and mused how sensible it was to be getting on the ice after the champagne as we strapped on our skates. 

The DJ played music until the New Year countdown began and we stopped skating to ring in the new year. It was a pleasant and joyful atmosphere at the rink and although it did get a little crowded at times, after midnight people starting leaving and it got much quieter as we skated for the last half an hour of the session. 

It was a fun way to celebrate the new year and by the time we got back I couldn't wait to go to sleep as I was so tired from skating!

Christmas 2018

I can't believe it has been nearly a month since Christmas, it just doesn't seem possible! Even though it was a little while ago now, I still wanted to add something on here as we had such a lovely day.

This was the first year that I hosted Christmas, so I was a little apprehensive about getting the dinner right and everyone having a nice time, especially with such a high bar set by my mum's amazing Christmas dinners! The evening before, I got all of the food out and noted down the cooking times and temperatures and made myself a schedule of what needed to go in the oven or on the hob and when. I even added what shelf and tray each item would be on as trays and oven space were scarce so I had to plan it out to make sure it would all fit in. 

I woke up early on Christmas morning and before everyone else woke up, so I took my duvet to the sofa and watched the rugrats go wild movie, which was a favourite from my childhood. Once everyone else was up we opened our presents around the tree. I was very lucky and received a dyson airwrap which I absolutely love and my hair has never looked better. A few other gifts were a lovely notebook, my favourite bubble bath and face mask and a sweet daisy necklace. My mum also put together a lovely wooden tray filled with all sorts of little goodies such as a festive mug, hot chocolate sticks, chocolate orange spread and a lush bath bomb as a Christmas Eve treat, which was so thoughtful.

After opening our presents, I served up breakfast which was croissants, jam, chocolate orange spread, strawberries and fresh orange juice and tea. I think croissants must have been a popular breakfast choice this year as I had to look in several supermarkets to find a pack on Christmas Eve morning before I bought the last one in a Tesco express. Once breakfast was done we all retired to the sofa to watch the television, although there wasn't a great choice this year, so by 11.30 am I started to prep the vegetables so dinner would be ready for 3ish. 

The timing preparation from the evening before paid off and dinner went without a hitch, apart from forgetting the Yorkshire puddings until I was plating up, but luckily I had bought frozen ones (is there a better Yorkshire pudding than an Aunt Bessie one? I don't think so!) so they only took a few minutes to cook and were ready by the time everything else had been served up. I was so pleased (but mostly relieved!) that everything turned out as I hoped and dinner was a success. There were a few leftovers which were plated up and put in the fridge for Boxing Day sandwiches (possibly my favourite meal of the year, as I think I look forward to this even more than the main Christmas dinner!)

We then all settled in to watch more television and although we had planned to go for a walk after dinner, one by one we each felt too tired to go, so we stayed in and relaxed for the evening with a few nibbles and before we knew it the day was over.