The BT Christmas Spectacular

To help us get in the Christmas Spirit, I got tickets for Tony and me to go to the BT Christmas Spectacular at Albert Hall. The promise in the advertisements was that there would be all manner of Christmas music including Choral, Orchestral, a Scottish Military Brass Section, and a Steel Drum Band. They also promised that there would be fireworks. . . IN THE HALL! It promised to be a Christmas Spectacular, Spectacular!

First, Albert Hall is Stunning. It is a magnificent venue, and a treasure for the British people. I hope to see something again there soon.


I spluged a bit, and got us box seats. Not in the uber primo box seats, on the "Grand Tier", but just above it in the "Secondary Tier". In fact, we ended up in the box just above the Royal Box.












The box was spectacular, and included a small antechamber through a curtain behind the seats, where, if we had brought alcohol, we could have set up a small bar. There was also an area there for hanging coats and scarves.

Just prior to the show, the usher came by and closed the door to the box from the outer hallway. So european!

Mark Comes to Visit

Mark happened to be in London for business the same weekend that Tony and the pups moved over, so with Tony's jetlag in check, we headed off to the German Christmas Market on the Southbank of the Thames.


They were serving all manner of classic Christmas foods from Mulled Wine to Hot Roasted Chestnuts. So I've finally done the Roasted Chestnut thing. . . eh? They tasted better in my imagination.



Though it was raining off and on, the temperature wasn't too bad. The festive nature of the Christmas Market with it's Rides and cute village look helped too.





We then went out for a wonderful dinner at a Gastropub in Angel called "The Barnsbury". It was a really wonderful meal in a very warm and inviting space. Mark introduced us to some other friends of his that are living in London.

A Dogs Life

Yes, it's tough to be a dog. One of my big concerns in moving overseas was for our dog's safety and well-being. I was concerned about what it would be like for them to travel 1/3 of the way around the planet, and what would that be like for them. Would they be able to have the same quality of life in an only "semi dog-friendly" city like London.








I'm happy to report that they are doing fine. As you can see from the pictures, very little has changed in their lives from living in LA to London. The biggest difference is that if we want to let them out in the yard, we have to walk a couple blocks. There is a cute dog-friendly park that has lots of squirrels, which is keeping Bentley very happy. Pepper had a small incident with a fountain in the park. She was running around it and fell in. It's freezing cold right now, but Tony got her dried off, and she seems fine.

Yes, it is tough to be a dog. . .

Tony Arrives with the Puppies

Tony flew out of Los Angeles on December 3, and arrived here in London on December 4. We weren't able to get the dogs on the same flight as Tony, but they arrived about 2.5 hours later.







Tony drank some wine and took 2 sleeping pills, and arrived in London nauseous. I helped him over to some chairs and got him some mineral water. This wasn't the arrival I was hoping for, but it was great to finally have him here nonetheless.





We took a cab over to the quarantine area, which is quite a ways away. It is also called the Animal Reception Centre. After a little while, a truck pulled up with the Brittish Airways logo on it and a sticker warning people that there were Live Animals on board.




We knew immediately that this was the truck carrying Bentley and Pepper. We had to then wait for about 2 hours while they inspected our puppies and eventually would give them permission to enter the country. I had booked a Minivan (in British they are called "People Carriers") from Addison Lee to pick us up, and it arrived right on time.





A little while later, all of the pain of waiting (we were subjected to a rerun of Murder She Wrote NOOOOOO!!!) , all was forgiven when out bounded Bentley and Pepper. The first stop was the conveniently located grass lawn out front. Pepper peed immediately. She didn't recognize me at first, and it wasn't until we were in the van on the way home that she suddenly realized who I was, and she jumped right up into my lap and started licking my face like crazy.

Thank God for Skype!

Skype has been a wonderful tool to keep in touch with my family back in the states while being separated from them for the past 4.5 months. Before I left, Tony, my Mother, and I set up our computers to be able to talk to each other through this amazing software. It has allowed us to be current in each others lives without it costing us a ridiculous amount of money.




In fact as insane as this sounds, Skype is free. And it is better than phone in that you get to see the people too. It has been great to see Tony, my mom, the pups, and my dear friends as well as hear their voices.




I don't think the dogs ever quite figured it out, because they could hear my voice, but never understood where it was coming from.

My mother loved using Skype, and it was a wonderful way to see her and her husband Dean, and it made the distance and time zone difference not seem so far away.


My evening routine often consisted of coming home, making dinner, then sitting down in front of the computer. Because of the time difference, Tony would often be having his lunch at his desk at work, while I was having my dinner. At least this way, we could have a meal together.




The last day that Tony was in LA, though a hectic one, we took time out to talk on Skype one last time. The image to the right is the last image of Tony with the pups before they went with Paula, our Pet Relocation person, and before Tony headed off to the airport. It was nice to be able to say goodbye to them, and see them, knowing that the next day I'd see them in person.

3 Days to Go

There was a time when 4.5 months sounded like a long time away. I came to London on July 14th. It is now December. In just 3 more days, Tony and the puppies hop on a plane to come across 1/3 of the world to join me.






I'm so looking forward to seeing all of them. It will necessitate some changes to my routine as dogs are not the most welcome of pets here, and they are quite a bit more dependent on people than cats or fish.





They go to the vet today to get their flee and worm treatment. Paula, our pet relocation person will pickup the paperwork and get it all approved so that the dogs will be ready to go to the airport Thursday morning. They have to be there 4 hours before the flight.






I'm curious to see how the dogs deal with the long flight.

Thanksgiving - 2009 - Part 3

Okay, so I'm not Martha Stewart, and it isn't a turkey, but with a little imagination, both are possible. . .

For being in a country that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, I managed to celebrate it 3 times. Not bad. Today I went to visit my old friends Jeff and Damien, and we celebrated Thanksgiving again. Since it was just the 3 of us, we got a chicken, and I stuffed it with fresh sage, onions, and an apple - a rough approximation of the way Tony and I would cook a Turkey.




I'm learning to appreciate Brussel Sprouts, and since they are big in England, we had them as a nod to the country we are all living in. We also had a Christmas pudding with Brandy Butter (OMG! is that good). It was the first Christmas pudding I've had since I got here.

Jeff made a Pumpkin pie with a genuine can of Libby's Pumpkin that he purchased on-line. He then made the pie using his Grandmother and Mrs. Libby's recipe.

It was a very rainy afternoon, but it was a wonderful time with friends and cooking.

Thansgiving 2009 - London - Part 2

Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that Americans hold very dear. And I was invited by some dear fellow expats, Alan and Wendy to join them at their flat for a full-on Thanksgiving Pot Luck complete with a turkey and all the trimmings.

I volunteered to make the orange foods - Pumpkin Pie and Spicy Yams. The pumpkin, which is somewhat hard to find in London, I brought with me in my luggage with the plan to make a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. The Yams were sweet potatoes that I bought at Sainsbury's which were grown in South Carolina (this somehow seemed natural).

I also brought one of the remaining bottles of Zinfandel that I'd smuggled over in my luggage.

Negin made this massive tray of what she christened, Mac and Crack. It was an amazing piece of classic americana. Tony would have loved it.

Alan and Wendy live in Hampstead, which about a 15 min walk, a 25 min train ride, and another 15 min walk (typical in London). I walked up the hill to the station carrying my pot of yams and my Pumpkin Pie. While there, I saw a couple other people carrying pans of food to their various dinner parties. In my mind, they were all Americans heading to their own Thanksgiving Dinners.

Thanksgiving 2009 - London Style - Part 1

It was Thanksgiving, and I really wanted to do something for it. I suspect that this drive was partially fueled by the desire to enjoy being what makes me different from a lot of the British people I work with - I'm American. And Americans celebrate Thanksgiving.





I hooked up with my friends Paul, Negin, Kim, and her husband Steve. We tried to go to this cool BBQ place in Soho called BoDeans, which was having a big Thanksgiving feast, but it was completely booked up for the evening. So we wandered through the streets of Soho until we came to The Diner.

It is a fun place attempting to be like a classic American Route 66 diner complete with Shakes, albeit, these shakes could also contain alcohol. Did I mention the Brits have drinking problems?

It has a lot of fun americana foods, and when I feel the need for a taste of home, I will probably go there again.

They were offering a special Thanksgiving Menu that night complete with turkey, dressing, and pumpkin pie.






All in all, it was a good evening even though the dressing looked like some small sausage puck. It tasted good, and felt somewhat homey. It was certainly better than not having something Thanksgivingy on Thanksgiving.

I felt a little jealous of Tony and my family and friends back home that would be having a true Thanksgiving feast.

Little did I know what was in store for me that weekend. . .

A Night Out with Oliver

Theater in London is Fabulous. My friend Lynn and I had talked a bunch about going to see some theater, and both of us wanted to see a classic London based story like Oliver. I'm grateful that my parents took me to a lot of theater, and one of my first theater memories is going to see Oliver. It is certainly a classic show.




We went to see it at the Drury Lane Royal Theater. Yes the same street where the Muffin Man I know supposedly lives. It is a stunning old theater with huge chandeliers and and many, many balconies.






One really cool thing that I saw there was an unexploded shell that is in the lobby. Evidently, the shell came through the roof during WWII, but didn't go off.

Bangers and Mac?

Bacheloring it in London has resulted in some unusual meals for one. I created this strange "fusion cuisine" concoction that is a spin on the old British favorite, "Bangers and Mash". This one combines it with the American favortie Mac and Cheese. And not just any Mac and Cheese - KRAFT (out of the box) Mac and Cheese. I call it "Bangers and Mac". . .

Notice the box was the Polar Express tie in where if you survived eating 3 boxes of Kraft Mac and Cheese, you could send in for a small Polar Express train engine. Of course I ate 3 boxes to get my train. . .

"Rubbish!"

What is it with the British and Garbage, or as they say "Rubbish"? I'd often heard Italy described as "dirty". I've visited Italy, and it isn't any dirtier than Los Angeles, which I thought "wasn't that dirty". Of course, that was before I went to Germany where I was introduced to how "clean" a metropolitan area can be. This made me realize that those complaints about cleanliness would also be leveled against Los Angeles.

However, nothing prepared me for the filth that is London. It's no secret, though somehow I wasn't in on it, that London is one of the most polluted cities on the planet. It is amazing to me that trash day can come and go, and yet nothing is picked up. I've seen huge piles of garbage in front of my building that are absolutely horrifying. I've been told that the city fathers are very afraid of rats, and that if the garbage gets too bad, simply to call City Hall and complain that I'm seeing rats crawling around the garbage bins. Well, if they'd just pick up the garbage like they are supposed to, there wouldn't be any rats to be afraid of. Thankfully, garbage pickup came this week, and now the front of the building and street are back to their only slightly dirtier than they should be state. At least until next week. . .

The Pie Pub

My meat pie obsession has taken me to strange places in search of exotic meat pies, but it reached it's zenith with my visit to the Newman Arms Pub. It is well known for its traditional meat pies.







Up until now, I've avoided the classic Steak and Kidney pie, but I broke down and finally ordered it.

But not just any steak and kidney pie mind you. I had a Steak and Kidney pie in a steamed Suet Crust. They actually call it a pudding, which scared me a bit. The image of Steak and Kidney Pudding. . .


I went with my friend and coworker Nick, who is British, to have the pie authenticated. I don't know that I would have had it if he hadn't assured me that this was the way his "nan" used to make them.







As it turned out the pie was delicious albeit very, very rich. Kidney as it turned out tastes a bit like liver (if you've had that). I don't know that I need to have another steak and kidney pie, but I do know that I will definitely go back to the Newman Arms for more pie.

My Local Neighborhood Canal

It's very European to have a canal system in your neighborhood. London and indeed most of Europe is networked with canals that were used for shipping in the past. Angel is no exception.








Angel has a canal complete with locks and small house boats. My friend Jeff wants to rent a houseboat and pilot it through the canals of England next summer. I've been trying for years to get Tony to go on a cruise .





It is lovely to walk along the bike/foot path on a sunny day. I've seen people in Kayaks and ducks and Swans.














I can't wait for the dogs to get here. Then we'll be able to take them for walks down there.

There's even a pub along the canal that serves some nice ales for those occasional warm days.