sometimes...

..all i want to do is lazily lounge and enjoy lolling about in the park.

if you are able to, enjoy it for me. 

the weather last week was park weather, but this week, it started to get mild wintery again.
i am not complaining. this feeling of cool mild wind is something i actually love (as long as it doesn't get to freezing temperatures!). plus, my job allows me to enjoy being outdoors and indoors whenever i like, so, in a weather like this,its an added bonus.

this photo was taken last spring-summer (2013) when we enjoyed the Holkham Hall parkland. (note to self: blog about the hall,and the photos)

it was a lovely day and i learned a lot that day regarding some royal lineage living in Norfolk. but thats another blog altogether.

see you on the next entry.

a tale of two cities

Adrian celebrated his birthday in Manchester City and London over the weekend (from Friday the 25th  plus Monday and Tuesday).

It was a meaningful celebration as his son was just recovering from a recent accident. It was about family and close friends.

Although i did not take pictures of the city (we have been to Manchester many times before, and took many photos then), both Manchester and London are ties Adrian and i could not break away from. 

He has and all of his families are there. And our closest friends in the country live in London.

Just like my umbilical cord is tied to Cebu forever.

some pictures over the weekend of the beautiful places we have been to. 

the Trafford centre in Manchester is one of England's biggest shopping malls.

on a weekend, you are more likely to bump into a footballer's wife or girlfriend

or a reality tv star in this massive shopping complex.

We went there for lunch, and for me to buy some toiletries which i forgot to bring with me (i know!).

I never ever forget toiletries, but the bag, which holds all my toiletries, my hairdryer, and all bits and bobs for self-preservation (from moisturiser, to eye make-up remover) was still left in the frontroom when Adrian was loading the car. 

So it was his fault basically. My fault too, because i didn't check if he loaded the car with all the bags i needed to take. moral lesson: whenever he says, "all bags are in the car, always check,lol".

On Monday, Adrian's real birthday (28th), 

we went to London to renew my passport and to have lunch and tea in the city.

This is what greets you when you get off Tower Hill station. 

Another addition to the skyline is the very tall The Shard (that pointy glass building).

Im tempted to show old photos from before where that building wasn't in view at all. 

Maybe some other time.

Around lunch time, Adrian and i had to dash to a quick lunch, as i was given an hour out of the embassy for lunch and come back for the biometrics.

So we decided to go somewhere quick (Yo Sushi to the rescue!). 

So much for romantic birthday lunches. 

We made it up by having tea at the charming cafe in The National Gallery. 

And browsed their bakeshop,too. And bought some nice stuff from the gallery shop,too. (LOL)

After the tea, we headed back home to meet our friends. 

We had reservations to eat at a local steak restaurant, 

but our friend C was still recovering from jetlag from her recent holiday in Thailand, 

and she also was feeling fluey.

We ended up getting chinese takeaway and ate in their house. 

It was unexpected, spontaneous and just felt right.

Most of all, Adrian was happy.

**

I will post some pics from Adrian's birthday on the next blog. 

Sunday Morning, awaiting... snow?

It's the second Sunday of the month, and news are circulating about impending big snow in the country.

When i do not doubt the veracity of the weather news, i am also thanking the heavens that we are experiencing a mild ( and even sunny!) weekend. I am sure the rest of the country is having snow at the moment while I am having a nice warm weekend (well, warm in winter standards).

Adrian and i tend not to plan anything for snowy or really cold weather because of the traffic and possible disruptions on the road. Hence, this weekend was supposed to be an indoor weekend. To top it all, it's supposedly a rest from a really emotional weekend we had just last week after his son had an accident (he is far from being critical now, thank you, God).

Quarter of Saturday was spent in my pyjamas and i was eventually persuaded by Adrian to go to the shops to buy food. The night was spent snuggling to watch and catch up on our box sets. (and watching DVDs from friends and family who gave us them as christmas presents).

Today, i sit here in the comfort of our tiny living room, second lot of washing done (i love the whirring sound of the washing machine, don't you?), while i sip my coffee. I wait 'til Adrian wakes up from his beauty sleep for me to start our brunch.

The rest of the afternoon has to wait and see. I'll let the weather decide for me.

from the condensation on the windows, you can tell how cold it is outside. 

while it's warm inside the house.

excuse the "sinampays" on the radiators (behind the couch). 

we resort to hanging our clothes on warm radiators as we cant hang them outside

the beach

we are so lucky that where we are, although a country/farm/forest destination , we are also a few minutes away from the beach.

the downside to this is, every friday, the roads get blocked up by caravans and motor homes that clog the roads because holiday makers come to our side of the country to be either in the forestlands and or the beach.

but that's a minor inconvenience when we have nature's loveliest landscapes for our weekend enjoyment.

some photos of one of the popular beaches down our area.

{old hunstanton beach}

the skyline is interrupted only by this historic lighthouse

some interesting edifice

they serve great ice cream here.

it has stories to tell.

beach huts

Adrian's son, M.

the sun, sand and skies.

can you tell i've run out of models? (lol)

**

this goes without saying, remind me to take you there, when you're here.

Rx

a break

..from all the graduation posts..


here is a photo of the beautiful Gwyneth Paltrow during her book signing at the London Food Festival last year.

we were lucky to be with her twice..first in the outdoor event,then in the VIP tent.


**

we werent able to attend the food festival this year as we couldnt travel to London. we gave our tickets to our friend.

apparently it rained. not just the normal festival rain, but hardcore tropical rain.

but hey, that wouldn't have stopped us enjoying it. when there is food, music and interesting people, who cares getting wet?

**

back to graduation posts/photos after this (maybe) but i am sure i'll make time to post photos of the food festival from last year.

divine grace

"Happiness is not a goal..it is a by-product of a life well-lived.. "~~Eleonor Roosevelt

Today, silliness with Adrian... visiting the Lavender Farm in Heacham, Norfolk (20 minutes away from our house).

dimsum satisfaction

one of our new finds in soho area.

we have our usual favourites but it was a saturday where London seem to have grown thrice in tourist population,so we decided to try their dimsum.

at Leong's Legend


**

waiting for our number 11 red bus;-)

the date and i;-)

8 meat dumpling..;-) (adrian had a plateful each)

2 orders of prawn and chive dumpling...and pork shiu bun

pork belly wrap;-)

the lady in question

the prawn siomai (Adrian and i had one plateful each: our fave).. and Leong's braised belly (just like my Mama's humba, i swear im going back for this)

Adrian's special fried rice;-)

my egg fried rice;-)

King prawn steamed in oyster sauce

we were there just half past 1pm..lesser people, and not too embarassing to take pics

the restaurant;-) (whoever is coming to visit me in the UK should remind me to take them there)

**

after a hearty lunch, we did some shopping in Oxford street, and ended up in Selfridges..

we headed home around 7 pm;-)

at night, on the way home..

*

truly, the lunch was worth the day;-)

fridate

one of those days we have nothing to do and just decided to take our time and have a leisurely day for ourselves.


we started really late. left the house at 2pm and got to victoria by 3pm and went ahead and just followed our nose.


we ended for a snack at wasabi..

went to church to say our prayers for Papa whose birthday would have been on the 14th..

had coffee at leicester square

We did some windowshopping..and bought more books! (as if we need anything more to pack).

and had a pasta dinner at The Italian at Leicester Square..

**

i cannot wait to post pics of our 'dates' in norfolk (in the future)...;-)x

have a nice week ahead from Mr.S and i;-)